Posted By RichC on July 5, 2022
While shoveling some additional soil fill next to the edge of our driveway, I noticed a dead “oily” looking patch on the relatively new grass seed?
It seemed odd but figured perhaps an animal died there and that I just didn’t notice? Eventually I looked up and realized the cut limbs on the Mulberry tree were dripping from the heavy pruning prior to pouring the new concrete. Hm, who knew it would be so damaging to the lawn?
Category: Nature, Photos |
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Tags: crabapple, driveway, grass seed, lawn, sap, tree
Posted By RichC on July 4, 2022
According to a little American Revolutionary War reading this past year, our Declaration of Independence was celebrated on July 4, 1777 with a 13-gun salute in the morning and 13-gun salute in the evening (13 for the 13 colonies).
Interestingly, many historians suggest that the Declaration of Independence was actually signed on July 2, 1776 and not on July 4th.
John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:
The second day of July 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.
A Wikipedia posting suggested that John Adam’s prediction was off by two days as from the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2. In either case, have a great July 4th and be sure to honor those who fought for our independence and those for the last 246 years who have preserved it.
Category: History, Holiday |
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Tags: 13-gun salute, 4th of july, america, History, independence, united states, wikipedia
Posted By RichC on July 3, 2022
With a little travel and vacation time coming up, I went into my “want to read” list and downloaded “The Dying Citizen” from the local library to my Kindle. The 2021 book is a longer read (433 pages) from Victor Davis Hanson, a professor and military historian seen 
regularly on Fox News and Fox Business.
If you are not tuned in to conservative news, or follow classical historians and prolific academic writers, you may recognize the Hanson from his 2019 book, “The Case for Trump.”
The president of Hillsdale College, Larry P. Arnn, sums up Hanson’s latest: “This is a book about an ongoing and threatening change of ‘regime,’ which means a change not only in how we are governed but also in how we live. To understand such a thing requires perspective: Victor Hanson is deeply educated in the classics, where knowledge of regimes was first developed. It also requires a close observation of what is happening today, about which he writes insightfully and in profusion. In this book, Hanson demonstrates yet again his command across time and for our time. This book and he are a treasure.”
Category: Books, History, Human Interest, Politics |
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Tags: book, Books, citizenship, Politics, reading, the dying citizen, vacation, victor davis hanson
Posted By RichC on July 2, 2022
In one of my social media automotive threads, I saw this comparison graphic and it triggered my thinking … both from a “freedom to choose” and “work need” perspective vs a “forced to comply” based on ever-changing environmental concerns or fiscal reasons … usually by politicians (regulation, taxes, dis-incentives or incentives).
People are likely to view this graphic in different ways. Some see driving a full-size American pick-up truck as environmentally wasteful or harmful to the climate and the planet (and something to be discouraged or even punitively regulated), particularly when it is an urban/suburban commuting vehicle of choice. Others see this as American automotive freedom and as desirable as owning a larger than average home, buying the latest tech gadgets, taking time off work to travel or splurging on fine food, wine and entertainment. The beauty is that when politics aren’t the focus, having freedom to choose to buy a truck or small car is still the 
privilege of being a free-to-live your own life as an American. All to often though, those will different views butt heads, lobby and elect politicians who regulate, tax and manipulate free markets in very authoritarian ways to achieve a desired outcome. Is it even possible to maintain liberty if government keeps growing?
Category: Automotive, Energy, Environment, Politics, Social Media |
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Tags: america, choice, energy, environmental, europe, fossil fuel, freedom, libery, pick up, Politics, trucks
Posted By RichC on July 1, 2022
For Tech Friday today, here’s an impressive slow-motion video used more for an internal streaming test than for the actual content. In my quest for low-cost minimalist data storage and serving, this is just a tiny computer test. (EDIT: It failed, but will include the video from my normal server anyway.)
Category: Raspberry Pi, Technology, Video |
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Tags: mp4, pole vault, server, streaming, testing, video
Posted By RichC on June 29, 2022
It has been 66 years since President Eisenhower signed the act that created the Interstate Highway System into law on June 29th, 1956. An amazing political ($$$) and engineering feat.
Eisenhower and the House Democrats agreed to finance the system through the Highway Trust Fund, which itself would be funded by a gasoline tax. In June 1956, Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law. Under the act, the federal government would pay for 90 percent of the cost of construction of Interstate Highways. Each Interstate Highway was required to be a freeway with at least four lanes and no at-grade crossings.
LINK
Category: History, Politics, Tidbits |
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Tags: eisenhower, freeway, highway, interstate highway system, map
Posted By RichC on June 29, 2022
After nearly 40 years of buying and using Apple products, it is kind of embarrassing that I doubted Steve Jobs and the iPhone publicly on my blog on June 29, 2007. Happy Anniversary iPhone! Check out this post from 15 years ago.
Category: Apple, Archive, Blogs, Cellphone, Technology |
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Tags: anniversary, apple, iphone, smartphone
Posted By RichC on June 28, 2022
Back in the late winter or early spring, the pool supply catalogs began arriving in the mail. Chlorine pucks and shock powder were my primary “look for” items as we were contemplating opening the pool for the season.
Unfortunately this year, we were a little slower than usual due to pool repairs, but noticed there were warning of shortages and all my searching could only find the 50 lb. buckets at about $100 more than the previous year. I ended up “paying the piper” for waiting a little longer that I should have and just “bit the bullet.” (this was my excuses to get 
a couple of idioms into this post).
Anyway, my point is that I added an inflatable up pool floating seat that I finally got around to filling up … only to find that it leaks and is well past the return date. I have sent an email to see if Poolmaster will make an exception?
(more…)
Category: Idioms, Misc, Personal, Photos, Shopping |
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Tags: chemicals, chlorine, idiom, idioms, inflatable, leak, pool, poolmaster, return, toy
Posted By RichC on June 27, 2022
This content is restricted.
Category: Music, Technology, Video |
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Tags: headphones, jimmy buffett, kubota, lawn, life on the flip side, mowing, mp3, music monday, musicmonday, radio margaritaville, siriusxm, slack tide, wyze, youtube
Posted By RichC on June 26, 2022
Friday’s Supreme Court decision has us all pondering where our country is heading? We’ve had 65 million legal abortions since 1973 and now after 50 years of “abortion being a protected right” since the Rowe v. Wade ruling, we breaking new ground.
As some have said, “science and sonograms have enlightened most people on the issue of abortion.” Humane people who contemplate sucking out an 
embryo with a beating heart, or have watched (or heard about) the tearing apart of pre-birthed human beings (that feels pain), know in their soul that this is not right. Society must change and needs to find a better way than what was the status quo.
I commented (below) this to a friend in trying to understand other points of view after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision … and tried to find some common ground. I think the decision is still too raw.
Since the Supreme Court has declared that “abortion is not a constitutionally protected right” … it has shifted the issue back to each state’s “laboratory of democracy.” Each can determine what works and doesn’t work for the voters of their states. If one state finds the magic sauce, hopefully others will tweak and adopt. Democracy the way our nations’ founders intended.
Category: Faith, News, Politics |
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Tags: abortion, dobbs, rights, rowe v wade, supreme court
