Violent Tea Party Hoodlums Attack Riot Squad

This Is The Tea Party The Media Doesn't Understand

http://www.oftwominds.com/blogapr10/Tea-Party04-10.html

The Rappin' Cowboy

Rap is not my music, and liberal is not my politics, but here's a link to my cousin's blog. I read it to see photos of the old home state and my shirttail relatives.

http://www.rappincowboy.com/journal.html

Another Weekend Without Power

Last Friday night, a strong line of thunderstorms rolled through our area with winds clocked as high as 88mph. We lost power within the first minute and didn't get it back until late this morning. The electic co-op reported that there were more than two dozen power poles down about a mile up the road from us, so I'm guessing another small tornado was the culprit.

We were fortunate that none of the trees in our yard were damaged, but between here and town there were at least three trees lying across the road that had to be cut up and moved before traffic could get by. We were also fortunate that a cool front arrived after the storm passed, so the house stayed comfortable without air conditioning.

As I was sitting in the dark, trying to read a book by the light of a dim flashlight, I vividly recall another storm last winter when I swore I was going to buy an emergency generator so this wouldn't happen again...but this time I'm really going to do it...if I don't forget again.

Your Government At Work For You

And some wonder why the populace is angry.

Rain At Last

It was beginning to look like midsummer around here. The grass was withering and everyone reluctantly began watering their lawns, but during the night a light rain began falling and by noon the rain gauge measured 3/4". We should be good for another week, and the long range forecast is for thundershowers next week.

I sure hope this dry spring is not an indication that we're going to have a similarly dry summer. The price of water has more than doubled since we moved in, so I hate watering the lawn.

Well, tomorrow is the day for the big armed demonstration across the river from Washington DC. The Second Amendment blogs are deathly silent as the authors are on their way to attend the event. I only hope their message will be taken to heart by those arrogant politicians who refust to realize there is extreme anger in the heartland. What's scary is that it would be the perfect opportunity for a radical leftist to goad a violent response from a short tempered protester, which could result in the feds overreacting and creating another Concord Bridge situation.

Tax Day Blues and a Night Out

The annual agony of computing and filing my income taxes is history, and I'm so pleased to do my part to help Obama bail out his Chicago buddies and European banks. If there was a law that every American must figure and file their own income taxes, including politicians, you can bet the tax code would change overnight.

We celebrated by going out to eat at Pop's cafe. Every Tuesday night, they serve a tasty hamburger, fries and a drink for a special price of $3.95, which is cheap compared to the local competition. They even offer entertainment in the form of an older couple who sing along to tape recorded country music. They sing reasonably well and create a comfortable small town Texas atmosphere for the motley collection of farmers, ranchers and laborers that frequent Pop's. When you hear songs like Luckenbach, TX, He Stopped Loving Her Today, and Four Walls sung with a strong East Texas drawl, you can't help but feel there is still hope for this country.

No matter what happens in the years to come, I hope that part of Americana never goes away.

Workin' Like a Dog

This dog really does work, and he shows up as reliably as any factory worker. Every morning, rain or shine, he arrives carrying a ball or an old stick and then goes from house to house hoping he can convince someone to throw the ball so he can fetch. He’s especially happy on weekends when homeowners are working in their yards and the kids are out of school. He can wear out the arms of a dozen people before he tires, so the more cooperative ball-throwers he can find on any one day, the happier he is.
We don’t know much about him, and we don’t even know where he lives, but according to his tag, his name is Dakota, and he looks like a purebred Black Lab. He’s a big lovable oaf, always clean, healthy looking, and always appears to be well fed. He wears a collar and knows some basic commands, so he’s not a stray, but he certainly doesn’t spend much time at his home during the day.
He’s also very smart. He keeps his favorite fetching balls where he can find them. At one time we had three stored in our yard. He would come trotting down the driveway, pick up one of the balls, take it next door and play there for a while. Then when they tired of playing his game, off he’d trot to another neighbor. At the end of the day, he’d bring the ball back into our yard and drop it off before going home...wherever that might be.

Tuesday

How quickly the weather changes. Only a couple of weeks ago we had snow, and this week I turned on the air conditioning...but this is Texas, so that's to be expected.

I've been nursing a toothache since Easter, so I haven't been in the mood to write, or do anything else. The dentist said I'd probably have some discomfort after he filled it last week, and he sure had that right.

Think I'll go to bed and read until the Tylenol kicks in and maybe I can get to sleep.

Spring Chores

It's a shame how out of shape one can get over the winter months. The truckloads of pine bark and top soil arrived yesterday afternoon, and I immediately began spreading the bark in the flowerbeds and around trees. I hauled maybe 20 wheelbarrow loads of bark, 4 loads of topsoil and planted a few caladiums. After that, I was ready to crash. Last summer, that small amount of exercise would have hardly been noticed.

This morning, I awoke stiff and sore, and tried to work it out by digging a new flowerbed. I managed to get it half done before I called it a day, but it's supposed to storm tomorrow, so it might be several days before I finish.

I saw the first hummingbird of the season...a male Rubythroat...and he announced his arrival by slamming into the kitchen window. He wasn't hurt, but he had better learn which flight paths he can take and which ones he can't.

I got a letter from the IRS today that nearly gave me cardiac arrest. They said we missed listing a substantial amount of income, but it turned out that the bank that transferred Judy's IRA when we moved, mis-coded the paperwork so it looked like she had withdrawn the entire IRA.