Notes on an April Monday Morning

-Remember 'actions have consequences' and 'the truth will out'? Well, those in the last US government administration who promoted and justified torture may be in for a comeuppance directly. Via tpm.com: From The New Yorker, Jane Meyer reports on a book (Philippe Sands' Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values) which has apparently been instrumental in a Spanish case being instigated that goes after those who broke the law. From the article:

Last week, Sands’s accusations suddenly did not seem so outlandish. A Spanish court took the first steps toward starting a criminal investigation of the same six former Bush Administration officials he had named, weighing charges that they had enabled and abetted torture by justifying the abuse of terrorism suspects. Among those whom the court singled out was Feith, the former Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy, along with former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; John Yoo, a former Justice Department lawyer; and David Addington, the chief of staff and the principal legal adviser to Vice-President Dick Cheney.

My oh my. So soon. Go read the whole article; it's very short.

-Just about done with a second reading of another John Irving book, A Prayer for Owen Meany. Super, and deals with growing up in the '50's, living through the '60's, and commenting on the '80's. Vietnam plays a big part, as does religion and faith. Full of mirth and death, as was The World According to Garp. Pick them both up and spend a little time away from the miseries of the current realities. Update: late afternoon - finished it. Add fate as a major theme.

-Snow and cold here in Loogootee today.

Indy Street Scene

Taken several weeks back when I was in the Hoosier capital for the girls' state basketball tournament. For the Monochrome Maniacs out there. More b&w's here at Aileni's.

Spring Colors

From Diane's garden.

Circling Geese

Early nesters out at the golf course, here a little concerned that I am so close to their future brood.

Erin at the Hilltop Buffet

The Hilltop Buffet opened for business at 11 yesterday morning and Jim, Wilma, Diane and I, along with an unexpected and most welcome guest, Erin, were some of its first customers. Above, a smiling Erin, rests her elbows prior to lunch.

Goats revisited

We raised a lot of goats back in the late '70's and the early '80's, for milk and meat. And guess what was on page one of the NYTimes online today:

How I Learned to Love Goat Meat

Wow. Surprised me. Did you know that goat meat is the most widely consumed meat in the world? I didn't either. In the photo above, Danielle and Eric (the Goat Boy!) cuddle with a Spring crop of kids back in '79 or '80. Cute.

Notes on a Wednesday Morning

-Diane and I have both been afflicted with head colds and persistent coughs these last few weeks and really unfit for any kind of commerce with the outside world. However, with the grand opening of the Hilltop Buffet, we're chancing some public exposure. Ribbon cutting is at 10:30; we'll be there with Jim and Wilma at 11 for brunch.

-Eric is at the golf course waiting on the reels for the greens mower and the utility mower - coming in tomorrow so the new grass is about ready to be trimmed. Hurray!

-The Notre Dame Men's basketball team looked pretty bad last night in losing to Penn State in the quarter finals of the NIT. Both the inside and outside games were effectively shut down. I watched a bit of it on espn360 but found Frontline and its discussion of the broken health care system here in the US much more riveting.

-In case you haven't heard it recently, war is still stupid. Here's an article by Juan Cole taking Obama to task for repeating the same old s**t and failing to 'talk straight' about the war in Afghanistan. He titles it Obama's Domino Theory.

-Speaking of domino theories: I added Good Morning, Vietnam to my Netfliz queue after watching Robin Williams in The World According to Garp last night. Very entertaining but just a shadow of the brilliance of the book.

-Still reading The Lead Dog by Willaim Strange. It's a good look at life here in Martin County back in the '30's and 40's. It's also pretty neat to read some, then go talk with the author's brother (Dave) and compare notes with the fictional character of the book, something his brother carefully noted on the flyleaf of the copy he sent to Dave.

-It's April Fools Day. Did you know that in some countries (not here though) the hoaxing only goes till noon? And that any prank after that made the perpetrator the April Fool? I didn't either. So, watch your back and be on your toes. Of course, you don't have to do anything foolish today.

-And that reminds me of the pbs program that came on after Frontline last night where the ladies are intent on having fun and not feeling a bit foolish in their red hats and purple garb: the Remarkable Red Hat Society. You have to be a lady and over fifty to belong. Have seen some of them around here although none recently. The society started small with just a few out in California back in the late '90's and is now hugh. It's cool and, yes, there have been spinoffs - ladies under fifty can join a Pink Hat group.

-Going to go get on with the day...