A Pet Post

An absolutely drop-dead gorgeous day.  In October!  Had a splendid walk with the hounds.

The Lindstrom pack patrols the airport perimeter.  With Mischief and Hope on the job...nothing can possibly go wrong....

The kitty has now settled in well.  Hope ignores her.  Mischief annoys the kitty.  Then the kitty annoys Mischief.  They were all appreciative of the afternoon sun streaming through the window.

Kitty...otherwise unnamed..but whom I have begun to refer to as "Zelda". 

 Mischief weighs about 12 pounds.  Zelda about 3 pounds. They are about evenly matched at the moment.  Mischief is going to be seriously disappointed as time goes on...

So there you have it... 

Company - And a New Edition to the Family

Eric's mom and brother came in from Anchorage last Friday.  Kenny left this morning but Janice will be visiting for another week.

I think everyone has had a good time.  Ham dinner last night.  Mother and sons engaged in several bouts of poker.

From left to right:  Janice, Eric, Hidy and Kenny

On another matter, Hidy has acquired a new friend of the feline persuasion.  Which is to say I, too, have a new feline pal.  Name yet to be determined.  But she is making herself comfortable.  She's only 12 weeks old but can already hold her own with Mischief who ultimately, I expect, will be smaller than the cat.  But they're already buddies.  Hope is curious and I expect within days will be on amicable terms with the new arrival.

 New kid on the block.  Meow!

A Pinch of This and a Dash of That

It's been a pretty slow week.  I've done lots of cooking and doing more today.  Beef stew for the elders is in the oven.

Poor auntie fell drawing her drapes the other day.  No real harm done; but just one more indication that she should not be living alone.  I invited her out to my place for a few days but she demurred.  Sigh...

My boarder, Eric, has been promoted to General Manager of the Breakwater Inn.  He's got his hands full.  There is a new owner determined to clean-up the place (it's been a junkie infested den for a number of years);  but it will be a long hard slog. 

On the other hand, the wheeling-and-dealing aspects of the job suit Eric to a "T" - and he has already made some noteworthy improvements.  The filthy and malodorous carpet in the lobby is gone and has been replaced with a very tasteful faux marble floor.  The lobby has been repainted and most of the dubious and dirty quasi nautical artifacts given an unceremonious heave-ho.

And if you wonder why I'm telling you all this it's because one of my pictures will soon be above the front desk.  If it comes back from the printer's OK...

Love them fall colors.

If that one turns out OK...we may add others.  

The first Democratic presidential debate is tomorrow night.  I might actually watch it...Bernie has never had real national exposure before and I'm curious to see how he plays it.  

I got a call from a Clinton fundraiser a couple of nights ago.  I said I was supporting Bernie for the moment.  They couldn't get off the phone fast enough...very unusual for a political solicitation.

The End of the 2015 Gardening Season

With one exception, the rock garden, the 2015 gardening season is now officially over and the garden has been put to bed for The Dark Time.  I spared the rock garden simply because a couple of sedum are desperately trying to bloom.  I will need only about two hours of non-wet weather to put the rock garden to sleep so I'm willing to take the chance.

It was an interesting year.  May was the driest on record in this burg and the garden got off to a wonderful start.  This was a good thing.  Because June was much wetter than normal and July the wettest on record.  August was slightly wetter than normal and September nothing to brag about.  On the other hand, we're ending on a high note with five days of beautiful October sunshine.  It is almost a true fall.  Although the statistics argue against it, I feel like it was a pretty good gardening year.

So...a few final garden pics.

C'mon baby...you can do it!  A sedum struggles to bloom before a serious frost (we've had two non-serious frosts already)

This guy nailed it...just in time.

All the perennials have been cut down and the annuals tossed.

All secure 'til next spring.

 The buckets still look festive.  Ho!  Ho!  Ho!

The Barney Bench will keep an eye out...

But on a serious note.  I owe an apology to the resident porcupine whom I have cursed roundly for another assault on my apple tree.  Upon inspection, I have concluded that Yogi - not Porky - is the culprit.  The stove pipe you see (below) was tightly bound around the victim with many, many plastic ties.  I thought it impenetrable by even the most ferocious porcupine in these here parts.  The pipe was ripped-off with great violence.

The plot thickens on this whodunnit.

Upon a closer inspection by a completely untrained forensic examiner, it was noted that TWO large branches, both exceeding two inches in diameter, were severed from the main trunk.  The evidence suggests that the perp must have been in excess of 70 pounds and probably snapped the defenseless limbs either on the climb up, or the climb down from the victim.  The fattest porcupine seen in this neck of the woods of late couldn't have been more than 40 pounds.

But circumstantial evidence strongly points to Yogi as the perpetrator.

Sigh...what can you do?  At least the NRA is not yet arguing that bears have the right to arm.

Company Gone - Will Bob Return?

Bob Chapman left yesterday for home.  I very much enjoyed his company and I think his brother, John, sister-in-law, Cindy, and Uncle Don Milnes enjoyed his visit too.  John and I are working on him to make the move back to the ol' hometown.  He was non-committal but did not say "No".

Here are a couple of pics of the Chapman boys and Cindy I took at John's place.

 Bob and Cindy.  Not many October days us Juneau people can be out in our yards in the sun.  The furry creature is Mickey - a very nice dog about twice the size of Mischief but similar in demeanor.

John, Bob, Cindy and Mickey 

The Chapman Estate out North Douglas is really cool.  John and Cindy have put a lot of sweat equity into the property in the fashion that I am familiar with...pick and shovel work.  Lots of dirt and gravel to improve drainage.  They are on the edge of a muskeg...our temperate rain forest version of a swamp.  They have dug and filled with gravel lots of french drains.  The yard and garden are coming along nicely.  And they love what they're doing. 

I do believe they are fond of one another too.

I promise lots of pics from the Chapman digs next gardening season.  They just harvested 40 pounds of Yukon Gold and red taters.  I plan to plant a few spuds next year myself. 

On the home front I have been busy putting gardens to bed and enjoying every minute of our uncharacteristically dry first week of October.  Mom's and auntie's yards are now secured for the winter.  Mine is nearly so - today I dug my dahlias and raked more leaves.  I also put a bunch of stuff up in the rafters of the garage and a bunch more stuff outside for a dump run this week.

Tomorrow I will dig and toss the few remaining annuals in the garden and clean the garage.  I am inheriting Amanda's car for the winter and it will go in the garage.  I will use her spanking-new Suburu to transport the elders when a clean vehicle (as opposed to my filthy and fur-lined bark mobile) is called-for.     

It's predicted to be dry on Tuesday as well and I have penciled in a roof/drain cleaning expedition at mom's place.

Life is pretty damn good.

Yet Another Sad Day for the GOP

So Speaker Boehner has thrown in the towel.  On a personal level, it is hard to blame him.  The Speaker of the House has a daunting job under the best of circumstances - and lord knows Mr. Boehner has not been Speaker under anything resembling the best of circumstances.  He has suffered far more personal abuse at the hands of his Republican colleagues than he has from Democrats in Congress or the Obama Administration.

Still, my natural sympathy for the man is tempered by the facts.  Speaker Boehner, like the rest of the Whim-Whams of the Republican Party, cheered the rise of the Tea Party extremists.  And Boehner like his Senate Majority Leader colleague, Senator McConnell, has done much to make obstructionism and partisan gamesmanship the norm.

This is not to say that there are not Democrats also culpable for gridlock.  There are plenty of them.

But it is the Republican Party that has truly upended the apple cart. The much courted  Republican "base" is now largely just a rabble of the old, angry and disgruntled of the caucasian persuasion.  They apparently fear EVERYONE- immigrants, young people, anyone of color, gays, uppity women, and now even the Pope.

The Republican Party as it was constituted for most of the 20th century is dead - but afraid to fall.

How much longer can this nonsense go on without a true realignment in our political establishment?
 
Hillary Clinton is a credible person to woo the moneyed elite of the Republican Party - many of whom have, no doubt, had just about enough of the Republican base's excesses.  Gay bashing, women bashing and hispanic bashing is profoundly bad for business these days.

The Clinton's are certainly capital friendly.  And aside from the moneyed, she could certainly make a credible appeal to the moderates of more modest means of the GOP if the party continues on its course of martyrdom.

On the other hand, Mr. Sander's early successes (he is dear to my heart if not my head) is making an early courtship of GOP moderates a sticky wicket for Clinton II.

Over the long term I cannot help but suspect the time is coming for the United States to have something other than our customary two party system.

Mr. Sanders is demonstrating there may now be a critical mass for a party on the democratic left that is truly "leftist."  I would join it immediately.

And the Republican base's Tea Party brand of populism may be viable as an independent party...at least for the moment... until it's angry and aging members die of natural causes or lose interest.

We live in interesting times.

A Dry September Day

It's been mighty wet.  But this morning I woke-up to a foggy morning and once the fog burned-off it was very nice for a few hours.  My old friend, Bob Chapman, is visiting for a couple of weeks and we took the dogs out to Dredge Lake.  It was very nice.

The snow is slowly creeping down the mountains

This is about as much fall color as we will see...

Still a little fog on the lake

The K9s on patrol.

I think Bob enjoys the dog walks.

After I got home from hound hoofing I went out in the yard and cut-back many of my perennials.  Fall clean-up is my least favorite garden chore...because it's fall.  Spring clean-up is much more satisfying.  Nevertheless, I persevered and got about half of the job done before my back began to complain.  The next dry day I will try to finish it up.

The garden soil is very, very wet.  And I bet I rudely disturbed at least a hundred slugs.

Dinner with the Gals and their Pals

Hosted a prime rib supper for Amanda and Leah on Wednesday.  Their friend Kira and her boyfriend were supposed to join us but were unable to make it.  So...at the last minute the gals asked their pals Greg and Ro.  And I had previously invited my pal Enrique who was accompanied by Hope's and Mischief's K9 pal, Nikki.

A wonderful time was had by all.  I had some brie, smoked salmon and deviled eggs for appetizers.  A crab bisque course.  Then the main event with prime rib, pasta with pesto, cold asparagus with a vinaigrette, and a fruit salad.  Cheesecake with blueberry sauce for afters.  Quite tasty.

It doesn't get much better than this!

Leah wants to spend more time in Juneau.  And Amanda is in the process of closing the Happy Camper for the season - although I believe it almost certain she will return next year.  My fervent hope is that they both spend their summers here in the rain forest.

Mighty proud of those gals.

Put on your Dancing Shoes Mr. President...

I've been avidly following the President's trip to Alaska.  It's just possible the trip will prove meaningful in the long-run - the point in time when the petroleum industry led faux debate over whether or not man-made global warming is actually happening morphed into a more productive discussion about what we can do to mitigate the problem.

It was a substantive trip.

But having said that I have to confess that the highlight for me was the President doing a Native dance with the kiddos in Dillingham.  The kids were delightful and the Mr. Obama appeared to be truly at ease and enjoying himself.

If you missed it, here ya go:

In other news, we have now enjoyed three consecutive days of sun here in the rain forest.  Got mom's and auntie's yards mowed yesterday and mine today.  Also cleaned gutters.  Ugh!  Not much left in the garden but the foliage is still green so I have not done any cutting-back yet.

And the bloody deer ate all the impatiens under my trees.  Bastards!

The Daily Dog Walk - On a Beautiful Fall Day

Woke up to clear skies this morning.  And it is predicted to remain nice for the next three or four days.

The Dredge Lake complex in the Mendenhall Valley is my go-to spot for the daily dog walk.  I've been there almost every day since late last winter.  Last year I felt compelled to go elsewhere during the bear season - it seems that every time I turned-around there was a Yogi on the trail.  But I have not had a single encounter this year although they're certainly around.  When I'm walking the dogs I prefer to daydream rather than be on bear alert...

Dredge Lake has many memories for me.  I recall one summer, in particular, when the Chapman brothers and I were out there all the time.  George Chapman had just got his driver's license and liked to roar around the maze of dirt roads in the area.  John, Bob and I were along for the ride.  Big time fun.

In any event, here's the dog walk from this morning in pictures which happens to coincide with the first new snow on the mountains.

Dredge Lake - a favorite swimming hole back in the day...

 Mischief shows no inclination to go swimming however.  Not today.  Not any day.

In May there was little water in the area.  But it's plenty wet now.

 Hope loves her walkies.

Fresh snow on the mountains.

 This water wasn't here a couple of days ago...

Bad BAD beavers!

Beautiful spot on the Mendenhall River

Don't recognize the name; but there are lots of regular walkers.

A very nice morning indeed...

Gladioli

Well they're not yet in FULL bloom; but I am going to declare victory anyway.  My gladioli are quite nice.  And they will get nicer - weather permitting.  We had a pretty decent southeasterly last night and it rained some; but my web of yarn has, so far, kept them upright.

In other news, I confess I was made very uncomfortable yesterday when I stumbled across The Donald's stadium extravaganza somewhere in Alabama.  Apparently about 20,000 true believers were present.

His stream-of-consciousness vocalizations (I don't think you can really call it a speech) were complete gibberish.  Rants and raves.  Down with the stupid and weak politicians who have betrayed you.  We will expel the foreigners in our midst.  I will make the country great again.  I will "bring back" jobs from Mexico, China, and Japan.   All these pronouncements made with great certainty and absolutely no suggestion on how it will be accomplished.  By sheer force of will, apparently.

And occasionally he would put his arms out and encourage his supporters to roar their approval - something I suspect supporters at future rallies will do without prompting.

I do not believe that The Donald will win the Republican nomination much less gain the Presidency.  But I do fear that his "success" thus far will embolden other Republicans in this and future campaigns to further cheapen and debase our political process.

The Donald

Well, Mr. Trump's poll numbers continue to rise.  Those who assumed he would have already been sunk by a circular running torpedo fired by himself are confused, angry and saddened.  And it's not like circular running torpedoes have NOT been fired.  They have.  Volleys.  But they have all been duds - at least as far as the Republican grass roots are concerned. 

The Trump phenomenon raises a host of questions - none of which can yet be answered.

The media, both mainstream and otherwise, are totally bewildered.  So am I, for that matter.

The focus of attention is, quite naturally, on the reaction of other candidates.  Republican hopeful "A" says something about some nonsensical statement uttered by The Donald and The Donald immediately responds via Twitter questioning Republican hopeful "A's" intelligence, masculinity/femininity, or general worthiness as a human.  The Donald's poll numbers go up with Republicans and Republican hopeful "A's" poll numbers drop.

Lots of digital ink is being spilled on this aspect of the phenomenon. 

My interest is a bit different.  As the first  multi-billionaire to run for the nation's highest office, what do his fellow oligarchs think about his candidacy?

My suspicion is they probably don't like it.  The Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson have become almost household names; but they prefer to let their dollars do the talking with their Super PACS, self-serving non-profits, and no doubt their personal charms.

The Donald brings prominence to the world view of their species which, at the end of the day,I don't believe even a majority of the Republican faithful will find attractive. 

The Donald trumpets how often he, as a man of wealth, has been able to get access to elected politicians.  Indeed, he points out how often it's not HIM calling the pol; but the pol calling him to ask for a favor.

The Donald worships money.  It is his measure of every man in his world. 

 The Donald worships himself.

I am an atheist.

However, I cannot posit a better response to "Trumpism", and the American oligarchs than that offered by Pope Francis.

“A way has to be found to enable everyone to benefit from the fruits of the earth, and not simply to close the gap between the affluent and those who must be satisfied with the crumbs falling from the table, but above all to satisfy the demands of justice, fairness and respect for every human being.”   

Good News/Bad News

When I bought my house back in 2011 the previous owners made clear their intention to build a small cottage on the lot immediately adjacent to my house to the southeast.  My lot and the lot they planned to build upon were once a single lot.  They carved out a small parcel from the original plot.

Sadly the couple split-up shortly after they sold to me and only now has the status of the small lot been resolved.  And the winner is Karen.

I spoke to Karen and her contractor a few weeks ago.  She hopes to put up the cottage next spring although she MAY have some site preparation done this fall.  This is distinctly a good and bad development.

On the negative side...few people want a neighbor's house within immediate view.  I am no exception.

On the positive side, I really like my soon-to-be neighbor who was an old high school chum.

On the other hand, my already windblown property will get a little more windblown with the loss of the big spruce and hemlock to my south and southeast.

On the other, other hand, the loss of those same trees will be a HUGE increase in direct sun to my garden which currently is in the shadow of the neighbor's trees for several hours in the early afternoon.

It's a close call for my interests and I certainly do not fault Karen for building.  Although I do dread the actual construction phase.

Yesterday, I took a bunch of pics to help me visualize what the change might do...and now I'm sharing them with you.

This is the view from my kitchen window.  The cedar in the foreground will go as will all the conifers behind it and to the right.

 Panning slightly to the right.  The shed will go.

The property line is about three feet in front of the shed and runs diagonally down to the Old Glacier Highway.

Gone.

My view southeast down the channel towards town will be improved...although how much depends on her house profile which should be quite low.

Took this shot at about a 45 degree angle.  You can see my roof line on the upper left.  Good riddance.

So...I may wake-up one of these mornings to the sound of chain saws.  

I think I recall she said she was planning a 1250 square foot house.  Although I don't know if that includes a garage.  The land will be really tricky given the setback requirements from the Old Glacier Highway.  Most of her property is considerably lower than my house.

In other garden news, my gladiolas are poised to be the highlight of August...depending on the weather, of course.

Hang in there!  

The impatiens are doing the happy dance around the porcupine-proofed apple tree.

This and That

Just posted a couple of rants on Senator Murkowski's most recent Facebook contribution.  The Senator alleges that Obamacare is broken, doesn't work in Alaska, and needs to be fixed.

I suggested to her  that the Republican Party in Alaska is broken.  And damn!  I forgot to ask her what her "fix" might look like...

But to be honest I'm pretty sure Republicans in the U. S. Senate don't have a clue what "fix" they could propose without antagonizing a large segment of the party's political base.

What this and other recent Facebook posts really mean is that Senator Murkowski remains concerned about a possible Republican Primary challenge from her right flank.  Giving love to the tens of thousands of Democrats who voted for her last time around will have to wait for the general election (if she needs their support at all).  Senator Murkowski has moved on...

On the national level...what can you say?  Doug sent me a link to an article in 'Rolling Stone' which pretty much sums up my feelings.  It's a well written and humorous article:  http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/inside-the-gop-clown-car-20150812

Apparently the Donald is hiring actual real live staff in the early primary states.  Boots on the ground.  WhooHoo!

Mowed auntie's yard today.  It needs some fertilizer which I will administer tomorrow. Took auntie out to mom's today so she could have a bath.  Mom and auntie will play rummy cube all afternoon.  I will collect her at 7 PM and haul her home.  If both dogs from my household are not present to ride home with her she will be very disappointed.  The doggies love auntie.

A couple of pics I posted on Facebook but not here.  They have a longer shelf-life here than on Facebook.  And  I know where I can find 'em.

The still unidentified flying purple people eaters...

BBQ and Fire Pit

Went over to Alison's and Doug's last evening for a BBQ potluck and fire pit experience.  Lots of good friends some of whom I had not seen in months.  Took lots of pics - some good and some not-so-much.  I am electing to only post the decent ones.  So if you attended last evening and do not see your picture posted you should be GRATEFUL.  And I can assure you the shortcomings on the less than wonderful pictures were the result of photographer sloth and incompetence and no reflection on the subjects...

Alison and Fred enjoy the pleasant evening

Fred was in a jovial mood

Stu and M'Iva lookin' good.

Laura and M'Iva

Dale and Chris mock the photographer

Alison give M'Iva and Marla a garden tour

Supper was delicious.  Doug is a first rate grill master and two flavors of ribs were on offer.  Lots of delicious salads and fresh crab.  I had two very generous plate fulls.  Yum.

This morning I did the usual coffee at mom's and dog walk routines and just finished mowing mom's yard.  Had hoped to get auntie's done today also but have run out of time.  I have a 2 PM card game to attend to...