Butch's Banter

Happy Chinese New Year - Gong Hei Fat Choy

2012-01-23T20:48:00.000-08:00

Gong Hei Fat Choy!

( Happy Chinese New Year! )

Martin Luther King Day

2012-01-16T10:06:00.000-08:00

Let's pause to remember a fallen hero of the civil rights movement whose peaceful, non-violent method of protesting against the violence of fire-hoses, police-dogs, beatings and arrests for protesting the right to be equal helped win those rights for Blacks in the United States.

Dr. King said prophetically, he might not make it to the Promise Land, but he did know that ultimately as a people, Blacks would make it. Unfortunately, he was assassinated in the early evening of April 4th, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. We set aside today to honor the man.

Happy Yuletide

2011-12-17T20:52:00.000-08:00

Choosing the right size for the Yule log so it will burn the longest and hauling it into the place for the Yuletide fire is the most important item on the list of things to do this season as the days grow shorter and the nights are longer in their length as we approach the winter solstice.

A log that burns continuously throughout the holiday season brings good luck to those in that home who keep this tradition alive.

May your Yuletide celebration be merry and bright and may your fire stay lighted and warm throughout the holiday season.
~ Butch ~

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

2011-11-24T12:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Veteran's Day 2011

2011-11-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

Hard Times

"Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears
while we all sup sorrow with the poor.
There's a song that will linger, for ever in our ears,
Oh, hard times come again no more." ~ Stephen Foster

Let us also, pause in our daily lives on 11-11-11 and remember this day for all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to their country and also for those who returned home to us as veterans. This is not a time of celebration but, a time for reflection and remembrance of whom were sacrificed in the name of war and peace. Let's remember those lives and their potential that was lost as well. Take a little time out and remember them and the living veterans for this is their day to be remembered.
Many thanks.

Happy Hallowe'en! (Samhain)

2011-10-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Hallowe'en!

and

Happy New Year! ( Samhain )

to all those of Celtic lineage.

Do watch out for all those wee spirits that will be out and about tonight.

The One Percent Deriding The Occupy Wall Street Movement.

2011-10-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

The 1% looking down on the 99% Occupy Wall Street Movement as they drink their champagne, snap pictures of them and generally make fun from the Wall Street Stock Exchange balcony during the first week or two of the protest.

The damage the banks and Wall Street has done to the middle class in this country has finally awakened the majority of these hard working folks who have lost their entire retirement funds and savings because of Wall Street and its questionable dealings.

The rich business owners have made huge profits at the expense of the working classes by destroying their benefits, laying them off and out-sourcing their jobs out of country where they can get workers for a fraction of the cost to work for them. They also continue to hold their earnings out of country so they will not be taxed in this country.

Those out of work folks who struggle looking for jobs, are lucky to find low paying work and end up working two and three low paying, part-time jobs without benefits. The owners profit not having to pay their health care.

Those unlucky to find any employment end up foreclosing on their homes because the banks will not refinance and end up grabbing back those same homes again making another profit.

Do we wonder why the people have had enough of this and are now occupying Wall Street? We have begged our representatives and senators to do something and nothing gets done. Do you wonder why? Republicans have been bought by the corporations supporting them 100%, so you will get no where with them and the democrats have been bought off by at least 80% by corporations, so there will be no changes coming from the Congress. The president has been acting like a republican for the past three years caving to them. Now it is campaign season so he needs to become a liberal again.Expect to her all the campaign rhetoric and the lies we heard the last time he campaigned. He will protect Social Security, Medicare / Medicaid and Veteran's benefits just like he promised before. But, you will recall it was President Obama who put these very items himself on the table to be negotiated way during the "debt ceiling" debacle. A democrat! Social Security should never have been put on the table in the first place as that came from our payroll taxes and was not his to touch and had nothing to do with the budget in the first place.

It is pathetic how both parties and this president have moved so far to the right one cannot recognize them anymore. There are no liberals left to represent any of us who are liberal.

This movement does not want the democrats to try and take them over for political purposes. They had three years to make a change and failed. Now, it is the people who are going to do the job for them and the republicans. Just watch them and see how it is done nonviolently. At least we can hope it stays this way. So far, the only violence has come from the white shirted police who have tried to provoke violence and have failed. Let's hope it stays this way.

Happy Labor Day

2011-09-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

Happy July 4th !

2011-07-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Happy July 4th, 2011 !

It's time to celebrate and get out the BBQ with friends and have a great time! Here's hoping your holiday is a safe one.

Flag Day June 14th, 2011

2011-06-13T21:51:00.001-07:00

Happy Flag Day

Memorial Day May 30th, 2011

2011-05-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

As we draw near to Memorial Day, it should be safe to say that no political leaning should claim to own this day by showing their patriotism more over another. Instead, let's concentrate on the lives that had been given for this country during war time regardless of their political leanings and thank them for giving the ultimate sacrifice to this country.

Memorial Day
May 30, 2011

Watch for Those Wonderful Road Signs to Keep You Amused.

2011-04-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

This may be one of those signs one comes across in the United States where it pays to have English as your first language and that it can be taken many ways if one is in a creative state of mind. In my case, I envision a bunch of "no shouldered, mentally challenged" children running around in wild abandonment where we should be aware of running over them, playing on a dead end street. That was one of my scenarios. I fight the urge to hunt down that sign and magic marker it with the appropriate punctuation if it can be salvaged, forgetting syntax, etc. ( not saying I'm any scholar when it comes to grammar or syntax. Though, even it was hurting my eyes and brain. )

I suppose those entrusted in the art of sign making do not have to use punctuation to aid the reader in determining at a glance what the meaning of the sign is. Remember, we are supposed to be driving at the posted speed limit and reading this sign at the same time. As you can see, this sign has too many words on it and too many meanings can be drawn from it. ;-) One is supposed to be able to look at a sign in a second or so and understand what the sign means more than what it reads. This one takes time to read it requiring one to waste time with our eyes off the road and on the sign trying to figure out what in the world this person is trying to say.

How about this:

Dead End
No Shoulders

Caution
Slow Down
Kids at Play

If the two thoughts were separated on the sign it would make sense whilst traveling at what ever speed and the person would probably start slowing down on their own, in my opinion.

Some day I would love to meet the people would think up the wording for the signs and see if they also employ an editor to check their work as well. It must be a fun job with an huge responsibility to determine which way the arrow goes on a sign and the appropriate words that go underneath, such as, " turn right," or "left," which ever the case may be. One must make sure the arrow matches the words. ;-) I would imagine one must have to work in the sign department for at least five or more before advancing to the position where you are allowed to handle painting the commands on signs such as, " Do Not Enter." That commands a lot of power and is not for the weak to handle, I would imagine. I just cannot fathom how many years in the company a person must gain seniority to have painted the one above. ;-)

Enjoy your Spring where ever you live.

Butch

A Flash Back To The Past.

2011-02-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

Revisiting my senior year in high school, I saw this picture of a select few of us band members playing music at a pre-game pep rally. All of these "kids" will be, either 63 or 64 years old this year. I am the fellow playing the Sousaphone. This was the year 1965. Forty-six years later, my nephew is marching for the second year in the University of Michigan marching band playing the Sousaphone. I'm not sure if he is carrying on a tradition or if it is just a coincidence but, I would like to think that I had something to do with it. ;-)

Happy Yuletide and Winter Solstice

2010-12-21T15:33:00.000-08:00

This is the front entrance of New Grange in Ireland which was built over 5,000 years ago. It predates the Pyramids and Stone Henge in the British Isles. It is in line with the Winter Solstice where the light from the rising sun will shine through the port hole above the entrance all the way to the back of the chamber on the Solstice. This marked the shortest day of the year and gave comfort to the people knowing that the days would become longer from this point on and into the Spring.

Happy Solstice!

This is a Yule log fire which is kept burning through Yuletide.

Happy Yuletide to us all and may our Yule log burn brightly.

New CD "Full Moon Rising" is ready.

2010-12-09T21:51:00.000-08:00

Our second CD has finally been duplicated and ready for market. It have been a project that has taken much longer than our previous CD. We did a lot of layering of instruments and on two of the tracks vocal harmonies. Our second CD is called: Full Moon Rising.

The first CD is : Mooney, Woods and Nogle
The second one is: Full Moon Rising.

If you are interested in purchasing either of them, check our website: www.mooneywoodsandnogle.com and check out the P.O. box information. I will also, be sending out an email to all who have previously purchased them and those first timer's who would like to buy them as well.

I hope you are enjoying the season as it leads to the Yuletide celebrations.

Butch

Happy Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T12:19:00.000-08:00

Being a veteran and before I retired, I used to annually take this day off to reflect upon the great and ultimate sacrifices we all made for this country. I'm not much of a person who marches in parades to receive accolades, or standing out among people with my Army cap on my head with medals pinned to my shirt or other ways to draw attention or even to point out I was a veteran at all from a past war long ago. I like to take the day to just reflect upon who I am, where I've been, where I'm to go but, mostly just to be thankful I lived through some very horrible times where some did not. I like to think about them and where they would be today, with families that were never meant to be and children who never had the chance to be born. I remember them and I will never forget them or their ultimate sacrifice for this country.

In my reflections I try and come to place where these soldiers, seamen, and marines lost in battle are alive, laughing and happy again. Each year becomes harder but, one thing I have learned from being one of the many who made it back alive is that these precious souls should never, ever be forgotten regardless what a person's opinion is about war and peace. They gave the ultimate sacrifice for this nation, something we should always hold dear to our hearts.

Happy Veteran's Day

Butch

The Cliffs of Moher Bike Path

2010-09-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

The breathtaking photographs were taken by Victor Lucas of the bike path that follows around the Cliffs of Moher, located in the Burren region of the Republic of Ireland.

This picture shows dare-devil bicyclists travelling the narrow paths that have a drop of approximately, 600 feet ( 200 meters ) to the sea's surface.

When we arrived in Limerick, Ireland on a misty morning back in 2000. The Cliffs of Moher was the first sight we took in after the all night flight out of JFK airport. It was a sight to behold for these tired eyes that chose to go sight-seeing rather than checking into an hotel to sleep the first day and one that could give one "weak-knees" just looking over the cliff down to the water.

Recently, I read from one of my Irish news sites that there was a section of this path that broke off and fell into the sea. With my problem with acrophobia, I can not imagine trying to walk these paths, let alone riding a bicycle on them.

What a beautiful vista to behold, starting out our journey to the land of my ancestor's, and viewing all the ancient sites.

Here is a view looking down at the cyclists. It is hard to believe some parts of that trail on the ledge are that narrow. Considering how the wind was blowing when I was there last, I can not imagine how they were able to keep their balance whilst riding them.

I would again, like to thank Victor Lucas for sharing these exciting photos, and I hope you enjoyed the adventure.

All Aboard to BobLo Island

2010-08-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up in the 1950s and 60s, we would visit BobLo Island for a day of amusement food and a typical day at an amusement park. The only difference, was that we would meet at the Detroit River docks to board the BobLo Island Ferry which took us to an island owned by Canada that had the whole island full of amusement rides, fun house, and all sorts of foods.

This was "Captain BobLo," for as many years as I can remember, welcoming all of us kids on board. Of course there was music, dancing, and plenty of food on board the two ferries that transported us to and from the island. Those boat rides were my fondest memories of this special day going to BobLo Island.

Here is the starboard view of one of the ferries. As you can see, it had four or five decks with different interests on each level and one was free to move about on the boat. (technically, it is a ship since it is well over sixty-five feet long. The captain would blow the very loud steam whistle and this very low, throaty sound would instantly appear telling us we were about to be under weigh on our journey to BobLo Island.

This is the view of the bow of one of the two boats that serviced BobLo Island with what looks like a view of the Ren Sen or now known as General Motors Center.

Here is the port-bow view of the boat. Unfortunately, good things and good times come to an end and the island closed it's park in the 1990s, if I have it correctly. The Island went back to its original name and has been turned into some very nice condominium development. The two boats stayed moored at the docks for many years, were moved to another site and finally sold to a private company that has plans to make them floating restaurants.

"All aboard!!" "Welcome to BobLo Island!" I will always remember that call from my past youth.

We Are Killing Our Country by Destroying the Environment

2010-07-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

I would like to talk about the present strip-mining that is happening in West Virginia and other states cursed with having coal deposits underneath them. One of the major problems with the mining of coal is that it causes severe environmental damage unless it is severely regulated to reduce the damage.

When I was a lad in the 1950s, my family would make an annual drive from Michigan to visit our relatives in West Virginia for a summer holiday. One could always tell when we were getting close to our first stop in Morgantown, W.Va. because one could smell the sulphur, a byproduct of mining, in the air. One could see that the streams were not crystal clear but, the color of gold, and it was obvious, nothing could possibly live in those streams. This was the reality of mining until environmental protections were put in place. Slowly, the streams came back to being clear again and the air didn't have the sulphuric smell.

Enter a new and cost effective way of mining coal: Now the Appalachian Mountain range is being literally, flattened by strip mining. The tops of the mountains are blown apart by using dynamite and the coal is removed in this way. What is left over falls down into any streams polluting them again with the byproducts of mining. Iron Oxide deposits are left in place of rich earth. People who have drunk water from their wells all their lives noticed that they had become polluted of course, with the denial from the mining company telling them they couldn't prove the water had been poisoned.

In addition, the eight years of the Bush tenure, allowed the rules and regulations of the environmental act be stripped and weakened to the point it was ineffective allowing mining companies, and oil companies to go back to their unregulated days of carrying on business-as-usual. Hence, we are back with polluted streams, not unlike those of the 1950s and we are losing the topography of our oldest mountain chain, the Appalachians.

Obviously, the regulations need to be put back into place and they need to be stronger this time around. Will it happen in the present dysfunctional climate chamber known as the Senate? I doubt it. Even though the democrats are in the majority, they refuse to fight allowing the other side to continue the status-quo on many issues. The House has been busy doing their jobs but all the bills that make it to the Senate side of Congress, languish in the Senate going no where. I wonder if it is time to retire the Senate or would this ridiculous "super-majority" ruling where it has to be at least 60 votes to pass, be retired? In my opinion, if you have 50 or 51 votes, you have a majority, ergo, the law passes. We seem to make it harder to pass any legislation if it always has to be a "super-majority" to pass it, especially, when the other side of the isle is hell bent on objecting to each and every bill brought up for a vote by democrats.

I haven't been very impressed with the "hope and change" we were all assured whilst they all were campaigning, especially, President Obama. I think we got the old "bait 'n switch" once he was elected. I don't expect much to be accomplished in making mining regulations strong. The mining lobby is much too strong and our representatives, senators and president are much too weak to make any significant difference. ( Third party, anyone? ) ;-)

Happy Independence Day

2010-07-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day !

Late to the June Party

2010-06-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

The two Hawthorn Trees have bloomed and gone and I have yet, to post them on the blog. Many apologies, it's been very busy and I had to decide what was to be attended first. Obviously, the blog fell behind.

All the pictures are essentially from the month of May save a few that bloom in June. I hope you enjoy them half as much as we have.

After the Daffodils came the tulips and now it is the Columbine flowers taking center stage.

The Hawthorne Trees were spectacular this year. As soon as the flowers start to fade, it drops about three-fourths of its leaves. It left a bit of a mess on top of the solarium and sides. Everything has been early this year.

A walk down the hill and one can see a better view of the two trees.

Our only Rhodie in the back yard went into bloom as well. This picture is deceptive as to the size of the bush. I would guess it is about ten to twelve feet high, perhaps, even taller and a generous thirty feet or more long. ( wide, depending upon your angle. )

Here, I'm trying for an "artsy-fartsy" view of the patio adjoining the solarium and upper yard.

In the distance is our decorative Plum Tree and to the foreground, our Rhodie's in the front yard. The Bumble bees love these blooms and I startled an Humming bird the other day as I was walking up the walk.

Here's a closer view of the flowers.

Steam wafting off the roof when the sun comes out in the morning or after a rain fall.

Here are some Iris' and Wisteria on our property line. Our neighbor planted these a few years back.

The tall, damaged and very old bushes are gone. They became an eye-sore and were affecting the miniature crab-apple trees, not to mention the Lilac Bush on that side of the driveway. What a difference it makes when one is backing out of the drive-way hoping there are no cars coming from that direction. Now, there are no worries and the view is much better.

This year the city had to tear up our street and lay new pipe for the new water main being worked upon in our neighborhood. We and our neighbor sawed each of those trees down and cut them again into smaller and easier to handle, pieces. During this time one of the medium-heavy equipment operators mentioned he could pull those tree trunks out of the ground in seconds for us if we liked. ( we liked. ) So, within a matter of ten to fifteen minutes, he had the trunks pulled from the ground and they hauled them away. We were grateful for them helping with an huge project. They didn't have to.

A late bloomer to the back yard. This picture is recent.

A final picture of it blooming.

Thanks for stopping by, as I will try and blog more. I don't know where a month went by without any updates. I hope we're all enjoying the different weather patterns Mother Nature has sent our way. Keep some kind thoughts in your heart for those who make their living in the Gulf as they watch their livelihood disappear. It is doubtful if this dead zone will change for the next two generations. It is unfortunate when greed and deregulation work hand in hand, nothing of any worth ever comes out of it for the common man.

Have a wonderful June and I hope to see you soon. - Butch

April showers bring May flowers.

2010-05-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

This Ivy stayed out all year and has never looked healthier. I usually would bring it in and keep it in the solarium for the winter months but, it was on the deck, under the eves and well protected from frost. It seems to like this corner as well.

" April showers brings May's flowers, " or so it is said. Our yard has started to become more colorful with the addition of the flowers.

This flower box has been very busy these past weeks and there is more to come.

The Wedding Tree ( Weeping Cherry Tree ) has already bloomed and once that happens, the leaves come next. Under neath the blue bells are making their appearance.

They're really beautiful this year.

The Blooming Magnolia Tree

2010-04-11T23:13:00.000-07:00

One day, they were buds and in a blink of the eye, they came into bloom.
Our Magnolia tree bloomed a few weeks early this year.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

2010-04-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

1 ) - This is a picture of an octopus. It has eight testicles. (Kelly, age 6)

2) - Oysters' balls are called pearls. (Jerry, age 6)

3) - If you are surrounded by ocean, you are an island. If you don't have ocean all round you, you are incontinent. (Alex, age 7)

4) - Sharks are ugly and mean, and have big teeth, just like Emily Richardson. She's not my friend any more. (Kylie, age 6)

5) - A dolphin breaths through an asshole on the top of its head.. (Billy, age 8)

6) - My uncle goes out in his boat with 2 other men and a woman and pots and comes back with crabs. (Millie, age 6)

7) - When ships had sails, they used to use the trade winds to cross the ocean. Sometimes when the wind didn't blow the sailors would whistle to make the wind come. My brother said they would have been better off eating beans. (William, age 7)

8) - Mermaids live in the ocean. I like mermaids. They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails, but how on earth do mermaids get pregnant? Like, really? (Helen, age 6)

9) - I'm not going to write about the ocean. My baby brother is always crying, my Dad keeps yelling at my Mom, and my big sister just got pregnant, so I can't think what to write. (Amy, age 6)

10) - Some fish are dangerous. Jelly fish can sting. Electric eels can give you a shock. They have to live in caves under the sea where I think they have to plug themselves into chargers. (Christopher, age 7)

11) - When you go swimming in the ocean, it is very cold, and it makes my willy small. (Kevin, age 6)

12) - Divers have to be safe when they go under the water. Divers can't go down alone, so they have to go down on each other. (Becky, age 8)

13) - On vacation my Mom went water skiing. She fell off when she was going very fast.. She says she won't do it again because water fired right up her big fat ass. (Julie, age 7)

14) - The ocean is made up of water and fish. Why the fish don't drown I don't know. (Bobby, age 6)

15) - My dad was a sailor on the ocean. He knows all about the ocean.. What he doesn't know is why he quit being a sailor and married my mom. (James, age 7)

The Wedding Tree - March 2010

2010-03-08T20:47:00.000-08:00

This is the "Wedding Tree" that we planted in 2004. It has been blooming for three days so, I waited until more of the blooms had opened before taking the picture. It is called a "Weeping Cherry" tree. I think we are a few weeks early for the flowers and some of the plants to be bloomng this soon. We've had some warm weather, which hastened along the growing cycle.

A February Surprise

2010-02-27T17:08:00.000-08:00

There have been some plants in the back yard fooled into thinking it must be Spring.

Yesterday, I looked out my kitchen window and saw a few hints of yellow in these plants.

Today, when I glanced out the window again, there were blooming flowers. What a surprise, I thought it would have taken another few days before they blossomed. These are our first flowering plants of the year. Hopefully, they are a sign of warmer days to come.

Minnesota Clydesdale

2010-02-14T00:56:00.000-08:00

This wonderful beast was abandoned by its mother as a calf and this Minnesota farmer raised it to adulthood among his work horses. The moose is tame and has learned to pull lumber along with the working horses. This farmer says it actually pulls the logs better than the horse teams and seems to enjoy doing its job. The farmer mentioned that the moose takes off for a few weeks during mating season and comes back faithfully every year.

I never realized just how large these animals were until this picture of the farmer hitching the moose up to his next pulling job.

Recycling Tires and making Art

2010-02-02T22:18:00.000-08:00

This takes recycling tires to a new dimension.

What a pleasant surprise to fine these pictures in my email box this week so, I thought I would share them.

Enjoy!

A Blast from the Past!

2010-01-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

This recently popped up on a site and immediately brought back some memories. I was in a band in high school and we played high school dances and other venues. The name of the group has that dated 1960s sound, our band's name was:
the "Rockatones." ;-)
Here is a vintage picture of us playing at an high school dance. ( I'm the second guy on the left. ) Though it is a black and white picture, the vests were red with white shirts and black pants. Quite flashy for those times.
Enjoy!

My Virtual Fish Tank from Facebook

2010-01-19T23:41:00.000-08:00

This is my virtual fish tank on Facebook. It isn't like I don't want real pets, but I got hooked feeding them and cleaning the tank every day. One can purchase more fish and other crawling creatures because of a treasure chest in the picture that magically, fills up with gold coins daily. As these coins add up, one can purchase additional items, fish etc.

When one reaches the point where no more fish will be allowed, one can buy a larger tank and continue expanding the fish and other creatures. When one forgets to daily clean the tank, it gets grungy looking and the fish do not look very happy. ;-)

One can choose names for them as well. The fish are animated as is everything else in the tank.

Happy New Year!!

2009-12-31T18:47:00.001-08:00

Best wishes for an Happy New Year!!

May we have good health, wealth, good friends, and most of all, peace in the coming new year.

Cheers!

Butch

Voeux de Noël 2009 - Sensitif

2009-12-30T06:46:00.000-08:00

YouTube - Voeux de Noël 2009 - Sensitif: "Voeux de Noël 2009 - Sensitif"

Happy Yuletide!

2009-12-21T14:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Yuletide!

May your fire stay lighted, your hearth warm and may the ashes and the remnants of the Yule log bring you the best of luck for the whole year!

A Sunday Winter Tramp Through the Woods.

2009-11-29T11:59:00.000-08:00

Steve's Sunday morning tramp with Seán.

It finally stopped raining enough to where the sun finally made an appearance today. Both Steve and Seán look forward to tramps in the forest or bicycle trails to get a wee bit of exercise. He sent this one along via mobile phone. The resolution on his I phone (I don't know if that is the correct name for it but, you get the jest of my conversation ) is quite good. I think it takes better pictures at times than our decade old camera. It's most likely time to upgrade.

I hope everyone survived the T-Day festivities and didn't put on too many pounds.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to one and to all!

Here's our turkey just out of the oven.

Veteran's Day 2009

2009-11-11T09:06:00.000-08:00

These two pictures are among my favorites. I am in the debt of the photographers who took these photos, they capture the mood of this solemn day better than words.

Let's pause for a moment to honour our veterans both living and the fallen.
Laying down one's life for your comrades and country is the ultimate sacrifice.

Happy Samhaín and All Soul's Day

2009-11-01T07:31:00.000-08:00

Don't party too hard on, the Celtic New Year.

Watch out for those wizards, witches and goblins begging for those "tricks or treats.

Don't drink whilst flying.

Happy Samhaín

Here's a poem my mother used to recite to us children around Halloween to keep us in line and just to get us into the scary mood of goblins, witches, ghouls, wizards and the dead. It has been passed down through our clan and each of them have been reciting it to their kids as well.

It was written by James Whitcomb Riley and entitled:

Little Orphant Annie

Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups and saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away.
An' shoo the chickens off the purch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
An' all us other children, when the supper things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun.
A-list'nin' to the witch tales 'at Annie tells about,

An' the Gobble-un 'at gets you
Ef you don't watch out!

Onc't they was a little boy wouldn't say his prayers,
so when he went to bed at night, away upstairs,
His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him bawl,
an' when they turn't the kivvers down, he wasn't there at all!
An' they seeked him the ratter room, an' cubbyhole, an' press,
An' seeked him up thec chimbly flue, an' every'wheres, I guess;
But all they ever found was this his pant an' roundabout:-

An' the Gobble-un 'at gets you
Ef you don't watch out!

An' one time a little girl 'ud allus laugh an' grin,
An' make fun of ever'one an' all her blood an' kin;
An' onc't, when they was "company", an' ole folks was there,
She mocked 'em an' she shocked 'em, an' said she didn't care!
An' thist as she kicked her heels, an' turn't to run an' hide,
There was two great big black things a standin' by her side.
An' they snatched her through the ceilin' 'fore she knowed what she's about!

An' the Gobble-un 'at gets you
Ef you don't watch out!

An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,
An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oooooooo!
An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray,
An' the lightnin' bugs in dew is all squenched away,-
You better mind yer parents, and yer teachers fond an' dear,
An' churish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear,
An' he'p the pore and needy ones 'at clusters all all about,

Er the Gobble-un 'at gets you
Ef you don't watch out!

==========================================================

A' Soalin' sung by Peter, Paul & Mary

This song fits nicely for this night of begging.

Hey, Ho, nobody home,
Meat nor drink or money have I got,
Can't we be merry,
Hey, Ho, nobody home.

A soal, soal, soalcake, please good missus a soalcake,
An apple, pear, plum a cherry,
any old thing to make us all merry,
One for Peter, one for Paul,
one for Him who made us all.

God bless the master of this house and the missus, also,
and all the little children, around your table grow.
The cattle in your stable, the dog by your front door,
and all that dwells within these gates we wish you ten times more.

A soal, soal, soalcake, please good missus a soalcake,
An apple, pear, plum a cherry,
any old thing to make us all merry,
One for Peter, one for Paul,
one for Him who made us all.

Go down into the cellar and see what you can find.
If the barrels are not empty, we hope you will be kind.
We hope you will be kind with your apples and strawberr'
We'll come no more a soalin' 'til this time next year.

A soal, soal, soalcake, please good missus a soalcake,
An apple, pear, plum a cherry,
any old thing to make us all merry,
One for Peter, one for Paul,
one for Him who made us all.

The streets are very dirty, my shoes are very thin.
I have a little pocket to put a penny in.
If you haven't got a penny, an ha' penny will do.
If you haven't got an ha' penny, then, God bless you.

A soal, soal, soalcake, please good missus a soalcake,
An apple, pear, plum a cherry,
any old thing to make us all merry,
One for Peter, one for Paul,
one for Him who made us all.

**********************************************************************************

Dead Fly Art

2009-10-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

These bazaar photos are "dead fly" art.

( Don't ask . . . ;-) )

I received this in an email today and just had to share it.

The "artist" seems to have a wee bit of extra time on his hands. ;-)

Christmas in October

2009-10-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

Steve got me a Cuisinart Food Processor for my Christmas present this year. ( a special edition model ) It is "top-of-the-line" with a chrome housing. This weight between 16 and 20 lbs, and I'll have to check those numbers to make sure. I will add a picture of it once I get some things out of the way today.

I decided to try two of the recipes from the recipe book that is sent along with the machine. One was a Vegetarian style pizza, which was simply delicious and the other was an Old World Apple-custard pie. ( again, absolutely, delicious! The above picture is the pie, of course. )

This machine makes the best dough I have ever made, either by hand or by my Kitchen-Aid with the dough-hook attachment. It's so easy, for one thing. I do not know why we waited so long to get one ( for me ). ;-)

I am a gatherer of machines and I had to fight the urge to keep my La Machine and a tiny Cuisinart that wasn't anywhere near large enough to handle what I wanted from it. So, They all went into the trash barrel and I walked away from it with barely any guilt.

I wish I could share a piece of that pie with you, but most of it has been shared by some neighbors and friends, so, you will have to settle for a virtual slice of pie.

Enjoy!

Moonstruck

2009-10-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning a rocket will crash into the moon. This is a scientific experiment to see whether there may be water just under the moon's surface. The rocket will divide with the first 2.2 ton stage crashing into a crater on the moon creating a huge six mile high plume of debris where the second stage will be able to gather all the relevant information from the crash before crashing itself into the very same crater. The speed in which the two stages will crash, is twice the speed of a bullet and the explosive power will be equal to the power of 1.5 tons of TNT.

This photograph is a still image from the 1902 silent film "Le Voyage Dans La Lune", written and directed by Georges Mlis. I have always loved this picture of the "man in the moon."

Waiting for the Mailman

2009-10-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

Seán knows when it's about time for the mail man to drop off the mail at our mail box. He will stand up in the window watching. He recognizes the sound of the mail truck's engine, and he understands the word, "mailman." We used to spell m-a-i-l-m-a-n in front of him to where he now understands that. So, we now say the word, "Letter-carrier", which, he hasn't learned yet.

Seán is very proud because he gets to go out to the mail box off of his leash. He puffs up and trots out there showing off, if you ask me. ;-)

This picture is of Steve and Seán watching the mail man deliver the mail. I wasn't able to capture what it looks like from behind very well but, it does make me smile every time I see him do it.

I Just Couldn't Do It.

2009-09-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday worked out to be a good day to mow the lawns after nearly one week of rain showers. As I was mowing the back yard, I noticed this grouping of flowers down the small hill and into the yard. The more I mowed, the more it bothered me that I would have to make the decision of chopping them up under the passing lawn mower or saving them in spite of where they were located. As you can see, they breathed a sigh of relief as I worked around them, sparing them the same fate as the grass. I just couldn't do it.

The August Wedding of our Niece.

2009-08-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

Steve and I went back East to Michigan to attend our niece's wedding. Erin and her new husband Brandon have been planning every detail for a year. It turned out to be a very beautiful service with an harpist ( my sister-in-law's teacher ) who plays with the Detroit Symphony, performing some beautiful pieces for the harp. She ended with an Handel piece that would have brought the house down if it hadn't been played in a church setting. Erin's mother, Cherrie is standing at the left with her harp teacher.

This is Erin posing with the harp.

Erin and Brandon taking their vows. Tara, her sister ( on the left ) will be marrying in this same church about this time next year, so . . . the uncles will be back for more of the festivities.

After the ceremony, the congregation of well wishers were awaiting the bride and groom's appearance. Instead of throwing rice, which evidently kills the birds who eat it, bubbles were blown at the bridal couple. It was interesting participating in the bubble-making and watching grownups blowing bubbles with wild-abandonment, keeping up with the kids. I'm actually, in this picture, see if you can find me. ;-)

Here's another picture of the well-wishers.

My side of the family, that came up to Michigan from West Virginia, love to meet for breakfast before heading back to their homes. In this photo, from left to right, is my sister-in-law, Tammy, her husband, my youngest brother, Kevin, both living in Michigan, and Steve.

This is my cousin, Tommy from W. Virginia sharing a moment with my younger brother, John. It was his daughter who was married. If you are familiar with the state of Michigan, it looks like a mitten. The wedding took place in the town of Bad Axe, which is located in the "thumb" of Michigan.

This is my sister, Sharon who resides in Michigan and Steve. We had stopped for gasoline and noticed the sign on the building. "Mooney's Ice Cream" My last name happens to be Mooney and my sister's love of adventure, especially when it involves ice cream, brought us to this picture. I should add that we had just finished a nice country breakfast and she was ready to taste the ice cream. Taste was about all I could do on a full stomach.

We made it to the airport in plenty of time. I am always setting off the alarm system operated by the Homeland Security, so we always plan ahead for more time allowances. I have a titanium knee replacement and one can count on being pulled aside, patted down, and "wanded." I felt like an extra in an "Harry Potter" movie with all the wands being waved around. ;-)

It was off to Chicago, Illinois where we visited Steve's half of the family.

( to be continued )

Solarium blooming plants

2009-08-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

The Geranium is in bloom with beautifully, bright red flowers. I thought I would add some of the other blooming plants in our solarium.

Enjoy!

Our very hot weather finally broke this past week bringing us much needed cooler weather. I awoke this morning to lightly falling rain. It wasn't enough to really quench the earth but, was enough to clean the air of the pollen, dust and other things that come with a dry spell. This time of year is our "dry-season" and is looked forward to by many Washingtonians. The very hot weather we experienced is unusual for this climate. We reached 111 degrees in one part of the city of Tacoma. On my drive home, it varied between 107 and 110 degrees F. on the expressway. This weather felt more like the temperatures you would expect in Los Angeles, California. Generally, it is much cooler this time of the year staying in the 70s and low 80s.

Is Global Warming finally catching up with us here in the Northwest? We shall see.

The Enumclaw Scottish Highland Games 2009

2009-07-30T23:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the annual Scottish Highland Games of 2009.

The dog on the left is an Elk Hound and the two dogs on the right are Irish Wolfhounds.

This is one of the Pipe & Drum Bands competing in this year's event. You can see one of the judges in the left of the picture watching them as they march to the performing field.

There is an annual procession of all the clans that are present and they walk past the grand stands for viewing. This is the Clan McKay with their piper following.

Clan Cian

Clan Stewart

This was the marching field and the grand stand. The dancing competition was also held in this general area.

Clan Wallace

Clan Campbell

Clan Gunn

Part of the crowd of people who attended the fair. Last year there were over one-hundred pipe & drum bands competing. Due to the recession, there were no where near the same numbers.

The featured musical groups this year were "Golden Bough", "Molly's Revenge", and "The Wicked Tinkers."

The weather wasn't as bad as it was forecast. It was in the 80s with a nice intermittent breeze.

Unfortunately there wouldn't be enough room to show pictures of every clan that attended and I didn't get pictures of them all. There are lots of things to see and do at this event with plenty of ethnic foods to sample as well.

Enjoy!

What do you politically call yourself?

2009-07-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

Are you a liberal, conservative, centrist, libertarian?

Take this simple test and see if your answers match what you think is your political leaning.

http://www.theadvocates.org/quizp/index.html

The Flowers of the yard and a solarium surprise

2009-07-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

This is one of two African Violets I have in bloom. This one shows off its beautiful blueish-purple and white colours among the other plants.

This is the other one.

Because of my injuries, I was unable to get out into the yard to capture these wild roses in their prime. The first bunch were pink and then came the red ones.

Look closely and you will see the moss growing on the bench in the design that runs along the flat surface. I thought this looked rather neat.

My "better late than never" lilies have finally made their entrance this year. The plant is much smaller this year than what I remember of last years flowers.

HAPPY JULY 4TH, 2009 !

2009-07-04T05:08:00.001-07:00

Time to get the barbecue ready for today's celebration.

Here's wishing all of you a great 4th of July!

I will be taking an hiatus from the blog.

2009-06-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I'll be taking the next few weeks off from the blog and hope to return batteries charged and ready to blog. Enjoy your summer, and hope to see you.

Until then,

Butch

The Weigela Bush is in Bloom

2009-06-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

Here are two pictures of our Weigela Bush. There may be some wild roses blooming a wee bit later if we're lucky. We cleared the black berries that seem to love sharing the same space as these roses and I hope we didn't disturb them too much last year when we removed the berry vines.

The Rhododendrons are in Bloom.

2009-06-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

The Rhododendrons are in bloom in the front yard. The bush in the back yard comes in bloom about a week earlier due to sun conditions.

Here's a close up of the flowers.

These were partially in the sun for this picture.
.

My birthday was a few days ago and a good friend sent this bouquet by delivery.

Here are the two colours of Columbine I have growing in this planter. The blue ones come up about a week later than the white ones.

Here's a slightly different angle.

Yet, another view.

Here's some more pictures of the Hawthorne trees in bloom. There are so many flowers that the branches become heavy laden with them.

Here is that mystery plant flowering. It appears so different throughout the stages of growth every year. These flower stems look like antennae and then, the start blooming. They have grown over night approximately three inches depending upon rain, etc.

This plant has been blooming in the solarium for about two weeks now, so, I thought I would take another picture of it.

I have this picture in the wrong order. I took it about four days or so ago and since then, more of the dark blue columbines have come up.

And here is a better picture of the flowers on this plant.

Hope you enjoyed the flowers.

Memorial Day and Remembering the Fallen

2009-05-23T16:16:00.000-07:00

The Flowers of the Forest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqY79y-SCbA

May you rest in mother earth' s arms in a peaceful embrace for all eternity.

R.I.P

Hawthorn's Bloom, Bleeding Hearts Swoon, Leaving Room for the Columbines.

2009-05-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

Columbines are starting to appear as the tulips say, "Goodbye."

The Hawthorne trees are just starting to bloom.

The Bleeding Hearts are also making their appearance.

One plant standing alone blooms as well.

Mint is up.

The Bird bath and Lilies that are not ready to bloom.

My mysterious Urn plant.

Little white flowers on long stems.

In the back by the large Fir tree is a Rhodie in bloom, the first in our yard.

Lilacs are blooming and the smell is wonderful!

2009-05-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

The Lilacs are blooming and the smell is wonderful! I've noticed my neighbors who like to take a tramp through the winding streets linger as they walk by our home and they take in the Lilac flowers in bloom. Steve brought in two of the Lilac clusters and I put them in a wee cup on the kitchen table. Now that room is starting to hold the fragrance of the flowers.

Enlarge each picture by clicking on it.

Enjoy!

May showers bring more May flowers

2009-05-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

The Crabbe Apple trees just came into bloom recently so, before it began to rain harder, I decided to get out and get some pictures of the yard.

Here are the same trees at a distance.

The Maple tree in the front yard is in the process of producing its beautiful rustic red leaves. ( Directly behind the Maple tree is the Maple tree in the backyard behing the house. It has just opened its leaves as well. ) We have had some beautiful weather recently and all the plants have responded in kind. I'm glad I mowed the lawn yesterday because the next chance will be after the rain stops next week. ;-)

This Lilac bush will be blooming this year! Last year it made an attempt with just a few flowers but, this year looks more promising.

Here is the older transplanted Lilac bush that we planted originally in the back yard. Our mistake was that there wasn't enough sunlight at the time and it hardly grew for about five years until we decided to dig it up and replant it in the front. It has gone crazy in this spot and likes it very much. We should be having a lot of blooms on this bush this year. The neighborhood smells so nice when these are in bloom.

Here are a few pictures for my "mossophilic" friends. We have decided ( with some encouragement from my blogger friends ) to let the moss have its way with the back yard. This is but a small section of how much it has advanced during the winter months here in the Northwest.

More moss by the bird bath and flowers.

Here is that Maple tree mentioned earlier in the backyard and the moss growing on its tree trunk. Click on each picture to enlarge them for better viewing.

The lighter areas in the lawn are the moss patches that have taken over.

Again, one can see the different shades of green with the lighter green being the moss.

The Hawthorne trees have opened their leaves as well.

The wedding tree finally dropped all the little flowers a few days ago but the leaves filled in their place.

If you look carefully in the fountain, you can see areas of yellow, which is tree pollen left by the gigantic trees that fornicated with wild abandonment last week. ;-)

The tulips decided to make their appearance this week and they are beautiful as usual, in my opinion.

More to come later . . .meanwhile, I'm warm, and dry enjoying the light rain on a cool, damp Saturday in the Northwest United States.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

More Spring Flowers to Come.

2009-04-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

Click on the pictures to enlarge them if you like.

There are more plants about ready to bloom that I'll post next time. We've had a very high concentration of pollen this year, for some reason. ( I think the trees have been fornicating a wee bit too much this year, as one has to brush or blow it off. Wetting it down makes a nice slush that requires more water to remove it. It's more trouble than it's worth so we get the blower out and move it off of the deck and patio regions.

Enjoy, and until next time, I'll talk to you later.

Blooming Trees of Spring in the North West

2009-04-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

Our decorative Plum Tree is in bloom this week and I always welcome its beautiful purple flowers.

This is our Weeping Cherry Tree that we call "The Wedding Tree" since it was a gift to us when we were married in Oregon before they rescinded all 3000 marriages. There's Seán in the background.

Last one is of the Plum and a Rhododendron not ready for prime time.

Does this fellow have a problem with his height?

2009-04-06T12:49:00.001-07:00

I found this photo op interesting.

The president of France must be very short. His heels must be at least an inch and an half and he still feels the need to stand on his "tippy-toes." ;-)

Spring II Addition

2009-03-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

Here is a Sunday morning photo of the western part of the backyard showing how much the moss advanced this past winter. It thrives in this climate and I have to admit, the grass would actually be an intruder to this environment.

Here is the "Wedding Tree", a Weeping Cherry tree with the buds just starting to open a wee bit. Quite a change from last week where one could barely seen them.

Here is a revisit to the Blue Bells with many more of them open. The mint behind it is starting to make the scene as well.

I thought I would throw in the mysterious plants growing in the urn again showing the beautiful colours it turns over the winter when it is intermittently covered with snow. It it an hardy plant and does well in this climate.

These beauties opened this week and since we had so much rain, I was afraid the stems would stay bent over but this morning, I brought them back where they are standing again. Yesterday whilst it was raining, all of a sudden, it started snowing!! This rain/snow mixture continued for about an hour. The temperature was about 40 degrees F. when this happened. I always thought it would only be rain after 32 degrees or so. ( Learn something new every day. )

From a different angle.

And again, with the sun's help making a shadow of them on the wall.

The was the picture of them last week. I meant to put this with the previous post and thought it hadn't taken.

Yes, I would say, Spring is definitely making an entrance.

The first blooms in the yard.

2009-03-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

I was out throwing grass seed around the front and back yards and noticed the buds on the Lilac bush in the first picture.

When I looked a little a bit farther, I noticed the Blue Bells were in bloom. They always arrive sooner than the other plants. Behind them the Mint is starting to arrive as well.

Here's a little different angle of the Blue Bells. My Daffodils are up and getting ready to bloom but, not quite ready yet, So, I'll take them when they have their best faces on.

Beannacht Lá Fhéile Pádraig

2009-03-16T22:18:00.001-07:00

Beannacht Lá Fhéile Pádraig

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

The Tasmanian Tiger aka Thylacine

2009-03-04T08:15:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of a male Thylacine.

Here is a litter of Thylacines.

The amazing angle of the open mouth is much greater than that of dogs, cats or other marsupials. It is thought that this posture was to scare off a potential fight or battle with other males.

Here is a picture of one sleeping.

This picture is of a male and a female.

I have always been interested in the Thylacine which became extinct in the 1930s. At one time in history they were in Australia but died out many years ago. They were also, located in New Zealand and finally Tasmania. They were wiped out because they found feeding on sheep easier than some of their local prey. This marsupial used to keep the kangaroo populations in check until man brought sheep and other animals to the continent which threw off the balance in nature. The rabbits introduced competed with some of the other plant eating animals and the fox introduced to keep the rabbits in check also attacked the slower moving marsupials who have very few predators keeping them in balance. One of these was the Thylacine.

Though this animal is considered extinct, there have been sightings in Tasmania along with foot prints that appear similar to the Thylacine. Their howl has also been noted. What is fascinating to me is that this predator, like other marsupials carried their young in pouches. It was also difficult to tell the female from the male, save their size differences, due to this pouch covering their genitalia. It was thought it might have been protection for the male running through the thorny brush whilst running down prey.

I am one of those dreamers who hope this beautiful animal is still with us but smart enough to stay away from us.

Past Haunts of My Youth

2009-02-20T09:12:00.000-08:00

The Telway ( which is still in business ) is on the corner of John R. street and 11 mile road. Down the street about a quarter of a mile is the high school where I attended and graduated. This hamburger shop was a great place to get an hamburger when you were in the area and hungry.

This is Bray's hamburger place that used to be on the corner of John R. and 10 mile road. The Chrysler Freeway and the huge clover-leaf that connected it to I-75 replaced a few streets and this place.

This is the largest real tire in the world and it is still standing. Its stand is as large as many houses in the area.

This is Hege's Wigwam department store. It was the largest Tee Pee ( Wigwam ) built. The building was torn down and replaced. Notice the real carved wooden Indian posts supporting the building canopy. I remember another carved Indian statue standing at the entrance of the store as well.

This is the largest replica of a stove in the world. It used to reside at the Fair Grounds on Woodward Ave. near 8 mile in Detroit, Michigan. It was in need of TLC when I left Detroit in 1981 and was purchased and moved by a private buyer. This very place was where the Martin Bus Line ended when going south and the Detroit Metro Bus service started heading south. The Martin Lines covered the cities of Hazel Park, Madison Heights, went west and covered Royal Oak. I recall it being a nickel to ride that line and a dime to ride the one going into Detroit. Of course, I'm dating myself and the prices slowly rose, but the last time I rode a Detroit bus, it was twenty-five cents and a nickel for the transfer. I wish I could have found some other pictures of "The Loop." This was a drive-in and those teenagers who had cars would cruise from this place up John R. going north to the McDonald's Drive through and back south to the Loop again, looking for friends and just hanging out. Hope you enjoyed my wee trip back in time.

Kindly, scroll down through the pictures and enjoy!

2009-02-11T08:25:00.001-08:00

Human beings are such small creatures, aren't they?

Lenticular Clouds

2009-01-27T07:05:00.001-08:00

These Lenticular clouds were taken near Mt. Rainer by an unknown photographer to me. It's amazing how the topography and associated winds blowing over it, can create these beautiful cloud patterns.

I haven't been blogging or visiting my favorite bloggers recently due to a very nasty computer virus. Steve, with the help of our new virus service, have gotten me back on line and up and running. ( fingers and toes crossed )

I hope you're all well and moving forward in this new year. It's depressing watching so many people being laid-off because of this economy resulting from the greed of the rich businesses and all the deregulation which allowed them to get away with their gluttony for money. There are better times coming.

Our Boy, Seán

2009-01-15T23:17:00.000-08:00

Here's two pictures of our boy, Seán. He recently turned three years old and already has some gray around his muzzle. He has learned that when I try and pull out the camera to get a picture of him, he usually looks away or drops the ball. He has this wonderful way of getting one's attention by giving your arm a few "kisses" and then resting his chin on your arm whilst looking up at you with those two, big beautiful brown eyes.

Perseverance finally pays off. I distracted him long enough to actually get a picture of him with his favorite ball in his mouth. He usually drops it before I can snap the picture.

Happy New Year !! 2009

2008-12-31T08:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year !!

2009

Lifting a glass to you:

Here's a health to the company,

and one to you all !!

Butch

Winter Storm Part II

2008-12-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

Winter Storm part II

Winter Storm part III will be happening this afternoon or evening and the winds will be an added feature.

More to come . . .

A Winter Storm

2008-12-17T12:57:00.001-08:00

We awoke this morning to snow falling in our area of the Northwest. It has been intermittently snowing this morning and early afternoon. This picture is of one of the Hawthorne trees heavy laden with snow.

This picture is of the patio off the solarium.

This is another picture of the patio with about four or more inches of snow on the bench and grill. Our wee fir tree branches are loaded down with snow in this picture.

This is a picture of the front yard looking out the office window to the left. One can see the snow coming down in this picture.

This was taken looking out of the office window to the right. When Steve came back in he said the expressway was backed up for twelve miles coming into Olympia. Today, he took the 4-wheel drive small SUV instead of the car to drive around the city. It appears as though we will have more of the same for tomorrow, if the weatherman is correct.

To those of you living in the Mid-west or up in Canada where this weather is the norm for the winter months, one has to remember we usually have rainy days in the winter months and a snow storm is rare. In any event, it's a nice day to stay indoors by a wood fire reading a good book.

Stay warm.

Yuletide Wreath

2008-12-14T15:26:00.000-08:00

This is our Yuletide wreath placed over our hanging Mexican sun artwork peaking through it. As we wait for the solstice and the days becoming longer. This photo shows the sun waiting in anticipation of of longer days and shorter nights.

We are in the middle of our first real snow fall today that is not melting once it touches the ground. Our high temperature for today was 31 degrees F. I think the snow is going to continue throughout the evening and into the night. Tomorrow morning's look out the window will reveal if my prediction was correct or not. Winter has finally kissed and embraced the Northwest.

Preparing for the Yuletide

2008-12-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

We were the first to put up our lights on our block, which was a first. I didn't capture all of the lights in this picture but, plan on trying it again this evening from a different angle, going down the street a little farther. That should do it.

Revised with an additional picture today.

There are a few gatherings happening this month, having dinner with our neighbors, a birthday party at a restaurant, and a Christmas tree lighting at a friend's home. All should be very festive.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-26T15:02:00.000-08:00

Have a joyous and happy Thanksgiving !!

A Last Look Before They Fall

2008-11-21T16:03:00.000-08:00

Most of the leaves have fallen in my neck of the woods save, this grouping on our Wedding Tree. The colours vary from yellows, oranges, greens, browns to red. I don't recall this tree ever doing a grouping of leaves quite in this way.

Enlarge the picture and enjoy!

"Make hay whilst the sun is shining"

2008-11-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

This is my wee Yard-Man. I'm not sure whether I out weigh this thing or not but it must be an interesting sight to see me driving it around the yard.

More leaves in the gutters to remove.

These two mushrooms had popped up in the grass. The one on the right was in the shape of a fat heart.

The maple tree in the back yard has just about dropped most of its leaves save a few in the background in yellow. I missed getting a picture of the tree in its complete yellow hat. One almost needs sunglasses to look upon it.

This tall, skinny tree had mostly turned its leaves to yellow as well.

The Wedding Tree, our weeping cherry tree, has some of the most beautiful rusty reds with greens and yellows and those still in the process of changing.

The front maple has dropped another load of leaves and still has a few more to drop. I mulched the first batch of them last week. This week is raining lightly and just enough to cancel any lawn work. The Irish call this "a soft day." The rain and humidity seems to hang in the air.

Click any photo to enlarge it.

Unbelievable

2008-11-03T09:31:00.000-08:00

It has been said that any landing one can walk away from is a good landing when flying an airplane. The odds of this pilot coming away from this landing were slim to none.

Take a look at this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRCbkBfdBrQ

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Don't forget to get out and vote, there's change in the air!

Oíche Shamhna Shona! - Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Nosferatu

( What a real vampire looks like )

Pennywise

(from Stephen King's "It")

Pan-labyrinth

( This has to be one of my favorite horror characters )

Pazuzu

( A dentist's nightmare )

Bad Pumpkin! Baaaad Pumpkin!! Mus'n't eat the children!

Psycho
(Momma needs a meal)

Wizard of Oz

("I'll get you my little pretty!")

o
One of the most original Halloween costumes.

("I don't know nuthin' 'bout birthin' babies"

"Jess put a knife under the bed, it 'il cut the pain")

( Oh, Butterfly McQueen, I miss ya.)

( My feeble recollections of Gone With The Wind )

Sorry, funny, but disgusting.

Did I just make a pun?

(funny butt)

Things that go bump in the night . . .

Hope you all enjoy your Halloween celebrations and

Happy Samhain!

Butch

Halloween Pumpkins One Doesn't Normally See

2008-10-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

These photos were sent to me by a friend. I haven't a clue where he got them though, I wanted to share them with you for a pre-Halloween Blog.

The Falling Leaves

2008-10-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

Fall has definitely arrived.

New Stock Market Terms for the Layman.

2008-10-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

This arrived in my email box today.

All those confusing abbreviations one has to try and remember involving the stock market are now answered in this blog entry.

Enjoy!

***********************************************************************************

NEW STOCK MARKET TERMS

CEO --Chief Embezzlement Officer.

CFO-- Corporate Fraud Officer.

BULL MARKET -- A random market movement causing an investor to mistake himself for a financial genius.

BEAR MARKET -- A 6 to 18 month period when the kids
get no allowance, the wife gets no jewelry, and the husband gets no sex.

VALUE INVESTING -- The art of buying low and selling
lower.

P/E RATIO -- The percentage of investors wetting their
pants as the market keeps crashing.

BROKER -- What my broker has made me.

STANDARD & POOR -- Your life in a nutshell.

STOCK ANALYST -- Idiot who just downgraded your stock.

STOCK SPLIT -- When your ex-wife and her lawyer split
your assets equally between themselves.

FINANCIAL PLANNER -- A guy whose phone has been disconnected.
MARKET CORRECTION -- The day after you buy stocks.

CASH FLOW-- The movement your money makes as it
disappears down the toilet.

YAHOO -- What you yell after selling it to some poor sucker
for $240 per share.

WINDOWS -- What you jump out of when you're the sucker
who bought Yahoo @ $240 per share.

INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR -- Past year investor who's
now locked up in a nuthouse.

PROFIT -- An archaic word no longer in use.

*********************************

You Think Your Job Is Bad?

2008-10-08T18:38:00.001-07:00

Say it with me - I WILL NOT complain about my job, EVER AGAIN!!

I do not have a clue what the vet may be doing but the look on the gentleman's face on the right says it all.

Out of the way things to see in Seattle, Washington

2008-10-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

There are some strange sites in Seattle where one can go kill some time and have fun in the process.

I found the "Troll Under the Bridge" in the Fremont area of Seattle as one of those things to see. It is sometimes called the Fremont Bridge Troll though this troll is actually not under the Fremont Bridge. It can be located on N. 36th Street ( I think if memory serves me well ) That is a Volkswagen in its hand. There is a wee story that goes with this. The car used to have a California License Plate on it. There is a little friendly war going on between Washingtonians and Californians and this Troll destroying a California car was "tongue-in-cheek."

This is a huge work of art that was created by four artists and it really takes up much of the space under the north end of this bridge.

Here's another picture of the Troll.

For many years it was said that the elephant on the top of this flower shop was real, a hunting trophy from the 1930s. Eventually, it was proven that it was not real. How could a "stuffed animal" weather the elements of the Washington cycle and remain looking none for the wear.

When I lived in Michigan, there were other items like this to see as well. They still have the largest tire in the world built by Goodyear Tires, which is two or three stories high and made out of rubber. The Detroit fairgrounds used to have the largest stove in the world and eventually, someone bought it and took it away. This elephant would have fit in nicely with those things.

An artist made four sculptures of people waiting at a bus stop. It appears others have augmented them with colourful apparel. Olympia has a sculpture of two lovers standing at Percival Landing on one of the most southern reaches of Puget Sound. I couldn't find my picture of them, so I will need to take another and post it for you.

This is the largest statue of Lenin ( not the one of Beatle fame ) . The story on this is sketchy at best but the owner of the Taco Del Mar purchased it years ago as it lay in the dirt somewhere. It's home ended up being Seattle. Most of the young generation haven't a clue who he was or his significance.

Another view of Lenin's Statue in Seattle.

This is an American mummy on display at "Ye Old Curiosity Shop". Evidently, the place is (pardon my pun) stuffed with other artifacts and goodies. If you're ever in Seattle and bored with the typical tourist things to do and see, add these to your list. ;-)

The Vistas Near Selah, Washington

2008-09-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

Our friend Bob and Steve took a tramp on the mountains near the town of Selah on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains, part of "The Rockies" last Saturday. Unfortunately, I do not remember the river this dam is controlling but the view down to it looking over this very steep grade is exciting.
Enlarge the pictures if you like.

One can see the town of Selah off in the distance. These boys walked the trails until they reached the summit of one of the mountains in the area. Evidently, one can pull off the road and start walking without fear of having one's car ticketed for being on the side of the road. There is very little traffic to none on this road.

This is Bob, our friend and the reason for this picture is to show how hard the wind was blowing on the ridge. He has his back to the force of it and it made his shorts look "form-fitting." We're all too old to be wearing that type of clothing. ;-)

Here is another picture of the dam at a lower altitude. West of these mountains is an environment lush with green and temperate temperatures with rainy winters but east of these mountains is arid land that is desert with more seasonal changes in the temperature. The Olympic and Cascade Mountain ranges wring out the clouds of their moisture coming in from the Pacific Ocean and by the time the Cascade's has had its way with them there if very little to no precipitation left, hence, the desert-like environment.

Nano-second Images

2008-09-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

A friend sent these wonderful pictures along to me recently from Widelec.org and I found them amazing how the action is completely stopped without the photographs becoming blurred. The top picture reminds me of my own bank account. ;-)

Embiggen them and enjoy!

Now you know this one's going to hurt.

Notice both the hombre and el toro, have their tongues out in anticipation of their prize.

This type of landing can result in the severing of the spinal cord resulting in paralysis from the neck and shoulders down.

One can still see the pilot in this crash. ( Where's Gawpo when you need his commentary?!) ;-)

I wonder how much damage was done to the camera, not to mention the person in the line of fire.

A water hat.

Tire marks on the face are the least of his worries.

A big cat disagreement.

A little cat disagreement.

Let's see, now how was I supposed to land?

Perfect catch.

A Little Humour for the Mid-Week

2008-09-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

These are some of my favorite jokes from Whyatt.

Odds & Ends

2008-09-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

Definitely, takes your breath away walking into this bathroom with the painted floor.

Boy shakes the hand of a street performer.

Acrobatic bull jumping.

This person won the Guinness World Record for the most body piercings.

For those patrons who would like to bring part of the orchestra home with them. This baritone horn was converted into an urinal. ( I wonder if it produces a rich horn sound when flushed?! ) ;-)

My favorite toilet of them all. This toilet would make everyone a "stander" rather than a "sitter."

And finally, another Chinese toy recall.

Uilleann Pipes, Guitars and Legendary Performers

2008-08-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of finally hearing one of the greatest Irish Uilleann pipers in the world in a live performance at an house concert in Olympia, Washington. The piper was Paddy Keenan, and for those of you who follow Celtic music, he is one of the original members of "The Bothy Band" one of the bands that brought Irish music to the world. There are few pipers that can come close to this man. He shared the concert with singer and exceptional DADGAD tuning guitarist, Tommy O'Sullivan, who is gaining a good reputation as a fine Irish artist as well.

Paddy is on the left and Tommy, on the right it the picture above. They are tuning the instruments before the concert.

I asked Paddy if I could take a picture of his pipes and he came over and told me that the wood is ebony, the metal is silver and the white trim is made of ivory.

The Uilleann (pronounced, "illen") pipes are played by pumping air, from the bellows, tied to the right elbow, ( if you are a right handed player ) into the air bag under the left arm. This supplies air pressure to the three main parts of the pipes.

1. The chanter, upon which, the melody is played.

2.The regulators, which play the harmony and rhythms.

3. The drones, which play a continuous sound.

In this picture, Paddy moved the bellows so the regulator could be seen better. It is the part nearest the back of the chair with all the buttons. The drones are attached behind it and the lowest drone has the white circular piece on it. The chanter is partially obstructed by the bellows in the picture above though, you can see it better it the picture above it. Uilleann is an Irish word meaning elbow, hence using the elbow to pump air into the instrument rather than blowing air into the air bag as is done with the Highland Pipes or the Irish War Pipes. There are many variations of pipes that are played by pumping a bellows and another example is the Scottish Small Pipes which has a chanter and drones. The Uilleann is the only one that uses regulators.

To see it played is a treat especially when the piper is using all of the instrument at once. Generally, one can play the chanter alone or with the drones. The chanter is played with both hands whilst the regulator is played with the wrist of the right hand or the fingers of the right hand depending if the melody is high enough on the chanter where one can remove the right hand to use the fingers instead of the wrist. Paddy has said that this instrument breathes. ;-) I think it holds the collective soul of Ireland in its body as well.

Paddy started playing the pipes at the age of 10 years old. Paddy also comes from a family of Travellers who lived in wagons pulled by horses that travelled on the roads of Ireland back when he was a lad. When he was growing up they were looked down upon by small-minded people whose kids would call him names. Kids can be cruel and the Travellers were pejoratively called Tinkers, Gypos, Knacker, Sham. The Travellers' call themselves, Pavee, the title name of their own tribal clan.

Unfortunately, the picture taken above became too bright when the camera flashed against the ivory. Paddy pointed out to me that the ends of the tuning knobs were carved in the design of the "hops" plant, in his "drinking days!" ;-) I tried to capture them for you to see but, there it is.

Here are the instruments sans their players. As it turned out, they were playing a concert in Seattle on Saturday and had a concert scheduled in Portland for Monday so they were looking to fill in the day in-between with a concert about half way to Portland and Olympia was perfect for it. Olympia has a great Celtic community of musicians and the audience Sunday evening was composed of all musicians. We had a jam seisiún after the concert where Paddy joined us. Peggy, the fiddler in the band I'm in and I played a few of my tunes and Paddy would like to do some of them. What an honour that would be for me if that project becomes a reality. If he is ever touring and comes to your city or town by chance, do try and see this legendary piper. He is considered the best living Uilleann piper of today.

Black berries & Flowers

2008-08-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

We picked these black berries from the back yard and made a delicious pie out of them. I'll be out picking a bunch more tomorrow.

My neighbor brought over a bunch of apples from his apple tree so I made two pies and gave him one of them. This has been a wonderful game of tag. He brought over some blue berries today so it looks like I'll be baking a few more pies!

I thought I had better get some pictures of the Day lilies or they will be gone soon so here they are. This year there weren't nearly as many as in previous years. I'm not sure why but the dog tramping through them occasionally may have had something to do with it. ;-)

One of my transplanted Geraniums is blooming in the solarium so here it is,

. . .and again from the view above it.

There was one lone Blue flower blooming from the urn on the patio. I remember have a bunch of them by this time of the year but only one has appeared this year.

Here it is from another angle.

Our CD is finally finished.

2008-08-15T06:42:00.000-07:00

Our CD is finally, completed. Above, is a pen drawing an artist friend of ours, named Sheila Mott did for us that we used for the cover. The actual drawing is a 1:1 ratio to the size of a CD. When you think of all those leaves drawn in that wee space . . .!

Today I pick up the Cd's from the company that mass produced them for us. Peggy, the fiddle player and I were talking last night about how long this CD has taken and the first song we recorded was just over a year ago. It doesn't seem that long but, we've been working on this project that long.

Here we are, and what a handsome lot we make! (for old people, that is) ;-)

I'm posing behind my harp, Bill Woods is holding his bodhrán, an Irish drum, and Peggy Nogle is holding her fiddle.

I thought I would throw some more pictures in this entry to add a bit more colour. I'm holding a guitar (obviously) and the two instruments on the right are a mandolin and an Irish bouzouki. Yes, that was taken at an out doors festival and I'm allergic to hay. What one will do for art's sake. ;-)

This picture was taken at an inside gig ( thank goodness ) and that is a mandolin I'm playing for all who may be "instrument challenged." ;-)

This picture was taken at the Gig Harbour "Blessing of the Fleet" event. It was out doors and a very cool day with intermittent rain. At one point the wind was blowing the rain sideways and we all had to move further under the canopy to stay dry. My Irish sweater and cap are made for this type of weather. I was glad I didn't bring my harp for this event. There were other performers on the program as well and I felt sorry for a young teenager who brought her concert sized harp to play with the small orchestra. I'm sure she was tuning it constantly throughout the performance. There's an old joke about Harper's that claims they spend fifty percent of the time tuning their instrument and the other fifty percent of the time playing out of tune!

There you have it!

Here are three tracks from the album.

Granmore Hare - Traditional Song

Hills of Grafton - Phillip Mooney

Suíl a Ruín - Traditional Song

Enjoy!

The 2008 Perseid Meteor Shower

2008-08-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

ADDENDUM: I went out after 9:00p and didn't see any of them so I decided to get up early and take another look. Between 3:30a - 4:00a, I saw seven "meteors shower the sky. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and inspite of all the yard lights, mine included, one could still see the beautiful effects. One of them was especially, brilliant in light as it shot across the sky for that brief second of light. It was well worth getting up to see the Perseid Meteor light show. - - - Butch

I copied this article from Space Daily - Your Portal to Space, word for word because they explain this Perseid Meteor shower much better than I trying to paraphrase it or even trying to rewrite it. So, in any event, enjoy the meteor showers this evening around 9:00p, your time zone.

The 2008 Perseid Meteor Shower
A Perseid meteor over Joshua Tree National Park in California, August 11, 2007. Credit: Joe Westerberg.by Dr. Tony PhillipsHuntsville AL (SPX) Jul 24, 2008Mark your calendar: The 2008 Perseid meteor shower peaks on August 12th and it should be a good show. "The time to look is during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday, August 12th," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center.
"There should be plenty of meteors--perhaps one or two every minute."
The source of the shower is Comet Swift-Tuttle. Although the comet is far away, currently located beyond the orbit of Uranus, a trail of debris from the comet stretches all the way back to Earth. Crossing the trail in August, Earth will be pelted by specks of comet dust hitting the atmosphere at 132,000 mph.
At that speed, even a flimsy speck of dust makes a vivid streak of light when it disintegrates--a meteor! Because, Swift-Tuttle's meteors streak out of the constellation Perseus, they are called "Perseids."
(Note: In the narrative that follows, all times are local. For instance, 9:00 pm means 9:00 pm in your time zone, where you live. )
Serious meteor hunters will begin their watch early, on Monday evening, August 11th, around 9 pm when Perseus first rises in the northeast.
This is the time to look for Perseid Earthgrazers--meteors that approach from the horizon and skim the atmosphere overhead like a stone skipping across the surface of a pond.
"Earthgrazers are long, slow and colorful; they are among the most beautiful of meteors," says Cooke. He cautions that an hour of watching may net only a few of these at most, but seeing even one can make the whole night worthwhile.
A warm summer night. Bright meteors skipping overhead. And the peak is yet to come. What could be better?
The answer lies halfway up the southern sky: Jupiter and the gibbous Moon converge on August 11th and 12th for a close encounter in the constellation Sagittarius: sky map. It's a grand sight visible even from light-polluted cities.
For a while the beautiful Moon will interfere with the Perseids, lunar glare wiping out all but the brightest meteors. Yin-yang.
The situation reverses itself at 2 am on Tuesday morning, August 12th, when the Moon sets and leaves behind a dark sky for the Perseids. The shower will surge into the darkness, peppering the sky with dozens and perhaps hundreds of meteors until dawn.
For maximum effect, "get away from city lights," Cooke advises. The brightest Perseids can be seen from cities, he allows, but the greater flurry of faint, delicate meteors is visible only from the countryside. (Scouts, this is a good time to go camping.)
The Perseids are coming. Enjoy the show!
==================================================================

I agree, this should be quite a show tonight.

The Correct Way To Weigh Yourself

2008-08-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

TO ALL MY DEAREST FRIENDS
I'M SO GLAD I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS!
The correct way to weigh yourself

I can't believe I was doing it wrong all these years.
WE MUST SPREAD THE WORD.

The Saturday Afternoon Barbecue

2008-08-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday, we had some friends over for a barbecue. It amazingly, is the first one we have had with friends this year. I started preparing the meat on Friday, which gave us time to go through the mad cleaning of the house. We really don't live like pigs but some things along the way, get missed when we go through the house every four days or once a week cleaning. With Steve faithfully, brushing the dog since he is in his shedding period, we still end up with dog hair from one end to the other.

We usually prepare all the food for these gathering at our home when we are hosting, but all insisted they bring something along to share, so it became a "pot-luck" meal. We started with appetizers, bar trail mix, smoked salmon with sprigs of dill in a sour cream sauce, a layered leavened bread with cream cheese, three different chopped peppers, chopped black olives, grated cheddar cheese. I don't know what it was called but it was delicious. Besides the typical beverages, the main dishes were "baby-back ribs", chicken thighs, both barbecued in a sauce, German potato salad, home made baked beans, Lima beans and chopped onions in sour cream for a bean salad, and for dessert, home made ginger cookies, chocolate chip cookies with home made mint ice-cream. I have one word to describe this: oink!

The weather turned out perfectly staying in the 70s with intermittent clouds and sun breaks and a pleasant breeze blowing. One can thank the Zephyr's for supplying that so we sat on our wee patio outside our solarium and ate at a picnic table on our shaded deck. The company, food, conversation and the craic were perfect and one couldn't ask for a more pleasant day. Even Seán, our dog got more than enough attention from everyone. Steve and one of our friends used to fence, so they got a chance to see if they could still compete with each other. I know, the next morning, Steve was lamenting about how sore he was. I think he stirred a few muscle groups up that he doesn't usually use during a normal day.

Unfortunately, in all the excitement and fun, no one thought to bring a camera to snap a few pictures and this entry sadly will not have any pictures to help with the story.

The Annual Scottish Highland Games in Enumclaw, Wa.

2008-07-27T20:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Scottish Highland Games of Enumclaw, Washington.

Kindly, click on the pictures to enlarge them.

In the picture above is my friend Josh, who owns a utility kilt business and is the hub for much of the Celtic happenings in the southern part of the State of Washington. He is a huge man and when he saw that I was going to take a picture of him, he asked for me to wait so he could suck in his stomach! ;-) I laughed and tapped my own as I prepared to take his picture. He's the fellow in the tent.

This is Steve and our good friend Hugh, who got away from his own clan tent to walk about with us through the fair grounds.

Here's a picture of "himself" with Steve, my partner.

Sorry, I couldn't remove the fence that was separating the athletes from the fans. If you look closely, you can see a caber being readied to be tossed. It is not unlike tossing a telephone pole only these weigh between 100 - 180 lbs. The person unfortunate enough to have to pick one of these things up, runs (or walks fast) with it and then, tosses it so it will land first, on the opposite end of the caber and fall over. How far one can toss it decides the winner.

Here is another picture of the caber being tossed.

North Channel Kilts was one of the many vendors at the fair grounds. They made the tartan I am wearing in a previous picture. Since there aren't many Irish tartans in stock, they had to look up my tartan and count how many threads go a certain direction and on and on until they have the pattern of the tartan. They follow the pattern and weave the material and the kilt is made from that. To have the correct pattern go around you, the kilt is pleated continuing the correct tartan pattern. Some of these kilts can be nine yards long if they were unpleated. I joked with the man taking my measurements when I had that one made and I said there was going to be a herd of sheep that were going to be really cold for awhile. ;-) I have two kilts, the one pictured is the O'Farrell Tartan, on my mother's side and the Tara tartan from on my father's side. ( not shown here )

This is our friend, Clain who was the person to have answer questions regarding the Buchanan Clan. You can see the clan tartan he is wearing.

During the Highland Games, there are other competitions happening in other areas of the fair grounds. We missed the harp competition, and the dancing competition, but were able to watch a bit of the pipe & drum band competitions. Here is a band marching up the way preparing to march on to the field for their try in the competition.

Here is another picture of them turning on to the competition field. There is nothing wrong with your eye sight, I have been trying to capture the proper colours of the tartans and the sky seems to be changing throughout the day. When taking a picture of a person who happens to be in one of those tents, the pictures come out too dark without a flash, so I have been tinkering with them. Your eyes are just fine. ;-)

Here we are with Hugh in the picture and he was the person to see if you wanted to know anything about the Gunn Clan. Their clan tent is in the background. There were many food vendors, some of them producing traditional Scottish and Irish dishes, from Haggis to Bangers, and all different types of spuds. There were many Celtic bands that played from the Tempest's to the Wicked Tinkers and the day stayed mostly cloudy with a temperature around 75 degrees F. ( approximately 25 degrees C. for my Canadian friends. ) with a light breeze. A beautiful day to meet with the different clans and enjoy the fun.

Time to Pick Up the Pieces and Move Onward.

2008-07-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

Our circle is a wee bit smaller this week due to a most unfortunate scandal that Nicky Cooper never was a real person. ( at least the one we thought we knew ) We loved him for being that kind, single young gay father with two adopted boys, wise for his age, a wonderful outlook on life, nature, and the woods he used to take us to on his tramps in many of his entries. His wonderful prose was inspiring and would bring delight to most of us with every entry.

We know now that it was Kate who penned the beautiful prose from her own heart and much of her writing was about her own son, one of a twin, who died a short while after birth named Liam. Her writing was one way of making sense to what happened in her life and she was dealing with it through her writings. Unfortunately, the woman behind the character, "Nicky" plagiarized much of Kate's material as well as some of Kate's own pictures of her husband pulling their son through the snow on a sled. Just these no-no's would bring into question a person's untrustworthy behavior. Furthermore, was the issue that Nicky, as we knew him, was fictional. What was slowly unraveling started to spin revealing one layer after another of lies, and deception. It was bound to happen as the stories changed and more lies had to be told to maintain that deception.

As it turned out, the person who created the characters of Nicky and Joel, had been reaching out for friendship, compassion, to fit into the company of gays and befriend them and other things to compensate for a personality that had been looked down upon and discouraged. This person is a female but has always felt she is a male creating Nicky at the age of six years old. This info comes third hand through Father Tony's site who has substantiated this person's identity and that what she has said on his site is true at least as much as we can try and believe it. Many thanks to Father Tony for his part in trying to get to the bottom of this debacle as well as some comments from Joe of JMG, Al of Blue Alto for his informative thoughts on this and Greg of the Midnight Garden for starting the ball rolling in our blog circle.

As I mentioned on Al's site, what may have caused this problem to manifest was her struggle with transgender issues, being raised in an area of B.C. where she came to believe "s/he" was unique, and the only one like himself, suffering greatly carrying this burthen alone. With no other outlet, I can see inventing this persona of "Nicky" saved him throughout his growing years. Nicky had mentioned he had an invisible friend whilst he was very young and perhaps, Nicky was that friend. But, it was interesting that "Nicky" was going to remain the age 26 for the rest of his life and the iteration of a similar character named Joel, as it was pointed out in another person's comments. Joe also was 26 years old. Joel was dying of leukemia and was another manifestation of hers crying out for sympathy, love and compassion. After this person was found to be a fake, that site closed down and eventually, Cooper's Corridor became the focus and Nicky became her outlet, in my opinion. I, like many, were drawn to his magnetic, and kind personality. How was one not to like Nicky?

This need of hers may be explained as a variation of Munchhausen's syndrome. We have a fictional character taking care of two boys, one, healthy and the other, sickly, and in the familiar definition of this syndrome the mother or parent makes the child sick in order to get sympathy from others for that parent's sacrifices made to make the child well again. Many times a child needs to be brought in to the hospital where they become well amazingly fast under the care of professionals. In Nicky's case, one doesn't know if the children were ever sick or were ever made sick on purpose, but the basic premise is the same. "Look at all the sacrificing I am doing to take care of my sick child."

As well as others, I too, noticed fuzzy parts in his emails and entries and parts that he would change the next time around. I recall once, he had a dog named Molly and in an email I had asked what happened to her since I had never seen any pictures of her with the boys. I eventually, received an answer that Matteo had allergies that were caused by Molly and Nicky had to leave the dog with his best friend, the one who grew up with him. I accepted that answer until there was an entry mentioning the recent addition to the family named "Bud", the dog with Dario holding him in the picture. I wondered if Nicky had forgotten the first story he told about Molly. Another was Matteo's pneumonia and all that transpired, only to read a little later Nicky taking them out in the snow or pulling a sled with him in it. ( The infamous lifted picture of Kate's husband pulling their little boy on a sled) from Kate's site that was removed along with the visiting blogger's story at another blogger's site was an example of the pictures that were lifted. ) And still another of taking a grandmotherly type babysitter with him to take care of the boys in the Yukon whilst he worked. The last time his friend Michael and his wife took care of the boys. The stories were stretched to the point of unbelievability. There were quite a few more, but I, like many, wanted to believe in him and I ignored my own defense systems. When I was practicing medicine, I used to do H & Ps ( History & Physicals ) on every new patient I would see and one usually, can see when a patient is not telling the truth by asking a lot of questions especially in different ways. One would think I should have known better to be able to spot when there was a lie. I was duped along with many others by the shy charm and well articulated prose that would come out of his blog. Kate deserves the kudos for her material, her life and all that was lifted to make the Cooper blog what it was. I will continue to drop by her blog and would encourage anyone who reads my blog to visit hers. You have already read what her writing is like and it seems sensible to read it from the source.

I thought I knew Nicky and we emailed enough that I considered him a close blogging friend. I am corresponding with her presently, to have some questions answered so I can bring about some closure in my life to this unfortunate calamity. I am not angry, I am disappointed and I feel duped, and embarrassed that I could be taken in so easily. One thing I can say, that other's have said, is I have met some very nice and decent bloggers from reading Nicky's two sites and I hope we can all continue to trust each other and not reach the point where it hampers one's blogging bringing it all to a stop through fear. I do not want to feel that way, and if it happens again, I hope I am better prepared. Perhaps, trusting too much is the problem but I would rather continue trusting until proven otherwise. Nicky has apologized to me for deceiving me and I will take it that she really means it.

May the character "Nicky Cooper" rest in peace. He was truly loved and may his creator receive the counseling she truly needs, and the compassion and peace that hopefully, follows. It's time for me to close this chapter. Thank you all for your own comments on your own sites and on others, it has helped bring this into focus for me knowing that others are feeling the same way and only want what's best for all the party's closely involved in this.

Since, Patrick has come forward to write about something painfully personal, I want you to know you have my utmost respect and there is no need for humiliation, you were led on and duped into believing in this person as we were. Never forget, you do have friends, whether they are blogger friends you've never seen before or the ones you have found to be real. You are always welcome here at Butch's Banter, always my friend.

Thanks to all of you as well. Now, on with the blogs.

I didn't know this until yesterday and the answer, today.

2008-07-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

An addendum to this mystery has been brought to you by two bloggers, Greg, from Midnight Garden and Anonymous who commented that it was all an hoax. Anonymous kindly produced the answer to this puzzle as to how it was accomplished. Please pardon the Cascade commercial before the information. Thanks, Greg and Anonymous for your input.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2008/07/09/carroll.cellphone.popcorn.cnn

These cell phones turn out not to be more dangerous than we thought. Take a look at this video first to see what fooled me and an host of others.

Popcorn

Kindly, click on hypertext below.

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/portable/video/x5odhh_pop-corn-telephone-portable-microon_news

Farewell to a Good Friend and Neighbor

2008-07-09T16:39:00.001-07:00

Our dear neighbor, after a valiant fight, passed away peacefully at her home with her loving husband at her side this afternoon. This wonderful person never uttered one complaint throughout her fighting this disease and worried more about how her husband was going to do whilst she had numerous surgeries, chemotherapy and many doctor's visits. Early on, we had assured her that she needn't worry, I usually cook enough food to feed an army and we would make sure he was fine. That was a relief for her and she could concentrate on fighting her cancer.

She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer already in its fourth stage. The prognosis was not good when the disease was found so late in the process. Nevertheless, she approached this battle with a determination to beat it and a grace about her to take every day in stride no matter what was handed to her. We visited her and her husband, John many times during her on going fight.

A while back, her husband John and his wife Fran, decided he needed to go shopping for what he planned to wear for her funeral. He was afraid to leave her without anyone there whilst he went shopping. This is where Steve and I decided to see if we could be of service. Steve took John to a store where we buy our suits etc., and I had a wonderful afternoon sitting with Fran talking about anything from politics, to cooking. She was very aware of her politics and even protested during the Vietnam Conflict. She told me she was never going to let "them" have her boys.

When she was convalescing, I used to cook for them and she would immediately call her sister in California and tell her what I had made and we all shared recipes back and forth. When I was sitting with her, she asked me if I would play the piano and sing for her, which I did. She was always so easy to please. Steve and John came back with some of the clothes he purchased whilst the pants would be altered and ready later. I can not imagine going shopping for the clothes I am to wear at my spouse's funeral. He did well, with Steve's help. He had come over and asked if we could go with him since he didn't think he knew enough about style etc, and I guess he thought us being gay, we would know all about that sort of thing. Little did he know. ;-)

Last night, John saw Steve watering the lawn and came over to talk. We have always been available for him to just vent and tell us how he is doing. One of our neighbors is a nurse and has been checking in on Fran along with the Hospice nurse so John was free to break away for a moment. We invited him in for a nice glass of Glen Livet scotch and sat and talked for quite awhile. I do not know if it was the scotch or the company ( or both ) but he did seem to feel better afterwards. I told him one of my bad Irish jokes, ( What's the difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish wake? - - -One less person drinking. ) He enjoyed the bantering a bit. Our neighbor told him she thought Fran would be passing sometime during the night, so she stayed the night with her. As it turns out Fran made it through the night and passed away this afternoon.

It has been my privilege to know her and be friends with her and John. We will miss her smile, laughter, and kindness to us.

Rest In Peace, Fran and may you enjoy many, many sunrises and sunsets on your new journey.

A Little Bit of This and That On a Wednesday

2008-07-02T07:34:00.000-07:00

Happy belated Canada Day to all my Canadian friends!

After my eye surgery last week, I was given upon leaving the eye centre, a wee basket of red flowers. I thought it was such a nice gesture to do. The clinic, staff and physicians were super and made my visit as pleasant as could be under the circumstances. This basket was the icing on the cake for me.

A few weeks ago, I saw this urn at the local Costco and kept going back to it until my next trip to the store when I purchased it. It weighs in somewhere between 60 to 80 lbs. dry so I had a young, strong, and an eager gentleman who worked there, help place it in the basket and then another one who told me to just hold the cart whilst he did all the work of lifting it into our wee SUV. Gotta love that store. Here it is with some dirt from the "Faerie Hill" ( hope they didn't mind too much ) along with the recently transplanted Ficus tree. It seems to love its new urn.

I missed the blooming of theses wild roses in the yard by some days so these are at the end of their blooming cycle. Sorry. Next year I will watch for them and catch them just as they bloom.

Here are more of the wild roses intertwined with the berries. About five years ago, we cleaned out the berries which had taken over that area which allowed the roses to go into their growth. Slowly, they have returned. I like harvesting the berries and making pies and jams out of them but they can become over powering unless they are kept pruned back.

This last picture is of Steve and Seán helping him take a nap! Thought you would enjoy that one. He tries to help so much. ;-)

My Cataract Surgery on Tuesday Morning

2008-06-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may be interested in this type of surgery, I had a cataract removed and a new lens replacing it this past Tuesday. The first picture is the ophthalmologist on the left, his assistant nurse on the right and yours truly on the table.

Here is one of my "baby-blues" pre-surgery. One can see the opaque colouring in the pupil which is the cataract. Interestingly, this is as far as they could get my eye to dilate.

Here, the physician is making an incision on the inferior surface near the iris where he will be doing all the surgery through this very tiny hole. It is about the size of a pencil tip.

He is using a tool to cut the lens into pieces in this picture.

This picture is where he is "peeling" the lens which is now in pieces.

You can see the cataract in pieces in this one and he is preparing to "vacuum" the cataract lens out of the eye.

In this picture, he is putting in the new lens. It is rolled like a crape so he can fit in through the incision where he will unfold it when it is inside the eye.

Here is the finished product.

Complements to my partner, Steve for taking these pictures off of the monitor during surgery.

What was strange was the local injection in the lower part of my eye of the anaesthetic. It will immobilize the eye and makes one blind in that eye during most of the surgery. Afterwards it took approximately 4-5 hours before it would start moving and a bit longer to get it to track properly with my other eye. Therefore, I had double vision and upon looking into the mirror, I was reminded of Professor Moody in the Harry Potter series. My one eye was moving where I wanted it to whilst the other on remained stationary. Very strange to watch when it is yourself experiencing it. I hope this didn't gross any of you out since I wanted it to be informative and not sensational.

I'm still on the mend but my vision is getting better and better as I progress. Thanks to all who sent their best wishes.
Butch

See you (literally) in a few days. ;-)

2008-06-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

Just a note to let you all know that I'll be off the blog for a few days.

I'm having cataract surgery tomorrow morning and will be back on the

blogs when I can see better.

Until then . . .

Butch

Midsummer's Eve & The Transparent Butterfly

2008-06-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

Greg, of the Midnight Garden's recent entry of his lantern picture, reminded me of this painting by Edward Robert Hughes, 1851-1914 entitled, Midsummer's Eve. I thought it would tie in nicely with the Transparent Butterfly at the advent of the Summer Solstice on June 21st.

Are not butterflies like the wee faeries? ;-)

I received these beautiful pictures of this amazing transparent butterfly this morning and had to share them with you. Isn't nature truly amazing? Enjoy!!

(Click on photographs to enlarge.)

Transparent Butterfly (Absolutely gorgeous! )
It comes from Central America and is found from Mexico to Panama. It is quite common in its zone, but it not easy to find because of its transparent wings, which is a natural camouflage mechanism.
A butterfly with transparent wings is rare and beautiful. As delicate as finely blown glass, the presence of this rare tropical gem is used by rain forest ecologists as an indication of high habitat quality and its demise alerts them of ecological change. Rivaling the refined beauty of a stained glass window, the translucent wings of the Glasswing butterfly shimmer in the sunlight like polished panes of turquoise, orange, green, and red. All things beautiful do not have to be full of color to be noticed: in life that which is unnoticed has the most power.

Additional Spring Photos of Our Back Yard

2008-06-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

Some additional pictures

Here are some additional pictures I want to add to this entry starting with my Mint plants.

Some additional blossoms opened on this Iris plant. Unfortunately, Seán likes to run in between the chair and the plants when visiting his friends on the other side of the fence and the plants are the one's to suffer the consequences. I may have to transplant these so they have a chance in the future.

Here is the other Iris growing near the Lilac bush by the house with more blossoms on it.

Here's the same plant from another angle.

There are more blossoms open on the Red Prince Weigela bush we planted a few years ago as well. There is one vertical branch that has grown out of the middle of this bush since last year.

Here was a wee surprise I had missed until I went out to take some more pictures today. This Iris has been hiding near the tub with the Fir tree in it. As I was taking the picture of the Red Prince, I saw it out of the corner of my eye and thought it deserved a picture as well. Well, that's it for the additions.

Enjoy!

Is there such a thing as blue Columbine's? These popped up after the white one's.

We have Iris blooms this year! I planted them two years ago and I guess they decided to bloom this year. Because of the rain, the flower became heavy and started drooping almost touching the ground so I helped the plants along with a support stick to keep them upright.

Here is the same plant from another angle beside a lilac bush that hasn't bloomed yet. ( maybe, next year )

Our Red Prince Weigela is in bloom and I thought I would add it to the mix. We spent a short vacation in Long Beach, Washington on the coast and the house we rented had one of these beautiful bushes facing the Pacific Ocean. We enquired what type of plant it was and found one at our local nursery. It began blooming right away. I didn't get the whole plant in the picture since one branch shoots vertically out of the bush and beyond the camera lens for this picture.

Here is a closer look at its blossoms.