As Summer Drags On

After too much rain, the last few weeks have little to none. The lack of moisture is showing in browning yards, drooping bushes and trees showing signs of stress. I've seen it before, and if this continues, August may bring days in the low hundreds and brutal days at work.

I've been watching the birds adjust to the conditions. Where they once had numerous places to find water, they now stay close to drink from the bird bath in the yard. Even the robins that usually stay away are coming for a drink and searching for insects, where spilled water may drive the insects they crave from their deep hiding places in the ground.

Mornings bring unusually dry air, which makes the low eighty temperatures bearable; even comfortable for those like me that work in the heat. The pleasant lack of humidity makes for enjoyable cups of coffee as the sun rises.

A group of showers almost made it this evening. I'm guessing it's a sign the high pressure dome is moving, or weakening. If this continues, the next few weeks may bring the violent summer thunderstorms, with lightning lacing the tops of clouds as the storms weaken in the late evening. If so, there will be some fascinating light shows as the light of evening finally fades.

Time will tell, but the last month of summer is almost here. September will probably bring the first cool front of the season, and a night with temperatures in the sixties. That might seem tame to some, but for this area, it's the start of the time of year when it's most pleasant. I'm eager for those days. I've had enough of summer.

Winners and Losers

The government has picked winners and losers. The winners are those with a seven figure income, government workers with a guaranteed pension, and those either right below, or at the poverty level. Everyone in between is facing higher costs for everything, worrying about the diminishing purchasing power of their money, and is not seeing anything that hints at necessary changes.

Why is this happening? Too many government officials sold their soul, ignored their vow to uphold the Constitution, and placed their grandchildren in debt. Big business, as well as lower income individuals, have successfully nestled against the belly of the country and suckle at the teats of public money.

We have the media to report about such things. The only problem is the media is as woefully clueless about the real world. Those in the media -  at best - had an early life experience of working with their hands, or in a menial job, which is only a sour taste of what is reality for hundreds of millions. They can't understand what it means to spend every summer, maybe for decades, waking two hours before sunrise, preparing for the day, and spending the next ten hours in heat that literally kills.They'll report about the deaths, or the hardships, but they're still clueless; and their concentration is sensational occurrences, or opportunities to expound on their self-proclaimed brilliance with world matters.

This won't last. Never has; never will. Ignoring those that make it all happen never leads to anything but turmoil, at best, and retribution, at worst. You can't exclude the importance of the producer to allow those that spectate a cushy existence, and those that run the government a better life than those that hired them to take care of the business of government.

Time will tell how this all works out, but the dissatisfaction of those that turn the nuts and bolts is becoming more apparent daily; in spite of the narrative of those that produce nothing but expenses, and hollow words. My advice is they pay attention. Civility is an orphan, when survival is a necessity.

Why Sharks Attack

Because they're hungry.

The solution to shark attacks? Don't swim with hungry sharks.

Loan Me A Dime Boz Scaggs

Quiet Moments of Contentment

I've been spending time in the backyard, mostly sitting quietly and watching the birds come to eat what I placed in various places around the yard.

I buy a large bag of wild bird seed from a local feed store,so I have plenty to scatter in the grass or place in a small feeder. The small feeder allows the smaller birds less competition from the doves and grackles, that can't perch on the edge.

During the last few months, I've watched a variety of birds. Most notable were the indigo buntings, a pair of rose breasted grosbeaks, night herons that hunted crayfish after heavy rains, and my favorite: red-belly woodpeckers.

A little over a month ago, I threw some old bread in the yard. As I sat, the usual blue jays, and crackles, came to take a piece of bread. The crackles would soak it in the bird bath before eating, or carry it to their fledglings. The blue-jays would dive, snatch a piece in a split second, and fly away.

A new bird arrived, made a threatening advance toward a crackle moving toward its prize, grabbed the piece of bread, and flew away. It was a woodpecker, but I had no idea what type.

After a little research, I found it was male red-bellied woodpecker. I wanted it to return, so I started placing bread in the evening. I was rewarded with its visit, and it would always grab one piece of bread and fly away.

Over the last two weeks, the woodpecker would return more than once. It never stopped to perch and eat, so I determined it was either shy, or feeding a mate, with fledglings.

Yesterday, I noticed the woodpecker fly to a pecan tree, and stuff the bread in a hollow depression on the top of a limb. I'd read it was common for woodpeckers to store food, so it didn't surprise me, but I was curious about the new behavior, until this morning.

Right before the sun rose, I placed some bread in the yard, and sat to watch the morning. A few blue jays came for some bread and soon the woodpecker landed, grabbed a piece, and flew to the spot on the tree where it was storing bread. It soon flew away, but I heard the call of a woodpecker within a few minutes. Glancing up, I saw a female woodpecker at the spot in the tree. I was thrilled, since I'd only seen the male, but was soon rewarded with another sight.

Two fledglings landed near the mother, that placed pieces of bread in the their mouths. After they ate what was there, she moved along the limbs, with the babies in tow, and pecked for bugs. She was teaching and feeding her young.

So, now I have a family of woodpeckers to watch. They give me peace at a time when there seems to be too much turmoil in the world. I consider it a blessing and treasure the moments.

Simple Solutions

The "immigration" problem has a simple solution. The solution? Remove the shelters. Make it a felony to rent, lease, or sell housing without identification and proof of citizenship, or a valid permit.

I know some might think this is harsh, but I'm angry about the tremendous amount of tax dollars used to deal with illegal aliens. They are not citizens, don't give a rodent's fanny about the United States, and their actual worth to the economy is blown out of proportion by those that benefit from cheap labor and government programs. All are criminals, many are violent offenders, and the United States suffers from them being here.

It's time this problem is handled. Enough is enough.

As The Presidential Race Slogs Along

Most of the candidates are talking about what their handlers suggest, except Donald Trump. He's focused on immigration at the moment, and what he's voicing reflects the concerns of millions of U.S. citizens. That's good, but I'd rather see the candidates talking about the rotten, pus-filled abscess called Washington, D.C. , and how they will hound the obvious law breakers, until they're either in jail, or pushed to the point they jump off a bridge into the Potomac. 

If the problems with the nation could be summarized to one word, that word would be "corruption". It describes everything wrong with our government and the problem won't be solved until the corruption is removed. 

Removing the corruption will be a daunting task, but the task will be easier if the removal starts at the top. Prosecute bureau heads, impeach judges that refuse to follow the Constitution, and remove the lobbying atmosphere that permeates the capital. 

I doubt the corruption in Washington will be addressed, since so many of those running for office are in the back pockets of those that ignore laws, and ethics, to perpetuate their power, or increase their fortunes. Too much money used to achieve office has a favor attached, and the favors rarely are in the best interest of most individuals. 

So, the abscess remain, will probably become worse, and the United States continues to suffer. I'd like to be more optimistic, but I'm not having much luck. The media, and teachers, are doing their best to keep voters ignorant. Too many people I encounter are woefully unable to make good decisions while voting, and the lure of government giveaways is too great. Otherwise, while they're swirling around the porcelain bowl, they have no idea their "treats" aren't really treats, and the final result is a place where they'll be treated like what is flushed. 

Dave Grusin - Mountain Dance

It Started with a Declaration

Today is Independence Day, which celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It marks a day when colonists finally had enough, declared their intentions, and Britain soon followed with armed troops to quell the insurrection. The British failed; and the greatest nation on Earth was formed with the blood, and fortunes, of those that believed liberty is the greatest gift from God. The suffering was great, many lost those they loved, and the experiment of a government that held that the individual is more important the collective soon started.

We're centuries beyond that point, and the efforts to destroy this country are probably stronger than when Great Britain decided to put the colonists back in their place. Still, the demand for liberty is as strong as ever. Ancestors of those that created the United States have the same genetics that led to the longing for liberty. Those that came after have the same longing.  It's a good thing and those that wish otherwise will find their efforts will lead to their disaster.

God bless the United States.

Civil Disobedience and Liberty

They're in the news; county officials refusing to perform same sex marriages, and some that simply quit. They refuse to compromise their morals for a group of nine individuals that decided to follow something beside the Constitution.

Further reading in the news reports a majority opinion that the Federal Government is huge threat to liberty, and that State's rights dictate ignoring mandates in violation of Constitutional guidelines.

So now what happens? I don't know, but I do know a substantial amount of U.S. citizens feel betrayed by their own government. They're not only concerned, they're starting to push back with threats, and actual acts of civil disobedience. Usually, that's a start for major changes. What changes actually happen remain to be seen, but a seething anger at the betrayal of liberty, fiscal irresponsibility, and embracing the tide of illegal immigrants is becoming more than just a few individuals the media can describe as "nutcases".

The media can respond responsibly, or they can ignore those that actually make the United States function. Either way, they've lost the trust of citizens, will find more animosity as they roam, and one day realize they're pawns, gave up something more precious than gold, and future generations will despise the generation of media that hid facts to promote an agenda.

What disturbed me most, while reading news, is the number of people that have no idea of why Independence Day is so significant. That lack of knowledge I blame on teachers. They too will find derision, animosity and realize their chosen profession is considered a threat to liberty.