I See Cows

Broad Brook Grange #151 on Facebook

2011-05-16T07:13:00.002-04:00

The Grange now has a Facebook page!

My office chair is killing me

2010-05-11T14:27:00.001-04:00

I knew it...

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_19/b4177071221162.htm?chan=rss_topStories_ssi_5

Guilford, Vermont Green Up 2010

2010-05-08T12:55:00.007-04:00

Pictures of Green Up Day activities in Guilford, Vermont on May 1, 2010:

http://picasaweb.google.com/majonen/GuilfordGreenUp2010

IE or Firefox won't display pages?

2010-03-14T21:55:00.004-04:00

Emma's HP DV2000 notebook (running Vista crapware) had an interesting problem. For some reason, none of her browsers - Internet Explorer (IE), Firefox, or Google's Chrome - would connect to the Internet. But she did have an actively working net connection because other TCP/IP tools worked OK, such as ping, iTunes, and even Windows update. After a few system restores, IE resets, startup service troubleshooting, futile safe mode boots, Vista and IE updates, Firefox uninstall/reinstalls, I ran across some discussions about Norton's security products causing similar sounding problems, especially on HP computers where, unfortunately, it seems to be a standard part of the software distribution. So I found the Norton removal tool here, put it on a USB stick, then stuck it into Emma's notebook. After removing Norton and rebooting the notebook, all browsers connected OK. Ugh. What a waste of eight hours. Of course, there was nothing at all in the Windows system event logs to indicate what the problem was. Issues like this, I think, are Apple's bread and butter.

West Dummerston Sugar on Snow Supper

2010-02-13T20:48:00.004-05:00

Saturday, March 27, 2010

West Dummerston Fire Dept.

Sugar on Snow Supper

Dummerston Center Grange Hall

Seatings: 4:30, 5:45, and 7:00 PM

Adults: $10, 12 & under: $5

Reservations: 802-257-0546 or 802-254-2686

West Brattleboro Sugar on Snow Supper

2010-02-13T10:37:00.003-05:00

March 13, 2010

First Congregational Church

West Brattleboro, VT

Seatings at 5:00 and 6:15 pm

Adults: $10, Children 5-12: $5, under 5: $2

Reservations: 802-254-6731

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Guilford Sugar on Snow Suppers 2010

2010-02-12T21:40:00.010-05:00

It's that time of year once again, when steam billows out of sugar shacks across the region and vehicles get mired in muck. May as well throw some sugar suppers together. So what is a sugar supper? Ham, baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, deviled eggs, freshly baked rolls, pickles, donuts, and hot maple syrup on snow. Yum!

March 6, 2010

Broad Brook Grange, Guilford, VT

Seatings at 5:00, 6:00, and 7:00 PM

Adults: $10, Children 5-12: $5, under 5: $2

Reservations: 802-257-4067

View Broad Brook Grange, Guilford, VT in a larger map

March 20, 2010

Guilford Community Church, Guilford, VT

Seatings at 4:30, 5:45, and 7:00 PM

Adults: $10, Children 5-12: $5, under 5: $3

Reservations: 802-257-1819

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Seksiaddiktioklinikalla

2010-01-28T08:38:00.000-05:00

Cousin Harry, whose passions include both sports and all things Finnish, forwarded this new word to me: "seksiaddiktioklinikalla". Actually, I'm not so sure it's all that new - it probably existed before the whole Tiger Woods episode - but it seems all the publicity has brought this word to the forefront in the Finn press:

http://www.iltasanomat.fi/viihde/uutinen.asp?id=1888777

Finnish is such a dynamic language.

Cow appropriate

2009-12-30T10:12:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Moo Year!

(I See Cows)

Want to be a Hobbit extra?

2009-12-29T21:13:00.010-05:00

For those aspiring to be elves, orcs, or dwarfs, casting for extras on the two Hobbit films has begun. Some caveats:

You must be able to work legally in New Zealand.
You can't be picky.

"Do not bother to tell them what you think you'd be most suitable at (hobbit, elf, human, orc)," said Mr Machiela, who worked for five days on King Kong as an extra. "Most people will want to be a hobbit or an elf anyway, but will end up being an orc or a dead dwarf, and in the background".

I See Cows

My mistake

2009-12-12T15:51:00.002-05:00

Our new washer leaks sometimes. The water creeps across the floor and gets under the wall in a corner between the washer room and the mud room. The last time it did this, I noticed that some mold was forming on the lower part of the sheetrock. So it was time to clean out all the old magazines, books, and papers from that corner so that we could work on replacing the drywall (er...wet wall). Most of the stuff I chucked since I hadn't touched it for years. But I did find a folder of partial writings from who knows when. And there was one complete piece that I don't remember writing, nor do I remember the circumstances that led me to write it. So I don't know if it's based on fact. I know I don't have an Uncle Tom and Aunt Mary. But the subject of the piece sounds vaguely (embarrassingly) familiar. I've probably repressed it.

My Mistake

The chair broke,
so I gave it to our stove to chew on.
But I don't think our stove likes chairs
because the legs were still there in the morning,
black and not even smoldering.

That is how I learned
that metal does not burn.

So when Uncle Tom and Aunt Mary
and all my cousins
come over -
well, then - that's when everyone
hears about my mistake
(for the umpteenth time).

I would not mind
if they all did not cry so much
when they laughed.

I was supposed to have learned
a lesson.
And I think I did
because I don't burn metal chairs anymore,
especially since my mistake is
a subject of endless mirth.

But once in a while I get the urge
to feed the stove a relative or two.

Chinese food

2009-11-15T21:43:00.003-05:00

From an old scrapbook Elly's mom had kept. She loved puns, and this one's a groaner.

Garlic planting time

2009-11-08T16:59:00.011-05:00

A great day for planting the stinky bulbs, 50s and sunny. I co-opted the rows we used for the string beans since those were the easiest to turn over. I plant a little more each year. One of these days our back yard will be filled with garlic...mmm.

The bag o' bulbs

See you next spring little buddy!

Asleep in their beds while visions of earthworms dance through their heads

Mulched with oak leaves under the watchful eyes of our constant gardener. What would we do without you, Sponge Bob?

Do-it-yourself butchering

2009-10-24T11:28:00.006-04:00

A course in carving up your own meat (though it's a tad incongruous to find this article under the NY Times Fashion and Style section).

A possible career move? Definitely not a desk job.

The program began about six months ago, but it has quickly became a darling in food circles, despite its $10,000 price tag, which just covers the costs, including practice meat, Mr. Applestone said. He said the program was intended to pass on ancient skills, not turn a profit, and has drawn interest from lawyers and a music executive interested in butchery as a second career.

But I'd need to get over the whole gore thing...

In Ryan Farr’s whole-hog classes in San Francisco, students use hacksaws and hatchets to remove hooves and brains. One volunteer in every class — lucky if you want to call it that — gets to chop off the head. "That always sort of breaks the ice," Mr. Farr said. "When you come to class, wear your rain gear and boots, because there’s going to be blood," he said.

Man vs. God

2009-09-18T14:52:00.001-04:00

There's an interesting debate (and comments) at WSJ.com on the question, "Where does evolution leave God?". There are some strong opinions among the readers. I find it interesting that some view our existence as a test of some supreme being, with just reward at the end for those who do good. But why view our time on this earth as a test? Why do we need to look for a reward for our good deeds (as if we could not be good without hope of reward)? Life is the reward. Death is the end. Your life is as meaningful as you make it. If belief in a god makes your life more meaningful, good for you. The bonds I form with my family and other people give my life meaning. God is not relevant. For that matter, neither is evolution. The decisions I make in my life have nothing to do with a supreme being looking over my shoulder like some stern school teacher but have everything to do with how considerate I am to others. Whether I descend from something created or something evolved makes no difference to me.

Garlic harvest

2009-08-08T14:36:00.004-04:00

I planted an extra row last fall so there were three rows to harvest. One row was alone and the bulbs in that row were much smaller. Conclusion: garlic likes company. Either that or the adjacent, crazy, out-of-control oregano patch sucked the nutrients out of the soil in that area of the garden. Anyway, yum.

Broad Brook Grange Sugar-On-Snow Supper

2009-03-01T14:37:00.004-05:00

Go here for information on the 2010 Grange Sugar Supper!

The Broad Brook Grange in Guilford, Vermont will host a sugar-on-snow supper on Saturday, March 7, 2009.

Seatings are at 5:00, 6:00, and 7:00 PM.

Adults: $10, Child (ages 5-12): $5, Preschooler (4 & under): $2

Reservations: 802-257-4067

Directions: From Brattleboro, take Rt. 5 South until you see the Guilford Center Store on your left. Take an immediate right onto Guilford Center Rd. and follow for about 3.8 miles. Broad Brook Grange is on your right, a large white building with red doors.

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Google Apps services dashboard

2009-02-26T07:22:00.001-05:00

In response to their recent mail service issue, Google put up a dashboard where users can view the status of Google Apps services.

Gmail went down

2009-02-24T06:32:00.003-05:00

The web was all a twitter with users unable to access Google's Gmail. It's so easy to take for granted that Google services will be available 24/7. I wonder how many people will now set up a local mail client (like Thunderbird) with POP or IMAP to backup their Gmail accounts. I just did. To do this yourself:

Download Thunderbird if you don't already have a mail client.

Enable IMAP in your Gmail account.

Configure your mail client.

Broadband stimulus for rural areas

2009-02-16T06:50:00.008-05:00

The recently passed stimulus bill contains $7.2 billion for expanding broadband access in rural areas. But in an NPR broadcast that aired today the former FCC economist, Michael Katz, argues that the money is ill spent. In fact, he comes down pretty hard on country places:

"Other people don't like to say bad things about rural areas," Katz began. "So I will."

The stimulus package includes $7.2 billion to expand broadband Internet access into "underserved" and rural areas. Katz listed ways that the $7.2 billion could be put to better use, including an effort to combat infant deaths. But he also spoke of rural places as environmentally hostile, energy inefficient and even weak in innovation, simply because rural people are spread out across the landscape.

"The notion that we should be helping people who live in rural areas avoid the costs that they impose on society … is misguided," Katz went on, "from an efficiency point of view and an equity one."

Environmentally hostile? Hmm, and all that concrete and pollution in our urban areas is not hostile to the environment? Weak in innovation? OK, maybe we'll keep all our livestock, grain, vegetables, and fruits for ourselves, thank you very much.

An article on ars technica last week has some more:

Katz argues that...rural residents enjoy far lower housing costs than denizens of highly wired urban areas. (He even offered his own tongue-in-cheek proposal to require rural residents to buy their own broadband service unless it would cost more than the difference between the cost of rural living and that of keeping a flat in Manhattan.)

Well, our housing costs may be lower. But so is our income.

Brattleboro students pan Collins Writing Program

2009-02-12T17:04:00.005-05:00

Some students at Brattleboro Union High School are not happy with a writing program that has been introduced into the curriculum. The Collins Writing Program claims to improve student thinking and writing through five types of writing assignments that are measurable. Students at BUHS object to the format that, according to some, stifles creativity. A Facebook group has been created to bring attention to their concerns.

Weather trolls

2009-02-02T20:47:00.010-05:00

In addition to the dry, objective perspective of NOAA and the pretty radar on Weather Underground, I like to browse to Accuweather.com for some hype, personality, and weather blogs. Apparently, however, there were some very nasty - even threatening - messages posted to meteorologist and blogger Henry Margusity in light of the recent non-snowstorm for the east coast (which, incidentally, hasn't even "not happened" yet at the time I write this post!). He was all set to take an extended break from blogging until his fans brought him back. Now I can understand that people love to talk about the weather, but to castigate and threaten a weatherman for the whims of the winds is just stupid. Trolls are everywhere.

BUHS band plays for Obama's inauguration

2009-01-21T06:40:00.000-05:00

What a story my daughter, Megan, will have to tell for years to come. She played the euphonium for the Brattleboro Union High School band as they marched down Pennsylvania Avenue during the Presidential Inauguration Parade. Some links:

The band practicing in Brattleboro

NBC host Al Roker's impressions of sitting with the band

Screen shots of the band marching in D.C.

Story on the band's experience

Photos from D.C.

Birds and jets

2009-01-16T06:49:00.005-05:00

Apparently a flock of birds took down a jet in New York City. Everyone survived due to the skill and heroic efforts of the pilot, who landed the jet in the Hudson River. But the engines suffered catastrophic failure. How could this happen? According to the article, jet engines are vigorously tested with real birds of all conceivable types (yeck).

In the physical tests, the engines are revved to full power inside a test facility and absorb various kinds of birds, from those the size of sparrows to those the size of herons, one at a time. (The birds are already dead.) The engines also ingest multiple birds meant to simulate a collision with a flock...

So could this flock have consisted of birds they hadn't tested? I wonder if they considered rubber chickens.

Buzz

2009-01-08T06:57:00.000-05:00

Megan gave me a proper espresso cup for Christmas. Gee, it's tiny.

I think I'll use it as an appetizer for my regular cup.

Bah Humdog

2008-12-24T06:23:00.000-05:00

Not another Christmas...

A little too rural

2008-12-17T21:26:00.005-05:00

We lost power last Thursday, just before midnight. New England was hit with an epic ice storm, and we were right in the middle of it. Our area made national news. Or so I heard. We didn't get news for five days because there was no television, no Internet, no radio, and not even the newspaper was delivered. We hauled water from the brook so we could flush our toilets and wash dishes. We cut down trees to get wood to burn in our fireplace. It was as if we'd been plopped back in time to the Middle Ages. Every action had to be thought out so that we conserved heat, matches, water, food. Our living room became the central hall of our medieval fortress, where wood smoke continually drifted through the air. Pillows, blankets, candles, flashlights, batteries, bottled water, and the dog were all piled into what is normally an ample space. We wore hats to bed. Each day I'd wake up and take a look at the thermometer inside the house. The first day I woke up to a living room at 56F. The second day it was 50F. The third morning it was at 42F. On Monday with still no sign of the power crews in our area, the girls had to get a hotel room so they could get their homework done. When I visited them that night, the parking lot of the hotel was crowded with the bucket trucks of tree service crews. Burly men in Carhartts and toting six packs of beer waited in line to get rooms. The next day we cleared out the freezers and put all the thawed food out onto the deck. Later in the afternoon I looked out the window and saw four CVPS guys across the street drop a hemlock into our neighbor's lawn. A few minutes later our power came back on. The crew chief drove up to our house to make sure "those electrons made it over here". He'd been putting in 16 hour days and looked pretty weary. I thanked him for all the hard work, and he left to tackle the next project. Now it was time to clean up.

Is it something the cat threw up?

2008-11-21T20:48:00.004-05:00

No, it's turducken! Learn how to make it here. Yum?

Breaking News - Broad Brook Grange installs new water line

2008-11-15T11:02:00.006-05:00

As I write this a work crew is at the Broad Brook Grange installing a new water line. I was there earlier this morning clearing trees and brush with my chain saw while others used tractors, backhoes, and a Ditch Witch to dig a 1,100 ft. trench for the line. The source of the water is a spring and cistern at the top of a steep hill across Guilford Center Rd. Water is no longer flowing through the existing line, and it's virtually impossible to figure out where the break or blockage could be. So a brand new line must be installed. The weather today is not too nice, pretty damp and rainy. But the crew is determined to at least get the ditch out to the foot of the hill by the end of the day. I took a few snaps.

Classmates.com phone number is 425-917-5000

2008-11-13T19:19:00.002-05:00

At least according to the Better Business Bureau, which this article sites. I figured if I put it into the headline, Google will index it and all those customers looking for a phone number just might find it. Apparently, Classmates.com has not been a very consumer-friendly service and there are many complaints against them. The lack of a listed phone number anywhere on their site seems to validate their deceptive practices. Anyway...hope this helps someone.

Gay marriage bans

2008-11-08T13:33:00.012-05:00

With the historic election of Barack Obama dominating the news, it seems another story has been overshadowed. Bans on gay marriage have passed in California, Arizona, and Florida. It's a bit of a paradox, where voters overcame racial intolerance nationally, but at the state level discriminated against a group of people who happen to be in a same sex relationship. Religious organizations (primarily evangelicals and the Mormon church) had been instrumental in getting measures against gay marriage on ballots. And it seems a majority of people in this country oppose gay marriage

For me it's difficult to comprehend the problem: two people of the same sex simply wish to enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples who commit to each other. I understand that there is a sacred aspect to marriage, and to some people whatever is sacred must not be tampered with. But in this case there must be a separation between what one happens to believe religiously or morally and how the state administers to its citizens.

Unfortunately, marriage has a foot in both religious and state affairs, and that's partially where the problem lies. Some might argue that the issue is semantic: many of those who oppose gay marriage do support "civil unions". But a civil union is not recognized across state lines and does not offer the the complete set of rights and acknowledgement that marriage does to a heterosexual couple.

The issue, I fear, is more than semantic. Witness the passage of a ban in Arkansas this past week where both gay and heterosexual couples who are not married have been denied the right to adopt children. From the article in the Times:

"We believe that the best place for a child to grow up is in a stable home with a married mother and father," said Jerry Cox, president of Family Council Action Committee, which obtained 95,000 signatures to place the proposal on state ballots. "But we also believe in blunting a gay agenda that we see at work in other states with regard to marriage and adoption issues."

This is blatant discrimination. If you replace the word "gay" with the word "black" in the last sentence, people would be up in arms. Even worse, this particular ban shortchanges children who need foster care or adoption.

Yes, attitudes in this country have changed much for the better. But they must change even more to afford all people equal treatment.

What we do for fun

2008-11-07T06:45:00.005-05:00

Raiding another state's coastline.

Elly's and John's Beach Sand Stealing Adventure

Brattleboro Reformer endorses Obama

2008-10-25T14:39:00.002-04:00

The Brattleboro Reformer in today's editorial endorses Barack Obama for president:

We have been inspired by the Obama campaign's inclusiveness and how it has captured the imaginations of American of all ages, It's a campaign that has used the words "we" and "us," instead of "me" and "I." It's a campaign that speaks about hope and change instead of fear and anger.

Mind your own body

2008-10-24T06:17:00.007-04:00

Dualism of all things has been in the news.

From the radio program, "On Point", a discussion about the new book, Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict between Faith and Reason.

In New Scientist: Creationists Declare War Over The Brain

Here is the basic question: Is there a distinction between mind and body?

If there is, then it's possible that we were created (or "intelligently designed") and that the Flying Spaghetti Monster exists.

If there's not a distinction - i.e., the mind is a product of the brain or some other physical processes - then we have nobody but ourselves to blame.

How to become a grave digger

2008-10-22T21:15:00.010-04:00

As I passed by Baker Cemetery the other day I saw a guy from the waist up, halfway into a hole. He was wielding a shovel, and there was a pile of dirt to his right. It's unusual these days to see someone manually digging a grave and it got me to thinking "How does one go about becoming a grave digger?" I figure in this economic climate it's a job with some security since people are always dying. Of course, there is some competition with the cremation industry, but there are still plenty of bodies needing graves.

So I dug around and found some information on the web about the grave digging occupation. Consider this post a little starting point for those who aspire to go six feet under and get paid for it.

How many leaves change color?

2008-10-20T06:22:00.004-04:00

I remember trying to count the number of falling leaves in my back yard on an autumn day and quickly losing count when even a gentle breeze came along. It was an exercise in futility and, looking back, probably not very useful. The Nashua Telegraph, however, did go to the trouble of estimating how many leaves change color in NH (608 billion!).

So I wonder how many leaves change color in Vermont? Since NH and VT forests are similar, I'll just borrow the article's estimate of .73 tons of leaves per acre.

Now I just need some statistics about deciduous (or hardwood) acreage in Vermont. The Vermont Division of Forestry's publication, The Forests of the Green Mountain State, states:

Northern hardwoods,specifically, the northern hardwoods forest-type group, accounts for 67 percent of Vermont’s 4,628,900 acres of forest land.

Nice. That comes out to 3,101,363 acres of colorful foliage, which is 2.26 million tons of leaves. So at one tenth of an ounce per leaf, Vermont has 724 billion leaves that change color.

No wonder I couldn't count them all.

Red Sox Rally

2008-10-17T07:09:00.003-04:00

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!

Another (scary) side of rural America

2008-10-16T06:38:00.002-04:00

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.

Internet use is good for the brain

2008-10-14T17:10:00.004-04:00

So says this article.

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

Spaghetti Dinner at Guilford Community Church

2008-10-13T20:28:00.005-04:00

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

2008-10-13T06:39:00.005-04:00

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.

Double Bag

2008-10-12T19:07:00.011-04:00

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

2008-10-12T17:40:00.013-04:00

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.

I attacked the craft and drained its precious cargo. Here's what's left after I valiantly subdued it.

Caffeinated cellular

2008-10-12T10:21:00.015-04:00

I live in a cellular dead zone. What to do?

The good news...

How To Boost Your Cell Phone Reception

The bad news...

I might have to drink this first.

Why is this bad?

Apple brunch at the Broad Brook Grange

2008-10-11T21:29:00.002-04:00

Head on over to the Broad Brook Grange in beautiful Guilford, Vermont this Sunday, October 12, for an all-you-can-eat brunch. Sausage, bacon, eggs, pancakes, and other goodies are sure to satisfy your morning appetite.

When: 10/12/2008, 7 AM - 1 PM
Adults: $9
Seniors: $8
Kids 2-12: $5
Under 2: FREE

On Guilford Center Rd, four miles west of the Country Store in Guilford.

Extreme gardening

2008-10-11T17:00:00.018-04:00

Yikes. That's a mighty big pumpkin. From NPR:

In the middle of Connolly's front lawn sits a pumpkin nearly the size of a stagecoach or an old Volkswagen beetle. He calls it the "Beast from the East," and he's been coddling it for months. Connolly – who refers to the pumpkin in the feminine — feeds "her" a diet of liquid fish, seaweed, compost, grass clippings, guano and manure. At night, he covers the pumpkin with queen-sized blankets to keep it warm.

I wonder if it would eat my compost.

Martti Ahtisaari wins Nobel Peace Prize

2008-10-10T12:00:00.001-04:00

As a Finnish descendant, I have an interest in the doings of Finns. Martti Ahtisaari, the 10th president of Finland, has received the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomatic work. Like my father, Ahtisaari was born in Karelia and was displaced when the region was invaded by the Soviets. That experience shaped his sentiment to advance peace and to help those who have gone through the same hardships. Not to mention that Finns are notoriously laid back:

A visitor to the capital from the north attributed Ahtisaari's success in diplomacy to the Finnish qualities of patience, calmness and tenacity, adding: "He's a Finn - we never give up, we stay cool and we listen without interrupting."
-- Nobel peace prize boosts Finland, BBC News, 10/10/2008

Kudos for Moby-Dick

2008-10-10T06:44:00.002-04:00

The Massachusetts state legislature has passed a bill to make Moby-Dick the state's official "epic novel". Yay. I love it when great literature is recognized at an official level. It lends some justification to all the coffee I had to pass through my system in college to get through those tomes (including Moby-Dick!). But I wonder what literary work might become Vermont's official novel? I'm hard pressed to think of any book that relates to Vermont like Moby-Dick does to Massachusetts. Yes, we've had a few famous authors in residence (Rudyard Kipling, Sinclair Lewis, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn come to mind), but their great works were either written before they came to Vermont (like Lewis's Main Street and Elmer Gantry and Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich) or have nothing to with Vermont at all (like Kipling's The Jungle Books). I guess we just might have to wait for the "great Vermont novel" to be written.

Facetiously Funny

2008-10-03T09:25:00.002-04:00

As I was browsing the New York Times I came across a review for the movie Religulous, which is a documentary about religion and faith by comic and television host, Bill Maher. It's not the review itself that is the topic of this post, but rather a particular turn of phrase that was used in the review. The Times reviewer called the movie "facetiously funny". So now I'm just trying to figure out if he's being superfluously redundant. "Facetious" is one of those words I've come to dislike. It's used way too often by people who think they have to explain that what they just said was not serious, i.e., "it was supposed to be funny". "Oh, I was just being facetious". Yes, maybe. But now you're just being pompous. Anyway, Merriam-Webster defines "facetious" as "joking or jesting often inappropriately", or "meant to be humorous or funny, not serious". And one of its definitions for funny is "seeking or intended to amuse, facetious". Hmm. Facetiously facetious? Funnily funny? Let's say we use the "not serious" definition for "facetious". Can one then be "seriously funny" in a way that means "serious" for real (seriously), not "serious" as its used by some to mean "excessive"? Ironically, one of the definitions for "serious" is "not joking", in which case the phrase, "seriously funny", becomes an oxymoron. OK, so "facetiously funny" bugged me enough that I had to Google it to find out if it had any precedent. At the time I wrote this, Google told me that there were 191 documents with this phrase out on the web and 7 out of the 10 links on the first page of Google search results reference the New York Times review. So then I searched for the phrase by excluding all results that mention "Religulous". Now there were just 49 results. Good. This was a small enough set for me to browse quickly to find out if this phrase had been used anywhere else in a way that justified its use. And yes, I found this link, which in turn linked here for a lovely, little limerick about skiing topless in the Tetons while sipping tea. When one considers the English translation of the French word, "teton", I'd say this little poem is indeed facetiously funny.

Stinky Compost

2008-10-01T20:48:00.007-04:00

I need to do something about the compost behind the barn. It's not doing what it's supposed to do. I suppose that's because I really haven't taken the effort to nurse it along. Ideally it should be a warm mass of rich, dark decaying vegetation and food scraps. But right now it's just a pile of stinky stuff I'd rather not look at. The crows are happy, the coons are happy, the skunk is happy. Even the occasional bear is happy that I don't turn the glop into the soil beneath. But my nose is most unhappy when I have to contribute yet another bucketful of kitchen leavings to that heap. Yuck. So it's about time to get the pitchfork and dig in. While I'm at it I should repair (or replace) the meager fence around the pile that really had no chance against that bear. This was the same brute that ripped the window off our garbage shed, then pummeled what I thought was a very sturdy trash barrel into a blue blob of industrial strength plastic. Fortunately it hasn't returned since then, but it is autumn now and I'm sure many bears are out there looking for anything to pad their insulation for the winter. So our redolent compost heap is like a beacon for woodland critters to come party behind our barn.

It drives the dog crazy.

Guilford Fair

2008-09-02T21:36:00.010-04:00

A perfect two days for the Guilford Fair this Labor Day weekend. I had a chance to walk around for a while on Monday and check out the sights and sounds...and smells: the fried dough, barbequed chicken, Anon's Thai food, horse manure. I managed to win a few bucks for lunch after my elderberry jelly and garlic dill pickles got ribbons.

Vermonters are less religious

2008-07-14T06:54:00.006-04:00

A recent Pew poll found that Vermonters (and our neighbors in NH) are less religious than people in most other states. That doesn't surprise me and it's encouraging. Independent thinking is a hallmark of this region and this poll simply reinforces that notion. While I don't attend my local church, I'm not opposed to it or its rituals. The church is relevant to many people, both religious and non-religious. It's a great community resource and often, it seems, religion is secondary to its primary mission which is to help and bring people together.

Crunchy bread

2008-07-07T21:42:00.009-04:00

I used to measure ingredients for my bread. Now I just pour them in (except the yeast!). I like to see what comes out in the end. This past weekend I needed a loaf or two for a bean soup I made. So here is what I poured into my Kitchen Aid bowl:

Some hot water
Some cold water
Two tablespoons of active yeast
Some light brown sugar
Somewhere around equal parts whole wheat flour and white flour
Wheat germ
Oatmeal
Flax seeds
Walnuts
Some olive oil
Salt

I put the switch on low and added flour until the dough held its shape but was still somewhat sticky. I put plastic wrap over the top of the bowl and the thing doubled in bulk in about a half hour! Maybe I didn't measure the yeast... So I dumped the dough out of the bowl, kneaded it, then cut it in half. I shaped two long loaves and sprinkled some flour and cornmeal on top. Then I let them sit and rise for another half hour on parchment paper while the stone in the 450F oven heated up. Finally, into the oven until I smelled something burning and they were done. It turned out to be a hearty and crunchy bread, very good for soup. I like it toasted as well with peanut butter. I probably can't duplicate it so that's why I took this picture (sorry, the other loaf disappeared quickly so there's just the one left).

Guilford Garden Tours

2008-06-28T22:45:00.005-04:00

Since my daughter Megan is a junior board member of the Friends of Music at Guilford, I should probably make sure that one of their fundraisers gets mentioned here. The annual Guilford Garden Tours takes place tomorrow (June 29, 2008) and features tours of area gardens, exhibits, crafts, foods, and music. The Reformer also has details.

Garlic scapes

2008-06-28T22:13:00.006-04:00

I've never grown garlic until this past year, so I basically ignored the curly stalks that burst out between the leaves this past couple of weeks. That is, until a friend who also grows garlic told me that they're entirely, deliciously edible. And that they make a mean pesto. So today I snipped them all and pureed some of them with olive oil, walnuts, and parmesan cheese. It turns out to be a lighter green than traditional basil pesto, but it's very tasty. Snipping the stems also allows more of the plant's energy to go into developing the bulb underground. So in a few weeks I should have a fine harvest of hardneck garlic.

Self-serving evolution

2008-06-28T09:43:00.008-04:00

When a deer fly lands on me, I kill it. I'm quite sensitive to the little buggers buzzing around my head when I go get the paper or when I'm out for a hike or run. Since deer flies are quite a bit larger than mosquitoes or gnats I know exactly when and where they touch down on me. And I'm quick to end their lives. Sometimes they'll get off a quick bite, but still, they're smushed into oblivion before they can lift off again. Whatever deer flies are supposed to do to carry on their lives after they've bitten a host has been staunched under my palm for those few that dare to touch me. So I figure eventually I will eliminate all deer flies that are genetically attracted to my particular scent. I'm not sure how long "eventually" is, but if I live long enough the process of evolution should select out all those deer flies that are attracted to me. It just does not make sense from a "survival of the fittest" perspective for them to land on me. After all, given a really, really long period of time I could wipe out the entire deer fly species. So one day far into the future nature should recognize (theoretically) that I am lethal to deer flies and blacklist me from their pool of targets. Until that day, I'll be exploiting Darwin's theory one smack at a time.

Rural Compact

2008-06-21T20:20:00.002-04:00

The Brattleboro Reformer ran an editorial yesterday on the Rural Compact, which is "a set of principles for building stronger rural communities and a stronger nation." In light of the recent devastating floods in our nation's mid-section, it's more urgent than ever to increase awareness of the importance of our rural communities and farms to the rest of the nation. All too often rural areas are overlooked when decisions are made in Congress and in corporate board rooms. Please, endorse the Rural Compact now!

This should have been the first post

2008-06-19T06:30:00.001-04:00

But it's not. I felt the need to get a quick message out about the phone service being out in the area since I could not find a reference to it anywhere else on the web. So that became the first post. But in fact, this blog had a previous incarnation. There wasn't much, and it hadn't been updated since 2004. Just a few posts about geese flying, mud, and high blood pressure. Standard schmaltzy stuff, which I promptly deleted. Here, I'll try not to dwell on birds, flowers, and clouds. There's too much other stuff that's relevant. Like right now I hear cows. They've been mooing and braying - yes, braying - since last evening. I think the calves have been separated from their moms. That's why there's such a ruckus at the farm. I could be wrong. I haven't actually walked over there to find out what's going on. But that's what's happened in past years to cause them to moo on and on like that. They'll get over it.

Phone is back

2008-06-17T19:54:00.004-04:00

It rang at around 5:00 PM when my daughter Emma called. I'd emailed a Fairpoint marketing person up in Burlington earlier, and he had been kind enough to respond and forward my email to repair. I then received a message from repair apologizing for the delay and that there had been a cable failure in the area.

No dial tone

2008-06-17T15:42:00.002-04:00

Our phone service is broken here in Guilford, no dial tone. But DSL service is still working. This comes on the heels of a DSL outage a few weeks back. I figured I'd see if I could request a repair call via the web. No such luck. Fairpoint Communications does not have an online reporting tool like Verizon did. So after some Googling, I found some email addresses:

operatorservice@fairpoint.com
information@fairpoint.com

I emailed operatorservice twice, then I got a response:

Operator Service [Nightwatch - Chatham, NY]
to John Majonen
date Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 2:27 PM
subject RE: No dial tone

Hi John.

Your trouble is part of an area cable failure. The commit time issued for this outage is tonight by 11pm.’

Thank you,
Fairpoint Communications Repair

I might be a coffee snob

2007-11-09T23:34:00.006-05:00

I've ground my own coffee since my college days. In fact, I still use the same coffee grinder my mom gave me almost 25 years ago, and since then it's pulverized beans from Columbia, Mexico, Guatemala, Africa, Sumatra and a host of other places where coffee likes to grow. Before college I drank canned coffee, like Maxwell House and Folger's, but that was long ago. Never again...unless I'm desperate, which is one of the qualities of a coffee addict. Or if I'm on the road and there's nothing else. Or if I'm visting my mom. So maybe. But I hope not.