Rant of the Day

In response to blind followers of the religious right, and to people who applaud at ridiculous things just because they feel like they have to, or they are surrounded by people who just might look at them askance if they do not applaud. Screw those people.

As far as the “polite applause” goes, I don’t do that, ever, no matter the circumstance.

I also, when pledging allegiance, do not recite the line “One Nation under god” because I don’t believe that we should be a Nation under any god and firmly believe that the combination of church and state (under the guise of separation of church and state) is one of this nation’s fundamental flaws.

A country practicing separation of church and state does not have “in god we trust” on it’s currency.

No wonder so many feel that it is appropriate to run on platforms of religion and incite their followers with religious rhetoric, which in turn breeds hatred for things not accepted by their particular religion.

Until we remove god from all aspects of anything associated with our government, we will never be free from the zealots that threaten our freedoms.

In order to be a truly free country and one that can hold the title of democracy, we must remove any god from the equation.

Ok, that’s my rant for the day, back to flu bed.

Here's how I REALLY feel about Palin

,I have to sum up my feelings before I go back to my flu bed.

Sarah Palin is unintelligent and incapable.

I was very disappointed when she was elected Mayor of my town.

I was even more disappointed when she was elected Governor of my State.

I was even MORE disappointed when McCain picked her as running mate for the highest office of my Country.

Right now, I'm still disappointed because even though she has resigned she has left behind a cadre of appointees, committee members and other loyalists that will prevent Parnell from governing on his own terms.

In 2010 Alaska needs to finally make the right decision and elect a completely Palin-free candidate as Governor. We need to put someone in the office that respects it and can do the job and can clean all of the dark corners of the administration and insure that the office of Governor is finally a "Palin-Free-Zone".

I haven't thrown my hat into the ring for any candidate yet, but will be paying close attention and "you betcha" if there is one that is worthy, then this time, for certain, I will work hard for that person and spend lots of time campaigning for them because I stood by blindly thinking that THERE WAS NO WAY IN HELL that Sarah Palin would achieve the title of Governor of Alaska in 2006, and boy, was I wrong.

I personally will not let it happen again, if there is anything that I can do to prevent it!

Wasilla Governor's Picnic

Hi all, figured I'd better get a new post out here as someone from Mudflats said they wanted to leave me a comment, and I could never forgive myself if I missed out on some social interaction with any of the Mudpuppies!

I took some photos at the Governor's Wasilla Picnic yesterday and they are posted on my flickr account here:

My Flickr Account

I also did some video, albeit with my tiny little Canon Powershot A570IS, but I thought it did a respectable job for a little "digi" point and shoot. Way to go little Canon.

Best of all Mudflats was nice enough to post Sarah's speech video on her website and even use my version to transcript. Thanks AKM, and I'm glad I could help out. You do so much for us it's nice to do something for you!!

At any rate, here is the link to my YouTube account that has all of the videos on it from the Wasilla Picnic. Except for the Sarah's speech, the other three from the picnic are just of me wandering around mumbling and talking to myself and making other picnic attendees stare at me in either mirth or consternation, depending on what I was mumbling at the time and if it was favorable to the Governor or not.

My YouTube Account

Thanks for visiting my photos and videos; I expect we'll be seeing similar things from the "boots on the ground" in Anchorage this afternoon, and Fairbanks tomorrow. I can't wait!

Morels! In my yard!

For the second year in a row I've accidentally stumbled across morel mushrooms growing in my yard. This year there are 7; last year there were 2. There are probably more that I haven't run across yet and I'll keep looking.

Where I grew up in Virginia morels grew under tulip poplar trees. My father goes hunting and finds quarts of them, many 4-5 inches tall. I'm happy to just have a few and the one in the second photo I broke while clearing brush because I didn't know it was there. It was only 1.5 inches tall. Luckily it has 4 "siblings" that I will closely guard until they get larger. There are three others I've cordoned off in the front woods and will let them get to a bigger size as well until they are harvested.

Don't know if anyone else reading loves morels but I think they are the best thing known to man! Sliced in half and coated with egg wash and corn meal and flour, then fried in butter til crisp: YUM!

Anyway, Mom and Dad will certainly get a kick out of my finding morels in the yard. If you don't have them where you live, I suggest purchasing some at your local grocery store when they are in season and enjoying the best mushroom known to man.

Here in AK, the morels can be found in areas where there has been fire activity, or near old buried wood remains, as in my yard. Near Tok there was a large fire maybe 15 years ago and the morels are very abundant in these burn areas. The Tok area is so productive for morels that people come up from Anchorage and even from Seattle to stake their claims and harvest these delights. These folks end up selling the fruits of the labor to gourmet restaurants in Alaska and Washington state. They fetch up to 19 dollars a pound if large and in good condition. Must be why I've heard rumors of people guarding their hunting areas with firearms!

Cool Garden Stuff

Some eye candy from the gardens. Please enjoy!

Strawberry bloom

Arctic Poppy

Columbine (rock garden variety 6 inch tall plant. Bloom 1")

Aquilegia flabellata? (not sure if this is right and if you can help me verify please chime in :-)

Closeup Beautiful Jacob's Ladder

4 inch tall rock garden Iris (sorry can't remember actual name)

Pasque Flower

Pulsatilla vulgaris

Fragrant Crab Apple (genus/species unknown)

at Palmer City Hall across from 1st Nat'l Bank on Cobb St.

If you live near, go see it and smell it; it's a wonderful tree and the only one of it's kind in all of Palmer and Wasilla. Smells like spiced apples and has so many blooms that you can't see the tree for the blooms! Full branch view of the tree below this photo.

Net Leaf Willow (ground hugging alpine plant, leaves 3/4 inch long)

Salix reticulata

Trollius europeanus

Shooting Star

Meadow Rue bloom (unopened)

Thalictrum aquilegifolium

Euphorbia epithymoides

"Cushion Spurge"

Alaska the Beautiful

Okay, multiple posters from many progressive blogs have pissed me off today. Alaska is not defined by Sarah Palin, as a matter of fact, many of us think that she is not worthy of our attention.

Please remember everyone that Alaska is a beautiful wonderful place that should be visited by all. I wish that every commenter on every Alaskan blog or others that mention our fair state would come here and see the magnificence that is here to behold. I'm serious; when I moved up here in 1990 I went places that made me cry because they were so unbelievably beautiful. I still get tears in my eyes when I head to certain places in this state. IT'S AWESOME AND WORDS CAN'T PROPERLY EXPLAIN IT'S APPEAL....

That's why we have to focus less on Palin and who's baby was birthed by whom and how someone so stupid could govern this lovely state. We just have to be here and be, and be present and revel in the beauty that is unmatched by any other place.

It's Cat Time!

Sorry I've neglected to post for a while but I'm back to work, and work it is; physical "digging in the dirt" and "hauling heavy things around" type work. Not only at my job but in my own yard as well! Busy time of year here in Alaska and the nice weather has certainly put the pressure on to be productive and get everything looking lovely.

So finally pulled the latest photos

off the camera and here are the cutest of the kitty photos.

Jimbo has adopted one of my terra cotta planters as his "nappy spot". Hmmm, wonder if he'll still be trying to nap there once I put plants in the pot? I sure hope not, but I have a feeling that he's still going to have his naps in this pot, plants or not.

Here's Hemingway, in another one of my planters. He jumps on the trash can and then onto this cedar planter that I have bolted onto the side of the shed. He too will have to curtail his activity in this planter once I plant things in here. Although, I seriously doubt that a few little green things will stop him from sitting here. After all, he has a great vantage point for hunting mice!

BELOW: Funny Hemingway, caught in mid-yawn.

So that's it for now, I hope to post at least once weekly but we'll see how energetic I remain this summer! It's been so beautiful here this spring. We've more than made up for the soggy summer of 2008 by having twice as many sunny days within a two week period than we had from June-August of last year! So, don't hate me for not blogging!