30 Jun 2012
A Drip and a Drop

We'll take what we can - we got about an inch and a quarter of rain last night in a terrific thunderstorm. Not enough by a long shot, but more is supposedly on the way. We'll see.

20:30 /Home | 0 comments | permanent link

29 Jun 2012
Chicken Trouble

Over the past three days we've lost seven hens - that's 20% of our flock. Heat exhaustion, I suppose we should call it, as "baked chicken" brings up an entirely different image. But after two days of +100°F (it hit 104 yesterday) who can be surprised. My brother in law passed on a bit of news that a really big industrial egg producer in southern Indiana lost over a quarter million birds yesterday when the temps soared. I can believe it.

Seven hens are the most we've ever lost to any single weather event, cold snap, heat wave or storm. The sheep are still hangin' in there, but the pasture is going downhill fast - and unless we get a good soaker soon, we'll be in serious trouble.

22:15 /Home | 0 comments | permanent link

28 Jun 2012
House finds Atty. Gen. Eric Holder in contempt of Congress

Now there's a charge I could happily plead guilty to - contempt for Congress! Of course, I have an equal amount of contempt for the executive and judicial branches of government.

All government, in its essence, is organized exploitation, and in virtually all of its existing forms it is the implacable enemy of every industrious and well-disposed man.
-- HL Mencken

The House votes to hold the attorney general in contempt over Operation Fast and Furious documents. About 100 Democrats walk out on the vote, dismissing it as partisan political theater.

(link) [LA Times]

21:31 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link

Oh, You Wanted "Awesome" Edition

Meet the marketing weasels, the bane of tech companies...

Already, I'm confused. Which one of these versions allows me to use all 48 GB of my server's memory? There are no less than six individual "compare" pages to slice and dice all the different features each version contains. Just try to make sense of it all. I dare you. No, I double dog dare you! Oh, and by the way, there's zero pricing information on any of these pages. So open another browser window and factor that into your decision making, too.

(link) [Coding Horror]

21:16 /Technology | 0 comments | permanent link

27 Jun 2012
Gopher Tuna

One of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. If you're interested, the real lyrics can be found here. Thanks, Chas.

22:01 /Humor | 0 comments | permanent link

Drought

It's been a week since we had any measurable precipitation, and we only got a half an inch. Before that the last rain was April 28th. "Dry" doesn't do this justice.

On top of that are the unusually high temps. It started getting very warm in march this year, reaching into the 80's and 90's regularly. It hasn't really let up at all: tomorrows forecast high is 105°F.

It was pretty dry here in 2010, but nothing like this. The records we're breaking were all pretty much set in 1988.

We can only hope that rain is on the horizon ...

21:54 /Home | 0 comments | permanent link

25 Jun 2012
Why German Shepherds Have Had Their Day

There's a lesson in here for all breeders of any livestock, be they puppies, piglets or lambs.

Success can be a drag. You yearn for it, strive for it, and then, when it finally arrives, it sets off repercussions you never anticipated that sometimes undo that success.

(link) [New York Times]

21:14 /Agriculture | 0 comments | permanent link

Up for a Little Conspiracy?

OK, how about a big one? Try the link below on for size!

One of the principal accomplishments (already) of the Occupy Wall Street protest movement is that is has correctly focused our attention on the real enemy: the top 1%. It is very important that readers remain focused upon that point, because (as usual) the media propaganda machine is not only seeking to twist the facts, but to distort the actual issue itself.

(link)[The Street]

21:05 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link

24 Jun 2012
Not Quite Dead

and I don't want to get on the cart... even though it's been six months since my last blog post. So much has transpired during that time as to make it well nigh impossible to catch up here, so I shan't even try. Suffice it to say that it's been busy - very busy. My recovery from surgery is as complete as it's going to get, but I've finally come to terms with the fact that things will never be the same. I can't maintain the pace I used to, and have been forced to prioritize where heretofore I could just wade in and slam through. The are other effects, too. For more news of the recent goings on here I refer you to Dances With Ewes, my wife's blog. She's certainly not up to full speed posting either, but she's s been a lot more regular than I have.

I am going to attempt to resume somewhat more regular posting - I say "attempt" to avoid a promise, as I just won't commit to something I may not be able to complete. But try I shall - we'll see how it goes.

21:03 /Home | 0 comments | permanent link