More from Karl and W

Here is a quote from the evil genius behind Bush, "As people do better, they start voting like Republicans--unless they have too much education and vote Democratic."

Karl Rove, White House Advisor

I was given a great calendar at Christmas from my kids entitled the "Out of Office Countdown, 2007, Two years and Counting"

Another priceless observation Rove made came on 19 January 2005, he said George W. Bush was "one of the most intellectually gifted presidents we've had." Does anyone actually believe that?

There are some gems of wisdom from our Commander in Chief and his cohorts. Here is one: "I'm the commander--see, I don't need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being president."

Cooking

I have been impressed and envious with all of you and your cooking accomplishments. Given the cold last night and the Mrs. being tied up with piano lessons and church stuff, I decided I would alter my normal supper fare and try cooking some soup. How hard can that be anyway? I boiled water, peeled potatoes and carrots, chopped onions, added garlic, opened a can of corn, beans and mushrooms and started cooking. It looked like too much water and the soup would be too thin so I poured in some rice left over from Sunday into the boiling water. A little soy is always good in everything so some of that went in along with 2 lbs of elk burger and a can of tomato sauce. The ground elk made the whole think kind of pink which is not desirable. After awhile the concoction started turning brown, but much of the water largely disappeared. When the Mrs. got home it was stew, maybe. The mistress of the kitchen said it was more like a casserole of potatos, elk, carrots, rice, green beans and corn. So much for cooking soup. She did tell me it was very good, though I found that if I squirted some Siracha sauce on it (to light up your life, lips, tongue and throat) it was even better.

The photo is someone else’s image, as I did not take any pictures of my casserole. We do have lots of it and there were three containers left over and in the refrigerator.

Is there room at the inn?

A piece in today’s Trib by Jessica Ravitz merits reading and pondering upon. It is an account of two incredible women, Jody and her friend Jess. Jody lived, really lived, for seven years with ALS, or Lou Gherig’s disease. Their relationship had the power to ‘transform minds and hearts, offering a lesson in devotion and proof that what exists between two people cannot, should not, be dismissed.” There is a profound lesson for many of us here about capacity and our ability to love. Regrettably, far too few will be influenced to alter or change much their negative perceptions. Call them even phobias, prejudices or fears.

Turning to Luke, early in the gospel we read in the 2nd chapter from verse 7: “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room in the inn.” It seems there was no room in the “inn” for Jody and Jess. From Ms. Ravitz article again, “Friends gave comfort, but in grappling with death, Jody also sought out spiritual sustenance. Tucked between the recliner's cushions was a handmade rosary, a gift from a cousin. Jody, originally from Southern California, had been raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But she came out as a lesbian just after serving a mission in Chicago and felt she was no longer welcome. She took the embrace of West Valley City's St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, where she was baptized in May 2005. Because Jody was homebound, the Rev. W. Lee Shaw of St. Stephen's brought the parish to her. Volunteers made weekly visits. Shaw came to offer prayers and Holy Communion. After he consecrated the bread and wine, Jess ground the wafer, mixed it with the wine, and by way of her feeding tube, Jody was blessed. But visitors said they were blessed even more…”

New Years is about new promises and resolutions. Maybe it is a time to think about the “inn” in our hearts and lives and ask ourselves if there is room for a relationship such as Jess and Jody had. Please read the article.

El es Cazador

My freind Paco shot this fine Buffalo at the Lake Bonneville Bison Ranch in Oak City Utah on Thursday. It was the first time he had ever fired a rifle or even handled a gun. He put one bullet in the vertebrae just below the skull. Que bueno Paco!

Strange elevator conversation in New Jersey

It was neither elevator music nor was it particularly 'elevating' but there may be something positive from the conversation. On my way to the exercise room tonight I shared a conversation with a fellow rider at the Newark Marriott. I learned that he, Dennis Hastert, and I all had something in common. I wonder why this guy wanted to tell me about it. Is it something in the water or air here in Jersey? It seems that this guy, Denny Hastert, (who is the lame duck Speaker of the US House of Representatives), and I all have had recent bouts with cellulitis.

The next time I pass through the security screens at any airport I may do something Adrian Monkish. In all honesty I would prefer the Sharona character to hand me a disinfecting wipe though. I Iiked her character better than the current Natalie. Both Mr. Hastert and my elevator friend suffered cellulites, and according to this guy the two of them picked it up at O’Hare Airport. I think mine might have come from the Atlanta Airport before a long flight to Peru. The alleged source is the TSA screening area, where you take off your shoes, and walk through the metal detector. I was told TSA or the custodians never use any disinfectant so everyone walking through leaves a little something behind for those following. I’ll bet George W. Bush does not have to take his shoes off when he gets on Air Force One.

Cellulitis is caused by one of several types of bacteria entering through a break in the skin. These are strep and staphylococcus mainly. A medical site suggests if your foot gets red and swells it may “signal a deeper, more serious infection of the inner layers of skin. Once below the skin, the bacteria can spread rapidly, entering the lymph nodes and the bloodstream and spreading throughout your body.” Furthermore, “In rare cases, the infection can spread to the deep layer of tissue called the fascial lining. Flesh-eating strep, also called necrotizing fasciitis, is an example of a deep-layer infection. It represents an extreme emergency.”

I had to drop my drawers and get shot a couple shots in the buttocks, or as another favorite character would say, "in the but-tox", emphasis on the 'tox', a la Forrest Gump. So, the next time you go flying, think about some disposable slippers, wipes, Lysol, shower thongs, anything you could wear and avoid those flesh eating and necrotizing bacteria.

Also, watch Monk. It returns in January though we get a special episode on Friday December 22nd.

Global Warming...

Recently seven hunters from Utah went to Colorado for a 100% guaranteed cow elk hunt. Rather than having the 2 feet of snow and temps near freezing we had dry ground and temps in the mid 40's. One long time guide and hunter said they had not seen anything like this in his 15 years of tracking elk in Craig.

Scientists agree that global warming is at the root of unsuccessful hunting in Colorado. Ice cores, tree rings and deep ocean coral analysis suggest the rapid increase in green house gasses and worldwide increases in temperatures including winter migration of elk herds in Northern Colorado are anthropogenic or man caused in origin. Burning of fossil fuels and the industrialization of our civilization has leaded us to this point. Core samples from more than 800,000 years of ice build up from Antarctica confirm there never has been the concentration of C02 in the atmosphere as we have experienced in the last 200 years.

Continued upset of the world climate will bring further changes to all the people on the planet from the Polar Bears in the Arctic to penguins in the Antarctic. For next year Utah elk hunters will factor in the changes in global warming and push back the harvesting of animals by one month.

The matter of sleeping

Dr. William Dement of Stanford University founded the first clinic in the USA to diagnose and treat sleep disorders some years ago. A new Podcast now from the aforementioned university allows access to faculty lectures on a plethora of subjects including sleep disorders. Since sleep disorders are shared by more than a few of us I recommend listening to the Podcast. I intend to inquire further into the matter of sleep. For some, according to Professor Dement, the solution to a better night's sleep is simply watching the sun set or more precisely the resetting of one's biological clock by increased exposure to light. On cloudy days when the light of the sun is shielded one may need a light box to aid in the resetting of this biological clock.

Next to research for me are light boxes which have the proper wavelength and intensity to achieve the resetting. Could have fewer side effects than Lunesta or Ambien. Anyone want to try a light box?

Won 10 big ones...

Just returned home by truck from the 'Redwood office' on the North Coast. For speed in travel we drove through a couple fast food joints coming and going, but after driving 6 hours from Reno we decided to seek food served on a plate and at a table. I recommended we go to the buffet at the Rainbow Hotel and Casino in Wendover. The food did not disappoint, neither the attentive care of the near 100% Hispanic staff in the restaurant. RA could not focus on the food as her attention was drawn to the mirrored celings, the neon lights, the gaming and the number of seniors that seemed to be there spending their kid's inheritances. Personally I found the shrimp to be plentiful, the fruit fresh and sweet, the prime rib thick and the vegetables not overcooked like I used to get at a school cafeteria growing up. I confess though I always liked those plump overcooked green beans that came out of government supplied number 10 cans.

RA said if she had a blog she would write about our experience at the Rainbow in Wendover. I offered encouragement to her to do so. She may have wanted to disclose that I played the dollar slots and won 10 big ones. That helped subsidize our buffet which was not cheap. How much is ten big ones, you ask-- $10.00, maybe $1,000.00...? Actually it was ten cents. I played a single dollar bill and won $1.10. I got some sort of bar coded credit slip that you have to feed into another machine to get your cash back. I did so and out came a dollar bill and two nickels, 10 big ones, ten cents that is. Content with winning and getting ahead of the casino and not subsidizing this immoral activity any further we passed on out of the casino to the parking lot.

I would expect I have misinterpeted RA's comments and intentions to some degree and therefore await her comments to more correctly describe our stop and the whole experience. She should tell us in her own words about the stop at the Rainbow, including the decor. I looked for a nice graphic to put with this post but could only find an image of an old slot machine. I also found this post by someone from West Vallley City reviewing the Rainbow for a travel service. They had less than a rewarding experience. Some real sour fruit here: "May 14, 2004, my husbond and I have been to the rainbow a couple of times with in the last year, and don't plan to go back. The slots are way to tight we put $1000 in their slots and didn't get nothing I mean nothing.." Given that prospect of getting "nothing, I mean nothing" we did good to come away a dime ahead. The Rainbow aint got nothin on us, we were too smart to be tricked by those mirrored celings, neon lights and the gaming atmosphere there. Not tempted to pour any more money into the slots, besides I miss those handles you used to be able to pull. What ever happened to the 'one arm bandits'?

We also averaged 17+ mpg for the Dodge and used several tanks of bio diesel on the trip. Biodiesel is the 'fuel of peace' proclaimed one bumper sticker which we received as we signed up to become members of the biodiesel club in Laytonville CA. The nice lady who pumped our 95% biodiesel managed to keep a straight face as she explained that her work was entirelly altruistic in providing this "community service" at $3.85 per gallon. The bio is entirely from reclaimed cooking oil. I guess those fast food joints must be selling their old oil for more than the sheiks, mullahs, and princes of the middle east at sixty bucks a barrel. Somebody is making some sweet moolah at those prices. We felt good though as our tank was filled with this free range, organic, fuel of peace. I still harbor feelings of hostility toward some Republicans. Will that ever change?

Announcing...

The new "Redwood Office" of Fisher Company will be opening before this Christmas Season. Ribbon cutting ceremonies are scheduled on the 22nd of December. A high speed wireless internet satellite connection will be installed thus making it easier to conduct business from this location. This suggests increased efficiencies and implies more time will be spent at the offices there. This places us closer geographically to many of our west coast customers offering better service. Of course this will require some sacrifice on our part but we at Fisher Company are dedicated to servicing the needs of our many valued customers and are excited about this step forward in the evolution of our business.

A small reception is planned and we request confirmation if you should be able to attend. Menu items include smoked salmon, Calistoga water, various cheeses and pastries. Hope to see any of you there!

Best wishes from the Management

Let the party begin...

Stopped by the store on the way home tonight and picked up some goodies to begin the celebrations in anticipation of the Democratic sweep in the House and Senate tomorrow. Not to be overlooked either, in this mid term election, is the fact that this is a referendum for the failed policies of George W. Bush in Iraq.

We have Calistoga water with lime, two kinds of Pepperidge Farm cookies, French bread, Brie, cheddar aged two years, and bleu along with limited edition entertaining crackers from Nabisco called 'Hearty Wheats'. We'll put some Brie on those along with bleu and aged cheddar.

Do you suppose Karl and George, Dick, Donald and Condi are getting ready for any celebrating? In order to save face some have suggested Donald could be fired or retired. I promise one of these days I will post some of the great quotes from the Generals and the Joint Chiefs, how they feel about their Secretary of Defense from Bob Woodward's new book.

This is better than Christmas and New Years all rolled into one.

"Men behave differently...

in the presence of each other than they do when women are there. I could not begin to say why," according to Andy Rooney,” even if I knew. It is not only different, but the atmosphere, for that brief time, is often better. I should think the same thing is true about a group of women who gather for bridge or to elect a candidate to office. I can't speak about a woman's locker room."

I believe that observation by Mr. Rooney having experienced annual hunting trips to the mountains and diving trips to the ocean. I think that is why many of my friends continue to golf together on Saturday mornings, "for that brief time" that "is often better."

In pursuit of this special time I, J. and A. are having a men's afternoon out tomorrow. Yes, we can do this. I will be fortified with ample supplies in the diaper bag and do have some experience and ability, though dormant, to be able to change A's diaper if the need arises. We plan on visiting the Museum of Natural History at the U of U, probably make a stop at Toys R Us and then a stop at the Centerville Dairy Queen where we will drink root beer, eat ice cream and have ketchup and French fries. Topping off the afternoon will be some time on the living room carpet assembling and playing with our toys. After all is that not what men do best together?

Making progress with the problem of suffering...

From Save the Children I read that 4 million die in the first month of life. The leading causes of infant mortality are dehydration and disease. Major causes of infant mortality in more developed countries include congenital malformation, infection and SIDS. The most common cause of infant mortality of all children around the world has traditionally been dehydration from diarrhea. Because of the success of spreading information about Oral Rehydration Solution (a mixture of salts, sugar and water) to mothers around the world, the rate of children dying from dehydration has been decreasing and has become the second most common cause in the late 1990s. Currently the most common cause is pneumonia. Infanticide, abuse, abandonment, and neglect may also contribute to infant mortality.

In South Asia mothers often have no help in delivering other than a family member who is not trained in any way. The mothers give birth in the dirtiest part of the hut and the baby when it is delivered is laid on the dirt floor. Mothers are not allowed to nurse for the first week due to fears of evil spirits.

I am making progress with the problem of suffering. It is too personal to be posted on a blog but when it is quiet and we can talk in somewhat subdued tones I will share with you what I discovered about the problem of suffering including the children warriors of the Mai Mai in the Congo, the tens of thousands of children made orphans because of parents who died from AIDS as well as the starving in Darfur.

It is a start but it is somehwat a relief to me...

The view is a healthy one

An article in the Wall Street Journal Wednesday, October 18, 2006 reports, something all of us Noyo King crew members have known for a long time, that fishing and eating our catch is very healthy. I think hunting has a similar beneficial effect, particularly since the red meat we shoot is lower in cholesterol than chicken and is tetracyline and growth hormone free. Here are a couple paragraphs from the article:

By Elizabeth Bernstein, The Wall Street Journal

Health-conscious consumers have long been vexed by whether the health benefits of seafood outweigh the risks from toxic substances, such as mercury. Now, two large federally-funded studies have weighed the evidence and reached a definitive conclusion: Eat fish.

The reports -- one from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the other from Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston -- analyzed hundreds of research studies and determined that eating seafood may help reduce the risk of heart disease in the general population. In particular, researchers at Harvard found that people who eat one to two servings of fish per week -- especially varieties higher in fatty oils, such as wild salmon -- may reduce their risk of death from heart attacks by 36 percent and the rate of death in general by 17 percent."

Sunday afternoons...

When I was a kid there was something on TV called 'Adventure Theater'. It came on Sunday afternoons after dinner and before church in the evening. I am sure I saw every Errol Flynn movie and 'Robin Hood' was my favorite. The likes of the Tarzan movies, starring the best of them all, Johnny Weissmuller, as well as Sherlock Holmes with Basil Rathbone were standard fare. Nazis were often the enemy of everyone. I miss the Charlie Chan series. My interest in the detective/drama genre has spanned the decades. The 'Inspector Morse' series on PBS is probably my favorite in recent years. 'Hill Street Blues' in its prime, minus the Francis and Joyce bathtub scenes, is likely a close second. There have been so many good ones it is hard to pick just one or two. Poirot with David Suchet deserves honorable mention, as does Helen Mirren's portrayal of DCS Jane Tennison also on PBS. PD James character Adam Dalgliesh has been made into several series and I have listened to a number of audio books on the I pod.

This afternoon in New York RA and I have the challenge of sorting through the online Zagat guide for restaurants in walking distance from the Marriott. Since we have been here we have had lunch at a French Brasserie, a Turkish supper of warm flat bread, humus and babaganoosh along with kabobs. Earlier today it was an Asian fusion Sunday brunch of dim sum.

The best activity on Sunday afternoons, (in addition to a nap), is dinner with family and enjoying the grandsons. I hope one day I can share the adventures of Charlie Chan with them. Of course they are sans any special effects and digital technology. I do not recall ever seeing a chase scene in any Hollywood movie until 1968 with Steve McQueen in 'Bullet'.

Grandson J has enjoyed the 'Pink Panther series with us but I wonder will anyone be interested in those classics of Adventure Theater?

Where is the outrage? This makes me sick!

I saw this Piece
on my Internet news provider, al Jazeera. I have to ask how can any of us sleep comfortably at night and know this kind of thing is happening? How can any of us hug a child or a grandson and know this sort of thing is going on and we are doing nothing about it? One of my grandsons is five, that means any time he could be taken by an army in the Congo. I ask myself why and I ask God why? I have no answers. How many grandchildren does George W. Bush, Dick Cheney have or Donald Rumsfeld? Where is the outrage? Where are those who could stop this? Who are the arms merchants supplying the combatants with their rocket propelled grenades, automatic weapons and small arms? Are the weapons, Russian, Chinese, or American?

To borrow from Sir Bertrand Russell, "The whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate this evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer."

A warning to you, if you read the following:

"At least 11,000 children in Congo are still missing or in the hands of armed groups three years after the end of the country's bloody civil war, a leading human rights group has said.

Amnesty International said on Wednesday that the Democratic Republic of Congo's scheme to release child soldiers - some of whom were as young as six-years-old - and reintegrate them into civilian life was failing.

"The government has not only failed to release thousands of children who remain with armed forces or groups but new child soldiers continue to be recruited, including some who were only recently demobilised and reunited with their families," said Tawanda Hondora, deputy director of Amnesty's Africa programme.

Some 40 per cent of children taken were young girls, most of whom remain unaccounted for.

Some government officials regarded them as "dependants" of adult fighters, who considered them sexual possessions and did not feel obliged to hand them over.

Most of the children who had been through the government reintegration scheme had since received little or no educational support or help to readjust, the organisation said.

"The new government must make it their first priority to ensure that all children associated with armed forces and groups are released, protected and provided with meaningful educational and income-generating opportunities to enable them to stay within their communities," Honduras said.

"This is the only way to prevent the re-recruitment and further abandonment of these children."

The central African country's five-year conflict, from 1998 until 2003, drew in six foreign armies, sparked a vast humanitarian crisis and claimed the lives of more than three million people.

It is currently preparing for a presidential run-off election on October 29 between Jean-Pierre Bemba, a former rebel chief turned vice president, and Joseph Kabila, current president of the country.

The run-off follows landmark July elections meant to smooth the transition of the former Zaire to democracy, although the elections have been marred by violence in the country's lawless north and north-east."

Notes from Peru

This is from my friend and adopted son in Peru. Some of you may recall he was deported from the Estados Unidos about two years ago. The digital image is a place K used to serve in Peru and is called San Juan de Lima. As we drove through the area I did not want to breathe because of the smell. It has garbage stacked along the one paved street. People and dogs sort through the trash looking for anything recyclable or edible, respectively. The little shack, nowhere near the quality of a 'Tough Shed' is built for families to drag home to some patch of rocks on the hillside. Miguel told me this area is not the worst of Peru as we could not drive there or we would not come out intact. You would find it interesting the very poorest live highest on the hillside, which is entirely devoid of any green or vegetation, no grass or trees.

The following was excerpted from the email I received today from Miguel. He is full of faith and rather stoic as he meets the challenges of his life and his family.

"I believe there is a reason for everything, there is a purpose for me being here in Peru and there is a purpose for everything that had happened to me in the course of my life.

I cannot understand why since I have being a little boy had a sense of belonging to something bigger and the presense of the spirit was always around me for diferent reasons I guess the lord want me to take care of a lot of things so he put me in the family I belong. for some reason it is my call to help my brothers my mom and my dad. is not something I decided to do it is just natural to me to do because the lord decide it was my call and for some reason I know it is.
I cannot say why but that is how it is I cannot complain because of that the lord always blessed me more than all my brothers and my family. I was always happy even in the bad times and always was able to help them even with money to go to the US. I can say that the lord always give the tools to do wath he wants me todo till the point I was not worry about money or food, because even when I used all my resourses to help others the lord somehow returned to me ten times more what I give to others over and over so I can say I always did good here in Peru even when things where so hard and jobs were so low and all it was because of the lord and his miracle ways to acomplish his purposes.

I feel very blessed George I love you and respect you a lot even more than my natural father. we are so a like that I know you understand my feelings, how I think my goals, dreams and plans. and that is why I feel very happy and atached to you. I can say that I see my self in you only that you are thousends better than me but I hope some day be as you are. and put others first than my self, just be focus on the gospel and the kingdom of the lord. so far this life is just temporary and a tiny piece of sand compared to the eternity of the kingdom of our heavenly father.

In my short 30's I can say I have being through a lot but at the same time I can say that my life had being full of privileges compared to others I have a lot. I'm rich as you said. in fact I feel I'm wealthy. I'm so happy because of the knowledge I have about the gospel. I'm priviledge to be a member of this wonderful church while other people are lost in the darkness of this world, I have the light and the guidance of the spirit the Malchisedec priesthood. I'm married to a wonderful woman will be soon sealed in the temple and will give the priesthod to my brother Renzo, as you can see and rich and blessed.

I know some people think they are not priviledge because they have being born in south america in a third world country where things are so hard and there is too much poverty, but I feel blessed because I know the road to the kingdom of my heavenly father it is not easy so i do not pretend to live in a fantasy world where everything is easy and you have everything that way you cannot apreciate what you have.

I'm looking forward to be there with you and my kids when they called you grandpa. I will let them know about you and let them know what I learned from you and how you helped others. I will show George Jr. how to be as his grandpa. and I will always set the example talking about you. they will go to missions and will bring souls to the lord. and all that will be possible because you helped this lost soul and rescue it from the darkness when others saw just another ilegal in trouble you extended your lovely hand to me helping me not expecting anything in return just showing the pure love of jesuschrist you have in your heart.

I will see you soon in the temple when I'll be sealed with Vanezza and you will be in my heart and toughs when i'll be giving the priesthood to Renzo. remember that all that is going to be posible because you decided to help just another ilegal in trouble who will never deserve all that you are doing for him. you have changed my life forever you are the biggest miracle in my life."

Our tinsel culture

Impossible for me to understand and it is damning evidence for this tinsel world in which we live. As Tom is now out at Paramount, Brad may be in for the highest amount ever paid to an actor, $39 million, to play the successor role of Ethan Hunt. From a Google web news piece you can read on...

"Newsmakers | Reports: Brad Pitt for the next 'Mission'
By Tirdad Derakhshani
Inquirer Staff Writer
Insiders and sources are talking (anonymously, of course). The groundswell is swelling: Paramount, which recently fired its golden boy Tom Cruise for his alleged weirdness, is gunning to have Brad Pitt replace Tom in the role of Main Studly Guy in the next installment of the Mission Impossible dynasty. At least, that's what various reports say that various other reports (in London's Daily Mail and the Evening Standard) are saying.

Brad apparently would not play Tom's Ethan Hunt character.

"They're set on Brad taking over as a gutsy new head operative who puts together his own unique team of specialists," an anonymous insider tells the Mail. (Ethan would be retired off to some sunny isle with his new wife.)

Paramount, the reports say, is being real gutsy by offering Brad $39 mil for the flick, which would make Angelina Jolie's beau the highest-paid actor in the history of thespianity"

Littering is permissible sometimes...

Every once in awhile things come across the stern that merit publication here. From one master:

"Each of us might well ask, “In what ways am I shrinking or holding back from discovery?” Even meek introspection and meditation may yield bold insights! For example, we can tell much by what we have already willingly discarded along the pathway of discovery. It is the only pathway where littering is permissible, even encouraged. In the early stages, the debris left behind includes the grosser acts of commission. Later debris differs; things begin to be discarded which have caused the misuse or underuse of our time, abilities and talent.

Along this pathway leading to light, stern and unsought challenges sometimes hasten the jettisoning, which is needed to achieve increased awakening. If we have grown soft, hard times may be necessary. If we are too contented, a dose of divine discontent may come. A relevant insight may be contained in reproof. A new duty beckons us away from comfortable routines wherein the needed competencies have already been developed. One may be stripped of accustomed luxury so that the malignant mole of materialism may be removed. One may be scorched by humiliation so pride can be melted away. Whatever we lack will get attention, one way or another. It is the way of things"

Aptitude tests and 'W'

I recall being in grade school and taking exams called the Stanford Achievement Tests. The questions were varied and some have stayed with me through the years as with other exams I took in high school and college. One of the kinds of questions designed to measure some sort of logic or aptitude was of this type -- 'A is to C as B is to D'.

We have enjoyed the recent discovery of Pink Panther movies by our grandson J. He is 11 and the humor of those wonderful movies spans the years between him and his grandparents.

I concluded, (based upon the wisdom gained in elementary school), that Inspector Clouseau is to police work as George W. Bush is to ______. (Fill in the blank)
A. The Presidency of the United States
B. World Peace
C. The environment
D. All of the above.

Is there is anything any better...

...I want to know. This AM after riding with RA to our office and back, she on the trike and me on the Stout, (and it was good again), we sat outside in the cool morning air having a pleasant Sunday AM visit. While sitting on the patio I saw a nectarine drop from the tree. I searched through the branches and found several perfect fruit. They are so juicy you have to lean over a sink to eat them or stay outside. They were cool because of autumn nights. They are so sweet.

I am accepting nominations from anyone who can claim they have anything equivalent to our tree ripened and nighttime cooled nectarines. Come by and we will share a couple with you, but don't ask for a bucket.