Driving with a drunk.

We all have done it.  We got in a car with a driver who may have been drunk, or just not capable of operating a car.  We rationalized the situation. I need to get home.  This guy is not that drunk.  We are not going on any big roads.  On it goes we get in the car and if we are lucky we make it home safe.  Well now our country is about to be lead by a drunk.  A delusional egomaniac who cannot tell the truth to save his life. He may not even know what the truth is.  Of course the Republicans assure us he is a little drunk, but they can control him.  So here we go.  The drunk is going to do what drunks do.  Their brains don't get enough oxygen and certain parts of the brain shut down.  With parts of the brain shut down you can do dangerous things.  The brain is very clever.  When it starts to shut down it shuts down the least important things first and tries to keep enough blood and oxygen available for the things that really matter.  Drunks are friendly, often with the wrong people that take advantage of them.  Drunks can be fun, and funny,  and fun to watch.  Drunks can start fights.  Drunks don't realize when they are in danger.  Drunks are destructive to relationships.  So here we go, a man drunk on the need to be his own hero will drive our car.  He will buy drinks for his buddies.  Our drunk may get us home, he may not.  He may destroy the whole country, he may just bust up a few things.  Once we get out of his car and look back at the stupid thing we did hopefully we will be smarter.  We will realize we came closer to disaster than we thought.  We may not get out of the car.  The drunk may plow the ship of state into a crowd of innocent people killing them and us.  Here we go.

A Day in the Life of Joe Republican

January 2, 2017

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John Gray Cincinnati, Ohio

Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards.

With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised.

All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance - now Joe gets it too.

He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.

Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for the laws to stop industries from polluting our air.

He walks on the government-provided sidewalk to subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union.

If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

It is noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills.

Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.

Joe has to pay his underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime.

Joe also forgets that his in addition to his federally subsidized student loans, he attended a state funded university.

Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards to go along with the tax-payer funded roads.

He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans.

The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification.

He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to.

Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good.

He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day.

Joe agrees:  "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."

Poor old Joe.

Once upon a time

Back in the dark ages Kadizzle was in college.  As part of a psychology class Kadizzle visited an actual insane asylum.  It was a very shocking experience.  Our mission as students was to take the patients out into the woods for a walk.  First we took a tour.  This was of course in West Virginia where the state did not spend much on the mentally ill. Hell most of them were walking the streets and running the state.  Some idiot had designed the building where the poor patients were housed.  The idiot had the idea that the building should be round. Every floor had a cage in the middle, and because the building was round the overseer could see into every patients room.  Brilliant idea, but it meant all the rooms were pie shaped.  Now try to put furniture in a pie shaped room.

So we walked onto one of the floors of this crazy house.  The stench of the human condition was overwhelming.  The place was kept warm because the people were in a near naked or naked state.  The floor was just bare concrete, and many of the inmates were barefoot.  People were laying around on the floor there was no furniture to speak of or the people were sitting on the floor drugged and staring into space.  Finally we got to some other area of the institution where people were slightly more normal.  This is where one of the patients was playing the piano and doing a damn good job of it.

Now to a quick side story.  Back at Marshall University which Kadizzle was attending Kadizzle had met a young woman who had spent some time incarcerated in this insane place.  She had tried to commit suicide.  She had cut her arm senseless with a razor blade in an attempt to end her life.  When she was put in this place she said she realized she had to get out quickly or she would die or become permanently insane.  As Kadizzle explored the place he realized if you were not totally insane when you got here, you soon would be.

In the course of taking the patients out there was a young boy about twelve on the bus with us.  He told an incredibly sad story which showed how bad the system was.  The young boy had been placed in the institution as part of a vendetta against his family from some small hillbilly town.  The doctors found nothing wrong with the young man, but no one would come from the town to take him home.  Imagine being twelve and stuck in this crazy place.

So off we went on the school bus full of crazy people.  We took them for a walk in the woods.   During the walk one of the patients picked up and osage orange.  This is a strange inedible fruit that grows in West Virginia.  A naive girl in the psychology class ran up to the patient shouting " Don't eat that".   Kadizzle will never forget what the patient said.  The patient said " We are in here because we are crazy, not stupid".

What got Kadizzle thinking about all this?  Reading the New York Times today Kadizzle had to laugh thinking about Donald Trump.   He is both crazy and stupid, but the Republicans love him.

Back to Normal.

The sunken or once sunken boat sits down on the beach.  Kadizzle rode the cycle down there yesterday to see the giant whale beached.  The boat had been at it's slip in the marina last year when apparently a 75 mile per hour wind hit the marina.  The big house boat sank at the dock.  According to the locals it was under water for two weeks.  Somehow someone got the boat to float.  The plan mush have been to pull the boat up to a repair area.  The plan did not work as the trailer came out of the water with the boat on it. The trailer sank completely into to the mud. The boat has been sitting there for a long time.  Now the lake is coming up. It appears someone patched the boat and hopes it will float off the trailer.  The back end of the ship is now in the water.  It will be interesting.  If the lake does not come up another five or six feet the whole plan will fail.  So it better rain a lot to float that boat.

Well it looks like the sun is going to bust out today and it may be warm enough for a cycle ride.  Yesterday Kadizzle was bored and rode up to the cliff dwelling.  The place was buzzing with people.  Tourist in the Southwest are kinda amazing.  The spend about an hour in places they should spend weeks.  Kadizzle realized at some point in his life he had done many " I ve been there tours".  You jump out of the car look over the edge of the Grand Canyon and get back in the car.  I have been there.  Of course there is no comparison with taking the time to hike to the bottom of the canyon.  This is the case of just about the entire country.  Each unique part of the country requires days of exploring.  Zion National Park is the classic case. Kadizzle and Mrs Kadizzle have been there many many times for weeks at a time, and still we find amazing places that we never knew existed there.  For years we drove by Gooseberry Mesa, then one day we went there.  Wow, how had we missed this for so many years.   That is the way life is when you dig deeper.

Our Little Town

Our little town is filling up.  A new range manager moved in,  the couple working at the cliff dwellings is right across from us, the helicopter crew is in one of the apartments,  and Corey is in another.  The helicopter just took off to do a wildlife survey.  Last year they spotted a mountain lion and some cubs.

Yesterday Kadizzle helped get the garbage truck back in service. Jim the sign man turns out to be a good welder, and thanks to Jim's free work the truck is back in service and taxpayers got about a thousand dollars worth of labor for free.  Kadizzle had to go to Globe to help get the pipe needed to fix the garbage truck.  An old rusty piece of pipe cost $80.  We only need six feet of the pipe.  Kadizzle asked the pipe yard manager how much six feet would cost.  He said it would be $100.  Well how much would the whole pipe cost Kadizzle asked?  $80 the manager replied.  Kadizzle sort of figured it would come out that way.  The pipe was very heavy gauge, and cutting it would be a pain.  Selling eight feet would be simple and quick.  The world is strange.  There is an old joke about the rectum being in charge of the body.  It does control everything.  For the Forest Service it is the garbage truck.  Nothing creates a problem like having the garbage truck broken down.  Constipated dumpsters quickly become uncomfortable.  So the truck is in service thanks to Jim and all is well in the campgrounds.  Kadizzle once served a stint as a swamper on the garbage truck.  God bless garbage men.

Orange Men in the Desert

Yesterday Kadizzle made his first foray down the trail with the prison crew.  Dressed in orange jail suits carrying trail tools eight felons, Kadizzle, and Robert the guard, who also happens to be a cage fighter took off down the rail.  We got a lot done, and everyone had a great day.  The prisoners and the guard want to do it again. The prisoners were so happy to be out in the wilderness.  Kadizzle was so happy to see how quick eight guys could fix trail problems.  In no time it was apparent that the old guys worked harder than the younger slackers.  Prisoners keep themselves from going insane by joking and ribbing each other.  The guard kicks in with his comments. The result is like a comedy routing going down the trail.  Every hour Robert has to count everyone and call the prison with the number.  When Robert made the call the prisoners could hear the dispatcher on the other end of the phone always say to Robert " I love you man".  The prisoners said " How come you never tell him you love him back?"

Robert is the ideal guy to be a guard.  He respects the prisoners, has fun with them, and last, but not least is an ex cage fighter.  In case you don't know what a cage fighter is Kadizzle will explain.  Two men get in a cage and just beat the shit out of each other until one give up.  Robert said he was part of a cage fighting exhibition that a Russian mobster sponsored in Russia.  While in Russia he was able to meet Putin.

Kadizzle learned as he worked with the orange men what a pickle they are in. They will get out of jail wanting to get a job and have a normal life, but the fist thing that will happen is they will be turned down because they have a record as a felon.  So what choice do they have when they are released?  A couple of the guys said they would love to just get out and do physical trail work.  One guy said he would love to do the work we were doing when he got out and get paid for it.   Our prison system and penal system is a mess.

Once you deal with people in trouble you quickly realize how many of them came from dysfunctional homes.
The second observation is they are not real high IQ people.  The combination of a bad family life, few work skills, and  an education that did not work, are toxic.  One thing is obvious.  It is far more productive for society to spend money on social programs than jails.  If more effort, money, and social capital is invested in these people as children the results can only be good.  It is like doing preventive maintenance on your car, it is more effective than fixing a blown out engine.

Rant Time

If you don't like Kadizzle ranting, read no more.  The Trump gang wants to sell off public land.  This has Kadizzle's fire lit this morning.  Gradually and eventually if it works selling public land will mean that it ultimately ends up in the hands of the wealthy .    The whole thing takes us back centuries to the time of peasants and serfdom, when the aristocrats owned everything.  The peasants were forced into huts and even the game animals were considered the property of the wealthy. Wow, do we really want this?  Long ago our family used to go to the sea shore.  Now, the ocean is inaccessible because the wealthy have lined the shore with houses and the ordinary working man is not welcome.  In North Dakota so much land has already been purchased by the rich for hunting, that the ordinary poor working man has no place to hunt.

The Republican party is intent in destroying everything that makes life pleasant or possible for the working class.  Health care is going to be destroyed, the school system is under assault, and unions have already been devastated.  Is this really the way we want to live?

Kadizzle has been an outdoor person his whole life.  Your average person has no idea the treasures this country holds that belong to everyone.  Kadizzle has traveled just about the entire United States, including Alaska.  Thinking of the damage Trump can do is painful.  Seeing pristine land commercialized and privatized is a revolting thought.  The greed impulse of the Republican party running unchecked will devastate the land just like they intent to devastate the climate, and the atmosphere.  These people are driven wild with greed. They never have enough.  Trump claims to have billions, but he wants more.   What in the hell do these people need that is so good they are willing to destroy the planet to get it?

Kadizzle is about to become a grand parent for the second time.  The thought of an organized party out to make life miserable for everyone on the planet is disturbing.  Trump lies almost as a daily ritual, and the ignorant suck it up.  The Trump followers do not remember what he said yesterday.  Trump has led the gullible down the rabbit hole.

Well now it is time to go to work on public lands.  It is so hard to do volunteer work knowing Trump is going to destroy everything you do.   Ah, a least a good bitch make you feel a little better, so here we go.

Complications with the chain gang

Here we go one more day of making America great.  Poor old Kadizzle is till sore from yesterday.  A six mile hike with brush cutting thrown in has depleted the man.  Today it is confusion.  Our new boss is in charge of the prisoners and wants to take them on trail work.  This complicates matters.  The roads are not in good shape because of the recent rains.  The prisoners have to be back by one, which makes things hard to accomplish.  So the net result is we have no idea what we will do today.  Cory is the new boss and wants to go up one of the trails.  The nature of our work means often the first part of the job is hiking to the work.  As the trail work progresses you may have to hike three miles to get to where you left off yesterday.  That is the case today for the Deer Creek trail.  If you hike in three miles and out three miles which takes over an hour each way, you lost three hours hiking and perhaps there is only an hour or two  to actually get anything done.  Well hi ho, hi ho, it is off to work we go.

The orange men may be better off than the volunteers.  The prisoners have to dress in orange jumpsuits.  The orange men get free accommodation and are paid fifty cents per hour.  The volunteers have to buy their own food, pay for our electricity, and work for free.  Something seems strange here.

Up Early

The trail crew will go into action shortly.  At 5:30 A.M. the coffee has been brewed and the world is coming together.  Just completed the update and it looks like the world will make it through another day.  Met the new neighbor yesterday.  He and his wife have been full timing in a nice 40ft diesel pusher for about three or four years.  They have been moving about doing jobs for the Fish and Wildlife service, and a few other public entities.  Now they will work up at the National Monument across the road from here where the cliff dwellings welcome the public.

As lazy old Mr. Kadizzle sits here Mrs. Kadizzle jumps around like a wild bean getting ready for the day.  The apparent plan is to go up to Deer Creek and hack on the trail.  Kadizzle may work on the actual footpath while the other three cut brush.  With the rain it may be muddy, but also it will be nice to see the streams running.  Amazing how quickly the grass has grown around here because of the rain.  We have been keeping the trail head picked up pretty well by Deer Creek.  It will be interesting to see how badly the degenerates have trashed it.  Our friends Jeff and Barb pick up degenerate trash every day to pay back the world.  Yesterday they found a twenty dollar bill.  Shows the lord works in strange ways.

Almost daily Cliff and Kadizzle have some sort of philosophical conversation.  Cliff is into spirituality, whatever that is.  Is there a god, and what church does he go to are frequent topics.  Kadizzle goes to the church of "If it isn't bothering you leave it alone".  Cliff likes mediation and is into nature as a religious inspiration.  Kadizzle also believes in the refrigerator god.  Sometimes you open the sacred door and low and behold there could be anything.  Yesterday Mrs. Kadizzle made two pumpkin pies without any crust.  So really they are just pumpkin pudding in a pie pan.  Perhaps Kadizzle can con her out of pie for breakfast.

Flowing Water

The desert is awakening.  Rain has exploded the grass and the clouds are plugging the sky.  The son of our new neighbors is visiting with his homemade camper.  It is a small cobbled together contraption on a small two wheel trailer.  Kadizzle took a look inside and it looked comfortable, but cramped.  The young fellow is at that age where you can wander from job to job and live life with the luxury of freedom.  Want your freedom constrained?  Have a baby, that is Cheech's plan.  In about thirty days Cheech will provide Old Grandpa Kadizzle with another little bundle of girl problems.  Sylvie will have a cousin on our side of the family.  In her basement Sylvie is spinning around on her new gymnastics bars.  The family fortune was sacrificed to purchase the gym equipment, but perhaps she will spin some of the granny energy out of herself.  Confined to the Earth module fighting boredom will be a major project today.  Yesterday Cliff beat Kadizzle senseless playing dominoes.  Apparently Cliff has loaded dominoes.  It might also be the result of Cliff having the ability to add and subtract.  

The other night when we drove in we saw a bobcat.  Kadizzle has only seen four in his life, one in West Virginia, and perhaps the same one twice on Cherry Creek,  Number four was just down the road a little ways from our encampment.

 So here goes 2017.  The bull will be released shortly in the china shop.  Right off the bat the old Trumpster will start his insanity.  Who knows what he will do.  It is hopeless to predict.  Until he actually starts breaking things no one knows.  Will the Republicans with functioning brain cells be able to restrain him?  Will he just bump things, or will he trample things?   The day for the explosions from the tweeter is nearly upon us.  It is exciting, we could see our first nuclear war, we could enter a new depression.  Making America great again will be an interesting project and having a baffoon lead the way will be an entirely new experience.  In the old days when Kadizzle worked among construction workers and coal miners there were sayings like " Don't let you mouth overload your ass".  Another one was don't let you mouth write checks your ass can't cash.  Donald Trump has definitely made both sins.  The world is a big place, and the bravado of the Donald will now have to face reality.  The little drunk guy may have just insulted the big quiet bruiser at the end of the bar.  Everyone has seen a little guy pumped up on alcohol get a tune up.  Some of these dustups end with one punch.   We could be in for a nuclear punch.  Usually there are no winners in a bar fight.  The bar is torn up and most of the participants are cut and bruised.  The Tweeter will fire his first shots soon.  China may be first up to give the Donald a tune up.  My advice when things start to heat up is stand near the door.  Unfortunately for our electoral system the door is two years away.  Once The Donald starts the game and if the Republicans don't harness him, it will be two years before voters can put sane people in office.

What you see

Flying back to our Lake Roosevelt home in the Earth Module Kadizzle managed to fight his way into the window seat.  From the air it is fun to fly into Phoenix because  so much of the land we explore is below as you land.  Unfortunately many clouds obstructed the view yesterday, but Kadizzle did get to see the area we have been working on in the Mazatal mountains.

At the airport we used Uber to get to our truck.  This was our second go at Uber.  The service is rally fast, and much better than a cab.  It is amazing how fast they show up.  With it all run by computers it is a new world of transportation.  You don't even have to pay with anything.  When you make the computer request the driver is automatically paid.  Can easily see why this is becoming popular.

Arriving back at the Earth Module in the dark we find our new neighbors.  Now our little community is four instead of three.  Fortunately we are on the lake side, but it does feel a little tighter here in the wilderness.

Cliff stopped by to  update us on local goings on.  Cliff and the new boss were busy up in the Mazatals clearing logs from the trial.  With the constant rain here in the area it will be hard to get anything done this week. First we have to resupply the Earth Module.

The Bust Out

Here we go, the bust out is in progress.  Up early the goal is to get to Bismarck. Of course this being North Dakota the roads may be a problem.  Hopefully we can make it to the airport.  Road information is not coming across the radio from NPR so we are looking at the maps on the internet.  The information is sketchy, but will have to do. Getting stuck is not a good option.

As always there are dozens of little task, like shut off the water, the water heater and so on.  The real trick is not to forget something vital. Wait the guy on the radio is talking.  Maybe he will say something about the roads.  He is giving the weather, how about the roads.  Nothing, he said nothing about the roads.  Mrs. Kadizzle is still in her PJ's.   Getting Mrs. Kadizzle to actually blast off is a big job.  Each little detail has to be dwelt upon.  The house must be sparkling clean when we leave.  The garbage disposal has to be sanitary, the window blinds just right.  The obsession goes on.  The garbage can has to face the right direction.  Now, Mrs Kadizzle is inspecting my luggage.  The TSA right here in my kitchen.  Now she is going to repack my grab bag.  This is how things get messed up. Kadizzle puts something in his luggage and Mrs Kadizzle takes it out.

So keep up to date, see if the next epistle comes from AZ, or will we be stuck in the winter wonderland?

Stillness at the Crazy Club.

As the sun shines in the windows of the crazy club Shinny tells Mr. and Mrs. Kadizzle about the slow shopping season in Hazen.  Snow has plugged up the town and the dollars cannot get out to be sewn into the economy.  So the crazy club has been still.  Stoupini is in Port Townsend, and even the gossip has come to a halt.  Shinny said the Christmas cookies needed to be eaten so Kadizzle plowed into them.  The Crazy Club may shut down for January.  Crazy people will be roaming the streets with no where to go.  Wait, that has always been the case.

Cliff is out hiking today with the new boss in AZ.  Little Mike has been worn down and is taking a break.  Mrs Kadizzle will kick some ass and the loppers will be in the hands of the choppers next week. 

Will it flood in Hazen this spring?  With the huge piles of snow everywhere the chances of water problems seem good.  If the perfect disaster comes look out.  If the ground is frozen, full of moisture, and it warms up too quickly rivers will run.  If Montana sends a good load the lake will come up and the good ship will be able to get into the back bays.

Trusting experience

Has this happened to you? Someone tells you to do something that seems wrong, dangerous, or just not right, and what do you do?  Kadizzle remembers one of these experiences with Kee Chee.  Kee Chee was an old Indian in Canyon De Chelly.  Strangely Kadizzle met the niece of Kee Chee about two months ago some 20 years after Kadizzle went up the canyon with Kee Chee.

Kee Chee was an Indian guide. You cannot go into the canyon unless you hire a guide. Kee Chee told Kadizzle to drive into the river.  This was a bit strange, but Kadizzle thought we would cross the river in the Toyota Tundra.  No, Kee Chee told Kadizzle to turn and drive up the river.  This seemed wrong.  Kadizzle inquired with Kee Chee if indeed he heard him correctly.  Chee explained that the bottom of the river was perfectly flat and all sand.  It appeared to be that way.  So in about two inches of water we drove up the river with no problems.  Must have been an old Indian trick.  Kee Chee said you could not drive up the river if it was dry you would sink in the sand. Everyone has seen this phenomenon at the beach.

So what is the point?  Well sometimes in life you have to just trust someone.  Of course many times this may go wrong.  How do you decide who to trust?  It is strange that often we trust people we do not know more than someone we have known a long time.   When you get on a plane you trust the pilot, who may have just come from a bar, but you trust him.  Doctors are the most dangerous people in general to trust.

Once upon a time Kadizzle was a student in college in West Virginia.  Two dolts paid by the college led out outdoor recreation class.  The dolts took us on a trip to Cooper's Rocks to repel the 900 ft rock face.  Now the two dolts had talked a good game, and Kadizzle assumed the dolts had some actual repelling experience.  At the top of the repel Kadizzle was a bit concerned about the tree the dolts were using for an anchor, but figured the dolts must know what they are doing.  One of the dolts was a pretty fat guy.   Kadizzle asked the fat guy leader if he was going to go down the repel line next.  This is when the fat guy who was telling everyone how to do it replied, " No, I have never done this before".   The dolts had just read about repelling, and only knew what was in the book.  The fat dolt said he was scared just standing there.  Kadizzle went down the rock face, and the dolt teaching the class climbed back down the trail.  So the moral of the story is the old line about don't assume anything.

Every six months

The doctoring is done and the news is good.  Old Kadizzle will continue on the planet.  The good news is the PSA is at zero, which means either the prostate cancer is gone or it cannot find a new home.  In a body this size it should be able to find a new home, of course it may not want to live in a fat neighborhood.

Saturday morning the laws of physics will lift us into the air and we will head to Arizona.  Just imagining the door of the plane opening into 55 degree weather is a comforting thought.  Once back at the Earth Module there will be no more television, good sound system, or snow.  Long hot showers will be a thing left in Hazen.  The humming birds will no doubt be glad to see us and we will be able to hear the coyotes under the window.

Coal Mining Blues

Coal Mining Blues.  Kadizzle started his career way back when Kentucky didn't have any union men.  Not really, but it seems that long ago when Kadizzle used to get up from bed at night, and get ready for the midnight shift.  Way up the little valley in the hills past Benwood  Kadizzle would head to the mine.  The mine was just a change house, some small offices, and mainly a shaft.  As mines progress new shafts are put down to get people to work.  Otherwise you would spend a lot of time riding underground just to get to where you will remove the coal.  Kadizzle can remember so well sitting in the cool evening air waiting to hop on the elevator and go down to the mine.  All the miners sat around dressed in filthy cloths with their headlamps on. Coal mines run on time.  If you are not at the bottom of that shaft when the man trip comes you don't get another chance. Just go home unpaid.  Kadizzle was always amazed by the elevators that took miners down to the depths.  The amazing thing is they are identical to elevators in a big office building.  The inside of the elevator is a nice stainless steel finish and the button panel is just the same. Only one problem, you do not get to select the floor you will get off on.  There is only one button, and that takes you to the basement.  In the basement it is a whole different world. The mantrip is there to take you back into the mine where the coal is cut.  Eight hours later you emerge, go up the elevator, and try to wash the coal dust off.  It never works. Your body is permeated with coal dust.  In the shower room you scrub, and scrub, but when you go  to the bar people know you are a coal miner by the raccoon eyes you have from the coal dust under your eyelids.

Festivus

Today is scheduled for the great Festivus celebration.  Festivus will require a lot of work.  Snow is piled everywhere.  Just getting down to the creek will be a lot of shoveling.  More firewood needs to be gathered, but if all goes well the celebration will go forward.

Ticklepinch is stuck out in the country with her mom, and dad, so who knows it may just be the old Grandparents.  The deck has snowed in again and the big question is can the garbage truck make it down the street.

This is the first year in twenty years the Kadizzles put up a real Christmas tree.  Taking it down should be relatively simple.  Perhaps Kadizzle can convince the boss to toss it in the Festivus fire today.

Before long we will head back to the warm life in Arizona.  No more endless hot showers and a few other amenities will be missed, but warm sunlight  is a fair trade.  No television in the wild.  That is a good thing. Sleeping with the windows open, a good thing.  No noise, the silence of the desert.

Waves of snow

Well boys and girls we are awake in North Dakota.  Ah, yes, a blizzard.  So look out the window.  Mate is going nuts worrying about one blizzard thing and another.  Her favorite is worrying about the vent for the furnace plugging.  Next she just transferred that thinking to the dryer vent.  The front door is just about the same height as the drift in front of it.  The back porch Kadizzle just cleaned a few days ago is back to it't original condition.

Inside coffee is brewing, and NPR is blasting on the radio.  Festivus is scheduled for Tomorrow and the dig out will take a massive effort.  The wood pile is not high enough and more wood will be needed.

There will be nothing like the year we are about to enter.  A crazy man has been elected president.  Trump is so unpredictable it is hopeless to figure what he will fix or mess up.  It is like going to the monkey cage at the zoo.  Of  course the old Trumpster has put his other favorite monkeys in the cage with him.  Giving an insane, egotistical, delusional, man control of nuclear weapons, the economy, and congress is going to be a sled ride we will not forget.  Most of us have tried controlling a drunk, now we will have a man drunk on power.  If we are lucky he will play golf and let lesser idiots try to manage the government.

Sometimes good things can accidentally happen.  What if an old abandoned building burns down in the middle of town.  If a new building or park takes it's place the tragedy was not so bad.  Trump could have the effect of educating people.  Sometimes a car wreck inspires people to drive safely.  Right away we will see the brakes come off as the Republicans try to destroy years of social progress as fast as they can. The current plan calls for throwing as many people into poverty as possible.  Tax breaks for the rich in and of themselves can accomplish this, but old Trump will include the destruction of social security and medicare.  The poor white trash that voted for the Donald will have fun once the food stamps evaporate.  Starving granny by taking away her social security will be fun to watch.  The military gang will be provided with so much money and so many new toys their heads will spin with joy. Christmas will be every day at the Pentagon.  We are only days away from the beginning of the Apocalypse.  But then again, maybe the trainers can restrain the monkey.  Maybe some Republicans will see the disaster Trump will try to bring on and stop it.  Maybe it will just take a little longer for the Republican party to implode than people think.  It will be a good show, and we will all have a front row seat.

Mazatal Wilderness

About a week ago the trail crew hopped in the Forest Service Truck and set out to check the Deercreek trailhead in the Mazatal Wilderness.  Once you leave the four lane highway that leads from Phoenix to Payson you are suddenly in a different world.  The Forest Service provides us with a 3/4 ton truck, which is too big for some of the roads that hang on cliffs in the Mazatal Wilderness.  Cissie was a bit apprehensive, but old Kadizzle is an experienced hillbilly road driver and cut his teeth on the mud roads of West Virginia.  Last year the Forest Service turned us around at the last minute when we started to venture back into the outback.   As we drove out there this year Kadizzle could see they made a good decision last year.  Once that road gets wet or snow it would be hopeless.  The Forest Service said last year they did not want to have to rescue us.  This year the road was dry and the surface was fine.  Once we made the 17 mile journey we finally came to the end of the road at the trail head.  Our supervisor had sent us on this mission because he received a report of trees down on the trail.  Sure enough there were plenty of trees on the trail.  Kadizzle used the huge handsaw and dealt with the first tree.  The second tree was a different story.  Cliff and Kadizzle struggled for over an hour to dislodge the tree from the trail.  Since the Forest Service does not permit any motorized equipment in the wilderness we could not simply use a chain saw and cut the tree.  Instead we improvised.  With rocks and a lever and inch by inch we moved the tree.  It was a big tree.  Well if the roads have not iced up or the snow has not fallen when we get back to Arizona we may attack the trail once more.  This time we will take a few extras tools like a winch and a hydraulic jack.

Ticklepinch

Ticklepinch spent the night at the other Grandpa's so old Kadizzle awoke to a calm home.  Yesterday the little neutron ate a couple Christmas cookies and it was game on. Kadizzle had to chase, tickle, and rumble with Sylvie for hours.  Then the time finally came to open the presents.  The little princess was delighted with what she got, but she has no idea the surprise she is in for when she gets home.  For months Sylvie has been begging for a set of gymnastic bars.  So parents and grandparents with weak willpower submitted and the gym set is in the basement back home.  If it wears the energy bug down it will be worth the insane price.  The energy bug inherited a few things from Granny.  The nuclear power is one of the genetic gifts from granny.  Sylvie has endless energy and strength.   Hiking up in the mountains is no problem for this kid.  Also the girl inherited her grannies fascination for the weather.  So grandma got her a little weather station that will constantly tell her the temperature outside.

Old Kadizzle was not as fortunate as the young Sylvie.  A family with nine children has limited resources, but God must have had a heart.  Kadizzle had an Aunt Agnes that worked with her husband at a famous toy factory.  Does it get any better than having an aunt and uncle that work at a toy factory.  One thing that would happen before Christmas was a trip to Aunt Agnes basement.  There one would see a marvelous display of toys.  Somehow Agnes keyed in on what opened your eyes the widest.  Magically those toys would appear under the tree Christmas morning.

As Hazen experiences a blizzard it will be hard to motivate Kadizzle to go out on the creek and gather more firewood for Festivus, but only time will tell if he becomes brave enough to go out today.

New Hat under developement

Now more than ever our country needs a good tin foil hat. The market research department of Kadizzle enterprises realized there is a strong demand for tin foil hats since the Trump election.  Several models are under consideration.  First is the Trump hat with " Make America Great Again" on it.  The problem is where to put the tin foil, as a liner, or on the outside?  This version would look like the typical baseball cap.  Another version being considered is the Klan style which simply comes to a point.

The hats are expected to sell well to the right wing crowd.  A lot of crazy ideas are floating around in the heads of the Trump crowd.  The trick is to keep them in.  Also many Trump supporters fear information may penetrate their skulls which makes them feel like they made a big mistake.  The hat will keep that information out.

Now that Trump is considering starting a nuclear arms race the hat should protect wearers from the radiation that is sure to flourish.

Eloise.

Grandpa and Ticklepinch are having a great time watching Eloise.  Eloise reminds Grandpa so much of Sylvie.  So here we sit in Hazen enjoying the freezing 4 degrees.  Fran cooked up a wonderful meal for everyone at the Bodine country home.  Bodines are slowly pouring in.  It is not unusual for 24 people ot be staying in their home for Christmas.  Of course they have the mother of all dinners.  It takes a couple of big tables end to end to seat everyone, and massive amounts of food is cooked and consumed.  We ran into Peggy at the grocery store with a cart overflowing with food.

Peggy is Fran's mom, and one of Kadizzle's heroes.  Peggy is a staunch Catholic, but she would correct the Pope if she thought he was wrong.  On several occasions Peggy has corrected the priest in her church after a sermon.  Peggy plays the piano in church, so she is in the ideal position to spread the gospel according to Peggy.  Before the election the priest had the audacity to promote Trump for president.  After finishing her song on the piano Peggy got up and gave the Democratic view to the congregation.  This is not the first time Peggy has pointed out that God is not a Republican too the congregation.

Well got to go now,  Eloise is locked in a locker in the basement and the marraige she is trying to stop looks like it is going forward.  The tension is building.

Undetectable.

Undetectable, ah what a good word.  The PSA check today said there were no detectable antigens.  Now, that is good news for Kadizzle, and perhaps a curse for the rest of the world.  Once you get the dreaded cancer you live in six month increments.  The nasty little cancer cells may be roaming your body looking for a new home.  Discrimination is good in this case. Most neighborhoods will not welcome the cancer cells, however the little devils are clever. Once they realize they are getting no where, then they may decide that a disguise is needed. This is called mutation.  So all it takes is one cell getting smart and the game is on again. So far so good.  We all have to die from something, and Kadizzle would prefer something besides cancer.  Kadizzle has always wished to die from acute prosperity.   Unless lightening strikes that will be unlikely, and anyway we don't really lack for anything.

So here we sit in the arctic shoveling snow for entertainment.  The little Ticklepinch is back for Christmas and should show up within the hour.  The young gymnast is out at the other grandpas right now.  Sylvie has been pleading for an expensive gymnastics bar to work out in her basement.  Between the grandparents and the regular parents it looks like it will happen. Sylvie is so full of energy it should be a great investment. As is it seems impossible for her to stay upright. Constantly she is doing a cartwheel or a handstand.  If the gift manages to drain her down to a reasonable energy level it may be a good investment.  Granny is the one that put the energy gene into little Ticklepinch. Granny must be hiking, biking, or doings some physical activity every moment of the day.  Grandpa on the other hand has perfected idleness.

Hopefully grandpa will get enough gumption to start preparing for Festivus.  It appears there is a lot of snow on the creek and a lot of shoveling will be required.  Then there is the wood to gather. Over the past years we have burnt the easy stuff, so wood may have to be dragged a long way.  Well maybe tomorrow will bring enough good weather to make a go of it.

Johnny, a remarkable man

Up the street so to speak lives Johnny.  By up the street Kadizzle means two camp sites to the East.  Johnny lumbered in about a month ago in his old motor home that looks like it has fought many battles.  Johnny is 87 and has probably shrunk by several inches.  Johnny doesn't have a mean bone in his body, and to top it off he is a good liberal.  Johnny comes down from Alaska in his motor home to spend the winter at Lake Roosevelt.  There is something unique about Johnny and that is why the Forest Service values Johnny.  Johnny was there when the 40 million dollars was spent to build the place.  Johnny knows where every wire and sewer line runs, and he remembers.  Johnny is a portable set of blue prints.  So the employees can put Johnny in the truck and drive anywhere with confidence they can dig down and hit a pipe where Johnny says it is.

On just about any day Johnny will drive by ten times suffering from boredom.  Johnny has a little white poodle or whatever it is named Bessie. Bessie rides beside Johnny with her paws on the dashboard or her head out the window.  Bessie knows English as a second language.  In the summer Johnny loves to fish for salmon, which he brings down for everyone.  We had a great salmon dinner courtesy   of Johnny.

What set Kadizzle on this train of thought was how much Johnny contributes.  At 87 you cannot swing an axe or dig with a shovel, but the other day Kadizzle went into the shop and there was Johnny.  Johnny was straightening up, and sorting bolts.  How many people do you know 87 that are volunteers and get their ass out of bed and go work for the greater good.  Johnny is the only one Kadizzle knows.  May my old girlfriend who is 93 has a lot of spark.  She is in the nursing home, and having a good time harassing everyone while no doubt she is cackling up a storm. Kadizzle does not plan to live so long, but if he does maybe he can have the energy of Johnny, or May. 

Polar Bears looking in the window

Back in the arctic it seems like any minute a polar bear might peer in the window.  Walking out to board the tiny cigar tube in Denver that brought us to Bismarck we had our first taste of the white powder.  Of course in Bismarck the roads were terrible and snow was blowing.  No in a mood to have a crash Kadizzle drove like what he is, and old man.

The house in Hazen just does not want to warm up.  After huffing and puffing the furnace struggled to get the house up to 63 degrees.  No more walking out the door at night in underwear to water the flowers.  No more roasting in the sun reading The New Yorker.  Humming birds will not be coming to the feeder at the window.

Now our task will be to buy unnecessary crap for Christmas and prepare for Festivus on the creek.  Of course as we sit here having coffee the assistant is still going through tons of mail that came while we were gone.  A few nice surprises like checks out of nowhere, and of course all kinds of nickle and dime bills.  By Thursday the little Ticklepinch will be here jumping around like a wild Mexican jumping bean.

Mate has been obsessed with buying a home in Payson, Arizona.  Being at the only home we do have Kadizzle realizes what a big yard we have after seeing houses placed on postage stamps in Arizona.  Space around a home is nice.  Our view back in Arizona is unbeatable.  We look out over the lake and mountains, and if one was a little inventive you could see the cliff dwellings behind us.  Now we see a white sheet of snow in every direction.  In about an hour Kadizzle will have his first taste of the winter blast.

What could possibly go Wrong? A Trump voter finds out.

The window was open all night and it went down to a terrible 39 degrees.  Sleeping in cold air is great.  Tomorrow we can sleep at the insane temperatures in North Dakota if we please.  Mate is in the midst of purchasing a gift for the holiday season.

Now a thought has trickled into the brain of Kadizzle.  What happens when you set out to do something and get a result you never dreamed of?   Today we are all awake in a country that elected Donald Trump.  This video will make you pee your pants laughing, but it illustrates so well what Trump voters have done. Things go terribly wrong for a Trump voter

Just an Update

Wind rarely blows here, but it is currently going nuts. The salvation is the temperature is in the fifties.  The Forest Service Christmas party was yesterday, a lot of good food, and the big boss was following his tradition of playing Christmas carols on the violin.  Also the strange gift exchange took place.  Each person picks a gift from under the tree, one person at a time.  The exchange system allows anyone to steal the gift from the person.  A gift can be stolen three times, then it is out of play.  If someone steals your gift, you take theirs, and on it goes.  The Kadizzles got a very nice gift, but it was stolen, and we ended up with maple syrup.  The process is complicated, but you get the idea.  What a tradition stealing at Christmas time.

The Christmas party is a chance to meet all the people who work for the Forest Service in the Tonto Basin. People range from fire fighters to volunteers.  People from every background are involved. We even have a Canadian volunteer.

On Monday the Kadizzles will return to the frozen north.  It will be shocking to say the least. Natives of this area have no clue what real cold is.  The rain and perhaps some snow on the mountains may get the streams running.  One of the great sights here is running water falls, etc.

Mate and Cliff will go to Globe.  Mate wants to buy some gifts from the Pickle Barrel.  Yesterday Cliff came over and we had a dominoes tournament.  Cliff turned out to be the champ.  We need to revive the Mexican Train domino game that is traditional among RV people. `

A few things I believe

Maybe you don't want to read this blog anymore.  Posted below is something Kadizzle ran across on Facebook.  It pretty well sums up a lot of Kadizzle's belief's.  Anyone who wants is welcome to oppose or try to change my beliefs.  There is one requirement, you must present me with scientific data, mathematical proof, or a compelling logical argument.  Otherwise Kadizzle intends to stick to the beliefs listed below.  Click on the picture to make it larger and more readable.

Deep in the Mazatal Mountains

Yesterday the trail crew got up early.  Driving into the Mazatal mountains is an undertaking.  The Forest Service provides us with a 3/4 ton Dodge Ram Truck.  The road into the Mazatal trail heads we wanted to reach is not much wider than the truck and a great deal of the road hangs on a cliff.  As Kadizzle drove the 20 miles into the mountian on the treachous road he thought " What in the hell happens if someone comes the ?".   Someone would have to back up. Going backwards on a cliff edge in a truck too large would not be good.  No one came, so we made it without incident.  The scenery was staggering.  It has taken Kadizzle years to realize just how rugged the Arizona mountains really are.  Kadizzle has traveled just about all of the U.S. including parts of Alaska.  There are many large mountains, but the ones in Arizona are vast and like saw teeth.  Last year when our crew tried to go back into the Mazatals the head of the fire crew quickly put an end to it.  Kadizzle understood why when we made the trip yesterday.  Yesterday the road was dry and the gate was open. Last year the gate was locked and we had to get the combination to go in.  Water or snow on that road would mean suicide.  So yesterday's lesson was never go there unless you have perfect conditions.

When we got to the trail head after a long scenic ride we found where someone cached water for the Arizona trail.  Back in this wilderness you quickly realize how brave and determined hikers on the Arizona trail are.  The people that hike that trail are by themselves miles and impossible miles from any kind of help. You cannot even land a helicopter in there.  At the trail head a flyer was posted about a man that disappeared in 2010.  The man's car was found, but the man has never been found. The flyer asked people to look for any remains of the man or his equipment.

Cliff and Kadizzle undertook the task of clearing some logs from the trail.  The first log was easy.  The second log required every kind of inventiveness we could muster.  Using only natural materials to make a lever, rocks and fallen trees were used to move the large tree that was over one hundred feet long.  After about an hour and a half we finally moved the tree from the trail.

One more time

Five A.M. once more.   One of the first things done in the Earth Module is the heat puff.  The Earth Module crew sleeps with the windows open, so the Earth Module is about 45 degrees when the crew awakes.  Heat from the furnace, the stove making coffee, and the electric heater all contribute to the heat pufff.  The Heat puff quickly gets the little Earth module up to 55 or 60.  Next Mate has to get the sandwiches made while Kadizzle get's his second update and gradually reaches an acceptable level of consciousnesses.

The Trail crew had dinner together last night.  Originally the plan was to have pizza, but the damn pizza place was closed so we had to go to the Butcher Hook to eat.  Cliff and Little Mike had liver and onions. Kadizzle took enough biology to know the liver is like an oil filter for an animal.  Kadizzle is not about to cut the oil filter out of an animal and fry it with onions.

Today it seems Cliff, wants to still get the Oak Flat trail done.  At this point that is the plan.  The plan may change when we are all in the truck.  This whole excursion takes about forty miles of rumbling on dirt roads.  Who in the hell made all the dirt roads all over the mountains of the southwest?  Making a road in the mountains is no easy task .   People must have been on a desperate search for lumber or minerals.  Only a jeep could have gone on most of the roads when they were at their best.

Little Mike has one of those breathing machines that pump air into him at night.  He is trying to run the thing on solar and his generator.  Hopefully he had a better night last night.  Yesterday he complained he had to get up in the middle of the night and start his generator.

On the motorcycle ride the other day Cliff and Kadizzle encountered a rancher.  Kadizzle inquired about the wildlife.  According to the rancher there are a lot of bear, and mountain lions around here.   Kadizzlle cannot figure why we never see any.  We have only seen one bear in six years.  Cliff and Little Mike said they saw a good mountain lion paw print up on Campaign Creek.  Shortly we will bust out the door, go over to the visitor center, trade the Toyota for the Government Truck, pick up Little Mike at his encampment, and be on our way up the mountain once again.  It will take us until 8:30 to get up there.  The Forest Service bunch all have the habit of starting work very early.  The big cheese will be in his office prior to our arrival and so will a few more.  They like to get to work in the early day to avoid the blasting heat.  This is essential in the summer, but in the winter it is just a carry over habit.  Hi, ho, ho, it is off to work we go.

Update on the Mountain.

Little Mike has never been in the mountains before and he was thrilled to ride to the top of the Four Peaks and hike down today on the trail crew.  Kadizzle went up from the bottom and worked on the footpath while Mate, Cliff, and Little Mike came down from the top.  It is a lot of hard work and the crew 63, 67,67, and 70 had to give in about 1:30.  Although Kadizzle thought he had the bases covered with the phone for communications, he forgot one critical connector.  So we tried the satellite communication system we carry. It worked, but all crew members need to practice.  It is not easy to type one letter at at time, and the navigation on the DeLorme could be better.

So now the crew will embark for pizza in Tonto Basin.  The pizza is good, but little Mike is finicky, Kadizzle will gobble it down with the help of Little Joey.  A pitcher of beer might be in order.  Cliff, and Mate claim they want to go back up to the top and do another day.   Tomorrow or tonight we will have to decide.

The weather here has been fantastic and it is hard to be homesick for North Dakota, but we will be back in the land of the protest, or the fight against the Black Snake as the warriors call it by Sunday.

A friend of Mrs. Kadizzle was killed today in a plane crash in Moab.  Sad to hear about.  The man was a professional pilot who sometimes hauled freight.  In the course of making an emergency landing he hit a power line.  Mate just recently went repelling with the Moab crew which included the pilot.  So life goes on and you never know what will happen next.

Assault on the Mountain.

We are up very early.  Sandwiches are being made, coffee is being consumed. The plan has not yet congealed.  The incomplete plan is to drive up to the top of Four Peaks as early as we can.  There we will discharge either two or three people.  Whomever gets assigned the task will hike from the top to the bottom of the Oak Flat trail. If God is willing the brushing on the trail will get done today.  Little Mike has never been up to the top and will surely be thrilled with the hike.  Big Mike more than likely will be the pickup man at the bottom.  The sun will not be up for another hour.  A goal of the trail crew has been to get the Oak Flat trail done. It may happen today.   Stay tuned for the outcome.

Old Man rides motorcycle to the top of Everest

Cliff and Kadizzle busted our way to the top of the mountain.  The good old Yamaha took Kadizzle to the top of about 7,000 foot mountain.  It was a nasty, nasty ride. An earlier attempt failed, but that was with the old tires. Jeff said the new tires would make a big difference and he was right.  At one point the cycle shot off the road, but the recovery was successful.  The blasted road was so steep it was just as bad going down.  The trouble going down on the loose gravel and loose big rocks is a disaster because in first gear the rear wheel locks up.  Second gear is too fast and the cycle tends to stall.

The view from up there is spectacular. Below is a crash picture from last year.

Things could get worse

The Day Unfolds

Normally we are up at 5 A.M.  Today the gang did not get out of bed until daylight.  Sunday is off to a start with two cups of coffee.  Kadizzle wandered over to Cliff's for the morning bullshit session.  Now the big problem, what to do?  Cliff wants to go for a ATV ride into the mountains.  Kadizzle would not mind doing the same.  The problem is how to provide transportation for the princess.  Cliff is returning from his morning foray to the work-site restroom.  Mate just popped out the door to consult with Cliff.

The real estate hunt in Payson never ends.  Yesterday we were going to purchase a lot for sure, today Mrs. Kadizzle is considering a condominium.  So it goes.

Spent a good part of yesterday sprucing up the "Yard".   Yard work in Arizona involves destroying weeds and grass trying to come up through the rock.  In our little Shangrala overlooking the lake we must keep up appearances for the neighbors.  Can't spell Shang gra la.  So just live with it.  The spell checker does not have a clue.  Mate has been talking about camping out on the ground as part of our trail work.  There has not been a lot of enthusiasm.

Everyday we work with hand tools, loppers, rakes, hand saws, and other trail tools.  Can you imagine Donald Trump working?  It would probably be a good bet that the Donald has not touched anything with a handle except a toilet in his life.

A path to Freedom

Roberto wanted the Trail Crew to put an abandoned overgrown path back into service.  So Kadizzle and Mate armed themselves with some serious tools and continued to blast and hack the salt cedar trees that were overtaking the path.  Paths are interesting, often they go somewhere, sometimes they go nowhere, and sometimes they take you back where you started.

Mate wants to launch on a new path.  She wants to buy a lot in Payson and build a house. Seems late in life to build a new home, but such is life.  The blizzards in North Dakota are making it unlivable.  Payson is at an elevation that makes the hot summers in Arizona more tolerable.  In theory one could live in Payson comfortably most of the year.  Payson is surrounded by national forest, so land is at a premium.  A lot about the size of the one we have in Hazen will go for twelve times what we paid for the lot in Hazen.  The house and lot in Hazen combined were less than what they want for a lot in Payson.  Inflation and the New World Order account for the increase.

The big question is what will happen to the economy?  Will it nose dive when the insanity starts full bore in Washington, or will it do OK as people figure we will just have to live through the insanity?   The Southwest is plagued with water shortages.  It will only get worse.  According to the Payson propaganda Payson will be OK.  Payson has access to a mountain reservoir which is supposed to insure plenty of water for the gulf courses.  In fact they have a plan to waste some water just to prove the point.  Water is one thing, fire is another.  You can stay in North Dakota and freeze to death or you can go to Arizona and burn to death with no water.  Of course our new regime says no problem.  There is no climate problem, the tree huggers just made it all up.  Tell that to the polar bears.

Cheer Up

Shanika called from North Dakota to complain that the Kadizzle Blog was too depressing yesterday, so perhaps today we need Cheer Up news.  Well we are snug as a bug in the rug in the Earth Module.  Up at five A.M.  Mate is making the coffee the heaters warmed the joint up quickly.  No doubt the sun will be out and it will warm up nicely.   The crew will gather and we will continue to restore the trail at the Vineyard Picnic Area.

Cheech is in her new home in Philadelphia and her company had the mother of all Christmas parties with acrobats swinging from the ceiling.  Sylvie hit the jackpot once again when Kadizzle's sister Patty sent Sylvie a package of artist supplies.  No one live the gifted life little Sylvie does.  As an only child with too many adoring relatives Sylvie need only snap her fingers and her desire is fulfilled.  On top of this her mom is a soft touch along with her dad.

So sadness or depression is only a state of mind.  Being healthy is a good starting point.  Awakening there was no pain, and all bodily functions seemed normal.  Being happy is always helped by something good to look forward to. Mate is making peanut butter and banana sandwiches which will be great for lunch. Next week we head home to celebrate Festivas the holiday for the rest of us.  The Festivas celebration will be held on the creek by the house as usual.  Everyone is invited.  As usual the Festivas celebration will involve a huge fire built on the ice.  Building a fire on ice seems counter productive, but the symbolism is important.  One would think the fire would melt the ice and put itself out.  This does not happen.  The fire burns for hours.  The lesson is you can never predict how things will turn out.  So here we go heading toward 2017.  Who knows how the new experiment with an insane man for president will turn out, but let us be optimistic.

Hard to be Motivated

Yesterday Mate and Kadizzle took on a task.  Roberto asked the trail crew to re-establish some trails by a roadside picnic area.  First we tried to find where the old trail went, then we proceeded to clear the brush and re-make the foot path.  Whacking away at nasty thorns and bramble bushes the mind began to churn.  Why was Kadizzle cutting his arms to shreds to clear a trail Donald Trump and the Republicans would do everything in their power to destroy?  How many people have fought and are still fighting for clean air, clean water,  decent neighborhoods, and all the things good only to have Trump destroy them?  Trump wants to get rid of public lands.  Public lands are what we work on every day so everyone can enjoy them, not just the rich.. Trump wants to destroy the EPA.  The EPA makes the rivers clean enough so you can swim in them, drink the water from them, and allow them to be used for fishing, irrigation, and recreation.  Trump wants to destroy HUD.   Making the poor live in misery does no one any good.  Creating poverty creates crime.

How are you going to motivate volunteers when you have a government that is only concerned about a select few?  How do you motivate people to do work when the government itself is trying to destroy what you seek to accomplish?  The amazing thing is the shear spectrum of what Trump wants to destroy.  Trump has appointed a woman who wants to destroy public education and replace it with charter schools.  Charter schools really mean crazy religious schools, don't kid yourself.  What parent will try to work to provide for the public schools while Trump's gang tries to destroy them?  What about teaching kids science, and about ecology?  When the president appoints people who simply do not believe in science to run the government, how do you teach kids scientific facts, and scientific research?   How do you teach Boy Scouts to be honorable people when you have a president that lies at every whim?  How do you accomplish anything when for a role model you have a greedy, self centered, narcissist running the country?  On and on it goes.  Everything that has gone forward will now be set back by years.  Very sad.

Writing Quickly

Kadizzle does not get paid for this BS.  The net result is some pretty quick typing, and mistake making.  This morning Kadazzle read what he wrote yesterday.  It was the first review.  The writing seemed like it had been done by someone who has English as a second language.  A little editing would not hurt.

Today it will only be Kadizzle and Mate on the crew. Cliff and Little Mike wore themselves out yesterday on Campaign Creek.  The plan today so far is to go up the Tule Trail and put up a Forest Service sign.  As the day goes on the plan may change.

Parachute operation a scuccess

Yesterday the trail crew of three headed up to Peter Bigfoot's and Campaign creek trail.   After a session with Mr. Bigfoot whereby we put in an order for vegetables we headed up the trail.  The mission had sent Cliff on the bypass trail.  Little Mike and Big Mike went the other way and made the stop at Bigfoot's.   The arrangement was to meet Cliff where the trails rejoined.  Time went on and Cliff did not show up.  With a little concern Little Mike was sent back down the bypass trail to find Cliff.  Big Mike went ahead clearing as he went.  Too much time went by and neither Cliff nor Little Mike caught up.  Big Mike began to be concerned something might have happened to Cliff.  While all this was doing on suddenly one then another well armed helicoptered came down the steep valley at treetop level.  It seemed to be a maneuver to keep from being detected.  In the valley the silence is so suddenly broken by low flying aircraft.

Well our crew finally got back together when Kadizzle hiked back and found Cliff and Little Mike.   Cliff said the bypass was heavily overgrown and he got slowed down way more than we had expected.  After clearing about to miles of trail we headed back to Bigfoots.   Bigfoot has a nice orchard with an incredible variety of fruit trees.   Kadizzle had no idea pomegranates would grown in Arizona, but there was a whole tree of ripe pomegranates.  Little Mike had never seen or eaten one, so we picked a ripe one for him.  Bigfoot harvested some nice lettuce, Kohlrabi carrots, and beets.  Later Cliff made a nice salad. Kadizzle dipped some carrots in peanut butter.  So that was the health food extravaganza.

Now back to the helicopters.   As we drove back to the Earth module we could see the C 130 flying around in circles.   This meant there was a parachute drop in the lake.  This is right outside the window of the Earth Module.  So Kadizzle got to eat his carrots while he watched the two helicopters that had sneaked down the valley earlier extract the soldiers from the lake.   It would seem one would just go down with the helicopter and pick up the guys in the raft, but that is not the case.  There is endless buzzing and swirling, and false passes.  The C 130 stays above and burns up tax dollars.  In the end the helicopters plucked the guys out.  Sometimes these exercises go on for a week or so.   Sometimes they are all done in the dark so you can hear the air machines, but not see them.

Cliff and Little Mike already have headed up to Campaign Creek to clear more trail this morning.  Kadizzle has to go get the supreme leader at the airport in Phoenix.  So that is the way it is at Lake Roosevelt.  A little cloudy, but no blizzard or snow like North Dakota.  Praise be unto Jeeeeus.

New Tires

Jeff promised it would be a different world with new tires on the cycle beast.  Off over the mountain Cliff and Kadizzle headed to test the theory.  Now, two things are possible, the tires did make a big difference, or the road is better than it has been.  Anyway Cliff and Kadizzle made it up and over the mountain through some fantastic country few get to see.  One thing Kadizzle is sure of is that you can only make the trip one way on a motorcycle.  The road is so steep going down on the backside that there is no way you could go up.  You go down in a controlled slide.  Cliff was nervous with his four wheeler going down.

So back at the encampment Kadizzle sits in solitude.  Cliff has come over for some long involved conversations ranging from the mundane to the spiritual. Cliff took off to see Kenny in Globe. Kenny is in the final stages of cancer and may not be on this planet in another week or two.  Sad to see people struck down with cancer.  Our insane country spends trillions on the military when the real enemy is cancer.

So far it looks like a wonderful sunny day is going to emerge.  Maybe another jaunt through the wilderness on the cycle.  OK, for your special buzz click on the link below.  This brought joy to the trail crews hearts.
https://gearjunkie.com/national-forest-system-trails-stewardship-act?utm_source=Gear+Junkie+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=b02628fd3c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4761d8db2c-b02628fd3c-4846257

The Truth disappeared

A new age has emerged.  The Truth along with ice sheets has melted.  Donald Trump told a screaming crowd of his idiots he won by a landslide.  They believed him even though Clinton had 2.5 million more votes than The Donald.  On it goes, the man lies constantly and every day, yet his followers act as if the lying doesn't matter or is not happening.  As a society we have reached a new dangerous point.  We are now in a society where truth is determined by polls.  Is there gravity?  Of course not, if a lot of people think there is not gravity, then there is no gravity. That is the new world.  This all seems so strange until you remember religion. Religion is one giant fantasy.  However, people chose to believe any nonsense imaginable in the name of religion. Once you leave the factual world all things are possible.  You can kill someone because they do not believe like you do. You can hate someone because their facts are different from yours.  On it goes and chaos ensues.  So here we are 2016 with a man who will lead us that has absolutely no respect for the truth.  At any moment the truth is what he wants it to be.  This is the man who lied about Obama being born in Kenya.  Trump even admitted he lied about Obama.  Does this matter? No.  When you lie and tell people what they want to hear so you can bilk them you are a cheap stump preacher.  No one has mastered the role of cheap stump preacher like Trump.  Look at all the crooked preachers making millions and you will see Trump.  The art of telling people the lie they want to hear is Trump's greatest talent.  As our country goes down the drain the first thing into the sewer is the truth.  We do not want to know the truth about the poverty rate in our country.  We don't want to know the truth about our health care system, our educational system, and on it goes.  Just tell us you will make us great again as you shovel favors to your friends.  No lie is too big, too obvious, to mean, for Donald Trump.  We have walked through a door that may slam shut behind us and leave us in a new world we have never been in before, a world of fantasy and magic and we voted for the magician because his tricks are so much fun to believe.

A bun in the Oven

To the delight of the family Cheech is with child and the bun in the oven will be baked by February.  Men do not partake in baby showers so Kadizzle is enjoying the solitude of the Earth Module. The ruler of the universe is in New York for the Baby Shower.  Cliff will come by shortly to escort us to the fish fry at Ma's.  Jeff generously put Kadizzle's new tires on the wild steed motorcycle so it is now ready to take on the wild.

Back from the fish fry.  Very good fish, slaw, and baked potato for $8.85.  Little Mike of the trail crew went with us.  Little Mike is learning the art of hiking and Kadizzle just gave him the run down on what he should wear and have in his pack.  If some decent weather pops up the plan is for Cliff, Jeff, and Big Mike to go on an expedition over the mountain on a very bad road.  The new he man tires will be put to the test. Jeff swears up and down with the new tires all things will be possible.  Jeff is a very good rider and may enter some local races.  So as the evening winds down Kadizzle will be left to his own vices and will enjoy the solitude perhaps with a glass of his favorite wine.  Goodnight from Lake Wobegon, or I mean Lake Roosevelt.

If the Devil invented a plant.

The Arizona trail goes from the Border with Mexico to the Utah border.  Our trail crew works on part of the trail, and trails that provide access to the Arizona trail.  Yesterday we worked on a segment of the AZ trail.  There is something joyful about busting down a big mean cactus in the name of making the trail better. The worst cactus is the jumping Choi.  No cactus is more evil or nasty.  The cactus grows little barbs on the end of it's very sharp needles.  The cactus grows special little bulbs on the end of each protuberance.  The little ball seems to jump onto you with the slightest touch.  For cattle, horses, or dogs, nothing is worse.

Mate will go to Megan's baby shower in New York today.  Poor old Kadizzle will be left behind to walk in circles with no instructions.  Cliff will still be here across the way and perhaps Cliff and Kadizzle will go to the fish fry, or have breakfast out.

It looks like a fairly warm, hopefully sunny day.  The people in North Dakota are having fun with the cold and the water protectors are protecting frozen water.