tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5011608257023346402024-02-20T20:23:26.278-08:00Camp MassawomeeIdle ramblings of an addled mindMike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-83947190577674561082019-02-04T08:03:00.001-08:002019-02-04T08:03:30.379-08:00I Got SickI got sick, and with the help of others I'm better.<div>
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Short story long, I haven't been taking care of my self, trying my damnest to punish it for my self imposed faults, foibles and failings. I mean no matter how I try to justify it, smoking weed with COPD is seriously stupid. I've watched most of my family die from COPD, I know what awaits me, but to try to hurry that? Not to mention my drinking,,,,Wine, beer and spirits are wonderful things in moderation, but I haven't been moderating. Drinking alcohol to lose time, is lazy, cowardly and fucking expensive. Not quite as expensive as 11 days in the hospital, but money better spent on needful things.</div>
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Having been close to death has hopefully somehow changed me in a fundamental way. I know my mind is clearer..I'm writing this blog entry after a lapse of a pair of years...the miasma of depression is lifting and I feel a smile radiating once more. There is hope once again at Camp Massawomee.</div>
Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-9382013915127068352017-05-03T08:35:00.001-07:002017-05-03T08:35:44.268-07:00Chile Chart Very Koolhttp://www.appliancecity.co.uk/chilli/Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-68510265790417756502017-01-30T08:21:00.003-08:002017-01-30T08:31:31.573-08:00Today I stand So many things going through my mind, many that I would be ashamed of if public. Mainly mayhem in Washington. I'm pretty sure I can keep a cap on it, but still I can not remain silent while a tyrant has taken control of the country I love. I may have COPD, but I still breathe and having to breathe the same air that Trumpulthinskin breathes. Sad. Irritatingly I copy his syntax. How long before the brown shirt bullies start to spill blood on the ground to assuage the ego of the nazi ensconced in our White House. And it will spill my friends, as surely and the sun will rise on an awakened America. I may not be able to march, but I can still speak up. Resist America this pestilent blight upon the soul of our country. <div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1D9eRbOzqDhbb2UeL2Mk-l5ytoIOL7vp8ih4uB-q5JRFCSX7xR1QDDyu2MDQp4Xexp2giTyqqs1v2kLCHqJKye_Csc0oB3xKXGzTvNjcKQ8BfDaZ0xZcuth6k_udJm4-ei8dl-W6r0Q/s1600/1485793842567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1D9eRbOzqDhbb2UeL2Mk-l5ytoIOL7vp8ih4uB-q5JRFCSX7xR1QDDyu2MDQp4Xexp2giTyqqs1v2kLCHqJKye_Csc0oB3xKXGzTvNjcKQ8BfDaZ0xZcuth6k_udJm4-ei8dl-W6r0Q/s640/1485793842567.jpg"> </a> </div>Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-60782251248098006842016-12-01T22:06:00.000-08:002016-12-01T22:06:44.830-08:00What?iwnrtt<br />
but it will be real<br />
<br />
<br />
I worry about my sweet child<br />
my beautiful grandkids<br />
<br />
I'm bewildered<br />
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It was my generation that created this Dystopian reality.<br />
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Shame on us<br />
Shame on me<br />
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<br />Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-10473148309914167502016-12-01T21:46:00.000-08:002016-12-01T22:08:06.973-08:00in and out, you don't have to shoutAll I know<br />
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is that I am me.<br />
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Everything else<br />
<br />
a mystery<br />
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My body included.<br />
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Just ego<br />
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pure, unadulterated me<br />
<br />
Yet I breathe<br />
<br />
and every breath makes me<br />
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so am I me<br />
<br />
or my breath?<br />
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<br />Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-65969218785312853972014-11-19T19:02:00.000-08:002014-11-19T19:02:02.603-08:00An Ode to Deacon DuvallA month or so ago a man named Deacon Duvall died at the grand age of 97. I didn't know Mr. Duvall, but I did know of him. I was in the Navy when his Fairmont State football team won the national championship of the NAIA. I didn't see any of the games, but i earnestly followed the team in the Times/West Virginian newspaper my mom and dad subscribed to for me. I had played against Roy Michael and Sonny Bardic in high school so I knew first hand what Fairmont State's opponents were facing. I admired that team and their coach Deacon. Never met the man, even though I started Fairmont State his last year as coach. Years pass, Roy Michael is Mannington's coach, then North Marion's. Roy had a great teacher in Deacon and I'm sure Deacon was proud of Roy. <div>
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I read, as many did, Deacon's obituary and it mentioned his book, published in 2008,," <span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.0060005187988px;">Duvall Football: Winning a National Championship "</span>. My immediate thought was to read his book and like always I Amazoned. Ordered the book and waited. Yesterday I got a notice from the bookseller that he couldn't find the book. Okay I think,,I know I can go elsewhere for the book. I cancel that order and get back to Amazon and what do I find??? They don't have the book at all. I'm so used to having any book I want on my doorstep within a week, I'm taken aback.</div>
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But I must say, as a Camp Massawomeean, I had a plan b. </div>
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I pulled the Mannington Library up and Lo: Not Found</div>
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Know that the Mangton Library net site is part of the Marion Co. system which includes Fairmont State University. I called the Mannington Library and they were.......Let's say I came up with Zilch.</div>
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So I called North Marion High School Library and asked them if they had a copy of a book which had to do with their retired teacher/coach. If I could congeal the reply of the librarian at North Marion down to it's essense it would be " Roy who? " </div>
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Non-plussed I dialed FSU Library and finally talked to their reference librarian.</div>
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She told me that Deacon's book is only in three libraries. The closest was WVU.</div>
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I have no idea of the literary merits of Deacon Duvall's book, having never read it. But damnit,,,why isn't it at North Marion, and why isn't it at Fairmont State, indeed, why isn't it enshrined at Fairmont State..... But</div>
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This isn't about a man I haven't met. It's about his wife Joan.</div>
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After all my blind alleys, and Plan C*.</div>
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I reread the obit, saw that his daughter was local, and I called and left a message for her or her husband.</div>
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A couple of hours ago the phone rings and it's Deacon's wife Joan. If I could remember exactly the conversation because she was the most gracious, self-effacing, kindly person I ever talked to.</div>
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Upshot:; She's sending me two (2) "Duvall Football: Winning a National Championship"</div>
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I'm to donate some money to the First Baptist Church Deacon Duvall Memorial Fund. Joan wouldn't pin me to a certain amount,,,,just "some". </div>
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I didn't know Deacon Duvall,,,but I know for sure he married one classy lady.</div>
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*I was going to call John Veasey at the newspaper.</div>
Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-74412768702289019862014-04-07T11:19:00.000-07:002014-04-07T11:19:33.572-07:00A Proper Loaf of Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbVGrTjcsl7Pdyo2-rCagnM25LWKoDSOqEEnBaIXYE_ib1Zj74fEWW81y-XUdiwc3jrkgD6fGkLCfqzvRXWpvdvorh6txfX5tGU0ZU0_0xPYVjdGVFJarX98hMrbhEEmn1eOCZIOiY8M/s1600/Image0+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbVGrTjcsl7Pdyo2-rCagnM25LWKoDSOqEEnBaIXYE_ib1Zj74fEWW81y-XUdiwc3jrkgD6fGkLCfqzvRXWpvdvorh6txfX5tGU0ZU0_0xPYVjdGVFJarX98hMrbhEEmn1eOCZIOiY8M/s1600/Image0+(2).jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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My latest effort, my latest love. Ain't she a beaut?<br />
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10/6 ration of flour to water, 1/2 tsp Salt, 2 tsp of honey, tsp of yeast and a cup of Sourdough starter. 35 minutes at 400 degrees, Wasn't sleepy, so I stayed up all night and this was out of the oven around 5 a.m. The first slice slathered with cultured butter was just delicioso. Can't imagine what my bread is gonna taste like when I get good. Still a little underdone in the very middle. Crust is seriously chewy, but the inside is airy and with a bright bread taste. I tried to emulate a crust design I saw in one of my bread books. Didn't use a razor, but just a french cooking knife, that I had sharpened with my new knife sharpening kit from Smith's. Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-84948496128869084752014-03-13T16:09:00.001-07:002014-03-13T16:11:37.091-07:00Bread Recipe<br />
With my crappy lungs, I'm just not able to knead bread dough for the 15 or so minutes needed to get the results I like, so I bought an Zojiroshii machine. Kudos to the people who designed and manufactured it. It makes a one pound loaf which is just right for me, living alone as I do. This is the recipe I've used for years and it makes great bread.....crustly/fluffy and a snap to make.<br />
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10 oz. bread flour<br />
6 oz. water<br />
1 tsp. active dry yeast<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp. diastatic malt powder<br />
1+1/2 TBSP honey<br />
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Oven 375 for 35-40 minutes<br />
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Cool 30 minutes before slicing and enjoying.<br />
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I'm working on a new Massawomee sourdough starter culture so hopefully more to follow.Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-50746509994396847752014-03-11T19:41:00.002-07:002014-03-13T16:12:05.250-07:00Bread of the Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Can anyone identify the characters in the photo of today's bread?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1enltWzsf20O6X0LycwTnHXlPyKhgyAMAnuzehVrEKxhQJrOry8SAoBYabyyuDxt9N7eU0xpt3aGsRvD3O5CufKjBEZHuFthp8nfH3ivqgHkivScZzUdLGOhs1zAUak0Rri5opxjja4/s1600/Image0+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1enltWzsf20O6X0LycwTnHXlPyKhgyAMAnuzehVrEKxhQJrOry8SAoBYabyyuDxt9N7eU0xpt3aGsRvD3O5CufKjBEZHuFthp8nfH3ivqgHkivScZzUdLGOhs1zAUak0Rri5opxjja4/s1600/Image0+%25281%2529.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Working on some sourdough, but this will do till then. Today was a grill day with Ben and Jerry and Co. Reconstructed Chicken Cordon Bleu with Grilled Nectarines and a simple salad. And very cheap beer. Was still wonderful. Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-71784184091893152742013-12-22T20:10:00.002-08:002013-12-22T20:21:05.563-08:00The real reason for Christmas<br />
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The days are getting longer,,<br />
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Fa, la, la, la,<br />
<br />
la.<br />
<br />
la, la,<br />
<br />
la,<br />
<br />
la.Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-25172214185793233552013-10-22T12:06:00.000-07:002013-10-22T12:06:05.963-07:00Again friendsOnce again my friends come to the rescue. Ben Fridley showed up yesterday and repaired the badly rotted roof over my laundry room and then Stacie showed up and the two of them removed the Kissyface besotted carpet from my living room. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.<br />
<br />Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-9647400846821018702013-10-20T16:16:00.001-07:002013-10-20T16:16:31.664-07:00FriendsI want to thank Stacie and Ben Fridley. They spent the last four/five hours cleaning out my big room downstairs. They are going to take out the carpet that Kissyface marked as her own. Kissy is gone and soon the carpet will be too. My friends complete me.Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-61747923480874144912013-10-18T10:33:00.000-07:002013-10-18T10:33:59.223-07:00Eating PiPi or the ratio of the diameter of a circle to it's circumference is a very naughty number. I'm surprised as anyone at this disclosure. Pi....it's just a number,,,,how could a number be naughty? Well it's like this. Pi is an irrational number that by definition goes on forever without stopping or repeating. So it contains by definition every finite number sequence. Objects that are copyrighted, books and songs, etc. can't be duplicated without permission,,it's against the law. So some where inside number pi is everything ever written, and since songs can be represented digitally, every song ever written is somewhere inside pi. So these number sequences are illegal. Images can be represented digitally, ergo: Every painting, photograph, indeed every movie ever made,,,,is inside pi. Pi itself isn't copyrighted,,,but parts of it are...Oh yes they will fine you and throw you in jail for writing down those numbers and disseminating them.<br />
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Pi you are a very naughty number,,,,,I think I make Pi and eat the whole damn thing,,,Without the evidence how can the number police prosecute?.....<br />
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<br />Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-83164323869417880652013-10-12T15:28:00.000-07:002014-11-19T19:02:55.525-08:00Strong is the Force<br />
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Older getting we are<br />
before all is gone,<br />
memories, hopes, and love<br />
leave no, I wish I hads.<br />
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<br />
Short of breathe<br />
<br />
hurts nothing and all<br />
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play the cards you got<br />
<br />
but remember<br />
<br />
no one gets out<br />
<br />
alive<br />
<br />Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-85496095476610658882012-11-23T00:23:00.002-08:002012-11-23T00:24:06.672-08:00What just happened?<a href="http://ht.ly/fv5qk">http://ht.ly/fv5qk</a> Why I like Nadia GMike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-60213324640044278352012-09-23T09:38:00.002-07:002012-09-23T09:38:55.313-07:00Maryland Terps vs. the Mountaineers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OcQh3fGsGlFcFtDmoP4PeDy5yA2UDVHZ8uoe1YuP2Ja7zb-lX6BRTz1U5HuyXmO7uItzFnYMLZHrifGbttfpIfFXeTeuPEeRQF0P0yGLFT7Pzz0jvj99QvQu5lbRoJ8etIJ5ZSXewPs/s1600/IMG_20120922_175626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0OcQh3fGsGlFcFtDmoP4PeDy5yA2UDVHZ8uoe1YuP2Ja7zb-lX6BRTz1U5HuyXmO7uItzFnYMLZHrifGbttfpIfFXeTeuPEeRQF0P0yGLFT7Pzz0jvj99QvQu5lbRoJ8etIJ5ZSXewPs/s320/IMG_20120922_175626.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Add the above skillet contents to a grilled hot Italian sausage, and grilled pineapple that was coated with brown sugar, put it on a hoagie bun and enjoy the beatdown the Mounties gave the Terrapins this past Saturday.<br />
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What did you have for half-time break in the game?<br />
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I'm beginning to get the hang of taking snaps with my tablet, so look out.<br />
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<br />Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-64756154016757531322012-09-19T08:59:00.004-07:002012-09-19T09:05:19.824-07:00ObservationsNot having written in a long time I've had a lot to think about. Reading, on the net, and watching television my mind had finally gotten saturated with minutia and I must regurgitate some to make room for more. <br />
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Most of my reader know I love to cook and watch the food channel and cooking network far too much. On twitter I'm following many of the food network talking heads and enjoy it. I don't remember when I began to follow Alton Brown, don't really remember any of his tweets, but this morning I was browsing Wired magazine "net version".. and came upon an article about Alton. <a href="http://www.wired.com/design/2012/09/alton-brown-twitter-doodle/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Top+Stories%29&pid=992">http://www.wired.com/design/2012/09/alton-brown-twitter-doodle/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Top+Stories%29&pid=992</a> Now if you will indulge me and look at the post-it notes. Am I mistaken, but doesn't Alton's self portraits look a lot like Calvin. I always knew that the reason Gary Larson stopped drawing was because Calvin had grown up and became Alton. Mystery though is what ever became of Hobbes? <br />
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Roasted, Braised, or Stew,<br />
Tiger tastes of glue.<br />
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And now a "Fire Devil"<br />
<a href="http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/tornado-brush-fire-fire-devil-video.html">http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/tornado-brush-fire-fire-devil-video.html</a><br />
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While on the subject of atmospheric phenomenon, this is a picture taken from the porch of Camp Massawomee one Saturday not too long ago. It's what is called a "Sun dog". <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_iH8bdxxB9_lQ3OC13AmBXWhAtYMluCngI9V_4iXuWTkePtF2N63h_lAqryAe829bpefMM2MIFlOfFJMkeOWJsp2Av0Dv2KF6ZHmAqY-Kf7H1IUAklI8DWweu2aFOdciDxZbf3a90pQ/s1600/IMG_20120913_185243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_iH8bdxxB9_lQ3OC13AmBXWhAtYMluCngI9V_4iXuWTkePtF2N63h_lAqryAe829bpefMM2MIFlOfFJMkeOWJsp2Av0Dv2KF6ZHmAqY-Kf7H1IUAklI8DWweu2aFOdciDxZbf3a90pQ/s320/IMG_20120913_185243.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-54754031290349490132012-06-19T15:34:00.002-07:002012-06-19T15:34:52.499-07:00Supercell<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is what a Supercell Thunderstorm looks like <a href="http://t.co/cS5nb92g" title="http://twitter.com/TwistedSifter/status/215105883976372226/photo/1">twitter.com/TwistedSifter/…</a><br />
— Ben Matthew Wong (@TwistedSifter) <a data-datetime="2012-06-19T15:36:54+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/TwistedSifter/status/215105883976372226">June 19, 2012</a></blockquote>
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I be gettin outta the way when I sees this baby coming my way. Unless I haven't showered in a couple of years.<br />Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-38807390693170762552012-06-06T19:38:00.000-07:002012-06-06T19:38:19.115-07:00It's been a day and change since cold turkey Facebook style and I'm still alive. Lots of sun, completed two ferocious New York Times Xword puzzles, read about 15 pages of Lisa Randall's newest book and cleaned out the cupboard on the front porch. Scented the tomatoes with Miracle-Gro and watched a zillion insects do a honeybee's job of passing pollen. From wasps to Flys, moths to sweat bees, and a bunch of insects I had no idea existed. I don't think the lack of honeybees is going to put a dent in plants making viable seed for the next growth cycle. Only difference is....no honey. <br />
I missed the transit of Venus across the Sun. but it was a..mostly cloudy....b...much better view on the internet....c..I'm really lazy when it comes to observing celestial events. I've got a pretty nice pair of binoculars. I laid out on the pool deck one night soon after their purchase, determined to see our one of our nearest galactic neighbors...The Andromeda Galaxy, you know the one that's going to smash into us eventually. (don't sell the farm just yet) and after about half an hour of my eyes adjusting to the dark and with my arms straining at the sinews with holding the binoculars vertical for twenty minutes straight...lo and behold,,the Andromeda Galaxy, our twin sister. The picture is provided by NASA. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSQpomTgnykgYZ_TUD6xlc_zJfGvMKGWIpxNDf38sdjPBWgxGFNoZrqxQs2v29cpexXIhyZYpWkgjqIUL_a8UVVzvbx-_fnzkqAnhZfev7IVcJaP1ocOJEOHR-y2P8vfPJ_guATfJZAs/s1600/hs-2012-20-e-large_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSQpomTgnykgYZ_TUD6xlc_zJfGvMKGWIpxNDf38sdjPBWgxGFNoZrqxQs2v29cpexXIhyZYpWkgjqIUL_a8UVVzvbx-_fnzkqAnhZfev7IVcJaP1ocOJEOHR-y2P8vfPJ_guATfJZAs/s1600/hs-2012-20-e-large_web.jpg" /></a>Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-76879286167484923622012-06-04T19:29:00.004-07:002012-06-05T10:15:55.901-07:00Goodbye Facebook<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Goodbye and good riddance to my Facebook presence. They finagled and fleeced me into the timeline template and the only way I can protest is to quit. Cold turkey style quitting. Probably should go cold turkey on bad habits at least twice a year. Hopefully I can stay quit, but that's a moot question and I really don't know how long I can stay disconnected. But it will allow me to read and study more, and anyway it's spring, hot weather is here and there's absolutely no reason to coop oneself up in a dark room facebook gawking when there's sunshine and fresh air to be had. I doubt anyone will notice my absence, let alone miss me. Besides I was getting tired of wishing everyone "Happy Birthday" and not getting a response from them. I'll miss it, mostly for the lack of instant news rather than listening to friends try to force me to be a good "christian"...LOL. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Any whosits the tomatoes are going great, as are the chiles. Oregano and rosemary and spearmint abound. And horseraddish and parsley. Gonna be hard to wait for that first tomato......yummm.</span>Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-13838683348253209422012-04-30T11:51:00.004-07:002012-04-30T11:51:45.626-07:00SRO in Morgantown<span style="font-size: large;"> The phone rang this past Saturday. It was my friend Tim. Tim's a trumpet player in the Morgantown Community Orchestra and he was inviting me to tag along to the concert they were giving at the CAC at West Virginia University on Sunday night. I eagerly accepted his offer and patiently waited until the appointed time when they arrived to pick me up. I don't own a car so transportation is a chore, but Tim's wife Chris is a good driver and we had a pleasant enough trip to Morgantown. The theater itself was small, seating maybe 100 people and soon filled up to overflowing. Chairs were brought in, and more chairs, and then more chairs as it soon became apparent they had grossly underestimated the following the Orchestra would draw. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> The conductor, Alejandro Pinzon, was gracious if soft spoken. When the featured pianist Rafael Smith failed to show, maestro Pinzon quickly and apologetically rearranged the program and we were underway with a short piece by a wind ensemble. Then the meat of the evening, and a bravo performance it was. Latin American in theme it showed off the talents of our community musicians. From a pre-teen violinist to a septuagenarian flautist, who had taken up the flute just two years prior, they all played with gusto and verve. The highlight for me was "Habanera" from the opera "Carmen" by Bizet, which is the one and only opera I've listened too and really enjoyed. The orchestra hasn't been together very long, nor have they had many practice sessions, but you couldn't tell it from the music they produced. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> It was a thoroughly wonderful evening of music,,,topped off by a stop at the Red Lobster and the cruel murder of a couple of Maine's best lobsters. What a person will go through to eat some butter.</span><br />
Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-59904098945195642382012-04-26T09:23:00.000-07:002012-04-26T09:23:10.239-07:00I am so Stoked<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">I AM SO STOKED ..... </span>and the reason is contained in this video.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="288" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:cms:video:thedailyshow.com:413217" width="512"></iframe><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 4px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-april-25-2012/space-innovators">The Daily Show with Jon Stewart</a></b><br />Get More: <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/">Daily Show Full Episodes</a>,<a href="http://www.indecisionforever.com/">Political Humor & Satire Blog</a>,<a href="http://www.facebook.com/thedailyshow">The Daily Show on Facebook</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span>Now since the time I was able to sneak my older brother's comic book stash and learning to read, I've dreamed that the future for the human race pointed toward other worlds. In the sixties I thought we were going there, but except for the Apollo program and the Space Shuttle we seemed almost manically set on invading other countries and killing everyone who disagreed with us. This insanity has depleted our treasury and deadened our collective souls. But out of the blue of the western sky comes a group of technology billionaires with ample funds with the vision for a better tomorrow, teamed with a group of engineers and former astronauts with the expertise. experience and drive to make my dreams come to fruition within my lifetime. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-73930396057262789902012-04-17T05:12:00.001-07:002012-04-17T05:12:24.965-07:00Camp Massawomee on a Tuesday<span style="font-size: large;"> It's a lazy Tuesday, the tomato plant hanging upside down in it's Topsy Turvy basket and the horseraddish, chives, onions, lemon balm, spearmint and parsley are thriving. As is the algae in the pond. Sunday Steve and Tracy were here and we smoked some chicken on the grill. I'm still coughing, and my butt is covered in greasy charcoal. We won't be doing that again any time soon. </span><div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I should thank my friends Chris and Tim for supplying the apple wood for the grill. It imparts an interesting tang to the meat or veggies done on the grill and I implore you all to experiment with fruit woods in your grilling. The French use the grape vine cuttings that accumulate when they prune and train their vines, to roast chickens on the spit. I've tried it and the taste is superb. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> It's wonderful how you can stumble onto such marvelous things by following random links while surfing the internet. I subscribe to Phil Plait's "Bad Astronomy" Blog, and today he had this link to <a href="http://www.treelobsters.com/2012/04/365-accomplishment.html">"Tree Lobsters"</a> . Now at the very bottom of the Tree Lobsters page is a set of icons belonging to "Friends of Tree Lobsters". Selecting the <a href="http://www.atlantaskeptics.com/">"Atlanta Skeptics"</a> link and scrolling down a bit you find this gem: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Enjoy my friends.</span><div>
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</div>Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-69122938027682365202012-04-12T21:02:00.001-07:002012-04-12T21:02:59.155-07:00False SpringIt's false Spring but it doesn't matter, warmth is warmth even if it comes with an occasional chill. There's a tomato plant growing on the porch engendering a fresh thoughtst in our mind and a primal rhythm in our breast and that's all that really counts. It's the beginning of the Pirates season, after the end of the Madness of March. The over hyped NBA afterseason has begun....ho,hum...NHL drive to the Stanley Cup has once again crept onto our horizon. Tennessee has voted to teach "Bible" in the place of reason. Will West Virginia be next to succumb to cultism? Matters not, Global warming has given us "false" Spring and my mantra is " Don't look a gift horse in the mouth?....Accept and rejoice at the boon.<br />
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If anyone would comment on this blog<br />
It would be greatly appreciate<br />
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I really prefer to communicate with others and not the void.<br />
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<br />Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501160825702334640.post-48440281465342238022012-03-11T18:34:00.000-07:002012-03-11T18:34:49.769-07:0003-11-2012,, pretty good day.We're easing up on St. Patrick's Day, so I'll have to lay in a stock of Guinness Stout, or Murphy's. Corned Beef and Cabbage soured with Emmenthal on Homemade Rye Bread. I don't really feel particularly Irish, though I like to tipple the pint or two. Green is far from my favorite color, though I live in a green house. And while I do like to tell a good story or two I refrain from winking at the end. But celebrate I will, for my forebears were Irish, and Scots fore that. So maybe I'll have a side of Haggis with that Reuben if you please.<br />
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I love the robocalls that state "Don't hang up"......'cause that's exactly what I do. <br />
Sorta funny, but perversely I would listen if the robo-voice said "hang up now"...<br />
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I added Burning Man to my bucket list. Thought maybe to have a Burning Couch festival at Camp Massawomee. Have a "Compassion Play in the front yard centered around a couch that goes up flames at the end. Well just a thought...Art is where you find it.<br />
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In celebration of such a fine day, The First Cookout of the Year 2012.<br />
Bar-B-Que Chicken Drumsticks with a Honey Whiskey Habanero Sauce. Baked, Butter soaked potato and reheated left over steamed mixed veggies. The occasional wiff of Grill smoke teasing, while solving a crossword , listening to the myriad of motorcycles exercising on this glorious pre-spring day.<br />
We first eat with anticipation, then sight, then smell, then feel/taste. Yum or Yuck,,,,we all gotta eat. And on such a fine day as this,,,,well gruel would have been tasty<br />
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<br />Mike bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16982714754447655955noreply@blogger.com0