Saturday Open Thread - 6/27/26: Odds and Ends
Good morning, good people! I hope you are all in fine fettle and have done your best to stay strong and not succumb to the fear porn throughout the media that is trying to get you to hide in a cave.
An interesting thing happened to me this week. A client was looking for my office phone number and did a simple Google search consisting of my first and last name, followed by attorney. Up popped my Google Business Profile identifying me but there was an image blocking my contact info saying, Permanently Closed. She let me know. The profile had been edited. JtC fixed it, did his usual tech research, and we will never know who did that, as anybody could have made that edit. After he made the edit, my office phone started ringing off the wall with people wanting to hire me.
Hmmm...
I will check it from now on every few days. The decision for me to permanently close is mine and mine alone.
I am pretty sure it was the only other attorney with an office in my little town. Hmmm... Supposed to be a respectful colleague...
And then, a final agreed divorce decree was submitted to the judge to sign this week. My client was so happy, he took a co-worker's advice not to go to bars hunting for a sex partner, but save $ and the risk of driving and getting arresting for DWI, just go to this special escort website. He did. Met the woman, brought the agreed upon price in cash, and got arrested as soon as he handed her the money. She was an undercover cop. He is facing state jail felony.
Now, I can understand his wanting to set the price, rather than spending possibly big bucks on drinks at a bar, then getting turned down for the Big Event. I can also understand his desire to celebrate the end of a disastrous marriage. Although I turned down his request to hire me to represent him in the felony case, I just wish he would have a jail experience like Jerry Jeff Walker.
Interest. Respect. Kindness. Life changing.
I have likely put an ear worm in you, friends. What Texans associate Jerry Jeff with is the album recorded at Luckenbach, the title being "Viva Terlingua", because the producers though that town name was not as hip, or something...
Next week, we will be within a few miles of Luckenbach, may swing by for a visit to the gift shop. I need a coozy. I need another memory of interest, respect, kindness, and maybe even life changing.
Well, the last little event this week was a horse in the yard, likely over 16 hands, likely over 1800 lbs., likely a cross between thoroughbred and quarter horse, likely a stallion who was an escapee from some local. The cops herded it into the yard with their lights and sirens. Hours later, when the cowboy deputy came with his horse and a trailer, it walked into the horse trailer with a cute little mare in it, no fuss, no muss. Stallions are like that.
Thought you might like to see him, and why my knee jerk reaction was to go get a horse. He is obviously well bred, fabulous confirmation and stride, great hooves, front leg bones, groomed, and in tip top shape. WOW!!!
Well, I am not the only one who had an interesting week, so it is your turn to tell your tales, friends!
This is an open thread, open to all things any of you wish to share with us.
So, that said,
Let 'er rip!
Comments
Good morning and Happy Saturday!
I missed over an hour's work while at home, looking at that horse, but since JtC hadn't quite fixed the Google crap, I didn't miss much. The sheriff told me he would let me know when an owner showed up to get him out of impound.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Hey, good morning
.
Fun story about the runaway horse. We get some strange critters
in the yard, but never a horse. Donkeys, but that is a horse of a different
color. Dove into a story about the LNG trade in the arctic this AM.
RUS and CHI are collaborating on developing infrastructure to double
the amount of product available to markets. Building icebreaker LNG
carriers and developing new ports. Makes economic sense. Meanwhile
US/UK are busy sanctioning everything they can without much impact.
And the US response is to build a fleet of icebreaker warships. Stupid move.
https://en.highnorthnews.com/politics/long-stalled-arctic-lng-2-project-...
Last day in Maine, a beautiful day on the lake. Spotting eagles and enjoying water sports.
Doesn't get much better than this!
A young eagle following a swan -
"a predator raised in peace, following the one bird that never treated it like a threat."
https://x.com/Mr_Husky1/status/2070197070611521583?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7...
Listening to Jerry Jeff. Thanks for the OT!
Zionism is a social disease
Good morning, Cap'n!
Your vacation sounds magical! That link about the swans and eagle is fascinating!
Animals can get along, but we humans? Forget it!
Enjoy some music, avoid the news. Everything in the news is bad. The peace in this world is inner.
Wish I could join you for some lake viewing, but I will make do watching the doe try to manage her frisky fawn. That kid is growing by the day!
Take care, my friend!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
@QMS @QMS Bet dollars to
Bet dollars to doughnuts, that young eagle has that particular swan family imprinted in its brain. It will never harm them. I am no bird expert, but I would not be surprised to see the eagle come to defend its adoptive family if they're threatened. Fascinating, positive story, Q.
Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.
Good morning...
My accomplishment for the week was getting a new rear tractor tire, and getting back to the mowing, road grading, brush hauling and so on. The tire cost $525. No wonder farmers struggle to make a living.
Fine looking horse that wandered into your yard. As a kid I rode a good bit, but haven't been on a horse for years. Probably best at my age.
Looks like Lebanon sold its soul to the US and Israel. It will probably cause a civil war. Israel did not agree to withdraw from Lebanon. We're good at spreading chaos!
Hope everyone has a good weekend. Thanks for the OT!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Good morning, LO!
I read about that peace deal/land giveaway deal between Lebanon and Israel last evening. How much did the US pay that Lebanese President to betray his people and guarantee his country would would be torn apart? Doesn't he realize you can't look at a Lebanese person and tell if they are Hezbollah or not? IDF soldiers have a built-in excuse to kill everyone just as they do in Gaza, always making the claim the dead person was Hamas?
Meanwhile, Iran and the US are exchanging fire, and Iran attacked Bahrain. It is early, so I am sure there will be more killing as the day goes on. Media war correspondents will be working overtime.
According to the financial/economic analysts, 70% of farmers could not obtain fertilizer for their customary yields. They struggle to pay for diesel. And tires. $575 for a tractor tire is obscene, friend. Nevertheless, you can do your necessary clearing yourself. I figure hiring the work would set you back on your heels nowadays.
Well, get your chores done before the heat gets dangerous, ok?
Enjoy your weekend in the holler!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Good morning otc. Tres interesting about the online profile,
just one more thing to check every so often. Wouldn't have happened with the good old yellow pages. Such is the price of progress, I guess. Heh, I wonder if the co-worker who advised using the escort site was in the pay of the cops or DA or some such. I mnean, he obviously hadn't used the site with any satisfaction himself, so what gives with that. Not my problem, but it's not like "stings"/entrapment is new and surprising.
Listen to the music and not the news is very good advice, btw. Light, brief overnight rain here, just enough that we don't have to water today, but all the other usual routines are on, like farmers' market, etc.
be well and have a good one
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 --
Good morning, el!
The major provider of internet in these parts is a phone co-op. To get internet requires you have a land line. Most people do not list their land line numbers in the white pages, preferring to use their cell phones. They usually throw away the phone book that is sent yearly.
I will routinely check that Google info henceforth.
We had to shop 2 grocery stores yesterday. Certain items on our list required a second try in order to find it on the shelf.
Most prices are holding pretty steady, but one item stood out as shooting way up. When I travel, or when I have a work schedule that affords a short lunch break, I will eat a ham and cheddar cheese lunchable. Not because they are nutritious, but they are edible and stop my stomach from growling. $2.97 at the local grocery store, $0.97 cents at Walmart, at least 2 weeks ago. Walmart jumped the price to $1.87 as of yesterday. I got a couple of packs for our trip to The Hill Country next week. Both coming and going puts us on the road at lunch time. I won't have to stop for lunch, and can snack while we keep going.
Good luck with your shopping and I hope your chore list gets smaller today with no undue stress, my friend!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
It's almost dinnertime here.
That horse is gorgeous. We have many pastured four hooves here. Cows of course but many horses. The singles are often paired with a donkey. They are great pals.
We watched the small pasture on the other side of our rural trace and over the hedge. Storks must know not only what a tractor is but what kind of tractor. As one of the tractors cut then raked the hay the bailer came in behind by half an hour. The three Storks came and followed the tractor cutting and departed when they had scouted all there was to be had.
Yesterday we went out in the heat to do a few errands in the air conditioned car and saw a cut and cleared field with eleven Storks busily walking and picking up something from the mown field. They seemed not at all bothered by streetside traffic and shuffled through the field successfully finding and eating something.
Our big news is the weather or lack of it.
Those storks were unfazed by the heat. I think they winter in Africa. We think they were eating grasshoppers which have exploded in the last several days.
A report: Overnight low of 71°f and high at 3pm tomorrow of 34°c which is better than today of 43°c or 109.4 in f. We work very hard to stay cool with wet neck towels soaked often; cool packs; spray bottles; sitting under our trees in the afternoon wind; frequent showers; drinking our version of Gatorade of sea salt, ACV, milk Thistle. We didn’t crack 90°f last year. So this is a shock. Interior kitchen is 26.8 and in the music room it’s 24°c. Upstairs is unbearable. We are sleeping outside on our platform on the spare room Ikea mattresses with a mosquito net under a garden parasol. We had to set out Borax and brown sugar for the ants but otherwise ok. The weather will break at about 3pm tomorrow afternoon. We are shopping for a DIY small mini split for the bedroom and we are looking for a terrasse misting fan (Thank you QMS!). As long as we survive this day, which is the worst so far we will be able to get more prepared for the next problem. The flowers are all off walls and in the shade. The garden is struggling. We have tried to shade the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants with white ground cloth clamped to poles as they are barely going. We water twice a day and I water pots at night as they can’t hold on to water during the day. It’s a challenge.
We often let the butcher shop do our cooking and for very reasonable prices we get plenty of food for two. If this had lasted any longer we would be spending our days in McDonalds or Grand Frais. It smells like baking bread as we walk to the lower yard and something smells like burning wheat stubble which is all around us. I hope no fire? We have slowed to a crawl but just keeping cool is our full time job.
I should mention that low humidity is our friend. High wet bulb with high heat is pretty nigh unlivable. Mammals can’t handle that kind of heat. We’ve been at 20% humidity for quite awhile. It gets damp at night as we are in a river bottom. We get about 5 hours of cooling down before it zooms right up when the sunshine hits. Large fans going on both floors and strategic use of sky lights and window/volets.
They say only 20% of French homes/apts have ac. Most French people live pretty close to the ground. They don’t have much extra over what they bring in for income. We would be sitting pretty but we had to deconstruct and rebuild a third of the house and majorly open walls with sandblasting to get back the old stone respiration. Otherwise big mold problems, which we had to remediate. There was a time in the 70s when it was thought cool to cement everything. Well, that stopped the breathing of the choux/joint compound. Houses here used to have natural ventilation and do if the integrity of the walls is the old methods. We were used to stick built houses with wallboard. This stone wall business is all new to us. But we have adjusted and tear into stone with gusto. In a thunderstorm (which we are told will arrive tomorrow) nothing better than a stone house.
Europe is pretty polluted in many if not most places. Looking at AccuWeather air quality maps of the Mediterranean basin and Northern Africa the pollution can be horrific. We have been to Genoa three times and have yet to find fresh air. It is however a great city and a super place to explore. There are small villages just south of Genoa which are like Cinqueterra (sp) but way less crowded and oh so picturesque. We love Prague, Genoa, Torino, Lyon and Strasbourg.
We are looking forward to cooler temps. I have more corn to plant, a donkey to visit and much cleaning and straightening up to do.
i'm watching weather radar and see storms forming and heading this way faster than the forecast. It's too hot to sleep in the house so we'll try one more night on our old tent platform with one eye on the oncoming big change. We may have to pull our sleeping things in a hurry. Teddy is up for anything.
A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.
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Sounds like an interesting existence
.
challenges galore. Your sleeping arrangement is creative.
Another way to get back to nature. Albeit in desperation.
Or survival as the case may be. Sitting pretty here in Maine.
70's high and 50's low is very livable. Mild breeze to boot.
Now gotta pack-up and return to the home turf.
Zionism is a social disease
Hey, dm!
Moving to France turned out to be more like living in a new world, my friend! Totally different home constructions, infrastructure, and ability to prepare and protect yourself in extreme weather. Man, oh man!
With AI data centers popping up everywhere in the US, I absolutely expect power outages, such high electricity bills that people won't be able to afford A/C use as they customarily do now.
I remember living in a mobile home while my home was under construction. A hurricane blew through, knocked out the electricity for about a week. It was in August. When I went to bed, I put a wet beach towel over me to keep cool.
Well, I am glad you have horses, donkeys, and cattle to watch and to listen to. The heat spell will be over soon, chica!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Maybe you got a Google Penalty. I did.
A couple of weeks ago, I was trying to send a link to the Iran Lego Rappers to an associate.
As soon as I clicked Send, my screen turned white and there was a typed message from Google. It was questioning the inappropriateness of my Link, and made a number of threats of the consequences I could suffer. Essentially, my internet experience could suffer, where ever I connected from. Crazy talk.
Then another message flashed: "Change you mind? Or do you still want to send that link?"
I'm naturally defiant, so I clicked: "Send the link anyway."
The Google Gestapo just got started. It knew I wasn't a website, so I guess they go after ordinary users, too. However, I do use Gmail in the background, so I guess I'm logged into Goggle and under surveillance most of the tme.
.
Google claims they do not penalize users, but that is not my experience. Although I am aware that the Lego Rapper videos are banned in the US nation-wide. (Google owns YouTube, and also Waze, DoubleClick, Nest, Looker, Fitbit, and Mandiant.)
.
Google's penalties are very petty for the most part. They can be fixed but it's a hassle. "Fixing Google Penalties" is a big topic online.
What happened to you sounds like a typical penalty.
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Good grief, PR!
That is just some wild censorship. I had no idea.
Well, I don't have any Google accounts. Neither my business or personal emails are Google. Still, they do have reach, don't they?
Two things happened almost 2 years ago. I started getting fewer and fewer phone calls from out of towners looking for an attorney to handle a local case. Then, the top assistant to my esteemed colleague approached my secretary and told her, "My boss is hiring, so give us a call." I thought nothing of it at the time, but it is beginning to add up.
Anyway, I hope you are able to circulate the Lego vids. The people here need the truth, in all shapes, and in all forms!
Enjoy the weekend, chica!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
@Pluto's Republic Pluto I highly recommend
Pluto I highly recommend you look into the whole issue carefully.
After reading your post I asked Google of course. They said....
While I'm sure all here are sophisticated enough to spot sponsored misinformation from authoritarian governments, I think what google and all other social media is trying to do is to reduce the misinformation put out by foreign governments while not censoring legit users.
But not our government
and our US based companies do who have government funding.
Ban nock, have a great weekend doing what you do.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
....
For our daily dose of trumpian weirdness
.
the buffoon stated killing schoolgirls in Iran is still
under investigation (like the Nordstream?) and
he is issuing passports with his likeness on them
Gah.
Zionism is a social disease
If you are into the harp
this guy is a master player
from 1982 ...
~
I find it magical.
Zionism is a social disease
It is magical, Cap'n.
I had my parents talked into buying me a harp and driving me to a teacher in Houston. I was maybe 12? Anyway, my piano teacher discussed with them the conflict it presented with keyboard. Long fingernails and callouses ruin it for keyboardists.
sigh...
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
And my passport exires in March,
@#and would I want to carry one into Russia, or Cuba would I? I will just let it expire and stay here. It is getting way too dangerous to travel internationally. The last trip I would want to make is to return to Trinidad to attend some steel drum band performances, but my preferred hotel is right on the water where you can see Venezuela. I wouldn't want to see a fishing boat get blown up.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Some Iran war news
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/6/27/iran-war-live-us-strik...
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
It looks like Iran is not willing to turn the other cheek in
response to further US attacks!
Hey, humphrey!
I am neither shocked NOR dismayed! I always appreciate your X contributions, friend!
Keep 'em coming, friend!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
I think that this happened before the Iranian response,
I have no idea who is responsible for this as it is still
developing.
I know who
I believe is attacking...but will keep it to myself.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Hola GOM amiga! :-)
Just sitting here at the desktop scanning what few sites I bother with. That little censorship trick you had to endure is just cyber SOP. You're most likely correct in that a competing legal eagle pulled it. Sounds and passes the 'smell' test. You and I are fortunate though. We are both highly literate, and our old men are computer wizards/geeks. Had to shake my head over the bad luck your former client experienced getting popped for soliciting sex. That stallion that dropped in is drop dead gorgeous!!! The rascal knows it too. He's preening himself in your pics. See the relaxed pose with the curled left hind hoof? I've always loved horses. Still consider them one of nature's most beautiful creations.
I can still ride, but western saddle only (could do bareback as a kid), and very carefully. I'm not much into country, but appreciate the tunes. Jerry Jeff Walker? Up Against the Wall, M*F*er? Classic. Anywho, just very lightly scanning current events. You and JtC enjoy Luckenbach, and stay safe! Rec'd!!
Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.
Good morning, obf!
It is handy as hell to have a tech wizard hubby, especially if they like to cook...
Jerry Jeff Walker's tune, Mr. Bojangles, is more folk than country, to my mind and ears. We have seen Ray Wylie Hubbard in concert twice, and the crowd goes wild as he plays his encore, "up against the Wall, Redneck Mothers". His music includes folk and blues, some country thrown in for good measure.
To attend a rock, jazz, or blues concert in Texas, you have to go to downtown Houston or 6th Street in Austin, and both locations are very dangerous. We skipped The Mavericks in Houston, a drive of just over 1 hour, and saw them instead in Amarillo, an 8 hr drive and a 3 night stay in a hotel. The Cynthia Mitchell Pavilion is an hour away, but the parking is a nightmare. Parking is costly, then you have to pay a driver to take you to and from the stadium. Lots of famous rock stars play there.
So, it is country music that wins the race for safe venues, fantastic locations, and any concert requires a wonderful 3 day vacation. That's what we are doing July 3rd-5th, back to The Hill Country, a stay amongst the deer, rabbits, blue Herons, armadillos, wild turkeys, cattle, and 6 music venues with all kinds of music to choose from. We have seen Gary P. Nunn at two of them, and his closing song, which makes the crowd lose their shit, is "London Homesick Blues", which he first performed on Jerry Jeff's Terlingua album recorded live at Luckenbach. It is the theme song of Austin City Limits.
As for my horny client, I hope his friend didn't set him up. He is pushing 50, a hard working man with no criminal background at all. This is his first and only arrest.
I agree with what you said about that gorgeous black stallion. At first, I was angry at an owner who would be so careless, but given his perfect condition, I will assume it was an accident.
I ride western, English, bareback, and have also successfully ridden a camel and an elephant, so just bring it!
Whatever current event you read this morning will be old news by evening. Hard to keep up!
Well, have some fun today, chica!
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981