Enemy Lines Pt 4: VACATION!

Where to begin?

1. Grammar. Specifically, punctuation. Good Lord.

This was one of the kiosks at WinterWonderFest at Navy Pier.

There were

a lot of people.

Back to the kiosk.

B. What exactly does this mean? Back in the crappy olden days, you Worked, you got a Vacation. The more you worked, the more vacation you got. It was a linear relationship. Linear Relationships are not all the exceptional.

Enemy Lines Pt. 3: in Medias Res

Mr. Big Food and I have arrived on the Farm after our Research Trip behind Enemy Lines. All is well on the Farm-- from all appearances it looks like Daughter C., Miss M., and Ula had a crafty weekend. Ula left a nice note.

It's good to be back in Rural Mississippi. Or should I say, "It's good to be back in the civilized part of The United States of America"?

The last few posts were posted in the middle of things. Now that we're safe on this side of the Picket Wire, as I'm able, I'll post some pictures and commentary of Chicagoland. (The train-- The City of New Orleans-- was a much better experience than it might have been but still tiring.)

For now, let me just say that A. Leland drove us past and I didn't see any coyotes. Maybe no one had a cheeseburger in his/her pocket.

Do the Cubbies still play in that Ivy Covered Burial Ground?

Enemy Lines Pt 2: Reap What You Sow

Written Friday evening. Scheduled for Sunday-- after we're back on the Farm where we belong.

I am in Chicago, watching the Local News.

Oh Look. There's Tippy Toes Rham on the Local News.

I've actually enjoyed my little Chicago cocoon interactions. But this place is doomed to fail BIG time. I'm pretty sure we'll get out before it does.

The high-priced hotel we are not paying for is dirty around the edges. That's a tell-tail sign of doomed to fail.

I don't think we'll be coming back any time soon.

Enemy Lines Pt. 1

written Wednesday, November 28; scheduled for Sunday, December 2

Mr. Big Food and I are about to embark on a journey which will take us behind enemy lines-- behind enemy lines and unarmed.

Chicago.

Yeah yeah. I know a lot of you out there like Chicago. I do not understand it, but I know it. 

We are taking the train, which we're excited about. Nighttime on The City of New Orleans should be fun if for no other reason than we'll hum a tune.

Research

Mr. Big Food and I are conducting some research in a crappy old naturalistic way. I'll share the results as soon as we've finished.

Stay tuned.

Where in the World?

New York?

Chicago?

LA?

Nope.

Greenwood, Mississippi.

UPDATE: Ha ha ha ha ha

UPDATE: By "you" I do not mean you, Dear Readers, but "you"-- the folks I was talking to in person yesterday.

I have so little in common with you.

And yet I try.

Food? Gardens? Guns?

I try.

Public Service Announcement: GMOs

via Organic Consumers Association, a group with which I'm not always in agreement. But this time I am. 

Link, in case you have trouble reading.

Three years ago

I wouldn't have believed this even if I'd seen it with my own eyes.

Daughter C. driving the truck.

She built this fire, too! From scratch!!

Self-reliance. Ain't it great?

Coyote Experts: They're Everywhere!

Yes. I meant that to be ambiguous. Seems as if coyotes and coyote experts are everywhere these days. 

I don't mind it at all when the coyotes who live on the Farm bark at night. I especially like it when we have City Mice staying with us-- the howling contributes so much to the City vs. Country Mice experience, I think. 

I'm afraid, however, I'm going to have to re-think that.

Seems Chicagoans are becoming quite familiar with coyotes.

From the article at MyFOXChicago (via Drudge):

"It doesn't concern me. I'm not afraid of them," a resident told us. "I'm personally just not worried about it."

"Unless you got cheeseburgers in your pocket or something you should be okay," another man said.

Experts. 

But hey-- even if you did have a cheeseburger in your pocket, what's the big deal? It's just a coyote. I bet you could take out a Chicago coyote with your concealed carry weapon coat or purse.

None of us have been bothered by the Farm coyotes. I read our newspaper every week and I've never seen mention of a coyote attack. So maybe the experts are right.

Related story:

"I can't fathom the idea of going to the mall and just thinking that under that coat over there, or in that purse, there might be a weapon," said Ald. Ricardo Munoz of the 22nd Ward. [IN CHICAGO] "We cannot allow concealed carry to be the law of the land."

 I bet he could if there was a coyote in the mall.

School

Freedom to homeschool

at HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) via Tea Party Economist via Newsalert. 

In case you can't read the legend, Green=Good (fewest regulations); Yellow; Orange: Red=Bad. The site has a state specific list.

Mississippi (in part):

A child must be educated in a “legitimate home instruction program” which is one that is not operated for the “purpose of avoiding or circumventing the compulsory attendance law.” Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91(3)(c).  

“It is not the intention of this section to impair the primary right and the obligation of the parent ... to choose the proper education and training” for their children, and nothing in this section shall be construed to grant the State of Mississippi “authority to control, manage or supervise” the private education of children. “And this section shall never be construed so as to grant, by implication or otherwise, any right or authority to any state agency or other entity to control, manage, supervise, provide for or affect the operation, management, program, curriculum, admissions policy or discipline of any such school or home instruction program.” Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91(9).

[My emphasis]

This was not the attitude in Ohio when we lived there. Trust me. 

~
BONUS POINTS if you spotted the grammatical error in the high-lighted phrase.

If I had the time

I'd do it myself.

Unfortunately, I'm rather busy today.

I just don't have time today to get the deer gun, shoot the danged thing, drive the truck down to the range, load it in the truck (how much does the big one weigh, I wonder), and take it to the processor. 

The Kitchen Table is

a Blank Hunk of Wood

Around Which Our Lives Revolve.

A Tabla Wood.

Here, Mr. Big Food has just gotten off the phone with Miss Marly, who he'd been talking with-- while standing around the Kitchen table-- about cooking kale.

Here, Rocky and Missy are tidying up the floor under the Kitchen Table.

Good Dawgs Earn Their Keep.

It's a Pleasure to Serve

As you may recall, I am a Marker's Mark Ambassador. I take this very seriously-- I have business cards!-- because in the coming days, weeks, months, and years we are all going to need some good bourbon. Next to encouraging gun ownership and Libertarian thinking, introducing folks to bourbon is one of the most Patriotic things I do.

Unlike some entities which treat their ambassadors shamefully, Marker's Mark treats its well. They give us business cards, invite us to special tastings, and send us Christmas gifts! Here's last years which was just plain silly-- and why I liked it so much.

This year's gift came with instructions: I am to "fool" my friends "into thinking they've received something terribly tacky."

Terribly tacky gift boxes sized just right for a bottle of Maker's Mark!

Who will get the 100 Year Old Fruit Cake? 

Which lucky man will receive the Chest Hair Waxing, Tanning, and Styling Kit? 

Who should I fool with Cat Weights?

~~
It's a Pleasure to Serve as a Maker's Mark Ambassador.

Vacancies

Via Daughter C. whose boyfriend* participated in making this video about Jackson, Mississippi. Interesting. The garden plots are awesome!

[One typo in the first 10 seconds. The population of Jackson has lost 11,000 people, not 1000.]

*UPDATE: In case you were looking for him, Mr. Bow Tie is not pictured. He's one of the video's creators. 

*UPDATE 2: I stand corrected. From the comments, "*Mr. Bow-Tie actually does make a brief appearance in the last thirty seconds exiting peaches restaurant."  

Should We Laugh or Cry?

There's a Hostess Outlet store in town. 

Ah heck. There is no way to write this but to use a truthful tense.

There was a Hostess Outlet Store in town. In addition to bread and Twinkies it had a wide assortment of goodies including some Bob's Red Mill items. Yesterday we drove into the parking lot, and yes, it's closed permanently. The handwritten "Bread 50₵" sign was our first clue. The completely empty and disorganized shelves and "Everything Must Go" sign were confirmation. 

The Hostess Store was the base for several-- maybe four or five-- Hostess delivery trucks. Two of our neighbors-- themselves next door neighbors-- were drivers. One of them has four kids, three of them in ninth grade or below. I'm not sure about the other's married/kid status, but Bo is raising Walker, Savanna, and Caroline alone. (Tyler's gone off to school. Bo got custody of all four of the kids in the divorce-- even though Tyler wasn't even Bo's biological kid.) 

Last summer the other guy-- who apparently really liked his job-- put up a new mailbox. It looked sort of like this, except it was a mailbox and instead of "Wonder" it said "Hostess."

It was very cheerful, if a bit odd.

Forests & Trees

Miss M. has been making forests of trees

from crappy old magazines.

Meanwhile, the Persistent Hunter tried again while Missy and I wished we could shoot the deer gun out of the bedroom window.

Seriously. BOOM.

This is getting silly.

I Want One! | Or Do I?

It's a beautiful day here on the Farm--

a bit chilly but beautiful.

The Bartman's here and as per usual when the Bartman is here

there's some shootin' goin' on.

I tried out The Bartman's latest acquisition

and I don't think I did too badly at 7', having never shot his new sidearm before and having no particular love for semi-automatics.

But do I want one?

31-28 WOW

21-13 at half time

This must have been quite a game! There was a rally in town last evening before the game, and signs up all along the highway taunting the Bruce team. I think this means they advance to the playoffs. 

The Egg Bowl starts at 6pm this evening. Cross your fingers.

Football-- especially high school and college-- is such a great distraction. 

Score board courtesy of MaxPreps.

Planning, Co-operation, and Thanks

Sauce for pre-assembled vegan green bean casserole

and a couple of pies were planned for Wednesday.

There were seven of us. Before Daughter C and Co. came out Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Big Food and Miss M. did some prep cooking. After they arrived, we put away the fruits of their labors-- Ula's homemade breads, Bruno's sweet potato casserole, piles of veggies for nibblies, wine, wine and more wine... . What am I missing? Oh, yes! All of the ingredients for a third corn bread dressing, courtesy of Mr. Bow Tie. 

On the day itself, there was a tremendous amount of co-operation

before

and after dinner.

It was such a beautiful late afternoon that on the spur of the moment we decided to eat outside!