I have to buy a new scale

I haven't stepped on a scale for some time. One reason I don't bother is because scales cannot be trusted. I know I am a handsome man in good shape, but when I step on a scale I am disappointed about how many scales are defective. Until I find a scale that confirms what I know to be true, I will avoid stepping on any.

So many times I have run into this phenomenon with people of the right wing persuasion. No matter what data Kadizzle offers them, the data is always wrong because it does not confirm their belief. As soon as they detect a difference between what the data shows and their belief they refuse to even read the data or dismiss it because it came from NPR, The New York Times, or some other highly suspect source. If The New York Times quoted the Bible, the Bible itself would have no credibility according to these people. Now, for the amazing part. Almost without exception when Kadizzle gets in a discussion with the right wing, the right winger will say they have data to contradict Kadizzles facts. However, when you ask them to point you to the data, or show it to you all they say is "It is there, I just don't have time to find it".

If you gave one of these people an article titled "Rice is good for you", and they believed it wasn't, they would not read the article. The title is all they need to know. They already know rice is not good for you, so why should they read an article that says it is not? Fox News clearly understands this phenomenon. Fox knows there is an audience of people that wants someone to confirm everything they believe. There is a market for someone who will say Obama was not born in this country, there is a market for someone who will deny Global warming. The beauty of the Fox system is Fox doesn't have to back up anything they say with facts or common sense. When Fox reran Michele Backmann's lie that Obama's trip to India cost 200 million a day. Fox never bother to check the facts, Fox knows it's followers only want fun urban legends, in this case generated by a blogger in India.

Now back to the scale I want. Somewhere there must be a scale that will tell me I weight 187 pound. The same company probably makes a mirror that will provide the correct image also. If only Fox was in the business of making scales and selling mirrors. Who knows they may read this and branch out into beauty lying.

Toxic Material do not read if you watch Fox News

The Charts in this article (It's the inequality Stupid) from Mother Jones prove the old point about a picture being worth a thousand words. The facts are irrefutable. If you have someone who buys the Republican spin ask them to read this article and have fun watching them stutter. The United States is approaching the status of a third world country with all the money concentrated in the hands of a few at the top. This is never what our country was meant to be. While other countries fight to throw off dictators, the Republicans are doing all they can to bring aristocracy back to our country.

Llamas and Armadillos

Kadizzle made it full circle back to the hot tub in Evergreen, Colorado. Kadizzle gave his granddaughter Sylvie the pet Armadillo he captured while hiking, and later took a walk with Sylvie to see the Llamas a neighbor has up in the mountains nearby.

This too will Pass,

Yesterday was the big bust over the great divide. This is always occasion for great consternation. If you had been present during the negotiations you would have thought it was a moon shot. Pulling a camper over a pass when winter weather is still possible is always a lottery. There were three choices, go over Route 70, go over Wolf Creek Pass, or go all the way down to the Raton Pass. The Raton pass is the lowest and only four hours and 250 miles out of the way. Kadizzle lobbied long and hard for Wolf Creek Pass.

After a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth, the group reluctantly set out for the divide at Wolf Creek pass. On the way the brain storm hit Kadizzle to call the nearest human habitation to the pass they could find. It turned out to be a ski lodge right at the pass. The lodge said the pass would be fine. Kadizzle had predicted by noon the road would be dry. As the pickup trucks labored to pull the campers over the pass, by God's grace it did turn out to be sunny and dry. Coming down off the mountain we felt like Moses with the commandments. Every year the last great adventure is going over the Rockies. Timing has to be impeccable, and you may need to wait close by for the window of opportunity. The great southwest trip of 2011 was a great success with many new discoveries, many new friends, and far more good weather than anyone deserves. Next year the goal is to get some exploring done in the Escalante area.

Why not really know something

Today while reading the NYT Kadizzle stumbled across a wonderful article about data. With a down day for hiking and exploring Kadizzle explored the neat data system. It is a very clever invention called Gapminder World. The system allows you to plot 120,000 data points about the human condition. In College we all learned how to support what we say with data. However, most people don't let reality interfere with what they believe, instead they just repeat the party line, or what seems to be popular at the coffee shop. Most of what people believe is simply not true. The data shows it, however most people don't want to be bothered with the truth. Know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Take some time and play with this thing it is fum. Google Gapminder World to run the data engine.

The strangest flying rock, a mixture of truth and lies.

Today the Kadizzlites made a trek into Mule Canyon. Mule Canyon is one of the fine areas in Cedar Mesa with famous ruins. As Kadizzle made his way up the canyon past many wonderful ruins with Ruth, Rodger, and The Commander he noticed one of the strangest natural phenomenon he has ever seen. At the age of 62, and with thousands of miles of hiking under his belt Kadizzle has never run across anything like this. Walking up the canyon there was a strange grove across the trail. Kadizzle's first thought was what could have caused this? Closer examination showed a rock had rolled across the trail and fallen over about ten feet to the right of the trail. Puzzled, Kadizzle looked to the left to the trail and saw about six feet of grove made by the rock. How did a rock get up and roll 15ft? Then the real clincher jumped into view. A small tree was freshly smashed where the rock had apparently landed before it rolled to its resting place. Something like this could happen, but the laws of physics are laws. Kadizzle was down in a canyon, the rock could have rolled off the side of the canyon, jumped in the air and came down on the bush then rolled. The problem was things did not add up when you examined the area. The rock would have needed to be launched from a ski jump to make it as far out into the canyon as is did. Examining the trees it was evident the rock came almost straight down. The condition of the breaks in the tree indicated it had happened recently, the freshness of the moisture in the grove indicated it may have happened earlier today.

When Kadizzle ran across this strange rock, The Commander, Rodger and Ruth were hiking higher in the canyon searching for ruins. The temptation was too great to resist telling a whooper. On the way back down the trail Kadizzle showed the site of the mystical rock to The Commander. Earlier The Commander could not grasp what Kadizzle was talking about, but after seeing the evidence The Commander understood what had taken place. To spice things up Kadizzle told the Commander all of this had taken place fifteen feet in front of him on the trail. Kadizzle heard a great whoosh, the tree splinter and the rock roll in front of him. Nearly struck and killed by the rock Kadizzled was dazed, when a voice from nowhere said "Be nice to The Commander". Although The Commander bought the part of the story that Kadizzle had seen the event, she did not buy the voice part. After a few minutes it became necessary to tell The Commander Kadizzle had not seen the event. Ruth and Rodger were good accomplices for the untruthful part. Both of them had seen the area earlier and new the truth. There are a million ways to die, but had Kadizzle been hit by that rock it would have been a clear message from someone.
Now, for the rest of the story. The picture above is The Commander's version of a famous photo called "House on Fire". Ruth saw the picture and decided she wanted to make an attempt to capture the ruin in a similar picture. So, the crew got up early because the ideal time to take the picture was at 10:00 A.M. according to photo folk lure. We got into the canyon early, but it took the sun until well after eleven to light up the ruin properly. Just as the light seemed to do it's magic clouds appeared. As we sat patiently waiting for the proper lighting for two hours photographers started to show up like ants. Apparently a lot of people had the same idea today. Getting the picture was the main purpose of the hike today. The Commander actually did a pretty good job of duplicating the famous shot. As luck would have it an older professional photographer woman was there. We had a great conversation and she had the same camera as The Commander. The pro of course had a much more expensive camera also. The professional's camera batter was dead, so The Commander lent her the one from our camera. In exchange The Commander got some photo lessons. It looks like they paid off.

Even Mistakes are nice

Yesterday the Kadizzlites set out to find a new route. Even after carefully studying the route with computer software it was impossible to find the way. High stream levels may have played a role. Yet, getting lost did have it's benefits. We found a nice secluded cove, and stumbled across an Indian ruin. All of a sudden Kadizzle realized the rocks in front of him were stacked. The rocks formed the foundation for a square dwelling. The fact that pictographs were nearby was a good indication that this site could have had a dwelling.

Later in the day a new route was found that connected two previous explorations. Next year the group will be able to do a circumnavigation of the area we have been exploring for years.

Busting Out to points East

After a hike today the women are doing laundry, and the men are preparing to pull up camp. In the morning we will head East to Page AZ. Who knows where we will spend the night, but somewhere in the region of Medicine Hat, AZ is likely.

The essence of Kadizzle

(Please note the data in this article is from the IRS, and Duke University)

CLICK ON DATA FOR BETTER VIEW
Sadly our country is slipping into third world status. Our country is being divided into two classes, the haves and the have nots. Income inequality is at the root of this problem. Bob Herbert has written an excellent column in the New York Times that perfectly sums up my beliefs. Until we are willing to face this problem head on the future of our children is doomed. Republican tax cuts for the richest among us are at the heart of this problem and as long as we ignore this issue things will only get worse. There was a time in our country when mothers could stay home and raise children, when each generation had a better income than the last. Ronald Reagan ushered in the era when the common man no longer mattered. You simply cannot refute the data. Extending the recent Bush Tax Cuts gave each of the richest 120,000 Americans 3 million dollars. While the average American's wages are going backwards, while 40 million Americans have no health insurance, while we have the worst unemployment since the depression, at a time when CEO's make 350 times what an assembly line worker makes, the right wing continues to shovel money to those who don't need it. This is why I fight the greedy right wing lunatics every day, because I care about the future of my children and want them to enjoy the America I did.

Op-Ed Columnist
Losing Our Way
By BOB HERBERT
Published: March 25, 2011


So here we are pouring shiploads of cash into yet another war, this time in Libya, while simultaneously demolishing school budgets, closing libraries, laying off teachers and police officers, and generally letting the bottom fall out of the quality of life here at home.


Welcome to America in the second decade of the 21st century. An army of long-term unemployed workers is spread across the land, the human fallout from the Great Recession and long years of misguided economic policies. Optimism is in short supply. The few jobs now being created too often pay a pittance, not nearly enough to pry open the doors to a middle-class standard of living.

Arthur Miller, echoing the poet Archibald MacLeish, liked to say that the essence of America was its promises. That was a long time ago. Limitless greed, unrestrained corporate power and a ferocious addiction to foreign oil have led us to an era of perpetual war and economic decline. Young people today are staring at a future in which they will be less well off than their elders, a reversal of fortune that should send a shudder through everyone.

The U.S. has not just misplaced its priorities. When the most powerful country ever to inhabit the earth finds it so easy to plunge into the horror of warfare but almost impossible to find adequate work for its people or to properly educate its young, it has lost its way entirely.

Nearly 14 million Americans are jobless and the outlook for many of them is grim. Since there is just one job available for every five individuals looking for work, four of the five are out of luck. Instead of a land of opportunity, the U.S. is increasingly becoming a place of limited expectations. A college professor in Washington told me this week that graduates from his program were finding jobs, but they were not making very much money, certainly not enough to think about raising a family.

There is plenty of economic activity in the U.S., and plenty of wealth. But like greedy children, the folks at the top are seizing virtually all the marbles. Income and wealth inequality in the U.S. have reached stages that would make the third world blush. As the Economic Policy Institute has reported, the richest 10 percent of Americans received an unconscionable 100 percent of the average income growth in the years 2000 to 2007, the most recent extended period of economic expansion.

Americans behave as if this is somehow normal or acceptable. It shouldn’t be, and didn’t used to be. Through much of the post-World War II era, income distribution was far more equitable, with the top 10 percent of families accounting for just a third of average income growth, and the bottom 90 percent receiving two-thirds. That seems like ancient history now.

The current maldistribution of wealth is also scandalous. In 2009, the richest 5 percent claimed 63.5 percent of the nation’s wealth. The overwhelming majority, the bottom 80 percent, collectively held just 12.8 percent.

This inequality, in which an enormous segment of the population struggles while the fortunate few ride the gravy train, is a world-class recipe for social unrest. Downward mobility is an ever-shortening fuse leading to profound consequences.

A stark example of the fundamental unfairness that is now so widespread was in The New York Times on Friday under the headline: “G.E.’s Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether.” Despite profits of $14.2 billion — $5.1 billion from its operations in the United States — General Electric did not have to pay any U.S. taxes last year.

As The Times’s David Kocieniewski reported, “Its extraordinary success is based on an aggressive strategy that mixes fierce lobbying for tax breaks and innovative accounting that enables it to concentrate its profits offshore.”

G.E. is the nation’s largest corporation. Its chief executive, Jeffrey Immelt, is the leader of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. You can understand how ordinary workers might look at this cozy corporate-government arrangement and conclude that it is not fully committed to the best interests of working people.

Overwhelming imbalances in wealth and income inevitably result in enormous imbalances of political power. So the corporations and the very wealthy continue to do well. The employment crisis never gets addressed. The wars never end. And nation-building never gets a foothold here at home.

New ideas and new leadership have seldom been more urgently needed.

Lets look at the data on the chart below. Currently the top 0.01% of our population has an income of $27,342,2125
The top 0.01 to 0.1 % has an average income of $3,238,386
The average income of the top 1% is 1,137,684
The average income of those from 1% to 10% is $164,647
THE AVERAGE INCOME FOR THE BOTTOM 90% of the population is $31,244

If you don't see what has happened, you never will.


What do people think is happening? What is really the case?

CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE

Passion in the Park

One third of the campers in the Camp Ground at Zion are young people, and about two thirds are old goats. As an old goat Kadizzle got up to sit in comfort in the Earth Module surrounded by windows drinking hot coffee. Outside it is overcast and a bit chilly. Since The Commander would not share the computer Kadizzle had nothing to do but watch the young lovers camped next door. Rodger had reported doing the same over on his end of the campground. As the two young lovers prepared breakfast just about every motion involved a hug or a kiss. Here is your tea, a little lip smacker. Now here is your hot cereal, a hug and a kiss. Very few task were accomplished without some show of affection. Oh, those were the days. Spending the night in a tent with your sweetie on a cold night is not a bad fix to get yourself in.

Kadizzle just passed his 35th year under the command of The Commander. Instead of a kiss with his coffee, all he gets is a lecture on less sugar, more stirring and no spilling. The Commander is nice about making breakfast. She asks if Kadizzle wants toast of Decon with his eggs.

White man tells many lies.

Lord Kadizzle wandered into the lounge at the RV park after a long days hike and sat down by an old Indian chief. After a little conversation the chief asked Kadizzle where he was from. Kadizzle told him he was from North Dakota, the land of the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes. The Chief said he knew of those tribes and how they had helped Lewis and Clark. The Chief asked Kadizzle if he was known among the tribes. Kadizzle told him indeed he was famous among the Indian women in North Dakota, and they called him "Long Arrow". After hearing this the chief grabbed Kadizzle's arrow and proclaimed "White man tells many lies".

Fooled by the Ghost Arch

Always breaking into new territory the Kadizzilites headed out for the days adventure at Zion National Park. Wayne, and Ruth took the day off, but Kadizzle, The Commander, Myra, and Rodger made the trek. When the group reached the farthest point in the wilderness ever reached by senior citizens it was time to make a decision. Where next should we push the known boundaries of those with dementia? Kadizzle wanted to go toward the Virgin river and peer into the canyon. However, he lost to the rest of the group that spotted a huge arch off in the distance. The decision was made to head for the arch. At the beginning there was debate as to if it really was an arch. After some trekking the band finally got close enough for a clear view. There was no arch. The sunlight had cast itself on the rocks to create an illusion. Not one to give in easily The Commander thought perhaps we had not gone to the right place, but even The Commander finally admitted we had been fooled. As the angle of the sun changed it became apparent how the sun shine had fooled us. It was a crystal clear day and a premier hike. On the way back to base camp we saw a momma Big horn sheep and three triplets beside the road. The day had a wonderful ending as the explorers cooked on an open camp fire. The mesquite smoke seeped into Kadizzles steak for a wonderful flavor. Kadizzle played a round of horse shoes with the guys next door, and ended the night sitting by the camp fire. Does it get any better?

Boots on the ground

Wayne, and Myra Axtman joined us at Zion. Now we have more boots on the ground and may be able to conquer the virgin East side of Zion National Park. Yesterday we did a couple of short leg stretchers to get ready for the big assault today. With favorable weather it looks like we can bust back up into the unexplored area. Few people know there are actually two branches to the Virgin River. The southern branch is little seen or explored. Kadizzles suspects the area is full of Indian artifacts. However, getting down into the steep canyon is not easy. Looking for hikable routes into canyons is fun and there may be some of that today

Dissappointment at the Indian Cave

Two days ago the Kadizzlites visited the Indian Cave high above Zion National Park. Few people know of this cave, but even a few seems to be too many. Years ago we made our first trip to the cave. The cave was special because it appeared to have human bones embedded in the rock in what looked like resin from the fire. Since the cave was known to few the bones were undisturbed. On our recent trip the bones were gone. Sadly this is what is gradually happening to the heritage of the southwest. As more and more people visit these sites they are becoming completely destroyed. There are not enough resources to protect these sites.

Traveling the southwest you see people displaying the material they have looted from these sites. Most of the worst looting took place many years ago. The Mormons were some of the worst offenders. Last year there was a big scandal when someone turned in some of the old time Mormon artifact looters.

We love visiting these sites and it is distressing to think that these places that have existed for hundreds of years will soon be overwhelmed by too many visitors. Perhaps we are part of the problem. Often Kadizzle wonders if his children and grandchildren will be able to see the site he has seen.

62 Times around upside down

This is the day Kadizzle turns 62. Kadizzle has ridden the planet around the sun 62 times. This is the day the Earth stands vertical. This is the day in 1976 Kadizzle married The Commander.

Kadizzle's biggest revelation today is the world he has been ridding around the sun is upside down. A big bonus for the Kadizzles will occur in about an hour. Kadizzle will walk over to the Zion Park office and get his pass for ten dollars that will entitle him free admittance to all national parks and half priced camping. This week will be half priced. Although Kadizzle will love the bonus, it is a prime example of our upside down world. Why do old fat guys get half price when young people trying to pay their way through college pay full price? Sure some old people need a break, but the vast majority are doing just fine in their pricey RV. Why do people who make over $106,000 dollars quit paying social security, while those making less pay the 7% ? Why would any country give 700 billion in tax breaks to the richest 2% while forty million Americans have no health insurance? Yup the world is upside down. The average person in India uses two gallons of gas PER YEAR. Kadizzle like most Amricans goes through that much in thirty minutes. People spend millions on a fancy church when there are people living in poverty within a mile of the church.

Maybe on this trip around the sun the planet will flip and we will care more about the poor than the rich, maybe we will realize what we have done to our young by robbing them of a future, maybe we will care more about the others that share this planet, maybe we will quit with our phony religion and actually care about our fellow man. Maybe this year we will spend more time paying attention to reality and less time watching sports. Hopefully year 63 can be a year of change. Maybe Kadizzle could lose some weight. Well here we go on the next trip around the sun.

The Flaw

Trickle down has blown up, and turned into trickle up. THE FLAW is a documentary about how the right wing has destroyed our economy. This is a trailer from the film.

This is a quote from David Sington who made the film
" I actually changed my politics by the end of this film. I had always thought: “Don’t worry about how the cake is divided up; just worry about growing the cake.” But for me, it was absolutely shocking to realize that the cake has grown a lot in the last 30 years, but all of the benefits of that growth have gone almost literally to the top 1% of Americans. For 90% of Americans, their piece of cake is no bigger now, but housing costs, medical costs have gone proportionally up more than general inflation, so they’re really squeezed."

This is such a simple concept, why don't people get it. You set up a tax system that lets this happen, then you wonder why the economy collapses. The income of the right has risen by 120% meanwhile the working class has gone backwards by 15%. How is this going to work?

Saint Kadizzle on Saint Patrick's Day

Springdale, Utah at the entrance to Zion National Park has a wonderful St. Patrick's day parade every year. Kadizzle got drawn into Wildcat Willie's barbaque with a free sample and then bought some the best ribs ever. After all the locals marched down main street it was the usual Irish live music, beer, and, green jello sculpture contest. The Commander's favorite float was the hotel that had a giant Bed Bug dancing on a bed.

The Green Beer did have some strange effects on Kadizzle. As usual there was the Springdale Women's Drill Team. Crazed women with hand held electric drills dancing down the street.

Get rid of Click and Clack? Is this Libya?

You have to watch this video to see how truly pathetic the Republican Party has become. NPR is a wonderful source of radio everyone of my conservative friends loves, but NPR has a bad habit of exposing the fallacies of the right wing, so they must go. Almost all civilized countries have a national radio program that tries to be straight forward and a good source of honest news. However, this creates a lot of problems for the right wing liars on Fox, so NPR must go. Kadizzle would not argue MSNBC is not biased, nor would he claim a host of other programs have no bias. In our country there are some organs of communication we can trust. Consumer Reports is a magazine we all trust. NPR is the Consumer Reports in our country for news. Because in the category of truth and lies the Republicans come out on the short end they want to destroy it. It is ironic that during a time when countries in the middle east are trying to establish freedom of the press, we are subject to right wing assaults on the free press in our country. The Bible says "Know the truth and the Truth shall set you free". This is a proverb Kadizzle lives by. Unfortunately the Republican version is "Know the truth, and you will vote Democratic", so they have pledged to destroy NPR.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn: "It is a wealthy, educated listening audience. If people want this programming, they're going to be willing to pay for it but the American taxpayer has said, 'get NPR out of our pocket.' They have some sponsors that land in the $1 million plus category." So we need to destroy NPR because it has a wealthy educated audience? What if poor people want to hear what wealthy educated people get to hear? Yup, poor people could become smarter, and nothing presents a greater threat to the right wing than poor people getting smarter. If poor people get smarter, then you can't trick them with the guns, gays, and god jazz, and god knows it might get harder to bambozzle the poor about tax cuts for the rich. So let the poor watch Fox and get as stupid as they want.

Rodger Earns Angel's Landing pin

Every year we make a hike up to Angel's Landing. Years ago Megan had the courage to go all the way out, but Erin stopped before the nasty part. Erin got ribbed about not getting her Angel's Landing Pin. Last year neither Rodger nor Kadizzle were dumb enough to go out. The path was covered with snow and ice. The likelihood of return was small, but this year Kadizzle, The Commander, and Rodger made the trip. According to Zion Park management the hike takes about one life per year. In many places if you slip you will fall an astonishing 2,000 feet plus. When you see people out in the bad areas with kids five and six years old it makes you wonder, but sure enough that was the case today. Of course you also get to see the macho college guys going faster than they should and not hanging on to impress the ladies. As Kadizzle made the treacherous trip he was panting, groaning and grunting. A pert young lady expressed concern and asked old Kadizzle if anything would help. Kadizzle answered yes. A good back rub from a young lady would help a lot, sadly no help was rendered, but another old goat did compliment Kadizzle on his technique. At a campfire ceremony tonight Rodger will have the Angel's Landing pin put on his chest. Rodger has not been told it is pinned directly to the skin.

Unlimited Sex for Life

As Rodger and Ruth walked out onto the precipice Rodger threaten to jump unless he could have unlimited sex for life with Ruth. Ruth grabbed him and pulled him back from the edge. Apparently she agreed. Seeing what happened Kadizzle walked out on the cliff with The Commander and made the same threat. The Commander began to push Kadizzle toward the edge. Quickly Kadizzle said "How about on our aniversary", The Commander relented and let him walk back from the edge.

Down from the Mountain.

The Kadizzles have been visiting Zion National Park every year for about the last eight years. In all that time we never were up on Gooseberry Mesa. This year we met a senior mountian biker in Mesa who told us about the Mesa. We just spent two days up there. It is some of the best mountain biking in the country. We hiked six miles yesterday along the rim. Seeing where the mountain bikers ride is amazing. There are several place where the bike trail is withing two feet of a thousand foot cliff. The view at the southwest end of the mesa is probably one of the most spectacular in the United States. There is no way to to describe all the things you can see from one vantage point. The Grand Canyon does not compare. Now we are down in Zion. This year the weather god has smiled on us. During the last three months we only had one rainy day, and the rain was at night. The string of warm sunny days has set a new record. The Axtmans from Hazen will join us next week.

Living on dreams isn't easy.

After a couple days camped by the American Legion Post 853 in Borrego Springs we returned to the Earth Module after a hike. Parked close to our home was a peculiar green truck. Soon Ray emerged from the ex forest service maintenance truck and explained that he needed to move through where we were just about to park. Ray's plan was to back into the tamarisk trees and set up camp. The sheer volume of stuff in the truck was amazing. The passenger side of the front seat was stacked as high as the window with paraphernalia. Under the drivers seat were two fifteen pound exercise weights. Across the front of the truck was strung a long sack full of water bottles. The truck had a special rack built on top for camping in grizzly bear country. Ray explained how when he slept there the bears head and shoulders were just about the height of his floor. Bear company made him nervous, but the rangers had supplied him with pepper spray that could shoot forty feet.
Ray gave Kadizzle some pointers on dealing with grizzlies. “Don't look them in the eye” Ray warned, “ It makes them think you are aggressive”. Most grizzles would be looking at the other end of Kadizzle as he ran and would only see one cyclops eye where the grizzly had chewed the back out of Kadizzle's trousers.
After getting to know Ray better Kadizzle found out about his bike project he has been working on for thirty years. Ray is developing a bike that is very energy efficient for the rider and has several unique systems to make sure no effort is wasted. From Kadizzles limited engineering knowledge Ray seemed to have some interesting ideas.
Greeting Ray in the morning he appeared to be grinding coffee with a small old fashioned coffee grinder, but it turned out he was grinding wheat to make crackers. Ray said sometimes he goes days without eating.
While we spent a wonderful morning hiking up Alcoholic's Pass Ray was in the back of his truck fighting mold. Ray explained to Kadizzle that he had tried everything to remove the mold. According to Ray brake fluid worked best. He had tried some acetone. A spark at the right time would have destroyed our little camping neighborhood.
Somehow Ray is getting by on $500 a month and still manages to buy old used tents to give to people worse off than himself. Towards the end of a long day of scrubbing the interior of the topper on the back of his truck Ray stopped to chat as he went to wash the paint brush he said he has been using for thirty years.
Kadizzle has been clueless his whole life about the American Legion, but after staying here for a week you kinda get the hang of it. The poor guys who got chewed up by our war machine have somewhere to go and be left alone. The main rule seems to be live and let live. Kadizzle is not a vet and is only staying here by the grace of Roger who served our country in the Air Force. Ray when asked said he was in the Army. Ray asked Kadizzle what service he was in and Kadizzle gave him the answer he had prepared since he figured this might come up. Kadizzle was in the “Secret Service'. In fact it was so secret even Kadizzle is not sure if he was in it. So far Kadizzle has not been thrown out.

It takes a lot of water to wash away Kadizzle's sins

Yesterday the crew took a wonderful hike up Barrego Palms Canyon. The waterfall were numerous and spectacular. It was a rock scrambling difficult hike. Kadizzle and Ruth were smart enough to turn around before the final push. The Commander and Rodger tried to go the last mile to the 30 foot water fall. As Ruth and Kadizzle returned the cool water was too much to resist. Kadizzle jumped in twice. Roger and Cissie caught up.

One part of the trail required the hiker to squeeze down into a narrow crack. As Kadizzle got into the crack a strange sound struck him. It was the first rattlesnake of the season. Ruth and Kadizzle did not know what to do since Roger and The Commander would be coming the same way. They figured the snake would be gone by then, and must have been right.

A bum is a noble profession.

Today the Kadizzlites and the Dennyites had a wonderful hike near the California town of Borrego Springs. The weather could not have been better, nor the hike finer. As we hike up to the waterfall and the palm oasis it just kept getting more delightful. At last we reached the twenty foot water fall which was running at a nice pace.

With the joy of hiking Kadizzle felt like some singing. For some strange reason the old Halalujah I am a Bum song came to mind. Kadizzle has always prided himself as a good bummer. Bumming a smoke is an art. Always offer to pay for a bummed smoke, the person will insist you take the weed for free. Life is good for bums. Old Mr. Smoot who lived across the street used to tell us stories about railroad bums. Perhaps that is what inspired Kadizzle to go into the profession. One story Mr. Smoot told was about how the railroad bums used to drink a drink called "Open Switch". According to Mr. Smoot "Open switch" was made by mixing gasoline with buttermilk. The bums drank the stuff, and Kadizzle is sure it opened their switch. In those days they used leaded gasoline, so the drink probably also closed their switch. Somehow even as kids we had enough sense not to drink gasoline.

Work just doesn't agree with bums. A bum will go to great lengths to avoid work. Anyone could get from point A to point B by working, it takes a real talent to get there by doing nothing. So the next time you see a bum show some respect for someone who has chosen a different route. Hallalujah I am bum.

Kadizzle solves long standing mystery

The knock came on the door at our little Earth module camper in a small town deep in the Sonaran Desert. The old fart at the door explained he was from the local tourism bureau. The gentleman related to Kadizzle how the town used to attract a lot more tourist when he was younger, but things seemed to be going down hill, literally downhill. According to Snuffy the mountains were getting smaller. Snuffy had heard of Kadizzle's mental prowess and asked if Kadizzle would investigate. Reluctantly Kadizzle took the job. To Kadizzle the simple solution seemed to be a stake out. Kadizzle took The Commander and headed for Rainbow Canyon. It was a beutiful place full of colorful rocks. Both hid carefully in some crevices in the rocks. It wasn't long before they heard a feminine voice "Oh, look, I want that one, it would look so nice in the garden, put it in your pack dear".
Looking out from a crack in their hiding place they saw a petite woman and her husband weighed down with a heavy pack. "There's one I could put by the flowers, pick it up dear". To Kadizzle it was pretty evident, rock thieves. It was time to act. Kadizzle jumped out from behind the rock and demanded "Where are you taking those rocks?". "North Dakota" replied the little lady.
Now many things were evident. Why was there continental uplift in the Rocky Mountains? Why did the continents drift? It was obvious. Rock thieves from Pick City North Dakota had made the continent so light in the West it was drifting. The weight now in a garden in North Dakota had once held down the Rockies.
As Kadizzle hand cuffed the couple the husband thanked him. "You saved me Kadizzle, do you know what it is like to carry a backpack full of rocks?". Back at the small town jail the rock thief who called himself Rodger the Rock, and his wife who called herself The Ruthless Rock Thief, both confessed to many rock crimes. It turned out the meter crater in Arizona was not a crater at all, but just a place where Ruth liked the rocks.
Geologist are eating crow as this new explanation of many canyons, and valleys has to be accounted for.
At the trial both plead guilty, and the judge was lenient. Since it was Ruth's birthday, she was sentenced to only a week working on the rock pile. As the judge pronounced the sentence Ruth had a subtle smile, and Rodger cried. He knew it was like sentencing an alcoholic to work at a brewery.

A Hike to Oriflamme Falls

With great weather our weary band headed on a mission to find the falls at Oriflamme Valley. Even with four GPS it was not easy. Kadizzle and Rodger both managed to enter the waypoints in a manner that directed them six thousand miles away to somewhere in South America. After some adjustments the band drove down a questionable road. The road became more than questionable as it turned into a running stream. The time to abandon the pickup and hike was upon us. After hiking awhile an older couple caught up with the Kadizzlites. Luckily they knew the route to the falls. The trail was faint and hard to follow, but the end result was well worth it. After the falls we returned to a wonderful grove of cottonwood trees that had been a favorite encampment of the Indians. This was evident from the remanants of the grinding areas.

Gold Makes you stupid, here's proof

Bob the gold miner just explained to me how gold makes you stupid. As I walked back to our camper it occurred to me Bob himself may have been struck by the stupidity. Bob had just shown me the gold he found. Even at today's prices it may have been worth ten bucks tops. After days, perhaps weeks Bob had ten dollars worth of gold. The flecks were smaller than dandruff, and there were just two.

Last night it looked like an all out search would be started for Bob. That is how Kadizzle got to know Bob. The camp host had mentioned to Rodger that he was a little concerned because Bob had not come back to the campground for two days. Bob is in his late sixties, and has a bum leg. When Bob failed to show up last night the camp host called the Sheriff. When Kadizzle saw the sheriff show up at Bob's trailer he wandered over to see what was up. The Sheriff said a helicopter was on it's way and they were going to begin searching for Bob the gold miner. Kadizzle was a bit amazed they would even start a search out here in the middle of no where in the dark, but the Sheriff said it was required.

Shortly after the sheriff left, Bob showed up. Kadizzle explained to Bob they were about to start a major search for him and Bob took off to let the camp host he was back. Luckily the sheriff was still at the camp host residence. Bob to his credit has one of the new fangled Spot locating devices. If Bob does get in a bind he can send a satellite signal to his wife or 911. Unfortunately Bob did not tell anyone he had that capability. As Kadizzle left Bob was heading back out to the desert to spend hundreds of dollars to find another ten dollars worth of gold. Yes, gold makes people stupid.

All Peacans go to heaven

Lord Kadizzle is not a religious man in the traditional sense, so by some quirk of fate it seems odd that he is parked at an RV spot in a monastery. However, it quickly became apparent how God works. As we pulled into the monastery it became clear their calling was pecans. The monastery folks were busy trimming the pecan trees. Kadizzle quickly figured out how the lord works. Each pecan is a soul. When the pecan falls from the tree, that is the fall from grace. At the reception area the kind lady with an angelic face and an attitude to match was a dead give away. Once the pecans fall from grace they must be gathered and cleansed of sin. After Kadizzle got the camper parked it was not long before he noticed the machinery for cleaning the sin from the souls not far behind the camper. After awhile some fellow turned up and appeared to be sorting through the pecans in the machinery. It turned out to be the lord. God explained to Kadizzle how the machine worked to cleanse the souls of sin. The first machine shook up and gently squeezed the souls to remove the lighter outer coating of sin. The next machine blew away all the easy sins. Then God gave the souls a going over and removed the rest of the sins the machine could not easily take off. God put all the souls with the final layer of sin in a five gallon bucket. In the room where the hard shell of sin was removed God showed Kadizzle how it was done by taking the machine apart. God had a clever machine that straitened the souls out, and laid them on a little conveyor. The lord explained it did not matter which way they faced, but they had to be straight. I think he was telling Kadizzle all that nonsense about Baptist, Jew, Muslim and so on did not really make a bit of difference, you just had to be straitened out when you got the hard sins removed. On the sin conveyor each soul was lined up and given a sharp tap on either the head or the ass depending on how you got straitened out. Apparently for some it was a head problem, and for others they just needed a hard kick in the ass. Once the final layer of sins were loosened another series of machines blew away as much of the evil as possible. This morning God explained to me that for the final treatment the souls were taken to a group of angels that picked away any imperfections in the souls. At this point Kadizzle's curiosity got the best of him. Kadizzle pointed out that none of the souls went to hell. God laughed, and told Kadizzle that was all just a bunch of nonsense. "What kind of God would let anyone go to hell he said?". So here we sit in paradise watching the sins get washed away, and God seems much nicer than he was ever portrayed in all those silly books people wrote about him. With all the religious paraphernalia all around the lord never suggested to old Kadizzle to pray or go to church, he just said enjoy our bird walk. The good news is God has a sense of humor. After explaining to Kadizzle how he sorted the souls, God said I got to take a bucket up to the nut house. That is where the angels give the pecans their final cleaning. Kadizzle said to the lord "I never heard the term nut house used like that". The lord said "Well we call this the crack house". I told him "Oh, I get it now, first you go to the crack house, and then the nut house". Yup saith the lord.

I spit on you Mexico (only because I can)

The Kadizzalites are hunkered down about fifteen miles from the border, maybe closer. The wind is so strong that if Kadizzle did spit it might hit Mexico. Actually Kadizzle is a fan of Mexico and Mexicans. They are good people and our policy toward them could hardly be more insane. We buy their drugs and then blame them for selling them.

We are camped at the White Water Draw bird refuge. Tomorrow morning ten thousand birds will alight from the nearby slew. It will be a sight to behold. We were here last year. Last year an illegal migrant sat on the bench as the tourist milled about. Perhaps tonight we will get a knock on the door. The Commander is in charge of defense. Should an illegal attack, The Commander will make him do the dishes and shake the rugs, in no time he will head back across the border.

Rodgers Rock

For three days Rodger has been supervising the climbers going up Sheepsheads. It has become a full time job. Rodger sits for hours staring through his binoculars watching up to six climbers at a time. Rodger now knows all the routes and can tell exactly what the next move should be. This morning Lord Kadizzle told a climber to signal by waving his arms if they needed help. The climber instead made a motion over his head with his arm like a helicopter blade. He said when you see that signal send the copter. It is amazing to see these guys go up the vertical slope. It provides hours of good entertainment. Next year we are sending Rodger up with some clothes line.

Is she crazy?

Yesterday our band of explores was finishing up the day watching the climbers risk their lives on the side of the Dragoon mountains. A 70 year old lady camping up the road had the audacity to pull right in to our camp site and join us for a nice conversation. Kadizzle offered her a beer, but she would not take one until we provided the appropriate micro brew. After some back and forth it became clear she was brave and camping by herself. She explained that she had left her cake husband back in Colorado to stare at the computer because he had no taste for the good outdoor life. The lady seemed to be enjoying her freedom. For a brief moment the conversation focused on Kadizzle. The visitor lady turned to the Commander and asked "Is he any good in bed". Without hesitation the commander gave Kadizzle a fair rating. After the lady left the Commander did a poll among our group to determine if the lady was crazy. Rodger and Kadizzled both thought she was just a strong willed lady with a good attitude. The Commander voted that she was a bit strange. I don't recall Ruth's vote.

Life in the Dragoon mountains has been good and relaxing. The Kadizzlites have found a very nice spot to dry camp. The Commander and Roger spent the entire day watching the climbers with binoculars. Lord Kadizzle did a GPS experimental hike. The goal was a spring, but the brush was too thick when he just about made it. Turning back his Lordship's back seized up and it looked like rescue might be needed. Fortunately the pain devils let loose and the return trip was a success. As this is written The Commander and Roger are watching the last phase of the mountain climbers assent.

Amazing, Bill O'Rielly questions Beck's nuttiness

Bill O is having doubts about Glenn Becks crazy theories. It is wonderful to see someone on Fox finally admit that Beck is crazy even by Fox standards. Beck has this new goofy idea about a world revolution starting in Europe.

Amazing, Bill O'Rielly questions Beck's nuttiness

Bill O is having doubts about Glenn Becks crazy theories. It is wonderful to see someone on Fox finally admit that Beck is crazy even by Fox standards. Beck has this new goofy idea about a world revolution starting in Europe.

Amazing, Bill O'Rielly questions Beck's nuttiness

Bill O is having doubts about Glenn Becks crazy theories. It is wonderful to see someone on Fox finally admit that Beck is crazy even by Fox standards. Beck has this new goofy idea about a world revolution starting in Europe.

38 Billion made someone rich?

Today Lord Kadizzle spent hours touring the Air Museum in Tucson. The Museum has to be the mother of all air Museums. According to the tour director if all the planes there were bought new you would be looking at 38 billion. If you ever want to see how the military industrial complex bilked our country this is the place to go, row after row of multi million, and even billion dollar aircraft. Over three thousand planes parked in the desert. Each plane could have been a school, a nursing home, a hospital, health care, but instead it kept us free? Who knows, but see 38 billion dollars worth of aircraft parked in the desert makes you wonder. Of course the cost of those planes is well beyond 38 billion. Billions more were spent to develop them. Many have already been scrapped, and destroyed. We sure scared the Russians.

Our New Rv

Jasper Littlebottom was complaining about the milage we were getting with the truck so we traded it in on this Mule Mobile. It is a real pleasure to drive. Please note that it has four wheel drive and rear wheel drive. If you park it and let the engine run around it will refuel itself. We had some problems with the photo so click on it to enlarge. Please note the cell phone on the dash, and a few of the other nice features.

The People you meet

In our little sacred camping ground there is a mix of people. For a couple days a strange guy has been sleeping in his truck with a white little trailer behind it. Kadizzle has had some interesting conversations with him. The fellow is about forty and seems to be well read. He seems to be a bit paranoid about cartels, and the federal reserve, as well as some vague international group running the world. Interesting to talk to but not sure exactly where he is coming from.

Today at the laundromat had a prolonged conversation with a waitress about our age. She recommended to her daughter to stop watching Fox News and try the BBC. The woman seemed to be able to clearly see through all the Republican nonsense just by applying simple reason to the stories they sell with their propaganda. It was sad to hear the woman tell about her struggles with our hopeless health care system. Anyone who thinks we have a system that works should have heard her stories. Sandy told us how she has to got to Mexico to buy prescription drugs for all the poor people in her mobile home park. Sandy was denied coverage for her thirty thousand dollar hospital bill because she made 15 dollars too much. She makes around 950 dollars a month. The great Republican State of Arizona is doing everything in it's power to make life miserable for the working poor. Sandy had a lot of great tales about the wonderful Sheriff here. The Sheriff is the hero of all the right wingers, but when you scratch the surface the man is a fraud and a jerk, but so is Glenn Beck. They just love the type. If people would break out of the habit of only talking with those who agree with them they could learn a lot. Both Lord Kadizzle and The Commander had the impression Sandy was a mean nasty person when we walked in to do our laundry. After talking to her she turned out to be very funny, very informative and we all had a great conversation tearing the right wing to shreds. Give people a chance, and let your first impressions go. There are many good stories out there if you just let them be told.

Back in the U.S. A.

Comfortably the Kadizzles are settled on the Salt River in our little special spot. For some reason the number of RV travelers is way down and there are only a few people staying here, which makes it nice. Our old friends from Canada are here and the two regular camp host are back. So in our gated community we are living well. Tomorrow will more than likely bring some more hiking. The wild horses are around and provide some entertainment. The Salt River is very low and hardly running.

Living in a Republican Paradise

Mexico is great. A land of haves, and have nots. Imagine our country as the Republicans want it. No taxes on the rich, a few rich people own everything, no health care, no social safety nets, poverty for those who did not inherit the kingdom. Every American should be forced to visit Mexico to see the Republican dream in action. Crumbling infrastructure, no jobs, hopelessness and children and families living in poverty. If the Republican dream comes true, we will be just another third world country. The rich will not pay for anything in Mexico, so there are no sidewalks, no decent streets, and sewage systems of one hundred years ago. Ah if we can only reduce taxes on the rich in America so just a few families can own everything while the rest of us sell blankets, and trinkets on the beech to the rich Chinese who come to visit us. If you want to see where the Republicans are taking us visit any Mexican town. The Kadizzles have spent a week in a wonderful place for the rich but hell for the aveage person. The Republican dream.

Living the Good life in Pueto Vallarta

The Kadizzles just got out of the surf and sewage. The water was warm, but Alligators had been spotted on the beach. They come out of the fresh water river nearby. Knowing the family jewels might be in danger it is hard to enjoy the water. Took a jungle tour yesterday and saw a good cliff diver, he was better than the Alcapulca guy. He dove into veary small mountain stream. Did it blind folded. Video will appear when we have better internet access. Beware of the time share racket if you visit here. Practice saying no and you can make out all right. We got very nice breakfast and one hundred fifty dollars, and managed to say no. However, the ninety minute presentation was in Mexican minutes so it to til noon. Very nice weather, lots of magaritas. Back to AZ on Saturday.

On the way to Mexico in San Fran

Lets all praise the NRA

The Good Life at Mae's

Mae lives across the street from my sister Patty. Mae lets us park our camper beside her house. Mae treats Kadizzle like a king. She has one of those wonderful electric chairs that can lift you to a standing position. Standard procedure is to put Kadizzle in the chair with a heating pad, take his shoes off and hand him the remote control with a cold beer.

The Wreck and the Dream

This morning Kadizzle awoke from a dream involving the wreck of a white truck. Three hours later Kadizzle was assisting a woman in a white truck wrecked near Dickinson. This is a photo of the wreck. Stangely this is the second time Kadizzle has dreamed about a wreck an then been involved in a rescue the next day.
Years ago when Megan was born Kadizzle and Cissie's mother were driving to Bismarck to see Cissie and new born Megan. The night before Kadizzle had a dream about a burning car on the side of the road. That day he pulled a man from a burning car near Washburn.
Driving toward Dickinson this morning on the way to Denver we saw a car off the road in the snow. It looked like everything was OK and we drove a little farther. Next our truck started to slip and slide on black ice. Immediately after Kadizzle got the Toyota under control we came across the pictured truck upside down. One man was there before we were. The woman had managed to craw out of her truck. She seemed like she might have some neck injuries, but had feeling in her extremities. We bundled her up with blankets from our cars and put a stocking hat on her to keep her warm. Finally the ambulance came from Dickinson and we left. If anyone should happen to know how she is doing let Kadizzle know. The woman said she was talking on her cell phone when the wreck occurred. Kadizzle is trying to teach his family a lesson about using cell phones from this incident.

Who are the Hoopleheads?

Kadizzle frequently refers to the Hoopleheads. One of the great Hoople busters of all times was H.L. Menkin. The quote below is a summation of how Hoopleheads are whipped into a frenzy of stupidity. Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh know exactly how to make stupid people dance, but Menkin's insight will tell you a lot about how the Republicans and the Tea Party exploit the Hooples.

In today's excerpt - H.L. Mencken comments on the impact of crowd psychology. Mencken, known as "The Sage of Baltimore," was a popular journalist, essayist and satirist, and is regarded as one of the most influential American writers of the first half of the 20th century. A caustic critic of American life and culture, Mencken was one of the first in the U.S. to popularize such writers as Friedrich Nietzsche and Joseph Conrad.

He had grave concerns about anti-intellectualism in American society, which he viewed as being found most prominently in organized religion and political discourse. He was especially concerned about the role of the crowd in this anti-intellectualism. His reporting of the debate over the theory of evolution between William Jennings Bryan and legendary attorney Clarence Darrow (made famous in the movie and play Inherit the Wind) reflected his distaste for fervent belief rooted in faith rather than science:

"The individual man, cheek by jowl with the multitude, drops down an intellectual peg or two, and so tends to show the mental and emotional reactions of his inferiors. The crowd, as a crowd, performs acts that many of its members, as individuals, would never be guilty of. Its average intelligence is very low; it is inflammatory, vicious, idiotic, almost simian. Crowds, properly worked up by skillful demagogues, are ready to believe anything, and to do anything.

"The numskull runs amuck in a crowd, not because he has been inoculated with new rascality by the mysterious crowd influence, but because his habitual rascality now has its only chance to function safely.

"What happens when a crowd cuts loose? ... The few superior men in it are not straightway reduced to the level of the underlying stoneheads. On the contrary, they usually keep their heads, and make efforts to combat the crowd action. But the stoneheads are too many for them. ... And why? Because they are suddenly conscious of the power lying in their numbers. The third rate man, though he may wear the false whiskers of a first rate man, may always be detected by his inability to keep his head in the face of an appeal to his emotions. A whoop strips off his disguise."

Author: H. L. Mencken
Title: Damn! A Book of Calumny
Publisher: Philip Goodman Company
Date: 1918
Pages: 32-34

Our Country is a ticking time bomb

The facts are stunning. Now, the top one percent of the population has as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. The data is overwhelming. Young people are going to be in a mess few of us can imagine if the country continues on the path Rush Limbaugh and the Republicans are carving out. The most amazing thing is how people are so oblivious to the mess. People escape reality in sports, religion, or some other mindless opiate. Our society is falling apart at the foundation because those at the top have simply bought the government. When you have an outfit like Fox that lies all day and passes itself off as news, it is pretty scary to think how many Americans actually believe the spin. At face value is hard to believe the people who represent us just decided to borrow 700 billion and give it to the rich, while promising to destroy health care for ordinary people. It is hard to believe we live in a country where anyone could get away with such a blatant robbery, but everyone is caught up in their diversion and no one will care until the bridge actually collapses. Our country is falling behind by every measure and we are listening to the band on the Titanic. How did we get to this point?

Now, we are going to go through a round of stimulus spending that will enable everyone to make one more trip to Wal Mart. When the dust settles all the money will go to China, and the right wing thieves at the top of the pile will still be there.

Waiting to Make the Break for the south

As Kadizzle types a blizzard is just beginning in ND. Slowly the Kadizzilites are making the final prep for escape from the great white north. The key to the whole thing will be a window of opportunity to drive on decent roads to Denver. From Denver the next great feat will be to bust into Cottonwood AZ. The great adventure will begin nest Monday or Tuesday. Luckily our furnace failed about a week ago. Being home was the blessing. Had the furnace given out while we were gone would have been a disaster. Way too many days have been spent inside being warmed by the TV. First order of business in the warmth will be getting into a little bit of hiking shape.

Another present terrorist

An Old Grandpa

Poor old Kadizzle is an old Grandpa now. One full year of enjoying the little Sylvie. Naturally she has the language skills of a seasoned Quinn. Her vocabulary is amazing. The big thrill for next year will be cashing social security checks. The winter in North Dakota is wearing. Snow is already piled deep. Soon with some good fortune the Kadizalites will head south. In fact far south. Mexico is on the agenda. Time on the beach. Sounds refreshing. Just seeing the sun at this point would be great. We got in very little pheasant hunting this year. The poor birds are having a hard time of it. The snow is keeping them from food. If Kadizzle were a pheasant in this mess he would come out and ask to be shot. Hopefully the economy will improve next year and people will see the need for real change and reform. At this point is seems we are just refinancing the illusion.

Rolling Down to old Maui

How I wish I was in Sharbrook now.

The Watermelon song

Lord Kadizzle searched long and hard for the lyrics to the watermelon song. It used to be a camp song we sang as kids. Kadizzle found two different sets of lyrics. The first is the one Kadizzle remembers.

You can talk about your apples
your peaches and your pears
Your simmons hangin' on that simmon tree
But bet your heart my honey
Of all the fruit that grows
That watermelon am the fruit for me

Oh! Hambone am good!
Chicken 'em sweet!
Possum meat am very very fine!
Yes Lord!
But give me, oh give me
I really wish you would
That watermelon hangin' on that vine

But when I went to futch it
Was on a rainy night
The moon it had not yet begun to shine
And oh that white man saw me
And he shot me through the fence
But I never left that melon on that vine

Now this would be a second version that must have been sung by Tennessee Earnie Ford

Back in West Virginia I used to sit upon the fence
A-wonderin’about the lack of people’s common sense

What I didn’t then keep concealed
Was one great big fat watermelon layin in the field

See that watermelon hangin’ on the vine
I wish that watermelon could be mine

The farmer must be careless
Without lack of sense
Or he wouldn’t have leave it hangin’
On the vine

Cornbread is sweet
Pork chops are good
Black eyed peas are mighty, mighty fine
But give me oh give me
I really wish you would
That watermelon hangin’ on the vine

Got a gal who loves me
She always treats me fine
She lets me hug and kiss her all the time
I wish that all her kisses
Could taste half as sweet
As that watermelon hangin’ on the vine

Oh kissin’ is sweet
Huggin is good
Cissie’s lips taste mighty, mighty, fine
But give me, oh give me
That watermelon hangin on the vine

Well I see that watermelon
So thick, so fat, so fine
What a shame to go leavin’ it behind

I know my baby’s waitn’
She won’t be waitin long
Now that I got that watermelon off the vine

Hambone is sweet um
Chicken is good
Blackeyed peas are mighty, mighty fine
But I ought to tell you
I really think I should
Eat a watermelon hangin’ on the vine.

Jasper Littlebottom attacks snow drift

The Parting Glass Christmas wishes from the Quinns

O, all the money e'er I had,
I spent it in good company.
And all the harm that ever I've done,
alas it was to none but me.
And all I've done for want of wit
to mem'ry now I can't recall;
So fill to me the parting glass,
Good night and joy be with you all.

O, all the comrades e'er I had,
They're sorry for my going away.
And all the sweethearts e'er I had,
They'd wished me one more day to stay.
But since it falls unto my lot,
That I should rise and you should not,
I gently rise and softly call,
Goodnight and joy be with you all.

My Hero has something to say about the Greed Dogs

Sell your followers fake gold

Glenn Beck is an amazing rat without an ounce of truth or morality. Glenn scares and stirs up the Hoopleheads who follow him, then his sponsor sells them gold coins. Only one minor problem the gold coins don't have the gold content the poor suckers expect. The company that sells the gold scares the Hooples by telling them Obama can confiscate gold, but cannot confiscate antique gold coins. So the best thing to do is buy the antique gold coins. The only part the scammers leave out is that the antique gold coins are not pure gold. Now Glenn's sponsor is in court trying to stay out of jail. You just have to love Fox, and Glenn. Any respectable person would warn people, but not Glenn, not Fox.

John Stewart comments on Tax breaks for the Rich

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Temptation Resisted

Lord Kadizzle has never been so pissed in a long time politically. Obama caving in to the greedy Republicans is just unacceptable. The fact that the greedy bastards want us to borrow 700 billion from China to give them tax breaks is just plain beyond comprehension. What in the hell is wrong with any thinking person that they would even consider giving each of the richest Americans another 3 million per year, when people are losing their homes, when people don't have jobs. Kadizzle got so pissed he called Mitch McConnell's office in Kentucky just to let that worthless lick-spittle have a piece of his mind. This is the biggest robbery in history. The resisted temptation was the desire to email everyone Kadizzle has an email address for and beg them to call the sorrowful representatives that would partake in the Republican hold up.

This says it all

Singing Sylvie does favorites

Girls Gone Wild

The Glory of digital children

Megan, is Lord Kadizzle's go to person for computer problems. This morning the little artist loaded the remote itunes app onto Kadizzles new itouch. Now old Lord Kadizzle can control his or anyone else's music selection from anywhere there is a wi fi connection. In theory Kadizzle could probably be in Colorado and change the songs on his computer in Hazen. Not sure why one would want to do this, but it should work. Being able to turn the volume up and down is great. Back in the old days when Black and white TV was about as technical as the world got it would have been hard to imagine the current state of knowledge. Yesterday Kadizzle took the GPS and went to each corner marker on Erin's lot. Kadizzle came back in to the house and entered the data onto Google Earth. Google Earth showed a satellite picture with the boundaries of Erin's lot and gave the approximate size of the lot. What will they think of next, I just got it, a wet diaper sensor. A little device you put in Sylvie's diaper that sets off an alarm when there has been a flood.

Moutain Elf Captured

Constant Train Wrecks

With the help of computers Kadizzle and family have now reached a new high in time wasting. Megan's boyfriend gave Lord Kadizzle an itouch. Of course Kadizzle had to get some apps. The only game Lord Kadizzle got was Train Conductor. Unfortunately Erin tried it and is addicted. Now two people can waste untold time on that, not to mention the countless other distractions. The idea is to route trains without wrecking them. Points are awarded and naturally competition has arisen. Megan loaded the game on her iphone, so not the battle for time wasting is really heated.

Back in the Mountains

The Grandparent wagon lumbered its way back to Evergreen. Many hours of listening to "The Help", on the Itouch. Made the trip shorter. It is an Amazing story about racism in the sixties in the south. Would do all good to remember the racial mess this country has. Sadly our current situation with Fox News and it's subtle racism is sad. Republicans promoting the Tea Party. No one wants to say it in the open, but many on the right just cannot come to grips with a black president. The determination to destroy Obama is the main agenda for the Republicans. They could not stand the idea of a successful black president, it would rattle their whole belief system. They will never admit it, so they have to change the story to socialism. Total nonsense. The Republicans could have taken a generous approach and helped Obama. What a contribution to the country the Republicans could have made. They could have shown Americans a black man can succeed, and in the process done a lot to suppress racism. Instead the right has decided to subtly promote racism by signing on to the agenda of Rush, Glenn, and Fox. As a grandparent is would be so nice to leave our children a better world, instead these people want to maintain the things that have made life difficult for so many.

The Crazy Club

When you are retired and live in Hazen, it is like being home on a school day. All of a sudden you realize everybody is gone. However, you soon find the other crazies that are not in school. People who all march in line, and buy the party line from religion to politics are not very interesting. The crazies go against the tide and actually have a point of view. Some of the crazies, have no point of view they are just so confused it is entertaining. One of the crazies is in his mid sixties. He is building a tree house. Almost everyday Kadizzle updates the battle against the Hoopleheads, or the "son a bitches" with another local eccentric. Another crazy has no use for religion and the ensuing nonsense that goes with it. It is fun to talk to her and hear her stories of how she has to try to control herself around the "saved". Another crazy is determined that he must spend all his money before he dies so his wife does not get it, so he keeps buying trucks he doesn't need. Besides the crazies there is an abundant supply of Hoopleheads worried someone will get their gun, the Kenyan president will confiscate their bullets, or the latest rumor at the coffee shop will come true. "An idle mind is the devils playground". In the case of the Hooples and idle mind is just that an idle mind. The crazies on the other hand have decided to take their minds on a trip and at least it is entertaining.

Life at Sandy's Hunting Campe

This video is strange. Click on it the first time to play it and you get a musical version. Double click on it and it will take you to the narrated Youtube version

We need to act

Alaska and North Dakota

Two of the biggest welfare states in the country are Alaska and North Dakota. Alaska usually wins, but North Dakota is always right up near the top. It is a wonderful system. As a state you send the federal government one dollar and they send you back two. Now for the strange part, both states love right wing politics and have just elected Republicans. Of course the Republicans are the stand on your own two feet bunch that should be the first to cut off the welfare cheats like North Dakota and Alaska. North Dakota soaks up farm subsides like a sponge. If the Republicans do as they claim and cut everything in sight these handouts should be some of the first to go. It will be fun to see how this plays out. Every old goat loves medicare and social security, but every old goat fears socialism, so how does that work? We have become a nation of crazy people that want to diametrically opposed things. Why can't we have tax breaks for the rich and lots of good safety nets like social security? Ronald Reagan started the fantasy. The gipper said you can cut taxes and you will have more money. It clearly doesn't work, but the delusion goes on.

Automated Stupidity

Lord Kadizzle just talked with his sister Suzie in West Virginia. She remarked what a waste of time computers can be. Kadizzle got a lecture from The Commander and his daughter last night on the wasted time spent on the google. It is wonderful. People used to have to work so hard to get stupid and waste time. Now, we have a magic machine than draws you in and gives you the illusion you have done something. If you really get good at it you can also waste money. The gadget that was supposed to bring a new round of productivity to the universe has done more to waste peoples time than any invention since television. The recent elections have shown that the spread of information has no effect on people getting smarter. Just like television you can watch the history channel, or learn something on the science channel, but that is no fun, lets watch Fox, and football. You might as well give a calculator to a tribesman in the middle of the Amazon. Kadizzle used to work for a company that was obsessed with how much money they were going to save by spending millions on a computer system. The vice president of operations was a smart man and always challenged the computer nerds to walk him over and show him where the saved money was stored. Indeed computers do save time. With the time you save you can go to Facebook and spend an hour finding out who burped today or watch a video of your friend waiting for the bus. It is just wonderful. Once the Chinese get enough computers we will be able to compete with them again. Like us they will not have time to build flat screens and sell them to another country on credit.

Grandparents obsessed with granddaughter

The grandparents are obsessed with the little Sylvie. She has remarkable language skills for her age. Grandma took her to get the mail and the listened for Chick a Dees

I Remember