THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER

One of Mrs. Charm’s uncles, who lives in a corner of northwestern Virginia, photographed this Bald Eagle near a creek behind his home, the first example of the national symbol he’d ever seen there. UPDATE:  Meanwhile, the useless Green wind turbines (which don’t earn a dime without government subsidies and still fall apart from lack [...]

Finally…. After forty-one years of President Nixon’s War On Drugs, a group of mothers has organized—just as women did to help end Prohibition. Their children have been imprisoned (or legally murdered) for nonviolent drug offenses and these California women want the political, social and law enforcement madness to finally stop. MomsUnited: To End The War [...]

Was tuning up my violin this morning, partly because I enjoy playing in the morning and partly because it helps get Mr. B. out of bed and on the way to school. Then I launched into the strains of the new Scottish ballad I’m learning How’d you like waking up to “My Love Is Like [...]

Mrs. Charm is the television consumer at the rancho. Unless you count Mr. Boy’s periodic consumption of Sponge Bob. Her fave Roku show these days is Mad Men, a soaper return to the early 1960s urban advertising game, with lots of skinny ties, incessant smoking and martini lunches. Also the girdled wives and girlfriends, which [...]

I played my first violin notes for Mrs. Charm the other day. The old viola player rewarded me with a broad smile and a reminiscence or two. The one-note-at-a-time playing was accompaniment to the Web instructor playing (on video) and a piano behind her adding a flourish or two. Have discovered in these violin lessons that it’s [...]

I have rented a violin, embarking upon an effort to learn the instrument. Next is finding a teacher near the rancho. I have no illusions. It took me years to learn to play the trumpet and I was never very good at it. Likewise the acoustic guitar. Violin is just something I’ve been thinking about [...]

Mrs. Charm came home from work last night announcing that Gov. P. had “destroyed himself” in the latest of the interminably-stupid Republican “debates.” Well, that’s part of her job in the Democrat media, to draw such conclusions about politicians, particularly Republican ones. I watched the video and thought how amusing. He froze. So what? How [...]

Mrs. Charm’s photo, celebrating yesterday’s brief shower in near South Austin, something quite rare this year in any part of the city.

Never a dull moment when you own a pool, and not because of the wild sex parties (if you have them) but because of the expense, breakdowns, and recurring irritants. Comes a new one: congregating bees. A (so far) small swarm of them are clustering on the tile surround, just above the water line which [...]

All the windows are open and the ceiling fans chucking around. Got heavy objects on the loose papers in the study to keep them in place. Fortunately it’s only in the upper 80s lower 90s and there’s a nice breeze. Regular old-timer Texas (pre-AC) feel to the day so far. Part of the sheet rock [...]