MONDAY MORNING

Hey! I got a nice comment from a nursing Mother is the Pacific Northwest. She says she can read my blog while she is nursing but she can't type too well. But she commented and that is special to me. Two or three hundred people a day do not seem to be able to make that much of an effort. Funny how that is. But Wolverine and gott_cha and the EMP from Maryland and Cox from Kentucky and Dragon and Charli Gribble and Mike Kemp and Vlad still communicate with me.

I have threatened my wife, the Handmaiden, with writing about guns all the time if I don't get inspired. Guns are not her area of expertise and she likes me to stay on other subjects whenever possible. Since she is my biggest fan I give her opinion a goodly amount of consideration, BUT DON"T LET THAT KEEP YOU FROM GETTING A SHOTGUN! And judging from the weenies we have running for President this election cycle, you had better get one quickly. Remember, the Heller decision is not out yet and we don't have the slightest idea what damage it may do. But we do know that the SCOTUS gets it's paychecks from the same treasury that the President and the congresscritters get theirs. And remember that the consitution grants that the SCOTUS does not have to pay txes on their salaries but FDR asked them to do it and they meekly obeyed. Kinda shows you where they are in their heads. So much for judicial independence and all that shit. But they were all lawyers before they were judges so what can you expect. Don't get me wrong. One of the most beautiful and intelligent young women on the planet, my oldest daughter, is about to become a lawyer and I love her very much. But I have this thing for lawyers and I had it before she was born and that is that. Time marches on.

I just read this article in the Autralian about global cooling. Not a pretty picture. It seems that we could be heading into an Ice Age that could last for maybe 10,000 years. If it is true I'll see you in Ecuador! I ain't got anything in me that wants to freeze to death. The writer of the piece said we ought to get busy and start hoping for increased sunspots. I ain't doing anything of the kind. What is it to me if I live in the hills of Ecuador or the hills of southern Indiana. If it comes a big snow storm in June or July I'll meet you at the dock for the ride to South America. Bring your stuff! You'll need it!

We are scheduled for two cold nights in a row. Happens every year about this time. We get a couple days of 80 degree weather and peeople think the cold is all over. We call these people short memoried. May 10th is our frost date. I am assuming you all know what frost date means, and that might be a mistake on my part. I never knew what it meant until I was in my late 20's. It is the last calendar date you can expect frost. It is the last day you can more than likely suffer dead food plants from freezing temperatures. In 37 years of living in this valley I have seen frost one time past the 10th of May. Ask your co-op guys and some old folks in the area what your frost date is and they will tell you. Folks who live close to the earth pay attention to such things. Knowing the frost date can save you from a rush to buy more seed. If there is any left that is for sale.

We have a sittin' duck this year. First time in the four or five years we have had ducks. These ducks are hatchery ducks and not used to being Mommas. They didn't have anyone to copy so they didn't do what they should do to have babies. But one of them seems to have the inclination to hatch out a batch of baby ducks. She has set on the nest faithfully. I kinda watch out for her from my porch and get rude when dogs comes around. The dogs don't like me but that is too damn bad. The ducks have always had the correect impulse to breed. Just like humans, they have a sex drive. But the sex drive is not the hatching and raising drive. I think that is learned to a great degree. I will sit on my porch with my pellet gun and watch out for things. The guy who mows around the pond got pretty close to the egg sitter but didn't drive her off. A good sign.

I'll close for now and wish you to stay alive.

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net