tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82082022024-03-18T16:56:47.924-07:00SpokanaramaEvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.comBlogger762125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-68370122633321270492024-03-18T16:56:00.000-07:002024-03-18T16:56:03.326-07:00SpoSpo74!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5X41eeWE9jaCs-D7qFqLF6hLkNR5NxvqwB0KARbE3OaNEsykSH-7yfcQgkuAZf5GUrhOicV84mYbCMNnCRevOiNMMVa9RiIJ72RSSIt-XY-PYXxtBZrtQlVDg6XxpxepXYt7S9p5lvLXD4ycl1FxXXshnIjXXlAFx1boB4GvajmJ2Q3Ajju-/s1584/expospospopicture.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1584" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5X41eeWE9jaCs-D7qFqLF6hLkNR5NxvqwB0KARbE3OaNEsykSH-7yfcQgkuAZf5GUrhOicV84mYbCMNnCRevOiNMMVa9RiIJ72RSSIt-XY-PYXxtBZrtQlVDg6XxpxepXYt7S9p5lvLXD4ycl1FxXXshnIjXXlAFx1boB4GvajmJ2Q3Ajju-/s320/expospospopicture.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Hi, I've been asking for folks to share their Expo 74 experiences to celebrate the 50th anniversary. My plan was to take the recordings and feature them on my radio show <i>Out and About</i>. There haven't been many submissions. But what I have is on the<a href="http://spospo74.com" target="_blank"> SpoSpo74.com</a> website. <p></p><p>Here is one that you may like. The actual recording is on the website. But, I will share the transcript here: </p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24pt;">EXPO True Stories – Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom at the Ridpath Hotel (transcript of an audio recording)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Hi my name is Eldon. My grandpa told me this story about Expo 74. And about 20 years ago, I decided I should probably make a tape of some of his stories. So here it is. And, I hope you can hear him OK.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">My name is Peter and I have been asked by my grandson Eldon to record some of the things I have done in my life. I think this is my third recording. Back in the 1970s I was working in television. Kind of doing independent things until someone with money would make me a little less independent. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">The best job I had during this time was working for Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Back in the day there were only three, well four if you counted public television, stations. Mutual of Omaha was this insurance company. I think it was actually located in New York, but they were the main sponsors of this TV show and it had to do with a couple of guys who were experts on animals. They both had jobs in big zoos. Jim Fowler and Marlin Perkins. I always thought it was kind of weird that these guys had animal lingo in their names. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">But Marlin was the older of the two. On the air, he kinda came off as a Mr. Peabody type guy but really he was pretty, I guess you’d say, macho. As he got older he had the reputation of avoiding the action but I never saw that side of him. I know when there were some of the stunts with more dangerous animals he would often have a martini or two before hand. Liquid courage? I was kind of an assistant on that show. Got to travel all around the world. I learned a lot about filming and about sound, about mixing drinks and animals. It was no secret that, in order to get a shot, sometimes, we would go through two or three critters to make sure what we got was good. Sometimes, I do feel bad about the animals dying so we could show people why we needed to protect them. But it could be a dangerous job. Maybe that’s why a life insurance company liked to sponsor it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">We didn’t know anything about Spokane, or the World’s Fair, Expo 74 at the time. Then Nixon did the opening day speech, and right there and then Spokane and Expo became a great lead-in on the news because they would be able to show Nixon in a positive light and then pivot to the stuff that they were saying he was doing that was criminal. Kind of a Jekyll and Hyde thing. So all of a sudden, everyone is aware of Expo and with its environmental theme, “Don’t be a litterbug” stuff. It was something everybody liked, so Mutual of Omaha wanted in on the expo action. The only thing was that all the booths, the pavilions and other places at the fair were already filled with other countries and other corporations showcasing their stuff. But Mutual of Omaha wanted in and wouldn’t take no for an answer. So, I think it was Jim Fowler, it could have been Marlin, had this idea that if we couldn’t be in the fair, maybe we could be next to it. So we started looking at places. The Davenport would have been good, but they were making money hand-over-fist with tourists. Eventually, we got the Ridpath Hotel. It was a little farther away but still downtown. They had a little convention center thing across the street, and rent was cheap. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Of course Marlin and Jim were hardly there. They had zoos to run, plus they were famous. I set up the displays in the main room of the convention center. We had a five month lease there. I remember that. Most of the display animals were shot and stuffed, well the taxidermists liked to say they were taken and mounted, which, to me, sounds worse, but what do I know. We had some beavers, a tiger, a lion, an emu, I think there was a deer or an elk stuffed too. The kind of animals which may have been killed during the production of the TV Show. I was surprised that Marlin let us have the hyena. He always kept that one at his house. I wasn’t there, but the story he told was that the hyena had gotten into his stash of Oreo cookies when they were on a safari. It was the middle of the night and Marlin came home from an extended cocktail hour to his tent to see the hyena eating his cookies and he shot it right then and there. If you looked close, in the hyena’s mouth there was always a cookie. Marlin would pull it out, eat it for show and then there was always another cookie in it. I don’t know if there was a dispenser in there or if Perkins would just replace it later. Anyway. That taxidermied beast was there. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">We really wanted to have some live animals too, but the Ridpath was worried about the mess, but eventually they let us have a couple of small cages with animals in them - wombats, little lizards, a black mamba, that kinda thing. That was Jim Fowler who talked them into that. I remember that. The little animals could still get pretty wound up so, they gave me a lesson in how to shoot em up with etorphine, I think that’s what it was called. It’s the stuff they loaded up the tranquilizer darts with every day. They also gave me a box of loose syringes of just about every size made and a jar of needles. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">I could just jab them through the cage, and would do that every morning. The only warning was that I should avoid the neck because if the stuff got into a vein instead of the muscle, it would make the animals sick, maybe even die. Of course, the snakes didn’t have necks, or they were all neck depending on how you looked at it. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">The crowds were pretty good each day. About once a week, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">I would go down to the train station and pick up a new animal and ship one out, occasionally two. I think we tried to do this Sunday nights when we were shut down. One time I went down there. I had a cage full of voles or moles, I can’t remember which. I was shipping them back and picking up a new animal. And it turned out to be a zebra. What the hell was I supposed to do with a zebra? It was kind of mean-spirited too. Tried biting me a bunch. I still don’t know if there was some kind of mix up or if this was Marlin’s idea of a joke. All I knew was I had a big striped problem on my hands. There weren’t cel phones at the time. Just telegraphs and telephones. So I was stuck. No one else was running the show. So, I went to a rental company got some fencing, some hay, a trailer and I brought my jug of tranquilizer juice – the etorphine. I hired some local kids to help load the zebra. Dot was its name. I gathered that because there was “D.O.T.” on the crate. Although that could’ve stood for department of transportation. Anyhow we got that thing tranquilized, loaded it up and I took it to the Ridpath. We put it on some old carpeting and we drug it right into the room. It was kinda weird. It was just laying there on the floor, while all the other stuffed animals, bears, crocodiles, tigers, didn’t seem to care much. I don’t know ,it just seemed weird. I knew the Ridpath was going to throw a fit. This was just way too big.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">The next morning, before we opened, I went down to make sure everything was alright. Probably about five or so in the morning. I didn’t sleep all night. I should have just stayed in the convention hall instead of going back upstairs and trying to sleep. Because when I got down there, it was a mess. The Zebra had woke up and had knocked down the fencing and it was going crazy. All I could do was slam the door closed and run back upstairs and get the jug of tranquilizer. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Now, this was the best job I ever had. I was passing myself off as some sort of adventurer, some animal expert. I often wondered how far I could go in this business. I was even seen in some of the tv show clips. Marlin always just referred me to as “an assistant” or something when I had to lasso shut an alligator’s mouth or coax a rattlesnake out of a mailbox, or what not. It was good money and I did not want to lose this job.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">So, I loaded up the biggest syringe I could find, it was as big as a turkey baster, with the etorphine. To be honest, I was drinking a little of the stuff at night. Just a little to help me sleep, but there was still a couple more gallon jugs of the stuff. A lifetime supply. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">I opened the door to the convention center. The zebra was laying there upright with its legs underneath it. Kind of like a child’s piggy bank, that’s what it reminded me of. I didn’t give it a chance to stand up. I ran across the room with the syringe over my head. Those big eyes looked at me. They went all white for just a second. It bared its teeth. The back legs were starting to push its ass up and the front legs were having a harder time of it. I fell right on top of it and plunged that needle right into its god-danged neck. I pushed the giant plunger on the syringe with both my thumbs. One on top of the other. Hard! The stuff was thick. At the same time as the syringe emptied. It jumped up and sent me into the air, knocking over a couple of gray squirrel cages. They got loose, but just stood there. A plume of blood sprayed from the zebra’s neck. And then just as fast as it went up, it went down. Down to the red shag carpet. Dot took three slow gulps of air, each exhalation sounding like a resignation, a surrender. And the zebra died right there on the floor of the Ridpath Convention Center. Blood oozed out of the carotid artery. I had mistakenly shot a bucketful of medication straight into the zebra’s bloodstream. And as big as this zebra was when it was alive, laying there, stretched out dead, it looked gigantic. All 900 pounds of it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Now, I had a problem. It was a big one. A big striped one. It was strange. All the other chatter from the alive animals stopped for a moment, as if they saw the zebra’s spirit leave its body. Weird. I needed to sober up. There were some tarps we had used that the taxidermied animals were shipped in. The one that had covered the polar bear was pretty big. I had to cover this thing up right where it lay. And I needed to make a phone call to Marlin or Jim. I knew that whatever happened, I would probably be out of a job but worse than that, I had killed a zebra, a zebra with a name - Dot. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">If I called Jim, he would be pretty matter of fact about stuff. I thought he would make me turn myself into the police. Looking back on it, I don’t know why I thought that. Marlin was more of a wild card. Somehow, I felt like he must’ve gone through something like this before. So I picked him. Besides, it was his zoo’s zebra. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">I found a pay phone and started loading it up with quarters. I could have called collect but I figured that may have left more of a paper trail. I had the direct line into his office. It was 7:30 here which made it 9:30 in St Louis. Marlin was understandably angry with me. After he called me every name in the book, he told me that he shouldn’t have sent such a large animal this way to begin with. He also told me that the Zebra (he didn’t name it so maybe the D.O.T. was for department of transportation) had recently been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine cancer (pretty common with zebras). This may be why it had died from the tranquilizer, maybe. Marlin said he would be coming out and gave me some specific instructions. 1. Close the display until he got to Spokane. 2. Stop drinking the etorphine. 3. Contact Victor Yung in the kitchen of the Ridpath restaurant - Ankenny’s. Ankenny’s was a restaurant on the top floor. One of the swankiest places in Spokane. He said he would be calling Victor ASAP. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">After I put the closed sign on the doors of the convention center, I took the elevator up to Ankenny’s 13 floors, if that wasn’t an omen… I asked to see Mr. Victor. They said he wouldn’t be in for a couple hours, so I walked around Spokane, up to the Bon Marche, The Crescent and the Davenport Hotel. It was kind of run down but you could tell that it really used to be something. I looped back after some breakfast at a little café. Jerry’s?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Mister Yung met me at the pass-through door to the restaurant’s kitchen. He looked concerned, but not at all worried. I guess the only Chinese person I felt like I knew was Hop Sing from Bonanza. And this guy kind of reminded me of him. Mister Yung was older than Hop Sing. But he had the braided ponytail, little mustache and beard and wore a chef’s get-up. But when he spoke it wasn’t like Hop Sing’s voice like I expected. He had a deep western drawl, like a cowboy from Texas. Later on, I would learn that Victor Yung had been a major figure in Spokane’s Chinatown, when there was a Chinatown and he even had connections with some of the opium dens there in the 1920s. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">He wanted me to call him Victor and told me not to worry, that he would take care of it. He would need a little help but not much. Three guys at the bar, white guys, looked at Victor and he nodded his head. I followed them out to the restaurant and back down to the convention center. I went to unlock the door, but Victor must have known about some kind of defect to the lock because he hit it a certain way and the door just popped open. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">It was obvious they had done this kind of work before. One of them just carried a roll of paper. The other had something on a dolly and the third guy just looked pissed. Victor carried some knives and a saw. There was a freight elevator I hadn’t noticed before. We dragged the zebra on the tarp through its doors and then took it downstairs to the parking garage. There were some doors down there that opened into a room with a drain in the floor. Mister Yung made cuts around the animal and peeled off the hide. Then the rest of Victor’s team started sawing and filleting. Victor stood there supervising the operation. I found out the big thing on the dolly was a grinder and they got busy wrapping up zebra hamburger in sheets torn from the roll of white paper. It was obvious they had done this same kind of work before, together. I hoped it was just animals. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">And just like that, it was done. Mr. Yung rolled up the zebra skin like a mat. He started looking at his wristwatch as the entrails, tarp and bones were dropped into a dumpster just outside the garage. Victor looked up from his watch, as a city garbage truck picked up the dumpster with its giant forks and shook out its contents into the back. From the savannas of Africa to the landfill in Spokane, that zebra had lived one weird life. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">I went back up to the convention hall and everything looked about like it did the day before. Mr. Yung’s people had taken care of the mess in there too. The fencing had been returned. The blood was scrubbed up. All the animals were back in their cages including the squirrels. About the only thing that I had to do was to administer the etorphine to the badger and check on the snakes. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">That night, Marlin was back in town. He didn’t have much to say to me. There was a big private party at the Ridpath for Expo bigwigs and city VIPs. Marlin hosted. I heard the burgers, ribs and steaks were really good. I guess I had provided the meat, but I wasn’t invited. <br /><br />Marlin had left behind one of his jungle outfits for me to wear. Sometimes, kids would ask me for my autograph. I would give it to them and I would pull a cookie out of the hyena for them too. I didn’t get any more live animals, and the ones that died on my watch from then on were carefully cataloged, reported and even sometimes shipped back to the zoo of origin. After the fair, I stuck around in Spokane. My TV career was over. But thanks to my time with the animals, stuffed, alive and in between, I was able to parlay that into being hired for starting a little zoo in Spokane after the World’s Fair. It didn’t amount to much, but it helped pay the bills and helped me start my family. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Oh yeah. One of my last days there, Mister Yung handed me a pouch. It was zebra skinned and I still keep my smokes and lighter in it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">And that’s what I remember about Expo74.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">How was that? Was that OK?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-10233008047694930312023-10-19T13:19:00.001-07:002023-10-19T13:19:37.938-07:00Hey, you're invited 🗓<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%" style="background:#f8f8f8;" class="background"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="display:none;font-size:1px;color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05);line-height:1px;max-height:0px;max-width:0px;opacity:0;overflow:hidden;"> <a rel="nofollow" style="display:none;font-size:1px;color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05);line-height:1px;max-height:0px;max-width:0px;opacity:0;overflow:hidden;"> </a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" style="padding-top:0;padding-bottom: 0;padding-left:3%;padding-right:3%;" class="header-wrapper"> <!--[if gte mso 9]> <table align="center" width="540" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;cellpadding:0;width:540"> <tbody> <tr><td> <![endif]--> <!--[if lt mso 9]> <table align="center" width="540" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;cellpadding:0;width:540"> <tbody> <tr><td> <![endif]--> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%" style="min-width:380px;max-width:538px;border:0;background:#f8f8f8;border-collapse:separate;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'HelveticaNeue','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,'Roboto','Segoe UI',Arial,sans-serif;border-top-left-radius:3px;border-top-right-radius:3px;border-bottom-left-radius:3px;border-bottom-right-radius:3px;; margin-bottom: 0px" class="wrapper"> <tbody> <tr><td align="left" class="desktop-padding"> <!--[if gte mso 9]> <table align="center" width="540" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;cellpadding:0;width:540"> <tbody> <tr><td> <![endif]--> <!--[if lt mso 9]> <table align="center" width="540" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;cellpadding:0;width:540"> <tbody> <tr><td> <![endif]--> <table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%" style="max-width:540px;" class="wrapper-inner"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" width="100%"> <table width="100%" align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" width="36%" style="min-width:154px;padding-bottom:22px;padding-top:35px;"> <a href="https://nextdoor.com?ct=KLdnK6QaZnJFA1jx1z67Gv58fsrJ_RA0WBP62Jw-CNdsLftO37xej8JUomn9LE8g&ec=4osEfXzyP0CS6Iu8Sl6uZLfqha1IrOhr1QrRKA3furhzi3cRwd638B4uJhfWr3rmsbYnp2CU8bEOY4c6dJ3OCw==&token=&auto_token=" style="border:0;text-decoration:none;display:inline-block;"> <img class="nextdoor-logo-green-25" style="border:0;max-height:25px;" alt="Nextdoor" src="https://d19rpgkrjeba2z.cloudfront.net/e03656551fe5caf9/static/images/nextdoor_logo_2020.png" width="100%"> </a> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--[if gte mso 9]> </td></tr> </tbody> </table> <![endif]--> <!--[if lt mso 9]> </td></tr> </tbody> </table> <![endif]--> </td></tr> </tbody> </table> <!--[if gte mso 9]> </td></tr> </tbody> </table> <![endif]--> <!--[if lt mso 9]> </td></tr> </tbody> </table> <![endif]--> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" style="padding-top:0;padding-bottom: 0;padding-left:3%;padding-right:3%;" class="section-wrapper"> <!--[if gte mso 9]> <table align="center" width="540" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;cellpadding:0;width:540"> <tbody> <tr><td width="6%"></td><td> <![endif]--> <!--[if lt mso 9]> <table align="center" width="540" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;cellpadding:0;width:540"> <tbody> <tr><td width="6%"></td><td> <![endif]--> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%" style="min-width:380px;max-width:538px;border:1px solid #dddddd;background:#ffffff;border-collapse:separate;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'HelveticaNeue','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,'Roboto','Segoe UI',Arial,sans-serif;border-top-left-radius:3px;border-top-right-radius:3px;border-bottom-left-radius:3px;border-bottom-right-radius:3px;; margin-bottom: 0px" class="wrapper"> <tbody> <tr><td width="6%"> </td><td align="left" class="desktop-padding"> <!--[if gte mso 9]> <table align="center" width="540" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;cellpadding:0;width:540"> <tbody> <tr><td width="6%"></td><td> <![endif]--> <!--[if lt mso 9]> <table align="center" width="540" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;cellpadding:0;width:540"> <tbody> <tr><td width="6%"></td><td> <![endif]--> <table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%" style="max-width:540px;" class="wrapper-inner"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" width="100%"> <table width="100%" align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="28"></td> </tr> <h1 style="padding-top:12px;padding-bottom:18px;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'SF Pro Display','HelveticaNeue','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,'Roboto','Segoe UI',Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 28px;color: #000000;line-height: 32px;font-weight:600;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;-webkit-text-size-adjust:none;">Maeve Griffith invited you to PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE - LIVE RADIO BROADCAST</h1> <a href="https://nextdoor.com/local_events/YDm-gfYtpmHW/?source=off-platform-email-invitation&utm_source=off-platform-email-invitation&ct=KLdnK6QaZnJFA1jx1z67Gv58fsrJ_RA0WBP62Jw-CNdsLftO37xej8JUomn9LE8g&ec=4osEfXzyP0CS6Iu8Sl6uZLfqha1IrOhr1QrRKA3furhzi3cRwd638B4uJhfWr3rmsbYnp2CU8bEOY4c6dJ3OCw==&token=&auto_token=" style="color: black; display: block; text-decoration: none;"> <div style="border:2px solid rgb(242,242,242); border-radius: 16px; overflow: hidden"> <div> <img src="https://us1-photo.nextdoor.com/post_photos/c4/fb/c4fbf0b2afd323fb04f4eb13f1607fc3.png" alt="People gathering for a fun event" style="max-height: 200px; height: 200px; min-height: 200px; width: 100%; object-fit: cover;" /> </div> <div style="padding: 16px"> <p style="margin: 0; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; max-height: 16px; overflow: hidden; min-height: 16px;">Saturday, Oct 28 • 7:30 PM</p> <p style="margin: 4px 0 0 0; font-weight: 600; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; max-height:40px; overflow: hidden; min-height: 40px; word-break: break-word">PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE - LIVE RADIO BROADCAST</p> <div style="display: inline-flex; flex-direction: row; margin-top: 4px; align-items: center; height: 16px"> <p style="margin: 0; color: #666666; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; font-weight: 600; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; width: 300px;">820-830 Spokane Falls Boulevard, Spokane, WA</p> </div> <p style="margin: 4px 0 0 0; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">0 interested · 1 going</p> <div style="display:block;padding:10px 2px 11px;width:200px;font-size:15px;line-height:21px;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'HelveticaNeue','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,'Roboto','Segoe UI',Arial,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-weight:500;color:#005238;background-color:#B8EC51;border-radius:5px;text-align:center; text-align: center; margin: 8px 0 0 0; border-radius: 32px; width: 100%; background-color: #B8EC51; color: #006142;"> Interested? </div> </div> </div> </a> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="14px"></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--[if gte mso 9]> </td><td width="6%"></td></tr> </tbody> </table> <![endif]--> <!--[if lt mso 9]> </td><td width="6%"></td></tr> </tbody> </table> <![endif]--> </td><td width="6%"> </td></tr> </tbody> </table> <!--[if gte mso 9]> </td><td width="6%"></td></tr> </tbody> </table> <![endif]--> <!--[if lt mso 9]> </td><td width="6%"></td></tr> </tbody> </table> <![endif]--> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center" style="padding-top:19px;padding-bottom: 21px;padding-left:3%;padding-right:3%;" class="footer-wrapper"> <!--[if gte mso 9]> <table align="center" width="540" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;cellpadding:0;width:540"> <tbody> <tr><td width="0"></td><td> <![endif]--> <!--[if lt mso 9]> <table align="center" width="540" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;cellpadding:0;width:540"> <tbody> <tr><td width="0"></td><td> <![endif]--> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%" style="min-width:380px;max-width:538px;border:1px solid #f8f8f8;background:#f8f8f8;border-collapse:separate;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'HelveticaNeue','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,'Roboto','Segoe UI',Arial,sans-serif;border-top-left-radius:3px;border-top-right-radius:3px;border-bottom-left-radius:3px;border-bottom-right-radius:3px;; 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text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="369" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9sxNKzDwyao" width="486" youtube-src-id="9sxNKzDwyao"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-2988129759791003592023-08-16T18:08:00.000-07:002023-08-16T18:08:03.504-07:00VIDEOS FROM FREE ART ON (the) WALL<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="406" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O_XxNXDL3Cw" width="540" youtube-src-id="O_XxNXDL3Cw"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="373" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A6EPYdNKok0" width="516" youtube-src-id="A6EPYdNKok0"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="340" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zVj4z1sDeHU" width="488" youtube-src-id="zVj4z1sDeHU"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="334" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/37eWX_DwlFE" width="505" youtube-src-id="37eWX_DwlFE"></iframe></div><br /><p></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-69802288416266114102023-08-09T07:06:00.002-07:002023-08-09T07:06:42.618-07:00FREE ART ON (the) WALL!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjS-PKXVhEO63HFOMB8fYtUXWkfEpt79mKHiu9Oiqe_T-tt7kw6i5GZLFbQ9mUfF2mcKNGIck7DAVXdItotG9m81Dtq1_43DuyuA8slT9a__UPrutNsHYoPkvnJBkRA1sUw2PeDA4ialbectfSjQS-beQAsu_MpDC4j_AEVRrzZ7ImNshsvaDAh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="1076" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjS-PKXVhEO63HFOMB8fYtUXWkfEpt79mKHiu9Oiqe_T-tt7kw6i5GZLFbQ9mUfF2mcKNGIck7DAVXdItotG9m81Dtq1_43DuyuA8slT9a__UPrutNsHYoPkvnJBkRA1sUw2PeDA4ialbectfSjQS-beQAsu_MpDC4j_AEVRrzZ7ImNshsvaDAh=w549-h640" width="549" /></a></div><br /><p></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-53065867993113235692023-03-22T15:58:00.003-07:002023-03-22T15:58:34.591-07:00Throwing Back Nemo #3. I eat the very old cereal. <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='539' height='353' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwoXzvo-mar-0OU3fd_aLO8B4EHofxhAs8r6lsUtXg80eoUnebci8ohSXrnD5R8ZDoSv31Kbm2kVQw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-79847570822494536712023-03-06T10:04:00.002-08:002023-03-06T10:04:54.202-08:00Selling Art<p>I have given paintings to some friends and family. Some folks have bought my work. I realize that my paintings take a lot of time because of the look and the storytelling nature of what I am trying to do. When I did my Free Art On Wall project last year, I made some nice but small paintings to give away. It was fun to do some work that didn't take over 15 hours to paint. And I really enjoyed giving these small pieces away. </p><p> I like having my art up in people's homes. I don't need to make a living by painting. So, the temptation is just to give it all away. But, then how much worth does the painting hold to the person receiving it? In some cases, where I have strong ties to that person, I know there's a better chance that the painting is a real gift and I like that. I have had friends who I have gifted paintings and then they also bought paintings, too. </p><p>So, this is a new venture for me - to create pieces for sale that: 1. Are cool but not too weird (the stuff that I really like), 2. Are affordable, 3. Are sized nicely for a normal home. </p><p>It would be neat to make a little $ to supplement my retirement income and to help me buy art supplies. Maybe I can get a small studio and gallery downtown eventually. Sarah is retiring soon and sometimes I think about traveling around with her, making art on the road and then selling it to fund the adventure. </p><p>On another note, I have all the video to make the final installment of Throwing Back Nemo 3. I just need to put it together. </p><p>Here is my first foray into making art that fits the three above criteria. "What!?!" It is 11x14. Acrylic on canvas. I am asking $125 for it. You can message me or email me at Spokanarama@Comcast.net, if you are interested.</p><p>Cheerio! Maeve </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTjwQtFQ5yFZaPGg08GQfvuSQi1TmG40y2YYLruSHF_1iF7LZuAPEbnukiD0y1V4GhbsKLeoe1U3JW59gq5tbh580Q0n9Da19jfDjdaay19qwskWoJbnOJP9YgcXUhfFGJguQhmUg3eHztQ4OT2ETHibI9s6DLbSyf1EuyplagGsPFFMbhw/s3163/IMG_1381%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2526" data-original-width="3163" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTjwQtFQ5yFZaPGg08GQfvuSQi1TmG40y2YYLruSHF_1iF7LZuAPEbnukiD0y1V4GhbsKLeoe1U3JW59gq5tbh580Q0n9Da19jfDjdaay19qwskWoJbnOJP9YgcXUhfFGJguQhmUg3eHztQ4OT2ETHibI9s6DLbSyf1EuyplagGsPFFMbhw/w640-h512/IMG_1381%202.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-27042086403629582712023-02-13T15:54:00.003-08:002023-02-13T15:54:25.872-08:00Throwing Back Nemo #2 - Making Beauty and Honoring a Hero with 19-year-old cereal..<p> It's an oft told tale but maybe it's time to look into your heart and make something out of your old food. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ket9tTysk7w" width="478" youtube-src-id="Ket9tTysk7w"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-54256077689517975182023-02-08T14:57:00.001-08:002023-02-08T14:57:05.514-08:00Throwing Back Nemo #1<p>As promised! And yes, I will eventually tell you what 19 year-old cereal tastes like. </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4bTgpbd6MbM" width="509" youtube-src-id="4bTgpbd6MbM"></iframe></div><br /><p></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-58406520469940587182023-02-06T13:25:00.002-08:002023-02-06T13:25:29.160-08:00Throwing Back Nemo<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdaGm9VT3i8_47Y5TgMjdwQCL7iuTK-MV6OOxVxbYUi7M1zG6ooFgq3X3RemDKdyb41f9JpFUdnOs7iS6u2G5uQnbcP_c_N6YA7HJoHYYH0lZWjj5UiY-HyRwluJcaBLhEJPm7TY8Z8WkpUInPvWs2BxqaXKztE5qZyk84hZsADpiGAHItw/s3273/A825C36F-1589-4178-A93D-2C8A69E9D069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3273" data-original-width="2619" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdaGm9VT3i8_47Y5TgMjdwQCL7iuTK-MV6OOxVxbYUi7M1zG6ooFgq3X3RemDKdyb41f9JpFUdnOs7iS6u2G5uQnbcP_c_N6YA7HJoHYYH0lZWjj5UiY-HyRwluJcaBLhEJPm7TY8Z8WkpUInPvWs2BxqaXKztE5qZyk84hZsADpiGAHItw/s320/A825C36F-1589-4178-A93D-2C8A69E9D069.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">As referenced here in this blog, almost 20 years ago, I have a<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/73964283@N00/sets/1418054/" target="_blank"> cereal collection</a>. Not a cereal box collection, but a collection of cereal boxes with the cereal settled inside, still nestling prizes and other gewgaws within. How did this sickness all start? How will it finish?</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I will get into that a little, but mostly I want to say that this pursuit has become a crunchy albatross around my neck, a mocking Toucan Sam noose. Sarah and I are both working to have a very tidy, very small amount of stuff for our sons to deal with when we pass on. If I were them, upon reception of crates of ancient cereal, I would not waste a precious second before it all went in the dumpster. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I believe the first cereal that I collected was <i>Urkelos</i>. I saw the box and I thought to myself about what an odd thing it is to have a cereal dedicate to this very temporal character and how 10 years from its inception, no one would even know who Steve Urkel was, yet they were eating this junk. So, something seemed right about purchasing it. This was before “ironic” was a thing. Now it’s 30 years later and when I namedrop <i>Urkelos,</i> indeed, no one remembers poor Steve Urkel, nor the deliciousness he inspired. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I think deep down I was thinking that some collector would want to buy some of these boxes, maybe some prop master or mistress would want one for a movie they were making. And then it became a thing, a joke, taking up space, haunting my fairly simple life with visions of my children pausing in their parental loss and grief just to curse me.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">A month ago, I thought “Why not put one of these up for sale on FB Marketplace?” I started with the newest box 2004’s <i>Finding Nemo</i> cereal. $20, OBO. According to the box, there may be a pass to The Incredibles movie lurking within. No takers! Gee that’s a surprise. There is only one recourse to this situation, I am going to make a video about opening it, making something out of the cereal, eat a little bit of it, etc. I figure I would do this with each box until they are gone. This could take years. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So, please stay tuned. Production commences today! Oh and by the way, THE BLOG IS BACK!!!!</p><div><br /></div>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-23248606211676208172023-02-03T10:00:00.004-08:002023-02-03T10:00:58.237-08:00Gonna blog!!!! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yes! I need to be blogging again! I have big plans to start destroying and documenting my cereal collection. It will be lovely. I will start filming that soon. But, in the meantime, retirement is great. My day is pretty much a routine. Wake up. Sit with my cup of coffee. Read the paper with Sarah. Run. Stretch. Meditate. PAINT! write. Prep food. Read. Watch a couple hours of TV and go to bed. And of course all of the other responsibilities of the day get thrown in there. I may be learning my lines, working on my radio show, doing Haiku Friday, building stuff, playing Surviving Mars, putting together videos, etc. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yes, my life is a lot less exciting than it used to be, but I am enjoying it very much, thank you!!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's today's Haiku Friday from my YouTube channel to kickstart this thing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BmUqMexdlxo" width="442" youtube-src-id="BmUqMexdlxo"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-21155859421853118512022-09-02T08:04:00.000-07:002022-09-02T08:04:04.058-07:00Haiku Friday September 2nd 2022<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/SUmhlXZHpGQ" frameborder="0"></iframe>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-80225055137321929222022-08-26T09:27:00.002-07:002022-08-26T09:27:38.976-07:00Haiku Friday - August 26th, 2022 - CRAZY WEEK ON THE CRAZY TRAIN!!!<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/9B147uU9eQk" frameborder="0"></iframe>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-74235974836094637402022-08-19T10:10:00.001-07:002022-08-19T10:10:42.043-07:00Haiku Friday August 19th 2022<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/-q15ShiAfiY" frameborder="0"></iframe>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-64975114750963667392022-08-19T09:45:00.006-07:002022-08-19T09:47:10.361-07:00Heron Moon<p> </p>
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@maevegriffith/video/7133628988869643562" data-video-id="7133628988869643562" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;" > <section> <a target="_blank" title="@maevegriffith" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@maevegriffith?refer=embed">@maevegriffith</a> <p>Heron Moon</p> <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound Spokanarama" href="https://www.tiktok.com/?refer=embed">♬ original sound Spokanarama</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-84391081674858611402022-06-24T10:13:00.000-07:002022-06-24T10:13:01.860-07:00Haiku Friday June 24 2022<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/_z8RlbxkpY4" frameborder="0"></iframe>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-65803532766112867972022-05-26T13:38:00.004-07:002022-05-26T13:38:43.169-07:00Muccia the Slug #1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="274" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hHIpwN2VStE" width="462" youtube-src-id="hHIpwN2VStE"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">BUONGIORNO</span>, Io sona Muccia! </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I like slow slimy strolls in the garden, long silky rain showers, big salads and jazz musica. I do not like pretentious people or anyone who looks down on me. I avoid the psychic vampira and salt. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Avete domande? Uh, Do you have any questions for me? Grazi!</span><p></p></div>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-46350373105638263322021-09-28T10:34:00.001-07:002021-09-28T10:34:12.632-07:00Interview with ZuZu the talking zucchini...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="410" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hCZ_Hx0MUbM" width="493" youtube-src-id="hCZ_Hx0MUbM"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-66005437188185383522021-08-20T10:38:00.004-07:002021-08-20T10:41:32.445-07:00Bigfoot. Little skull. <p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Last winter, I really got into making things with air-dry clay. This Buddha was made from cardboard, papier maché and air-dry clay. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyl-sFkrh9-227z-fIhxVDHP2brHAaa0YMuJPrgMtU66wBxUvO4hF-aWkgH1BcTbypvf0GcgjwrkM0o17rBqb-Ty4TiRQDKAkXJg8O0G-kcKiZ2xENSruFCwv__7ITO7uCZG1/s2048/IMG_5336.jpeg" style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyl-sFkrh9-227z-fIhxVDHP2brHAaa0YMuJPrgMtU66wBxUvO4hF-aWkgH1BcTbypvf0GcgjwrkM0o17rBqb-Ty4TiRQDKAkXJg8O0G-kcKiZ2xENSruFCwv__7ITO7uCZG1/w300-h400/IMG_5336.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iQfNuSiLLXi2e7spRtBcshVYuy5tsMGFd5x2EcOMAYPWXAIyImmcVt81lxLMltkTmwyohu0Qo5dpayU4V6i3-I7nDDG57ZXeomVaunE6lkvXyjyecmcdTpWv-SkxrPXVeQ7S/s2048/IMG_5973.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7iQfNuSiLLXi2e7spRtBcshVYuy5tsMGFd5x2EcOMAYPWXAIyImmcVt81lxLMltkTmwyohu0Qo5dpayU4V6i3-I7nDDG57ZXeomVaunE6lkvXyjyecmcdTpWv-SkxrPXVeQ7S/w300-h400/IMG_5973.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And when it started cracking and going to hell, concrete and lots of waterproofing. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsn697r0t1X8On1Tsy4QDJe-nXN0u_p1fXdZTpTloeQGmoiA724werJT5zBxgEiC0UbFobzWA-fgEgttPBaqzVUaVIyxr51F9kiivgpjlOM7OVRY-aM2NJztpulu3EBxPx8Kwf/s2048/IMG_6613.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsn697r0t1X8On1Tsy4QDJe-nXN0u_p1fXdZTpTloeQGmoiA724werJT5zBxgEiC0UbFobzWA-fgEgttPBaqzVUaVIyxr51F9kiivgpjlOM7OVRY-aM2NJztpulu3EBxPx8Kwf/w400-h300/IMG_6613.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">I believe it is now a performance piece, of sorts. Not killing the Buddha when I meet him, but letting him crack, calve, and then dissolve back into the good earth.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6C-OtmSIovOIM9-UZZG86J01cVDqwgSf8x4BdLmTd5_uiPHn9rfnWJw-NtXLtIU7d0c4bMz6hK5L16YiJfo8F4qNPm-l59xhPKbkJDX_rR68TLFm8p5jTCrVpd5La_geuydPr/s2048/IMG_7536.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6C-OtmSIovOIM9-UZZG86J01cVDqwgSf8x4BdLmTd5_uiPHn9rfnWJw-NtXLtIU7d0c4bMz6hK5L16YiJfo8F4qNPm-l59xhPKbkJDX_rR68TLFm8p5jTCrVpd5La_geuydPr/w400-h300/IMG_7536.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">My initial plan was to make a mold of him, and then create concrete statues from the mold. But, life is suffering and surrendering. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In order to explore how to create casts (not castes), I made a quick little statue. In keeping with my fixations, it was a Sasquatch head. I was going to make a mold of it and then start leaving these heads around town. But, I didn't. </span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkySMfeXKS0PEc1m0xm0IPqX1abxrs9kjch5clQOZz6Yn-LmQYHDK9ZdshQ0bwcKhs8zvv9sv8wDmoL1FDcdpQ35xaYeApF0c6xUOap0daGtQ1tBpczZBh-J2oIgf9jPAPo3C5/s2048/F2675218-DF24-4BDE-9DFC-4DEE1C2EF7E8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkySMfeXKS0PEc1m0xm0IPqX1abxrs9kjch5clQOZz6Yn-LmQYHDK9ZdshQ0bwcKhs8zvv9sv8wDmoL1FDcdpQ35xaYeApF0c6xUOap0daGtQ1tBpczZBh-J2oIgf9jPAPo3C5/s320/F2675218-DF24-4BDE-9DFC-4DEE1C2EF7E8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p></blockquote></blockquote><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Finally got tired of looking at it in the studio, so I enshrined it. That wiring and antenna are all part of my vision of what Sasquatch might be - animatron, android, alien?</span><br /><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6P2kmIkefiRDmw7GtYJA7V-Czl6a8aEfGgOpHXHMuS1AsWsPQWCFqQjr8Jud2HtMU3iNR8xWdpKp4QpbQ_g8XarbprQOLU18I0B1Gay-FQ7ZG09OfIkzdNFeb412qO0XEPxN2/s2048/IMG_7504.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6P2kmIkefiRDmw7GtYJA7V-Czl6a8aEfGgOpHXHMuS1AsWsPQWCFqQjr8Jud2HtMU3iNR8xWdpKp4QpbQ_g8XarbprQOLU18I0B1Gay-FQ7ZG09OfIkzdNFeb412qO0XEPxN2/w300-h400/IMG_7504.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtbuab2AsafwdCEMh4S5LdjVPG5ym2IFzJwK1PewOc7cadOU_bWe-N3T6wsEUKWGW6ocpjZavTYrf0OaEmvYvjQ2OImDbFu0Dq0DQcDUSq4vxpbkXHbiD1Ve7OB353EyIf42y/s2048/IMG_7505.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtbuab2AsafwdCEMh4S5LdjVPG5ym2IFzJwK1PewOc7cadOU_bWe-N3T6wsEUKWGW6ocpjZavTYrf0OaEmvYvjQ2OImDbFu0Dq0DQcDUSq4vxpbkXHbiD1Ve7OB353EyIf42y/w300-h400/IMG_7505.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I like the idea of these little shrines and will make more. But no more air-dry clay. This thing weighs about five pounds! And I did just acquire some glow-in-the-dark paint...</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span><p></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-48567551558637359432021-08-08T12:13:00.003-07:002021-08-08T12:17:17.267-07:00Backpacking to Trio Lakes<p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpw4cVjIBI7w12Y-b-ph6qw38wTJPwNxFCaL7rYZr1fr5UzCHHtNukaYco4rRGO7h4p_kpIDtSTb9tF1n1JMhGzZAdbt90CnmsKuzY2mmtaE2r-jS3V9xnCMiy3F1y7z-bJ2w/s2048/IMG_7349.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpw4cVjIBI7w12Y-b-ph6qw38wTJPwNxFCaL7rYZr1fr5UzCHHtNukaYco4rRGO7h4p_kpIDtSTb9tF1n1JMhGzZAdbt90CnmsKuzY2mmtaE2r-jS3V9xnCMiy3F1y7z-bJ2w/w400-h300/IMG_7349.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Every year, Sarah and I take at least one backpacking trip together. This year, I was particularly excited because I retired my old backpack of thirty years and bought a new one - and shaved off about 4 pounds! Which is good because I think I may be 4 pounds heavier than 30 years ago. </span><p></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sarah was really stoked about taking me to Trio Lakes. She was up there last year and the trail was easy but long - about 7 miles. Perfect. We would start at the Goose Creek trailhead, make our way through Idaho up to Goose Lake and then onto Trio Lakes, just inside the Montana border. She had camped at Goose Lake last year and then took a day hike up to Trio. She saw very large trout there and was looking forward to having me fish. I get a Montana fishing license every year, so I was ready. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The hike started out pretty easy, until we started getting into more and more downed trees across the trail. It was pretty obvious that there had been no trail maintenance since last year. Most of the blocking trees we had to either bushwhack around, crawl under or over. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiIrkMXaXREIVXVSDyxqn0R0N_sbmfC_TymzTU6bEAZjlo6nkIaoRfCyw-tWPL3RyuDelNq2Wn4S7bT9h_il3mp_KvrfdFr72ngYRJN36-zqrnydVaAIRVWqq7Qy4hSNFSejw/s2048/IMG_7380.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiIrkMXaXREIVXVSDyxqn0R0N_sbmfC_TymzTU6bEAZjlo6nkIaoRfCyw-tWPL3RyuDelNq2Wn4S7bT9h_il3mp_KvrfdFr72ngYRJN36-zqrnydVaAIRVWqq7Qy4hSNFSejw/w300-h400/IMG_7380.jpeg" width="300" /></span></a></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0NGxnl6plyCPn8glOQlWXndlhIib0Mm9plsvWY8KC_Je-ALaB7UyKfplSeTLlZMJCp3YneH_BW3gtziHOEo4tomD8oCjTB-0udtmyyIMNaOgdyQ-wM7bV2zqA-T5134FKBSe/s2048/IMG_7381.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0NGxnl6plyCPn8glOQlWXndlhIib0Mm9plsvWY8KC_Je-ALaB7UyKfplSeTLlZMJCp3YneH_BW3gtziHOEo4tomD8oCjTB-0udtmyyIMNaOgdyQ-wM7bV2zqA-T5134FKBSe/s320/IMG_7381.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzIUWVw6QMIVZ-658dL5KZPjyq-Ac8cDuA4MvubIJik4F_c6SrHcuuH9cLhVs0Q8dxtGCjGrDlQkdc' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I had the trail on my “airplane-moded” phone and was tracking our position using my Gaia GPS account. Sarah had the trusty paper map. I was also tracking our progress with my watch. 6 miles to Goose Lake and then another mile and a half to Trio Lakes. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VXjgUV05IPI1_vopmQfziFGHqmxyctUChxvGPJvHm38rQ_MBqO2Q158UwB-7ktS-RHPHp4zKZ7tCU9-QIfm2r0g2vaXRYNK8rcGnn3fqy6ZZqZ5z5nbubpfiFPCoQYGUPuR8/s1626/IMG_7434.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1626" data-original-width="1032" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VXjgUV05IPI1_vopmQfziFGHqmxyctUChxvGPJvHm38rQ_MBqO2Q158UwB-7ktS-RHPHp4zKZ7tCU9-QIfm2r0g2vaXRYNK8rcGnn3fqy6ZZqZ5z5nbubpfiFPCoQYGUPuR8/w406-h640/IMG_7434.jpeg" width="406" /></span></a></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We went through the usual beautiful forests, but what really floored me were the wild flowers that sometimes were over our head and expansive meadows that were miles long with not another living soul in sight. Amazing. Unfortunately, the wildflowers, huckleberries and thimbleberries had also grown over much of the trail and had, for lack of better words, “consumed” our path. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2nV62Ysad5T87JCLNZvh_t-RoGIHvJmtUf-YZjRDHxP9-bLTDfV2arKf9WZTgKtbPiWS_FuG9XdA5vOUkNTtIrE5a3jbBhU9WyAuPeHkr6-auVIpiIeL0-nTuiTX9rbOseVN/s2048/IMG_7364.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim2nV62Ysad5T87JCLNZvh_t-RoGIHvJmtUf-YZjRDHxP9-bLTDfV2arKf9WZTgKtbPiWS_FuG9XdA5vOUkNTtIrE5a3jbBhU9WyAuPeHkr6-auVIpiIeL0-nTuiTX9rbOseVN/w640-h480/IMG_7364.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7DxLCIOgNdCm2XA9H07-jPARDAljqjzd9FzVMDQ54HJMS5SFzRflQQFrYZBDFc_F6BRX-1pug3H3bmblf0cJTz8UJzvm3fkZl7zvhsinaQFnGeBDYmVvQ1xNc4-ZgXdWnlpc-/s2048/IMG_7359.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7DxLCIOgNdCm2XA9H07-jPARDAljqjzd9FzVMDQ54HJMS5SFzRflQQFrYZBDFc_F6BRX-1pug3H3bmblf0cJTz8UJzvm3fkZl7zvhsinaQFnGeBDYmVvQ1xNc4-ZgXdWnlpc-/w640-h480/IMG_7359.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></div><p></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At 6.5 miles, according to my watch, we were nowhere near Goose Lake. This was disappointing. We were hot and tired. And I should have known not to trust my watch. The week before we had picked huckleberries at Mt. Spokane and my watch’s GPS said I had gone 10 miles, when I had really done about 6. So at 8 miles we reached Goose Lake and at 10 miles we are at one of the Trio Lakes, which is the only one of the "trio" with a really nice campsite. My Gaia GPS told me that we had gone 7.5. OK! </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The first order of business was to get naked and go swimming. The water was cold but not as cold as most alpine lakes I have hiked into. It felt SO GOOD! </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We set up our camp and made dinner, and we realized that I had forgot the wine. Oh oh. I had also forgot (misplaced) the hand sanitizer and the cribbage board and cards. Boy oh boy, my hyper-vigilance and constant state of worry has really been disarmed since retirement (and counseling and wonderful medication). That’s the way it goes. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovfBxe3BIIKkm375pbt-fb6_CzTlnjKScYS4ukJSpPNuC_7nM3XlLBJ9Fey-ZkRR8zrM925sLhYCcNdv6IPqtNfeN26MiYKwrRCDkbTABxViqWhAh_dWyJhqMlNX2NmJGcGSY/s2922/IMG_7368.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="2922" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovfBxe3BIIKkm375pbt-fb6_CzTlnjKScYS4ukJSpPNuC_7nM3XlLBJ9Fey-ZkRR8zrM925sLhYCcNdv6IPqtNfeN26MiYKwrRCDkbTABxViqWhAh_dWyJhqMlNX2NmJGcGSY/w640-h236/IMG_7368.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Last year, we purchased backpacking camp chairs and they are wonderful. Totally worth the extra pound or so. We had a great evening. Tea and cookies took the place of the wine and were a fine substitute. In the middle of the night, a storm brought rain and high winds. Sarah sprung into action before I had a chance and had the tent fly up and over us immediately. The wind was extreme and really buffeted our tent. My sleeping mat was comfy. I had my usual light sleeping bag with a down comforter and a great little pillow. Same with Sarah. The rain pelted. The wind was ceaseless. My hearing aids were happily charging next to me. So cozy!!! And back to sleep.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the morning, Sarah was concerned because we saw very few fish jumping and she was apologetic. This was the main reason she wanted to go to this lake. No worries! For the first time ever, I brought along some watercolors and a pen. At least I remembered these! </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have a Tenkara fishing rod (a gift from my brother Joe) and some flies that Joe had tied. The beauty of this rod is that there is no reel. It is super light and telescopes out of a very small package and into a very long rod. I caught a really nice cutthroat which I released immediately (more like it released itself). That was good enough for me. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzaoWax-Bd9uH4oWH38ZDgL99dLdXLsfQcIJCe68EOzy0FbZalaLjsN4Pkll15MSeWm0qte6G9wpTU' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then onto some painting. I haven’t done water colors in such a long time. I don’t think I have ever brought any art supplies with me backpacking. But, I will from now on!</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuAdmdhkZgSTbuFjKryeOb4JVWF7VRvLtsbdG-ELGybUNjAryadQGEappGnBjS1yiiU6pYoCNosBPS1XgZH6JbZ69FvUK7Z1GpDHyrg1Blv8RQqy1yVNmn_bHoQ_u-gQzhyIK/s2048/IMG_2175.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuAdmdhkZgSTbuFjKryeOb4JVWF7VRvLtsbdG-ELGybUNjAryadQGEappGnBjS1yiiU6pYoCNosBPS1XgZH6JbZ69FvUK7Z1GpDHyrg1Blv8RQqy1yVNmn_bHoQ_u-gQzhyIK/w400-h300/IMG_2175.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A quick little painting - </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJViI3m06GH57QzpR-57sZjn3S_iEFAELk9cfG-LWZnIclBovXY5dmPl8ZIBQDzMQItr4BXDaBkIVQbxqhUNJu5TpRCLMbUKXzR0GHbf8kL2ixrlSU3AGGgom72UY8g9gHhlQ/s2048/IMG_7431.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJViI3m06GH57QzpR-57sZjn3S_iEFAELk9cfG-LWZnIclBovXY5dmPl8ZIBQDzMQItr4BXDaBkIVQbxqhUNJu5TpRCLMbUKXzR0GHbf8kL2ixrlSU3AGGgom72UY8g9gHhlQ/w300-h400/IMG_7431.jpeg" width="300" /></span></a></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And a sketch of an idea for my next big old oil painting. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzbX3tBzoeEmtA1ZnHT-tEMUUfpdLBvyYg4Lqa24Z0cdjcq-Qw5fhZs8khYWrtvRUuq_6Vnzgdi6K2jA6229U3qKRD5I036tAC4TCMzXEK9E4mWs-D_OubPO7IbHNR_QJdm7b/s2048/IMG_7433.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzbX3tBzoeEmtA1ZnHT-tEMUUfpdLBvyYg4Lqa24Z0cdjcq-Qw5fhZs8khYWrtvRUuq_6Vnzgdi6K2jA6229U3qKRD5I036tAC4TCMzXEK9E4mWs-D_OubPO7IbHNR_QJdm7b/w300-h400/IMG_7433.jpeg" width="300" /></span></a></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A day of total relaxation, although Sarah did a short hike to one of the other trio of lakes. I fished, read, painted and snoozed. </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We ate great meals (thank you Sarah)! The next morning, when we hiked out, we counted 28 trees, or piles of trees, that we had to crawl over, under or around. My legs were bloodied by the end of the trip. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCjLJw0uw77Kk_HFKr22RPVtEhmNoflHdPJKp1jLnN3OMcTLATlXyzyMaE5mOW446hWLH1fsA8pbXs_LsPT68kOcSAkHfnuOsRfwXGsE47ZBWH668gDgfA5zyYUxewMEcf2sr/s2048/IMG_7395.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1875" data-original-width="2048" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCjLJw0uw77Kk_HFKr22RPVtEhmNoflHdPJKp1jLnN3OMcTLATlXyzyMaE5mOW446hWLH1fsA8pbXs_LsPT68kOcSAkHfnuOsRfwXGsE47ZBWH668gDgfA5zyYUxewMEcf2sr/s320/IMG_7395.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We were both exhausted, but we made it to Saltese’s Montana Bar and Grill (now mostly a casino) and had an excellent meal and then onto home. </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We’ve been back in Spokane for a couple of days now, but often my mind is not here. Standing in those boggy meadows, watching an owl swoop up, staring at wolf scat and expecting to see a grizzly sunning herself in the steamy grass, I felt at home and I miss that feeling. If the coneflowers, thimbleberries, huckleberries, honeysuckles, asters, and trees have anything to say about it, this trail is unlikely to exist next year.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffipH_sFEugOu9cEuIYCVhJXIzfdCdxr4PresO7ISbRwEcVzYqvtBxhFVDsjxeAqysRoJ8c-LXLDcomA_tWS0Pp6vwKd37reCJnR_NK6eF1Bk53HA6tp-EKAH0aJaGJiKnVcW/s2048/IMG_7371+%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2048" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffipH_sFEugOu9cEuIYCVhJXIzfdCdxr4PresO7ISbRwEcVzYqvtBxhFVDsjxeAqysRoJ8c-LXLDcomA_tWS0Pp6vwKd37reCJnR_NK6eF1Bk53HA6tp-EKAH0aJaGJiKnVcW/w400-h313/IMG_7371+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-5751735435951362452021-08-06T14:28:00.002-07:002021-08-06T14:28:20.605-07:00Garden Tour 2021<p> No one asked for this video. </p><p>It's a garden. Vegetables grow in it. Earthworms move underneath it. Water trickles through it. In other words, the excitement is almost unbearable. </p><p>Enjoy?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="371" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-ydgKKUOv8k" width="447" youtube-src-id="-ydgKKUOv8k"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-74572328281435840022021-07-23T07:37:00.002-07:002021-07-23T07:37:56.646-07:00Haiku Friday, July 23rd 2021<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="361" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CiXZ8yJJlW8" width="434" youtube-src-id="CiXZ8yJJlW8"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://haikufriday.com" target="_blank">Here is the website for Haiku Friday.</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/spokanarama/featured">The Spokanarama youtube channel.</a></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-17790116586808549032020-10-29T09:13:00.003-07:002020-10-29T09:15:38.980-07:00The Economic Cost of Hate... And a few more thoughts.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8RZKYxNx-6Kp37C6p2UaucCcatT03Es8p_r9V_uTL7S9kcO6XDoDGNBbPwEPq5cpNz8XMhFSy2ldAhtyaVW915AkRQagpaJPnnNkGozj3IwQofoUEENPd7MOvS6Eia8aybx2/s309/rainbowevergreensmall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8RZKYxNx-6Kp37C6p2UaucCcatT03Es8p_r9V_uTL7S9kcO6XDoDGNBbPwEPq5cpNz8XMhFSy2ldAhtyaVW915AkRQagpaJPnnNkGozj3IwQofoUEENPd7MOvS6Eia8aybx2/s0/rainbowevergreensmall.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Now that I’m retired, my brain is craving some interaction with people who want to teach me something! Last week, I attended a webinar, via Zoom, on the economic cost of hate. This talk was focused on the cost of hate aimed primarily toward the LGBTQ community.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This event was provided by Ken Stern of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate. The presentation was made by Lee Badgett, an economist who recently authored the book <i>The Economic Case for LGBT Equality: Why Fair & Equal Treatment Benefits Us All. </i></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here is a summary of the points made by Dr. Badgett:</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Her work is focused on the economic quantification of bigotry. It is all about numbers and data and is meant to appeal to those looking at the “bottom line.” </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The cost of hate begins to accumulate as early as elementary school. One person who was bullied as a child said that it was like going to war every day. And like a war, bullying can be costly. Studies have shown that bullying reduces GPAs, increases absenteeism and drop-out rates. An LGBT student is more likely to be bullied. Not surprisingly, bullying is bad for the entire school and this is reflected in test scores and rankings. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This cost continues into adulthood. Gay men, with the same education and work history as their straight counterparts, make, on the average, 11% less. In studies where applicants’ resumes reflected an affiliation with the LGBT community, the applicant was much less likely to move onto the next phase of a job interview. Studies show that for every nine interviews made, a straight man will get the job. It takes a gay man fourteen interviews to do the same. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Stigma makes you sick. Minority stress is a real thing and it just doesn't affect LGBT people, but all people whose demographics are underrepresented in a field. Women in predominately male professions, black people in a predominately white profession, etc. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Discriminatory policies prevent businesses from hiring or keeping good employees. Studies back up the fact that businesses with anti-discriminatory policies increase their stock prices, their productivity and their profits. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">She talked about the so-called bathroom bill which North Carolina put in place preventing transgender people from using gender-appropriate restrooms. This move cost the state four-billion dollars in lost revenue. Businesses that were going to relocate there, didn't relocate. Conventions and events that were going to take place there, went some place else. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Countries with progressively better treatment of the LGBT community, had a progressively better GDP. In emerging economies, one additional LGBT right afforded brought in an additional $320 increase to the per-capita GDP. In already-established economies, this one additional right brought in a $1,065 increase to GDP. On the flip side, the stigma of becoming incrementally</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> anti-LGBT costs a national economy. The conservative estimate of this cost was a loss of one-percent of GDP. </span></span></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Making positive LGBT policy changes in an organization or a state or nation complements that entity’s promotion of human rights and opens doors. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The author concluded that three things should come out of these studies:</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><ol>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">There needs to be more resources for LGBT organizations.</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">Policies and laws need to change.</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">There needs to be more and better data. </span></span></li>
</ol><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Dr. Badgett took about 20 minutes to outline her book and the rest of the hour was devoted to questions. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I believe that this “economic cost” perspective is an important vector for our community to push in promoting equity and justice for all. But, one thing kind of nagged at me, so I asked the question: “Short of boycotts, In your experience, have you found that anti-LGBT politicians (not business leaders) in the United States are swayed by the data you presented?</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Her short answer was “probably not.”</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here is the webinar if you are interested.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NsFxIsCVzj0" width="560"></iframe> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Or a link can be found <a href="https://youtu.be/NsFxIsCVzj0" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, the webinar made me think about some issues. If you want to know what I am thinking, please keep reading.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I suppose that if the only way to get a business to do the right thing is to show them the bottom line, that’s better than them not doing the right thing, in spite of the bottom line. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I applaud the work being done to promote anti-hate as a “logical” position for financial success. Fortunately, today we live in an era where that can happen. In other words, in the past, a slave-based business enterprise might be be hard-pressed to acknowledge the economic logic of anti-hate.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The question I asked Dr. Badgett underlies my main concern. Politicians whose base is composed of ideologues will not be swayed by a logic which endangers their livelihood. In fact, if conservative politicians decide to follow the logical route, thereby creating a platform position which contradicts the programmed worldview of their constituents, they will be “primaried” out. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is not a new phenomenon, nor is it endemic to the extreme right. Any longterm plan of promotion of “liberty and justice for all” cannot ignore it. I think this closed mindset deserves to be studied and addressed, in order to understand and eventually overcome it. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Rand corporation conducted a study decades ago which highlights this problem. The conservative think tank found that it was five times more economical to spend money upstream when it comes to the prevention of crime. In other words, for every dollar a government spent on childhood education, free breakfasts and lunches in school (or any government spending which studies have shown prevents a child from slipping into a life of crime) the state would not spend five dollars to incarcerate these children later on in life. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You would think that this would have spurred an increase in Head Start and other programs. Again, this study was made by the conservative-leaning Rand Corporation. They did not address altruism, just the economic bottom line. This study had almost zero impact on politicians, let alone their constituents. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One might project this phenomenon into the larger world, as well. We used to spend a lot of money in other countries to win the hearts and minds of those citizens. It was an effective foreign policy too, and brought results. Many people in our nation decried this as a “waste of money.” So much so, that today the United States is at the bottom of the list of nations which render foreign aid (as a percentage of GDP). Now, we find that the United State’s defense budget is more than all of our potential enemies’ budgets combined. I believe the budget number is closer to the rest of the entire world’s defense budget combined. Yet, you don't hear much of an outcry about this spending from those who, otherwise, like to think of themselves as “conservative.” But, you did hear from them complaining about our more effective, more economical foreign aid - a lot. Why is this?</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In my opinion, it is pretty obvious that we are more than willing to spend money ineffectively, and without any regard to the outcome, as long as that money is spent satisfying a visceral desire to hurt others and not help them. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I don’t think we used to be this way. Today, I don't think the majority of our nation operates this way, either. Those who embrace a costly hate-based economics are in the minority. But due to voter suppression, gerrymandering and an undemocratic system which gives this minority of people in our nation sway over the majority, it really doesn't matter. This minority seems outspoken in their desire to spend more money to exacerbate a problem than less money to solve it, especially when this spending promotes cruelty. Witness the economic cost of locking hundreds of children up as a deterrent to immigrants seeking to cross our border. You can almost hear their chants “Lock them up!” Granted “Effective immigration policy, now!” is not very catchy.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Now that we have lost track of the parents of our child prisoners, we have a dilemma - hundreds of children that we must now do something with. Whatever the solution, it will be costly. And knowing that a hateful minority calls the shots, rest assured, it will also be cruel. What the Trump administration did to these children (and what they might yet do to them) is an expense we bare, not only in dollars, but also costs our national character and our standing in the world. We have shown the world who we are, and all Americans will forever bear the brunt. For the promoters of this cruelty and to the average Americans who support them, this seems well worth it. They will continue to feel this way right up until the time when the economic and societal chickens come home to roost. When this happens, they will conveniently forget they were ever supportive of this international crime. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Most who supported incarcerating these children will forget they did so. More than likely, these are the same ignorant, arrogant bunch who rah-rah’ed us into the Iraq War and then when things went sour, said they were never for the war in the first place. As a point of clarification, when I say “ignorant” and “arrogant” I say this not as a pejorative. I mean it in the sense that, in my life, I have never witnessed so many average citizens who proclaim they know more about global warming than climate scientists, know more than epidemiologists about pandemics, know more than constitutional scholars about the constitution, know more about human gender biology than biologists, etc. In other words, “ignorant” and “arrogant.”</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You might be picking up from me that, in the United States, our political decisions often do not reflect an underlying logic but only an underlying cruelty. This cruelty, oftentimes, does not only extend to others. Sometimes, we turn this illogical cruelty inward, toward ourselves. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A worker whose employer spends a thousand dollars a month for that worker’s health insurance, on top of the thousand dollars a month the worker themselves pay, might take a look at the world and note that the United States is the only place where this bilking takes place. They may also note that, not only do we spend twice as much as the next highest spending nation, our health outcomes are near the bottom of all nations in the world. An employee, if motivated by the bottom line, or their health, might want to vote for politicians who would work toward changing this system. All other countries have already done so. But here, the ignorant and the arrogant do not change course, no matter what the data says. That is, again, until everything crashes down around them. When this happens, they will forget they were ever driving the train. As stated before, these folks are the minority, but, thanks to what our system has become, they call the shots. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If I wanted to promote a self-interest rationale for not automatically excluding others because of the color of their skin, their “LGBTness,” or any other bigotry, I think I have the ticket. Namely, just from a selfish perspective, why would I want to arbitrarily narrow the field of people who have the potential to be in my life? Why would I not want to meet and befriend someone who would care for me, make me laugh, help me out or otherwise hang out with me? If I was a business owner, why would I want to exclude some candidates who possessed the skill-set my business needed? Maybe the best candidate might be among the excluded. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When Trump instituted the ban on transgender people serving in the military, some of my conservative friends thought this was a good thing. They said, “Being in the military is not a right but a privilege.” Really, they said this. Apparently, they unwittingly now understand the concept of “privilege.” My response to them was one that I have heard every general and admiral echo in asking, “Why shouldn't we want to hire the best people for the job? Sometimes, these people are transgender.” Quite simply, the reason why my conservative friends held this irrational belief contrary to the logical belief held by leaders of our military, was that they did not care so much for the success of our military, as much as they wanted to exclude others and hurt them. This brought them some emotional pleasure. Cruelty once again “trumping” logic.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I understand that excluding a group of people from possible economic success, from taking part in society, sweeping them from the mainstream and pushing them to the margins, might make some people feel better about themselves. For some reason, hurting other people - like jailing adults instead of feeding them as children, or locking up undocumented immigrant children in cages really appeals to a certain ideological bent. Think about the people who fought against marriage equality. It had nothing to do with their religion. No one was forcing any religion to marry same-sex couples. It had nothing to do with same-sex marriage being an attack on other-sex marriage. It was simply a way to ensure gay people did not have the same rights and opportunities that they had. Same with not letting trans people use the restrooms of their gender. Like marriage, being able to go to use a public restroom is a pretty basic human right. Remove that right, and the people you don't like cannot go out to eat, go to movies, go to school, etc. Cruelty’s triumph over logic.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I think the problem is that our country is now divided into two basic groups. There is an inflammatory term for one of these groups, which I will refrain from. So, how about "Empathetic people" and "Sociopaths"? "Kind" and "Unkind"? "Logical" and "Irrational"? Whatever you want to call them, there are two distinct groups of people - those who are irrational and want to hurt others and those who are logical and empathetic. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I am glad that business are looking at the bottom line… now, and that most businesses know that hate costs. I believe that in our public life there has to be a multifaceted approach to ensure rationality and justice eventually overrule hate and inequity. Here is what I would suggest:</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><ol>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">Restore a type of democracy to the United States. Fix the electoral college. Eliminate gerrymandering. Make one person’s vote count the same as another person’s vote. Make the senate more representative. Eliminate voter suppression. Institute campaign finance reform.</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">Show voters what their decisions cost them economically. Send them a bill for locking children up. Send them a bill for the Iraq War. Send them a bill for incarcerating people that would not have been incarcerated if we took care of the problem early on in their lives.</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">Show people that it is a courageous thing to change one’s mind when one is confronted with facts. In other words, show how news outlets like Fox may make you feel more comfortable, but they are not helping you become more informed. In fact, they are making you more ignorant and lazy. The data is there for the ignorant part. The laziness factor is my own hypothesis. </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">Know the costs to your children when you raise them to be unempathetic (sociopaths) and illogical. Know the costs to yourself when you operate the same way. </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">Teach children critical thinking in school. I suspect that there may be a bigger backlash for this than the current brouhaha over sex ed. Some parents may be fearful that their children will become critical thinkers. Logic may undermine their household. </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">Instill pride in our nation. Not blind faith, but a realization that we collectively own what we are and what we will become. Be an active fixer for what is broke. When we eventually have a democracy, our national character should be a reflection of the overall character of its people. Right now, it is not. </span></span></li>
</ol><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I’m sure there are more, but this is a start. </span></span></p><p>
</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-75604114584961462202020-10-18T11:45:00.028-07:002020-10-18T12:18:58.639-07:00Making apples into apple-ade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">A couple of years ago, I bought one of these telescoping fruit pickers.</span></div><p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbBudNY5v_AZXPebYnjACwrsopZBpRIm_-xpiNtx6dwEE9jjinEGMuNF0l0EUIa-M1nAjmqzEUjsbb7iNS-QEoF8hftRnm6nM27aKq-7gGKYvTS5W4xDNc_5ba4ST2JFjJ7WJ/s1440/91BvrgQWG5L._AC_SL1440_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbBudNY5v_AZXPebYnjACwrsopZBpRIm_-xpiNtx6dwEE9jjinEGMuNF0l0EUIa-M1nAjmqzEUjsbb7iNS-QEoF8hftRnm6nM27aKq-7gGKYvTS5W4xDNc_5ba4ST2JFjJ7WJ/s320/91BvrgQWG5L._AC_SL1440_.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">So much of the fruit in our prune tree was inaccessible and having one of these eliminated the need to climb up and down a ladder, and kept overripe fruit from being squished into the sidewalk a</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">nd stre</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">et. </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">This September, we had a harvest of about 100 pounds of really nice Italian prunes. Dried some and ate a bunch right away. So good! There’s also five gallons of wine and another five gallons of plum/ginger/hopped melomel fermenting downstairs. <br />
</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">After walking past so many apple trees this year with fruit rotting underfoot, I resolved to contact neighbors to see if I could use my fruit picker to pick some of their apples before they too were wasted. If I remember correctly, my friend John had done a similar thing with abandoned apple trees he had found around town. </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">A hallmark of apple trees in Spokane is that, if you don't spray them with chemicals, they are bound to be badly damaged from apple maggots. They can really look quite gnarly, However, they still have juice in them. And where there is juice, there is always the potential for fermentation.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp09d0uuhOq_EuGURbYiytsr58u-RjDiSeRo7tUhzmiv_da7IImbQLtQb-XNoc6LuRbo47T8mkvxmL6OGDOKr3IRwfNa90xiaAymcZ3bMV27mDehyphenhyphenFddmIxmTyEWy7HXBb9EnV/s2048/IMG_5253.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1379" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp09d0uuhOq_EuGURbYiytsr58u-RjDiSeRo7tUhzmiv_da7IImbQLtQb-XNoc6LuRbo47T8mkvxmL6OGDOKr3IRwfNa90xiaAymcZ3bMV27mDehyphenhyphenFddmIxmTyEWy7HXBb9EnV/s320/IMG_5253.jpg" /></a></div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: helvetica;"><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">For most of my life, I have been a person who is a little shy (I know some of you will find that hard to believe), and have never been an overly sociable sort. And now being an out trans person, I know I can make some people feel uncomfortable. But, damn it, I wanted apples! </span></span><p></p><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">
</span><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">I utilized my Nextdoor app on my phone. Hitherto, I had only used it to post things like “I found a can of beans in an intersection. Did anyone lose a can of beans?” or “I am thinking of thatching my roof with thatch brought up from my lawn. Does anyone have any suggestions?” You know, “conversation starters.” For the first time, I had an actual request: </span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>APPLES NEEDED</b></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><b></b></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hi, if you have an unsprayed apple tree (aka wormy) that you would like to have picked before the fruit hits the ground, please let me know. I bought a very small cider press and want to give it a whirl. Thanks!</span></b></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">The response was almost instantaneous. I received invite after invite. I settled on those neighbors closest to me. Many were within walking distance. One very kind neighbor said that she was at her daughter’s place in Idaho and would bring me back some apples. She did. About one-hundred pounds of some very beautiful apples and some gorgeous plums. So very kind! </span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">Sometimes the apples that I picked were plentiful and beautiful. Sometimes they were beautiful but not so plentiful. Other times there were just a few almost perfect apples on the tree. Sometimes, the apples were too far gone to use. But, no matter what the tree was like, I met so many wonderful neighbors! I had great conversations with them. I stepped out of my comfort zone and really enjoyed their company. Now that I am retired, like a lot of people these days, my social interactions are pretty limited and mostly over Zoom. While picking, I kept my distance as we chatted and, thanks to my awesome new hearing aids, I could hear our conversations! I also had my buff around my neck ready to pull up over my nose and mouth just in case. </span></p><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWvnMEzjXd2DC7dkglUGPqfwmlfHHx6LHd5of5TYmOQBeDssNJyD_UCJSx80pURUtdCplSZPmIJ3SOyC_CWZk8mhNWPrbdmxfAk9HmkYsnalXGS_8_bBtb9JDfMhvlL362ovM/s2048/IMG_5254.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWvnMEzjXd2DC7dkglUGPqfwmlfHHx6LHd5of5TYmOQBeDssNJyD_UCJSx80pURUtdCplSZPmIJ3SOyC_CWZk8mhNWPrbdmxfAk9HmkYsnalXGS_8_bBtb9JDfMhvlL362ovM/s320/IMG_5254.jpg" /></a></div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">My son Aidan and I weighed the apples, and they came in at just over two-hundred pounds. According to what I have read, it takes 80 pounds of pressed apples to make five gallons of cider. </span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;"> </span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">Now on to the pressing matters!</span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">Last month I bought a small cider press (1.6 gallons). I searched all over town to find one and there were none to be had. I spent $65 for one online. The plan was to use it to press the Italian prunes from our trees. I did and it was a mess! I finally just ran the plums through the blender and made fermentables out of that. </span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">So, along with my plum picker, this little press was crying out to be used. </span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">Sarah and I have made cider before at a friend’s home. One of the crucial pieces of equipment is an apple shredder or chunker. When you press apples, you don't usually press the whole apple. It's the chunks (pomace) that get pressed. Again, there were no chunkers to be had in town so I looked to buy one online. They were all over $100 and it was going to take a very long time to get one. So I had to improvise. </span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">On the morning of the cider making, Aidan and Natalie came over and we went through all the apples, got rid of some of the more rotten ones and the ones that had been chewed up by squirrels. We then washed all the apples with a very mild very watered-down solution of detergent. Then the apples were rinsed off and we moved them into the garage. </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Rf6wZWQqT9xC3zzo4ZJC81_SOs-HMxS8U-1Yuql7A09Q1x-8PcLUIa6xirzAeS1EyO6rtQg2OdwktVp3OssmsAr966cJSfiSTQvIHLQpjutb6H4Ufj6GrgjKGXrTwIplyTCH/s2048/IMG_5212.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Rf6wZWQqT9xC3zzo4ZJC81_SOs-HMxS8U-1Yuql7A09Q1x-8PcLUIa6xirzAeS1EyO6rtQg2OdwktVp3OssmsAr966cJSfiSTQvIHLQpjutb6H4Ufj6GrgjKGXrTwIplyTCH/s320/IMG_5212.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">It was raining so hard that day! My newly-placed rain barrels (another project) filled up fast. So, with the rain, we had to move the whole operation indoors. We moved the cars out of the garage. Gave the mess a good sweep and set up our operation. </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">
</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">We put up a screen and had <i>The Cult of Chuck</i>y playing in the background for a good Halloween vibe.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL50ZtnYJgWXDW5W1ZKSZ6ewkSnGBggydUD1oMjL9HIVJS0VOVXbjdMuDyiKxn53Hihd41iJ_BxqvuIOGLDrRUm7trGHlEg_VtRxunxeP8FZVZyOUlc-2d1bDQPIZE4KNbHVsn/s2048/IMG_5213.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL50ZtnYJgWXDW5W1ZKSZ6ewkSnGBggydUD1oMjL9HIVJS0VOVXbjdMuDyiKxn53Hihd41iJ_BxqvuIOGLDrRUm7trGHlEg_VtRxunxeP8FZVZyOUlc-2d1bDQPIZE4KNbHVsn/s320/IMG_5213.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpySpTvKkkJJ1b77IeWRQgbiPSu0CsP_2a8M-En2dlLx9eYTtezLqMlAGvFvJ-UHRbdEazCY5RIgspAViZEtH2ZbfvQbYJKZo2g6oe9nn5QYt1wswxKxd2Rz8M3mZB8V9VOxy3/s2048/IMG_5218.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2045" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpySpTvKkkJJ1b77IeWRQgbiPSu0CsP_2a8M-En2dlLx9eYTtezLqMlAGvFvJ-UHRbdEazCY5RIgspAViZEtH2ZbfvQbYJKZo2g6oe9nn5QYt1wswxKxd2Rz8M3mZB8V9VOxy3/s320/IMG_5218.jpg" /></a></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We couldn't really follow what was going on, but we enjoyed the voice work of Brad Dourif as Chucky (his daughter is in the movie too. Like Aidan says, she has her dad’s eyebrows).</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KFGcvZQNByE" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">We then decided to put <i>Dune</i> on instead. I haven't seen that movie in a couple of years. And then I remembered that Brad Dourif is in this movie, as well. He played Piter De Vries, the mentat for the Harkonnens. </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EMBb_tPPA8E" width="560"></iframe> </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">Ike and Aidan, when they were little, wanted to be Harkonnens for Halloween. We talked them out of it. </span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">Anyway, I digress….</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-size: medium;">Apples were quartered. Really bad pieces were thrown into the compostable bin.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFiU56GyGXhFBPFnXZLvf5Fi7Z5Pk1Km8ln2OD1A2cEqN43vea1CbpyKTJD3cALshmhXujJvlvb1TTzObi6cAGu87sNjS2Jm4l3NEO1rUjOX-zsEV56evIEde2vlQHbQL3eYr/s2048/IMG_5214.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFiU56GyGXhFBPFnXZLvf5Fi7Z5Pk1Km8ln2OD1A2cEqN43vea1CbpyKTJD3cALshmhXujJvlvb1TTzObi6cAGu87sNjS2Jm4l3NEO1rUjOX-zsEV56evIEde2vlQHbQL3eYr/s320/IMG_5214.jpg" /></a></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Quartered apples were placed into a bucket until the bucket was about a third full. This was the improvised apple chunker. A sanitized sledge hammer was used to churn these apples in the bucket. The apples were further demolished by using a drill attachment used for mixing drywall mud. It had been sanitized as well. This made an OK slurry of apple juice, finely chunked apples and some remaining quartered apples. </span><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGwmqtrnscgmYas4NzBypTSYO3NcEKFf2VFLsmwnQaptpTDJgFhXATqJ3AR0-pmgrQKhBAGJIMsc3r-gR3ZzUKZu3r2lcDrG4X_KVzK0_4N-je0rmIoDL8zXqBqRBNTgmvAYF/s2048/IMG_5227.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGwmqtrnscgmYas4NzBypTSYO3NcEKFf2VFLsmwnQaptpTDJgFhXATqJ3AR0-pmgrQKhBAGJIMsc3r-gR3ZzUKZu3r2lcDrG4X_KVzK0_4N-je0rmIoDL8zXqBqRBNTgmvAYF/s320/IMG_5227.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">The slurry was dumped into the press. The press has a mesh bag in it. There is a hole in the bottom of the mesh bag to allow the jack bolt to protrude through it. I had made a frame that the press was screwed into. This frame was clamped to the work table.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjrH10Npa4Mk2ZUobpK2lr_PsjguBRHHAEJfChfWr2NdYWZL6wKVH0PKtJoifb4e22dJ06J3P1i1mLdpSE4RPWWK1e6eXeKkLLZMzYFLwrUHk1sq6TTD25ab97IBYN2xs3StUb/s2048/IMG_5220.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjrH10Npa4Mk2ZUobpK2lr_PsjguBRHHAEJfChfWr2NdYWZL6wKVH0PKtJoifb4e22dJ06J3P1i1mLdpSE4RPWWK1e6eXeKkLLZMzYFLwrUHk1sq6TTD25ab97IBYN2xs3StUb/s320/IMG_5220.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">The juice ran into the bucket until it was almost full. I am guessing that each 1.6 gallon basket of apples rendered 3 cups of juice. Maybe. </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhGH1GuCDrSMOExdrzOiwTDBXPiCQ2a8MBM_HldYkOku-4K5KOMhZ4tii8JZEES3UYUQDWsLofQp_PQ9o1vRPH5r9hiu0DZzdtq4jRgu7q1mt2s7OoGyW5rgJqesmIBKbLtl5/s2048/IMG_5221.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhGH1GuCDrSMOExdrzOiwTDBXPiCQ2a8MBM_HldYkOku-4K5KOMhZ4tii8JZEES3UYUQDWsLofQp_PQ9o1vRPH5r9hiu0DZzdtq4jRgu7q1mt2s7OoGyW5rgJqesmIBKbLtl5/s320/IMG_5221.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: large; text-align: left;">The juiced chunks were saved to make compost. </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">Out of the 200 pounds of apples pressed, we gathered about seven gallons of juice. This was a lot less than I expected. We should have pressed just under 15 gallons (if my math is correct). I believe the poor job of chunking contributed a lot to the shortage. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">Five gallons of the juice is now fermenting as a straight-up cider. No sugar added. Just some yeast. </span>The cider took off - fermenting really quickly. </span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">The two gallons of juice that were left was mixed with some cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, sugar and dehydrated cranberries that have been in our cupboard for the last 10 years. </span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">This wacky mix, which I guess one would call a cyser (usually a mix of honey and apple cider) did not take off. The specific gravity of it was really very high. It should be bubbling away! I put a heating mat under it. I even stuck it in the sauna for a bit. I pitched more yeast into it. I was puzzled. Then, at 3 a.m. this morning, almost a week later, it dawned on me - THE CRANBERRIES! I bet those suckers were loaded with preservatives. Hence why the big bag of them looked the same last week as they did ten years ago. No wonder there was no fermentation. Dang…</span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">This morning, with Sarah’s help, I strained out the cranberries (and also removed the nutmeg and cinnamon). I don't know if this will be enough to get the mix going again. We will see!</span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">Next year, my plan is to start earlier. I will try to get more apples. I have had many people since tell me about their trees they would also like to have picked. I am going to get a larger press. At least five gallons. They are not much more expensive than the 1.6 gallon version. But, I will have to remember to order one before autumn, because there seems to be a rush on them in September. Also, I really do need to get an apple chunker. I don't like having one tool that can only be used for one purpose. Maybe there are more things to do with an apple chunker. But, the lack of one was really the shortcoming in the whole operation. It is an absolute necessity. </span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">The best part of this operation was getting to meet so many nice people and reconnect with so many neighbors. I kind of helped them by removing from their trees the wormy little suckers that they were going to have to pick up later. They really helped me by letting me have their apples. Over the last few months, between my recent retirement and the Covid restrictions, I have had really limited contact with others. It felt so good to talk (socially distant) with people who I had never met before. That was something I did all the time when I worked for the fire department. I miss that a lot. </span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">The time with my family was so good too. The four of us - Sarah, Natalie, Aidan and I worked together in a common project. This will be a great memory!</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfN7VDjnSYBFD9NoQbQaSzU_SUF5Tpt4g0ohWTHWSMKREZXdZ2Q9gdcXKwRgQmhluJnBU0n0KPHCklI4PDcbTnvf0-TQgtOOVnOJUBcxIuPCDe0N_hl0szOOTz8n_6sq05P7MS/s2048/IMG_5223.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfN7VDjnSYBFD9NoQbQaSzU_SUF5Tpt4g0ohWTHWSMKREZXdZ2Q9gdcXKwRgQmhluJnBU0n0KPHCklI4PDcbTnvf0-TQgtOOVnOJUBcxIuPCDe0N_hl0szOOTz8n_6sq05P7MS/s320/IMG_5223.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: medium;">And hopefully, we can ring in a better year for everyone, with a glass of cider or two!</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQTCJYn7zBwCiwOkfmGPUKNI1RPZo1qwxlNzXsjHarUt2kJ2TJuAu0r4QIw97mE-w8F0Hjani7YNjK3jnCUsVZc4KBaHzjZJEmcGapzJZx0hGM5tAd62gl1m12DiStcUYLcRq/s1484/wormtongue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1484" data-original-width="1118" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQTCJYn7zBwCiwOkfmGPUKNI1RPZo1qwxlNzXsjHarUt2kJ2TJuAu0r4QIw97mE-w8F0Hjani7YNjK3jnCUsVZc4KBaHzjZJEmcGapzJZx0hGM5tAd62gl1m12DiStcUYLcRq/s320/wormtongue.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Brad Douriff also played Grima Wormtongue in the last two installments of <i>The Lord of the Rings Trilogy</i> - </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(77, 81, 86); color: #4d5156;"><i>The Two Towers </i>and <i>The Return of the King.</i></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(77, 81, 86); color: #4d5156;"> </span></span><p></p></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div><span style="color: #323333; font-family: Helvetica;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(50, 51, 51); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; text-align: left;"> </span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div></span></div>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8208202.post-57111743168438892612020-08-19T11:29:00.002-07:002020-08-19T14:45:16.922-07:00Beware the goat...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkic6PRVILAJH7P_49KWt7NMhPvX1j8O74shJLCBwW3ZSlbwbZpLGnNBmGvJWxceh_qPMR0zkZTCOve_T7FDH_t5tc4bwSBbX_wFn_FjtDeqFhGMqhmyAIW4EbLvvpUmHc0TY/s2048/IMG_4537.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkic6PRVILAJH7P_49KWt7NMhPvX1j8O74shJLCBwW3ZSlbwbZpLGnNBmGvJWxceh_qPMR0zkZTCOve_T7FDH_t5tc4bwSBbX_wFn_FjtDeqFhGMqhmyAIW4EbLvvpUmHc0TY/s640/IMG_4537.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">After many years of backpacking, fishing and hunting, I recently had my first experience of meeting a creature with malice in its heart. </p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Sarah and I had planned for two days at Heart Lake, up in the mountains, on the Idaho-Montana border. Part of our itinerary was a side trip from Heart, past Pearl Lake and into the Trio Lakes. Sarah had been there earlier and had noted that the trout were good-sized. </p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">A couple of years ago, my brother had given me a Tenkara fishing rod and I had never had a chance to use it. I haven’t gone fishing for the last three years. I have to admit that the thought of harming a fish was becoming more distressing and the whole ritual of prepping for fishing was becoming too much of a hassle. I had spent years getting my kayak dialed into a delightful ramshackle fishing platform and had sold it last year. So, I really wasn’t thinking much about fishing lately.</p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And then there was the whole name change and gender marker change to look forward to in getting a new fishing license. No thanks.</p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But this Tenkara rod intrigued me. There is no reel. It telescopes out to 12 feet from a stowed position of about 16 inches. It weighs almost nothing with only about 20 feet of line on it. With just a few flies and some spare tippet, the hassle would be minimal and the weight in my backpack even less so. So, I purchased a nonresident Montana fishing license and Sarah and I started our hike up the mountains about 15 miles north of Superior.</p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The trailhead parking lot was pretty full. It turned out they were all day hikers. It’s a little over three miles from the trailhead to the edge of the lake. So, a nice day hike. At the trailhead was the obligatory “Know the Difference Between a Black Bear and a Grizzly” fact sheet. Why a hiker would need to know the difference is beyond me. I know they say that you can climb up a tree to escape a grizzly, but I think that would be hard to do whilst shitting one’s pants. </p>
<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">A really nice hike up to the lake. </p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Upon arrival, there are these signs:</p>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIcFt7ar1ZdFnHOIiEbXs6gObJXbe5u4p_AonDdSj6By2MUBJ2hanMmT7B-Y-jgbCiaKGhdCpEexh0UzN4ufne2iX7tf1154CHTm9PJxWqA-iBWX8xmLKHT2FJ-3Z1GKLRhJxB/s2048/IMG_4553.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIcFt7ar1ZdFnHOIiEbXs6gObJXbe5u4p_AonDdSj6By2MUBJ2hanMmT7B-Y-jgbCiaKGhdCpEexh0UzN4ufne2iX7tf1154CHTm9PJxWqA-iBWX8xmLKHT2FJ-3Z1GKLRhJxB/s640/IMG_4553.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA38zIIyiu4EG3tfnzEK4G4fiT5PryTHIamg59YZmED01XZrPHoaskDx2H4iM9QxKBWE2bj2O-BjjA65nqdv_GkK03EZ8YDvQmhTDCQIjrR7TdtelRdT1x-6eF9pxN62Jlf2TX/s2048/IMG_4555.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA38zIIyiu4EG3tfnzEK4G4fiT5PryTHIamg59YZmED01XZrPHoaskDx2H4iM9QxKBWE2bj2O-BjjA65nqdv_GkK03EZ8YDvQmhTDCQIjrR7TdtelRdT1x-6eF9pxN62Jlf2TX/s640/IMG_4555.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruHRD_L3XwSYm9SBa3AvjGV4Y1U2WNHxGlSrlYPlwLeFMhVw9vulaozFB_WTcDJ3KmhC9giy17_VOImjxjaZ363UR3mAqm6HD60vETvFj8ZTTjzfjAe4tIGVdEpqgd15a6tZG/s2048/IMG_4556.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruHRD_L3XwSYm9SBa3AvjGV4Y1U2WNHxGlSrlYPlwLeFMhVw9vulaozFB_WTcDJ3KmhC9giy17_VOImjxjaZ363UR3mAqm6HD60vETvFj8ZTTjzfjAe4tIGVdEpqgd15a6tZG/s640/IMG_4556.jpg" /></a></div><p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Now these are all nice signs. Much nicer than the bear one. In my only encounter with mountain goats in the past, they seemed shy and cautious. Not really worth the sign. I wasn’t planning on feeding one anyway. And I didn't think one would get close enough to be thumb-sized.</p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We hiked to the end of the lake, investigating campsites. We boulder-hopped around the inlet to the lake and discovered that the trails in and around the campsite looked like an empty goat freeway. The paths were all coated in white fur. We looked high into the ridge line above and we could make out a mountain goat peacefully snoozing on a cliff. My thoughts turned to the evening and what it would be like having pitched our tent on this goat thoroughfare, so we went back up the lake and into a nicely forested area. </p><p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9EMkuEMdRQdPHwyWM9ozlj2n2Bs_yLy7ThqHRN5wCqVEl_sJMGh7UaUkhIM-5tYzyLmJeNrwNStAL7OFm6hSUgKkTmDTDEC2AyuTVaXHSuSYBPdpzqXTH2nJJZWjn2mAMiQ-/s2048/IMG_4549.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9EMkuEMdRQdPHwyWM9ozlj2n2Bs_yLy7ThqHRN5wCqVEl_sJMGh7UaUkhIM-5tYzyLmJeNrwNStAL7OFm6hSUgKkTmDTDEC2AyuTVaXHSuSYBPdpzqXTH2nJJZWjn2mAMiQ-/s640/IMG_4549.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It was a well-used campsite with nails in trees for us to hang our water filter bag. We found a good tree about 50 yards behind us to hang our food bag. </p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I walked to go get some water at the creek right behind us. The little clearing there was a certifiable mess, with toilet paper and exposed turds rising out of the soil. Obviously this was the latrine. I couldn’t really bring myself to pull water out of a creek with all that shit around it. So, I hiked to another creek a little further away. </p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I had prepared a zucchini coconut curry for dinner and we had a little wine. For dessert, we had some really good candy of an herbal nature. We were both feeling really good. For the first time in a long time, we brought our Crazy Creek chairs ( a wedding present from 29 years ago) backpacking with us. Sitting there looking out at the lake, I felt so peaceful. Then, I experienced a feeling like I was being watched. I slowly turned around and there was a big-ass, gnarly mountain goat, about 20 feet away walking toward us. Sarah and I both rose to our feet and started shouting at it. It stopped and then reluctantly walked away. </p><p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We cleaned the dishes and then went to go put the food up in the tree. The goat had been making occasional appearances, but seemed to be enjoying munching the soiled toilet paper in the latrine area. Yuck. We were raising the bag up the tree when the goat started walking up to us. Again, we started yelling. The goat wasn’t having any of this. It kept on coming toward us. Big shiny pointy horns, mangy hair, muscly, skinny. Sort of like a starving pit bull only about four times bigger. And its eyes. To quote Robert Shaw as Quint in Jaws. </p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“It’s got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes. When it comes at you it doesn't seem to be livin'... until he bites you, and those black eyes roll over white.”</p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">We started yelling louder. It stopped. Lowering his dagger-horns atop his boulder-skull, he started pawing the ground. Shaking its head and ass, it was getting ready to send that fucking blockhead with its pointy horns right into the soft parts of me, and, or Sarah. Worse than that, if I held my thumb out, it would have been much bigger. </p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I slowly brought the bag of food down. It was now to be a weapon - a bludgeon of crackers, coffee, couscous and faux jerky. I didn’t feel that scared, just kind of befuddled that this was really happening. We stopped yelling. It stopped coming at us. It lifted its head and then walked away. We walked the short distance back to the tent, always keeping the goat in our sight.</p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I asked Sarah for a short tutorial on the bear spray. From then on out, one of us would always have it ready to go, as we protected the other when cleaning up or peeing far from our camp. </p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As we climbed into the tent, I paraphrased another line of Quint’s. </p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“We go in the tent. Tent in is the forest. We are in the forest. Goat is in the forest. Our goat.”</p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I fell asleep almost immediately. About three in the morning. I started thinking about the prospect of cutting our trip short. Maybe Sarah would think this was an overreaction. Maybe it was. </p>
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<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I have been dealing with anxiety and depression over the last 10 years. About a year ago, I started on some medication and it has really helped. Instead of reacting to things almost automatically, I have been able to hold things at arm’s length and look at them and think about the issue. Also, I retired from work almost two months ago. My job was one where some big decisions had to be made immediately. Whether on a fire or with a patient, the decision to act and the direction of that action was instantaneous. And as I laid in the tent - Sarah snoring peacefully beside me, I realized that I didn’t have to make decisions like that anymore. That felt really good. </p><p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FpESMQNM72eXXCp2W0uVkEJDGFqJNSEA-NfIzoqtoR23XUS8uWvOGnPTcz-ILVCxw0QMEwsqjKC5P5eiC-5dheZgswoeoSpAJb6PiUg7zL5hyphenhyphenv8UzzDmdm3hZKkT4SMzx_0F/s2016/IMG_1449.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FpESMQNM72eXXCp2W0uVkEJDGFqJNSEA-NfIzoqtoR23XUS8uWvOGnPTcz-ILVCxw0QMEwsqjKC5P5eiC-5dheZgswoeoSpAJb6PiUg7zL5hyphenhyphenv8UzzDmdm3hZKkT4SMzx_0F/s640/IMG_1449.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">In the morning, I told Sarah of my concerns. And she was in agreement, so we started packing up our camp. And then a baby goat sauntered into camp. And it did look pretty harmless and cute. Just like a baby shark. </p><p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #454545; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">I now understood the need for these signs. It was a quick hike down the hill. </p><div><br /></div>EvilElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15752963689118990179noreply@blogger.com0