Category Archives: Scribbles

Encounter

Posted on July 31, 2007 | Comments Off on Encounter

argiope.jpg

Hard to miss this "little" beauty. Not so little, actually, at almost two inches long in the body. I encountered it, a black and yellow "garden spider" (Argiope Aurantia), this morning cleaning up a trumpet vine that had long ago overtaken several Nandina bushes along the wooden fence on the upper forty. All the rain we’ve had this summer finally weighed the vine down so much that it collapsed onto the deck around the pool. So I had to cut it way back, and in the process discovered this cutie, sometimes called a "writer spider" in Texas. Although they are said to be harmless, I maintained a respectful distance. For more on it, go here.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles, Texana

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Rudy or Fred?

Posted on July 29, 2007 | Comments Off on Rudy or Fred?

The Seablogger foresees an enemy strike propelling the Reps into the White House in ’08, putting paid to Hillarity and Obamarama, and their party of appeasement. I do agree. The only question in my mind is who will the new prez be: Rudy or Fred?

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Posted in Scribbles, The War

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Mr. Boy’s sniffer

Posted on July 28, 2007 | Comments Off on Mr. Boy’s sniffer

Mr. B. and I bought a pre-owned vehicle yesterday, a 3-year-old silver Honda CRV with sun/moon roof and fulltime four-wheel drive. He rode along on the test excursion, searching the backseat area for damage (finding none) and using his keen, non-cigarette-damaged sense of smell to ferret out anything untoward. He didn’t smell anything bad, except what he pronounced a little mildew from all the rain we’ve been having. He liked it back there. More room, he thought, than in the old Jeep Cherokee, although that’s unlikely since the CRV is shorter and narrower. Nevertheless. His reward? A can of Big Red soda pop. He thought it was worth it. Also liked the tinted windows, which will let him play his Leapster in the back seat without interference from the sun.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles

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Reefer madness

Posted on July 27, 2007 | Comments Off on Reefer madness

Apparently the title of a 1930s law enforcement flick is to be taken literally. If one can believe the Lancet, that Brit medical rag of ill repute lately famed for its doubtful conclusions of the number of civilian killed by American troops in Iraq. Moreover, the cannabis "study" appears to be merely the latest establishment response to an attempt to downgrade possession/sale of the weed to a misdemeanor or less. Who says science ain’t political? Wasn’t "global warming" proof enough?

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Posted in Science/Engineering, Scribbles

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Car shopping redux

Posted on July 27, 2007 | Comments Off on Car shopping redux

This morning I plan to head south to a Honda dealership to check out their stock of used (pre-owned, as they say nowadays) Honda CRVs. I’ve finally gotten a grip and decided to get one of these mini, four cylinder SUVs to replace the Jeep Cherokee. Don’t like the new ones, however, for reasons other than price. They look like minivans. I’m hunting for a 2006 or earlier, the ones with the spare tire mounted on the rear door. All I’ve found so far is black ones. Nothing more ludicrous than a black vehicle in Texas, even with sun-reflecting tinted windows. Even dark blue and burgandy are pretty dreadful in the summer. A normal summer. But even they are better than the one I found at one dealer yesterday. It was silver, and looked good and the price was right. So I got in to try out the seating and almost gagged. Essence of dog. Large dog, by the smell. Tobacco smell is bad enough. But I find dog smell infinitely worse.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles

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Option paralysis

Posted on July 24, 2007 | Comments Off on Option paralysis

Keep it simple, stupid was a concept I first encountered in Army basic training. Later it was reinforced in officer candidate school. Never has it seemed so necessary, or so elusive, than in shopping for a new/used car. I’ve discarded the Toyota Corolla as too small for me, being over six feet tall, to get out of easily. Which is a pity, because it had just the right amount of economy for my needs–basically ferrying Mr. Boy around and grocery shopping with an occasional trip out to Lake Travis and back. The Toyota Matrix appeals but the reviews I’ve read talk about its blind spots to the side and rear. Pre-2007 versions of the Nissan Sentra seem similarly discardable for the size problem, though the 2007 one is much roomier. Also pricier. But even though I know I don’t need one, SUVs still appeal. The Toyota Highlander, Honda CRV, even the Jeep Liberty, despite it’s legendary bouncy ride. I feel like a Death Eater has zapped me with Petrificus Totalus. All I can do is stare.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles

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Sunday comics

Posted on July 22, 2007 | Comments Off on Sunday comics

They ain’t what they used to be. Too political, for one thing. Homeboy Berke Breathed’s Opus mocks black and white people, a dichotomy that’s getting old in a country that’s increasingly full of brown people. Wiley Miller’s Non Sequitur kicks dirt in the faces of those who believe in God. He gets the word "church" in there, as if to demonstrate that he’s not attacking Muslims, mind you. Real bold, Wiley. Garry Trudeau’s Doonsbury does its usual tapdance on Republicans, in this case–surprise, surprise–President Bush. But Brian Crane’s Pickles, a strip about kids and grandparents, is a genuine, non-political hoot. There’s hope for the funny pages, after all.

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Posted in Scribbles

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