Artemus

 We're headed back to the moon, after all these years.  The ship launched on Wednesday, with a crew of four, to circle the moon and come back, testing systems along the way.

You can track the mission here.

Godspeed, Artemus.

In other news, today is Good Friday, a huge day in the Christian calendar.  Fasting and reflection is the order of the day. Sunday, we celebrate the Resurrection, the fact that all of Christianity is based on.

Y'all have a great and blessed weekend.  Celebrate Easter in your own style, and chick on those brave astronauts who are crewing a tiny spacecraft in a vast universe.  They are going only to the moon, but we have to start somewhere.

Pin Oak and Crepe Myrtle

 We have this huge pin oak tree in the front yard.  Some call it a white oak, others call it a water oak, but around here, it's a pin oak.  It's a beautiful tree, but it drops acorns.

When Belle and I moved into the house, we wanted a crepe myrtle in the front yard, so I planted one.  Crepe myrtles are odd, decorative, flowering trees.  When they are young, or when they are stressed, they are spindly.  Some old-time growers would weave the spindly trunks together.  Others would choose the strongest trunk and cull the others.  It's a choice.

Back to my plight.  The pin oak was close enough to the crepe myrtle that acorns would fall amongst the spindly trunks of the crepe myrtle.  Some took root and over the past several years, the oak saplings grew into the crepe myrtle, choking it out.  It looked like hell, and I needed to get a handle on it.  But, I have elevated procrastination to an art form.

Yesterday I hooked the utility trailer to the lawn mower and got out that little chainsaw that I bought in February. Went out in the yard and started doing surgery on those oak saplings. The utility tailer is a 4X10 and over the next hour or so, I loaded it with oak saplings.  I dragged it over to the burn pile.  I was amazed at how muck oak I had cut our of that crepe myrtle.  The trailer was stacked five feet high.

I was also amazed at how capable that little 6" chainsaw proved to be. That little saw had plenty of power and I could wield it like a scalpel. No complaints whatsoever.  The crepe myrtle is unharmed, and the pin oak is feeling decidedly unwelcome.

If you are looking for a little battery chainsaw, click on the link above. This link will take you to the Amazon page.  If your preference is for another type of battery, they have them for Milwaukee, or others.  just use the appropriate search terms.

First Mowing

 The neighbors have been cutting grass since February, but I have wisely abstained until this morning.  The crop of thistles in the front ditch convinced me that today was the say to crank up the zero-turn.  A winters worth of leaves has been mulched.  The thistles have been chastised. 

So begins the mowing season that will last until October.  I need to do a little weed-whacking and spray some herbicide, but I am pacing myself.  There is also a burn pile that needs attention, but it is too dry to burn.

Back Home

 We rolled in from central Texas yesterday before dark. It was a great match.  Your humble scribe had a great Saturday. After 8 rounds, I had only one loss. Then, the combined challenges of age, stamina, arena dust and heat took its toll.  I didn't finish in the money,  but it was close and I have no one to blame but myself. I'm still coughing central Texas arena dust out of my sinuses.

Leaving the arena on Saturday, Belle and I were dog-tired.  She noticed a Burger King near the arena and suggested that we swing through Burker King, pick up some sandwiches and go to the room.  Great Idea. Five o'clock in a Saturday, and there was no one in the parking lot.  I thought that was odd, but went to the drive-through and noticed that the menu board was dark. Then I saw it and laughed.

The darkened menu board had a bullet hole in it. Another dissatisfied customer had registered a complaint. I thought that was funny as hell.  We drove out of the parking lot and went down to Dairy Queen for our sandwiches.

We're home and safe.  It is time to unpack the van and get ready f our next adventure. Three weeks from now, it is Georgia.

Never Quit

 It's time for Texas State, and I'm remembering a song sung by Part Time at the 2015 Texas State

You can find it here.

I'm going to leave it here so that I can find it tomorrow.

Texas State

 In March of 2016, Belle and I went to our first state championship, the Texas State Championship of Cowboy Fast Draw in Fort Worth, TX, We were green as grass, brand new to the Fast Draw game, and we wandered around the Stock Yards, wide-eyed and having fun.

Tomorrow morning, we are leaving for our 11th Texas State.  This one is in Burnet, TX, just south of Austin.  These championships move around, just as they should.  We've been to Fort Worth, Amarillo, Odessa, Silsbee, Houston, and this is our second trip to Burnet.  We really enjoy the Texas State Championship.

Tuesday Tidbits

 I went this morning for a AAA scan (Abdominal Aorta Aneurism).  It is a sonogram to tell if my abdominal aorta is about to spring a leak.   When they scheduled it a week ago, I old then it was a waste of time and money.  I'm okay.  The doc insisted, because he doesn't believe me when I tell him something.  Evidently, this test is VERY fucking important.

So, I went this morning and got the scan done. I was right.  It was a waste of time and money. Scan showed absolutely no problems. It was a wase of my time and your tax dollars.

On another note, I heard that the 82nd Infantry Division (Airborne) just got a warning order. The headquarters elements are moving east with the full division to follow shortly.  That is interesting.

On a more local note, we learned yesterday that our recently retired Sheriff was killed in what is characterized as a hit-and-run.  Rumors abound.  I worked for that man for eight years, and while I did not always agree with him, I always thought his heart was in the right place.  Rest in Peace, Sheriff.