Uncounted cups of coffee; one English muffin; one crumpet; small bowl of muselix; and one banana – so much for our startup on our first day ‘downstate’.
Dear Wife is off to the symphony with lady friends to be followed by lunch at the Detroit Yacht Club. One of the symphony ladies is a member.
Sometimes, even often, it is not what you know, but who you know!
And the news keeps rolling in over our various receivers: radio; TV; ‘net’:
North Korea has let off another one; declared the’53 armistice to be over; and perhaps has restarted plutonium plants.
We are witnessing major effort to force b.o. to the negotiation table – one-on-one.
Iran has deployed a naval flotilla and announced that nuclear program(s) are going forward.
Iranian sea power, nascent but symptomatic of Iranian attempts at hegemony.
Pakistan is suffering new terrorist attacks.
This will occur more and more frequently as the pressure mounts on the barbarians in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
GM bankruptcy appears more and more likely – with Government majority ownership more and more likely. The US Government will not make cars as well as GM can.
Queen Elizabeth II was not invited to the Normandy commemorations to take place shortly. No secret about the lack of love between the French and the Brits. But b.o. should have taken care of it.
b.o. apparently feels that Israel must ‘freeze’ Israeli population in the disputed territories in order to make possible Mid East peace.
If a baby is born in the territories, b.o. wants an Israeli to leave.
Non-tabloid British press is condemned by robbie gibbs as being excessively frugal with the truth.
More likely gibbs is reacting to a press which is not ‘in the tank’ with his boss.
Pathetic!!
I know, I have picked only negative items.
One more: careful observers should note that all of the above are not happening in some sort of isolation or vacuum.
The world is watching the bad guys do bad things – and it is watching the good guy, the United States of American, apparently doing little or nothing to deal with the bad dudes.
The world does not just watch.
It watches and eventually responds. If the US does not deal with the cretins, the world will do the best it can, and that best may not be in the best interests of the US.
In a nutshell, that is why the election of b.o. and his programs, or lack of effective programs, just might be most distressing.
It is one thing to have idiotic tax policies and to repay political cronies and to appoint mediocre or even worse people to important jobs.
It is quite another thing to cause international realignments; destabilizations; and changes in balances of power, alterations which might be nigh on impossible to rectify.
As the old British Naval toast said/says: “A glass of wine with you and…confusion to the enemy.”
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
ONCE AGAIN
It is just a few minutes after midnight.
Once again, it is late.
A disc of soft Irish music is playing - The Fairy Ring. It might not be Irish.
And rain is pattering on the roof.
Pitch black outside – almost total darkness.
We leave The North tomorrow.
We have reconnected.
We will return.
Today we visited places not seen since last fall and it was good.
We found a new restaurant.
We looked in at some old favorites.
We walked a favorite beach.
We bought salmon and odds and ends at a favorite market and visited with locals.
We forgot coffee.
And we drive past cottages we have admired for years.
And it was good.
The rain came down all day and it was cold.
But the air was fresh and clean and it was good to be puttering within and without.
Tomorrow we’ll pack up and head ‘downstate’ and take care of chores and do things that have to be done.
There will be a wedding shower and luncheons and lawns to mow and a symphony to attend and a walkway to work on and koi to restore to the pond in back.
It will be good and we will think of the last week and look forward to our next trip North.
Once again, it is late.
A disc of soft Irish music is playing - The Fairy Ring. It might not be Irish.
And rain is pattering on the roof.
Pitch black outside – almost total darkness.
We leave The North tomorrow.
We have reconnected.
We will return.
Today we visited places not seen since last fall and it was good.
We found a new restaurant.
We looked in at some old favorites.
We walked a favorite beach.
We bought salmon and odds and ends at a favorite market and visited with locals.
We forgot coffee.
And we drive past cottages we have admired for years.
And it was good.
The rain came down all day and it was cold.
But the air was fresh and clean and it was good to be puttering within and without.
Tomorrow we’ll pack up and head ‘downstate’ and take care of chores and do things that have to be done.
There will be a wedding shower and luncheons and lawns to mow and a symphony to attend and a walkway to work on and koi to restore to the pond in back.
It will be good and we will think of the last week and look forward to our next trip North.
WEDNESDAY IN THE NORTH
Yesterday was cloudy and cool and misty in The North.
But we achieved all the goals of the day: some repairs of equipment; visiting a garden center for a variety of plants for our pots and beds; saying fond farewells for a while to neighbors heading ‘downstate’ for the upcoming work week; gathering fire wood; visiting with remaining neighbors; the inevitable cocktail hour and a delightful dinner out in a newly smoke-free pub in town.
All in all, a splendid day.
Today the rain began ca. 5:00 or 6:00AM and came down most vigorously. No wind – a delightful soaking rainfall.
Dear Wife is still asleep – and the second cup of coffee is helping me think over the last day or so.
We awoke yesterday to the news that b.o. had chosen his nominee for the Supreme Court.
She is characterized as a summa cum laude; liberal; Hispanic; and a mediocre judge.
We shall see.
The pundits are suggesting that she is a relatively safe choice for b.o., that the Right will reserve the big fight for a decision changer.
Again, we’ll see.
And this AM we read/hear that N. Korea as assumed the mantle of primary tester of the new President of the US with missiles, bomb tests, threats, cancellation of treaties, and perhaps more of the like.
At The Study, we believe that ‘testing’ is ok, that it is the routine ritual of diplomatic relations.
But we also believe that the US must win the test, all the tests, and that the testers must not gain, must not irrevocably injure the hyper power. It is our hope that b.o. will continue his practice of violating his campaign pledge of ‘extending the open hand instead of the closed fist.’
The closed fist is at times necessary, especially when dealing with such as N. Korea and Iran.
Check that: is always necessary.
It is likely that current Korean and Iranian tests will result in some significant, some permanent changes in the balances of power.
From the experts we get the intelligence that the US just may decide to endorse and promote a nuclear weapons program for Japan in order to counter the emergent nuclear power of N. Korea.
This would be an historic change in US foreign policy.
Regrettable?
In some ways, but regrettable or not, probably necessary.
Ripple effect? Count on it. This step would be one of the irrevocable ones.
Surfing the news sites, we note that one commentator states that with the election of b.o. and the national dems, the libs finally have to wrestle with real problems.
So far, the conclusions of said wrestlings are very much in doubt, at least in the short run.
Maybe b.o. will surprise us.
Maybe he is not the piece of work he seems to be.
As Gramma used to say: “Hope springs eternal.”
But we achieved all the goals of the day: some repairs of equipment; visiting a garden center for a variety of plants for our pots and beds; saying fond farewells for a while to neighbors heading ‘downstate’ for the upcoming work week; gathering fire wood; visiting with remaining neighbors; the inevitable cocktail hour and a delightful dinner out in a newly smoke-free pub in town.
All in all, a splendid day.
Today the rain began ca. 5:00 or 6:00AM and came down most vigorously. No wind – a delightful soaking rainfall.
Dear Wife is still asleep – and the second cup of coffee is helping me think over the last day or so.
We awoke yesterday to the news that b.o. had chosen his nominee for the Supreme Court.
She is characterized as a summa cum laude; liberal; Hispanic; and a mediocre judge.
We shall see.
The pundits are suggesting that she is a relatively safe choice for b.o., that the Right will reserve the big fight for a decision changer.
Again, we’ll see.
And this AM we read/hear that N. Korea as assumed the mantle of primary tester of the new President of the US with missiles, bomb tests, threats, cancellation of treaties, and perhaps more of the like.
At The Study, we believe that ‘testing’ is ok, that it is the routine ritual of diplomatic relations.
But we also believe that the US must win the test, all the tests, and that the testers must not gain, must not irrevocably injure the hyper power. It is our hope that b.o. will continue his practice of violating his campaign pledge of ‘extending the open hand instead of the closed fist.’
The closed fist is at times necessary, especially when dealing with such as N. Korea and Iran.
Check that: is always necessary.
It is likely that current Korean and Iranian tests will result in some significant, some permanent changes in the balances of power.
From the experts we get the intelligence that the US just may decide to endorse and promote a nuclear weapons program for Japan in order to counter the emergent nuclear power of N. Korea.
This would be an historic change in US foreign policy.
Regrettable?
In some ways, but regrettable or not, probably necessary.
Ripple effect? Count on it. This step would be one of the irrevocable ones.
Surfing the news sites, we note that one commentator states that with the election of b.o. and the national dems, the libs finally have to wrestle with real problems.
So far, the conclusions of said wrestlings are very much in doubt, at least in the short run.
Maybe b.o. will surprise us.
Maybe he is not the piece of work he seems to be.
As Gramma used to say: “Hope springs eternal.”
Sunday, May 24, 2009
THE LAST MONDAY IN MAY
Today was the day the boat poles went in on Pontoon Row, the dock where the pontoon boats of our community are secured.
The boats are tied to the poles.
The Kayla Elise, The Study’s pontoon boat, should go in the water tomorrow, barring strong winds or rain.
It was bright and sunny and windy and festive.
An opening rite of spring!
The birthday of Joel, owner of The Mole Hole, was celebrated today as well, with pizza for five of us at the local pub.
We buy our fishing licenses at the bar and today the house bought the birthday lad a drink and we loved the place even more than ever.
You can buy liscenses at the barber shop in town as well.
And tomorrow is Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, the day Americans are asked to honor those men and women who died whilst serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.
Wikipedia has a fine article explaining the history.
Check it out.
You will find some good ideas about how to “…honor those men and women….”
You can visit a cemetery; view a parade; attend or give a barbecue; observe a moment of silence at 3:00PM; or do whatever else seems appropriate to you.
Or you can do nothing special.
That’s the nice thing about the United States.
One custom that is particularly attractive to us at The Study is the selling of the red poppy by the American Veterans of Foreign Wars during the week before the holiday weekend.
It is an especially attractive custom to us because it is a practice common in the UK and the British Commonwealth as well to honor the military dead of those nations.
The poppy is the flower of choice, of course, because of the poem, In Flanders Fields, written by a military physician shortly after the death of a friend in WW1.
The poem:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place;and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.
What shall we do tomorrow to honor the men and women who have ‘given the last full measure’?
We will pause at 3:00PM for moments of silence and prayer.
And we will thank God for the survival of the Nation made possible by the sacrifices of “those who gave their tomorrows for our todays”.
The boats are tied to the poles.
The Kayla Elise, The Study’s pontoon boat, should go in the water tomorrow, barring strong winds or rain.
It was bright and sunny and windy and festive.
An opening rite of spring!
The birthday of Joel, owner of The Mole Hole, was celebrated today as well, with pizza for five of us at the local pub.
We buy our fishing licenses at the bar and today the house bought the birthday lad a drink and we loved the place even more than ever.
You can buy liscenses at the barber shop in town as well.
And tomorrow is Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, the day Americans are asked to honor those men and women who died whilst serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.
Wikipedia has a fine article explaining the history.
Check it out.
You will find some good ideas about how to “…honor those men and women….”
You can visit a cemetery; view a parade; attend or give a barbecue; observe a moment of silence at 3:00PM; or do whatever else seems appropriate to you.
Or you can do nothing special.
That’s the nice thing about the United States.
One custom that is particularly attractive to us at The Study is the selling of the red poppy by the American Veterans of Foreign Wars during the week before the holiday weekend.
It is an especially attractive custom to us because it is a practice common in the UK and the British Commonwealth as well to honor the military dead of those nations.
The poppy is the flower of choice, of course, because of the poem, In Flanders Fields, written by a military physician shortly after the death of a friend in WW1.
The poem:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place;and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.
What shall we do tomorrow to honor the men and women who have ‘given the last full measure’?
We will pause at 3:00PM for moments of silence and prayer.
And we will thank God for the survival of the Nation made possible by the sacrifices of “those who gave their tomorrows for our todays”.
Friday, May 22, 2009
THE BIRD NEST AND A NICE GUY
Our camp is part of a community on the Lake.
It comes to life every spring, summer, and fall and then gradually subsides, kind of like Brigadoon, into a sleepy state, waiting reawakening the following year.
Lots of folks are launching boats and getting them ready to launch.
Yesterday a very particular neighbor hauled his pontoon into camp and was preparing it for the launch.
He discovered, on one of the pontoons, a robin nest with several bright blue eggs.
He told his wife.
They talked it over.
Today I asked him if he had put his boat in the water.
He said no, he had put it back in the staging area.
And the mother bird was sitting on the nest.
He said the Lake was still cold.
He didn’t need to be out there yet.
I thought to myself, we have nice people in our Community.
It comes to life every spring, summer, and fall and then gradually subsides, kind of like Brigadoon, into a sleepy state, waiting reawakening the following year.
Lots of folks are launching boats and getting them ready to launch.
Yesterday a very particular neighbor hauled his pontoon into camp and was preparing it for the launch.
He discovered, on one of the pontoons, a robin nest with several bright blue eggs.
He told his wife.
They talked it over.
Today I asked him if he had put his boat in the water.
He said no, he had put it back in the staging area.
And the mother bird was sitting on the nest.
He said the Lake was still cold.
He didn’t need to be out there yet.
I thought to myself, we have nice people in our Community.
AN ATTEMPT AT FRENCH
Friday night.
It is late again – 11:12 PM.
Here I go again.
The late news is on and as I listen to it in our camp, I am struck by the ‘news’ being covered by the news folks UP NORTH:
There is a report on pasties (the cooked ones, not the other ones); camping reservations; State Police radar speed monitoring; holiday weekend shopping expectations; hopes for more $$ for sheriff patrols; forest fires in the UP and forest fire danger elsewhere; a charity run of 5K; boater safety concerns; a plane crash on a car dealership; a US soldier in boxer shorts and flip flops fighting barbarians; weather news; and yes, two items on burglaries.
Two items!
Now, there was some other news before I started recording, but you get the idea.
There were no assaults; no murders; no rapes; no empty or occupied houses burning; no state takeovers of this or that; and so on.
Think about the news one gets ‘downstate’.
Sure, there are the bad things that happen UP HERE.
But the frequency is soooooooo different!
An attempt at French: viva la difference!!!!! (Sp???)
It is late again – 11:12 PM.
Here I go again.
The late news is on and as I listen to it in our camp, I am struck by the ‘news’ being covered by the news folks UP NORTH:
There is a report on pasties (the cooked ones, not the other ones); camping reservations; State Police radar speed monitoring; holiday weekend shopping expectations; hopes for more $$ for sheriff patrols; forest fires in the UP and forest fire danger elsewhere; a charity run of 5K; boater safety concerns; a plane crash on a car dealership; a US soldier in boxer shorts and flip flops fighting barbarians; weather news; and yes, two items on burglaries.
Two items!
Now, there was some other news before I started recording, but you get the idea.
There were no assaults; no murders; no rapes; no empty or occupied houses burning; no state takeovers of this or that; and so on.
Think about the news one gets ‘downstate’.
Sure, there are the bad things that happen UP HERE.
But the frequency is soooooooo different!
An attempt at French: viva la difference!!!!! (Sp???)
Thursday, May 21, 2009
RAINY NIGHT IN THE NORTH
Thursday night in the North.
It is late. I’ve written that a lot lately.
We tell the truth, most of the time.
It is raining, gently.
We biked to town for sandwich lunch and coffee.
Weather then was windy, bright, and hot.
We smelled things, good things, that we had not smelled in a long time.
And we saw things that we haven’t seen in a while.
The wind blew one of my notepapers out of my bike basket up and away and down into a cow pasture, over an electric fence and in amongst a small herd of cows.
A muddy field.
Mary Kay would not go in and get it for me.
I wouldn’t either.
Now it is rainy, no wind, cold and damp.
Things change.
Before setting out this AM, we listened to the Cheney speech given at the AEI, the American Enterprise Institute.
A performance, quite a performance.
We missed the opening remarks. We were busy into the Northern routines: get up; walk Sophie; put on coffee; network with returning neighbors; plan for the day; etc.
And Mary Kay said, let’s check Fox News.
And there he was, saying it like it was/is.
Mary Kay has good ideas.
I will not rehearse the statements now, but we will get the text of the talk and use it when necessary – whenever we have to discuss the merits of the two Administrations with regard to safeguarding our Nation.
Get the text.
Too many folks will not ever see or hear of it.
And tell them what you take away from it.
I know it is out of order, but I wonder what was on the paper that flew in amongst the cow patties.
I hope I will never know – will never need to know.
The Cheney statements were easily understood. They were plainly stated.
They made sense.
Perhaps a growing number of folks will come to terms with their accuracy.
Perhaps not.
God did not promise a rose garden.
Anyway, we are in the North. God is in His Heaven. And if there are some things not right with this world, then somehow we will deal with them.
God willin’.
It is late. I’ve written that a lot lately.
We tell the truth, most of the time.
It is raining, gently.
We biked to town for sandwich lunch and coffee.
Weather then was windy, bright, and hot.
We smelled things, good things, that we had not smelled in a long time.
And we saw things that we haven’t seen in a while.
The wind blew one of my notepapers out of my bike basket up and away and down into a cow pasture, over an electric fence and in amongst a small herd of cows.
A muddy field.
Mary Kay would not go in and get it for me.
I wouldn’t either.
Now it is rainy, no wind, cold and damp.
Things change.
Before setting out this AM, we listened to the Cheney speech given at the AEI, the American Enterprise Institute.
A performance, quite a performance.
We missed the opening remarks. We were busy into the Northern routines: get up; walk Sophie; put on coffee; network with returning neighbors; plan for the day; etc.
And Mary Kay said, let’s check Fox News.
And there he was, saying it like it was/is.
Mary Kay has good ideas.
I will not rehearse the statements now, but we will get the text of the talk and use it when necessary – whenever we have to discuss the merits of the two Administrations with regard to safeguarding our Nation.
Get the text.
Too many folks will not ever see or hear of it.
And tell them what you take away from it.
I know it is out of order, but I wonder what was on the paper that flew in amongst the cow patties.
I hope I will never know – will never need to know.
The Cheney statements were easily understood. They were plainly stated.
They made sense.
Perhaps a growing number of folks will come to terms with their accuracy.
Perhaps not.
God did not promise a rose garden.
Anyway, we are in the North. God is in His Heaven. And if there are some things not right with this world, then somehow we will deal with them.
God willin’.
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