Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Dead horse, beating a

Day three of my making fun of CNN's online poll.

Today's edition: "Do you owe student loans?"

This would be an ok poll question if anything at all on the page had to do with the cost of higher education and the burden of debt on students. But, there were no such articles. Without context, what is the purpose? I understand wanting something interactive so people... well, interact on the site, but it should be relevant to something. It doesn't make me mad, it just makes me notice and wonder why. And for the most part, I think I'm gonna drop it, unless something ironic or stupid pops up such that I can't help myself.

On to other news.

News. News. News.

Oh, very few of you will find this of interest. I began an aggressive mid-summer pruning campaign on the property last night. All out-of-control plants are about to fall under the knife (or saw or pruners or clippers). That means you, crape myrtles - I'm tired of mowing around your wild foliage. That means you, overhanging limbs - I'm gonna cut you down. That means you, gigantic Azalea on the north side of the house - I'm cutting you, too. That probably doesn't mean you, enormous holly - I fear you and your poking things.

News. News. News.

Mickey's dinosaur bone stick is half the size it was a few short weeks ago. He's made some serious progress. A fiber-rich diet is so important.

News. News. News.

During the pruning last night I found an old bird's nest. Here it is. Birds do lovely work. It reminds me of the sweet grass baskets they make in the low-country of South Carolina near Charleston. The craft has been passed down through generations descended from West African slaves and evolved into a decorative art form in the 20th century. Y'all should check it out the next time you're driving down route 17 toward Charleston. Dozens of stands line the road with basket makers selling their wares and doing their thing.

News. News. News.

El Farmo Cunado has been properly weeded. The majority of the weeds were sedge-y grasses, which shows that the drainage in the soil is poor. The overall lack of vegetable plant growth suggests this as well. Bean plants continue their progress. I have put some fence around them so they can climb up. Yellow squash continues to grow. Lettuce and Carrots are holding steady. It's amazing they can grow so little in so long a time, yet still be alive.

News. News. News.

I've written so much yet said so little.

A cardinal is sitting atop our now useless giant roof antenna. He's singing and has a lovely voice. It's a full body exercise for him - tail moving, chest going in and out, feathers puffing out in different places. He's balanced on a thin piece of metal, surveying the area and singing away to somebirdy about something. Pretty amazing really. He just pooped, sang a few more notes then flew off to a tree. Bye-bye, Birdy.

He's singing again.

3 comments:

Sam said...

Doug, It's time I admit to you that I have some major life jealousy issues with yours. I want dogs, YOU HAVE DOGS. I want to live in the southeast, YOU LIVE IN THE SOUTHEAST. I want to be able to weed stuff, YOU WEED STUFF. I want to be able to drive down to Charleston and stare at baskets, YOU CAN DRIVE DOWN TO CHARLESTON AND STARE AT BASKETS. My life is pretty sweet, but if you and Kristin ever desire a 1 bedroom apt in scenic Tacoma, WA we can totally switch this shit out.

Cunado said...

You say when. We'll even leave you the dogs for a while... and the weeds. I'm looking forward to taking the train to Seattle, then walking to Pike Place Market, then eating some chowder and crumpets, then buying some fresh food, then walking back to the train station, then taking the train back to Tacoma, then cooking the fresh food, and then the next day doing it all over again. Sweeeeeeet.

Blogadier General said...

I used one of those limb-cutting things for the first time last weekend. It might have been the most fun I ever had. I don't think anything at the lake had been trimmed in 1000 years.