Fall Lines

Taken yesterday afternoon after a morning of work in the fields. Lone human in the picture could be looking for worms but I think he's really picking up golf balls hit over there by guys getting ready to hit their first shot at Lakeview Golf Course.

Brooks chimes in with infrastructure renovation

Here's David Brooks suggesting that we spend money on infrastructure renovation. I agree. He reports in his article that the US population is projected to grow by 50% in the next 42 years. Oh boy...

Government spending needed

I agree with Paul Krugman at the NYTimes:

what the economy needs now is something to take the place of retrenching consumers. That means a major fiscal stimulus. And this time the stimulus should take the form of actual government spending rather than rebate checks that consumers probably wouldn’t spend.

And we all are retrenching. Just yesterday I suggested we do some pretty major renovation around the house, something Diane has been pushing for now for several years. Guess what? Not now; don't want to go into debt. And so we hold onto our money and make things worse (according to Mr. Krugman). Oh, and by the way, Mr Krugman references another one of those "Great authors of the Western World', this one St. Augustine, when he is saying that now is not the time for consumers to not buy - we just had a 3.1% dip in the third quarter. Here's the quote:

Sooner or later, then, consumers were going to have to pull in their belts. But the timing of the new sobriety is deeply unfortunate. One is tempted to echo St. Augustine’s plea: “Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet.”

Movie: The Passion of Ayn Rand

Watched The Passion of Ayn Rand this morning with Diane. We enjoyed it a bunch and , yes, it is about the passion of Ayn Rand. Not foreign and no subtitles needed.

Aristole, Politics, Spreading the Wealth and Kevin Drum

Kevin Drum, a progressive blogger that I read on a regular basis, is using Aristotle in his 'quote of the day'. Has to do with our recent spreading the wealth conversation that has gotten lots of attention in the last week or so. As a 'great bookie', it was kinda fun to see a familiar author quoted so appropriately. Worth reading, both Aristotle and Kevin Drum.

Those who have too much of the goods of fortune, strength, wealth, friends, and the like, are neither willing nor able to submit to authority....On the other hand, the very poor, who are in the opposite extreme, are too degraded....Thus arises a city, not of freemen, but of masters and slaves, the one despising, the other envying; and nothing can be more fatal to friendship and good fellowship in states than this: for good fellowship springs from friendship; when men are at enmity with one another, they would rather not even share the same path. But a city ought to be composed, as far as possible, of equals and similars; and these are generally the middle classes.

....Thus it is manifest that the best political community is formed by citizens of the middle class, and that those states are likely to be well-administered in which the middle class is large, and stronger if possible than both the other classes, or at any rate than either singly; for the addition of the middle class turns the scale, and prevents either of the extremes from being dominant. Great then is the good fortune of a state in which the citizens have a moderate and sufficient property; for where some possess much, and the others nothing, there may arise an extreme democracy, or a pure oligarchy; or a tyranny may grow out of either extreme — either out of the most rampant democracy, or out of an oligarchy; but it is not so likely to arise out of the middle constitutions and those akin to them.

Amelia the animal whisperer

Go here for some lovely and stunning pictures of a young girl and her animal friends. And here for more on the photographer and her book. Neat stuff.

Wondering about Yokosuka

Spent some of last night revisiting Yokosuka, Japan, while listening to the Colts lose to the Titans. Like everything else, Yokosuka, where Diane and I spent our Navy years, has changed dramatically in the forty some years since we were there. That time was just seventeen years removed from the end of WWII, a war which included the fire bombing of Tokyo and the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan was a defeated nation and its rebirth was in its infancy. Yokosuka, then what I perceived as a ramshackle home port of a sizeable segment of the US Navy, is now a city of close to half a million people and is a thriving port city that still includes the US Navy but much more as well. I am stunned by the changes and I attribute that to the much more slowed down living pace of small town southern Indiana where a new bridge and a new federal building over a span of fifty years is more than enough change. Of course, you know that I don't get around much and am surprised by the sudden apearance of a new place of business right here in Loogootee - like the Williams pharmacy that is all of a sudden right there at the intersection of 50 and 231. Oh well. No big deal. The sun still rises in the east and sets in the west and the seasons change. But you will have to excuse me if I do gauk a bit when I am out and about in this ever changing world of ours.

West Boggs Park

Popular flyover site for buzzards as well as a haven for those interested in a walk in a woodsy domain.

More volleyball: spectators

Linda and Larry helped our kids get through Shoals some twenty years ago. They are still helping local kids get through those tempestuous teenage years. Last night they enjoyed seeing some of them go for the gold.

Volleyball Art

Barr-Reeve and Shoals sectional championship last night won by the ladies in black.

More Volleyball Photos

Taken at last night's sectional in Loogootee.

Overcast Skies and Buzzards on SWF

Had breakfast at The Cabin with Jim and Wilma and Diane, along with a couple of dozen more friends and neighbors and strangers, too, and then went for a walk down St. Mary's Road. Lots of good exercise and lots of good things to see on this Skywatch Friday: Overcast skies and an occasional raindrop along with trees laden with big black birds. Interesting stuff in grays and blacks but then there is the fall colors to appreciate as well. It's cool.

More Sectional Volleyball 2008

A Viking - Patty B's grandaughter.

Sectional Volleyball 2008

Loogootee and North Daviess players

Voter Suppression

The NYTimes has an editorial on voter suppression and one of the last things it says is this:

If voters find on Election Day that their names are not on the rolls, they should contact a voters’ rights group like Election Protection, at 1-866-OUR-VOTE, or a political campaign, which can advocate for them. They should not, except as a last resort, cast a provisional ballot, since it is less likely to be counted.

Really? Wow. I didn't know that and I really don't expect any trouble when Diane and I go out and vote on November 4th. We considered voting early and also by absentee ballot but decided that we wanted to actually go to the polling place on election day. We do go early so if there is trouble, we'll have the rest of the day, at least till six, to resolve any shenanigans. And, guess what? It's a horse race here in Indiana this year and that means my vote really does make a difference!

Sunrise Wednesday

From a few minutes ago. Looks much more threatening than it is turning out to be - lots more soft pink now...

Soybean Harvest

Got the rest of the corn in yesterday; now the soybeans.

Mist Rising: two takes

Top: photo of mist rising over Boggs Lake; Bottom: same photo after visit to Nero PhotoSnap Essentials.

Blood Drive today

at the Loogootee High School. 2 to 7.

Three Fishermen

Used both Picasa3 and Nero Photo Snap to change the original photo. Inspired, in part, by Paintbox Pictures.

More Sunrise Monday

Sunrise Monday

Was up way before sunrise this morning, spending time with Stephanie Plum (the bounty hunter) before getting on with the rest of the day. Sun rising is beautiful and still going on outside the east window.

Harvest continues...

...even if it is a Sunday afternoon.

Harvest Time

The neighbors brought in the big machinery and started harvesting yesterday afternoon. Halloween and Indian Summer can't be far away.

Sunrise under leaden skies

Just a peek at the horizon this morning and still worth noting and watching. A late entry for the Skywatch Friday bunch.

Chicago Tribune? Oh my...

The Chicago Tribune has just done something it has never done before - endorsed a Democrat for president. My oh my. What is this world coming to...

The boys and Oma

After breakfast at The Cabin earlier today. Lucas is the big guy and Ian is the 'gonna-be-big' guy.

Notes for a Friday morning

-going to go down to the Cabin for breakfast with the grandsons once we get ourselves cleaned up and dressed.
-saw another excellent movie last night: Together. About a young musical prodigy and his relationships with several adults. PG (don't see many of those in this house!) and very touching as well as filled with music. Yes, it's foreign and has subtitles.
-the Red Sox had themselves another miracle last night, coming from seven down to extend their series with the Rays. Rays and Phillies in the World Series? Wonder how many people picked that combination last Spring. Of course, the Rays aren't in yet. No chicken counting till the fat lady sings.
-time to clean up, dress up, and then go see how those two little guys are doing. Getting bigger every day, know that for sure...

Painted windows?

Would you believe that I had the windows on the Jeep painted today? I didn't think so...