Joel's back.

I wasn't expecting him until Monday at the earliest. Quick. Hide the booze, put all the furniture back, and someone get rid of the goat.

***grinning guiltily***

Welcome, back Boss! We took care of things real good while you were gone.

won't let me post....and not a naughty word in it!
Morning all. SD is bringing scones. Note I said BRINGing scones, not MAKING scones.

Great pictures and comments Joel. Having you back makes me feel very comfortable. Glad you avoided snake bites and other bad stuff. I look forward to more pictures. Australia seems a strange and wonderful place. I remember the photos my daughter took on Kangaroo Island off the coast of Adelaide and the massive limestone rock formations there. Everything seems to be bigger and/or weirder down under.

I forgot to mention last night my favorite smelling flower in bloom, the lilac. I used to have a bunch of them at the old house but there were none here. I planted a small 'rescue' plant last year. It's about a foot and a half tall and has one very pretty flower blooming right now. It looks a bit silly but someday it will be a nice big shrub with many blooms, I just hope I live long enough to see it.

Congratulations on a safe and obviously successful trip, Joel!

*TGIF-and-joy-at-a-long-weekend-somewhat-tempered-by-an-aching-back Grover waves*

:-)

Is it a first that the Boss announced a new kit this morning? How kewl is that?!

I've got a funeral to go to myself, Cassandra. But I'm counting my blessings: one of my good friends will go from this one at 11 to another one at 2.

Kber, I look forward to hearing what you think about God's Secretaries.

The latest book I've finished is the one my brother and sister-in-law gave me for my birthday. It's a travelog of authors associated with the NC mountains and was more engrossing than I thought it would be. The author is a friend of my sister-in-law, and the book is the first in a series of three, the other two will do the same for the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain.

... hey, where are the beach photos with you and hot Australian babes? you know what they say Joel... all work no play, makes Joel a dull boy... :)... we're waiting!

Joel coming home early reminds me of "Risky Business" and this Jimmy Buffett classic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTsvZetktzI

Lyrics here:

http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Jimmy-Buffett/Gypsies-In-The-Palace.html

Sample:

So long Boss, knock 'em dead, don't worry 'bout a thing
Wish that we could come along, we'd love to hear you sing
The limo's here, your bags are packed, the list is by the phone,
Me and Snake will watch your place and treat it like our own

Look at all this liquor
Look at all this food
It's only gonna go to waste
We're not really being rude
But the good stuff's in his closet, I swear he wouldn't mind
Hell, we''ll just shoot the lock off, I do it all the time

[snip]

We're gypsies in the palace, there ain't no wrong or right
We're gypsies in the palace and we're raising hell tonight
Oh, hi there Boss, what's goin' on?
You say you're coming when?
I'll send Snake to pick you tomorrow night at ten

Everybody out of here, the show is closing down
We've got to find someone to clean this up,
He's coming back to town

Hi there boss, we waxed your car, we raked and mowed your lawn
We couldn't find enough to do in the short time you were gone.

Thanks everyone for the welcome-homes.

Miss Toronto, I got no beach babes for you. But I do have some good pictures of ROCKS at the beach. I'll post those at some point.

goodie! :)... I was teasing Joel... hey, aren't the rocks awesome in Australia... and did you notice the cool trees? along the beaches of course?

Looks like the Desert SouthWest of the US.

*shrill whistle of the bosun's pipe, and the Officer of the Deck calling out on the 1MC:*

"ACHENBLOG, arriving!!"

Welcome aboard, sir. All present, or accounted for.

Hey folks... dropping by to say hello.

jkt!!!

EJ's column was amazing. Well done.

Later in the day, a post may show up, that fit post 2 after YJ's early morning appearance. Forgive that it is random, as the youngens say.

I head off by bike to CPDot2's college graduation: walks through a humanities one then on to the social sciences. I am proud, natch.

Lifting high the banned of relieved parenthood, for said darling child HAS HEALTH INSURANCE and a job. HEALTH INSURANCE! You evolved Canadians may not quite understand that SHE HAS HEALTH INSURANCE.

May all of you have good news today. And, hovering angels, please attend Mudge.

Good to have you back Joel. I concur that your choice of such excellent replacements is a tribute to your decision making skills. Also, I think they deserve special commendations for hazardous duty. At the very least, they will probably better appreciate why you sometimes seem so oddly jumpy.

You were in Alice Springs? Oh my. I know of this place. You have my deepest sympathies.

I hadn't realized the degree of wealth flowing into Australia because of the coal mines. I can really see this becoming a complex issue for the Australians, especially when one considers what the Chinese and others are doing with all that coal. You know, burning it and all.

Erich Von Daniken just called and wants to know just where you found those rock etchings that have an uncanny resemblance to the, umm, laminar flow pattern in the engine cavity of a Lamborghini. Yeah. That'll work.

And finally, thanks for that photo of the car. We always wondered what happened to that field team.

Love the pics. The hubby and I plan on a lot of overseas travel when the kids have moved on and Australia is very high on our list. Welcome back, JA.

Yep, Caitlin, Rachel and the Nelsonator were fun to have around.

We went to see James Taylor last night. The hubby got the tickets as a Mother's Day present but did a little grumbling about geezer's, etc, because he's never really been a fan. He had to admit that JT put on a really good show, he was very charming in a sort of reticent James Taylor way. He did a cover of Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman that actually made me kind of weepy!

Double congrats, CP!!! *HUGSSSS* :-)

*faxin' Don the co-pay bill for my upcoming visit to the audiologist* ;-)

Hey Kim,

Taylor is one of those musicians that I really started to enjoy recently after not much appreciation for him in the olden days when he was the bomb.

I am also really back enjoying Peter Rowan.

You ever heard of him?

Welcome back Joel. Wonderful pictures. Australia was always one of the places I wanted to visit. I love the idea of the Outback, hundreds of miles and very few people. The reality is, I suspect, a place I would like somewhat less than the dream.

There used to be an Aussie show called 'Bush Tucker Man' or something like that. The host used to go out into the bush and show we modern folk the Aboriginal peoples food sources, where to our jaded western eyes, it looks so barren. Fascinating show.

I should probably have told you about this BEFORE the trip...

Welcome home boss. Are those cycads? (not cyads)

Gas prices went up $0.19 a gallon here yesterday. Glad I don't have any travel planned this weekend. Strangely this is aiding our local tourist economy. People who would be flying, or driving out of state, are ending up here. Holding my breath to see how reservations go for next summer.

Morning to all and congrats to CP on the dot's great good fortune in employment. HEALTH INSURANCE!!!

Congrats, CP, on a job well done!

Yesterday, second dottir and I purchased gap insurance for her. I paid, happily.

But now I know my job is done: Wednesday, I fielded four cellphone calls from her, with various *etikit* questions. She was writing thank you notes for graduation gifts. Without prompting from me that it needed to be done, and fretting from her that she was a week and a half after graduation getting around to the task.

Several of the snapshots-especially the third and to a far lesser degree the sixth (a petroglyph)--remind me of geoglyphs. Do the Nazca lines on Peru's Pampas de Jumana come to mind? See "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" for details. *l* With a similar dry climate in Aussieland, will these lines persist for as long a time?

Of course, I was hoping you might have mentioned Pangaea and how Australia split off from Antartica. You know, show the aerial seam that once yoked them. *l*

Of course, there's always the subject of Aussie Ian Klaus, and how he's using his former relationship with Chelsea Clinton to promote his new book.

Cycads! Happiness. [Coonties are little Florida cycads, of course]

Finally mangaed to get all my back boodling done, and I find I have missed much.

Hugs to those what needs it, and I will keep you in my thoughts, Mudge.

Mornin' all...

Welcome back, Joel. I now have "The Boys Are Back In Town" tune cootie driving out any productive or meaningful thoughts from my easily distracted brain.

At least it wasn't the "Welcome Back Kotter" theme song.

Oooooh, ooooh, the lost continent of Sahul...and aboriginal DNA:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/08/science/08abor.html

Do you think that early Peruvians could have used primitive hot air balloons in order to supervise the creation of the Nazca lines?

BTW, did some Google News searching last night, to learn that Chandler Field in Fresno was used to create the 1950s Ciudad de Mexico airport scene in Indy's "Crystal Skull." The film crrew also shot at WWII-era Eagle Field in Dos Palos (two sticks, poles, logs, masts, or trees in Spanish) in California's Central Valley. Don't know if shots at this locale made it into the film. Brings back memories--the sugar beet truck used to start off every morning in Dos Palos, pick up various samples (bags) of sugar beets at various stops throughout the Valley, before dropping them off at the Spreckels' processing lab at sunset for processing and testing at night--toughest, grittiest summer college job I ever had.

The academic scenes in "Crystal Skull" were filmed in New Haven, Conn., and at Yale. Need to go learn more about the Hawaiian scenes.

welcome back, joel. the airplane shots are very cool.

warm thoughts and hugs to mudge, jack and others who have posted sad news in the last few days.

CP, congrats on daughter nbr2. I "give you joy", to use a favorite Patrick O'Brian expression.

That only leaves the Boy to edjumacate, now, right? Again, congrats, and BZ!

Hey DM- no, I am not familiar with Peter Rowan. JT definitely did justice to his bluegrass material last night. He had a very good lady fiddler, Andrea something and he had a very appreciative (and large, almost sold out) crowd down here in southeastern VA.

Yes, CP - congratulations on your daughter's graduation. Very sweet time, I'm sure.

Mudge - hope you're doing ok.

Good morning, all.

Welcome back, Joel.

And congrats, CP. I'm sure your mind will rest easier today...

martooni - Thin Lizzy was a highly underappreciated rock band, back in the day, IMO. But, that's just me.

More later.

bc

Kim,
I went to see James Taylor a decade or so ago after some worry about the geezer factor. I was awarded a front-center seat and had a nice time.

He was big precisely when I arrived in Chapel Hill.

Howdy and a hearty welcome home, Joel. Those are splendid pictures. They simultaneously fuel my desire to visit Australia and slake it thought vicarious living. I look forward to more.

Congratulations college parkian - that health insurance really hits home, doesn't it? Every now and again someone suggests I might like job x or job y, always something really interesting in a non-profit type way. I politely explain that I need pretty much what I've got now in terms of compensation because otherwise we don't eat or go to the doctor.

Mark me down as a fan of "God's Secretaries".

The Boy's science final is today then we have a couple of days to relax. Garden (read: weeding) here I come! Barring destruction by storm it looks like we'll have a good crop of blackberries this year and I'd like to get to them. All the tomatoes, peppers, squash and onions I planted are still alive and growing.

The burned car is very reminiscent of "Walkabout." There have been a lot of good movies out of Australia over the years- "A Town Like Alice", "Breaker Morant", "My Brilliant Career", "The :Last Wave", "Rabbit Proof Fence", "Picnic at Hanging Rock", "The Piano", "Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith", "Cry in the Dark", "Flirting", "Muriel's Wedding", "The Proposition", "Mad Max", "Priscilla Queen of the Desert", "Babe", etc.

OTOH, why didn't I get the memo about this important meeting of the tin foil hats?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/22/AR2008052203905_2.html?hpid=topnews

Hiya. Welcome home Joel.
Any idea what kind of mines those are?

k'guy...you didn't get the memo, 'cuz, see, at the last meeting, it was mentioned that you once had a red car, and, well, there's the chance that you chose that color to show your allegiance....

That car was NOT red, it was burgundy, er, well kind of claret, no more of a pinot but with just a touch of berry but no oak, no no that's not quite right, zinfandel? barolo? chianti? Well, it definitely wasn't red anyway.

It was also mentioned that you'd seen Dr. Zhivago and your library card shows you've read both Pushkin and Solzhenitsyn. I'm sorry, K'Guy, but you're out.

k-guy... I laughed at your mention of "Priscilla". My previous VW Bus was named "Priscilla, Queen of the Western Reserve". (God rest her air-cooled soul, '75 with the fuel-injected 1800)

I painted her purple, then took a small brush and painted magenta and cyan overlapping squiggles all over her -- kinda looked like velvet when I was finished. I then chromed her out from nose to tail, added faux tiger skin seat covers, faux leopard skin on the dashboard, funky red curtains and a 9" disco ball dangling from the ceiling between the front seats. She also had one heck of a sound system (had a separate battery to power that).

I'd pull into "cruise night" events where everyone has a '57 Chevy and they'd all go nuts. She actually won a couple of awards.

* sigh *

Those was da days.

But... but.. I didn't even like "Dr. Zhivago" all that much. I mean I liked the parts with Alec Guiness and Tom Courtenay, but Rod Steiger was chewing scenery like it was made of beef jerky and Omar Sharif didn't do diddly but moon about with his big watery puppy dog brown eyes and I can never see what Julie Christie saw in him anyway and David Lean has made lots of better films. There's "Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Hobson's Choice" and "Great Expectations" and... and.. out, huh? I feel like the victim of a conspiracy, a right wingnut conspiracy, yes, that's it! A vast right wingnut conspiracy against... ME!

kguy- you spotted what Christie saw in him "big watery puppy dog brown eyes." Which also explains my brief, disastrous second marriage to Mr. F#2.

Congrats to CPDot! Excellent move into the adult world. Keep your mama happy, too, while you're at it. Good times.

Son of G is over the moon today. FIrst day off in a week and a half and Girlfriend is arriving today. They haven't seen each other in person in well over a month (nightly visits on the webcam don't count).

Daughter of G's opening night of Godspell was last night--performance by a community theatre made up of high school kids from around the area... kind of like an All-Star cast. Amazing talent, energy, etc. So much fun to see--and she has had scads of fun participating. Two more shows: tonight and tomorrow night. If anyone local is interested, email me at boodler [at] mac [dot] com for details.


So... who's doing what for the holiday weekend? Our Canadian buddies had theirs last week... anything fun?

Hi, Dolphin Michael! I love Peter Rowan, although I haven't listened to him in a long time and I'll have to look at wikipedia to remember what groups he was in. Do you have any favorite CD's of his to recommend? I love James Taylor, too - never seen him in concert. And talk about geezers - I'm going to Hippiefest (twice!) this summer, in the hopes of seeing Jack Bruce.

CP, congrats to the dot on graduating and getting a job - with health insurance!

Bad Sneakers, I don't have room for a lilac, so I go myself a tiny Korean lilac to bonsai. It is blooming now and very fragrant.

Welcome home, Joel! Wonderful pictures - keep them coming!

Joel, as your welcome back gift, a verb agreement typo: "The Todd River...boast..." You're welcome. Good to have you home!

The weekend will probably be the same as any other for me, just a day longer.

But today I celebrate World Turtle Day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Turtle_Day

http://pictures.aol.com/galleries/davifeon/c5e0NHKaDkfBBiyHkfjtOan6Ef4HB8FSK-zev4xQp5Fd3Ig=

SCC that first sentence. The way I worded it, almost sounds as if an extra day is a bad thing...it's not!

(Teehee, I said it's not)

It's not
It is
DNA
wot?

omni... they thought it was a booger, but it's not.

[Did I really write that? Sorry, folks]

My dear omni, we really must give you some horticultural lessons when you have the time. Those "smelly orchids" in your photo album are either stargazer or rubrum lilies (rubrum petals are more recurved than stargazer). I see that you have already learned to cut off the stamens to avoid the dreaded yellow pollen stain. Despite the misidentification I applaud your taste. I don't typically like such strong scents but forgive the lily and allow it to be my favorite cut flower.

Easily grown in NoVA by the way for anyone who wants to duplicate my favorite painting

http://jssgallery.org/Paintings/Carnation_Lily_Lily_Rose.htm

(which I have shared here before, but perhaps there are new folks who haven't seen this Sargent masterpiece)

Can't express how nice it is to see the "Achenbach" signature in the boodle and to have the boss back in charge of the kits, too.

No question the subs did a great job but so what--there is no true substitute for the Real Thing.

I'm wrapping up a three-week gig of working full-time from my dad's home office, about 1400 miles from my normal workstation. Cell phone and email, internet link to my office files--it all worked out pretty well but it was a little stressful at times, and certainly a little more difficult. The weekend, to answer TBG's question, will be about catching up on the home front, after a Saturday return to the Sunshine State.

Kim, I saw James Taylor at Symphony Hall in Boston, back in the late 70s. It was just him and his guitar on the stage, some kind of benefit performance, so intimate and very good show. He sang "Baby, It's Cold Outside" as a duet with himself by means of a reel to reel tape recorder (!)

Joel, thanks for taking and posting the photos. This is a much more convenient way to see the sights of Australia than actually going there myself. More, more, bring 'em on.

I swear its the flower guy who keeps me misinformed.

Even the crickets are on their way out of town...

I like turtles.

Everyone in my office is heading out for an unofficial early dismissal. In a temporary fit of insanity I agreed to a conference call at 1:30 today and I figure I might as well do it from here.

My weekend plans had consisted of sleeping late, working in the garden, checking out the farmer's market tomorrow, and perhaps hearing a friend play at a local arts festival Monday. [advertisement] Mary Catherine Reynolds, remember? Google her again now! [end of advertisement] However I swear that sinus infection isn't done with me; I've been drippy and dizzy all day. I hope it is just bad allergies; the combination of heat and humidity is aggravating everyone's noses.

Tim, I like Flo and Eddie....

Mostly, on Peter Rowan,

Seatrain, Seatrain (1970)

Old and In the Way, Old and In the Way (1973)

Peter Rowan (1978) (incl panama red, Outlaw love, Midnite Moonlite, Land of the Navajo, The Free Mexiacan Airforce AND A Woman I Love)

Reggaebilly (2001)

Quartet, Peter Rowan & Tony Rice (2007)

As a quick Sampler of music from multiple Genres that he has done.

Mostly, If you haven't had a chance to sneak a listen, try a free snippit of Reggaebilly ... A TREAT of a treatment and most recently Quartet is mahvalous.

Iron Man's website: http://www.si.edu/ipy/speakers/stark_bio.htm

Thanks, DM, I'll check those out. I did search wiki, and Peter Rowan played with the great Bill Monroe, of course.

Also, Flo and Eddie are part of Hippiefest this year! I saw them way back in the early 70s when they were with Frank Zappa. As a reminder, Hippiefest is at Wolftrap on July 30, and many other places:
http://www.hippiefest.net/tour.htm

Don't forget your tie-dye.

Forgot to say thanks frosty. Thank you frosty, I've fixed my flower labels. Now if I could just get them in the right order.

Very interesting pics, Joel. Guess you really were there :-) The one of the burned up car reminds me of the car the kid ruined in "Into The Wild."

Hope everyone has a relaxing holiday weekend. eidrib spouse and I are going tent camping near Crested Butte, CO, for two nights if we can stay warm enough and not get flooded out--they had record snowfalls. Should be interesting.

Heading home a tad early myself. Sticking close to home for the long weekend and will be tending to painting and yardwork. Always with the yardwork.

Have great weekend everyone!

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2008/05/26/080526taco_talk_toobin/?yrail

My conference call is ended and I am out of here. I'll show up again during the course of the weekend. Happy Friday afternoon, everyone.

The mines may have been copper mines Boko, the retention ponds are mighty blue...and Australia is the fourth largest producer of copper. The price of copper now is US$3.75/lb; price when I graduated in 1985 was US$0.90.

Good weekend all. More gardening in store for me. Hopefully this time it's going to be the dry type of gardening as opposed to last week's trudging in the rice paddy.

Right. With everyone out gardening, camping, having nice weekends at the cottage, it's time for a little taking over of the world. Let me see. We could talk yarn. Or knitting. doilies?

omni-You're welcome. I had hoped I did not come across as a Lucy van Pelt type know it all, but I do see a lot of gardening potential in you.

My plan to start the weekend at noon today was well under way, in the garden, when I got the call to sub for our Community Technology Center director. She's down for the count with a fever and the city clerk is recuperating from surgery so I am it. So I'll be working from 4:00-7:00 this evening and perhaps a few hours tomorrow. Weighing the need for the center to be open a few hours on Sat. vs. the likelihood that there will be no patrons on this holiday weekend. I can see which way that scale is tipping right now.

So glad you're back, Mr. Achenbach. And the pictures are really nice. The place looks a little dry, though, kind of like there isn't any water around. But it's all good.

I hope the weekend is really nice for everyone. I went to the funeral, and was okay. The grandchildren were very upset, but that is understandable.

The g-girl is here, and being herself. I want to take a nap, but I know that is so out of the question.

We made it up the mountain. For the first time this year, it was 70 on the porch and 63 in the house, so the windows are open.

Generally, gas along the way is cheaper than at home or in the mountains. We passed a new station advertising an opening price of $3.489/gal. A competing station up the road matched that. However, the lines were sooo long we didn't bother to stop, figuring the wait wasn't worth our time. At home this morning, the price was $3.959 and in the mountains, $3.859. Go figure.

frosti... knowing you the way I do, I have a feeling the community center will be open tomorrow.

Bought my shade flowers today and will fill my boxes and new flower beds tomorrow. I patronized the more-expensive, but closer nursery today because when my dad lived in the retirement home nearby, they never made him pay for his plants--it's their policy to comp all the plants for the residents there.

I think I'll be buying all my meager gardening stuff there for years and eventually I'll have done enough to thank them for their generosity.

Boko, thanks for that link. I like Jeffery Toobin - he explains the law so even I can understand it. He's preaching to the choir here, no doubt, and probably to much of the New Yorker audience. We're very afraid.

dr, I'm up to my ears in knitting projects. Only one of which has a deadline, or at least a deadline that's not months away. I've decided to become paranoid about moths that eat yarn, now that I have so much (expensive) wool and alpaca lying around. I was hoping alpaca wasn't affected, but have learned otherwise. So I brought out the lavender - probably need to get some plastic containers to put the wool in.

Nothing much on my agenda this weekend. I'm kind of the backup to the backup on call person - there's a power outage at one of the sites we support - those can get ugly. So I'll probably stay home and putter in the yard and knit.

CP, Congrats on the DotGrad. That is a big, big achievement.

I've still got that row to hoe. We had high school graduation today. Went without a hitch. Since my wife is a county school employee, they let her on stage to present the diploma to him. It meant a lot to her.

We have a house full of relatives and more on the way. I'll have photos soon.

TBG-I guess you know which sister I am in Sense and Sensibility. Was hoping not to be so obvious.

Better get out of my garden togs and get to work. I am taking my garden diary with me, it is in dire need of updating and will make the time go faster.

Mostly L.... Are you local to DC?

Ah, Elin--I mean, Frosti, you will do the right thing, I'm sure. Take a book, or a project, and that will ensure that you are overrun with patrons.

i'm always a bit behind in my boodling...

congrats to cp and others with graduations in the family.

have a good long weekend everyone!
i'm going to a pawty in new yawk.

It's been a lonely afternoon. Apparently, the scientists are feeling waves of patriotic enthusiasm and respect for our fallen soldiers. They must all be off holding a vigil at Arlington National Cemetery or something, because there aren't so many here. And now, the time has come for me to depart as well. There is laundry to be done, a science fiction convention to be attended (Balticon, this weekend!), and a science talk to be brushed up and improved.

Catch you Monday, or maybe not until Tuesday!

DM, no, I'm in Seattle. But I'll be visiting DC in July for the aforementioned Hippiefest. Long story - I really want to see Jack Bruce, but the Hippiefest tour dates were sort of dribbling out. I decided to combine a trip to see him and my sister (in PA, but willing to drive to DC for a concert) - and there's a BPH opportunity, on July 29, if that works out. Then, after I had made plans to do this, Hippiefest came to me here. I'm still dubious that I'll actually get to see Jack Bruce - but at least I'm getting the chance. I'm also hoping he'll play for more than 20 minutes, but I'll take what I can get.

L.A, have fun in new yawk! yello, congrats to you too!

ML,
The reason I asked is that I was by good fortune about a month ago meeting a person I know to talk about web projects and this person knew a guy who is a local radio and music legend, Damian of WHFS. We ended up sitting with Damian and his wonderful wife and my friend had to talk to the wife about some other business, so I spent two hours straight with Damian.

We talked about Zappa and independently about Flo and Eddie and then a show at Const. Hall w/ Zappa and F&E. Talk about the days! Damian was friends with Zappa. At one point, he went on a cross-the-country trip to some fishing place that Zappa told him about.(If I got my stories straight)... possibly somewhere near Seattle.

Damian played with JB Hutto. I have always loved blues music and can't get thru the day with a bit of HoundDog Taylor on the iPod. "Lookie Here!"

I bet you would have enjoyed the conversation too! It's not often that you talk to folks who have interviewed EVERYONE.

Wow... Damian. I am impressed, Dolphie. That sounds like fun!

That does sound interesting. I don't know Damian - I used to know folks in radio, in DC, so I wouldn't be surprised if we knew some of the same people. The Edgewater Inn in Seattle is where you could fish from your room - the Beatles stayed there, Led Zeppelin stayed there, Zappa wrote about it in Mudshark:

Mud Sh-sh-shark

FZ: There's a motel in Seattle, Washington, called the Edgewater Inn . . . The Edgewater Inn is built out on a pier . . . so that means that when you look out your window you don't see any dirt, it's . . . got a bay or something out in your backyard . . .

It's called the Edgewater Hotel now - no more fishing from the rooms, I don't think.

Dolphin Michael,

What a great opportunity to chat with someone who has so many great DC music and radio stories! You are a lucky guy to chat for that long with Damian. Man, I am jealous. But I'm glad you had a great time.

mostlylurking,

Damian is one of the sons of Jake Einstein, the guy who bought WHFS-FM and turned it into progressive (or underground) radio legend. Damian's brother was also a DJ and program director on HFS. Damian was severely injured in an automobile accident in the '70s and has had physical and speech difficulties ever since, but his mind still works just fine.

pj, I figured you would know who Damian is. I'm surprised I don't - but it sounds like WHFS was playing the same sort of music WGTB was at that time. If I knew about him or the station, it's been blooped from my sieve of a mind. And once again, wikipedia has a lot of info about the station. Amazing.

Yes, WGTB and WHFS were playing very similar music. That is until Georgetown University pulled GTB's format because the politics of the station didn't go along with the Catholic Church's and sold the station license to the University of DC, which later sold the license to C-SPAN.

Long day, heading home.

Mostly, that's it...

pj, also stories about John Prine, Jessie Colin Young, Jorma and Jack, Hendrix, and, of course, all the places around DC at the time.

Damian and I talked about how the Blues world and the Bluegrass world were intertwined in the old days. Talked about the Red Fox Inn and all the bands that used to run thru the Childe Harold.

I remember hearing Damien on WHFS way back in 1987 when I first moved out here. At first I was confused why a man with such problems speaking had a career in radio, but his obvious expertise soon won me over. And when I heard his back story I understood what had happened.

Last I heard he was working at a new station called WRNR - but that was years ago now.

I loved WHFS, and grieved when it became El Zol! So many great personalities like Bob Waugh (who I *think* went to WRNR) and, of course, the inestimable Weasel - who is still going strong at "The Globe."

Speaking of which, I am secretly in love with Schelby. Call me.

Venn diagram, blues, bluegrass, I guess Gram Parsons would come up eventually, right ml?

If it wasn't for mostlylurking I wouldn't even know who Gram Parsons was, but now I'm impressed with him, he's a music legend, even though he only lived on Earth for 26 years.

I was listening to "Panama Red" and "Just Another Band From LA" last night. And "Stand Up"
And Poco, I love Poco.

A couple of drunks were hasseling the Turtles during a performance of "Billy the Mountain" in Ottawa so Frank stormed off the stage. Lucky I had seen him play in Montreal the night before.

My Mum loved Zappa's "Peaches en Regalia" but hated anything with lyrics almost as much as my libber girlfriend who thought Frank was a sexist pig. Kinda hard to argue that one. I was lucky the concert I convinced her to attend was mostly insstumental. Fantastic, Frank and the gang knocked all our socks off.
I wonder what Ainsley Dunbar's up to?
Did you know *Tim's MIL played on "Freak Out?"
*falls to knees*
I'm not worthy.

Poco999?

[tee hee hee]

I just took a break to watch "The Jane Austen Book Club" with my mom. Everybody lived happily ever after.

I'm dying to post the lyrics to "Boulder to Birmingham," the song Emmylou Harris wrote after Gram Parsons died. But I guess the lyrics are beautiful to me partly because I hear her singing them. Oh! Youtube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_xX5XY49dSU

The WaPo front page headline and link to the article about the Naval Academy graduation says "Anchors Away for Graduating Midshipmen."

Hope the silent boodle just means that everyone is off doing enjoyable weekend stuff, and not that I've missed all the fun because of refresh problems.

Enjoyed the first fire of the season this evening in an Adirondack chair with a couple glasses of wine. Oak seasoned 2 years burns very well indeed.

CP-a color suggestion for a pair of chairs facing a fire ring with higglety pigglety bloom in the background? (assuming we have a long enough summer to get some bloom)

Toodles boodle, sweet dreams.

Yep, refresh problems. Should have known.

Oh my TBG, glad Mudge is not around to see that-unless it's revealed to be a pun in the story, then he might enjoy it.

Now it really is lights out.

Good evening, all.

Ahh, the old WHFS, Damian, Weasel, the whole gang I discovered broadcasting from Bethesda in - I want to say '78 or so?

The Psyche Delly. The Cellar Door. The Bayou. Good times, good times.

bc

kb, I was listening to that song yesterday in the car - so beautiful, so sad:

I would rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham
I would hold my life in his saving grace.
I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham
If I thought I could see, I could see your face.

kb, jp, bc!!!!

burrito bros.... a favorite of all times. Hot Burrito!

Here is a guy for you, Herb Pedersen. He wrote one of my favorite songs "Wait a Minute" that you can hear performed live on the Seldom Scene 75 Anniversary Album.

Enjoyed him at the Cellar Door w/ The Dillards. The old days, when Cellar Door was something other than a phrase before the word "Productions."

Well, it's looking to be a light Boodling weekend for me, what with unpacking, yard work, etc. I hope the DC-area folks enjoy what's shaping up to be a marvelous holiday, weather-wise, and I hope everyone has a good weekend regardless.

*Tim, enjoy the convention, knock 'em for a loop with the talk!!

*holding-a-long-salute-for-my-fallen-brothers-in-arms-and-then-providing-the-usual Grover waves* :-)

Later this morning we are off to the Graduation Picnic my aunt in North East is being kind enough to host. Then he has four more parties to go to in the next two days.

I have my niece who just finished her freshman year visiting for the festivities. Trying to think of a good place to take her to show off the area on Monday. Any ideas?

The white zone is for loading and unloading.

Frosti, sun or shade?

Something neutral. But unexpected? A milk-style paint with a touch of color? Palest blue or one lighter shade of celadon green? Those cool tones would tamp down the higglety piggelty riot behind them. Tis easy for me in the shade to decide because during the golden hour of say 6 -7-ish, the primer takes on the pale dove lavender cast. The swing then whispers to me that this color is right.

I am the yard furniture whisperer....oh my goodness.

Good morning folks.

slyness... I finally got around to potting a few of the iris bulbs you gave me last fall. This morning I am greeted by an amazingly beautiful purple bloom. It's like a royal announcement that Summer is Here.

Thanks!

Yello, is the niece into cool houses and gardens? I haven't been, but I understand Hillwood is a great place to see:

http://www.hillwoodmuseum.org/

I want to go back to Mount Vernon and spend the day. The new visitors center does a good job of explaining Washington's importance for the country.

God loves us so much more than we can imagine through Him that died for all, Jesus Christ.

Good morning, friends. I cannot stay long, the g-girl and her mom are on the way, plus I have an appointment. I got some bad news yesterday. A family member has passed. I don't know what to say any more. I just pray.

I want to check back in later.

TBG -- love the garden center who comps the senior plants. Made my day.

Love the music chat here. May I say two words: Neil Young. ? !

Brunch for the dot with some high school and college teachers to arrive. I want to dig in the garden and hope that will happen sooner rather than later this weekend.

Good morning, all.

A busy day today, helping some friends out, visiting, getting work done, and a birthday dinner for my middle daughter this evening.

I hope everyone has a good day, and I'll check in later to see what's up.

bc

Cassandra... a special hug for you today.

With all those Posties taking the buyout, isn't there room on the Post staff now for Terry Shine?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/20/AR2008052001489.html?hpid=topnews

New people moved in across the street! This is both exciting and scary. The record has not been good. But it takes pioneer spirit, and the first thing they did was mow the lawn. An auspicious beginning. Hmm, just noticed my blurry vision makes auspicious look like suspicious.

Cassandra, I'm sorry to hear that. Been a week for death, at least around here...you're in my prayers.

CP...

Yes, Neil Young ... the best part of about him is that some of his best stuff is coming out NOW! Kids are getting into him. I also hear that there is a trend now amongst some younger folks to try to turn up record players and they are finding all the discs.

CP, here's another guy for you. Ry Cooder

But bringing up Ry Cooder, and then thinking back to my enjoyment of Neil Young, there just is a small point ... I see musicians who are extremely talented and great composers and then there are folks who become an extension of their instrument.

No one would ever claim that Neil Young was a "Danny Gatton," but I just can never get enough Neil Young. Sort of like Hendrix...

Speaking of Hendrix, there is a guy who has sort of hit that "extension of his guitar" level of play. If you want to see a master, check out Robert Lighthouse.

Robert has been thru a lot and coming back up and, other than he is a quiet person on stage, he could be huge. He reminds me a bit of Leo Kottke who, as I remember was the Calvin Coolidge of stage musicians. Reminds me of the old "you lose" story with Will Rogers.

Then as if it happened all of a sudden, they get really interesting on stage. Very witty... to see what I mean, take a look at Kottke on the YouTube clip "Leo Kottke Live Clip 6" funny little anecdote and then just a wonderful John Hurt song that he Kottke's.

A couple YouTube shots of Robert...

"Robert Lighthouse- Roll and Tumble"

and my favorite:

"Robert Lighthouse She's The One I Love"

Cassandra, condolences and good thoughts your way--

TBG, thanks for that link!

Cassandra, I'll be keeping you and your family in my thoughts. May has been a rough month.

The password in our house today is...knock out roses.....*bing*

g'morning all, with thoughts to Cassandra. There is a voice in the back of our heads that often says "if one more thing happens..." and then one more thing does and we go on. I know your faith sustains you, but I hope you'll accept the fax of a heathen hug.

Does anyone else think the Hillary RFK remark is a nonissue? I know what she was saying... why the big fuss?

DM -- LOVE LOVE LOVE Ry Cooder and also T-Bone Burnet.

Leo Kottke owes John Fahey, from Takoma Park MD...Gatton also hails from MD.

i know Chris and Chick Hall,who played with him and also the fine bassist John Previti.....DC is a great gitar town.

Cassandra, I feel such tenderness toward you and Mudge this weekend.

Jack, I think that Knock-Out roses are related to the Simplicity line....workhorses of bloom!!!!!

Off to the day.

Cassandra, condolences and good thoughts your way--

TBG, thanks for that link!

Cassandra, condolences and good thoughts your way--

TBG, thanks for that link!

Sorry for the triple post, but the sentiments can be multiplied by three without distortion.

TBG, I agree. She was making a comment about June, not assassination. This is the latest in such a long line of "gaffes" by various candidates that the real question is why have we created a kind of Culture of the Gaffe that makes us (well, the news media, the bloggers, the campaign strategist, etc.) so ready to pounce on comments that supposedly offend us.

It's a gorgeous day -- I hope everyone gets out and about. I just planted some tomatoes and am about to go on a power hike. Have a fun mem day weekend! I'll probably post a couple of things in the next day or so.

Nonissue.

I do have a problem with HRC calling out two examples related to the California primaries--her husband's and RFK's. She, of all people, should be aware that the timing of California's primary no longer holds as a good example.

NYT, Aug. 30, 2004:
A bill that would move the California presidential primary to June from March beginning in 2008 breezed through the State Legislature this week with bipartisan support.

USAToday, Mar. 15, 2007
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday moved California's presidential primary from June to February, giving the most populous U.S. state a greater stake in selecting nominees and shaking up the 2008 political calendar.

We are having a staycation. My husband had the day off yesterday--and such a day to take a vacation day. It was 97 degrees yesterday with a 70 dewpoint, making for a heat index of 107. We were undoubtedly the hottest large city in the country yesterday, although it was worse in a couple smaller cities to our south in the Rio Grande Valley.

Compare this to 72 degrees last Saturday, my birthday, when we traveled to Stonewall for Becker Vineyards 10th Lavender Festival. A gorgeous day--the storm clouds were as dark and lavender as the enormous lavender field on one side of the property. Passed a large llama farm on the backroad getting there. Regretted not taking the camera.

Hadn't sampled this much Texas wine since the meeting years ago in downtwon Denver where and when different state delegations met to woo the superconducting supercollider. The tasting room was packed.

Had my first taste of lavender in cooking, and came home with lavender soap made in Provence, lavender lip balm, and lavender shea butter. Regretted not taking the camera and missing a 4:30 p.m. lecture about lavender growing in central Texas. I was amazed at the number of different vendors there selling local lavender products of all descriptions, as well as (overseas) table linens from Provence.

Interesting doings that afternoon over at the nearby LBJ ranch.

It seems clear to me that we focus on gaffes because they are easy to comprehend and terribly salient. And, of course, there is the pernicious influence of the Olympics.

See, in many Olympic competitions you begin with the assumption of a given score based upon the level of difficulty and then take various deductions because of imperfect execution. I think this kind of thinking has permeated the culture.

We are all mentally knocking of points because of that extra step on the landing or poor arm position during the triple Lutz.

Anyway...this morning I get to paint the stairwell. This involves ladders.

Ladders and I have a checkered history.

CP-Celadon green, my favorite color but too soft for these chairs. Blue, yes a blue that will hold up against hot flowers in full sun during the day yet glow at twilight.

TBG-thanks for alerting us to that Terry Shine piece. I cannot imagine being in his position but he took me along for the very uncomfortable ride. There's a train engineer metaphor in there somewhere, and if I had Shine's talent I'd find it.

Good morning y'all. I am up and moving, which seems like an accomplishment in itself. Cassandra, I am so sorry.

RD, please be careful with that ladder. Can't you bribe it to play nice? Surely you have something a ladder wants.

It is possible that I will join the Boodle garden work fest today, though the grocery store calls and the clouds look ominous. One can hope.

CP and frosti... you've got me thinking. I have some rusty old green lawn chair, the metal sproingy kind. They are not only rusting, but the green color has been rubbing off on anyone silly enough to sit in them for years. I've been using them as plant-pot stands, but bought some dark green spray paint to redo them.

Maybe a nice periwinkle would be more fun. Or a hot salmon to match the impatiens.

Hot salmon, wow! Sounds great!

HRC's remark should be a non issue, in my view. The media is ravenous for gaffes, ridiculous. However, it just reinforces my feeling that this dang primary has just gone on too long. They are both exhausted and nothing good and positive is happening.

cassandra - I'm sorry to hear your sad news. It has been a tough few weeks for boodlers.

The hubby and son are fishing down south of Hatteras for the weekend, so it's just my daughter and I. We're heading out for a bike ride when she is sufficiently awake. She is currently plowing her way through an unbelievable stack of pancakes and fruit salad. I am amazed at how much food a 15 yr old and a 17 yr old can put away. My neighbor remarked the other day that I seem to be unloading groceries 5 days a week!

Anyway, then we're heading out to the Strawberry festival with a few of her runnin' buddies and that's the extent of our Memorial weekend plans, so far. I join Scotty in a salute to our Armed Forces on this day.

I hope everyone has the same lovely weather we do. My tomatoes are going great guns, my hydrangea is about to burst forth and everyone mentions my dahlias and lantana as they stroll past. Life is good.

Hello from my BlackBerry. Work comp still down. Cassandra sorry to hear about your sad news. Wishing I was out enjoying the day not stuck at work. Hope everyone enjoys their weekends!

*adding my HUGS to those heading Cassandra's way*

I just think HRC should have had her mouth-brain interface checked out before that interview -- with existing worries about Obama and various threats, using the "a" word was stooooopid. *shrug*

Back to the chores and such.

This is the second time Sen Hillary has used the old, "Why quit now? Bobby wasn't murdered 'til June", gambit.
Exhaution induced tone deafness IMHO.

Serious, serious frenvy at those DC and Tidewater area gardens. I've had a great morning dividing hostas and planting them as edging for a couple garden beds-no hardscape edges in this landscape, no siree. But, there is still a lot of garden angst. Here my established beds and borders are full of promise, with many zone 4-5 plants thriving, yet on Memorial Day weekend it is still a "before" picture. Your spring should reach us in about 2 more weeks.

TBG-return that dark green paint! (or use it for something else) Salmon, chartreuse, turquoise, lemon chiffon are the colors for sproingy chairs. (Wish I had some of those old chairs, the new ones are expensive and not sturdy at all.)

Hot Salmon? No, Jorma and Jack formed Hot Tuna.

Anyway, other guitarslingers from DC include Roy Buchanan and Nils Lofgren. Ones with DC links (so to speak) include Link Wray and Roy Clark.

Frosti... considering my foyer and hallway are aqua and my family room is orange, it would be kind of silly for me to have plain, green chairs. Of course, you gotta have a surprise somewhere!

I'll post pics when the project is done.

My planting project is finished, though. All the boxes are impatiensed and the pots also have gorgeous red coleus and some sort of purple-flowered vine (I don't remember the name) that supposedly works in the shade. My deck only gets about 2-3 hours of sunlight a day--in the late afternoon--so it's kind of limiting.

Unlike my buddies here, I don't find gardening a particular joy... but I do love the results.

But now that I'm finished... Son of G and GF are off exploring DC, Daughter is at the pool (water's too cold to swim but it's all a social scene anyway), Dr G went into work (I thought gummint workers lived the easy life?)... Ahhh... a good, long shower and some quiet time on my prettified deck.

Hey dbG... how's the raised-bed project going?

There was a heated discussion yesterday about HRC's remarks in one of the online knitting groups I'm in. Well, it's Knitters for Obama, so much umbrage was taken. For me personally, I didn't think she was saying, hey, there's still time for someone to knock off Obama. A few weeks ago, that's what her remarks sounded like to me. Yesterday, I thought she was emphasizing June, the time of year. Totally off the mark and irrelevant - and she did say assassination, and I think that's what got to people - especially with Ted Kennedy's bad news and the 40th anniversary of RFK's death coming up. Even Daniel Schorr was beating her up about this on NPR.

Your flowers sound great, TBG. The impatiens make me think about Mary McGrory. She wrote such funny columns about her struggles with gardening. I should get some for my pots.

My gardening is done. I smelled the lilac, didn't lawnmowere the tulips and the day lilies should come back now that I've pulled the skids off them. Time for a beer.

You lucky dog, Boko.

My feet hurt and they are cold, but porch cleaning is finished. Tomorrow we stain the railing and Monday we stain the decking.

THEN maybe I can think about gardening, a little.

Link Wray rocked. Like in Twenty Flight Rock. The Stones did a pretty good cover way back when...I saw this tour at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. Heavily medicated.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?client=safari&rls=en&q=Twenty%20flight%20rock&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wv#

Just back from the dentist. I had a cleaning scheduled and he was nice enough to come in to take an impression for (another) crown. Then I trip to the cemetary to see my parents, then groceries and the drug store. On my parents' stone is the quote, "thy will be done." I believe this is a good phrase to repeat often when difficulty strikes. Once you've done what you can, leaving the rest to God, or Fate if you prefer, is preferable to stressing.

I am tired. I'll get some laundry done and then nap. The weather isn't as good as predicted, sort of cool and mostly cloudy. Tomorrow is gardening day. My best thoughts to Cassandra, it has indeed been a bad month for some here on the Boodle.

As it wasn't the first time Hillary made that remark, I am less willing to cut her much slack for it. Especially, as ML said, with Teddy's recent bad news and the anniversary of RFK's death. She needs to realize that her chances are less than slim and her continued campaigning is becoming a joke to many people. I'm at the point where when she comes on TV, I have to mute the sound or change the station, the same as I do for Bush.

Cassandra, my prayers go out to you and your family.

All this gardeing talk has resulted in a soon to be container garden. Though we have ample acreage, we don't have ample light. With the trees falling last year, forcing cleanup of several other dead but standing trees, we suddenly have much more light in the back yard. I'm trying out some containers and hope to have some success. At least I know with things in pots, on the too hot days, I can move them to shade.

I'd have gone with celadon, but then my yard is all about shade, and the shade demands the green. The soft blue sounds right for you CP.

Hi all...

{* Sending hippie gnome hugs to Cassandra *}

To paraphrase Lone Mule... funerals stink. Especially in May when the world is waking up and coming back to life all around us. It was fourteen years ago today that we buried my Mom, so I know of what I speak. I just wanted to bite the heads off every little chirping bird at the cemetery.

On a happier note, my back yard finally dried out enough for me to mow it. God bless Briggs & Stratton. The grass was nearly two feet tall and that little bugger of a mower just chomped right through it. Of course, the mower pusher is a wee bit sore now, but it's the "good" kind of sore. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Time to scare up some dinner, then out to the shop to get caught up on orders. The local college radio station does a really good jazz show on Saturday nights -- perfect background for smoking a cigar, sipping a little hootch and making magical doors.

Peace out...

CP.. hitch a trailer onto your bike and head over to Capitol Hill...

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/zip/693450225.html

Oh, my gosh, Cassandra, I hadn't refreshed my browser when you posted your AM note about a family member passing - I'm so sorry to hear about that. My thoughts are with you and your familiy today.

A lovely day here, wonderful temps and plenty of sun and enough cloud cover to cool things off when it gets too hot.

Spent a couple of hours this afternoon with a friend at an outdoor cafe; relaxing, solving the problems of the world while watching various segments of it go by, and enjoying a drink or two.

Back to some work here, then a birthday dinner later.

bc

Nonissue.

I was planning on going to Lowe's to get soil and peat this afternoon, but a friend called so off to lunch at a new Mexican restaurant. We'd picked up takeout menus when we entered, but left them on the table instead of taking them. Infinitely mediocre!

I expect to be @ Lowe's soon. My goal is to have everything planted by the end of the weekend. . . Don't worry. That bag o'tomatoes will be yours sooner or later!

dbG-your lunch detour reminded me of the biggest commercial news to hit our county in months. Bigger than the new steel mine/mill combo, the controversial coal gasificiation plant, and the opening of the first Super WalMart-there is a Mexican lunch truck parked outside the nearby (32 miles) power plant. This coal fired plant has had lots of construction going on for the past year and 3-4 more years to go as they install environmental updates and other stuff. YES! First the independent coffee shop, which also serves great vegetarian soups, was so successful it had to move to bigger digs, now this. Can artisanal breads and stinky cheese be far behind?

frosti, you've described Sweet Lucy's, a local BBQ place which went from lunch cart to a brick & mortar operation.

Good luck on the artisanal breads & stinky cheese! You get that, Ivansmom gets food delivery, civilization marches on! :-)

'The Golden Compass', Ahh, a wonderfully fantastic movie. Can't wait for a sequel. Dakota Blue is an amazing up and coming star. The next Emma Watson.

And Eva's surprise appearance as a witch was a pure treat.

I recognized the singer of the song 'Lyra' in a heartbeat. Loverly. One of my favorite lyricists and such an angels voice

What a glorious evening. After spending the day painting it is good to get outside and check on the 'maters. They seem to be adjusting well.

Cassandra, so sorry to hear of your loss. It is a veil of tears sometimes isn't it? My best thoughts to you.

Ivansmom - the ladder and I had a little talk and came to an understanding. It promised to give me no trouble. In return I won't turn it into kindling.

In other news: My basketball is possessed. When I shake it, it rattles. That's not normal.

Today I decided to play until I broke out in a sweat or was winded. To avoid sore thighs like last week. Third time I had to run after the ball I stretched my left Gluteus Maximus the wrong way. Ouch...

A few throws later, the ball bounced on a crack in the black top and bounced up straighter than expected, and I jammed my right ring finger. Ouch...

Anybody know of a good BasKeTbAll exorcist?

I just know this is going to be BOoO

omni-tape your ring and middle finger together with surgical tape and get back out there. Show the ball what's what. Don't let that old playground ball sound rattle you!

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rei_OOUxaBE

Lyrics: http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/goldencompass/lyra.htm

Every time she sings the name 'Lyra" she sings it twice. The second time she sings it I think it sounds so much like Jane Siberry. But Jane went off the deep end quite awhile ago (So no way it could be her)...everything else about this song screams Kate to me.

Just wave a utility knife at it, omni.

Or make it jealous. Get a baseball and -- in full view of the basketball -- pet the baseball lovingly and coo at it and tell it how special it is (unlike the bad nasty good-for-nothing basketball).

I know that the jealousy trick (as well as the utility knife threat) often works on power tools and old cars. I'm just guessing it might play to sports equipment.

Then again, you could always take up knitting. ;-)

Cassandra,
My prayer is with you and your family. Take good care of yourself and your beloved family.

Obama's new fundraising model is a winner, according to The Sunday Times:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/andrew_sullivan/article3997523.ece

Obama's new fundraising model is a winner, according to The Sunday Times:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/andrew_sullivan/article3997523.ece

Hi frosti. I kept playing, even though I had this overwhelming urge to crack that knuckle. I'll also be back out there next Saturday and many more (when it's not raining, of course). Oops, TBG, I said "it's not" again, teehee

OK, I'm just boodling blindly. I have no idea what the boodle has been up to since COB Friday.

Good evening, Boodle. Boss, welcome home. Cassandra, thinking of you.

Got home a little after 5 p.m. This is going to sound a bit strange under the circumstances, but I "enjoyed" my cousin's funeral. No, not the actual funeral part itself, of course. But the people part. After the service itself in a funeral home, most everybody went back to his house, where we all had a cold-cut kind of lunch, veggie platters, fruit, etc. I got to spend some time with my aunt (his mother), who is 92, but still sharp as a tack, though getting pretty frail. I got to meet no less than five of my six second cousins on that side of the family, none of whom I've seen in maybe 20-some years and several I think I've never met before, and now they're all grown up and have kids of their own. That being so, I also met for the first time two third-counsins. One was a cutey-pie redhead named Riley (love her name; Padouk, in 15 years she'll break your heart), age four, and her younger sister, Evangeline (love her name, too), who is pretty much brand new, at only three months old. Whether she'll become another redhead (as most in that particular line are) remains to be seen. They are the daughters of one of my cousin's two daughters (his granddaughters, in other words).

My aunt and my cousin's widow are holding up pretty well; they (we all, really) have seen this coming for nearly a year. I know that doesn't make it any easier for them, but in some ways it has allowed them to prepare themselves.

My cousin's widow is going to continue to take care of her mother-in-law (my aunt). As we were leaving, she said, "I know I'm not a [Curmudgeon clan] by blood, only by marriage." I said, "In [the Curmudgeon clan] we don't care about technicalities like who is related by blood and who isn't. You're family, you'll always be family."

Fortunately, she and my aunt have a lot of support in their immediate area from the rest of my cousin's family. And my wife and I are going back up to visit them in the late summer or early fall.

We got to my best friends' house in the Philly suburbs shortly before dinner yesterday. We immediately cracked open a bottle of wine (made from cranberries, which was quite good), and the usual noshes. Then we ordered a couple of braces of Philly chesees steaks (w/ pizza sauce and fried onions, of course) from a local joint a few blocks away. And so we sat around the dining room table and talked and drank wine and ate and drank wine. By about 10 p.m. we had consumed a total of four bottles of wine (three "regular" size bottles, and one 1.5-litre larger bottle, a red zinfindel, a really good riesling, and a chardonnay in the 1.5-size, plus that cranberry). Unfortunately, we are all getting to be old geezers who can't stay up late anymore, like we once could, and so we couldn't even make it to the 11 o'clock news. As we went up to bed I said, "Boy, I can't believe you three drank four bottles of wine."

This morning after breakfast we went to a local place called "Produce Junction," which sells not only all kinds of vegetables, but also a ton of plants. My friends bought about four various hanging plants, and my wife bought four plus a small palm tree, all of which we jammed into the back and back seat of our SUV. It was like driving a jungle down the road.

It's nice to be home, and nice to come back to the Boodle.

Mudge - you know, I understand exactly what you mean about "enjoying a funeral." It's all about reinforcing those familial bonds.

I will steel myself for having my heart broken by young Riley. She won't be the first.

I recall back in 1991 when my baby sister got married. She had a stunning collection of intelligent twenty-something young women as bridesmaids. All of whom had been her friends for many years.

After the ceremony many came up to me to say what huge crushes they used to have on me.

When they were in Junior High.

Martooni, you're making me laugh here. I have a softball, and three three tennis balls, and one of those pink balls the same size as a tennis ball ( you know what I mean, right )

Maybe next week I'll bring the tennis balls with me. Set the basketball underneath the basket, and toss the the tennis balls into the hoop instead.

Bet I make more points that way...

Give the basketball a headache along with the whole jealousy thing while I'm at it.

Welcome home, Mudge. Glad you had a safe trip. Funny about family, isn't it? I recall a time when I couldn't STAND to go to a family affair, now I thoroughly enjoy them. The latest was my aunt's 90th birthday, back in March, a wonderful affair.

Sorry about the double post earlier. The story is worth reading once, but not twice. The first time I tried to post, Hal said I had to enter a name and comment...

Glad your home safe Mudge. I also understand the funeral-fun thing. The Irish side of my family has great funerals. Much laughter and stories of the deceased, reacquainting with cousins far removed. Even my dad's funeral, as shocking and unexpected as his death was, had some very funny moments that I'm sure he enjoyed from above.

I can't wait to get windowbox flowers and another hanging plant tomorrow. It hasn't felt very spring like here which has kept a lid on my flower fever. But I just can't wait any longer to pretty up the house and yard. And they are promising temps in the 70's tomorrow - altho' I'm skeptical.

Cassandra, sorry to hear about your loss.

I'll be making scones today (It's all CP's fault. I've been thinking about scones since she started it.) I'll probably be making some kind of roll with canned tuna, as well.

I help with the bookkeeping of our local animal shelter on Saturdays. It's a relatively new organization and it's small. Yet, misunderstandings and accusations abound. Don't know what's with these people.

Hiya! Gotta say, I'm still a mite shaken up from nearly drowning yesterday. Thank goodness for secured leashes and harnesses with handles.

Apparently you're not supposed to back up off docks into raging currents when watching somebody cast a baited fishing rod. Who knew? Wow, an instant workout there, too. Fortunately, I had a gnome handy to fish me out (so that's what they're for!).

It was Triple cuddles when we got home, I tell you. Time to walk the gnome for an extra thank-you. It's been a crazy chore day, and I'm not allowed my favorite sun-nap spot for a few days. Bah.

Oh, Wilbrodog, so glad you're safe. The water couldn't have been very warm.

Rainforest-sad to say much volunteer work seems to teach that "no good deed goes unpunished." Such a good cause though so I hope things improve.

Frostbitten, the water didn't even soak me to the skin, except on my legs. Also, the strong sun and my dense black fur helped majorly with the dry-off.

I'm STILL not persuaded that dogs are ever meant to swim for fun, though.

Testing

The biggest eyes I've ever seen on a dog was when my parents cairn terrier puppy pursued my sister's golden retriever right off the end of the dock on his first visit to the cottage. We never could convince him to go in the water again. From the expression on his little doggie face when he resurfaced I'm surprised he ever drank water again.

'morning all. It's working b9. Dogs sure swim for fun. The ancient giant lab "fell" in the pool often enough. He still jumps in any swimmable body of water he can find. The Puppy on the other hand isn't a recreational swimmer. It turns out it's hard to swim when your head consists of a lump of lead encased in a thick reinforced concrete shell.
More gardening for me today. Some lilies to plant and the vegetable garden to attend.
And then the mini-putt clean-up this afternoon. Don't ask, I'll just say it's not part of a "community service" sentence.

Morning, all.

Wilbrodog, I'm glad you're okay. That was scary, I'll bet.

Rainforest, will you fax me a scone if you have any left over? Thanks! SD, good luck with the gardening.

A cool 46 degrees in the high country this morning. I haven't been out and won't go for a while. But it looks to be a lovely day.

Psss, Frosty&College Montanian
a story on Montana and First Nations schools. Got to love the names: Roberta Walks over Ice, Roxanne Not Afraid.

I remember a CBC piece on the Canadian with the longuest family name (Bob, Bill, Jim?) Standing-in-the-Middle-of-the-Road. He was neighbour to the Two-Fence-Posts family.

And here is the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/education/25hardin.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
*sigh*

I know its working, I tested it! :-)

mudge,

Your post has me weeping like leaky faucet. We had that exact same funeral for my grandmother back in December. Part mourning, part celebration and family reunion. Only we weren't classy enough to have wine. Instead we broke into my late grandfather's liquor cabinet and tried to drain all the open bottles that had been bought twenty-five years or more ago. We failed to empty them all but it wasn't for lack of trying.

Yesterday at my son's graduation picnic, we had my brother, his wife and their four kids, my mother-in-law, my brother-in-law and his new bride, my parents, and my dad's three brothers and sisters. People had arrived from Florida, Atlanta, and Boston. The Boston contingent had left at five that morning to make it by noon.

My aunt who was the host kept saying that it was wonderful to have the whole family together for an occasion where people didn't keep mentioning how natural the deceased looked.

Maureen Dowd will be on Meet The Press today if anyone wants an unbiased and insightful analysis on Hillary Clinton's RFK Assassination gaffe.

Ya'd think there'd be more Indians named Fletcher.

Slyness, faxing you some left over scones. They are just plain scones. We don't have berries here. Those in a can swim in thick syrup and are not suitable for making scones so I just left it plain. They are just a little hard, but not so hard that if you throw it against the wall, it'll make a dent in the wall.

My tuna roll using pastry turned out okay. Faxing you some as well.......

God loves us so much more than we can imagine through Him that died for all, Jesus Christ.

Good morning, friends. Mudge, it is good to have you back and at home. Your description of the funeral was just wonderful, but I love reading you anyway. I'm happy you got to meet all your relatives even though the circumstances were not good.

I'm getting ready to jump in the shower. We're heading to Sunday school, the g-girl is here. My relative is a cousin that lived in the adjoining county. His sister and I talk on the phone all the time. When he would come up this way to visit, he would stop by and give me a hug. He was a young person, but not in good health, and he did not take good care of himself. I think it just got too hard. I will try to get that way sometime this week, hopefully. I wish cars ran on air instead of gas.

Thanks to all of you for your concern and kind words.

I hope all are enjoying your weekend and holiday. Have a good day, folks. I hope you can get some time in for church, and enjoy your families. They are so precious.

And cassndra, let me also pass along my condolences. We are quite the family here, sharing all our rites of passages, happy and sad. My thoughts and prayers go out to you as well.

Good morning, all.

The posts re. funerals and the fact that this is Memorial Day weekend has me in a reflective mood.

I'm watching the Monaco Grand Prix at the moment, where they're racing in the rain. Cars are bouncing cars off of walls and each other. My man Lewis Hamilton clipped some armoco and punctured a tire, forcing a stop to replace it. He's still running third, for all that.

The sun is shining in a clear blue sky today, just gorgeous.

A curious juxtaposition in my little cranium.

bc

yello... don't think I've yet congratulated your son on his fine accomplishments... we take graduating from high school for granted, but it's really not a given for everyone. He's worked hard for 12 years... good for him!

Your weekend-long celebration sounds wonderful. The picnic was a great idea--nice for the weather to cooperate!

Give your son Boodle Best Wishes from me, please!

Your man's on top now bc but I worry for his tires.
For a while at the start a rallye driver with a Suby WRX Sti would have had a genuine shot at it, not so much now.

g'morning boodle. My schedule includes helping to weed and plant the flower bed in front of the fire hall-not court ordered community service for me either. We had a wonderful volunteer step to the plate with plants from her garden and willingness to weed and water all summer. She's my mother's age so the least I can do is the heavy lifting today with bags of compost and buckets of topsoil.

SD-thanks for link about reservation schools. We have a little different system from Montana, but our nearest Bureau of Indian Affairs school is half the size it was 10 years ago. It's almost 30 years old but it certainly won't survive another 30 without a major redefinition of their mission. By default it's become the school of last resort for kids in trouble, all the high achieving students elect to go to "white" schools. One nearby system has seen the same demographic shift mentioned in the article, and now it's dealing with white flight to yet another school system.

Indeed, sd, we'll see if it rains again or not.

And as much as I loved the previous iteration of the Subie WRX STi, I thought the comparable Mitsu Lancer Evo (particularly the MR version) was more fun to drive. Haven't driven the new versions of both yet, though I really like the new STi wagon version.

And yeah, a good WRC car might have had a chance in the really wet stuff.

bc

Today I'm going shopping with my wife for pants.

Dick Martin of the Rowan & Martin comedy team, passed away at 86...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/24/AR2008052402241.html

I did love "Laugh In" as a kid, even if I only understood half of the entedres.

bc

Be careful, RD. Women shopping for pants ask very loaded questions which, if answered correctly or incorrectly, often end in the decapitation of the fool who answers.

"What is your favorite color?"

"Blue... No! Yellow!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaarrrghhhhhh......"

Hi all. My family doesn't know how to do a funeral.

I have been putting off mowing. Today's the day. I hope my repairs to the steering mechanism worked. The front wheels look a bit toed-out still. Perhaps I will plant 3 sweet potatoes. They are pretty when flowering and taste great too. I finished a dumb blog post http://jumpersbloghouse.blogspot.com/
and now will see if I'm too late for MoDo show.

Well, my guy Hamilton won at Monaco with good strategy, good driving in mixed conditions. He had some very good luck in spots, and some bad in others (a pace car segment that wiped out a 40 second lead, for example). He's shaking Prince Albert's hand at the moment.

RD, enjoy the panting.

bc

Also: Princess Caroline on the royal podium; a very classy lady. Great shoes, too.

jumper, a couple of wrenches and a few minutes, and you should be able to adjust that toe to where you like it.

Now to fold laundry and check on the status of the Phoenix lander that's supposed to touch down near Mars' north pole this evening.

bc

Howdy. Mudge, we're glad to have you back. Yellojkt, congratulaions to Son Jkt. RD, please be very careful shopping. Develop a sore throat or sudden attack of muteness - even if they're your pants.

Our family funerals tend to be sprawling, chatty affairs too. I love yello's description of the graduation party. My dad and grandfather used to work for a company here that dissolved a few years back, but its founder was still going strong. About the time he hit 100, the former workers all got together and decided to have a reunion, so everyone could see one another and catch up while he could still enjoy it. I went for my family. It was great fun, and when he died a couple of years later we could appropriately enjoy the funeral.

Family gatherings can mean a lot no matter what the reason. In the days after my mom's brain tumor diagnosis, but before her surgery, she was constantly surrounded by her kids and grandkids.

At one point, with a grown grandson sitting on each side of her in her hospital bed and the others all sitting around laughing together, she actually said "I know this sounds crazy, but I'm so happy right now."

And like yello's grandmother's and Mudge's cousin's, both my parents' funerals were fabulous gatherings of friends and family. It makes me want to put a notice in the paper... "All friends and family of TBG: don't go to work on Tuesday... come to Fairfax and we'll buy you all lunch!"

Different reason; same result.

At family funerals on my mom's side, the running gag is 'we have to stop meeting like this'.

Mostly, I read your post the other day about the moths, and was horrified. I've been worrying about the same thing happening and what would I do. There is a lot of animal fibre in this house.

Its all in plastic containers, but I was reading today that they need to be airtight continers. So I think I need to revisit my storage methods. I can seal the edges of the big tubs with good old duct tape, but I'm going to have to buy new containers for my lace yarns. Or put it all in ziploc type bags inside the existing containers.

I would consider the deep freezer for long term storage, but I can just see how that would go over when mr dr or stickman are digging for food.

Quick drive by:

BC -- noticed P. Caroline's shoes. BC, we adore you. Paging LiT, real men appreciate footwear, but she already know this.

RD -- submit to non-pleated pants. Just do it. They look better and the fine woman who attends to your sartorial splendor will be pleased. Everybody a winner!

Shall garden today and not clean the house....huzzah for such flagrant irresponsibility.

Dear Mudge and cassandra -- you will hear a bird sing today. Tis Error and some angels, all for you. Jack is still smarting, so for you too...and to others with sorrows unnamed.

Be thou blithe and bonny -- says Wil S, in Much Ado....

Adore *me* because I notice shoes, CP? (The Princess' strappy black heels *were* quite nice...)

Wait 'till you see me in my summer spec Gladiator sandals...

My daughters are always amused when I make positive comments about their eye shadow and nails.

bc

yello writes:
Maureen Dowd will be on Meet The Press today if anyone wants an unbiased and insightful analysis on Hillary Clinton's RFK Assassination gaffe.

Russert's guests this a.m.:

DAVID BRODY
Senior National Correspondent, Christian Broadcasting Network

Seems poor Brody doesn't know that feminists don't like the word "whiny" when aplied to women--and women presidential candidates. Brody should use the vocabulary lesson provided by the women seated on his right and left this morning. Maybe he should take a sensitivity class.

MAUREEN DOWD
Columnist, New York Times

When Dowd says on-air and in print that her family used to frame and hang pictures of the Kennedys on the walls of their home when she was a kid, along with family pictures, one has to question how unbiased she will be in her comments about the Kennedys. That said, however, she did a bang-up job writing truthfully about the Kennedys on May 3, 1997 in her op-ed titled "Kennedy Family Values."

DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN
Presidential Historian

Her husband Richard N. Goodwin was a speechwriter for the Kennedys as well as LBJ. I'm not familiar with Doris' biography about LBJ, but I do wonder how familiar Goodwin is with DeCaro's three volumes in his four-volume series about Johnson? In DeCaro's "Master of the Senate," there is a fascinating passage about ol' Joe Kennedy and LBJ back in '56. I can't wait for DeCaro's fourth installment.

GWEN IFILL
Host, PBS's "Wa