YARDCRAP

COPS

                  


Their job gets harder each day. The job they took on was to protect us.  The politicians/media continue to neuter them.

99.1% of Cops have a hidden agenda. That is because they are real people. The bad ones are in that .9%.  Most bad cops are on TV shows.  Assholes slip in as they do in every other facet of life and the media runs with that.  Those are not the average cop. The average cop is your neighbor, your friend, your brother or sister.

As an American, I don't trust cops. That is normal paranoia on my part.  I hope you have it.   It is a healthy attitude even though I have been one most of my life.  Cops actually are still the good guys.  Even in the movies, no matter how high up the shit, when the uniforms arrive, all is safe.  In my experience, that is really true.  No matter your problem, snag a cop in uniform and be safe. I really believe that as I have years of experience to back up my belief.  All the "who is wrong or right" will be settled later in a court of our peers.  Snag a cop and they will stand with you no matter what. It is in their DNA.  I learned that from Buddy Booth.  Cops either have that or they wash out.  A cop will stand and protect you from even Godzilla. They don't have a choice.  It is in the DNA. Maybe they can't beat Godzilla off, but they will not stop fighting to protect you.  They will want to run, but will not.  They are not braver than you, just have a flaw in their DNA.  I have seen it many times.

Example: Tough guy comes into the market, puts a shotgun in his basket as he rolls the aisles. The department managers object. Asshole tells them to ***.  The store manager approaches for a solution and is told to f**k off.
Then a cop arrives. Backing off in not in the DNA of a cop. It is not in his job description, and everyone knows that.  Now the asshole has to act or yield -> play time is over.  It is a big day for the asshole and just another day for the cop. Hell, it ain't even a day as that was just one call for a cop.

Cops are just people.  They have a tough job. Their job is to do what "we" tell them to do - 'as in enforcing the laws we make'.  If we don't like a law or need to adjust one we can. Expecting a cop to do that for us on the fly is never a good thing.  I am against it.
If we continue to neuter cops, they will be even less effective than they are today.  Good people are in uniform, but politics are taking over.  Law enforcement needs to be as far away from all that as possible.   

Above is a good team that got the job done on TV.  A couple months back an angry guy (Chass) called me a "Barney Fife".  I like that.  Barney portrayed a cop who never turned from the law and had a support team to keep him working in the right direction.  At the end of the day, we are all cops.  We all protect our own and it is good to know our neighbors in uniform will rush to aid in that endeavor.

I like cops.   

AM I A PANSY GUY ?

              

I finally got a few more Pansies in today.  Some years I put in a lot, and some not many.
My neighbor asked why some places he sees them busting with fowers and most places - not.
I don't know, but here are some thoughts from zone 7.  Adjust this to your yard.

Pansies are great flowers, but are not the Impatients of Winter.  Flowers don't tend to like cold weather, even Pansies.  Pansies can survive it and keep up a few blooms when most needed.  To maximise them, plant them in full sun and near a wall or drive for the extra heat.  Pansies like constantly moist soil. They are as bad as tomato plants as to that.  Like all annuals, they also like to be fed.

           


At the end of the day, we buy hot house plants and expect profuse Winter blooms.  Pansies will keep you in a few flowers, but Spring is when they take off blending in with bulbs spouting up. They will look their best then (not Winter) and bloom in zone 7 on into June.  So plant them where you can keep them around till then.  To keep a bulb bed going, you need to let the plants refuel the bulbs when the flowers are gone.  If you cut off their green leaves to put in Spring or early Summer plants, no bulb flowers next year.  So, put in your bulbs, and plant Pansies on top.  The bed will look good to early Summer.  Then you can cut them back and plant Summer annuals.  A good example is around this neck of the woods, Impatients and the like are put out for sale at the end of March.  For most of your beds, you will not need them until middle May.  They don't even start to grow until the soil warms a lot. Planted as seeds, most will not bloom before late June as that is natural.

Don't rush your seasons.  Few flowers are as hardy and as much fun as Pansies.  You can plant them most anytime, and actually Pansies planted now or in Spring will develop about the same.  Still, it is good to have a few of those smiling faces looking at you in mid-Winter.  You can get a six pack for about 2 bucks, put them in a pot on your porch and they will brighten your life for months.  A cultivar called Violas actually bloom better in cold, but with smaller flowers. (now that I think about it, I think I was told at Clemson that Pansies are a cultivar of Violas) I prefer mixes of both as the colors are different. I put in another hundred today.

It aint too late, get you some and keep them wet.

                  

BEHIND THE MASK - 1990

                          

I got a 60 cd lot buy off ebay cheap. I have gotten a deal with that a few times. This lot is mostly older Pop things most don't want, but is a treasure find for me. I got them with shipping for about .25 each. Lots of stuff by Gershwin, Liza, Cole, and stuff like that. One was 'Behind the Mask' by Fleetwood. I didn't have that. In fact, had no idea as to it.

The album was made when Buckingham bailed for a while. I am not a big fan of his, but he can play a guitar better than most. This album is quite good. The lyrics are very good. The arrangements are excellent.

The overall sound is not very good. There is no separation in the sounds, no sparkle. I bet if they still have the master, release it again with out the engineers compressing it to death and this would be a great album.

FALL GARDEN WORK

Finally garden clean up can get underway.  I live in zone 7 and by now I am happy to see a freeze.  That kills off all the annuals and many weed things. The leaves fall and now we can clean.  If you are as lazy as me, it takes a long time.  On the other hand, Winter lasts a long time, so take your time and enjoy the chores. 

Adjust these thoughts as to your zone, but as you line up work to be done, think about this:

- Put your bulbs in now.  If you are in a warm climate, buy and put them in your freezer as most Spring bulbs need X number of cold days to do well.  In zone 7, I find now is good to put them in the ground.  Bulbs will actually grow over Winter, just not in a way you can notice. I find tulips are almost an annual for me as some but not all return.  It is not a problem as they are cheap and worth the effort.  Almost any Spring flower is worth the Fall effort after a long Winter.  When they pop up, it is like all is new and all is possible.

You can plant shurbs and trees anytime, but this might be the best time.  The roots will set over Winter and you almost get a free year.  Most are motivated to plant - in the Spring. Try to get a little "Spring Fever" now.  The garden will reward you. 

The leaves are down here now.  My neighbors are burning them - I hate that!!  It spoils my air, and is such a waste of natural resources that the garden is crying out for.

I am not too big on fertilizer.  It is a good thing.  If you just buy it without checking soil, buy a balanced one 10-10-10 and etc.  The cost is higher and maybe the results are not as apparent, but I buy as much cow manure as I can scrape up $$ for this time of year.  Don't buy the cheap crap, it is mostly sand and a rip off.  I spead cow crap over my beds, and put mulch on top.  It is easy and effective.  Fertilizer is OK.  I just prefer a plant develop more naturally as opposed to being on steroids.  I am not in a hurry.  Hell, half my garden work is getting things to grow, the other half is cutting them back because they grow too much. 

At any rate, get soil samples analyzed.  In most counties they are free or nearly that.  Don't think your yard is the same all over.  Get them from all your beds.  It works like this, you put some soil in a bag and write on it what you hope to grow in that bed.  Turn it in and you get back suggestions as how to make that bed grow what you put down.  I have garden experience, but it often amazes me.  Beds change.  All dirt will grow I guess but to grow what you want where you want and have the plants be champions, don't omit this step.  Now is the time as changes take time to become effective.

Back in September a new friend visited and later put on another site that my place looked like a jungle.  I don't know if he meant it as a complement as most prefer a manicured yard with a lot of lawn.  I like that too, just not motivated to do it.  I do prune, but cutting a branch is hard for me.  I like natural, but do understand that plants do better with a little help.  I do have grasses, but not a lawn mower.  We all garden and if we are having some fun, we do what motivates us. Many of my neighbors pay people to keep the outside up.  Too me it is a fun thing and I will do it as long as I can.  My place might not move you, but I know every plant.  Several years of drought is making me want to change over to crushed gravel and catus plants.

At any rate, Winter, not Fall is when we clean the garden.  Tomorrow I am putting in a hundred Day Lillies.  I have beds near the road that don't have enough Sun or shade to support the flowers I have put there.  In other parts of my garden, I have noticed Day Lillies do well with full Sun and with less.  I'll try to remember to post photos if this works.

I will end this ramble with a tip -
Right now you can buy MUMS that look dead at the box stores really cheap.  Mums are funny.  They like full sun and moist soil but deal with what they have.  People think of Mums as Fall annuals.  My experience is that if you plant them and do nothing else, they will flower at anytime and are wonderful.  Yes, -> wonderful.  If you want the compact look, just pinch them back starting in zone 7 at the end of June and every few weeks as needed.  I don't advise that.  Hell, you can buy great Fall Mums for under 10 bucks. Just buy these cheap dead looking ones and forget them.  They will flower most anytime and might become your favorite late Summer or Spring plants. 

THOUGHTS ON THANKSGIVING

        

For me T-Day is a big deal in ways other than just good food.  Being a pagan at heart, my world moves with the four seasons.  T-Day also is a big marker on my calendar for many reasons.

Some will have fun being against Thanksgiving as they claim it celebrates genocide and other crap. Some idiots claim many things just to get attention on T-Day.  I am OK with that.  I see them as idiots, but what the hell?  I say if all you have is attacking any holiday, then have fun.

As a kid, T-Day was big at my house, just not on Thursday.  My parents worked in the local cotton mill (Springs) and the mill ran on T-Day.  So we did it on the weekend.  My Mom was an excellent chef, as were most people's Moms I suspect.  My T-Days were just like on TV, just delayed.  As a plus, - no school!

One of the things T-Day has meant to me for the last years is a mark that starts the Christmas season.  I kinda cover that on my music blog here: BOOMER TUNES

At any rate, HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY.  Enjoy your friends and family if that option is available to you. I think that is the true meaning most have of T-Day.

 

FRANK McDowd TALKS TUNES

       

This came in from a guy who loves music.  You can tell it from the way he writes.

===============

Reminiscing.........bits & pieces.... I've been working on my cave for about 9 years...today I hooked my 'puter with my 150W Mach One speakers from about 1984...they're cracked and tremble quiet a bit...but they're still loud....About 1985 I was living at the Idlewild Apts. and the mgr. wanted me to play some music for one of their 'pool parties'....I told her sure...I play both kinds of music "country and western"...Anyhow, I cranked those suckers up on some Willie, Waylon and Hank, Jr....some guests said they could hear them about 1/4 mile away on Independence Blvd...one of the guests, a hard-body about 19 years old, got within about 2 feet of the speakers and became so involved with the music that she began to cry and wanted me to play the same song over and over......But....life happens....I could buy some better speakers, amps, and such....but...when I fired those 'suckers up' (right now I'm listening to Hank, Jr.s Hotel whiskey video, over and over, I could listen to him all day)I'm reminded of Bill Brown's Beer Joint & Hell Hole in Wilkes County back in the day.....A different world... a different day....About all of "My Rowdy Friends" have settled down, I lived thru that era and sometimes even I have to stop and be thankful that I'm still playing my Mach One speakers and listening to Hank. Side note (Clayton Alexander died last week; one of Bill Brown's regulars. A couple of stories....he bought a 1953 chevy on Friday....Saturday he almost ran over me at Bill Brown's trying to do a spin-out...Sunday he was trying to do a Joey Chitwood 2-wheel off of a pitchers mound...flipped the car, the windshield 'popped out', Monday he fills up with gas at Cheek's Grocery and carries the windshield into the Grocery and wanted him to clean the windshield. Absolutely true! Anyhow, digital is easier to use, but analog leaves more lasting impressions.

          

DIGITAL vs ANALOG

I have a decent LP collection and a decent turntable.
I have a couple thousand CDs I like, not just junk.  Well, they might be junk to you, but not to me.
At one point I assembled equipment to put my LPs in the computer as some of them are not yet on CD.  (I am a geezer).  Then it hit me the beter route was to enjoy my LPs as LPs and my digital as digital.  I was going to try to give away the all the equipment I bought to convert as door prizes at CarverFest, but the party was cancelled.

I play with all forms of tunes (still have some 8 track), but to be honest, play my computer based music most of the time.  Digital rocks my world.

I have all my CDs (and some borrowed) ripped to flac.  I rip them with less compression because they rip faster that way, not because they will sound better.  Storage is cheap these days.  All my home computers have access to my music, but I made a tiny computer just for the best music playback possible on my deck where 75% of my tune playing goes on.  I continue to learn and improve on it.   A dedicated music computer is essential. I have a good amp and a good preamp out here to make the tunes entertain.  Retail, my digital deck system is high end.  I am open to improvement, but am at dead end. I might have the best sounding deck system in America. 

I can play an LP in the bar, run up here and play the same tune from the computer.  Do they sound different?  Yes.  The difference is the difference in the speakers/equipment playing the tune there and the equipment on the deck.  Both sound great, but environment counts.

If I play a CD on the deck and then the Flac - I can't hear a difference.
If I play an LP in the bar and then the CD, I can.
All sound good, and I guess which sounds best is up to the listener.

I upgraded my old CD players with the http://shop.grantfidelity.com/Grant-Fidelity-TubeDAC-11-D-A-Converter.html  mainly because it had tubes to swap out and did toslink and coaxial. That was money well spent.  I believe that the biggest improvement in digital tunes is the advancement of the DAC. Do not not buy the old ones on ebay.  One that costs a few thousand years back takes a dive to a much cheaper one today. That is especially true for older high end CD players.  Look at the specs and Google until you have a grip on it all.  I love vintage as that is where the music is, but don't buy old DACs.  On the other hand, a new DAC hooked to a vintage CD player can be an incredible upgrade. 

My conclusion is:

 - that I enjoy music both digital and analog.
 - On the same system, I can not tell the difference in ripped Flac and the original CD.  Maybe you can.  Maybe in a blind test you might pick one from the other over 50% of the time. If I did, it would be luck, and in the real world, not a factor in my tune enjoyment.

If we put CDs or Flac against LPs, then yes I can tell one from the other.  LPs have more things to go wrong for ears pick up on.  It does not spoil the music, and I prefer LPs over CDs mainly because most of mine are old and not fu*ked up by the engineers as much as later CDs.
LPs were replaced by tapes and the tapes are gone -> LP lives on.  LP was replaced by CDs but LP lives on.  The reason is LPs have a different sound.  You might like it, you might not.  I grew up with it, and I like it. 
I did not grow up with how many deal with LPs today.  Lets face it, we were just 'Rocking out' back then and had no clue as to fidelity.  It was sorta like a kid with an ipod today.  Put an LP on a decent system and WOW !!  Put an ipod on a decent system and the 192 bit crap will clog it up.  I am not knocking ipod.  I am just saying that on a decent audio system --> it sounds like crap. 

LPs were fun in the trailer back in the 60's when the Gardener-Webb cheerleaders were on top doing their thing on top - until the cops came.  Trying to get that level of excitement is not possible today.

Today CDs rule.  I agree as most don't have equipment to play LPs. For LPs to compete with CDs, most think we need incredible LP equipment.  That is not true.  If you spend on analog as you do on digital, no big deal.  Due to compression on CDs as to less on old LPs, the difference is -> a noticeable difference.
I prefer LP with all the flaws. Still, I play more CDs due to the great sound and to be honest, I am lazy and digital rocks. No matter how much I like LPs, they are a pain compared to digital.

Put in a CD or crank up a Flac file and the tunes are great!!!

To get comparable sound from LPs takes more steps.  Back in the day we had record players and they were great.

A million dollar turntable is good, but many good vintage ones can be found on ebay for a couple hundred bucks.  Put in a decent cart like http://www.amazon.com/Shure-M97xE-High-Performance-Magnetic-Cartridge/dp/B00006I5SB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321920213&sr=8-1 , and only an audiophile with a great system and great ears could improve on the sound.  I have a an old Pioneer set up like this. I have a higher end Rega and just the cartridge cost much more than the Pioneer system.  Funny, just the external power supply or the added isolation things cost more. The difference in sound is a difference, but not to most.  It is more on the hobby level.  Hell, my mat cost a hundred - was it worth it - yes, but not in sound.  It is a hobby thing and yes I am an audio idiot.

To get good sound from LPs, buy a record cleaner.  Then put what $$ you have left on the turntable.  The record cleaner will make more difference than the turntable.  Digital is flawless and records, especially used records are prone to flaws.  If you want to play records and you are picky about sound, you will need a record cleaner.  The price on them varies as to how much work you are willing to do.  At the end of the day, they clean records.  The vacuum thing is a must, really, you need this option.  There is an entire world you can Google and find just on cleaning fluids.  LP guys must be at the top of the list of audio idiots. The extremes people go to is amazing to me.  I use a two step method.  I have a mixture of Jet Dry and Nitty Gritty cleaning fluid, then a rinse with distilled water. My records are mostly in excellent shape.  The odd/scratched ones I acquire, I play on the Pioneer system.  I understand I just crossed into the "audio geek" level, but believe me, you will need a record cleaner to enjoy LPs on a decent system.  Do that and LPs will blow your CDs off the play list.

Digital is very good - just excellent.
This post is just for the few who might want to experience new/old things.
Downstairs I have good junk.  Visit, we will play a CD using a modern DAC and then the same LP (minus the DAC of course) over the same system.
It will be fun.

MILLITARY CHANNEL

          

I watch TV history way too much.
In my defence, history was the only subject where I always got an "A".  To me that was just like story hour, not school.

I know a lot about European history, all the kings and wars.  I love that stuff.  On the other hand, none of my high school or college classes ever got to WW1 and certainly not to WW2.  Maybe it was not history then.

I have learned a lot (true or not) from the left wing History channel and the Military channel.
Like most guys of my age, I like to think I am a tough SOB.  Actually, I am one of those and my history shows that.
On the other hand, as I learn what the generations of men and women went through back then, I am postive I could not do that and survive.  Most likely I can kick your ass as that has been my career, but  maybe you are tougher and could kick me around.
You don't scare me, but I am sure I could not do what our ancestors did.  I am too weak, and I suspect I don't even know the half of it all.

Today's show as I also watched the Georgia football game was about the Eighth Air Force.

Here is the short version:

D-day was on the books but could not succeed if the German air force ruled the sky, which they did.  Bomber runs were making an impact, but the German fighter planes had them for lunch.  England was a lost cause as was the world until Churchhill finally got us into it.  Once in  (thanks to the the Japs) America invaded England.  Forget pulling France out yet again, Americans poured into England with planes and men.  England was then safe. Then we sent over the Mustang fighter and American boys to fly them.  To be successful, they needed to face the German planes in the air.

So, for D-Day to have success, we needed a plan.  The plan used was to send in bombers as a sacrafice to draw the fighters up so the Mustangs could engage them.  The bomber crews had no idea as to it all.  They were the bait.  The stategy was a success, and by the time our ancestors hit the beach on Normandy, the Luftwaffe had been neutralized.  Thanks to the 8th and the hard choices by the leaders to sacrifice them, we took the beach.  The free world was saved.

We love and depend on our Marines.  Doing it over, I might have joined them instead of the Army that guaranteed I could fly a copter.

At the end of the day, the Eighth Air Force lost more men (American Boys) in that March campaign than the brave Marines lost in the entire war.  Many were sent up as sacrifice.

I am a poor American judged by the standards set by my elders.  I volunteered in the 60's, but I don't think I could have endured all that.

Kids/people should be forced and educated with how dear freedom has been for America and the cost of it. 

             

CRAP

Just wrote part two of the pond making and lost it.  I can't go there again tonight.  So just keep your Spring pond in your head for now before you act.  Part two is not that much fun anyway, but necessary.

 Keep all the emails coming in with your thoughts and questions on it.  I had no idea this would be so popular.

There is a lot of crap out there, and none here. Ha Ha   Just got in an email of products to recommend.  I won't do that.

If you email, we can discuss products, but most are over priced and add little to nothing as to keeping a healthy pond. I do like products that add to my lazy attitude.

HIT ME BUT DON'T STICK ME

Finally got my flue shot today.  It is not too late to do that.  Again I went to Walgreens.  It takes a second, and is free if you have insurance or Medicare B.

Came home, played in the garden, and been on the deck watching the Sun set as I played my tunes.  To that end, added a post to a blog I have fun with -  BOOMER TUNES

Go over there and play with me a little.   YC

Building a Garden Pond - part 1

Got a note in from a friend who is thinking about putting in a garden pond.  He wanted to know if I had any tips.

Since I know everything, -- of course I have tips.  Actually, like us all, I know a little about most things. Like you, I am better at some things than others.  I know how to train me (maybe some others) to be the best runner possible.  I know how to go into dark places and drag out a criminal.  I am good at sitting with an asshole and getting him to let it all go so I can hang him.  I know a lot about bird watching, having been trained by the best.  I took gardening classes at Clemson University. TnRabbit taught me about audio.  I also know about garden water features as I have been experimenting for many years there on my own.  It tends to be a sore spot with me as most information out there is false, no matter the source.

The first thing we need to understand is that the web, and all other places are full of crap information.  There is good info out there, but you have to sift through tons of crap to find the true % of it all that works. Most don't have an adequate sifter on this topic, so just use me.  Just assume most of what you read on the web or see on TV  (funny) is crap.  Garden pond forums are 99.9 % repeated crap.  One guy posts something, many re post it different places, and it becomes "fact".  Man up, add a little logic to anything you read, and skepticism to anything you read from any source that is selling things as naturally their way is the only way and all other ways are foolish.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  I get ill reading the experts on Garden Ponds as most are anything but experts. Almost everything you read on the web is crap as to this hobby . If you can do a little work (good fun as this is a hobby) then you can have a crystal clear garden feature with out spending a bundle.  I have indoor stuff, but I can't imagine my yard with out water features.  I call them "water features" because they come in different sizes and all are different.  Maybe all you need to encourage your fat ass to leave the TV occasionally and go out to the yard a little more is a project like this.

I can't put my thoughts up on this subject in one post, so I will use a few. It make take days for me to cover this as Fall is clean up time in the garden and we have had two decent frosts now to encourage that.  Still, water gardens are an interesting topic (at least to me) and I have many thoughts on it, all tried and tested.  No need to use your own failure as a learning tool when I already been there and can report on it.

Unlike the real experts, my credentials are simple, but solid, and I will cover them as I go.  Most people (experts included) put a hole in the ground, throw in some over priced gear and end up with a mess soon given up and turned into a flower bed. That is especially true of the "pros".  Look around your town at what the pros have done and how it is working.  A couple years back I rode my bike a hundred miles just to visit a high profile pond shop that is all over the web with adds and advice. It was near the Atlanta suburbs where the 'new money' wanted a garden pond.  What I found was a place with a good location, and many outdoor ponds. All were leaking, half full, loaded with algae crap.  They look sharp on the web, but not so much up close.  Email and I will tell you who that is.  It is common.  Talking is easy, and so is walking if you adhere to the basics.  Few grasp that, and to be honest, it took me a few years. 

Putting in a garden pond can be very easy or not so much, depending on what you want.  The basic principals of making it a keeper are the same no matter the size. A garden pond can be a 5 gallon tub or a multi-thousand gallon thing. The principals do not change.  You cannot succeed until you learn and adhere to them.  Do that and a garden feature almost runs itself.  Good gear is important, but you can't buy your way to an excellent garden pond, no matter the size.  Equipment and the super equipment flood the market.  The hardest thing to learn is that Snake oil' is the the big seller.  There is no easy answer, but there is a simple answer to a good garden pond.  Better gear makes your job easier, but like with most things, there is a point where you get just a tiny bit of improvement for a lot more $$.  We will examine the "cycle" later, but consider this -> take my early 3 gallon bowl. Once a week or as often as you can, dip out a gallon and replace it with tap water. You will never need a filter.  Of course there are other things to consider, and we will cover them all.  My point is I have been in the hobby for decades.  I remain alert, but have never found a miracle product, or just one way that fits all applications.  Avoid everyone that claims anything different.  Email me or add to the comment's below and we will discuss what ever you stumble on. 

I know a lot about 'snake oil'.  If you want a garden pond with just plants, I will cover that (have a couple).  At some point, most want a fish also, and then everything changes.  You fill up your pond or container with pure, clean water and all is good. You put in a fish and -->  he craps in the water.  Then the Sun grows algae.  Soon, you have a toilet bowl instead of a fun garden feature. Most fail and give up at this stage, but there is no need for that to happen.  Most, maybe you, did the same with an indoor aquarium.  No big deal.  Indoor and out are easy, and out is much easier.  I now have just the one tank (150 gallons) inside. My goal is to stock it with small fish from the lake and have fun with that.  I have some 100 year old fish in there now that will not die off, so as they are pets, have to wait.  They might out live me.The point is that indoor and outdoor is easy.  A little maintenance a couple times a year is all it takes to enjoy a Garden Pond.  Nothing adds to a yard like a water feature.

I learned the hard way.  I kept gold fish and left over fishing minnows as a kid.  When I got home from the Army in '69, bought a small 3 gallon tank and a fish as I was a lonely guy.  I had a one room apt.  Over the coming years, my fish tank capacity grew as my living space did.  I bought everything that came down the pike. Aquariums were really big back then.  This was before WWW, so geeks like me went to the library to learn.  I read everything, new and old for years.  I also bought every new miracle product that came along.  I was easy to fool as then (like now) we all wanted to just spend money as opposed to doing it Mother Nature's way.  At one time I had over 20 tanks and was breeding more fish than the local shops could sell.  I had learned the secret from an old shop on Wilkinson Blvd.  The guy had been selling fish for a million years.  The secret I learned from him is that there is no secret, no miracle product.  There is a trick, and that is to learn how Mother Nature does it and do that.  As a fish keeping nut for decades, I have been to many shops and watched most fail because they can't keep the fish alive long enough to sell them no matter how high end their equipment. The Wilkinson Blvd shop is now run by his kids, and when in Charlotte, I always visit - TROPIC PETS.

The secret is of course - water quality.  I have a lot of instruments to test that and chemicals to adjust things.  I rarely use them now, and you don't need them.  I will expand on that later.

I have found that keeping an indoor pond (aquarium) needs more attention than an outdoor one. Some of the reasons are that the outdoor one often has more volume (water), so mistakes are not as concentrated. Out doors you also get rain.  (I will cover that later).  Also, outdoor fish are hardy and can take abuse better.  There is no real reason to abuse, but there is a learning curve with every new set up, indoors or out.  The principals are the same, indoors or out.  That is a good thing as to $$. 

So, till the next post on this, think about what type outdoor feature you want.  Look at your garden, or your deck and plan the fun. Think about how many $$ you want to invest.  At the end of the day, indoors or outdoors, bigger is better and easier.  That does not mean small is bad, but trust me, you will always want more.  If like most, you have failed with aquariums, no problem as we will cover that.  By the end of this course/blog you will be able to put in a garden pond (or maybe just a half whiskey barrel on the patio) and be successful. To me success is a feature that requires little from me.  Till then, think on what would make you happy, double that and don't be lured in by the siren songs of the salesmen and general idiots in this hobby.  It just ain't as hard as they make it out to be and not nearly as expensive as most claim. It is a lot of fun.  As all know, I am a lazy guy, and so I approach it differently from most.  In this case, my way works.

For this post, the key words are --> "you can't fool Mother Nature".
Put the idea of an outdoor water feature into your brain.
Think about it, let it perk there a while.
A water feature is a good Winter project.  The cost can fit any budget. Don't be in a hurry, and by Spring, we will have one in place for you that actually works, does not break the bank, and needs little maintenance.

If you have some crap out there already that is not working, we can figure it out.

Your job now is just to email or comment below as to it all.

Next post among other topics, we will cover a few different water features and how to adjust them to a fun level.

YC







 

but wait .... if you order now we will include ...

       

I love those TV commercials.  I have never ordered, but the adds captivate me.  I think they are some of the best video on TV.  I have bought some of the products as they filter down to my local drug store, and an entire shop of them resides at the Mall my Bass Pro Shop is at.  I like both those places.

"As seen on TV" on the label makes me want to buy as I recall the commercial.  I love it !!!  Many turn out to be good products.

Some TV adds are not fun or funny to me.  I hate those that use fear to get us to buy, or promises they don't back up.  Lately one is running to clean and speed up our computers. It is not affiliated with "As Seen On TV" and I suspect put out by the guys who gave us "Country Wide".

Computers should not be gunked up with spyware, malware and virus.  We all know that.  I am obsessive about keeping mine scrubbed clean.  Actually, most junk on a computer is not harmful.  A clean computer like mine and an identical one that you have never cleaned will run differently.  The actual speed difference can be measured, but you need instruments to see the difference and in the real world - hard to detect.

Still, I am an advocate of a clean computer.  Keeping a computer clean does not require paying a monthly or even a one time fee.  To that end, here are some suggestions, and you can add others or discuss these few in the comments below.  These will be PC related as I don't currently run a MAC.

---Microsoft provides a few good tools.  As you know, right click on your hard drive icon and hit "properties" and a few tools will show up.  They are good ones and I use them at least weekly, but monthly is still overkill.  I don't pre program anything or advise it unless you are lazy.  Also, Microsoft provides free tools you may not need until you do,  like "malicious software removal".  They also provide this for free ->     http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials .  This is very good. Thank you Bill Gates  for finally protecting the stuff you sell us.  I have used many paid and free things like this over the years and find they are harder to live with than the virus they protect us from.  This is easy to control, and I like it !!     I can't imagine needing to pay for something like this when this one is very good for the average user who is not addicted to porn or gambling sites.

--- CCLEANER is an old, trusted cleaner that is free and will do much of what the the above cleaner charges money for. Some cleaners can really f**k your computer up.  They can delete things that you need or want.  The better ones give you a choice as to what you delete.  Still, if you are not up on every dll you have to roll the dice. The better choice is to run one that has a long history that most geeks use.  There are a few. I use a couple I will not post as you need to investigate to use them.  Below is all you need.  Millions have run this for years, and it is kept up to date.  Still, make a backup, at least the first time, as messing with the registry is tricky.
    http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

I can advise other good cleaners if you have the time and desire to "deep clean".  I don't recommend or see a need for that unless you are anal about it like me. It will not improve anything.  Still, I do it because I have a mental, not a computer problem.

--- Spyware and most malware is not that dangerous. Still, I don't tolerate it.  No one needs to know what I do on my computer.  I understand few of these link me as a person, but some do and they are improving.  I actually have nothing to hide, just don't like it.  I can put up another post about how to browse without foot prints, but for now, lets just attack these buggers.  I have tried and have used many things that handle this.  Right now,the FREE program SPYBOT does a great job and has been around for years.  It now has an immune feature that    blocks most things before they even need to be removed.  If you don't use this, you should.  I cannot think of even one reason not to run this, not even one.  http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/

--- Yahoo, Google, etc - as in free or paid "web based" email. Many use computer based email provided by the server.  My server is Hughes.net.  They give me a few email addresses and Microsoft/Apple  supplies a program to download them to a computer.  That is a great system that has been going on since I went on line with Windows in the 90s.  Even then any idiot could see web based email was better for many reasons.  The reasons to use "web based email" have grown over the years, but as this post is just about keeping a computer clean, I will just address that and we can argue the other in comments or email.  I personally think most, not all, who use computer based email are idiots.  Most really dangerous computer attacks come from visiting bad sites but most (by far) that will affect you arrive in email.  The big boys (Yahoo,Google) have the resourses and ability to clean those out quickly before "I Love You" can hit your inbox, not so much your local server.  Still this is a minor reason I use web based email.  The reasons deserve an entire, separate post. My advice, just use web based email.  It is a no brainer for home users.

--- "I Love You" was one of the first major virus things. Trillions clicked on the email to find love.  Here is some advice, "nobody loves you, nobody is sending you money, and you do not have a friend stranded in a 3rd world country".                Damn, get your act together and never - N E V E R - open email from anyone you don't get email from on some sort of regular time frame.  Even then they could have been hacked, but with a little suspicion, you can detect that.  If in doubt, phone, we all need to actually do more personal contact, and a funny email is a good excuse to say "Hi".  Most of the really bad things that happen to our computers are due to things we click on.  There are other ways to get infected, but this is 99% of the problem as most real "hackers" could care less about getting into your computer.  Those that do use use low teck social engineering ways to accomplish that.

I could go on for days as to keeping a clean computer it is an obsession with me, but to be honest, average cleaning and average virus programs will keep most of us not just safe, but running at optimum level. Buying some miracle program off TV is easy, but not the way to go, just money wasted.  You can do much better for free. Use the above links and sleep safely knowing your computer is clean and running as best it can.

If you want to do a little more --> Clone the drive. When things go wrong, just a simple drive exchange, and you are back to normal.  A little more time consuming is just to reinstall the operating system to get your computer back to store bought performance levels. Anyone who can read can do that these days with Windows 7.
As always, email me with any computer problems as I enjoy them more than a cross word puzzle or the newest PC game.  I ain't the best, but I am free.

At a minimum, look at the photo above and know that she does not love you.

Joe Paterno

             

The guy is a just a college coach.  As we all know, in the football world he did many good things and maybe some under the desk things way back when that was normal.
As the times changed, he seems to have run a good program at the 3rd largest college in America.

The job of a coach is to win football games.  Only a few hang around long enough to become the face of a university.  Doing that is a hard task.  Only a few are sucessful at it, none as sucessful as Jo Pa.

To that end, where is the line between protecting the football progam and just being a guy?  He is an old guy and many protect him.  I like that.  On the other hand, he and all should protect the children.

Some (me included) think he put the football program too high on his priority list.

Pick up the phone, call a cop, don't worry about the "U", worry about the children.  It seems like an easy decision to me.  Of course had he done that, I doubt he would now have more wins than any coach.

I try not to judge, but ---!!!!!!!!!!

AN AFTERNOON AT THE FROG POND

           

Above is my frog pond.  It is about 40 feet from my chair, and is a bird magnet once the big Bull Frogs decide it is too cold to catch them.  Planting the right plants and putting out food will attract birds, but a good place for them to drink and wash creates non stop fun.
Here are a few that showed up, but of course there were many more.  These photos are just hand held from 40 foot, but good enough to ID the birds.

Yellow-rumped Sparrow

White-throat Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Red-winged Blackbird

Mockingbird

Hermit Thrush

Gold Finch

Chipping Sparrow (first of the Winter)

Chickadee

Cedar Waxwing

Cardinal

Brown Thrasher

Blue Jay

ARMY BUDS

Back before most reading this were born, I was a 21 year old LT in the US Army.  The detachment clerk for 2nd USA Missile was Specialist 5 John Evans.  He took great care of me on base, but often led me into trouble in the local bars.  Somehow, we prevailed. He was a born enabler and has made his living to date selling real estate in California.  He is a solid guy.
We still stay in touch.  He is a life friend.  Below is a raid on the mess hall around 3AM.  I had duty officer that night, but lucky for them, also had the keys to the mess hall.  John is the one beside me in the bright sweater.  Also there are Battle, a crew leader on Honest John from Texas, and Reid, my Mormon security clerk, both excellent soldiers and fun guys.

John just sent me this and breaks my heart.  John

If you can, forward the link.  Thanks.

CATBIRD SEAT

Got an email in asking what a "CatBird Seat" that I often refer to.
To quote from Wikipedia, "The catbird seat" is an idiomatic phrase used to describe an enviable position, often in terms of having the upper hand or greater advantage in all types of dealings among parties."

Mine hangs out from the deck on the second floor, so I am at tree top (bird) level.  A CatBird seat must be the best, so I added comfort with things like a great chair, fans, heat, small fridge, large computer monitor, decorations, weather station, feeders, etc.  It goes without saying there is an excellent music system included.
Here is my door, notice the gourds that will be turned into bird houses by Spring.  (click and the photos enlarge)

Here is the chair, and my lap warmer.

Here is the newest addition, a fire pit.  I built the table to cover the propane tank and raise the height of the pit.  Look how big my Palm tree has gotten

All in all, this is a very good place for me to spnd time, and I often actually see a real Cat Bird from here.

HERMAN CAIN

Is the guy being treated badly?
I think so.  Having no imagination, many are just repeating the trick played on Clarence Thomas.

Did this issue happen, I guess possibly.  Is it a big deal, maybe not.
Once you hit the big time, you get hit to the core with truth and imagination, so I guess this means Herman has arrived.  If you are off the radar, you are not attacked, but rise in the polls and wham!!

Black conservatives have an especially hard time as they tend to activate the real racist into full bloom.

I forget the numbers, but major outlets like the New York Times and major blogs like Politico are flooding the market with HC sex articles.  That is not trival as they influence thoughts.  I do think they should investigate this Cain sex thing as it is fun news.  Still they ignoned the Clinton and Edwards things for months when the web was full of proof.  No proof has emerged as to Cain.  It might exist, but all can see the difference as to how the major media works. 

I guess Herman Cain can handle it, but I am having a hard time with it all.  I am just a guy.
Does the major media market think I am so stupid and so easily manupilated as to try this again?

YANKEE BIRDS ARE COMING IN

                

This is a beautiful backyard day.  The sky is clear, the temp is a crisp 58 and there is a slight breeze.  Clemson has a bye week, and no interesting games are on TV until later on.

Right now four Yellow-rumped Warblers are in the pond washing off.

The good news is today is my first yearly sighting of White Throat Sparrows.  I'll put up some photos again on a later post as more move in to spend the Winter with me.  These are great little birds, and often are found jumping around with the Juncos who have not arrived here yet.  Both are ground birds who like to dig in the leaves for food. They mostly eat seed, and I keep white millet out for them.  The White Throats don't look like much until you shine a binocular on them.  Then you see they are a very colorful bird.  They are also fun to watch as they dig around turning the leaves over.

On the down side, two cats have moved in to live with me now.  Ground birds will have to stay on guard here this Winter.  Birds, bird watchers, and Cats are a bad mix. We will find a way to work it out.

Above is a photo of 'Prancy' sitting in the top of a dead cedar amid my gourd vines.  When she arrived she was a tiny skeleton with little fur.  All she needed was a few meals, a couple hundred to the vet and a little attention to turn her into the green eyed beauty you see above.