Too Much Rain, A Lot of Time To Think

I thought I would share some random thoughts with you today. This time of year, and for that matter most times of the year, my thoughts drift to things that make me ponder why or how or even just wow.

It is fall and the weather is changing. It is still warm here in Mississippi but the mornings are cooler and added to the cooler weather we have had daily rain showers. No not showers; showers would be the wrong word.  It has been pouring buckets for a couple of hours every day.  I woke up this morning and it was cloudy but at least there was no rain.  I turned on the radio and played the news in the background while I made my coffee.  Once my coffee was done, I ran across a Bass Pro Shop sale flyer. They are having their “Fall into Savings” event.  I really enjoy perusing their outdoor items and their men's clothing including the flannel shirts, hiking boots, hunting and fishing accessories and everything else.

How About Using Some Real Guys in Your Ads Bass Pro Shop?

Note to Bass Pro:  I occasionally visit your store just because the indoor environment you create allows me to go on a mini holiday...vacation...as we call it here in the US. I also enjoy perusing your flyers for the same reason. They make me feel like I am planning a vacation. Anyway, in your flyer I found a great looking long sleeve knit shirt...a tee shirt actually.  As I was looking at it I was thinking about how nice it looks, but it was on a paid model who is in perfect shape; strong, slim and paid to make clothes look their best.  Ok, here is my thought Bass Pro.  Why don’t they take those same clothes and let real folks model them?  Put that shirt on a skinny guy or, better yet, let someone like me model it.  I am almost sixty-four-years old, in fair shape(round is a shape, too), but by no means am I a model.  I show evidence of being a beer drinker for over four decades. Here is my thought.  Get a guy like me with a little bit of a gut to show what those shirts really look like on a human, not a humanoid.

Hell, they photographed the same two guys throughout their flyer. Of course, the clothes look good on them, they are models. You could put a flour sack with a hole for arms on those guys and they would look good. They ought to get the folks buying those clothes to model in them. If those clothes look good on guys like me then they will look good an almost anyone.

Next time I walk through their store maybe I will offer my services to the manager.  “Hey, you need an old, out of shape, real dude to pose in your clothes, to show folks what they really look like?” Now that would let real men see what they will look like in your shirts, vests, and jackets.

Here is my advice, pick some “normal” guys to show off your clothes.  I bet sales, at least the sales to men, would improve. I would look at one of those guys and say to myself, “that might even look good on me.”

I Don’t Write About Politics but...

During the past week, there has been a political circus of monumental scope taking place in Washington, D.C. Last week the pot we call D.C. came to a rolling boil over these happenings.   Without going into detail, because I refuse to write about it, I will talk about my thoughts.  I refuse to state my opinion on the two good people whose lives have forever been placed in turmoil. Why would anyone willingly put themselves through the horrible, unrealistic scrutiny that has become the vetting process of modern appointees? I am not just talking about the appointee but also those wishing to discuss matters pertaining to the appointee. Why would someone expose themselves to the other side of that picture?  Both sides openly expose their lives to the world and open themselves up to the opinions of millions.  I don’t know how anyone could do either of these things.

As I said, Washington, DC boiled over and in my opinion, the smell that came from our nation's Capital City wreaked of unbridled political ambition. Maybe, just maybe we are vetting the wrong people.  Maybe we are putting good public servants and witness through the horrible wringer of public opinion when it is not necessary.

I have an idea.  How about we set up a new system for doing this vetting process. Let’s allow the appointees and the witnesses to have the opportunity to ask a question, any question of the senators. For every question they are being asked by the committee, they will be allowed, in return, to ask a question of the committee member asking them a question.  If those being interviewed are required to answer the questions asked of them, then so are the senators. Now you talk about a circus. That would be a circus. For every question a committee member asks, they would be required to answer a question by the one they are interrogating. Think about this for a moment. The questioning would go in both directions.  You could sell tickets to an event like this.  It would be like Wrestlemania for politicos and news junkies.

I can see it now. The parties would come in the room dressed in their party colors.  Red on one side of the room and blue on the other.  The room would be decorated with beer signs, sports gear ads, and ads for automobile companies. There would be an announcer, probably the Committee Chair to bark out introductions and set the stage for the spectacle that would begin with the dropping of the gavel.

It might go something like this. 

Chairman: "Ladies and gentlemen, let's get ready to argue! Senator, you have the floor. Ask your first question."

Senator:  “Sir, is it true that you say you ghostwrote for Ernest Hemingway and that you say you should have been given a Pulitzer Prize for your writings?”

Answer: “Well, that is not exactly the truth, I actually said when I was a child I once met Mr. Hemingway in his home in Ketchum, Idaho."

Chairman: "Sir or madam, you may ask your question of the committee member now."

The witness or the appointee would then smile. "Well, my question is, did you or your campaign, Senator, receive a donation of $6 trillion from the law firm of Dewey, Stickam, and Howe for a positive vote on the legislation that provided for that firm the executorship over the Congressional Slush Fund for disgraced and accused senators who have various indiscretions?"

Senator: "Where would I have gotten $6 trillion to give anyone?"

Chairman: "Thank you for your question Senator, but you must answer the question." "Mr./Mrs. appointee or witness, you may ask your second question."

Senator: "Wait, that wasn't my question. That was an answer.'

Chairman: " Oh, I beg your pardon Senator, yes that was a question.  There was no answer."

Senator: "Wait, a point of order sir."

Chairman: "Careful Senator, you may be about to be down two questions if you ask another one. This could get ugly for you. Are you certain you want to ask another question? You have not answered the first one yet."

Senator: "I don't think like the way this going."

Chairman: "Is that your answer, Senator?"

At this point, the senator contemplates getting up and leaving the committee room because he sees the direction in which this whole exercise is headed. He doesn't think he can win in this scenario. The fight or flight instinct takes hold and he quietly gets up and leaves the room.

I hope you see the satire in this.  We are asking good men and women to endure a horrible experience for the political and narcissistic gratification of our elected officials.  The process could be clean and neat. It is, however, necessary to make certain appointees are qualified for their jobs, are not convicted criminals, are citizens of the United States, and that they are decent human beings.  At this point I have to say, not everything should be "transparent." While I completely agree with transparency in government, I think not all things are supposed to be transparent.  Lives are supposed to be private and even our senators should show a modicum of compassion when dealing with people even if they are being appointed by members of one or the other party.

My final thoughts on this. Civility is a lost trait. Let's search for it, find it and use it to recreate our form of government into one which works for all of our citizens.

A Short Update on a Post from a Couple of Weeks Ago

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the times in August here in Mississippi when we get a brief but wonderful taste of the early days of Autumn.  While we are in the midst of the summer heat and when we think we can stand the oppressive heat no longer, a day or two of cooler weather tempts of the days of fall yet to come.  We are experiencing exactly that weather as I write these lines. We are in enjoying "Autumn's Tease."This morning the temperature was in the lower 60s, which is unusual for this time of year in Mississippi.  The air is dry and the deep blue sky is higher and wider than those in Montana. 

William Faulkner from the Cofield
Collection

Again the quote from William Faulkner, “...in August in Mississippi there are a few days somewhere about the middle of the month when suddenly there’s a foretaste of fall, it’s cool, there’s a lambence, a soft, a luminous quality of light, as though it came not from just today but from back in the old classic times.  It might have fauns and satyrs and the gods and —-from Greece, from Olympus in it somewhere. It lasts just a day or two,  then it’s gone...it reminded me of that time, of luminosity older than our Christian civilization.”

Until next time...enjoy your days.

Late Summer in Southern USA

Early goldenrod bloom showing signs that summer is waning and fall is on its way to Mississippi. 

Late yesterday brought heavy rains to our place here in the country. We had winds in excess of 25 mph and close to an inch of rain here and the house and it seemed to come down in buckets at times. Roads briefly flooded and my drive home was challenging at times due to the intense rain, but once home I enjoyed sitting on my porch and watching the weather roll through. It rained off and on during the night and the morning brought a freshness to the countryside. August is usually a dry month here in Mississippi and rain is always welcome when the changing weather patterns of the late season often bring rains and cooler weather that breaks the normally hot, dry weather giving us a taste of what we can expect a couple of months from now.

On my early morning walk, I noticed goldenrod which first popped open its first blooms on August 3rd is farther along in the bloom than is usual for this time of the year. I watch that bloom and, more often than not, can predict our first frost of the fall within a day or two. This year may not prove to be a good one to use this sign of nature to predict that date but, it is really too early in the season to say that conclusively.

Pet Update...our family has grown again.

If you have followed this blog for long you probably know already that our family is a household full of animal lovers.  Since we live in the country, in the middle of a pine tree farm we have abundant room for lots of animals.  Our menagerie is comprised of two horses, a potbelly pig, a number of chickens, a cat, a rabbit, a ferret, a sugar glider, an aquarium full of tropical fish, a goldfish and eight dogs.  Three of those dogs were either found abandoned on the road or left on the outskirts of our property by someone who obviously doesn't have the respect for life that we do.  Yes, they were left there to fend for themselves because someone decided they didn't want to take care of them any longer. Two of the three were puppies when we found them and the other is what we think was an old puppy mill stud who had developed a skin condition and outlived his usefulness to an unethical breeder who probably should not have one dog much less a yard full of them who was put out on the highway to die. Well, Cooper, as we named him, has become a sweet yet cantankerous, loved member of our family.  He is old, very old and has only one tooth; a rather long lower canine that protrudes out of his mouth making him look like a muppet more than a dog.  He is a great dog who asks little of his family.

Anyway, the two puppies have come of age and yesterday we had them spayed.  We feel strongly that our animals should be spayed. It makes them happier, healthier and much better companions. The surgery went well and the girls are at home resting so they can resume their duties of joyfully protecting their family and home.

These two little girls are wonderful additions to our family.  The older of the two who is about 18 months old is either an English Lab or a mostly English Lab mix.  Her name is Hadley and she is a natural retriever, full of spirit, life, and energy. She is a fearless watchdog and that is always welcome in the country but in spite of her penchant to protect is a joy around the house. if she has a flaw she thinks she is a 42-pound lap dog. She will lie at your feet for hours, fully satisfied to be with her adopted family. Then without a moments notice or any warning, she will climb on the sofa with you and try her best to get in your lap.  Her nose goes to your face and she stares longingly into your eyes, making you completely and totally aware that she is wanting a little more attention than you have been giving her. 

The other little girl is still less than a year old. She is almost solid white. We had her DNA tested and it showed that she is a Swiss Shepherd, Great Pyrenees, Lab mix. Macie is her name and she and her sister were left on the railroad tracks that cross through our family property. A friend adopted her sister and she became one of our family. She was about an eight or ten-week-old puppy when she showed up last December.  Now at probably ten-months-old, she weighs in at almost 60 pounds. She is going to grow to be a much bigger dog and is presently eating us out of house and home. Macie is a gentle giant and except for the length of her hair looks remarkably like a Swiss Shepherd. Like most shepherds, she is protective of her family.  When guests show up at the house she expresses no aggression, other than her very loud barking but, always places herself between the guest and her family until she is sure there is no threat. Once she has accepted that there is no threat to her family, our friends are her friends, too. She is a majestic dog and another very special member of our family.  

Both of these girls are on "bed rest." Of course, they really aren't on bed rest but, they are taking it pretty easy this morning. I can tell their anesthesia has completely worn off but they are still lying around a good bit. As the day rolls on they will feel better and better.  These girls have a pretty good life; not a dogs life by any stretch of the imagination.  Both of these girls have added a lot of love to our family.  

...Today is Saturday

Well, today is Saturday and I have to get to the chores that the end of the week always brings.  I am putting my computer away and grabbing a bite to eat to go with this early morning cup of coffee and then I am off to take care of a few chores.  

Until next time...I hope you are having as good a weekend as I am.  

Thinking About Pulling Out my Flannel Shirts

Thinking about pulling out the flannel shirts is all I can do right now. It will be at least seven or eight weeks before it is cool enough to even think about wearing a flannel shirt, but I am dreaming of the cooler weather and the changing leaves.

A day or two ago the mercury in the thermometer was boiling up to near the century mark and with the humidity, it was an almost unbearable 105+ degrees. Today it is a hot and humid morning and my mind is wanting to take me to cooler fall days with leaves turning the warm colors of the season which bring with them a crispness in the air that lets you know that a fire will soon be in the fireplace and frost will soon cover the rooftops, lawns, and car tops.  As I sit on my porch sweltering in the heat, I look ahead to the cooler days ahead and think of wearing my favorite red flannel shirt as I move about completing my morning chores.

I have for years remarked of that couple of cool days that often come in the middle of August. It is those days that give us a small taste of the autumn that is still six to eight weeks away in our part of the county.  I have never known what that time is called so I researched it.  I have been unable to find a name for this season. We have all heard of Indian Summer. Those are the days in mid to late autumn when we experience unseasonably warm, dry weather and we enjoy the last of our summer gardens before the first frost comes and changes the landscape, readying it for late fall and winter to come. Since there is no name for it.  I think this time when autumn blows a kiss backward into summer should have its own name. Maybe, for now, I will just refer to it as Autumn’s Tease. Whatever it is called, I am ready for that brief respite from the heat that comes with those days.

My grandfather was a county farm agent in a much simpler time.  He was born around 1885 and worked as a county agent until the 1950s.  When I was a boy and after he retired, we would sit for hours and talk about the weather, the crops, the wildlife and many other things.  He taught me Much about the seasons and life in those hours we spent sitting outdoors talking and sharing.  Pop as we called him, told me of this time of year and those early days of autumn which tease us in the middle of summer.  Pop was obviously not the only one who noticed these days. One of my favorite authors and a native Mississippian, William Faulkner summarized this time more eloquently than I am capable.

He said, “...in August in Mississippi there are a few days somewhere about the middle of the month when suddenly there’s a foretaste of fall, it’s cool, there’s a lambence, a soft, a luminous quality of light, as though it came not from just today but from back in the old classic times.  It might have fauns and satyrs and the gods and —-from Greece, from Olympus in it somewhere. It lasts just a day or two,  then it’s gone...it reminded me of that time, of luminosity older than our Christian civilization.”

Men simply are not capable of writing words as beautiful as this today...I only wish I were.  For now, I must content myself to sit in admiration of the writer of those words and dream of the days in the not too distant future when I can pull out my flannel shirts and enjoy the coming autumn.

Until next time...John.

Counting the August Fogs

Folklore has it...no wait weatherlore has it that for every fog in August you will have a snow in winter.  Today is the third day of August and there was no doubt about it, we had a heavy fog this morning. So, by this measure, we should be expecting at least one snowfall in Central Mississippi this winter.

I am certain that weatherlore is based as much on observation through the years of common weather occurrences as on educated speculation,  but from all my readings and observations through the years it is amazing how much of this folklore seems to be correct. 

I always predict our first frost of the fall by when the goldenrod is in full bloom.  I look at wooly worm coats for color and thickness, the color of our local whitetail deer coats, how strongly a pig builds its nest of sticks and numerous other things to predict the coming winter weather.  You can say it is just folklore, but I have often maintained a garden deep into the autumn based on my predictions.  I have also harvested my last vegetables early in the season just to beat a frost the goldenrod told me was coming. 

I am in a rush. I am heading to my day job...the one that pays so I will have to go for now.  Until next time...

It Has Been a Long Time

I arose early this morning and headed to the front porch to watch the sun rise. It is a great morning. The porch fan keeps any hungry mosquitos from landing and feasting on my legs while at the same time keeping me cool from our often times oppressive heat down here in Mississippi.  Actually, the past few mornings have been comfortable with temperatures in the high 60s. For those who don’t know, I drive an old ragtop unairconditioned Jeep, and yesterday I was actually a little cool on my 45 minute commute to work.  That is not a complaint by any means.  No, it is simply an observation.  I will take what I can get this time of year.

Back to this morning.  I watched the sun rise, listened to the early morning birds heralding the start of a new day and enjoyed a quiet, very good cup of black coffee in a cup my wife gave me for Christmas.  Simply put, there are not many things in life as simple and wonderful as a country morning.  In a short while I will go in and get some bacon started for a good old country breakfast for the family.  I will probably have another cup of coffee and get ready for the day.

Today is going to be an easy day for me if all goes as planned.  I did a lot of chores last weekend and there is not much I need to do this weekend unless something crops up that I don’t know about.  I will have to run to the feed store to buy horse, dog and chicken food later today and then I have a labor of love to take care of.  I will be brewing a few gallons of beer.  I have the ingredients for nut brown ale for me and a light lager for my wife.  I am not sure which one I will make first.  I may just make them both if the mood hits me just right.

I like to brew beer at this time of year.  It will be ready to drink in about 21 days which pretty much coincides with the start of college football season. Perfect timing, huh? Anyway, I am looking forward to the start of my brewing and college football season. I have some four month old Mead which I need to rack for the final time before bottling.  Mead is more time consuming and though I love it, I don’t make as much of it as I do beer.  I am not patient enough to leave it for the year or more of aging.  I know you can drink it as soon as it is bottled but, in my opinion, it is so much better the longer you let it age.

I really have to get moving.  The sun is well up above the tree line now so, I am heading inside to get my real day started.

I will try to post again soon.  I hope you have a great day and until next time...