5/01/2014

Another Cloudy Day

The weather has been pretty blah this week with low overhanging clouds and light sprinkles of rains.  The ground is getting pretty ready to plant except it is a little cool because the sun isn't warming it up. The Master Gardener's are having their sale and the Barbershop Chorus is having their show on Saturday.  I am wondering if we both won't be pretty tired come Sunday.   I am using my truck to haul the risers from the show location to the practice hall.  There is a post show get together for the chorus guys but I'm not sure if there will be anything left in my tank at the end of that day.  The risers will need to go home after the 9 PM end.

I think I have finally solved all my computer problems now and am back up on line.  I really owe a lot to Dave for all his help.  In addition to just doing the work, He showed me a lot of things about the computer and Windows 8.  If you haven't been involved with Window's 8, be ready for a lot of changes from Window's earlier versions.  Windows 8 has a lot of adaptations that  make things work with cell phones, laptops and touch screens.  None of them do I have in my collection of things that compute in the dark.

I worked on the tow behind lawn mower yesterday.  The first thing I noticed was that there was no gas in the tank when I started working on it.  I think I left a pint or two in the tank last year. I put a cup full of gas in the tank and I had leaks all over the place.  Last year I used a couple of old pieces of 1/4 inch fuel line off an older mower and over the winter it just disintegrated in a couple of places.  I know Barb gets tired of me saying I have to make a trip to the Hardware store but I just can't stock everything I need.  I am always surprised at how much the little things cost.  18 inches of 1/4 inch fuel line and four clamps were over $5.00.  I spent another half hour using an external battery cranking the motor to get it to start.  Thank God I didn't have to use the pull rope to do that.  One of these days I will probably set it up to start with an onboard battery but there's anther $150.00 I don't want to spend on a five year old mower.  Oh well, nothing's free.

I am about fed up listening to the news.  After 8 weeks of looking for the Malaysian Airliner, they announced in a five page report that they don't know what they don't know.  Do you think that keeps the talking heads on CNN from making things up?   It is a wonder that one of the news shows hasn't asked the Clipper's owner what he thinks.  I'll bet that would be better than the stuff CNN is making up.  Have you wondered how the NBA can fine the owner 2 1/2 million and then force him to sell his team?  I would think one or the other but all he will do is include his fine in the asking price and the new owners will in effect pay the fine.  And, who can even begin to figure out what an NBA team is worth?    When dealing with the sales of a business there is a term called "blue sky" that is the net effect of good owner ship has on a business.  I wonder what they will call the "Storm Clouds" in this deal.  It really doesn't matter as I don't have enough Petty Cash to buy it or be involved in the deal.

For those of you  in the Heartland, we have been eating asparagus from our garden for a little over a week.  There is almost nothing better than the spring crop of anything from the garden.  Barb has a lot of tomato plants ready to go out in to the garden  and it won't be long and we will have some of those red orbs to savor.  Throw in some bacon and I'm in heaven.

Each year the hummingbirds send a male ahead to scout the best flowers and feeders to cause them to settle in.  We have had the male scout here for a little over a week but the rest of the group is probably staying in Oklahoma until it warms up a little.  We have a feeder right outside the breakfast nook and love to watch the antics of the hummers as they compete for the best spot to feed.  They are some pretty spectacular little buggers when they get in the sun.  At least one will sit on a tree branch nearby and play traffic cop for the rest.  Barb does her best to keep the feeder full and it has taken one a day in the later part of the summer when they are stocking up for their migration south.  

Speaking of Migrations, there was a wonderful piece on Nature (PBS) last night about the Monarch and their trip from Mexico to Canada and back each year.  Barb and I both wish things in Mexico would settle down a bit so we could go to the mountains above Mexico City and see the place they overwinter.  I guess that might be one of those things that we will have to see on TV. 

Did I tell you the story about meeting several Mexican workers when the concrete guys poured the pad for my new metal building?   Our Congress has it all wrong.  Most of them don't want to live here to retire here, they like the rest of us want to be able to work and make enough money so they can go home when they finish working.  Like most of the rest of us, their focus is on jobs.  They would stay home if they could make a living in Mexico.  Their ideal situation would be for Mexico to be another State like California and they could get in their cars and drive where they want to.  Perhaps a better example would be the European Union  where they have taken down all the border crossings and you can travel in Europe when and where you desire.  In my humble opinion, it would be a lot easier to guard the southern border of Mexico than the entre border of Mexico and the US.  Besides, I love the Mexican culture and food. 

What does it say about me that I am an equal opportunity eater?  I hear people talk about ribs, watermelon, catfish and dos X's being a Mexican treat.   Back in my drinking days, I would drink Molson, Dos X's and about anything with rum in it.  I did have a slight tendency to think I was a pirate if I drank too much rum but it was a personal thing.    I love fried chicken, ribs, about any smoked or grilled meats and I watch a lot of the cooking channel.   I wish we had a great Korean place here in Topeka.  We have some great Mexican places, a lot of good Chinese places and   BBQ places.   I will admit that the cost of beef is about to cause me to move to pork and chicken. 

Oh well, enough time wasted here. Got a mower to get ready and a truck to clean up the bed on.

MUD

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