Made $20,000 before noon yesterday

As we were working in the driveway our friends Ken and Terry Peterson pulled into the driveway. After a short conversation Ken asked Lord Kadizzle if he would like to make some easy money. Lord Kadizzle is a skeptic, but Ken unfolded the system. Ken was watching Fox news and saw an article about presidential dollar coins that had been made wrong at the mint. Ken examined one he had purchased from the bank in town. It turned out he had three rolls of the misprinted coins. Each dollar coin was worth two hundred dollars. Ken suggested Lord Kadizzle buy some coins at the same bank. Off to the bank I went and bought one hundred dollars worth of coins, that is all they would let me have. Once home I opened them, and sure enough they were all misprints. The coins were printed without the words "In God We Trust". This seemed an extreme stroke of luck, so I decided to do some research and see exactly what they were worth. In the mean time The Commander was sent back to the Bank to get more coins.

It wasn't long before I found out the words were not printed on either face of the coin, but were printed on the edge. Re-examining the coins I realized there was nothing wrong with them. Our net worth instantly went back to normal and now I have $100 dollars worth exactly $100. It is worth a little more, because it taught me money rarely falls out of the sky.

Pedaling Toward Nirvana

North Dakota has been having one of the wettest springs I can remember. It is great, because we have been in a drought for years. For the last tow days I have managed to get up and ride my bike up to the lake. The first day I did thirty miles, and yesterday about twenty five. I put my new Ipod in my pocket and headed to the lake. Everything is so green, and the temperature was perfect. North Dakota has the best bike path system in the world. North Dakota gets way more highway funds than the population could ever justify, so the state paves every cow path it has. The net result is a nice system of roads with no one to use them. They end up being giant bike paths. If taxpayers in other states saw this they would kill us. In fact I know one taxpayer that did. My brother-in-law from Pittsburgh came to Erin's wedding. He had some time so he took a ride. He came back furious when he saw all our brand new empty roads. With all the moisture and greenery the air is good enough to drink. After I got to the lake yesterday The Commander came up in the car and we loaded the boat with dinner. With some friends we sailed out to a bay and cooked some nice steaks. Life is good in Dakota, keep sending us your tax dollars. We love farm subsidies, and your highway help is also welcome. If you get the chance come out and enjoy the stuff you sent us.

Lord Kadizzle falls prey to strange store in Hazen

Hazen has an unusual business. I am not sure what they are doing, and I am not sure if they know either. They seem to buy whatever they can and resell it anyway they can. You know all the stuff that gets returned to Target, or Wal Mart, or whoever, it has to go somewhere. These people bid on a truckload of returns from Target. The stuff shows up and they resell it on Ebay, or at their store. A lot of the stuff is new, or the package has just been opened and closed.

As I drove by the other day, I noticed the yard of the business had magically filled up with all kinds of lawnmowers, and every conceivable motorized piece of equipment. My curiousity got the best of me and I stopped. I have been contemplating buying an Ipod for my music, so I inquired. It wasn't long before I walked out with a new used Ipod. Of course in my mind I got a bargain. After some detective work I found out what they pay for this stuff, see that they also got a bargain. Commerce in this country is a strange mix of people moving goods. Now, I find out these people are going to trade their excess inventory of new clothing, for someone else's excess inventory of new cars. I feel like we live in Tim Buck To where camel caravans stop and strange trades take place.

Lord Kadizzle Goes Fishing

Poor old Daryl needed someone to fish with him, so Lord Kadizzle bought a fishing license and we were off. Daryl has a brand new fishing boat with the best of everything. We put in at Beulah Bay, and headed west to Beaver Bay. Immediately the motor started giving a beeping alarm. We did the appropriate thing and just tried to ignore it. Next, we did what any good pilot would do, and tried to disconnect the annoying alarm, no luck. When we arrived at the fishing ground we bobbed in the sun and roasted. I had a nice Walleye on, but lost it before we could get it in the boat. Daryl got a small one. After nothing but frustration we headed back at full speed with the alarm beeping. In the midst of a highspeed burst the engine just quit. Fortunately a boat was right beside us and towed us back to the ramp. I looked in the owners mannaul to see what you were supposed to do when that alarm went off. The instructions said "Stay near other boats". We did the right thing after all.

Lake still rising

All the rain is having an effect on Lake Sakakawea. The water is up to 1816, so I may have to help Jim Sickler move the dock one more time. Checking all the incoming streams it looks like they are slowly going down. However, if Montana get one more good shot of rain I could see the Lake hit close to 1820. A higher lake means the good ship can get back into more areas. One of my favorite areas is down the Little Missouri. In the spring it is hard to find a prettier place. If the Little Missus wants to sail this weekend we may head that direction. It is a long haul. It will take two days to get there.

PALE BLUE DOT

Todays Video, give it a try

Bike Ride This Morning

Today was a perfect day to hop on the bike and head north of town. The air was crystal clean the wind was calm, and with headphones on it was a nice ride of about twenty miles. We both got some good exercise.

Down the Little Missouri

The Commander, Lord Kadizzle, Pat, and Lauren headed down the Little Missouri from Medora yesterday. Twenty one miles of horizontal smiles. The Little Mo was up high and roaring, and with the green Badlands our spirits were soaring. I highly recommend a float trip on the Little Missouri for anyone that wants to try something new and enjoyable. Put a cooler in the middle of a canoe and head on out. The scenery is unbeatable. We saw some golden eagles and more prairie dogs than you could shake a stick at. It was about a five hour float. The river is running at four miles per hour, but with a few strokes of the paddle you can make it six.

The Ravens fire out a CD

Hardly a day goes by that I don't stop in a City Hall and talk to our Economic development manager for Hazen. Duke has been doing this for quite a few years. It looks like it has been a good week for Duke. In addition to the announcement that we will have a nice new retail store in town, Duke's group has put their new CD out for sale.

I took my copy home and put on the headphones. Instantly I was transported back to the time when there was real music. I was back at College singing Red Red Wine, then I was at my cousin's listening to It Ain't Me Babe. Those were all good times and there are thirteen other songs that can take you there. The Ravens put their own spin on each of the songs, and I like it. It is hard to believe that old Duke has such a good singing voice and these old farts can crank out the tunes they do, but if you want to find out for yourself, let me know and I can tell you how to get a copy of the CD.

The Ravens started out years ago like so many young guys traveling around the bars and venues of North Dakota doing their stuff. It is great that the got back together and let everyone reminisce. The last time they played at Jimmy's in Hazen it was to a packed house.

Commander Contemplates Little Missouri

With the large amount of rain falling in North Dakota The Commander has been talking a lot about making an assault on the Little Missouri. From the Logging Camp Ranch we would head north on the water to Medora. In order to make the trip, the Little Missouri has to be running pretty good.

Never Trust a Pirate

The fleet left Captain Kit's Marina Saturday and headed West. Avalon manned and womanned by Pat and Nancy, Rovin Tarr with the crew of Dina and Bill, and Sovereign with The Commander and Lord Kadizzle set sail for Shark's Tooth. Twas a fair breeze and we made it up to the anchorage quickly. The ships were tied together in about fifteen feet of water and the dinner procedures commenced. The crews ate in the cockpits. After a tasty meal some reminiscing and then we settled in for the night. Under a full moon the water was as calm and reflective as glass.

In the morning a warm sun greeted us in the back of the bay. Around ten Utopia sailed in and joined us for a round of morning medication. Lord Kadizzle was presented with his Never Trust a Pirate tee shirt by the Utopia crew. When the fleet broke up The Commander gave the order to Lord Kadizzle to set sail for Berthold Bay. The rest of the boats went East to home base. Although it rained before sunset, the next day provided good winds to take the Sovereign back to the dock.

Lake is Coming Up

Hopefully we can spend the weekend on the lake. All the rain in the past couple of days has brought the lake up. It looks like it may hit 1814 soon. That is the level above sea level. In the good old days the lake hit 1854. It does make a difference. To get back in the nice bays you need about 1835. Still some final little items to do on the boat, but generally the Sovereign is provisioned and ready to go.

Vision Quest

Using special equipment Lord Kadizzle nightly leaves the Earth and goes on a vision quest. Once in contact with the voices revelations abound. Lord Kadizzle has decided to be buried with headphones on. The Commander can still tell him what to do, and he will be able to listen to public radio.

The Good Ship is launched

After much cleaning, and sending Pat up to the top of the mast the good ship hit the water yesterday. Since Her Lordship is now retired and available to clean, the boat went into the water in bristol shape.

Hoppee and The Commander

During a magic part of the day, Lord Kadizzle turns into Hoppee. When the commander gets up she tells Hoppee to "Make some Coffee". Sometimes The Commander doesn't even get up as you can see above. Her Lordship choose to read in bed this morning. Hoppee was summoned to her side and told, as usual, "Get me some coffee, and don't forget the cream!". Hoppee scurries off to the kitchen stricken with fear that The Commander may turn him into a turnip. Until the clock gets to nine the orders fly fast and furious. Get the paper, bring me some water, turn on NPR, turn off the TV, clean up this mess, more coffee. Around nine Hoppie takes a shower, and turns back into Lord Kadizzle.

Making the country safe for Democracy

I remember back during the Vietnam war, when we were bombing the hell out of them. Someone asked a soldier what he was doing, he replied "Making the country safe for democracy". Sometimes it takes a lot of explosives to make a place safe for democracy. It looks like today is going to be an overcast, boring day, so I need a reason to go on living. So my mission today will be to make the country safe for democracy. This will first entail unloading the milk truck from Bismarck for Daryl. When Elmer leaves to work on the potato planting project, I have to fill in as substitute milk man. You might think democracy involves diplomacy and such, but to me it means making sure people have potatoes and milk. When times were simpler people would go to war over potatoes and milk. Brave men like myself, and Elmer have eliminated wars related to food shortages. After we have solved the world hunger problem it will be time to educate ourselves, which means a trip to the post office. I am going to sneak up to my P.O. Box and peak in the little window. If there is a letter in there from the IRS, I will slip out the door unnoticed. On the other hand if the box is full of interesting stuff, like credit card offers, we are off to the races.

By the time all of this is done, I will have the whole afternoon to make the world safe for democracy. However, if the Commander gets hold of me democracy could involve cleaning toilets. Yes, freedom means being free from germs. This project could involve chemical warfare, so I may have to suit up as we say. One thing I like about this project is I get to see where my dreams went.

GEORGE BUSH SPEECH WRITER - THE FUNNEST THING I HAVE SEEN

Today's video

El Cumbanchero, What are your kids doing?

Watch these kids play. What could kids do if you actually worked with them?

Border sealed against illegal imagrants.

Illegal immigrants have been finding work picking vegetables in The Commander's garden. In past years, many of these illegals simply slipped under the fence. After much public outcry, a new garden border initative was formulated. Immigration authorities now feel border crossings will decrease. These illegals in their fur covered suits were robbing our economy by sneaking across the border and harvesting green beans and lettuce. Some thought was given to shooting them on site, however protesters stopped that plan. The new fence was put up using American labor. The Commander gave a speech on the back porch with many dignitaries in attendance including Lord Kadizzle. In her speech, the commander said the cost of vegetables will come down as the supply increases. Asked who will weed the garden now that the illegals are being kept out, The Commander refused to answer, but did stare right at Lord Kadizzle. Rumor has it Lord Kadizzle has been spotted in the garden pulling weeds singing "I am a fat wetback working for a snack". Such is life in the Land of Kadizzle

Commander runs a tight ship

For hours we cleaned and cleaned on the good ship yesterday. I thought it would be in the water by now, but as things now stand North Dakota is not protected by a Navy. Her Lordship has never approved of the way I keep house, so she scraped and polished every little nook and cranny. We are trying a minimalist approach to boating this year. We have taken everything off the boat, and put back only what we truly need. Undoubtedly this will mean that there will be some crises and the captain will say, "If I only had a thingamajig, I could fix this". Well, for years we have been carrying hundreds of pounds of thingamajigs, and never needed them.

Lord Kadizzle is not qualified to work on the interior, which really breaks his heart, so he was sentenced to clean up the waterline. This may sound simple, but it required sanding sixty eight feet of waterline. A passerby, and oftime critic (Bill Butcher) noted that the hull never looked so good. I would agree, and Bill did not even see the boat after I had polished the prop. If I do not get a quarter knot more speed out of the old girl, great disappointment will ensue.