I See Cows: 2008-10-12

Friday, October 17, 2008

Red Sox Rally

I admit, I live in New England and do not follow the Red Sox. I don't even know who their star players are, except for Dice-K from Japan. But when they do something notable - which they seem to be making a habit of doing - it's worth noting. GO SOX!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Another (scary) side of rural America

I'm glad it's not my side.

"A small town in the swing state of Ohio is where Sarah Palin addresses some of her core supporters."

It's important to note, however, that the views expressed in this clip are really on the fringe and do not reflect the thoughts of most people in this country. Still, it's fascinating in a train wreck sort of way.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Internet use is good for the brain

So says this article.

Unless you happen to land at my blog (which you just did). Kiss your gray matter goodbye.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Spaghetti Dinner at Guilford Community Church

There will be a spaghetti dinner at the Guilford Community Church on Sunday, October 19, 2008 at 6:30 PM to benefit a youth trip to a St. Croix orphanage. Adults: $10.00, Children under 12: $5.00, Families: $25.00.

Tickets are on sale at Everyone's Books at 23 Elliot St. in Brattleboro. Or my family has a few to sell, so if they're not gone yet, contact me.

Hirvenhiihto

I mentioned at the dinner table that I'd seen some moose tracks during one of my runs. My dad often free associates words or phrases that he hears and usually comes up with something funny or interesting. So it was that I first heard the Finnish term, "hirvenhiihto". My dad said it translates literally to "skiing of the moose." I Googled for some background since "skiing" and "moose" are two words that I rarely see together in a sentence. I found a reference in the Kalevala, the epic poem of Finland. Lemminkainen, one of the heroes of the story, is given the task of using skiis (or snowshoes) to chase down the moose of the "hiisi", which means "devil" or "goblin". The moose is also referred to as a reindeer or an elk in various sources, so perhaps to the ancient Finns any large mammal with cloven hooves equated to "devil's spawn" - or at least "something good to roast" if you could catch it. Interestingly, "hirvenhiihto" today is used to describe a sport that's very similar (or maybe identical) to the biathlon, which is Nordic skiing while shooting at targets with a rifle.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Double Bag

Tonight's cocktail:

From the bottle:

This full-bodied double alt is also known as "Stickebier" - German slang for "secret brew". The secret is that this brew is so smooth you'd never believe it has an alcohol content of 7.2%!!! INDULGE IN MODERATION!!!!!

Woohoo! (moo.)

Interplanetary warfare on a lovely autumn Sunday

From the planet Intex in the galaxy of Walmart came a craft laden with H20. It left this impression on our back lawn. Maybe we can turn it into a garden.