Kadizzle aquires new Motorcycle from Indians

Niggifiddles

Lord Kadizzle is not a niggifiddle, but he is amazed to see one. What is a niggifiddle? Niggifidles are people obsessed with details that just don't matter.  Niggifiddles get so bogged down in details they cannot get anything done.  Engineering is a profession plagued by niggifiddles.  A typical engineer will get so caught up in details he can never get anything done.  The niggifiddle will ponder for so long which way to shovel the snow, that the snow melts before he decides to shovel from the north or the south.

The other day Kadizzle was working with a niggifiddle installing a pump. It was a simple job that could be done in about an hour.  Hook up the pump, plug it in, turn it on.  Nope, not with a niggifiddle.  After taking the pump out of the box the niggifiddle spent 3o minute writing in the pump manual every marking on the pump.  Although the niggi had installed hundreds of pumps in his life he insisted on reading every detail of the instructions.  The pump never got installed that day.

Another niggifiddle was trying to pack his boat for a trip.  On his work bench were two rows of papers with list laid out.  Each page was perfectly parallel with the others.  Neat little list, some with check marks were carefully prepared.  Should we take salt, should it be in a shaker, in a box, how much salt should we take.  Maybe we should take half a cup of salt. How will will measure to make sure we have a half a cup. Why does it need to be half a cup? Maybe we could do with less. How much less? Maybe I should check the internet and see how much salt a person needs in a week.  What if we go an extra day, maybe I should take a little more than a half a cup? How will I keep the salt dry? Should I use sea salt.  Now what about the pepper?

Butcher Bay

A view to the East from atop the hill by Butcher Bay.   The sailboats are nestled in the perfect spot in the forground.

The Week Long Sail

It has become a tradition on the lake for all the sailboats to set out every summer and search for a Northwest Passage on Lake Sakakawea.  We never find it, but we have a lot of fun exploring all the bays and hiking into the Badlands.  Saturday the fleet will gather and head west.  At night the boats tie together a camp fire is built and maybe some sailing songs are sung.

The Commander approves affair

Married since 1976 Kadizzle has never had an affair, but recently he met a wonderful red head who was attracted to an old man with bad breath,  hair in his nose, and all the other attributes that make him so lovable.  Kadizzle's new love never has a bad word for him, never makes him do the dishes, or pick up his cloths.  She doesn't care if the yard is not mowed.  Everyday she waits patiently to see him.  She never uses credit cards, she never resist his advances.  Her body is as firm and well shaped as any woman could be.  She doesn't want children.  She is not after his money, even though she knows he has none.  She has a steady job down town, and her needs are modest.  She models clothes down at the sewing shop. She is quite and will go anywhere with Kadizzle. She doesn't mind his snoring.  The Commander said Kadizzle is welcome to bring her home anytime if the sewing shop will sell her.

Becoming an Old Goat

As a young person I remember my view of old people.  Someone fifty seemed old as a kid.  Someone 63 seemed real old.  Now that Lord Kadizzle is 63 he has an entirely different view of being an Old Goat.  As a younger person Kadizzle used to notice how old people walked, and would think " Why don't they just stand up and walk right?".   Now it is plain to see how walking bent over and crooked is more comfortable.  Gipples now plague all parts of the body.  What is a gipple?  A gipple is a sore spot.  Kadizzle has gibbles in his lower back, gipples in his shoulders.  What do old cars feel like, what do worn out chairs feel like, now it is obvious.  The whole concept of old becomes clear when you are old.  It is hard to admit, but rust is setting in,  eyesight is going,  The Commanders commands are harder to hear, naps do wonders, and visiting the doctor becomes routine.  Joining the herd of Old Goats grazing around here is a new experience.

Sailing Season in Full Swing

With calm winds the crew of the Sovereign set out to hike the lake shore.  The Commander loves to beach comb for rocks, signs of Indian activity, fossils, and bird watching.  Most of the fleet met at Butcher Bay for a nice camp fire some brief swimming and hiking.  Large coal beds are exposed to the west of Butcher Bay and an assortment of interesting rocks can be found.  Fireworks livened the campfire.

Hiking on the shoreline is a lesson in geology.  Last years high lake levels have uncovered new mysteries.  Is a circle of stones the left over from an Indian earth lodge or just a circle of stones? Are the big old bones buffalo, or perhaps the site where Indians slaughtered buffalo that had been driven over the hill?  Some of the petrified tree stumps would make wonderful yard decoration if there were away to get these five hundred pound rocks home.

The wind finally came up late in the day and the boat hit five knots.  At last late in the evening the ship was back in port.