The End Is Near

I spent an hour this morning peeling and chopping tomatoes for yet another batch of sauce. So far, though, they have failed to 0vertake me like the did last year. Earlier in the week two tomatoes on death row took matters into their own hands and jumped from the counter to the floor but otherwise no red orbs have had to be discarded due to rot. Instead we have (counting on fingers) about about 30 cups of homemade sauce in the freezer with possibly only one or two more batches to be made before I get to rest.


The green beans have all but stopped their manufacturing facilities, much to the displeasure of my Girl, but next year we'll plant ever more!




We are also in possession of a mystery veggie, a mystery because we received the seeds from some clandestine seed merchants and now have no idea what to do with this solitary gi-normous gord-like produce (seen at left with a child for scale). The kids really want to use it like a club.

We found this pumpkin trying to camouflage itself by staying green and hiding out under the fire pit. Sorry, Charlie, but we've got plans for you! The same goes for those three green bell pepper friends of yours!

Also in the mystery department are these large pods growing on the fence, compliments of seeds from my dad that were as big as buckeyes. He said to let them dry on the vine and then shell 'em for even more beany goodness. We can hardly wait!

The Camping Post

I am waaaay behind on posts so I decided to go reverse chronological order.


Last weekend I took the kids camping at my dads. With a bathroom a full three minute walk away it's really roughing it! It was a perfect day for camping: not too hot, no rain, definitely not humid.


I picked up a couple -o- pizza's for the kids to eat while I set up the tents. It's amazingly difficult to assemble a tent with a bunch of kids saying, "Dad, watch this!" and "Dad, I'm hungry." With the tents up it was time for a fire... and pizza boxes burn real purdy.

At this time my brother came home from the hospital to take a break from awaiting the birth of his third child. My kids played with his kids and a good time was had by all before he returned to his wife's side at 9:30.


Right after the tents went up Joshua zipped into the boys tent, came out once for a toilet break after dark, and stayed in there until he was evicted so that I could take the tents down to go home the next morning. He's a regular outdoorsman! The rest of us had hotdogs and s'mores and threw lots of sticks on the fire. Later we lit off some leftover fireworks. It's okay 'cause we're in the county and not Fort Wayne proper so it was completely legal for us to ignite fireworks on our own property.







Night time tomfoolery!





The kids attempt to cross the creek. Who's that extra kid?




It's amazing how early the kids fall asleep when there's no TV or electric lights to tell them how late it is. Thanks to a foam cushion I actually had a decent night of sleep, only waking up about once an hour to check the fire.

Around 6:00 I decided to just stay up and I got to enjoy my first sunrise in ages. I wish my Beloved Girl was there with me to cuddle up to and enjoy it with me over steaming cups of java.

The kids woke up at 7:00 and I did my best not to burn the pancakes but it's easy to take steady, even heat for granted. After breakfast the kids played a little bit but we were all ready to return to the civilized world.

Care for a campfire?

A Very Special Present

Best viewed as a giant image so you can fully see the discolored corners of the diaper.

Proud Heritage

This image is NOT photoshopped. Fort Wayne has such a street, though there are no longer any street signs (my guess is that they had to be replaced too often). The local legend is that this used to be a mayor of Fort Wayne, a decade or two before the current currupistration.

DOUG POWELL RAWKS!

I keep a growing list of bands and artists to check out. Where I get names for this list is a trade secret.

One name I've had on the list for over seven years is Doug Powell, with the cryptic comment of "bigwig in Not Lame, a believer, good stuff." Yesterday I finally picked up his album Day For Night
via lovely free downloads from eMusic.com and it is blowing my shoes off! Socks too! He's a protogee of Todd Rundgren but there's also Andy Partridge and Jellyfish in there. From the very first listen I could hear that there was depth to this glossy power pop production in addition to a few unusual sonic choices that bring a smile to my face. Plus the guy has lots of other solo albums for me to plunder as funds permit. I'm one happy camper!

Hear for yourself at www.dougpowell. And speaking of quality power pop no ear is complete without parthenon huxley. Go on... click on the links!

An odd aside on the album title - Day For Night was also the title of the Spock's Beard album created during the time that lead songwriter Neal Morse was hearing the siren's call of the Holy Spirit.

And So It Begins

I hear the radio guys spouting off about how the "Obama-controlled media" is going to do their best to destroy Palin or downplay her experience and that she has one week to cement her image in the minds of the public, an image that will forever follow her true or not (Dan Quayle as a stupid hick doodie-head was their greatest accomplishment).

However I still couldn't help but to be surprised at the audacity of an article I ran across. The headline is

Palin's pork requests confound reformer image

and you read the first two paragraphs where it states that under her watch Alaska got $295 per person from the federal government, compared to $34 per person elsewhere. GOLLY! Sounds like she's the typical politician. But continue reading and you'll find that Alaska has always been a big pork state and that under her watch it actually DECLINED from more than $800 per person to the current level of $295, at least a 63% drop. The article actually states that "there's only so much Palin could do with state bureaucrats used to a free-flowing spigot of federal dollars from Washington."

So what is it? A massive reformer, as the data indicates, or a big spender, as the headline suggests- and what the typical ill-informer reader will read? Get ready folks... this is the kind of slanted mud-slinging "journalism" you can expect for the next few months, or four years.

Read the entire article here.

Pure Genius

I hate to say it but McCain made a brilliant move by choosing Palin as his Vice President. Somehow he had to appease both the conservatives, which he has to this point alienated to no end, and lure in the disenfranchised Hilary supporters, many of which are voting for her because of her gender. No? I think yes.

Anyway, with Palin he gets both as well as an outstanding public servant. He doesn't have my vote yet but maybe she does.

Glenn Beck has a great article on Palin for your enjoyment.