Our neighborhood

Using the new Husqvarna chainsaw with a 20" bar I was able to whack some wood around the place include cutting that redwood log that fell some time back near our water tank. I counted the tree rings and it was more than 60 years old before it fell. Looking at the rings it is clear that there have been wet cycles and dry cylces in our neighborhood. The log is between 20 and 27 inches in diameter. In May we can drag thes pieces off the hill and have them planked. Maybe we will build some Adirondak chairs for the deck and panel a wall in the house. Keeping the wood for furniture preserves the stored C02 in the bank and not releasing it to the atmosphere.



RA did a lot of cleaning and we cut back some of the brush around the deck and one of the parking areas. We burned termited wood and gathered a couple pounds of nails from the ashes before we hauled it away.





Some years ago a shrine of rocks and an abalone shell were left at the base of the redwood tree in front. Anyone remember?



Kay, our neighbor gave us some dafodils and we added a couple wild flowers. They are in bloom around our woods.



We also planted an apple tree in the garden. Maybe it will survive and we will have apples or the animals.

The View is pretty nice...

We had the local rock and gravel place come out with five cubic yards of rocks and fill our giant sink hole in the driveway and also put road base in the ruts between our place and Kay's. The boys, who delivered the rock and road base, used a compactor and got it pretty smooth and very well compacted. It would have taken us a long time to do it the hard way with shovels and rakes.

We did not bring our camera so we cannot show you any new pictures just this view of the Mendo Headlands from an earlier trip. The weather was clear last night and the moon half full and the water was at 100°F in the hot tub. Que Bueno.

My Drinking Water

Compare our ability to turn on the tap and have all the clean water we want, or need, or waste, to areas in Africa where entire villages are struck with waterborne parasites and diseases. The traditional treatment of one waterborne parasite called the Guinea worm consists of wrapping the 2 to 3 foot-long worm around a small stick and extracting it. This is a slow and painful process that often takes weeks. This photo of a child in Togo endures the removal of a Guinea worm from his foot. The process is repeated daily and the pain is akin to having a hot coal placed on the skin. If the worm is pulled or broken it dies and a serious infection results. Children who have this Guinea worm cannot walk to school. Farmers who have it cannot work in their fields. Mothers afflicted cannot care for their families.

I spoke with Randy Randall this morning about our water in Centerville. We have such pure water from our wells chlorination is not required, and yet hundreds of tests are performed over a year on our water supply to ensure it remains safe for all of us.

Former President Jimmy Carter and the Carter Center have been working to eradicate this horrible parasite, the Guinea worm in Africa. It is as simple as having clean water to drink. How easy it for us to have all the clean water we need? We all can help, and it may be possible by the end of the decade, to eradicate this disease worldwide. You can make a donation to help those who are helping by visiting the Carter Center web site.

Your $30 donation can pay for 100 portable pipe filters to enable nomadic populations to filter their drinking water and help eliminate Guinea worm disease.

This Guinea worm disease puts into real perspective our gripes, complaints and whining over big boxes, school vouchers, and my favorite -- our Republican State Legislature.

If you can stomach it, you can watch a video of a young girl, a victim of this parasite.

The image below is a 3' long Guinea worm in a laboratory jar.

Movies I missed in 2006...

that I want to see yet this year: "The Prestige", "Little Miss Sunshine", "Children of Men", "V For Vendetta", "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan", and "A Prairie Home Companion". Often when I rent movies I look for Ebert and Roper's "two thumbs way up." I have been introduced to Rottentomatoes.com by number one son and will now look at their site for recommendations. I have been both pleased and disappointed with Mssrs. Ebert and Roper, so I am willing to try someone else for awhile.

Why I am an omnivore...

I love to eat bison meat, elk and venison. The hunts for the wild game are the highlight of hobbies. We do not hunt buffalo or more correctly bison. We harvest them at a ranch near Delta Utah. It seems there are extra special good reasons for eating bison meat. Some folks know that bison has lower levels of cholesterol than chicken and that heart bypass patients are allowed to eat bison. Now it seems the University of Utah's Division of Nutrition is beginning a study about the health attributes of bison. Quoting from a recent newsletter the Mrs. receives, "The interest in the health attributes of bison comes at a time when Americans are searching for dietary alternatives to beef. Bison is a good candidate since it contains less fat than the same amount of beef and has a higher ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids. Bison also contains higher amounts of omega-3 fats and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Recently, CLA has been shown to reduce inflammation, slow cancer growth, reduce heart disease, and improve body composition."

Wow, I do not have to worry about eating fish and getting mercury poisoning. I can eat my buffalo steaks off the grill and know I am getting heart healthy omega-3. I can say my body 'composition' is in need of help so I am anticipating the next Sunday buffalo roast for dinner. I still like tofu too.

The passing of a great man and good friend...

Eric D. Hogan -- Born July 29, 1917—Passed away March 1, 2007

As a young man in an LDS Church teacher's group we played basketball as is the custom. Eric Hogan was the coach and quorum advisor. I recall a game, we had against another LDS Ward. Probably the only game I ever remember playing church ball in. There was a guy on that team. I remember his name but will not print it here. He was rather aggressive and prone to foul. The refs were not up on calling any sort of a close game so it was pretty typical church ball. I, along with the older guys on the team, was being fouled by this guy. Being one of the younger ones Eric was looking out for me especially. I managed to get a rebound and of course I was fouled and stripped of the ball. Coach called a time out and we had a huddle. The only thing I think he said in the huddle was to me. His words were something like, “George, the only way you are going to get this guy off your back is to give him an elbow. The next time he comes at you give him a good one!” Play resumed and after a few minutes I had the ball after another offensive board and was dribbling out of the paint. The guy came after me again and I changed from the right hand to a left hand dribble. As he came close - reaching in - my elbow was ready and I let him have it. He doubled over and went down on the floor. I was called with that foul of course and I heard Eric yell across the floor “Good one George!” The other coach objected but Eric held firm and defended me. A discussion with the refs set the game on a better footing after that.

We won the game and I don’t remember much else or of my tenure in the teacher’s quorum for the two years I was there, other than this great man who took an interest in me. He taught me a little of the fine art of church ball and how to defend myself and stand up to a bully. He gave me the confidence to assert myself for my own protection.

We'll miss you Eric!