To get to my yard, of course. [Click picture to play video.]
There is a nightly visitor to the garden here, and the cats do not seem to mind. I do wonder what Bela is thinking. Does she understand that this other animal is a bird, and that cats are supposed to want to eat birds? Does she think it is perhaps another large and very ugly cat? Does she know it is a chicken, but realize that even if she did attack it, it could easily fend her off? Or does she think she could defeat it, but has no interest, since she receives her meals everyday with no effort on her part? Some time ago we had an armadillo in the back yard and she seems to look on it with pity. We had a raccoon as well, but never witnessed their interaction.
Did I mention I live in a city, and not on a farm?
Filed under: Animals, Garden on September 30th, 2008 | No Comments »
I was just outside watering the flowers in front of the house when the cool breeze and sunlight shining through the oak trees mixed with the sound of bluejays, and made me feel for a moment as though I were back at the site of my most sacred childhood memories–my grandparents’ old house in Dade City–on an Easter Sunday.
How is it that our memories make us feel at once so young and so old?
Filed under: Garden, Nostalgia, Special Occasions on September 28th, 2008 | No Comments »
So there will be a debate tonight after all. I predict good watchin’.
Filed under: Current Events, Politics, Television on September 26th, 2008 | No Comments »
I can’t explain it, but the weather has been fantastic the last two days, feeling like what I imagine autumn feels like in the rest of the country. The temperature was in the high 50s this morning, and with the cool breeze this afternoon, it felt splendid outside, even in the sunshine. It’s generally mid-October before we get cool weather. So, if it’s a sign of the apocalypse or not, I’ll take it.
Filed under: Meteorology on September 25th, 2008 | No Comments »
I am no economist, but I have said for a long time that what is needed is more regulation not less. It is abundantly clear now that the idea of “the invisible hand” is folly, and that laissez faire is a recipe for the very sort of financial catastrophe that is presently unfolding. The notion that the government should get out of the way, and only inhibits growth now stands naked. Had there been stricter rules and more stringent requirements for accountability, taxpayers would not now be faced with paying out $700 billion to greedy speculators who should have known better.
What I find disgusting is how the same individuals who have long advocated for “the market” and have claimed that the government is the problem, now seem more than willing to accept a bailout to cover their losses. I thought the market was self-correcting. I thought that the invisible hand ensured that everything would work out.
I am not anti-capitalist. I strongly support free enterprise and the right of people to engage in business for profit. What bothers me is the rank hypocrisy of those who proudly extol the market, pointing out how those with capital deserve the rewards because they assume the risk. The present disaster, and the upcoming bailout show these people to be frauds. They like to feel superior when they’re making money hand over fist, but when their holy system fails they do not want to be on the hook for the losses. They want to pass the loss on to the taxpayer. It’s sickening.
Filed under: Current Events, Rantings on September 24th, 2008 | No Comments »