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!

Why do they come?

This is a photo of a barrio outside of Lima, Peru. I was there a little more than a year ago. There is no running water here, elctricity or sewers. The air smelled so bad I did not want to breathe as we drove through this neighborhood on the one bumpy narrow paved street. The poor people in Lima live on the hillsides. The hills are devoid of any vegetation, just rocks and dirt. Not a single tree grew anywhere on the mountains above Lima where the gente pobre live. It was made the capitol of Peru by the Conquistadores because it had a natural harbor from which the conquerors could load and haul the treasure they stole back to Spain. Infant mortality is greater than 50% and tuberculosis is high in this place called San Juan de Lima. Respiratory infections are frequent and there is no Insta Care or IHC to take your kid to when he has a fever. Garbage was piled along the street and the sorriest junkyard dogs I have ever seen look for something to eat. They compete with the residents looking for scraps of paper or metal to recycle and sell.

I was told by my body guards this was not the worst neighborhood in Lima. We could not go to the worst because they would break the mirrors off the van or try to carjack us. I had to be content with experiencing the second worst neighborhood. When I retrurned home to Centerville I showed this and other photos to my son in law K. I said I could not believe there was an LDS Church there and missionarios, even gringos serve here... He laughed and said he was a Zone Leader in San Juan de Lima.

Mi vida es facil!

Not one in a ten mile radius...

Kahil Gibran observed that he learned "silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind." Further he said he was grateful to those teachers. I am not as grateful. I have "learned" enough from our Utah legislators that I need a recess. It is time to stand on the bluffs above the rocky shores of the Northern CA coast and inhale the air of a free people. It is time to gaze for a few evenings at the nighttime sky through the whisps of lifting fog to catch the clearest light of the stars and know there isn't a single member of the Republic Party within 10 miles. It is time to soak from my bones, just for a few days, the ache brought on by legislative homophobia and intolerance. It is time to be in a state that has sent Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sens. Feinstein and Boxer to our nation's capital and know that Orrin Hatch is almost a thousand miles away by automobile and a million miles away in my mind. I will shop at a very little box, the neighborhood Community Store of Westport CA. I could not drive to the nearest WM in under two hours.

Surround me with trees that were here before there were Bushes and let me sit among those who hug and love these trees. I will be free...

I have been drafted...

into the Young Men's Program. Soy consejero en los hombres jovenes de la Rama y estoy muy feliz. Nunca demasiado viejo pienso.

Carly Simon on a Saturday Morning...

This morning I scrambled some eggs with cheese from Round Man's in Ft. Bragg. Had some smoked pepper jack we brought back from our last trip. It was very good. While cooking we listened to Carly's new album 'Into White'. I had downloaded it to my IPod. I am sitting in my easy chair and listenting to it over the new IPod Hi Fi boom box. The sound is great. I am enjoying Carly so much I went to Amazon and ordered four CD's for the kids. A couple of the tracks have help from Taylor children I understand. One even sounds like the papa James T. Wish any of you were here to share the Saturday morning with us...

Last night we watched on the big screen Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" for the first time. I was moved. It was a spiritual experience. The views of Earth from the moon and beyond were moving, even the digital rendering of a Polar Bear swimming in the open ocean trying to find a bit of ice to rest upon. Can you imagine 'W' making a movie of anything when he is out of office? Maybe he could do a Will Farrell immitation of himself, down on the ranch playing a little frisbe with Condi and Dick. Would You Tube pick it up?

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.