We 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.
Arguably the best hike in the USA are the trails down - and back up - the Grand Canyon. It's the only way to see the Grand Canyon up close and personal. The hike up takes twice as long as the hike down, roughly. It's not too challenging but it is glorious.
We did it 12 years ago and stayed 2 nites at the rustic Phantom Ranch on the riverbank. That's the way to do it. That first cold beer at the bottom is the best beer in the world even if it's Bud Lite in a can. The food there is great, thanks to the mules who carry everything down and up all day. Phantom Ranch has some cabins, 4 dorms, and a wonderful mess hall.
It's not a hike for young kids, and it's a hike for spring or fall - not summer. Too hot. One handy service they have is that they will take a duffel bag down for you on mules, and back up when you leave. Thus all you need to hike with is a daypack with water and snacks.
When you're out there, why not hop over to Sedona for some easy hiking in red rock country? Lots of pleasant hikes, few of the basic ones long or arduous:
That principle even applies to progressive types too. Some examples:
- People demand that their own kids go to school every day and learn things. - People demand that their kids work and become independent - People force themselves to conserve assets and not to be reckless - People do not welcome strangers into their homes - People demand that their families be law-abiding and respectful - People demand perfect behavior, appropriate dress, and positive achievements of their kids
I guess I could go on and on, but it's interesting how our conservative, bourgeois expectations can dissipate the further people are from us.
Prof. Peterson nails it at the Oxford Union. There is really nothing more to be said on the topic. As he sagely observes, there are few "solutions" in life - just trade-offs.
Last week it took 4 guys with trucks, saws, ropes, and a cherry picker to take down my giant dying Beech tree in 4 days. Not to mention a lot of $.
Last night, a damp heavy snowstorm took down a White Pine in an instant, around 4 AM. The quick way to down a tree. The boom woke me up. The main trunk missed my shed by 3' and missed my car by less than a foot, and somehow missed my flag. I uttered a Thanks to the Snow Goddess. It did knock down my fence, though.
White Pine is a fast-growing, brittle tree. It's best kept far from things that matter. Terrible landscape trees. This was about an 18" diameter main trunk, which snapped around 10' above the ground. Photo is (was) the top of the tree.
Tree guys are skilled guys with highly-dangerous work. Well-paid, too. Taking down a half-dead 60' Beech tree is not for amateurs, especially where pool fences and utility wires are a factor. Last week's windstorm put an end to coddling this failing but magnificent monster of a tree. Sometimes reality says Give Up. Beech Bark Fungus.
Beech is tough on chainsaws - very dense wood - and near-impossible to split by hand whether seasoned or not. It's like iron. I think, as dense as Ironwood which does not provide much firewood but which also wears out blades. Beeches are great for wildlife. Beech nuts are food for turkey, grouse, squirrels,chipmunks, deer, birds, etc.
Tree guys refuse to cut you regular-sized logs. Takes too much time. They throw them all in the chipper. A shame but I don't have time on a workday to do it myself. Wish I did, cuz I have good saws. Annoys me, because good firewood is gold. We have daily fires from fall to spring. Still, with all of the big stuff they are leaving me, we might need to rent a log splitter this summer. As a freebie, though, the guys cut me a 4" through- trunk slice for an outdoor coffee table top. Nice.
It takes 10-12 months to season firewood around here. If left out in the weather, 10-12 months to be fireplace-ready. However hot the fire, I will not burn green wood anymore.
Also, always tip workmen generously - before the job is done. It's good for the economy, and a display of gratitude is welcome and encouraging. Around here, a $20/day cash tip per guy is a good show of thanks. These hard-working guys do not need the gym; just a couple of Coronas and a good sleep. Often, I feel that I would like work like that. Vigorous physical outdoor work is good for the soul. Just my opinion.
This was a splendid and beloved tree - but mortal, and mighty even in death. We tried to count the rings: around 120 years old. Copper Beech is a dramatic tree, but not native to North America. It's European. Yes, that is snow around.
Rightly or wrongly, we reserved physical punishments for dangerous situations. For example, running into the road when told not to. For running into deep, wavy water before being adequate swimmers.
However, we were of the generation of gentle rather than authoritarian parents. Probably not the best. Now, I feel the youth need some fear of parents because it is parents' job to represent reality before the kids hit real reality.
Reasons to visit Vienna: Coffee, pastries, horses, the Belvedere and the Kunsthistoriches.
You can't "do" the latter any more than you can do the Prado. It's like the Metropolitan in NYC, but Vienna has the best collection of northern European art (thanks to the Hapsburgs). We went there to see the Breughels, and that was enough. Mind-boggling.
We'll all agree that envy is a soul-destroying sin. At its extremes, it presents as bitterness or contempt. Can we all agree that, at least to some extent, it is universal at some points?
Today, literary scholarship is home to some of the most impenetrable gobbledygook ever put on paper. The main culprit is easily identifiable: literary theory. Literary theory, a school of criticism with little hold outside the universities, has captured whole colleges and threatens to extinguish students’ love of reading. Imagine the dejection a student about to begin university, eager to read the best that has ever been written, feels when they are told to examine some heavy tome of unreadable theory. It drains all the fun from reading.
Purgatory, it seems, is the place for purging of sin and evil through penitence and painful self-awareness, and embracing virtue. A beautiful seven-story mountain. In some ways, Purgatorio is begging us to take purgatory today rather than later.
Chimney Myths and Misconceptions
Accompanying 
We'll all agree that envy is a soul-destroying sin. At its extremes, it presents as bitterness or contempt. Can we all agree that, at least to some extent, it is universal at some points?