Warren Buffet's Christmas Train Set

Some folks love the Christmas train set they received as a kid.  Some even go on as adults to build elaborate layouts that fill a basement or attic.  Then there's Warren Buffet, the world's greatest investor.  He just agreed to buy, through his company Berkshire Hathaway, a whole railroad,  Burlington Northern Santa Fe.  Forty-four billion in cash.

Conversation Through a Windshield

A draft of a new poem:

Conversation Through a Windshield

The wind hurried
Through breaks of goldenrods,
Late for a dance with the cottonwoods,
Pushed by a storm stalking up the valley.

My friend, the towheaded farmer with over-sized hands,
The one with a crooked nose
And a forehead like an anvil,
Struck a serious gaze through my old truck's windshield
At the looming gunmetal clouds
And asked aloud, over cherry-red cheeks,
If God approved of cremation, and
"Do you think its gonna rain?

I said, "The ripening wheat fields down by the river
Dream of terrible hailstorms this time of year."
"Did Evan get that cutting of alfalfa baled this week?"

"Myra left me last night", he says.
"Gone to her sister's over in Pocatello."
"Kids are resilient," I say." They get back up
When they get blown over."

"I cleaned my pistol last night after she left."
I said, "Hey, let's hunt in Arbon Valley this year."
Then silence as the pickup droned up the blacktop.

Then, through the windshield he says
"I want my ashes scattered in the Teton River
If it's OK with God and you."
"That long riffle where we saw the double rainbow last year."


[Submitted to Subtropics literary journal on 1/6/2010]

Water, Amazing Water

Tonight I watched this 2-hour web video about water and came away with a few inspiring thoughts.  I may not look upon water the same way again - how my thoughts and actions and living affect this vital resource that enables life to survive on this world.

On Poetry:

"Poetry should strike the reader as a wording of his own highest thoughts, and appear almost a remembrance." - John Keats

I firmly believe all of us have poetry that lives within us.  Some of us have to wrestle with ourselves to bring it to light.  I have danced around the firelight of that struggle lately, almost afraid to indulge myself in that fight, but at the same time am compelled to boldly stride into the brighter circle of that very light, again.

It's winged sumac time in north-central Florida. Isn't this a lovely photo of a female indigo bunting peeking over a cascade of sumac fruit clusters?  Hat-tip to my good friend Mike D., who captured this image recently and posted it to his Flickr stream.  He's an impressive photographer, and I recommend you give his site a long look.

Waltzing Matilda

For the past two days I've really enjoyed listening over and over to this beautiful arrangement of the Australian bush song Waltzing Matilda played on a handcrafted parlor guitar made by Rebecca Urlacher.  I'm sure you'll like it too.

This Just In

I'm back to blogging after a several month hiatus during which I've experienced many changes and heartbreaks.  The Clog-wife left and is living with someone else.   I've resurfaced and am up and moving again, and trying to recover the old fire inside me.

Obama: License to Jive?

This just in: Reportage from the belly-, leg- and zipper-seams of the US fabic indicate that now Obama and Michelle are in the White House there will be a resurgence of white people who feel empowered to connect linguistically with African-American friends who don't speak at all likethe Obama First Family. Scions of the popular music and film industries are reportedly waiting to see how "things play out" before committing themselves one way or the other.

Rhymes with "Month"

Can you find an English word that rhymes with "month"? Some folks are on-the-prowl.

O Holy Night

The early evening sky was especially lovely tonight with a pink sunset graced by a sliver of moon. On nights like this one its easy to park the car in the driveway after the commute home and linger outside to watch the colors go away and the stars begin to glimmer.

Render This

I got to monkeying around with Adobe Photoshop and created a mock book cover. I hope nobody is actually writing this book, but I wouldn't be surprised if it has already gone through several printings.

The original image was a rather unremarkable photograph of some swirly foam making its way downstream from Big Shoals on the Suwannee River in north central Florida. The 4-mile hike the clog-wife and I took on that bright winter afternoon was far less chilling than the mock book cover would suggest.

Got Melamine?

The Chinese food-contaminant melamine just won't go away.

Now we learn that the Chinese may have been feeding fish and seafood raised for the export market melamine-laced feed in order to boost protein content.

Time for a bumper sticker assault.

Christmas Recipes

So there are these things called blog carnivals, if you hadn't noticed years ago. I've had a recipe or two published at The Carnival of the Recipes, and being somewhat of a foodie and dedicated home chef, enjoy following this carnival to glean ideas.

The most recent, holiday Carnival of the recipes is now live, courtesy of A Boy Named Sous, who's repast is titled "Eat it like it's Stollen". Check it out. Find some ideas for that missing dish that will make your holiday entertaining complete. You won't be disappointed.

Christians Dampen Halloween?

Here in north-central Florida Halloween is subdued, judging from the turn-out in my home neighborhood. Not a few children we know informed us, upon inquiry, that they would not be trick-or-treating in our familiar neighborhood because they were required to attend to a "Fall Festival" put on by the pastor of their local church.

Halloween traditions aside, what is the beef with Halloween? Its origins are not evil, and Lord knows that all of us, including our children need an escape, a time out of time, or a dip into liminality, as the Folklore students would phrase it.

Halloween is not and has never been an enjoinder to be or do evil. Halloween is a once-a-year healthy evening in our lives when we can experience for a moment something else apart from our rule- and prescription-driven lives. Time-out-of-time where we discover something about ourselves and others.

The kids knocking at my door were polite and gracious, to a ghoul, fairy, or mutilated linebacker from the hometown football team.

Barn Owl Pellets for Tight Budgets

Stocking up on stuff for the 3-day Memorial Day Weekend, or perhaps for the 2008 hurricane season?

Don't forget barn owl pellets. At the link you'll learn that they're "great for young students and tight budgets."

global warming, barn owl, Memorial Day, owl pellets, owls, owl food, prey items, tight budget, hurricane, hurricane season, 2008 hurricanes

Pat Your Little Foot, Sally Ann

Video of the Clog-wife flatfooting to the fiddle and banjo accompanied by yours truly on guitar in the sitting room of a friend's old frame house in Micanopy, Florida.

Pat Your Little Foot, Sally Ann

Dave Forbes - fiddle, Chuck Levy - banjo
The four of us as "Fear No Weevil" will perform two shows at the Florida Folk Festival next weekend.

Micanopy Florida, fiddle, banjo, flatfooting, Sally Ann

Gumbo Limbo

The Clog-wife, her son, and I walked/bicycled downtown to watch the hot north Florida Cajun band Gumbo Limbo play at the sinkhole bandstand at the High Springs farmers' market. Members of Gumbo Limbo are friends in the traditional music and dance circles we move in. All, including us, are former members of or are somehow connected to the Cross Creek Cloggers. It was nice to be outside on a bright summer day listening to good music and dancing a bit. We'll all see eachother again in a few days since we're all performers at the Florida Folk Festival next weekend. We returned home to a meal of meatloaf, yellow rice, and fresh green beans.

I photographed a couple of butterflies feeding on lantana in one of our gardens:



Giant Swallowtail




Zebra Swallowtail










technorati: swallowtail, zebra swallowtail, giant swallowtail, gumbo limbo, High SpringsFlorida

Eight Belles/Eight Bells

The national Irish is up following the catastrophe at the 2008 Kentucky Derby wherein second-place finisher Eight Belles crashed after crossing the finish line.

Eight Belles was euthanized after she shattered both front ankles as she pulled up around a quarter-mile beyond the finish line following her second-place finish behind Derby winner Big Brown. Eight Belles was the first filly to compete in the Derby since 1999.

The Clog Almanac admits to weeping upon learning that that filly was euthanized subsequent to crashing to her knees after crossing the finish line in this great national horse race, one of our nation's annual hallmarks, the Triple Crown. Thoroughbred champions display characteristics that resonate with many of our highest valued qualities and aspirations: a will to succeed and win; joy in competition; indomitable energy and resolve; and a totally committed heart. It is the animals themselves that endear so many to this "sport of kings". The Clog Almanac suspects that these same qualities made horse racing so beloved by such kings and their subjects alike, and to many of us as well. It was difficult to witness the end of such a great animal.

The death of a great filly, a horse loved by her trainer and owner is causing a national re-evaluation of this time-honored tradition - and the collective blame-game has begun:

Some question the wisdom in racing young horses.
Some question letting fillies race against colts.
Some question the wisdom of running a field of 20 horses.
Some question the so-called inbred champion blood-lines from which champions emerge.
Some question the individual track characteristics.
Some question the industry's adherence to tradition rather than embracing changes that would advance the humane safety of horses and their riders.

The Clog-wife, who exercised/trained thoroughbreds for nearly a decade, and who exercised horses on many tracks ranging from the deep and fluffy Saratoga Springs to the hardscape of Churchill Downs, opined that the race-day surface of the latter was firm enough to walk across wearing high-heels. Perhaps this overly-hard surface contributed to Eight Belles' faltering and ultimate demise.

Horse-racing suffered a devastating loss when Barbaro, the first horse to be interred at Churchill Downs, suffered a similar fate and eventually, euthanization last year for a similar injury during the Derby. This industry apparently has not taken heed of the many factors that have again come to the fore in this years' tragedy. The Clog Almanac believes the racing industry must adapt if it is to remain the "sport of kings". We are not sure if synthetic tracks are the only answer - breeding and training also are extremely important aspects of the solution as well.

The Kentucky Derby website has precious little to say (as of 5/5/08) about the controversies and the sadness following the demise of Eight Belles. One would think that such lucrative concerns would be more interested in the long-term sustainability (read economic and social acceptance) of such a franchise.

One wonders what the patrons at the pub Eight Belles, in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, said when they learned a great horse sharing the name of their local gathering place had been put down?

"Eight bells" in the language of seamen, has a meaning as well: Eight Bells signals the end of a watch. In addition, sixteen bells are rung at new year: Eight bells for the previous year, and eight bells for the New Year. We suggest that the watch of the horse-racing industry has just begun. Let's not see a repeat of this year's Kentucky Derby. Perhaps in this next year, we will see changes that protect the wonderful creatures of a national icon - the great thoroughbreds that compete in the great horse-races that are part of our national conscience.

Kentucky Derby, 2008 Derby, Eight Belles, Eight Bells, Barbaro, Churchill Downs, horse racing, ship watches, ships watch, horse race, Triple Crown, Saratoga, Saratoga Springs, Big Brown

Garçon! I Didn’t Order Healthcare for You and the Chef!

Restaurants in San Francisco have taken to charging patrons for the health care payments required by that fair city's Universal Coverage Ordinance. Typical required contributions are $1.17-$1.76 /hour/per employee for establishments who employ 20 or more workers.

Check your bill, and then refuse to pay that portion I say. What are tips for? Sheesh. Cost of business and all that - charge me more for the meal and let me decide if I'll pay it and the customary tip for Christo's sake.

SanFrancisco, health care, healthcare ordinance, universal healthcare ordinance, California, Sanfrancisco, Sanfransicko

Single-Tree Birdwatching

I've lots of friends and colleages who are avid birdwatchers. By avid, I mean drop-what-you-are-doing and rush-off-to (insert far-flung state or country) in pursuit of a storm-blown or accidental sighting of a single rare bird that has yet to be checked off from their life list.

I'm truly a more what's-around-in-my-daily-travels sort of birdwatcher. Not quite "backyard" watcher, since my daily travels take me, during a week or month, to just about every corner of the county I live in, and to every variety of habitat and natural system that is present in the area. I get a chance to see native and soon-to-be developed tracts that few have the opportunity to walk and observe in.

So today, upon hearing an avian commotion in a laurel oak tree near Clog House, Est. 1935, I and my huge black tomcat Buffalo (He, with the longest cat-tail I've ever seen) investigated. We observed a lively mob of chickadees, titmice, chipping sparrows, and ruby-crowned kinglets; a pair of black-and-white warblers, a few northern parula warblers, and a single cardinal - all in a huff about an unseen something-or-other. Might have been a snake. Might have been the single cardinal that outsized everyone else. We couldn't determine what caused them to become so agitated. But it was a great 5-minute break to notice the birds in the area. You should do the same in your little corner of Paradise.

Florida, birds, birdwatching, warbler, kinglet, titmouse, chickadee, chipping sparrow, parula, buffalo, clog