Saturday Linkies

I went to Larry Correia's blog to find an article he had written a few days ago I wanted to link to, and discovered something else he had written more recently in response to a NY Times editorial lamenting the SCOTUS Heller Decision.  It's pretty funny:

So how good was the Heller decision? Well, let’s take a look at what that bastion of journalistic integrity, the New York Times, is saying about the decision. Because, you know the NY Times will never lead you astray. This article was forwarded to me by Bob Westover for your reading enjoyment. As we go through, I will poke them. With a stick. NYT will be in italics, which is how they actually talk anyway. [More]

When George Bush says stupid crap, it is on every news station, comedians mock it ad nauseum, and even Iranian sock-puppets laugh at him. Barack says that he’s visited all 57 states where typical white people can abort their mistake children, sweetie, and that’s totally cool. And if you point that out, then obviously you’re a racist.

John McCain doesn’t misspeak. He actually is a democrat on 70% of the issues. The stuff he says that pisses me off is actually on purpose. He’s talking about how Lieberman and Bloomberg are still possible running-mates, and all I want to do is vomit. I’m really wanting to support you here John, because you’re running against a spoiled child that will destroy my country, so stop making it so DAMN HARD to support you!

Five years ago, when I told people that my eventual goal was to build a house out in the middle of nowhere that was totally off the grid, powered by solar panels, a wind turbine, with my own well and gravity fed water tower, I was a psycho right-wing militia type. Now, apparently I’m “environmentally aware” and “Green.” Oh, barf. Anybody who tells me that, I then point out that my off-the-grid house is also going to have a giant fence around it, topped in razor-wire, with solar-powered spotlights for my .50 BMG sniper rifle. Stuff it, hippie. Us government-hating survivalists were into that stuff way before you showed up to the party in your Prius.

Posted 6/28/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Our "Neighborhood"

Our small paved (no stripes) dead-end road with few residents makes for a great walking path.  I took this picture yesterday evening.

More pictures from the evening walk are here.

Posted 6/27/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

A Good Day for the US Constitution

The Supreme Court has determined what should have been obvious to anyone:  The Second Amendment is an individual right, not a collective right.

A huge victory for American citizens.

Posted 6/26/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

So that's what that means

After spending the afternoon working on a dead frame synchronizer with no luck, I have realized something.

They're not called switching power supplies because they use high frequency square waves to efficiently produce stable, relatively ripple-free, multiple dc voltages using smaller components than those required for a basic rectified and filtered regulated linear dc supply.  Oh, no.

They call them switching power supplies because when one goes bad... instead of wasting a day working on it... you're supposed to switch it with a new one.

Posted 6/25/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Quote of the Day

From this UPI story:  Many Dutch Prepare for 2012 Apocalypse

"You know, maybe it's really not that bad that the Netherlands will be destroyed," Petra Faile said. "I don't like it here anymore. Take immigration, for example. They keep letting people in. And then we have to build more houses, which makes the Netherlands even heavier. The country will sink even lower, which will make the flooding worse."

Posted 6/24/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Firsthand History

Yesterday the two kids and I drove down the hill to the rocky beach to recon the area, see if anyone was down there, and maybe do some swimming later that afternoon.  Right when we got there an older couple drove up on a golf cart and, as folks nearby do, struck up a conversation.  I had noticed their golf cart before cruising by the house on previous days so I knew they had to live nearby.  We started off discussing chickens... the man had asked me about our chickens and wondered if I needed any bantam roosters.  When he mentioned his guineas I figured out who he was.  Where the little road we live on stops at a larger state road, right across the state road is a little white house.  The older couple that live there are almost always sitting outside and wave every time I drive up to the stop sign to pull onto the main road.  They had several guineas but had lost a few to traffic on the road and when he mentioned them I figured out who I was talking to.

After official introductions, we had a fascinating conversation about the beautiful area we live in.  He was born and raised right on the road we live on in a big log cabin that had been purchased by a doctor and moved to another location a mile or so away.  His father had worked on the construction of Kentucky Dam and, while he had been too young to remember when the water rose and the Tennessee River became Kentucky Lake, he had certainly been around since TVA had acquired the hundreds of acres bordering our land as well as extending well into the woods along the mile or more of shoreline we were on.

I found out that the road bed on our property used to extend down into an actual community in an area he called Goat Hollow.  The other end of the road came out where the road we live on now ends at the lake.  Back in the hollow, besides a few homes, was a small general store that had been relocated when the dam was being built.  During my many treks back into those woods I've noticed pieces of old foundations, small lengths of what was obviously an old road bed, and even an old cistern at what appeared to be a homesite.  Many places back there have some old remnants of fencing left behind by a long forgotten farm.

He told me all about living back in here when there were only two houses on the whole road.  In those days you could spend the entire winter back here and never see another soul.  My kind of place.

Like some of my ancestors, he also had family that were displaced by TVA when they acquired all the property that later became the Land Between the Lakes.  TVA managed LBL until the mid 90's when they transferred control to the US Forest Service.  We both agreed wholeheartedly that, say what you will about TVA, LBL was a lot better place before the Forest Service took over.  That sentiment is shared by almost everyone I ask.

He also told me about a little known path that leads to a section of the land we were on that you can't get to by vehicle.  Although I know where the path is that he mentioned I had never been down it.  Apparently it widens out to an old road bed.  He promised to show it to me this fall when he goes squirrel hunting back there.  I quit hunting squirrels years ago (too much trouble to dress and clean) but I enthusiastically agreed to go.

We must have stood there in the shade by the lake talking for an hour before I figured I had bored the kids long enough and Janet was likely wondering where we were.  I could bend the ears of these local old timers for hours, especially when they share our appreciation for the area and love to talk about it.

Posted 6/23/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Haiku for today

New Bud Light with Lime:
Because homosexuals
Want a cheap beer too.

    ~ Shamelessly stolen from an internet forum

Posted 6/20/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

My Chickens must be Franciscans

It was getting toward evening and the chickens were milling around the entrance to the coop when we looked out the window and noticed a doe walking across the field.  Then we noticed that the chickens all were standing stock still.

Then, they started walking single file toward the deer.  Kind of a slow amble.  The deer just stood and watched them approach.  I ran for the camera and got another one of those slightly blurry maximum zoom shots looking out the window.  By the time I took this picture, the chickens had broken formation and had sped up their advance on the deer.

I don't think the doe was quite sure what to think.  Eventually she had all twelve chickens just milling around her before she walked into the woods.  By that time they were all around a corner and partially obstructed by the trees so I couldn't get another picture.  After their visit was over and the deer walked back into the woods, the chickens trotted back to the coop.

Speaking of the chickens, one lady mentioned the other day that she was amazed that we still had all our chickens; that none had been lost to predators.  I haven't even given it much thought, really.  There are no free-ranging dogs around here and I haven't noticed any hawks or owls giving them any attention.  The only coyotes I ever hear anymore are a pretty good ways off.  I close the coop at night so they're probably safe from possums and raccoons.  If you've looked at the House in the Woods © pictures, then you may remember me tearing down some old henhouse that was on the property when we moved here.  I believe the folks that lived here before tried having chickens and lost all of them, mostly to a dog (that has since disappeared), within a month or so.

I figure with the chickens free ranging during the day, it's only a matter of time before it happens but, so far, I guess they've been pretty lucky.

Posted 6/18/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Best. Father's Day. Gift. Ever.

This morning Alison surprised me by saying, "Happy Father's Day," and giving me the reimagined Battlestar Galactica season one plus the miniseries on DVD.  She rolled a hard six on that one.

We don't watch much TV around here.  We don't have cable, satellite, or any of that stuff.  Our antenna mounted in the attic picks up the Paducah NBC affiliate, KET, and a lower power CW station.  I could turn the antenna toward Nashville and get more but we keep it turned this way for the local news.  Other than that, it's a few PBS shows and not much more.

Odd for someone who doesn't watch television to work in television but there it is.  In my engineering shop at work I have cable.  The TV is usually tuned to our college cable station to monitor our air signal but occasionally I'll flip around.  That's how I got completely hooked on Battlestar Galactica.  I came into it when the SciFi channel was showing a BSG marathon one day.  It was about the end of season one when I started watching.  About four or five episodes into season two I decided that I needed to be recording these babies so I bought a spindle of blank DVD's and began my BSG collection.  Catching reruns, I was later able to get most of the earlier episodes I missed.  As of last night I was only lacking the first seven episodes.  I had the miniseries but a cable system emergency alert test had interrupted a large chunk of part two which made it frustrating to watch.  I was lamenting last night that the SciFi schedule didn't show any BSG "marathons" in the near future so I didn't know if I'd ever catch the earlier season one episodes I had missed.  Janet and Alison found that pretty funny considering that they knew something I didn't.

Since I started recording them, Janet and Alison have both become BSG converts.  If you've seen the series, obviously, you know I have to carefully monitor what parts I let Alison watch.  Such is the nature of just about any dramatic series nowadays.

The current season four has rocked and for me has completely redeemed the lackluster season three rut the series seemed to fall in toward the end.  If you've been following the series, then you know that the producers have indicated that this will be the last season.  The mid-season finale aired last Friday night and it was a doozy.  Ten more episodes to go but we'll have to wait until 2009.

Posted 6/15/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Wildlife Happenings

During last night's monsoon rains Janet and I went out under an umbrella to admire our drainage system we had fixed up on a low part of the driveway.  We got back up onto the front porch and OHMYGOSHLOOKATTHATSNAKE!!

A colorful red, black, and white snake was laying on the edge of the porch underneath a glider right where Alison and her friend who is spending the night had earlier hung out drying off after swimming in the pool.

"Quick, where is a hoe?"  "I don't know. Look around for something!"  "There's nothing here... what about this garden rake!"  "No! I have to go out to the wellhouse and get the shovel!"  "I'm not staying here with this snake by myself!  I'll go!"  So, I stood guard while Janet ventured out into the monsoon and brought back a suitable snake killin' device.  I went around the edge of the porch where the flower bed so I could reach its head and "OH CRAP THERE ARE TWO OF 'EM!"

After a short battle the snakes were dispatched.

Then we went inside and looked online to identify this dangerous villain we had just defeated.

It was one of these.  Harmless.  It figures.  Even better, considered "rare".  Sheesh... I probably killed the only two in the county.

So, I've now memorized the saying, "Red and black, venom lack.  Red and yellow, kill a fellow."

This morning we noticed a turkey wandering around out in the back field.  Wasn't that unusual until we noticed that she had four young poults with her.  That was cool.  I took this picture out the window with the zoom lens maxed.  You can barely see some under her and one a little bit back behind.  She disappeared into the woods a few seconds later.

Posted 6/14/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Some worthy blogs

Anyone who knows us or has kept up with this site over the past few years has noticed, since our move to the House in the Woods ©, a definite shift.  Most of the personal blogs or websites I regularly visit that aren't by fellow Catholics tend to be pro-gun or gun related in a way.  I haven't been very diligent in keeping up with my links page.  It's a little out of control, polluted with links to sites and pages that went 404 a long time ago.  Many of the gunbloggers may not make it to the links page for several reasons.  First, there are several, and this seems to be fairly common unfortunately among gunbloggers, that are not only atheists but show an open contempt for Christianity and those of us who try and follow Christ.  I used to read them a lot; they're talented writers, but the cheap shots get old.  I don't mind it if someone doesn't believe in God; one of my favorite sites is by a guy who is an atheist.  He has the courtesy of at least acknowledging the contributions that the Christian civilization has made in the last two thousand years and doesn't go out of his way to offend those of us who do believe.

I'm rambling.  Anyway, those people obviously I can't link to, no matter how good their other writing is.

I have recently run across some pretty good ones, otherwise, and need to at least add them to the links.  These aren't all going to be "G" rated so don't come bitching to me if you read something you don't like.  Here are some:

• Ballseye's Boomers - Glenn Bartley (I prefer it when they're not afraid to use their real name)
• Barking Moonbat Early Warning System
• Bayou Renaissance Man
• Corn, Beans, Spent Brass, an Empty Page and a Deadline... - Frank James (a farmer and a gunnie, I'm so jealous)
• Fat White Man
• God, Guns, Glory!
• A Keyboard and a .45
• Nobody Asked Me...
• Straight White Guy
• Surviving in Argentina
• The Ten Ring

Posted 6/12/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Those were the Days-ies.

Here are some old Daisy BB gun ads courtesy of James Lileks.  From the first page:

I’m not saying it’s the be-all / end-all of ideological tests, but you can tell a lot about a person by their reaction to this ad.

That was then, to understate the case.  Nowadays we’ve done away with these dangerous violent antisocial pseudo-guns, and replaced them with merry-makers like Nerf guns and Supersoakers and other items whose makers encourage you to point them at your friends.

This does not seem like an improvement, if you ask me.

My second gun was a Marlin Model 60 given to me by a St. Ann, Missouri police officer that my mom was dating at the time.  I was thirteen.  It had a scope and I thought it was the coolest gun in the world.  I sold it about six years later to a younger cousin when I joined the navy.  I wonder if he still has it.

Posted 6/11/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

When installing "programming"...

Most people prefer to use the CD-Rom.

Posted 6/5/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Homer and Ela

Born in 1915, Homer got out of the military after World War II, came to Calloway County, built a house on a hundred acres, and grew corn and raised cattle.  Now, ninety-three years old and no longer farming, he still lives in that same house with his wife Ela.

My paternal grandmother, Mavis, was one of nine children.  One died as an infant, the other eight made it to adulthood.  Her sister, my great aunt Ela (pronounced EE-lah), born in 1917, is the only surviving one.

The house is a small modest structure showing its age that sits alarmingly close to a tiny road, barely wide enough for one vehicle.  If you met someone on this road... one of you would have to start backing up.  Right across the road from the house is a paintball field where, according to Homer, when the weather is nice, just about every weekend it's swarming with ninja'd up paintball "warriors".  No other neighbors are within sight of the house.  Homer said he came home one day and found a big splat of paint on his big living room window.  After having a little talk with the folks, they coexist peacefully, "I don't bother them and they don't bother me."  The times we've been there to visit, it's been quiet across the road.  Still, it looks a bit out of place out here in this country setting and, when not in use, it could easily be mistaken for a slightly cluttered farm.

Yesterday we went to visit Homer and Ela.  We had been wanting to go for a while... Ela had been ill and hadn't been up to visitors.  Now she was feeling better, this Sunday her son was taking her to lunch (dinner, as they call it), and we were going to swing by sometime in the afternoon.  Alison was originally going to stay at home and watch a movie or something with Amanda but we decided to take them with us.  It was a good decision.  At age fourteen, Alison needs to be connected to her family ancestry.  At my great aunt's and uncle's ages, the reality is that the latest visit may also be the last.

It was important that Alison went for another reason.  Homer and Ela are just about the last of their kind.  Although Ela is unable to do a lot, Homer's appearance and mobility belie his age.  The yard is very well kept, the house is neat, he still gets up on ladders to clean out his dozen or so Martin houses out back, his push mower was still sitting in the carport from where he had recently used it, and spread out over three different locations in the back yard, this ninety-three year old man has a garden that puts ours to shame.  Both of them are quick witted with a sense of humor befitting someone who has witnessed the last century pass by.  They belong to the Methodist parish not too far from their house.

Neither one drives anymore, a recent change in their lives.  Their house is modest.  The only thing that reminds you that you haven't gone back in time to 1965 is the modern electronic thermostat on one wall of the living room.  Well, that and the VCR that sits atop the old television; a television that we've never seen on.  Ela has a collection of quilts that she has made.  Yesterday Homer showed me his old knife collection; every one of them sharp as razors.  I never was good at hand sharpening blades.  He mentioned a few folks that used to bring their knives to him to sharpen when they'd come to visit because he was so good at it.  I also got to see an ancient Smith & Wesson .32 caliber revolver.  It barely had any bluing left on it.  The handle may have been ivory but I couldn't tell.  Homer keeps it loaded and tells me, "I hope I never have to use it but these days you never know."

As Roland of Gilead would say, the world has moved on.

At their insistence (this happens any time we visit), we finally gave in and had some warmed up coffee.  The girls each shared a Pepsi and some Little Debbies.  The refrigerator is adorned with slightly faded newspaper clippings; stories about someone in the family.  One has a picture of Homer and Ela and shows five generations of children.  The deep freeze out in the carport is still full from last year's garden - they mentioned that they're not sure what they'll do with what they grow this year.

Homer mentioned that he had around forty tomato plants.  Where did he get them?  Seeds.  He just sowed the seeds into a flat and when they got about a foot tall, he moved them outside to the garden.  Janet asked him what he planted them in, "I had some extra dirt outside."  Just dirt.  No fancy seed mix or potting soil... just that good old Kentucky clay dirt.  Started them in February and he's already got tomatoes on the plants.  His corn is nearly three feet tall.  Beans, cucumbers, squash, everything is well along.  He had a bunch of garlic plants taller than I am and insisted we pull up as much as we could carry, "The things grow wild like onions.  I mow them and they come back every year."

Sitting at their kitchen table visiting and sipping strong, bitter coffee, it's easy to forget the outside world.  It's easy to forget, for a precious few moments at least, the Drudge headlines, the moral decadence of a society that cries out for a divine punishment, and the sound of approaching hoofbeats.  The time passed quickly and we eventually had to leave.  "We're sure proud y'all came by.  You come over any time.  There's no need to call first, we're almost always home."

Homer and Ela are a treasure.

Posted 6/2/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

As if the previous post wasn't depressing enough

Jeff Culbreath talks about the "tidal wave of bad news for Anglo-American civilization in the Year of Our Lord 2008" and has some good advice:  Don't bunch up.

Janet says these are "birth pains" and they're getting closer together.  I usually just laugh and ask if she's been reading any Hal Lindsay books lately.  Honestly, though, these are very strange times; ominous, scary, and, I have to admit, a little bit exciting.

Posted 5/30/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

What a bunch of panty-wetting, fainting-goat, tofu-choking, metrosexual sissies...

Via Kim comes this amazing story from "Republican" Mitt Romney's Massachusetts.

WINCHENDON— Ten-year-old Bradley Geslak was suspended from school this week for bringing a Memorial Day souvenir to school.

The Toy Town Elementary School fourth-grader had received two empty rifle shell casings from blanks used during the town celebration held at the GAR Park Monday morning.

He brought one of the casings with him to school the next day.

“He was just playing with it at lunch,” explained Crystal Geslak, Bradley’s mother. “He wasn’t showing it to anyone; he had it in his hand and was playing with it.”

Bradley said a teacher saw him with it and told him to hand it over.

“The teacher told me to give it to her and I did,” he said.

After the piece of brass was confiscated, Ms. Geslak was called at work and told to come and pick up her son; he was being suspended for the next five days.

[I suggest you make sure of any throwable objects are out of reach before reading the whole article]

A permit to even possess an empty brass shell casing?  A kid gets suspended for bringing an empty spent brass shell casing that was given to him as a souvenir by a uniformed veteran who was a participant in a local Memorial Day ceremony.  What the hell is wrong with people?!  The stupidity of some people boggles the mind.

Posted 5/30/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

I know what you're thinking.

"Is he ever going to show us more chicken pictures?"

Well, today is your lucky day!  I finally managed to snap a few pics.  They're not as cooperative as they used to be. The final rooster count is three, we're pretty sure.  All of the Ameraucanas except for Cleo are roosters.  I'm really glad we managed to get one hen out of that bunch.  Now to decide which two get the freezer and which lucky one gets to stay.

Posted 5/30/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Quote of the day

Seen on an online discussion about Microsoft Vista:

You know you have a bad product when people won't even steal it.

Posted 5/26/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Prophet

Pat Buchanan responds to the California supreme court's latest ruling in Post-Christian America.

We are supposed to be a self-governing people. "Here, sir, the people rule." Elected representatives write our laws.

Yet, no Congress or state legislature ever voted to declare homosexual unions a marriage. The idea has everywhere been rejected. Wherever it has been on the ballot, same-sex marriage has been voted down. In the 13 states where it was on the ballot in 2004, it was defeated by 58 percent to 85 percent -- the last figure rolled up in Mississippi, where black Christian pastors told their flocks to go out and vote down the abomination.  [More]

With Republicans like Arnold in California, Romney in Mass.,and the majority of the California Surpreme Court why bother to vote. The Republicans will do nothing about abortion or gay marriage. They won't even pretend to care about it anymore.

Posted 5/23/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Primary

I had just left for work this morning when I was reminded by the radio that today is Kentucky Primary day.  Hoo, boy!  As a registered Republican, in Kentucky I can only vote in the Republican primary which, at this point in the game, is not going to have much of an effect on anything.  I swung by anyway and did my civic duty.  Janet is registered as an independent and she can't vote in any primary today (stupid Kentucky laws).

It took all of about two seconds because my only choices were the presidential candidates and one US senate race where Mitch McConnell is being challenged by some guy who hasn't even ran an ad.  That's okay, though.  Mr. McConnell, remember when you were on television standing beside George Bush promoting that immigration amnesty bill?  I do.  I'm sure your position is safe but it's the thought that counts, right?

It seems fitting on this election day; the local start of the socialist revolution of 2008, to post a couple of pictures we took this last Sunday at the range at LBL.

Here's Janet practicing for her upcoming CCDW class with her cute little Taurus 605.

The targets and holders are our own homemade things I built from 2x4s and some old metal brackets we found in the basement when we moved into the House in the Woods ©.  Next is me printing badly and firing a new Yugoslavian M70B1 for the first time.  I like.

Posted 5/20/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

An Open Letter to the Republican Party

Maybe the Republican party leaders are starting to realize, after Mississippi, that they are about to be spanked.  Bad.  I suspect they still can't figure out why, though.

In You Want Reasons, Kim du Toit writes a blog entry that could very well serve as an open letter to the Republican party.  An excerpt:

Conservatives are not the Republican Party’s “base”, no matter what the smart boys and consultants tell you. We are not the same as the Democrat Party’s Black voters or union leaders, who will vote for the party without regard to what they do, or how many times they compromise their principles.

We are conservatives. We don’t like change, especially the kinds of change which can undermine the principles and Constitution of this country. We don’t like “compromise” when the people on the other side of the negotiation get almost everything they want, and we get almost nothing.

We do not march in the streets with placards and puppets. We do not write hysterical screeds to the newspapers. We do not say ugly things about our country to foreigners and strangers.

We vote. We vote either with our ballots, or, if the choices are that unpalatable, we vote with our feet and stay away.

You think we have nowhere else to go? I have news for you. We have plenty of places to go, on Election Day. We can go to the library, we can go to the bar, and we can go to the shooting range, to name just a few.

You have precisely three months to come up with a plan, a roadmap to the future, which will not compromise our country’s future, and which will not undermine the Constitution any more than you have done already. Conservatives are not your base; they are your foundation. And unless you start reaffirming your commitment to those principles which have made this country great, you will find out, like you just have in Mississippi, that you have no foundation left.

Here’s your blueprint. Get back to these bedrock principles, and you’ll win everything.

The Constitution, strictly interpreted

Smaller government

Lower taxes

Armed citizens

Frugal spending

Robust foreign policy

Law and order

Conservative judges.

Now you know.

Posted 5/15/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

There goes the (old) neighborhood

There has been a run of armed robberies lately not too far from where we used to live in Reidland, a southside suburb of Paducah, KY.  In one case the robber displayed a knife and got the clerk at a convenience store to hand him the cash drawer.  Amazing.  One of these days a clerk, or even better... a customer, failing to be properly impressed with a little knife, is going to pull out a gun and end someone's career in crime for good.

One arrest was made yesterday of a suspect in two of the robberies.  The guy's address was just around the corner from where we used to live.

We believe we sold our house in the nick of time.  We've been back to the neighborhood a few times since then and it's really going down.  Several houses in the neighborhood have become junkyards.  The house next door to our old place has been mentioned on this blog a few times; the original owner and his "foster" kid and barking dogs, the subsequent owner, her barking dogs and lack of maintenance, the renters that followed her move (she kept the place and rented it out) and their unruly kids, barking dogs, yard litter, and utter unfamiliarity with lawn mowers.  Now the current occupants have the place looking like a suburban redneck version of Sanford and Son's, complete with a litter of barking dogs in the fenced-in back yard.  The owner of that place must have that as a requirement in the renter contract.  Another neighbor's house was broken into and some things taken.  Turned out to be some local yoots getting an early start on their lives of crime.  Damn dangerous activity that... breaking into a man's home.

No, we don't miss the place one bit.  If anything, I feel sorry for the older couple that bought our old house.  We got an excellent price for it and I'm afraid it will never see that again.  Not even close.  And now the locals are starting to rob nearby businesses.

After nearly three years at the House in the Woods ©, I still almost daily find myself marveling at the fact we live where we now live; twenty wooded (mostly) acres bordered by over 300 more acres of TVA owned forest, small blacktop road that ends at the lake without a bunch of waterfront lots, good (and very few) neighbors who all own large tracts of land and feel the same way about the place as I do.  God is indeed good, and I hope I never take His blessings for granted.

Posted 5/15/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

From the Inbox to the Blog

Reproduced exactly as it arrived (with names removed):

Date:  Tue, 13 May 2008 07:28:53 -0700 (PDT) From:  [snipped] To:  mail@[snipped] Subject:  Iam intersest in join Homeschool group    I have   six children that i want in enroll . Could you tell me how much will that cost?   For this school-year coming up,    I am only  one sure of he is going 10Th grade . the  other not sure ,  but ages are 14 ,12, 10, 7 ,5   We are live in [snipped] KY  Area.     Do have workshops, or  activity they can do with other children? Do  have testing? Do you have help for parents to help their children? thanks for you time ,   [snipped] and  [snipped]

Posted 5/13/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Eight Months Later...

Today I came across this site that mentioned a letter from Owensboro Bishop John McRaith concerning the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum (remember that?).  It originated apparently from the West Kentucky Catholic, the monthly diocesan "newspaper", but since we no longer get those I didn't see it.  I don't know the date of the letter but the blog post is dated August 5.

An excerpt:

I would like to express to you my commitment to carry out the wishes of the Holy Father in making the Tridentine Rite Latin Mass available to those who desire it in our diocese, providing that all of the guidelines of the Apostolic Letter are followed. This is a call that I take seriously, as does the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The USCCB subcommittee, the Committee on the Liturgy, has already begun to address many of the issues surrounding the carrying out of the Holy Father’s wishes in this regard.

Please know that I, in conjunction with our diocesan Office of Worship and in consultation with the Bishop’s Committee on the Liturgy, will continue to work toward addressing these issues to carry out the Holy Father’s desire to make the Tridentine Rite Latin Mass more accessible to the People of God.

I've become so disconnected from this God-forsaken diocese that I can't even get angry about it anymore.  All I can muster is a contempt filled snort of disgust.  I haven't been to what passes for a Mass in this diocese in years and I don't intend to any time soon.  It'll take more than a Latin Mass to clean up the rot that McRaith has festered.

Posted 5/12/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Memo to NBC News

When you show Navy ships while reporting that the Navy is standing by to provide relief to Myanmar, you might want to show a video of a ship that is still active.  The USS Saipan (LHA-2) was decommissioned in April, 2007, yet there it was, with the giant "2" showing on the superstructure, sailing right along while you reported about the US Navy standing by to provide relief.  Also, showing a Cobra attack helicopter landing on the flight deck might not fit in with the whole "relief" theme, if you know what I mean.

Posted 5/9/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

More stupid chicken pictures

If you want to see what six week old chickens look like... here ya are.

From the "Old People are Funny" files

Yesterday while we were out for a Sunday afternoon drive, burning that sweet, sweet gas, we went against our usual principled Sunday habits and stopped by Kroger to pick up a little ice cream before heading home.  A gallon of ice cream, two loaves of bread, three boxes of tissue, two frozen pizzas, some Hot Pockets for work, and a dozen eggs later we got in line... the express "15 items or less" line marked with the big hanging sign above the aisle... behind an old lady with a shopping cart packed full of stuff.  None of us really cared.  I have a lot of pity for old people when they do things like this mainly because I'll probably be just like that in the not too distant future.  And, you never know if the cashier actually called the person over to that line because there was no one in it.  It only got weird when the cashier was busily packing the old lady's goods into the sacks and I was putting our things on the conveyor when the lady leans over to my wife and whispers something about it being terrible these days when you have to wait so long in lines just to buy food.  Janet was speechless.

Posted 5/5/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Flashbacks

All this week we've spent the evenings in front of the TV watching Carrier on KET.  It's exhausting in a way because we hardly ever watch television.  I was initially intrigued because the documentary was produced by Mel Gibson's Icon Productions.  I was hooked after the first hour.

Although I was in the Navy (Hospital Corpsman) for eight years, I only spent a total of about seven months aboard two separate ships, both Tarawa class LHAs.  The first time was while I was stationed with the marines and we spent a month or so on the USS Belleau Wood practicing beach landings off the coast of Camp Pendleton.  The second was during my second enlistment; I was in charge of a bunch of hapless junior corpsmen on a surgical support team attached to the USS Saipan during "Northern Wedding '86".  That one lasted for about six months.  Being kind of like a smaller version of an aircraft carrier with an additional "well deck" for launching beach landing craft, the Saipan was plenty big and crowded.  Watching the junior enlisted people on the documentary bitching about everything brought the memories of that deployment back to the front for a few days this week.  It was the same complaining from twenty-two years ago, just different faces.  Being a mid-level NCO, I not only had to deal with the small but significant percentage of lazy whiners and babies with attitude problems but it seemed like, and I didn't see this on the series, we had a few arrogant and obnoxious officers and at least one senior enlisted who seemed to actually enjoy giving grief to people lower in rank.  Did I hate every minute of it?  Naw.  Would I do it again?  Hell, no!  In fact, it was probably being stuck on that particular team while I was supposed to be on shore duty that soured my whole attitude towards the navy and kept me from re-enlisting a second time.  Well, that, and I met a girl...

Watching both sailors and marines on the documentary I was reminded also of my three year experience with the First Marine Division.  Looking back, I think I actually preferred being in the company of marines.

Anyway, as an ex-navy guy, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Carrier this past week.  Very, very accurate portrayal of life aboard ship.  Janet listened to me reminisce for ten hours, we chuckled at the grumbling, watched wide-eyed as the planes landed during the stormy seas, rolled our eyes and groaned at the pentecostals, and jeered loudly when we finally met Tanya at the end of the series.

Chicken Update

I really need to take a picture.  They're getting huge.  Been living in the coop for several weeks now.  We locked them all inside the coop for a few days to make sure they knew where "home" was, then let them out to free range.  They're very entertaining to watch.  We still don't know who, if any, the roosters are.  There are a couple suspects that are larger than the others, with very thick legs and somewhat more aggressive behavior.  I figure I should be able to tell for sure soon.

Posted 5/2/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Want even more chicken pictures?

I added a couple pages to the Mugshots section.  It's almost not worth the trouble anymore.  I have to resize the pictures from "huge" to viewable on a webpage.  This resizing is done incrementally with some doctoring done to keep the images sharp.  Then, I have to upload the whole mess of photos to Photobucket which seems to take forever on our hillbilly dialup connection, especially when the Photobucket uploader utility seems to just stop after the first picture requiring a complete page reload and reattempt.  I know... waah.  Anyway, there they are.

Posted 4/23/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Banished from the house

Outside with the whole lot of 'em.  They quickly outgrew the giant Gateway box and the coop is done, the weather is nice, so at 3-1/2 weeks of age they are going out.  They won't be allowed to free range just yet.  I made a small portable run for them to hang out in during the day and at night we'll put them in the coop with a temporary nesting area, a little heat for the chilly nights, food, and water.

The finished coop.  All I have to do is buy and install some better latches for the doors.

Posted 4/20/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

"I feel the earth move under my feet..."

"Are you doing that," I asked Janet as the bed shook.  "No, it's Max (the dog at the foot of the bed)."  No, the dog was out cold.  Then we noticed the windows rattling.

"I think we're having an earthquake!"

Wow, that was exciting.  It woke up everyone in the house.  I turned on the scanner to hear a deputy say, "Did anyone else feel that?"  I guess that confirmed it for us.  We got online and... yep, I guess someone else did feel it.

Posted 4/18/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Oh Dear

As someone who will judge a mealtime fare by how well it goes with Tabasco sauce, this is pure heaven.  Especially the Habanero sauce. Yes, gallon jugs of Tabasco actually exist and you can buy them here.  I guess I know what I'm putting on this year's Christmas list.  Alison gave me a 4-pack Super Hot Sauce set from Dave's this last Christmas and I'm still enjoying every eye-watering drop.

Posted 4/16/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Got into another drag race this morning

Waiting to pull out of our dead-end road to the other road that takes me 6-1/2 miles to the two-lane highway that goes into town, I stopped for a few extra seconds to let a car go by before pulling out.  Usually the ones I don't wait for (that are off in the distance) want to drive like maniacs and end up on my bumper for the whole trip to the main highway and the ones I do wait for are the ones I end up being stuck behind.  I don't know how that works but it's like that almost every time.  Anyway...

I didn't mind.  I patiently followed at a safe distance, listening to the radio.  We both turned onto the main highway toward Murray.  We were cruising along on a fairly wide and straight highway at about 47mph until, on a straightaway, the solid yellow strip turned into the first clear passing zone of the journey.  I swung out and accelerated to pass.

You know what the old guy did next?

He sped up.  A lot.

People have a lot of bad driving habits but this is one of the most irritating.  They're almost always old men.  I'm sure they don't do it consciously but it's pretty frustrating when you finally get a chance to pass someone doing 10 below the speed limit and they speed up to 5 above the speed limit as soon as they hit a straight stretch.  If you don't manage to get around them, you coast back down to a mopey forty-five as soon as the yellow stripe turns solid... or as soon as an oncoming vehicle approaches.  Your only alternative to this is to just floor it.  I swear this morning I was doing 80 by the time I got back into the right lane and barely made it before an oncoming car rounded the curve just ahead.  I coasted back down to the speed limit hoping this wouldn't be the moment that a deputy, or worse, a state trooper topped the hill with his radar on.

Posted 4/14/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Two weeks old

I brought home a giant cardboard Gateway computer box I found in a storage room at work to replace the other box they quickly outgrew which replaced the plastic tub they quickly outgrew.

Fun watching them grow.  The last time I did this was about twenty years ago so it's fun.

The coop is about 85% done.  We'll put up some pics of it when it's done, probably in the Mugshots section.  For now, here's a teaser that Janet took right after I started on it.

Posted 4/9/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

Hahahaha!

Now there's an interesting thought.

Maybe Keith Hall could amend his pet 4-wheeler bill in the general assembly to include one of these at Fishtrap Lake.  Surely Pike County would see an increase in tourism after that.

Posted 4/8/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |

From the "What He Said" files

Good short essay on gun ownership via mouseguns.com titled Why do I need an AK-47?.  An excerpt:

About 230 years ago, some incredibly gifted, wealthy, slave-owning, white guys looked at Western Civilization and undertook what is undoubtedly the most radical, profound political revolution ever conceived.  Despite what the history books say, it really wasn't about taxes, or troops in people's homes, or the price of tea or any of that crap.  These men were British subjects, but taxes were lower in the colonies than in Britain at the time of the Revolution, there was unprecedented freedom, particularly on the frontier, and these guys were generally the wealthy elite who could have been colonial governors if they had chosen to.  They could have afforded to drink tea until they pissed pure caffeine.

Posted 4/6/2008 by Michael Inman | Link |