Enough Already II

I'm noticing that the campaign has entered its last week, and folks are getting a little shrill.  This thing has been going on for well over a year now, and I'm tired of it.  If it weren't for the absolute, generational importance of this election I'd stay home on election day, but we've got things to take care of in Louisiana on the ballot next Tuesday, some statewide and local things that need attention, so I've got to go pull the lever.  It's a dead-set cinch that Romney is going to carry Louisiana  We aren't a battleground state, and haven't been since I can remember politics.

The most important statewide measure on the ballot is Amendment 2, which will strengthen the Louisiana Constitution regarding firearms ownership and use.  It will make firearms ownership a fundamental right and will require that any infringement on that right be subject to strict scrutiny in the courts.  This is a no-brainer, and I'll be voting YES on amendment 2. The amendment is projected to win easily and Louisiana will lead the way in gun rights, as it should.

Enough, Already.

Okay, I get it.  Y'all had a storm in New York.  Big whoop.  It's been two or three whole days in the news cycle, but the wind quit whipping early this morning.  By now y'all should have pumped out the tunnels at least and be well on your way to getting the electricity turned back on.  It's not like you've got to slog through a swamp.  Pretty much everything in New York is paved.  The trucks should be able to get in easily.

Get to work, quit whining, and start rebuilding.  That's what Louisianans and Floridians do after a storm.  Y'all had a little measly Cat 1 and I didn't even see that it spawned any tornadoes or anything.  The death toll is what?  About 30?  Sucks to be them, but that's not hardly enough to talk about.  Hell, Tuscaloosa lost more than that to a tornado last year.

I thought New Yorker's were tough.

Oregon in Play?

Today, reading the news, I stumbled across a poll that says that Obama hasn't gotten to 50% in solid-blue Oregon.

The newly released Oregonian poll has the presidential race at 47-41 for Obama, with 8% undecided and a 5% margin of error.  Says the paper:

Really! I can't imagine Oregon going for Romney, but in my experience the undecided vote generally goes heavily for a challenger. Obama's got all the votes he's going to get. With a good push, and a good GOTV effort, Oregon might turn red. A concerted Republican effort and the idea that Obama is going to win might be enough to convince Oregon Democrats to stay home.

I don't think that this race is as close as people think it is.  VodkaPundit describes it as an undertow election.  You can't see it on the surface, but the current underneath is a killer.

A wave election is something you can generally see coming, rising above the surface, crushing everything in its path. But an undertow election isn’t something you can see. It pulls underneath the surface with sudden strength, sucking away a base of support thought to be reliable, the ground evaporating underneath you as you claw to stay afloat. It’s maddening for campaigns when voters you had counted as baked in to your models decide they have something better to do on Tuesday. Bush experienced this because of a news story. The Obama campaign may be experiencing something similar now – which may explain their strategic flailing over the past few weeks.

That's what I'm seeing, and I'm not a pollster, nor am I a consultant. I've just got a feeling that Obama is lost in the weeds and is about to get his feelings hurt on Tuesday.

Wisdom from Tam

From Tam's place:

Meanwhile, I realize that this is a very large-diameter storm, but it's still a Category 1 with an eleven-foot storm surge. Don't Panic: I think in Florida they call that "September"

Yeah, Tam, but New Yorkers don't like September in Florida either.  But, thanks for putting that in perspective.

Sandy

It's Monday afternoon, and I understand that it's getting a little sporty up on the East coast.  Here's what the experts are saying.  Y'all be careful up there.

Democrat of the Year - Convicted of Theft

You can't make this stuff up.

The woman named “Democrat of The Year” this year by the Jefferson County Democratic Party has been convicted of felony theft by a Jefferson County jury for stealing from a developmentally disabled 71-year-old woman.

This is a metaphor for the entire Democratic Party. Stealing from the less fortunate, the innocent, the disabled. That's what Democrats do. Anyone who is still registered as a Democrat in this country should be ashamed of themselves.

Taco Soup

It's a quiet day here at PawPaw's House, we're taking our leisure in anticipation of a busy week.  This morning, Milady sent me to the grocers with a list for Taco Soup.  The whole recipe is here.  This is the perfect recipe for a lazy Sunday.  Quick and easy, the tone of the soup lends itself to cool autumn afternoons.

I serve mine over Frito's, garnished with a little sour cream and shredded cheese.  I'll soon be working on my second bowl, then I'll find my remote and spend most of the afternoon in my recliner.

Bloomberg pulls a Nagin

It looks like Hizzoner Mayor Bloomberg is not ordering an evacuation of NYC, although they are shutting down the subways.  Evidently, Mayor Bloomberg is trying to foster individual responsibility in the face of a natural disaster and individual responsibility is a good thing.

Mayor Bloomberg has affirmatively decided NOT to evacuate even the most low-lying areas of his vulnerable city, nor even to close the city government or schools Monday.

That's liable to jump up and bite him in the ass. However, my long experience with tropical storms and hurricanes in Louisiana is such that I don't need an elected official to tell me to do what needs to be done. Sometimes you ignore official prognostication and GET THE HELL OUT.  Of course, the subways may not be the smartest place to be in a hurricane.  If the electricity fails and a storm surge hits, you might be drowned like a rat in a hole.

It would be much better if everyone got into a bus and headed west.  Take a trip to Michigan, or Iowa, or even Los Angeles.  Stay three weeks until the lights come back on, the storm surge subsides, and the election is over.

Sandy

I've spent the weekend thus far in the woods and playing Halloween with family and friends.  I didn't even look at the computer yesterday.  With coffee this morning, I find Hurricane Sandy threatening the East Coast.  Landfall is still a couple of days out, but let's look at the Horror Graphic and see what the weather weenies are espousing.

That's an interesting track.  Considering that we're two or three days away from landfall, expect changes as things get worse on the coast.  What's interesting here is that a Cat 1 coming ashore in South Louisiana would be exciting, our coastline is sparsely settled as compared to the beaches and homefront construction on the East Coast.  Yeah, we've got a lot of folks in the way of any tropical storm, but not nearly as many as the huge cities on the East Coast.   Then too, we're a whole lot better at absorbing storm damage, mainly because we have lots of experience and know what to expect.

The current NOAA track shows it going ashore somewhere in Pennsylvania, with tropical storm wind probabilities extending from North Carolina to Maine.  That should tighten up some tomorrow, and while I've made quite a hobby second-guessing the weather weenies, my experience fails me in those latitudes.  With a storm that size, expect widespread destruction in coastal communities, lots of trees and power lines down,   Power outages, flooding, lots of interesting opportunities for people to do the right thing, or the wrong thing.

Remember, if you plan to evacuate, head west.  The western side of the storm is always better than the east side of the storm.  Of course in this case, heading east isn't much of a possibility.

Sunday Morning Dawg

I know that I missed last Sunday's Dawg posting, so today you get a two-fer.  You've all heard me speak of Guillory's Fine Meats, and one of the things I almost unfailingly get is a sack of cracklins.  Hard little fried pork skins that Southerners so affectionately love.  Recently, I stopped by Guillory's to buy some roasts for Italian Beef, and sure enough, I bought a sack of cracklins.

Here, the dog is begging Milady for a treat.

Milady successfully resisted, but not for long.  In just a few more seconds the dog had snagged a cracklin and was chewing for all he was worth.

Cracklins on an autumn afternoon.  Ain't nothing like it.

Employment

This chart speaks for itself as a percentage of Americans employed.  From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, via Instapundit.

This is what the election is all about.  Jobs.  Employment. This is important, folks.  Let's get it right.

Chain Saw

Two hours on a chain saw and almost a rick of firewood in the back of the pickup, it's been a good morning.  Momma had some oak trees cut in the spring.  They were close to the barn and she wanted them dropped professionally, so she told the contractor to leave the wood that would make good firewood.  They piled it up inn 6-foot sections behind the barn and it's laid there since that day.  I let the logs dictate where I cut, so some of it is long, some of it is short.  I didn't get nearly all of it, there's still a sizable pile laying on the ground.  However, at my advanced age and decrepitude, one tank of gasoline is all I feel like running through that chainsaw.

It's all destined for the deer camp.  The firebox on our camp stove is short, so the short wood will be split for cooking, the longer pieces will go into the general fire-ring pile for use on those cold mornings when we want a fire after the hunt.

Momma's got a handicap ramp on the side of her house and she said that she's noticed a little cottontail rabbit living under there.  We discussed it and decided that the rabbit has a lot of sense.  It's close under there so the coyotes can't get to him, it's got overhead cover so that the rain won't bother him, and he's not bothering a thing under that ramp, so we'll leave him alone.

In another hour I'll get a shower, scrap my face, and head in to work.  It felt good to be running a chainsaw this morning.  That firewood will feel good later this year.

Deer Stand

You know the drill.  You prepare, get ready, scout the woods, try to determine where the deer will be.  Then you set up your stand and wait for opening morning.  Then, when you walk to your stand, you realize that....  Well, I'll let him tell you about it.

I did all my prep-work . . .

I scouted the area all summer. . .

I searched out the best location for my tree-stand . . ...

I set it all up a month ahead of time . . .

I trailed the herd . . .

I picked out a trophy buck .. ..

Two days before opening day I rechecked every aspect of the hunt . ..

Everything was in place . . ..

Sunday morning, I woke up at 2 am . .. .

I put on my camo, loaded my pack, set out for my stand . . .

This was destined to be an epic hunt . . ..

As I approached my deer stand . . 

 Some days it just don't pay to get out of bed.

Mistaken Identity

Sometimes, identifying the body isn't as easy as some people might think.

BRASILIA, Brazil — A 41-year-old car washer from northeastern Brazil shocked his family by turning up at his own wake after his family mistakenly identified a murdered local man at the morgue as him, local media reported Tuesday.

Yeah, that would be a mite uncomfortable, walking into the funeral parlor while you're family is mourning your passing.

Family and friends in the town of Alagoinhas in Bahia state were gathered around the body of another car washer resembling Gilberto Araujo when he showed up after being told of his "death" by a friend who had spotted him in the street.

Car washing must be a hell of a job in Brazil.  I wonder who the corpse in the coffin was?

Monday Night Dawg

No pictures, but the dog fell into the pool tonight.  Milady and I were on the back patio, enjoying an after dinner aperitif when we heard a splash and had to go fish the dog out of the pool.  He had a mis-step and wound up swimming toward the shallow end.

To say that he's embarrassed is an understatement.  He's ripping around the house now, trying to forget his evening swim.  I've fallen in the pool myself and know how embarrassing it is.  Tough on the dog.  I'll remind him frequently.

I asked Milady if I should get the camera and throw him back into the pool to commemorate the event, but she demurred.  Go figure.

Mulligan Stew

It's been a while since I talked about Mulligan Stew, and today it flung a craving on me.  This is a hearty campfire stew from my younger days, taught to me by my Dad and my Uncle Eddie, who would whip up a Mulligan anytime we were in the woods on a cool night.

The whole recipe is here, but it's a simple, easy stew that even boys can make with just a little coaching.  Basically, you peel and dice six potatoes, brown a pound of bacon, then set it aside to drain.  Add some flour to the bacon grease to make a peanut-butter roux, then add water, potatoes, and the crumbled bacon. Salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer until the potatoes are tender. Stir it often, the potatoes want to stick. You can  serve it over rice or bread.  Either one works fine.

It's a great little recipe, either for the campfire or for the homestead.  Cheap, filling, and very savory.  Mulligan stew.  It's what's for supper.

FOWARD

Spelling is hard.  Obama supporters wear FOWARD tee shirts at a rally with Biden.  Seriously.

They're desperate, I tell you.  Desperate.  And illiterate.

Beating these bozos should be easy.

Dirt

Dirt, soil, it's all in how you look at it.  Sometimes it's dirt, sometimes it's soil.  Sometimes, it's a fashion accessory.  Here, grandson Luke shows us how it's done.

We expect a kid to get dirty when he's wearing his rubber boots.

Saturday

A football game, a general brawl between the teams after the game, a car parked in front of a critical gate, two pissed off administrators, supervisors on the cell phone, but everyone went home safe.  By law enforcement standards, when you go home safe you've had a good day.  So, after eighteen hours I had a good day.  Went home, fell into bed, was awakened by leg cramps and hobbled around the house.

Coffee this morning, then we're off to Jena for a mini reunion of Milady's family. Then I come home this afternoon, grab a quick nap and go back to the school to work the homecoming dance.  We'll be through with homecoming week and the next couple of weeks should  be fairly uneventful.  The game last night dashed ANY hopes the team has of making the playoffs, and honestly, they don't deserve to be in the playoffs.  We should have won that game last night.

In a long career, I've never worked a general brawl between two football teams.  So. last night was a first.  I hope that I never have to do a repeat.  There is some weird psychology in group dynamics that make people crazy when they're in a group.  I detest rowdiness, and the testosterone-fueled environment of a football field, protective padding, and hurt feelings after a devastating loss are all extenuators of mayhem.  I'm glad I had five stout deputies to assist me.  It was nearly not enough.  I was within seconds of calling for a paddy wagon and putting every adult on the field in jail.  There is no excuse for brawling after a football game.

Miracle

Jerome Scott, my friend from the earlier posting, has made it thus far, and the doctors are heartened at his progress.  They expected him to sleep from two to four days, to be "out of it", but today he's off the ventilator, is awake and alert, and receiving visitors.  The doc told his wife that of those patients with that much damage that even make it to the operating room, 90% die on the table.  Jerome is of course, doing lots better than can be expected.  I just came from the hospital where I talked to Jerome's dad, hugged Jerome's wife, and visited with Jerome's Paw-in-law.  The docs expect to move him to a ward hopefully tomorrow, where he'll stay for 7-10 days.  If I know Jerome, it'll be less than a week.  Then, he'll go back to aggravating his wife and everyone around him.

I'd like to thank everyone for the prayers.  I know that lots of folks were praying for him from several churches, from desks and jobs, and pickup trucks all over this nation.  Jerome's doing well, thank God, and I'd like to pass along my thanks to all of you who thought of him and lifted up prayers today.