Still Summer Outside

Was a rather nice morning watching the squirrels and turkey have breakfast and play. Saw a little squirrel that I haven't see in a while. Little Sparky, he's got more hair and getting bigger.
It was a lazy morning for me. I spent most of it listening to the radio and drinking coffee. Been getting ready for winter and the rainy season. Still need to trim up some dead or dying branchs. Still need to do some painting. Got the TV antenna fixed. There are still some late bloomers out which I find very interesting even if they are called weeds.

What ever you want to call this little flower I think it looks rather nice.

Think I've got raccoons again. That's not a bad thing because they are rather cool. I had a guy last year that I almost started feeding by hand. At least I could get an arms distance away. It takes some time for them to get to know you just like the skunks did. Still the skunks run off as soon as they hear any noise. Even a board creeking will scare them off. Me standing up will scare them off. If I squat down then they don't see me as threatening and will come right up to me. Some of the larger ones look to be about 20 pounds. The guy living under the house is a lot smaller. Not to sure what sex they are because of how hairy they are. I know when one of them fell into the water bowl and came out he was mostly hair. Enough playing inside today, time to get out in this nice sun shine.

Fake TV

Ever notice how fake TV can get. It's the little things that add up. Like the cop that can't shoot and hit a car from 10 feet away. Or the bullets that bounce off a car and don't leave a dent. What about the bullets that can't go through a plaster wall. In the CSI the one in Los Vegas they use digital Nikon cameras. Did you notice the film winder sound every time they take a picture? What about those flashlights they run around with, ever notice them using them in bright sunlight.

From Thunder to Hot Summer Day

The hens are making the rounds. There's a nice warm breeze blowing in the house. Rather different from a couple days ago. Today I can wear shorts again but I won't since I'm cleaning brush. The squirrels are running around playing chase. What a life but there is the down side of hunting for food in the cold winter. One of the guys found the peanut butter container I cut open and left outside. I see the little guy has a dab of peanut butter on his nose as he looks over the top of the jar. With the moisture in the air there is a variety of fresh smells of the forest.

Republican back peddle as Tom Delay is indicted for campaign fraud matters. White House says, " Tom's a good guy, we will watch him swing when he's hung out to dry." Soon the deck of card will fall as the people see through the rose colored world the republicans have painted.

I need to fix my TV antenna before winter comes. The antennas are pointing into the sky and the mast is leaning. I'm going to have to make the whole thing stronger and make sure it's grounded.

What a light show

The thunder turned into thunder and lightning for most of the night. I set up the video camera to take pictures of the flashes. I caught on bolt hitting the ground which was rather close. When I was looking at the seconds on the monitor it clicked over just one second before the sound and the sound was house shaking load. It seem to ran most of the night but the lightning tapered off after about 10 PM but for four hours it was a great light show. Listening to emergency services there was a lot of strikes that hit things from trees to telephone poles. I thought that the thunder didn't bother the deer or the skunks but I was wrong. When the lightning and thunder got right over head that's when they went off to hide.

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Bush ask the country not to use gas or take unnecessary trips. Then he got on his jumbo jet and flew to Texas and New Orleans. There goes an extra 70,000 gallons of fuel each way. Just follow the "Fearless Leader" and set a great example.

Lightning Storm and some rain

Big Buddy is here eating apples I cut up for him. The lightning doesn't seem to bother Big Buddy or Little Stinkers. Me moving around bothers Little Stinkers more then anything else. The deer and the skunks seem to get along and not bother each other. Big Buddy still only lets me get about ten feet from him. While I was getting apples and trimming the apple tree it started raining, not much just enough to get the ground wet. It felt good because it cooled things off but then it got real steamy. It was suppose to cool off and get hotter later this week but it doesn't feel like it. TV had a warning for a sever thunder storm in Butte County. Maybe that's why I can see the light from the lightning but can't hear the sound. Did earlier, it sounded like a plane was flying right over the house but it wasn't. The babies are here along with Momma deer. The baby deer can't even see over the top of the picnic table, it's so cute.

Well got a head ache starting so I think I'll turn down the lights and watch some TV. See if I can find an aspirin or some thing.

The deer are pushing each other again

Looks like it's going to rain, that's what the weatherman said too. The moisture is coming from the south. This place could use some water. The rainy season should be stating soon and will stop six months from now. Here comes the hens the weather doesn't seem to bother them. Last night big Buddy and another deer got into a pushing match. For an old deer Big Buddy came up on top. I was worried that his broken leg wouldn't heal but it seems to be working just fine. I picked about a shopping bag size of apples. Big Buddy had a time trying to eat them so I had to cut them up for him.

 

I need to fix my TV antenna. Since I put it up the wind has bent it back pointing the elements off of horizontal. It worked rather well until the storms of last year. Wonder how the storms are going to be this year. Are they going to be more intense. Last year they seem to come in groups or waves. Hot for a while then massive down pours. That reminds me to dig the drainage trench.

 

I've been hearing the geese flying south. I haven't seen them just heard them. I want to get a picture of them flying in formation. Last Wednesday was the mid point of our journey around the sun it's down hill form here on till next spring. I noticed Orion and Pegasus in the sky. I'm going to have to look for Andromeda before it set weather permitting.

 

Well better pick up my tools before it rains. The days of leaving them where you finished off one day and picked up the next are over.

What is America coming too

Sunny day with thunder off in the distance

Had a good nightmare this morning. Dreamed that my ex-wife came to pick up things. That woke me up. I remember asking where she's been and she said Brazil. For some one that didn't like to leave the state that was a stretch. I know she's off some where in New York but that's all. I guess it's good that I don't see her or know where she is. I guess listening to the radio while I was sleeping wasn't a good idea. Seems when I do I wake up to something in the news. What this dream has to do I don't know. It seems that I was in peace until I saw her. Seems I had everything I wanted and was living where I wanted but seeing her tended to shatter my dreams.

 

Well I feel better now that I'm awake and had my coffee. The hens are out doing their hen things and my little furry squirrels are playing in the yard. Thought it was a jet going off to Tahoe but it was some thunder off to the south.

 

Watched another show last night about H5N1 virus. Then this morning I heard that there was an outbreak in the Philippians. Something that our country isn't doing to much to get ready for. Today's topic on Talk of the Nation was that baby boomer that are retiring. I wouldn't put it past Bush to let the supplies of anti-viral medication and vaccines to run low so that the government wouldn't have to pay out retirements. It the republican way. Seems that the republicans want to skate by and not prepare for any disaster. Manly they cover their rich butts and let the rest of us fend for ourselves. It's going to take years to undo the things Bush has done. Maybe these hurricanes and other disasters will let the public see how the republicans really are, blaming everyone but themselves.

 

When Lindy England was first putting in her plea the judge ended up throwing it out. Now she is on trial again facing even longer jail time even though one of the solders cleared her of what she was involved in. I don't see why that bottom of the chain is getting prosecuted when the people that came up this the plans to get rid of the Geneva Convention treaty. That's not the way Bush team works though. Now that the team Able Danger has appeared and had identified four of the terrorist a full year if not longer before the 9/11 event the pentagon wants to cover that information up. Almost seems like what I posed to my dentist a retired military officer that the Neo-Cons planned the terrorist even or let it happen. I don't think it will come out in my life time and if it does come out it will be like the Kennedy assassination and the one man theory. At least those sealed papers will be coming unsealed soon.

Concerns about FEMA and Homeland Security, (a must read, please)

You guest had said that FEMA ask for 20 computers and phone lines which surprised me but not really.

Seems the last four years homeland security has turned into a money pit.

We keep spending money and for what?

We really don't have more first responders.

Cities are going out and buying stuff that they don't need like a mobile lab.

They have these wimpy decon outfits able to decontaminate only a few people an hour.

There is no plans set up for any kind of large scale hazard.

So a city has a lab that can tell you what kind of radiation you are dealing with this doesn't save people.

So a few cities have those cool space suits to go into a biological area or some space suits to get close to a radioactive area, they don't have enough suits.

What about mobile hospitals?

We have those in Iraq and they take days or weeks to set up.

 

Seems FEMA and Homeland Security should have a way of communicating with itself and to the effected communities.

The FBI still doesn't have a workable software program to talk to each other when that is a standard off the shelf product.

We have the best software companies in the world seems like a good idea that we use them.

FEMA should have had laptop computers with hookups to satellite communication.

The directors of FEMA and Homeland Security need to have experience in the fields and not be political appointments.

From what I see the first responders are set up to handle matters like a car accident and not a large scale event.

The idea that the White House said we should use the military over the National Guard is wrong when The Guard was designed just for that.

Seeing the military in New Orleans walking around doing nothing since they were not trained in emergency services was another waste of money.

 

We were warned from Alquida that Los Angeles will be a target.

When the Los Angeles police chief was asked about it he said, "We don't have any credible threats" and discounted the Alquiada threat.

From every thing I've learned over the past four years it seems that people should be connecting the dots and not discounting them.

Our homeland security needs to be set up like the Civil Defense that we had in the 50's.

A lot of small groups of first responders and small groups shelters across the United States.

When it comes to the leaders of this country that all have a place to hide in the case of attack.

If the tables were turned and they had to wait outside while something was happening the story would be changed.

You could be assured that they would be jumping into action and making the people safe.

 

This war on terror seems to me a way of scaring the public into spending money on matters that aren't really there.

It reminds me of the witch hunts done in the 50' looking under ever rock for a communist

 

 

Bob Sakall

Placerville, California

Snot hand George

Did anyone see George Bush wipe snot from his nose on his hand. Then wiped his hand onto the butt of his pants?

"Crap from Space"

Could it be ABC is clueless about sensitivity when disasters when they show a disaster movie right after a disaster. Sure it's about a group of misfits doing something that no one else could. Even though I like the movie and it does have the effect of choking me up in parts I still see mistakes. It just might be a bit dangerous to launch to shuttles next to each other.

 

I don't know if this is Disney's way of getting the countries spirits up or to make them patriotic. You can't compare it to Bush and company because that would be like the keystone cops or three stooges after the disaster in the South. Looking back at New York it was the people of New York that took care of the people of New York. The US Government really didn't get involve. Bush didn't even want a commission to look into the failures. Then when the commission finished it was a pansy white wash. I'm sure when the republicans get done again it's going to look like the people living in the South will be their faults. Just face it, Bush isn't one to do any real job he's just giving breaks to his friends and the hell with anyone else.  

Squirrels in the sun having fun

Another nice sunny day. The squirrels are out feeding and playing. So neat to watch the little one play. One squirrel a real young on is jumping and hanging on branches and the base of this tree. He jumps from the plant trellis to the tree and back then on to a little branch. Not a care in the world but doing all the squirrel things he would do later in life.

 

Turkeys are lounging under the trees. Some are walking around but for the most part they are taking it easy. It's so interesting watching the turkeys eat apples pecking at them, getting a little bite out of the apples. They don't eat as much as the as the deer but it's the number of them that suck up the bird food. The deer really like the apples. I like watching the babies eat apple trying to look like they are big deer taking on a large apple like a big buck. In a bit I'll go to town to get some bird food again. I must go through at least 300 pound of grain a month. That's not including the sunflower seeds I buy also.

Must be winter

The weather warned that snow maybe at 8500 feet, that is if it rains or snows. Been cool every morning for the past few days, about 49 degrees. Closed up the house tonight because it was feeling chilly. Haven't turned on the heat yet but am baking something in the oven. Was a great day in the 70's. Picked more apples today, got four bags full. It was a real enjoyable day out.  woke up early but feel back to sleep listening to the radio watching the forest come to life. Maybe I should sleep in longer so I don't have to fall a sleep later. Well it was worth it to see the light moister layer in the forest. Don't get to see that if you sleep in.

Could the Oil companies be giving Bush some payback

In O'Neil's book he pointed out Chaney had divvied up Iraq for the oil companies. Since things didn't go as the administration promised. As Paul explained in his book and on talk shows Chaney was laying out plots of land for many oil companies to lease. Could the high prices of today reflect the broken promises. Would drilling in Alaska change the price of oil like it did in the late 70's? Also what's up with Bush filling the oil reserve salt mines? Is this a way of giving back to all of Bush's friends by paying top dollar for a barrel of oil?

Tiny birds

Look out, I'm comen' in

Bob

Fruit picking

Picked two bags of apples and plums. Filed two 50 pound grain bags. The one bag had about 30 pounds of plums which I toped off with apples. When I got home I was so tired I slept for two hours. Tempted to make up some apple sauce or plum preserves. Not sure but I have a good idea on how to do it.

Body isn't even cold

Chief Justice Rehnquist isn't even cold yet and Bush is pushing his buddy into the supreme court. Mean while the south is a disaster area. Bush just doesn't have his priorities set right. I guess being rich makes you un in touch with common people. Michael Chertoff looked like a jerkoff on meet the press patting himself on the back all the way for what he has done so far. As far as protecting the Homeland like he's suppose to do, it looks like the country is on it's own. I don't know about you, but some one that looks like they are homeless doesn't instill confidents in me. I've never put one's facial just to much at credence but looking at the Bush administration most of his buddies and himself tend to talk out of the sides of their mouth when the are telling a lie. I know it's a little defect but people need to pay attention to these details. Seems all the republican are all real works. From what I get from listening to them is they wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire.

6AM and still dark out

Winter is coming, the days of getting up with day light are going. Not to reappear until next year. As I watch the forest come to life my first little buddy to come from the trees was a little female squirrel. Then there was a couple doves. Next was momma turkey and her two kids. Seems one bird is missing. Then the girls showed up, my 7 hens. Watching them enjoy an apple.

 

Went to bed at 12 midnight last night. I check outside before I turned in and saw three deer laying in the chaff of the alfalfa. They looked so relaxed and comfortable.

 

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Bush gets blasted by the news this morning, how he dropped the ball. Homeland security is also on the firing line. If homeland security can't figure out hat to do for some thing like this then they are not ready for any other large scale event. Most of what was done in New York was provided by the city and state. Bush will go down in history as a lame duck and idiot. When the word gets out that he cut 95% of the funding to repair the levies and cannels of Louisiana and along the Mississippi water way people are going to really look at the republican party as a bunch of greedy bastards. Every thing the Bush administration has done over the past 5 years is for his friends and not the good of his country. When it comes to Bush the buck never stops there it's always some one else's fault. He and homeland security are already blaming the states for their poor response. When the state is devastated and their national guard if off fighting a endless war then how can it be their fault. Telling the states that they need to ask for specific aid is a cop out. When a governor ask please send help that should be good enough. The idea that Washington couldn't figure out what kind of needs they have is a hopeless state that this Bush administration has put us in. Lets close more military bases. Lets give tax breaks to the rich. Lets loose 21 billion dollars of the Iraqis money. Maybe people will see what the republican party is all about, greed.

Bush Blows the Big One Again

Bush had the chance to prevent the problems of New Orleans but cut funding. Isn't just like a rich person to be tight with the purse strings. Have you ever seen you boss tell you is good enough when you know it's a safety issue. I've never seen a republican be ready for nothing except the pursuit of power. Frisk is in the battle zone but does he put on some rubber gloves? No, he talks a mean program and that the only things republicans know to do is talk. It's time for change and that change doesn't include the republican party. It's clear they are only in it for themselves. When it comes to innovations we are going backwards compared to the rest of the world. I don't see any real loyalty in the republican party as far as this country goes. If the republicans could send all the poor over seas they would.

Decentralization: Security First

Decentralization:

It seems that if you want to make a place safe for an event where one point of service is a crucial. Either you fortify it or decentralize it. The internet was designed to solve this problem from attack of a nuclear exchange. Seems like having all the oil works in one area is a national security risk. I understand that 1/4 of all the oil comes through that area of the country. Since the wetlands have been lost at a rate of 40 square miles a year and that all the oil pipelines that were buried. Seems that a revamp of the oil pipelines and power distribution is a national security problem.

To me decentralization is a problem that needs to be over come. Maybe in the interest of this nation nationalizing the oil fields would be one step in making this country safe. Also if the power companies were owned by the government then there wouldn't be price spikes and gouging. It seems that a few oil companies really want to be drilling in Alaska driving up the price of oil similar to the oil shortage in that late 70's. Once that papers were signed the price of oil stabilized and most likely will do the same now.

It's terrible that international companies can and do push countries around. Maybe it's time to change that. Bush has been using companies like Halliburton. A company based in the Caribbean to evade taxes. Seems a loop hole as big as a country could be plugged but if your the international company plugging the holes they will never get plugged. What is good for a company may not be in the best interest of the country.

Maybe having all the eggs in one basket in one place isn't the way to go. Maybe having a lot of little oil refineries and power generation plants is the way to go. Bigger isn't always better.