Don't underestimate the hayseeds...

Ty Cobb on Walter Johnson, the first pitcher to break 90mph.

On August 2, 1907, I encountered the most threatening sight I ever saw in the ball field. He was a rookie, and we licked our lips as we warmed up for the first game of a doubleheader in Washington. Evidently, manager Pongo Joe Cantillon of the Nats had picked a rube out of the cornfields of the deepest bushes to pitch against us… He was a tall, shambling galoot of about twenty, with arms so long they hung far out of his sleeves, and with a sidearm delivery that looked unimpressive at first glance… One of the Tigers imitated a cow mooing, and we hollered at Cantillon: ‘Get the pitchfork ready, Joe– your hayseed’s on his way back to the barn.’
…The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy windup. And then something went past me that made me flinch. The thing just hissed with danger. We couldn’t touch him… every one of us knew we’d met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park

The original Hitler Rant

Where it all started:



And his reaction to Brown winning Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat:

19 December 2009 Snow Storm

At 10pm, the ground was bare.

At 8am, this:



Measured 13-1/4" center of the deck, which was pretty well protected. Drifts probably had areas over 20" in my yard.

Parts of Putnam & Danielson hit over 20".

temp post

Throwing this here to read tonite:

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/viewarticle.cfm/the-35-year-war-on-the-cia-15292

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126102247889095011.html#articleTabs%3Dcomments

Glee

Seriously, how can you not harbor a secret love of a TV show that can pull that off?

(When this was filmed, they hadn't been picked up for the back nine of Season 1 yet, so this *could've* been the show finale!)

Interesting phrase

Environmental fanatics and religious fanatics have something in common. They both want to take us back a thousand years into the past

A commenter on this article:

Nice day...

Cold, raw day today -- was 13 overnight, got up to about freezing when I had the truck 1/2 loaded and it started to rain, but I kept on splitting up and then grabbed some nice 4-5" rounds that will be the "all dayers" I use when I go to work.

Come in the house soaking wet between sweat and the rain, and I start to take my hat and gloves and boots off by the wood stove.

And suddenly I feel like I'm 8 years old again taking off a soaking wet snow suit after a day playing outside.

Think the only thing that changed is my toys are a little bit more dangerous now, and I need an Advil!

Gypsy Moths

Interesting
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/12/03/invasion_of_winter_moths_has_scientists_residents_looking_for_answers/?page=2

Credited this with the decline:
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/pathogens/e_maimaiga.html

Hadn't heard that specific pathogen credited with the decline before.

Mon Dieux!

After years of saying I need to drink more -- seriously, I do relax when I have a few drinks midweek, although I'm not a big drinker, I'm working on building up a decent bar at home.

Tonight I made my first Martini. Not sure if I ever drank one, know I never made one. Didn't think about the recipe while I was making it till I sat down with the glass...and realized just how much alcohol was in it!

How did people function after a three Martini lunch?

Looking at the recipe for a Cosmopolitan, it ain't far behind a Martini, which goes a long way to explaining how the Sex and the City girls managed to never keep their legs closed.

More Wood!

I'm figuring cut & split right now I'm good through January.

Next weekend (Thanksgiving) I should get the big oak blocked up and start splitting, not sure I'll get it all brought down...once that's in I should be set all year and can start cutting for 2010-2011 :)

What a beautiful stove!

Vermont Iron Stoves' Elm.

They are no longer made, but the former President of the company continues to make new parts and refurb stoves.

It invariably happens...

If I spend enough time innocently googling around, I always come across something that I just was not expecting...

Make Mine Freedom

Back from 1948 when there was something called pride:

Wood Cutting!

First big day out for the new-to-me MS-360. Also used the new-to-me 024AV quite a bit for limbing, that saw is really running better and better the more work it gets. Hadn't been used much in the last few years by the last owner.

The anti-vibe gloves work really well too -- my hands don't swell up after running vibrating equipment if I haven't run any in a while.


Orange flagging for what I want to remove this winter, pink is for specifically protected stuff (mostly oak saplings).

Everything dropped exactly where I wanted and nothing pink was harmed. Fields in the background is the town's main recreation park.


Logrite 5' Peavey w/log stand. Outstanding. Flipped this log up in the air with finger tip pressure :) Ok, not quite finger tip, but one handed easily.


Most of the saw work done. I have this week off to study for a certification test next Saturday, so I plan to hack away an hour or two each afternoon on yard & wood stuff for a break, like splitting and stacking this, cutting the stumps down (I like to cut firewood at a comfortable height then stump it later), and stack the brush.

The disappearing middle

A point I previously hadn't realized:

From 2001 to 2007, California's information industries increased their output by 21 percent, but lost 6.9 percent of their jobs. In addition, the jobs these high-tech industries tend to create directly are high-wage jobs that require advanced degrees, while the jobs they create indirectly are low-wage service-sector jobs at homes, restaurants, offices, and hospitals. So, by their nature, they exacerbate the segmentation of California's economy.

From The New Republic.

While I know full well about how our productivity is rising faster then output which means a reduction in jobs, the second part of that which is the divergence between high and low paying jobs being created by, in part, the elimination of that middle tier of workers is something I hadn't seen so clearly stated before.

Jindal's health care talking points

Not that I necessarily agree with all of them, just wanted to save this link somewhere:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/04/AR2009100402003.html?sub=AR

Tonite's the second fire of the year!

Had a small fire on Sunday. Another small fire tonight (October 1).

Should be down around 40 overnight.

Cool

Chasse, pêche, nature et traditions

That's the name of a minor French political party -- Hunting, Fishing, Nature, and Traditions.

Thought that was a cool name.

Interesting statement

Like the progressivism of the 1900s, but unlike the labor movement and agrarian populism, the progressivism of the 2000s is a movement of haves motivated by pity for the have-littles and have-nots, rather than a movement of have-littles and have-nots motivated by self-interest. And because they are, or believe themselves to be, motivated by philanthropy, the progressive haves are less interested in the economic struggles of the have-littles of the broad working class than in rescuing a far smaller number of have-nots from dire poverty.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/08/25/labor/index.html

Just how bad was the garden this year?

September 9th.

Just ate my first ripe tomato -- a cherry one at that.

Dinner at least is grilled garden fresh taters :)

Sayings...

Well dip my testicles in sweet cream and squat me in a kitchen full of kittens!

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=108213