Maggie's FarmWe are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for. |
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Tuesday, June 16. 2015Mrs. BD recommendsThe design of anything is always an interesting topic. Bouquets, clothing, furniture, buildings. It's not just interesting for gays and females. One of Mrs. BD's hobbies is floral design. She competes, seriously. She has seen tons of books on the topic but she recommends one short one which goes through the fundamentals: Balance, Emphasis, Harmony, Proportion, Rhythm, and Unity. Cool stuff: It's not a "how to," it's more about the "what." The mechanics and the how-to are another complex topic but over the years I have learned a bit about that too as have most of the genial husbands of the garden club ladies. I told her that my Mom got so deep into the art of it it that she finally quit it all in older age, and decided to just throw handfuls of wildflowers, daisies, and grasses in vases. However, with all of her training she knew how to do that with simplicity and taste. 'Tis the gift to be simple.
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13:21
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Sunday, June 14. 2015PrinciplesAt a daughter's request, I am re-linking Ray Dalio's Principles. He seems like a unique, humble character who understands how much we all can learn from our mistakes. At his firm, public self-criticism is key. Second to that is unvarnished, public mutual critique. It is not for the hypersensitive or faint of heart.
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21:25
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Saturday, June 13. 2015Someone figured out the purpose of the extra shoelace hole on your running shoes
Explained in a quick video here.
Posted by The Barrister
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12:29
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Thursday, June 11. 2015Pyrex
Posted by The News Junkie
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13:26
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Wednesday, June 10. 2015Life in America: Workout Diary #4, "Discipline"
"Pain is the feeling of weakness leaving your body." I am not so sure about that. My trainer told me that it would take about three months of 6-7 day/week work to get me past the initial "wake-up" Phase 1 of Middle-Age Boot Camp - Getting Fit For Life With a Touch of Grey. I do not know what Phase 2 is but I can fit into my 20 year-old Brooks tux. He agrees with my view that physical training is to fully enjoy and participate in life, and not for its own sake. He also understands that physical training is partly mental training in discipline and maximum effort. I need the external discipline. I am about 2 months in. I am sore and tired every day. My lower back is hating me, crippling me, and my multiple right shoulder injury (body surfing after hurricane on Martha's Vineyard + skiing tree injury + past bad-technique weight-lifting) is a constant dull ache. It's all good but I dread picking up anything from the floor. I do Mon, Weds, and Fri with him, and the other days mostly aerobics and crunches per his instructions. Move vigorously every day and walking doesn't count. He increases my weights each week and takes pleasure in my progress. Or pretends to. I've lost 8 lbs while gaining some strength and muscle mass and a bit more endurance on exertion. He expects his people to follow his spartan training dietary regime, min. carbs except blueberries/strawberries or a half apple, 3 or 4 small proteins during the day, vegs as desired. I still have a slight inner tube which may be a permanent part of my anatomy. Do I enjoy this discipline and exertion? Not really. Like everybody, I like to do "whatever I feel like." However, I like challenges and tend to rise to them. That's how I have achieved my modest goals in life thus far so it has always worked for me. He pushes me to the breaking point. I know it's for my own good and that doing "what I feel like" rarely has good results in life. Squats? How many kinds are there? Sheesh. I hate them all. Pain. Difficult aerobic endurance on days "off" is a tough challenge for me. 10 min elliptical, ten min bike, ten min rowing machine (no rest time, all with resistance), then around it again. Then you are supposed to be able to walk. No, I still cannot do ten min on the elliptical rapidly, at the 6 setting. I am in terrible condition I guess - but I can walk all day long without steep hills. Hiking uphill for a couple of hours fatigues me and I do not want to accept that. My darn siblings hike up the White Mtns. almost every weekend, swim miles, and run half-marathons. But they are nuts...or maybe not. None of them even contemplate retirement and neither do I.
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14:49
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Tuesday, June 9. 2015Pacific Crest TrailHiking into a deep valley on a Pacific Crest Trail Spur, you unexpectedly encounter a stone Victorian built by the old Mark Hopkins family (Central Pacific RR) at the end of a rough dirt track 10 miles from asphalt. Those American entrepreneurs had an amazingly bold sense of adventure! Saturday, June 6. 2015When a second bottle is definitely an interesting idea
Below the fold...
Continue reading "When a second bottle is definitely an interesting idea"
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14:01
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Watch: Reagan Delivers Famous ‘Boys of Pointe du Hoc’ D-Day SpeechFriday, June 5. 2015Random recommendationsMrs. BD recommends to y'all: In NYC, The Flick, Annie Baker's new play at the Barrow St. Theater Mrs. BD and dau liked it so much they bought the script The Royal Ballet, coming to NY later in June In NYC, Bar Eolo The book that her book group is reading: The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
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13:37
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Thursday, June 4. 2015Do men work too hard?Ask a farmer about work hours. During my career-building years, I worked 12-14 hour days. I have never regretted that, and I learned a lot in doing so. Oftentimes in my NYC days, I needed to work 24-hour days and all weekend too, and you would never hear any bitchin from me about that. Glad to have the work. Many times caught with my unconscious face planted on desk. In my current self-employed era, I work just as hard and long as I choose to. Rarely less than 11 hours/day, and in spare time on weekends. Work is good. Mrs. Barrister values my effort enormously, which encourages me and cheers me on. She rewards me by being sweet to me and by making me a nice life. I am productive, useful, and I make money. What else would I do, anyway? I like to read books at night, not during daytime. I surf the web when I need a short break from concentration and writing. I hate the boob tube. It has been a great pleasure for me to provide Mrs. B with the ladylike, genteel life she aspired to. Raising kids, playing sports, seeing friends, volunteering, gardening, cooking, reading littacher and studying art history, messing with the horses. Just like her Mom. Fine with me because it all enriches my gracious Connecticut life. Weekends I mainly structure around manual labor around the Barrister Estate, church, and socializing in evenings. We are constantly making new friends, sometimes more than we can handle. It all does me good. Life is short. I intend to work until I drop, or until nobody needs or wants me. I guess that's my Calvinist culture and upbringing which requires being useful and productive. It works for me. Vacations and trips, however interesting, make me restless. Except for Thailand, India, and the Midi. Camera? Never, ever. After the kids got bigger, I threw it away. For me, it interferes.
Posted by The Barrister
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16:41
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The Cumberland Island SwingIt's the size of a single bed. A comfortable, sturdy thing indeed.
Pat Puckett will make one for you. When he can find the time, he says.
Posted by Bird Dog
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13:40
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Wednesday, June 3. 2015A bookThree Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent by Harvey Silverglate Harvey Silverglate is a Maggie's hero despite his lefty tendencies. A founder of FIRE, civil liberties fellow. The book title over-promises, but it's an important topic.
Posted by The Barrister
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14:16
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How to Properly Load a Dishwasher
Posted by The News Junkie
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12:23
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Tuesday, June 2. 2015Shortcuts
Posted by The Barrister
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14:35
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How to clean pots and pans
Posted by The News Junkie
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13:53
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Saturday, May 30. 2015HerreshoffNathanael Greene Hereshoff, engineer, yacht designer, inventor, and all-round genius. A couple of his favorites: The Herreshoff 12.5:
The New York 30:
Posted by Bird Dog
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04:50
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Friday, May 29. 2015The Boy Scouts Continue To Devolve Into A Garden Club
When I was young, the Eagle Scouts were the guys all the kids admired. The Boy Scouts Continue To Devolve Into A Garden Club
Posted by The News Junkie
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15:21
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Thursday, May 28. 2015House
Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss
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14:10
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How to BragHumblebragging doesn’t work. If you want to brag, just brag. Even better, just complain. I plain brag because I am just not smart enough to humblebrag.
Posted by The News Junkie
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12:00
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Monday, May 25. 2015Summer fun in New Hampshire, USA
NH has 48 4000-footers, and the outdoor people from Boston, New York, CT, etc. with lake or ski places up there tackle each one. That's the main summer outdoor activity up there. Insanely vigorous people try hiking those peaks in winter. I tried that once, in college. Trust me. It is not fun but it is a good test of manhood. OK, there are some fun trout streams too. Rumor has it that there are some wild Brookies, but I doubt it. Not much else to do there for fun and recreation in warm weather. The winter skiiing is good, though, and in the fall the woodcock and grouse hunting up around Pittsburg, NH, is quite fine. A guide is a good idea for that. Other than that, Live Free Or Die. Thus lots of meth labs and lowlifes in the woods. Not much cultcha if you go for high cultcha. Sunday, May 24. 2015Sunday chairsCast iron, 120+ years old. Weigh around 65 lbs apiece. I believe they need dissembling and sand-blasting, then the powder and baking treatment, and then reassembly (they have bolts). Costly procedure. Some antiques guy told me the set was worth around $8-10,000 but I am skeptical. Junk, or precious antiques? What's your opinion? (A more detailed photo below the fold)
Continue reading "Sunday chairs"
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04:55
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Saturday, May 23. 2015SocksBest socks for casual fun: Tie Bar sock dept. Wear the pink ones, guys - if you're man enuf. Best socks for activity: Thorlos
Posted by Bird Dog
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12:59
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Friday, May 22. 2015A holiday weekend teaTea With Harold Bloom, on the Occasion of His 45th Book Some people seem to hate him, which is difficult for me to imagine.
Posted by The Barrister
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16:58
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Tuesday, May 19. 2015Oil and wax, again, with other goopFor finish coats on refinished or freshly done wood, Sippican recommends this stuff. It's what he used as a finish for his furniture: Deft clear finish. I always listen to him. As an old-timey Yankee traditionalist, I figgered he'd go for for waxes or oils which I prefer on my gunstocks, but he likes a couple of coats of that Deft stuff, sprayed or brushed. I will not use polyurethane on furniture as my religion forbids it but that's not polyurethane. It's a lacquer. I am still contemplating how to finish one of our old oak rustic, wide-board family dining tables which I sanded, steel-wooled, and stained. Why do that? Drink and other stains, and 90 years of grime, food, wax, dust, and dead mouse excretions. And rustic enough that I could not screw it up badly. Would never dare touch fine furniture. Maybe I'll use the No rush. We have tables! Just no time to siddown.
Posted by Bird Dog
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16:47
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Colorado yesterdayA friend sent this pic from Colorado yesterday. He was visiting Denver to see family, heard some slopes were open, rented some skis and boots and skied in his jeans. Arapahoe Basin.
Posted by Bird Dog
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04:38
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