Hemp is back. Was there ever any doubt?
The Kid’s on a Roll
Two years running.
It's Almost Over
Trump certainly performed well as the useful idiot in every way ever expected. The Federal government has been completely bogged down with nothing much done for over 2 years. Seriously, that is really the BEST I have come to expect from Washing D.C. – NOTHING. Because at least in my view, “nothing” is better than the never-ending string of ongoing stupidity and waste coming out of that institution we call a Federal government.
But what I did not expect was the overtly public and disgusting displays of pure disrespect. Sure politics is a dirty business, go figure. I knew the guy was a fuck-ass businessman, but did not realize he is actually just stupid. The extent to which this moron has used vile impertinence and contempt in his public behavior and communications is unnerving, even to me – a retired enlisted military member who grew up learning to swear with the best of them, where provocative language and colorful discord was the norm. When time for John McCain’s funeral rolled around, it was the last straw for me. Let the impeachment proceedings begin.
Then a few days later we see this. What a shame. The guy is a national disgrace.
If You Can't Beat 'Em…
Join ’em! Was there ever any doubt?
Now if we could just entice the tobacco companies to move their manufacturing overseas. Makes sense, because they sell most of their product outside the country and millions of people are growing their own weed here now anyway so… Good Riddance! Wonderful stuff we here in the good ‘ol USA export all over the world: Tobacco, weapons, fossil fuels to name just a few. Based only on the arms sales graphic below, looks almost like corporate-sponsored planetary fratricide, to me.
Scrap Re-Purpose
I hate throwing stuff away. So much so, I save things like scrap metal of all kinds, break it down, sort, and occasionally make a trip to one of the local scrap yards or recycling companies. There was too much to even feel good about scrapping after the basement exercise equipment got smoked by the lightning strike 3 months ago.
Several hours needed spent just dis-assembling and breaking it down anyway, so I decided to spend several more re-combobulating the damn things into a Dip Rack. I used probably about 70% of all the steel that was in those 2 pieces of exercise equipment. There’s enough space in the corner of the basement gym, and it offers a couple exercises that are not aggravating to my back and hips. Sawzall, welder and a little imagination is all it takes. Just imagine a Schwinn recumbent bike and a Nautilus elliptical as the “before” pics:
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The Crux of the Matter
Is simply this. Far too many in power still hold dear their biblical devotions, and associate all matter of professional and political life with it. The separation of church and state concept was a great idea, but we never really thought it all the way through. Garnering tax exemption while raping children in the choir room closet seems a bit off, to me. ISIS believers plan their next IED attack the same way conservative judges block human rights, while stupid believers shun vaccinations for their children and countless other acts of inhumanity: In the name of Gawd. That’s how I spell it and that’s how I see it – fairy tales mocked, now grown into globalized evil for all to see on the air and cyber-waves every day.
Guppy Tank Algae Finally Defeated
It was a long, hard 2-year struggle. Apparently we have some pretty aggressive algae species around here. I learned this the hard way after the Pond had a similar problem, and trying to run too much light on this tank. A CO2 injection system and an adjustable-intensity light finally got things under control. It was so bad by last spring that I needed to shift the guppies to the goldfish tank, break this one down completely, clean and re-start it.
The solution was a combination of CO2 injection and GREATLY reduced lighting. Most decorative aquatic plants can’t get enough CO2 for efficient photosynthesis from household aquarium water. A few bits and pieces with a tank of CO2 solves that problem nicely.
I wanted this tank to be brightly lit because it is planted and forms the centerpiece in a dark basement. But no amount of time reduction was enough to slow algae growth with the 60″ LED I initially purchased for it years ago. This 165-watt dimm-able full-spectrum model leaves the ends of the tank almost dark and at about 40% intensity for 10 hours/day seems to do the trick. These guys have the best habitat in the whole zoo. Plants filter, buffer and oxygenate the water chemistry while Purigen organic waste control absorbs any toxic residue. It’s a nice Guppy life, but then they go upstairs to be eaten by the Firemouths after growing big enough. I’m pretty sure this water would be safe to drink.
Goldies in for the Winter
These guys were moved to their basement domicile over 2 months ago, but things have been pretty busy around here lately, so I only just now got around to getting a good pic. It’s just as well, because that 120-gallon in the basement corner there always gets some sort of white algae or bacterial bloom on the inside of the glass after starting it back up every year. It is the only one of 4 tanks that does this, but always clears up after a couple cleanings. I suspect it is due to the small amount of sunlight it gets every morning in the late fall before the sun’s inclination makes it disappear entirely from the basement. Either that or the lower temperature or possibly the fish themselves somehow explains this phenomenon, but I really don’t know. Those are the only three things I can think of that are different about this tank.
They have 2 Marineland canisters keeping things clean now. The Pond Plants also got an upgrade for the winter season this year. It was only a procedural change and I’ve been kicking myself for not thinking of it before. These plants flourished well in the pond for 3 years, but barely survived in their winter basement home. This year I started replenishing their water with the aquarium water change that just went down the drain before. It’s nutrient rich water the plants seem to love and after 2 months they are actually showing new growth!
The water clover did so well in 2017 it completely covered the surface at one point. I suspect that is probably what prevented predation last year.
Big Puppy, Little Puppy
It didn’t take long before these two were going at it:
Every Cloud has a Silver Lining
I’m a big fan of the old adages suggesting we make the best out of a bad situation. Seems like that’s been a lifetime theme of mine. The lightning strike back in September certainly tested my patience in that regard, as I found ever more dead electronics for weeks following the strike. I finally got around to the main room sound system yesterday and as expected, much of it was toast, including the Sunfire Subwoofer – a $2k piece. But after getting a re-furb’d Outlaw 975 installed and the amps replaced with off-the-shelf spares it’s back up and running at lower power with the 2nd string amps, sans the sub – but not for long. A quick measuring tape exercise confirmed my hope that a new PSA S3611 dual-opposed 18″ monster boomer will fit under there:
It plays little brother to the V3611 I’ve been enjoying in the man cave for the past year. There’s no way that behemoth looks right anywhere upstairs, but the S3611 tucks in under that TV shelf quite nicely. I suspect it also out-performs the big boy downstairs somewhat, considering the uniquely customized corner placement in a smaller space.
Steelers Dominate!
Nobody, myself included, expected much from Pittsburgh this season. They sure don’t look like a team with lots of issues and distractions at this point. Wow – what a statement last night! Here’s all the highlights from the most-ever points scored by the home team at Heinz Field:
Red-Tailed Hunting Ground
There seems to be quite a few of these hawks here. I imagine they find plenty of food among the prairie dogs, smaller birds and other wild critters we have in abundance. Our own little finch flock gathers here around the bird feeders all year round, more so in the winter. It’s grown to a few dozen in attendance in recent years. This guy on the railing is just waiting for that poor little fella on the floor to make his move. The hawks and cats seem to get plenty of feathered food around here.
Puppy Play
She’s still too small to give Jax much trouble, but Annie didn’t take long to get started in on him. She was being lazy in the 2nd video after probably being overfed. I’ll try for some more puppy play in the days/weeks ahead. Pics of the new family member start on this Photo Page.
Your Tax Dollars at Work
The FDA Advisory Board chairman called for the drug to be rejected, but they approved it anyway. How does that work? The interesting thing to me is how the pharma companies keep re-making this same poison in ever more concentrated form. Therefore, as the excuse goes, it’s more tightly restricted. …Leading to guess what? Higher prices, of course. It’s getting more expensive to die of an accidental overdose.
Whodathunkit?
Introducing Anna Mae
Annie for short – a lab mix from Rezdog Rescue. She’s a bit shy with that pouty puppy look only cute puppies can have. My family might recognize the strong resemblance to a little pup named Annie from back in the 70’s at my boyhood home in Murdocksville, PA. This one is going to get a little bigger than the 1st Annie Shaffer.
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There was the expected tense few moments Saturday, including when Jax snapped at her for getting too close his biscuit. He teases the other pets with his morning biscuit to exert dominance by just carrying it around for hours, daring anyone to approach. Looks like he’ll be forced to actually eat them right away going forward. And of course Kiki had to get a swipe in at one point. Marshall, the big tomcat, couldn’t seem to care less. He’ll probably find more to worry about as she grows bigger, but it looks like Annie’s been well-accepted into the herd.
Mom 'n Boys
Look at the shyt-eatin’ grin on that dog boy:
