Just finished "Courage and Consequence" by Karl Rove

I didn't have very high expectations when I started reading this but found it intriguing. I thought it was going to be a Rove auto-biography and it starts out that way but turns into an account of George W. If you felt disappointed by some of the events in the Bush administrations and thought he should have handled this better or different, this book is enlightening. The list of things below is from a review but it's what was coming together in my head as I was deciding that I had to do a post on this. I highly recommend this one!

• The facts of his mother's suicide and reports of his father's alleged homosexuality
• The accusation that he bugged his own office in Texas
• The real story of how George W. Bush defeated governor Ann Richards
• The details of Bush's stealth campaign to win the White House in 2000
• Why Bush cratered in New Hampshire but prevailed in South Carolina in 2000
• How Bush chose Dick Cheney as his presidential running mate
• How the Bush campaign managed Bush's DUI
• The defection of Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords
• The frustrating challenges of Hurricane Katrina
• The facts behind Rove's painful three years fending off a federal indictment, and
• Why Obama is wrong on healthcare.

OK people!

I recently added a counter to my blog and now I know that I'm getting about 100 hits a week.  The problem is that it's mostly one way.  I hardly ever hear from anyone.  I used to have the comments as open as possible but I started getting junk in there.  Well - it's open again now.  Let me hear from you!!  If nothing else, just check one of the boxes!

Why do cows lay down? It's a mystery!

So here are cows in four different fields - same day, same time! Who sent the memo? You can Google "why do cows lay down" and get some pretty far out answers - like their legs have absorbed so much moisture from the coming rain that they can't stand up?!?!?

Hiking stick medallion

Here's the final artwork. This is what our Wildernest hiking stick medallion will look like. We added the zip line and now it's ready for the production process. That takes place in China and we should have them about March 1st. Bummer! I thought these were going to be U.S. made!
But I really like the design! If you look very close you'll even see the cross over the door!

A few more bird pictures today

The Tufted Titmouse moves very fast so I consider myself lucky to have gotten two good ones today plus a couple that were good subject-wise but not so good on focus.

An amazing three year old.

I wonder if the DSO could draft this kid?!

He's conducting Beethoven's 5th. Watch his knowledge of what's coming next. And there are some baton moments that any conductor would like to have! And be sure and read the You Tube comments - there are postings there by musicians and composers. Here are a few of them:

"He is better than most conductors that I have seen as a professional musician for over 3 decades. You go Jonathan! You have great talent!!"

"Jonathan is a truly remarkable youngster. His sense of rhythm and musical emphasis is exceptional and at one point his cueing in the first violins was right-on. Having attended the Juilliard years ago I would suggest sending this video to the school with a request that he be put on the waiting list."

"I'm crying tears of joy! Isn't this what we all feel when we conduct a work like this but are afraid to release?"

I'm looking like my dad looked at this age

Why do old guys do things like this - wearing a hat and carrying a walking stick? I'm actually going to go out in public like this tomorrow - the monthly afternoon tea at A&E.

Cattle pictures

I almost said "cow pictures" but that would have been discriminatory! And inaccurate! So - there are these two longhorns down the road here that I've been meaning to photograph for some time now and everything fell in line to do that today. Then we came across a field full of bovine creatures and added to the collection.

After a slow, steady rain all night . . .

there's water in the creek again - and the pond level is rising!

Unusual tree

I've been making some walking sticks and canes recently. (I made one a while back and haven't been able to stop.) Walking the trail the other day I found this tree that's now becoming a cane. Not too often that a tree twists itself a couple times and then falls over at a ninety degree angle. But it's becoming a nice cane since it saw fit to do that!

Birds at the feeder on a snow day

female House Finch

Chipping Sparrow

male House Finch

Song Sparrow ?

Black-capped Chickadee

male Northern Cardinal

American Goldfinch

Dark-eyed Junco

Tufted Titmouse

female Northern Cardinal

A couple days ago I stuck a small branch into one of the suet cages on the bird feeder so I could take pictures that look like they're in a natural setting rather than at a feeder. It's worked out very well! These were taken in two sessions of about fifteen minutes each - once when it was still snowing, the other, the next morning.

Treehouse in the snow

The snow was still coming down when I had to get out of the house and take a walk down the Orange Trail. I went towards the Treehouse down the zip line clearing and took these pictures. It is a magical place! The day before was cold but the sun was shining and I spent some time on the deck there drinking a coke and listening to some Nancy Griffith and Bill Staines!