Bogieblog

Don't Send Me Email

If you get an email that says "Please Read" and it is about how Congress Critter's children don't have to repay their student loans, delete it, don't pass it on to anyone, but especially don't pass it to me!

I have received this one several times today (even from WS and his sister!). Sure, Buffy sent it last week, but she checked and found that it was a hoax, so sent an email appologizing for it, and telling everyone to disregard it.

Everyone else that I am getting it from, doesn't perform any due diligence before, or after, the fact. anyway, just in case you are curious, here are a couple of links that explain that this is a hoax: from Snopes, from FactCheck.

Thank you for your attention, we now return to our regularly scheduled program.

Guess the Cause

Anyone have a guess as to what made this crop snow circle?

 
Sorry for the crappy picture, but it was taken thru the window screen while it was cloudy out. This snow circle started out as a true circle, but I didn't even think to take a picture until it started to deteriorate at the top, left quadrant.

Anyway, a couple of hints: It has nothing to do with shoveling or snowblowing, this spot was not protected by any object, this spot is in the middle of the fenced in portion of the yard - basically in full sun.

Guesses anyone?

March Cat Pics

Since the metal platform feeder that I got just a couple of months ago has taken such a beating (it looks really good in this picture, compared to now), I ordered another wood platform feeder. The wood feeders take the abuse so much better than the metal ones does (at least the free-standing ones do - I still like metal hanging feeders).

Anyway, I ordered a feeder from Duncraft, not realizing how huge it would be even though the website stated that the overall dimensions are 23 x 16-3/4 x 14 inches. Here, Tory is taking his leisure in the box, and the parts of the feeder are on top of the box 9waiting for someone to assemble it):

He stayed so still while I was taking the first picture, that I had to get a close-up of him (especially since I rarely get pics of him).

Yesterday WS tuckered himself out and he has stretched out on the easy chair. Shadow joined him for a little attention. Afterwards, WS snoozed and Shadow kept guard:

 
OMG - look at all that hair and dust on the foot rest!

Gribble Murder Trial Results

In October 2009, we were in Kansas to help Cop Car give her HH a surprise on the night of his receiving an award from the Red Cross. I took my laptop so I could check on what was happening in NH (and keep up with email). I was horrified when I read that Kimberly Cates and her daughter had been hacked to death with machetes (the first story I read said they both were dead - the daugher ended up surviving).

This happened in the small town of Mont Vernon. A town I passed thru every workday for 21 years. A small, sleepy town - one that people always think of as "safe". If this type of crime had happened in Nashua, Manchester, or Concord, I would not have been affected as deeply. But it didn't, it happened in a small town that is very much like the town we live in.

It was they story of this attack by a group of teenagers, in the dead of night, to kill anyone that was at the randomly picked home, that changed a portion of our lives. I decided right there and then that we needed a fast-access gun safe. Sure, we had a gun safe, but it is big (to hold granpa's shotgun and WS's Dad's old rifle) so it is in a less-used room, has a dial access, and is usually behind a bunch of stuff. It is neccessary to have both light and time to get to anything in that safe.

Shortly after we arrived back home, we obtained and installed a fast-access safe for the handguns. One that can be operated in the dark, in just a few seconds.

Anyway, the reason this comes to mind is that the ringleader, who admitted guilt but claimed insanity, has been found NOT insane by a jury. Good.

May it not be too long before his life sentence is over.

Sandy

It is hard to imagine what a real sandstorm is like. Sometimes I'll be reading a novel sci-fi/fantasy book and the author will describe a sandstorm. I try to imagine it, but fail to get past something like a hard driving snow storm, except with sand (which would hurt, I grant you).

A NH Guardsman took pictures while in Kuwait, and put them up on our local TV News website.

Definitely looks like something that nothing living wants to get caught in!

Spring 2011 has Sprung?

Welcome to the first full day of Spring

 
What?

What?

A Little Quibble

I was over at the Weekend Pundit's site and was taken by the post, They Don't Make Them the Way They Used to - Part II. From an article that was being quoted came this gem

"But, as Americans are increasingly learning, front-loaders are expensive, often have mold problems, and don't let you toss in a wayward sock after they've started."

This sentence caused me to question everything else because, in my experience, this is not true. I have owned 2 front loaders, and I could push a button on either of them, at any time during the wash cycle, and add items. Maybe there are front loaders out there that this can't be done with, but I haven't seen them.

I also haven't had mold problems with either of them, but I have heard of others that have. There is now a product out on the market that you can run thru the washer once a month to "freshen" it. Also, just running an empty load with bleach once a month would probably take care of it (or, God forbid, actually hand clean it once in a while).

Anyway, although I generally agree that things aren't made as well now as in the past, I am just so picky I needed blog-fodder, so I had to address these little inconsistancies.

Spring is Around the Corner

There was a day without fire in the Bogie household. Whoever gets home from work first starts the evening fire (which keeps the house warm thru mid-morning the next day). Tuesday, and then again on Friday, we didn't bother becasue it was fairly warm outside and we had a strongish sun that warmed the house up nicely.

We had a snow/sleet mix Wednesday morning, making things very slick. I had to sand out to the vehicles and 1.5" on the stuff was still on our road when I got home about 7 that night. And,I am getting ready to start the stove again this morning, which means that spring hasn't truly arrived yet. But, two days without fire means that Spring is getting here soon.

I was going to take a picture of the snow that is still in the back yard; the stone steps to the garden are still not visible - and that is a place where only natural snow is (as opposed to where we have thrown it from shoveling/snowblowing). However, it seems as if WS took the camera with him this morning. He, neighbor Chris, and Jimmy left around 5 AM to head up north for the last sledding of the year. Trails around here are pretty much shot, but further up north conditions are supposed to be better.

Hopefully they have fun and it is a nice day for them.

Concert Going

After the town meeting, we went home, did some of our regular Saturday chores, packed and headed down to Auburn MA to check into our hotel. After grabbing some dinner, we headed to the DCU Center in Worcster to see Elton John.

He started the concert with probably our favorite song(s); Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding. He proceeded to rock us with other hits such as Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting, and Crocodile Rock (amongst others).

He was then joined by surprise guest, Leon Russel (who is to get a star in Hollywood soon). They brought in a second, smaller piano for Leon to play. Elton John and Leon played/sang 5-6 newer release songs. During introductions of the singers and players, it was revealed that two of the backup singers were from the Stones. No, not the Rolling Stones, but from Sly and the Family Stone. One was actually from the band, another was a niece or daughter (I am unclear as to the relationship, as Elton did not specify).

After Leon Russell was helped off stage, Elton got back to rocking the house with older tunes.

There was never a break for Elton, except when he left at the end of the show, and there was about a 5 minute break before he came back out for the encore performance. The show started shortly after 8, and finished up right around 11.

We had a great time at the show and it was well worth the bit of travel to see. If you are an Elton John fan, and have a chance to see him at a smaller venue, definitely take the opportunity!

Town Meeting 2011

Yesterday morning we attended town meeting. It actually went fairly well until the end.

The general budget was passed readily. Much of the reason for that was our town employees worked hard at keeping the town expenditures down last year, so they actually spent a bit less than we had budgeted for. Even the town road boys (who plow and salt) managed to go only slightly over budget. This year, although the budgeters did add to some of the line items, it was only for insurance coverage (health, life etc).

The extra expenditures for adding monies to the expendable trust funds (fire, police, ambulance, town road rebuilds, computer, librarly) were easily passes, and we actually increased the amount for roads by 25k. This was in hopes of saving ourselves over 700k because of a new state RSA regarding culverts vs. bridges (which I won't get into here).

WS and I thought that we would actually get out of there before noon, which would be a record. Unfortunately, that was not to be.

We had issues with the Youth Diversion trust fund because several people confused that with with Youth Servicesf (I won't get into that one either). There were many impassioned pleas to have us rejoin Hillsboro (for about 20k more than what we spent last year). That discussion took about 40 minutes of my life to keep things the way they are.

Then, we got to the Reservoir Useage permit fee (which only affects people that are not town residents or taxpayers). Some people wanted to rescind the permitting since people value freebies more than they value things they pay for (yep - that has been my experience - NOT). Anyway, that was another 35 minutes of my life I will never get back, all in order to keep things the way they are.

Then article 10, reclassifying a trail to a class VI road (we classified it from a road to a trail 2 years ago). This had no money or fees involved and took another 35 minutes of discussion - to keep things the way they were.

We got out of there at right around 1 pm (started at 9 am). Actually not too bad compared to some other meetings we have attended, but still a far cry from what it was promising to be at the outset,