Open Thread - Friday, October 14, 2016
We're so terrified of death in Western culture that we have to make up a myth of an afterlife. I think there's something to be said for living your life very mindful of the fact that you're going to die because I think you carry yourself differently. It doesn't have to be this big, negative bummer.
~Steve Earle~
Matthew was not kind to NCTim. My 50+ year old oak tree has fallen. The tree was ~70' tall and nearly 3' in diameter. It fell away from the house, across the drainage culvert, across the road and the top of the tree was in the yard across the street. On the way down, the oak took out three pines, two red buds, a big juniper and stripped one side of a Japanese evergreen.
My house faces south and the oak protected it from the summer sun. I think there are some stressed tree rats. I have noticed them scrambling around and exploring more than usual. I am sure the oak held a few nests and was a tremendous food source. I will miss the deer hanging out in my yard.
Holy cow is this election crap a bummer! The focus on personalities and inane stuff reported is maddening. Here in battleground NC you can not turn on the idiot box without being bombarded. The NRA ads are especially mendacious.
All the candidates are really out of touch with regular people. That's not to say that regular people are in touch with reality. I saw Barbie driving a Range Rover with a Trump sticker, funking unreal.
What's so tough?
Seriously, what the funk? Why don't conservatives recognize the corporate world take over?
Hey, I think my rant may be reviving. I have been girding to take Sweetie to early voting. We can do curbside. Sweetie can not speak or move much. I am prepared to get arrested if they try to keep me from filling out her ballot. Richard Burr, Pat McCrory and their minions need to be displaced.
Have a great weekend! The thread is OPEN.
Comments
Good Morning Tim!
Wow! You really did get hit by Matthew. This storm did tremendous damage even that far inland! If you were home when it happened, it had to be very frightening on top of everything else you are having to cope with.
As for this election, I swear we are now living in an alternative universe. I hope your Sweetie is able to cast her ballot in this election. Best wishes to you both.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
It was a rootball extraction
With a slower than free fall descent. Our area got 6-8 inches and 40 mph gusts. Oh yeah, the crater in the front yard
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
You can probably get
a fair bit of change from a sawmill for the oak. Better than paying someone to cut and haul it away. With all the damage done in the area you'll probably have the same wait time either way.
There is no such thing as TMI. It can always be held in reserve for extortion.
Good morning Tim
OMG the tree damage. Thank god it missed your house. Will your insurance pay to clean up the mess? We had a huge tree taken down in our back yard. It was cut into pieces and left in our woods. Talk about an unsightly and large pile of lumber. So anyway. We put an an in Craig's list for free fire wood. We had lots of calls and lines of people with pick up trucks. The only thing left was wood buried under the snow they couldn't see. This is up north, so I don't know if it is the same in the south. All that oak makes good wood for heating.
We don't go to the polls. Don't like the hassle. We
Always vote absentee. Our ballots are here .
Sorry for all the hard luck. There has to be an end to that tunnel. Hugs to you and sweetie.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
We always vote absentee too
When I worked, I would go to the polls because anyone could cast their ballot at the county courthouse and I worked across the street from it. Now we vote absentee because we never know where we are going to be on election day. I am a big believer in vote by mail anyway.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
Morning GG
I am waiting adverse. I have been known to walk into a place (restaurant, movie, bank, grocery store only to see a line, say fuck this, and leave. I think everyone should vote by mail on a scannable ballot.
For every election, we receive a request for an absentee ballot in the mail. If we want it, we complete and return the request. The ballot then arrives in the mail when it is time. There are so many down-ticket candidates that I've never heard of. Absentee gives me a chance to google them and make a halfway intelligent choice.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
I will try CL
Before paying someone. I think it is too big for amateurs
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
A professional cut it down, took the brush,
and then cut up the trunk and large limbs into 3 foot or so lengths that he left. The tree was a 70' red oak. If we wanted him to haul it all away, it would have cost more money. So the people from Craig's list only had to take/recut and haul off the big stuff on the ground that the professional left. We did it when the ground was frozen so they wouldn't leave ruts all over the lawn. We asked them to bring plastic snow sleds to help them get the wood from where it was to where they had to park their trucks. Worked like a charm. I agree you will need a professional to at least do the major part of the work. CL is the clean up crew.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Between NC and PA
This is my third time dealing with big trees down. A big spruce took out some split rail fence (PA). Five Carolina Pines down during 2001 ice storm here. Including the one that hit above the kitchen window. The pines are like telephone poles with a puff ball on top. If the ice gets them leaning, they are goners. The sum total of all the other trees is about one tenth the bio-mas of the Oak tree.
Thanks for stopping by.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Wear GREEN shirts to the Voting Stations
Let's steal one idea from the Trumpster. With Jill's votes being the easiest to flip to Herself, we need to have some safeguards in place. Lets all wear green shirts to vote. If she does steal votes it will be apparent. Any other ideas?
George Orwell was an optimist.
That's a great idea!
Can you wear issues/advocacy shirts to the polls, or just the color green?
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
I was thinking of wearing this one
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Had to take double
on that photo. Thanks.
There is no such thing as TMI. It can always be held in reserve for extortion.
Ohhh, out-FREAKIN'-standing!
Me _want_. Big time...
Got mine here
http://www.funrockn.com/
variant at a place called Killer Guitar, but it has a store name on it.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
We are not alone
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-13/it-s-official-this-ele...
So sorry to hear of the trauma of losing your Oak tree. Hoping you have a peaceful voting day.
I've been playing and replaying Dylan's Forever Young. Also many of my favorite Leonard Cohen songs. Not listening to any "news" or watching any tellie, except for PBS British mysteries. Probably won't change this pattern for months after the election. Denial is not a river in Egypt.
Oldest are most worried because they have the most to lose....
financially and family. I think most know that the crooks in DC are salivating over our Social Security and Medicare and that our kids and grandkids will be lucky to have a planet let alone a job.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
I am in a good place
for dealing with any kind of BS at the polling place. I just don't give a funk, no one can intimidate me, I know the law, have the POA and HCPOA and I am kind of itching for action.
Funk it!
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Forever Young
What a beautiful ballad. One of my clients had an artist come to her house & had her paint a verse for each of her children on the wall of their respective bedrooms.
I`m already against the next war
Good morning, Tim and the morning people!
So sorry to hear of your tree death, NCTim. He sounds like a magnificent beast. I hope you'll be able to plant new trees soon.
OTOH, I am happy to hear it was only tree death. The latest I could find says 22 people died in NC, mostly from flooding it looks like. Stay safe! https://weather.com/news/news/hurricane-matthew-north-carolina-update
Wind gusts of 40 mph don't sound like much. Perhaps with shallow roots and such height, it outgrew itself and would have come down shortly anyway. I hope it turns out to be relatively simple to get rid of it, doing the CL thing!
I think conservatives do realize the corporate takeover. That's why they're Anybody But Clinton and weren't happy with the entire bought GOP field. What they don't seem to realize is that Trump is just as bad if not worse. Instead of working for the rich, he is the rich. I have easily convinced local conservatives to consider voting for Gary Johnson, though. Maybe they just think Trump is the best of the extremely poor choices provided within the Repug party.
Wouldn't it be lovely if Jill and Johnson received the most votes? The end of the duopoly in one fell swoop!
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
The ground was like a wet sponge
... and the tree was assymetrical. Most of the mass was toward the street. The back side had other trees occupying the space, before the house was built.
Used to sing this to the kids, except we would change the words to, "loves Stevie Ray and Hendrix".
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Sorry about your tree
Oaks in the SE are getting a root rot which shortens their life. Think about replacing it with a fast growing poplar - it could fill your shade void within a few years.
I hate to lose big trees. We had a giant scaly bark hickory come down last fall - the branches were as big as most trees. I cut those and left the 3-4 foot thick trunk in the woods (too big for my chainsaw). Somehow it seems those old giant trees have wisdom - (or maybe I read too much Tolkien).
So, like your Steve Earle quote... all things that live must die...including trees!
All the best to you and Sweetie!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
The house
...has no gutters. They would be a real pain with leaves and pine needles. The roof line, cathedral ceiling in living room and bedroom dormer, dumps the majority of the water into the front yard. As opposed to the driveway. I have a couple of Bald Cypress going and was thinking of making it three. They love all the water, grow super fast and shed their foilage for winter.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
I like me some cypress.
They love the wet; nice shade spread; grow quick and straight; broad root system (though the knees can be problematic for mowing); and the red feather-needles are a lot easier to rake than deciduous or nasty pine needles.
In south Kansas we're at about the limit of their range. I think it's about the most perfect wood.
There is no such thing as TMI. It can always be held in reserve for extortion.
Mowing?
What the funk is that?
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Lotsa pollarding of trees in the UK
Lived in London fro many years, and it took me a while to get used to having all the trees on the streets where we lived pollarded - south west London. Looked strange at first, but really cam to appreciate not ever worrying about having a tree fall on our house ( which was built in 1890) and my neighbors laughed when I said it was an "old" house.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=156
Tho ya can't pollard a hedge - https://www.google.com/search?q=UK+rules+about+height+of+hedges+pictures...
Learned a lot living in the UK
Cypress is a good choice!
and also deciduous.
The poplar I was suggesting is the tulip poplar (not really a poplar)
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Tree guy was just here
I mentioned wanting to get rid of a Sweet Gum, only to be informed said tree is a Tulip Poplar. I am not so sure, it doesn't get blooms. It is right by the dyslexic magnolias that bloom then get leaves.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Sweet gum looks nice until "fruit", tulip trees get messy
I like your cypress, they don't grow this far North or look sickly. In my case, insurance would cover nothing and so a small tree is what is affordable. Just think on the crater. Sorry, Tim. More misery. Do larch grow there?
Same but less here, First neuro appointment is in December, if I don't kill myself by a random fall before. I dare to appear in public looking like a battered woman. On top of that my dishwasher decided to self-destruct, so I had to go out and buy a new one. In stock but waiting for installation.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Root crater
is a good start on a koi pond. That lemonade thingy.
There is no such thing as TMI. It can always be held in reserve for extortion.
I was thinking compost pit /nt
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
BTW
I have a big Beech along the west side and another by the north east corner, with a younger (~20) Oak nearby. It seems that the Beech trees are the dominant space eaters.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Personally, I'd vote against a fast growing poplar. Our house
had one in the front yard yard when we bought it. We've never cut it down, but it has been colonizing the yard ever since.
This spring we noticed a network of roots in the back yard with tiny poplars growing up. The damn thing had grown under the cement pad our house is built on! Poplars are like the DNC. There's a lot of activity underground and then suddenly you're screwed!
BTW, they're also very messy.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Poplars also tend to be short-lived.
~20 years or so. Unless you're talking about cottonwood(yeah, it's a poplar) which go for a hundred years or longer. But cottonwoods are just plain scary!
There is no such thing as TMI. It can always be held in reserve for extortion.
So sorry to hear of the tree loss NCTim and others.
Especially since I just got back from a glorious bike ride in a crisp WI fall morning. The smell of the fallen leaves and the multiple colors was so uplifting. As I rode along the bike trail I passed a small pond totally covered with green algae. And floating so quietly where several pairs of Mallard ducks. I should have stopped and snapped a picture as it was so perfect.
I can only trust that my husband would care for me as you for Sweetie. What a beautiful gift to give. And what a great example for all of us. Give completely of ourselves to those we love.
Great tunes, thank you!
O.k. When is the next meeting for the revolution?
-FuturePassed on Sunday, November 25, 2018 10:22 p.m.
Sounds Great
My favorite time of year. Still green here.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Buenos morning ...
Viva Los Lobos! We're going to see them Sunday at our local Blues Heritage Festival, tickets were only $10. I know the Lobos are getting old (aren't we all ?) but I hope they can still play. It'll be interesting to see what kind of set they do, whether they stick with straight blues or throw in some Mexican stuff. This is Tucson after all.
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
Hey AZ
Good to see you. We saw Los Lobos, with Tedeshi-Trucks and NMA, this past August. The show was great. Caught their unplugged Kiko show last year. That set is full of traditional music. What you get is probably dependent on who else is there. They can play anything.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Ug
Ipad is PIA for posting videos. Snuck to the PC.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Max Baca & TTM were @ a nearby folk festival
We just could not make it.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
so glad the oak tree didn't fall on your house and
your attitude to deal with life's challenges is a healing experience to my mind. I admire your courage and stamina. Bless you and sweety.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Hello Mimi
I am just doing what I promised. I don't know how anybody could live with themselves if they did not fulfill the obligation.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Good morning, Tim. Great to wake up to Los Lobos, thanks.
Sorry about your roble grande going down, but no suggestions. Redbuds are fast growing deciduous shade trees, but a real PITA to live with.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Heh
I planted the Red Bud. Probably a dozen or so. They don't mind being under the canopy and the red/pink/purple first trees to bloom (besides Bradford Pear; none here, crap tree) is wonderful.
Great to catch you!
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
I planted 2, one to the east & one to the west. Now, every fall.
they drop more leaves than I can conveniently handle & process, especially in the gutters.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --