Nearing the End of My Fiddle Quest

Before I start talking fiddle, I want to say congrats to the Saints for their first Superbowl win. I wish I were a little more invested in the game last night, but unless the Chiefs are involved (fat chance there), or I have the opportunity to root against the Broncos, Raiders, or the Cowboys, it's hard to get really into it. But, I watched the game, and called my friend Laura, a New Orleans native, upon the interception that pretty much sealed the game. I can only imagine what Bourbon Street was like last night by the way Laura answered the phone...she had slipped back into New Orleans speak, screaming, and I couldn't understand a word she said for a good five minutes. She was excited, to say the least. Enjoy basking in the glory, Laura!

Back to the real point of this particular blog post...

For a year and a half now, I've been keeping what I hope are interested readers updated on the progress of making my own fiddle under the tutelage of famed fiddle-maker Violet Hensley. This week I'm finally nearing the end of what feels like a monumental quest, and it's probable, barring no unforeseen difficulties (and I've learned in fiddle-making to expect the unexpected catastrophe) that this will be the week I finally find out what my fiddle will sound like. However, it won't be me doing the initial playing - Violet already called dibs on the first song. To me this is akin to the Pope giving a blessing (if I were Catholic), so when the time comes I will happily hand it over.

Here are some highlights of the past few weeks:

Heating the hide glue (it's made from animal hide, which should give a good idea to how it smells) that is traditionally used to glue the body of the fiddle together. This glue is water soluble and makes future repair jobs possible, since water can be used to break down the glue without damaging the wood.

Top glued and clamped...

This was a biggie - gluing on the fingerboard. I used Elmer's glue for this step, which feels oh so permanent, which meant no room for error getting it lined up with where the end pin will go, risking the strings not lining up with the fingerboard. I also did some heavy-duty stressing out because it turned out my neck wasn't really tall enough, so notice the strip of "decorative" maple between the neck and fingerboard.
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Carving the chin rest out of walnut. I could've just bought a plastic one, but I wanted to make as much as possible by hand. (I keep reminding myself of this when I know the fiddle could've been completed long ago by using factory-made pieces for the end-pin, saddle, nut, chin rest, and tail piece).

I'm already wondering what to do when this fiddle is complete. During this difficult transition time when hubby is working in Little Rock while I'm here trying to sell the house and get packed, fiddle lessons have not only kept me grounded, but have been a real outlet for stress relief. Soon, though, the whole "Hooter crew" will be together again, forging ahead into a new life phase. I hope fiddles will be a permanent fixture.

Stay tuned for the Grande Finale!

Spending Spree

Yesterday I woke up to the omnious news that our country is in imminent danger of losing it's AAA credit rating.

Holy Cow.

I guess the thing that gets me the most is that as I did my morning cable news channel surf (even though Obama says we shouldn't watch these channels now), not everyone was reporting on this. And, most people don't get it. If we lose our AAA rating, interest rates will skyrocket, and life as we know it will change big-time. I should think that fact would be a little more important than discussing the latest American Idol episode. We're already seeing China, who owns the massive portion of our debt, starting to flex some political muscles.

And of course, all this talk of federal debt and spending has me thinking of our own debt and spending.

A few weeks ago our massive 40-something-inch rear-projection TV gave up the ghost and went out. For months now, we've been content to watch the ailing television, pretending not to notice the bright line forming at the top of the screen, which soon became a screen-wide permanent fixture along with an ever-increasing fuzziness and compression of the whole picture. A few weeks ago it degraded further, until the picture was like trying to watch a 3-D movie without the glasses, all slanted to the side. I resisted the knee-jerk reaction to run around the yard, arms flailing, yelling, "OH NO OUR TV IS DOOMED!"...and also resisted immediately jumping in the car and running to Sears to drop the several thousand dollars that we need to spend on new flooring in our new house on a new big-screen television instead.

It's amazing how quickly we adapt to technology. What we used to live just fine without are now considered essential parts of our lives. Daily Internet access, Smart phones, and ipods, as well as big screen TVs, are just a few of the things that didn't exist a few years ago, but now we can't seem to live without them.

When Marden and I first started dating, I was amazed he had such a huge TV (compared to my 19" I bought on a meager park ranger salary) and didn't think I could ever get used to it. Now that we've switched back to my old 19" upon the death of his big screen, I feel I should be using binoculars from the couch.

My husband summed up his feelings with, "I guess we need a new television." I was quick to agree...until it hit me - do we really? My 19" provides a clear picture, clear sound, and does everything our old TV did, just on a smaller scale. Do we really need to buy a new television just because this one, new just four years ago, is working fine but is just too small for our standards? Should we not wait until we're in a better financial situation to upgrade our television? Then answer is a big, fat YES...and not only that, it should be common sense.

The whole TV experience has me thinking about our current values and the way we spend money, and how we our definition of "needs" and "wants" has gotten a bit skewed. It's been discussed over and over again how Americans are not smart with money, and how we constantly spend beyond our means...and from the individual to our highest government, spending is totally out of control. It's the view of many economists that our cavalier attitude about money is what kicked our economy in the nether regions in the first place.

I've actually had the "unaffordable health care" conversation with an individual who was lamenting about not being able to afford health insurance, but who's house is chock full of the latest in entertainment technology. It's hard to take someone seriously when they are saying, "we just can't afford to buy our own insurance" when in the background there is a 50" flat-screen LCD television with a surround sound system topped off with a Blu-Ray player and 100+ movies and video games, not to mention the gazillion-channel HD dish package. Really? You can't afford $300/month for your family's health care? And the sad thing is, I'm afraid this person represents the majority. It's the entitlement mindset creeping in. The true feeling with some people is, "I shouldn't HAVE to spend $300/month on health insurance because I want all this other stuff."

I'm not going to beat the health care debate drum or get overly political in this post, but to me it's all pretty closely related. I hear people gripe about not having enough and that our government should do something about it, instead of taking steps themselves to improve their situation. Just go to Walmart and pay attention to what people buy - nearly every cart I see is full of luxury items and very unhealthy food choices.

I'm not in any way downplaying the seriousness of the state of our economy, nor am I putting everyone in the same category. There are plenty of people out there doing the best they can and making wise decisions with what they have who still need help. But I wonder about the attitude of our society as a whole. It seems the attitude of "keeping up with the Jones'" has become the acceptable norm rather than a negative way to conduct personal affairs. We're in bad need of re-evaluating what are "needs" and what are "wants."

Believe it or not - I'm not trying to be preachy. It's something I take serious and intend to seriously evaluate in my own life.

When we live in an ever-increasing entitlement mentality world where WANTS are now NEEDS...and people are looking to other sources for their perceived needs. It seems more and more people are choosing not to rely on themselves, but would rather look for the hand-out, without even really realizing it.

Amazing how the simple loss of television can cause you to question not only your own values, but the values of society as a whole.




"We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our selection between economy and liberty or profusion and servitude..." - Thomas Jefferson



"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." - Thomas Jefferson



"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves." - William Pitt in the House of Commons, 1783.



"Any people that would give up liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety" - Benjamin Franklin

Snow!

It's not often that we a substantial amount of snow here in north Arkansas, but we got lucky this week! Our immediate area had about a foot of the white stuff. Yeah, a lot of people gripe about it, which irritates me. Many Arkansas natives don't want to deal with snow, and the far-north yankee transplants puff out their chests and scoff that no amount of snow or ice could compare to what they had to deal with. I really enjoy snow, even if I am in the minority. I can see how living up north it would get old - the things that makes it so fun here is that #1) a good snowfall is fairly rare, #2) it stops life as we know it, causing a holiday-like atmosphere and a diversion from business-as-usual, #3) it makes me feel less guilty about spending the day curled up on the couch with a book, and #4) despite the fact that (as much as I hate to admit it) I'm in my mid-30's, it's fun to play in and breaks up the mundane blahs and blues of January.

I thought maybe the snow would stay around for a while, but the sun came out today (the day after the snowfall) and started making it stick. So, I took full advantage of abundant sticky snow. I REALLY wanted to take a sled to the top of the great big hill nearby, but unfortunately my mother made me promise "not to do anything stupid"...and sledding by myself, while hubby is stuck in Little Rock, out in the middle of nowhere possibly fits into that category.

Instead I decided to make a snowman...which when finished ended up being a trout.

And here's some snow pics from around the house:

Gettin' Folky

A few months ago my fiddle teacher, Violet, received a letter announcing she had been awarded the Mike Seeger Scholarship to attend the 2010 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis in mid-February. Mike Seeger, who died last year, was not only a very well-known guy (in a well-known family) in the folk music world as a musician (just Google him), but he was also, in a nutshell, hugely responsible for the popularity and preservation of old-timey, traditional, and folk music. His scholarship fund furthers the cause of preserving and promoting traditional music. For Violet it provides for her and an escort the registration fee for the conference, as well as a hotel room and gas money to get there, as well as a performance in a special Showcase meant to honor her and her achievements.

http://www.folkalliance.org/

And who is the lucky escort? Yep, you guessed it. Going to a folk music conference probably isn't too high up on most people's lists, but for me, an old-time music geek, the chance to attend something like this has me dancing on the ceiling. Originally a member of Violet's family was going to take her, but it seems nobody can get away for several days during that time. I promised to take her in the event nobody else could...I couldn't let her miss this event. Long story short, Violet did some shrewd finagling with the conference organizer, who seemed to be willing to stand on his head to get her there, and he has now agreed she can have two escorts - me - as her student, and Sterling - her 17 year-old guitar-playing grandson. (He's now dancing on the ceiling, too)

At first I thought this conference was only for American old-time string band front porch-type music, but I was mistaken. I've since discovered that "folk" actually encompasses a LOT of different music, played by a lot of "different" people...not just old-timey string band, but everything from Celtic stuff played by musicians from Ireland, to acoustic blues, to hairy arm-pitted women singing "If I Had a Hammer", to coffee-house beatnik style whatever-you-call-that, to fruity-acting guys playing flutes. And all taking up what seems to be the whole Mariott in downtown Memphis. In my youtube searches for this conference I've seen all kinds of instruments - ones you expect to see, like fiddles, guitars, banjos, dobros, base fiddles, etc, to the ones you don't expect - pan flutes, accordions, tubas (seriously), tambourines, bongo drums...you name it. In addition, this conference is a full round-the-clock experience, with people staying up all night, going from room to room, band to band, jam session after jam session. The whole conference is a celebration of folkish music by some of the best musicians in the world, as well as a way for musicians to find bands, and bands to find musicians.

The conference organizer asked if we'd like to be on the "quiet floor" or the "jamming floor." After seeing some of these videos, I think we made the wise choice of the "quiet floor", if only for my benefit. I think Violet could and would stay up all night jamming. He also warned me that it was pretty wild, and we'd better get used to walking down a hallway and have someone jump out and start playing an instrument at us without warning. I have a feeling I'm really going to feel totally out of my league and much like the complete fiddle novice I am.
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In any case, I think this is going to be quite the experience. I'm don't exactly know what to expect, but I am definitely taking my camera.

Raised Beds 101

I've yakked incessantly in the past couple of years about home gardening and my evolving attitude toward food-growing and local consumption, and have been asked more than a few times about my gardening methods. So, I decided to post more on the subject for anyone who'd like to start raised-bed gardening but is not sure where or how to start. And what better time - we're enjoying spring-like temps here in January, and spring fever is really starting to tickle my toes. Get ready for a real blab-fest.

My official disclaimer: I'm not by any means an expert, nor do I want to appear know-it-all or egotistical...I'm simply attempting to answer quite a few questions and also trying to further something I feel strongly about - that everyone who's interested can and should have a backyard garden...you don't HAVE to be an expert. And like most activities in this world, there are endless, sometimes extremely strong opinions considering proper methods and materials, especially when it comes to gardening. In other words - if you have a better way or better idea, since I'm still learning myself I'd be very interested and receptive to new or differing opinions.

When I was first thinking about building my raised-bed garden utopia, I made the mistake of immediately diving head first into a LOT of research from all kinds of sources - books, the Internet, magazines, the library, and word of mouth. I heard and read that raised bed gardening was "so easy", but couldn't figure out why all the information was making it seem so incredibly complicated. The biggest problem is the sheer volume of easily-accessible information and opinions out there that makes it difficult to sift through and process it all. It's easy to get overwhelmed and start questioning whether it's worth the effort, and if it just might not be better to stick to the conventional gardening that you know...or just buy produce from someone else or the store.

After much aggravation, I took a step back and put into perspective what I was trying to do. Raised-bed gardening is really nothing more than building or buying a box, throwing in some dirt, and planting seeds or plants. It really can be that simple. I calmed down and started out with an Internet search on the materials and dimensions for raised-bed gardening, as well as consulting my Mother Earth News magazines.

(Side note - I've since cancelled my subscription to Mother Earth News. While it's a good magazine with lots of excellent information, I found it harder and harder to put up with the increasingly extreme eco-centric attitude. After one too many condescending and preachy articles on how we're horrible beings who are all going to cause everyone to die a slow painful death and implode the planet if we don't immediately start using "energy-efficient" light bulbs, and how we should all live in yurts made from hay bales, live on a government-mandated $4000/year salary and never eat meat, I'd had enough. While I agree we can do better in many areas to be more responsible with our resources, I do think it can be taken WAAAY overboard and I sure don't want it shoved down my throat.)

The first thing I had to figure out was what size to make my beds. I found out that the most common dimensions for a raised garden bed are 4' x 8'. It needs to be narrow enough to be able to sit down on the side and reach across to weed or gather produce. As far as the length - deciding that will depend on available space, personal preference, and the materials used. There are differing opinions on depth, but the general consensus seems to be least 12" deep, though I added a couple of quickly-built beds last year that were only 8", and they seemed to do just fine.

Materials can be pretty much anything you can build a box out of...it depends heavily on how much money a person wants to spend and what may be readily available. I found widely varying opinions on this and got pretty frustrated trying to figure out what to build my beds out of without breaking the bank. One of my mom's friends stacked concrete blocks, and they are apparently very functional. Another benefit of concrete blocks I can see would be that the beds would be less permanent than other structures. The drawback for me would be that I happen to think concrete blocks are a bit on the ugly side. But, if I had access to a bunch of free ones, I could sacrifice some aesthetics for practicality.

My folks used 2x12 treated boards, and have had very good luck. This is also pretty economical, and the current method I'm considering for my new beds at our new place, though the practice of using treated boards is a bit controversial in the eco-friendly world. Some people prefer to use un-treated lumber and treat them with boiled linseed oil. From what I've heard this does offer some protection from the elements, but isn't a really long-term solution, and a person can spend a small fortune on linseed oil if there are many boards to treat.

Railroad ties are another option many people use, though I've read that the creosote is a problem and can be harmful to soil and veggies. I avoided RR ties for that reason.

Commercially made beds are available, though they are very expensive. However, most are made out of plastic and are pretty darn durable, and look very nice to boot. If time is short and a person doesn't mind spending the money, that's a route to consider.

Other materials I've seen used include landscape timbers, landscaping blocks, stacked rocks - even logs put together log-cabin style. My point is - the possibilities are only limited by what works and imagination.

For my first beds here I got lucky when it came to building materials. While I was agonizing over the decision on what to make my beds out of, Marden was offered a whole truckload of free rough-cut cedar boards. Cedar is great because it's naturally rot-resistant. However, they turned out to be extremely difficult to build with because I had loads of boards with varying widths, thicknesses, and lengths - even in a single board. In addition, the wood split and cracked horribly, and I had to pre-drill every hole and use outdoor-quality screws. And, while I THOUGHT I was in a level area, I wasn't. To get the beds fairly level meant digging down into the ground and burying one side several inches, or just building one side higher.

As for looks...they turned out a little more redneck than I envisioned, but they work.

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When you're in the middle of all this hard labor, an aspiring gardener starts to wonder if the benefits are going to outweigh the effort. I say a big, fat YES. Benefits of raised beds over regular ground-level gardening are almost endless, but I'll name a few.

Dirt Management: It's much easier to manage your dirt by adding composted material, fertilizers, sand, etc, and have them stay put even in a flooding rain deluge. After a real toad-strangler it's terribly disheartening to see all your nice dirt end up at the neighbor's, or down the hill, which happens in conventional gardening more than you'd think.

Good Drainage: After one of those all-night gully-washers the carefully-tended plants aren't sitting in puddles, since drainage is so much improved from ground-level gardening.

No Rocks! If you live here in the Ozarks, like some other areas of the country, you're going to engage constantly in the Battle of the Rocks. No matter how many you pick up out of the ground, there are fifty for every rock removed. Unless you use rock-picking as a punishment for your children (as mine did...often...), not having rocks to pick out saves literally days and days of irritation.

Better yields. I had to see this to believe it, but it's definitely true. Plants are not only more productive when grown in managed raised garden beds, but grow bigger and fuller.

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They look pretty. This may be a moot point for many ultra-practical folks, but I like a nice-looking, neat and tidy garden. Even my redneck beds have a nice, ordered look to them, even in the summer months when gardens tend to get out of hand.

Best of all...Less work and more convenience - Building raised beds and filling them with dirt is a lot of work at first, but once the garden is established the work drops off dramatically. Say goodbye to back-aching crawling around on the ground and wallering in the dirt. No more "drive-by mouth lickings" from the dog while you are bent over at ground level weeding or planting. Weeds are more easily managed, and can be dealt with by simply sitting on the side of the garden bed.

While I feel I started my garden out pretty simple, every year I add something to my gardening goals to research and try. This year or the next I hope to improve my composting, devise a gravity-fed soaker system from a rain barrel, start a worm farm (yes, a worm farm), and build a hot box for cold-season crops out of an old sliding glass door I saved. I also want to start doing some research on beneficial veggie relationships - instead of planting a single veggie in one box, you can plant different certain plants together that mutually benefit each other. Finally, somewhere down the road I'd like a full-blown greenhouse, which will complete my green-thumb nerddom.

So in a very large nutshell, gardening decisions are going to rely heavily on personal preference, what's available, and where you live. Just don't stress out and remember, there are no Gardening Police going to come smack you upside the head with a fine if you decide to deviate from the "norm" or "gardening gospel." Fancy or simple, many or few beds - it really is your choice. And if I can do it...ANYBODY can.

Cause for Cautious Optimism

Unless you reside in a cave, you know that as of last night for the first time since 1972 a Republican, Scott Brown, has been elected to a senate seat in uber-liberal Massachusetts...not just any senate seat...the seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy. I'm not sure everyone gets how monumental this event is, and how loudly it screams at our other politicians. People are just plain sick of being ignored by their elected officials...which has evolved from being ignored by some to being treated with utter disdain by others.

While I've always disagreed wholeheartedly with the Obama administration's policies from the get-go, he did make some pretty smart promises. He promised transparency, open debate, to reach across the aisle to shrink the divide between parties, and most importantly - to listen to the people. Even though I disagree with his party's policies, I was hopeful that he would do what he promised. Instead we've seen the practice of bullying and childish ridiculing of anyone who doesn't float along with extreme leftist policies, and a continuation of everything he promised to stop.

We've plunged deeper into debt than we've ever been, seen constant closed-door meetings with special interest groups, continued corruption, and been told we're getting health care reform whether we want it or not because we're not smart enough to decide for ourselves, as if we lived in western Europe. Everything proposed so far has been bigger government that dictates to us, more control, loss of personal rights, and a huge increase in taxes and entitlement programs. The increasing downward spiral reminds me of a massive toilet bowl that started flushing years ago.

While I'm no longer a Republican, I do believe that this new senator gets it. I'm waiting for others to get it, Democrats as well as Republicans, and live in a country where WE THE PEOPLE are listened to by our elected representatives as designed by the founders. People are waking up - no longer content to let the government do what it does, and no longer content to say, "Nothing I can do about it."

I remain cautiously optimistic.

I'm Dreaming of a Green Garden...

Dang, it's still January. January has always been my least favorite month. The excitement of the holidays are over, the Chiefs are usually not in the playoffs, and spring is still so distant and the world so dreary it seems impossible that things will ever be green again. I don't usually mind winter, but this year I'm dreaming of spring earlier than ever. I'm chomping at the bit to get settled in our new place in Little Rock, and paranoid I'll be too busy during the most important gardening time to get anything done. Every time I open the freezer I smile at the heirloom seeds sleeping in there, thinking of their potential...but now worry that we'll be in the middle of transition when they need to be in the ground, doing their thing.

Right now is when I should be building raised beds, and the fact that I can't just yet is making me extremely antsy. I'm totally addicted to raised-bed gardening, and the thought of going back to conventional gardening isn't appealing at all. My only other alternative, if I'm not able to get beds built in time and filled with decent dirt, is to improvise with what's available. Container gardening can be productive. I've also considered planting veggies in the existing flower beds. Likely if I'm going to have a garden this year, I'll be resorting to all three - maybe build a couple of beds, plant in containers, and utilize the flower beds.

Even after moving to the city, I still plan on continuing our quest to eat/preserve more of what we grow ourselves, as well as trying to eat more locally grown items. And actually, this might even be easier with better access to larger farmer's markets as well as small grocery stores that carry locally grown items. My chicken flock was decimated by a marauding raccoon this fall, so I'll be starting all over on that front, too.

The bottom line is that I won't have my dream garden this year. Even though I'm basically starting from scratch again, I can look at the bright side - my experiences in the last couple of years here have taught me what works and what doesn't, and that the process is where the enjoyment is...and until spring, I'll keep dreaming of something that looks like this:

Happy New Year! Yeah I know...that was a week ago. We've now jumped fully into 2010...here's hoping this year is a drastic improvement over the one we just muddled through. I haven't made any New Year's Resolutions because like most people I never stick to them...but I will try to blog more than I have lately.

This year I'm hoping get us, our pets, and possessions quickly moved to Little Rock, our house successfully sold, and put an end to the back troubles I've been fighting. Not such a tall order, I should think, though I'm not sure yet how it's all going to pan out. We seem to do everything the most difficult way possible, but I'm cautiously optimistic about this year.

And to those of you who don't know, we have found a destination for us and our stuff in Little Rock. We decided to take advantage of an opportunity to live on the base. And here it is:

Yup...it's a double wide, which is all that on-base housing offers. Still, we feel strongly that the benefits and security of living on post will outweigh any negatives. The current tenants are supposed to get the moss off the siding. They make some trailers pretty nice these days, but I can't seem to get the Sammy Kershaw song "Queen of my Double-Wide Trailer" out of my head. I hate to say good-bye to the Mountain Home area, but we must follow the job security. And, there are much worse places we could live. Just ask my brother and sister-in-law.

That's pretty much all I've got today...maybe if we get out of the deep freeze I'll be more inspired.

Here's to new adventures at a new Homestead in 2010!

"This is the queen of my double-wide trailer with the polyester curtains and the redwood deck..."

Griswold Christmas

Lately I've been lacking motivation, as if you hadn't noticed by my blogging hiatus. That is, if I still have blog readers at this point...right now it's entirely possible that I'm only blogging to myself. If so, not only am I unmotivated, but I'm now touched in the head. Oh well.

I did recently discover why I can't seem to get into the Christmas spirit. Someone in Conway is totally hogging it all. The proof is in the yard, which we tracked from several blocks away.

Holy friggin' electric bill...

Bethany: "Is your house on fire Clark?"

Clark: "No Aunt Bethany, those are the Christmas lights."

Buffalo Float

It stopped raining and warmed up a couple days this week, long enough for a beautiful day of floating the Buffalo river with some friends. This was the first time in years I've been in a canoe, since I much prefer my kayak. A canoe is so much work and so much more unstable and less manuverable than a kayak, but this time circumstances made dealing with a canoe easier. Luckily Daryl and I were able to remember how to canoe enough so we didn't dump and made it appear as if we knew what we were doing.

With all the rain this year, we had plenty of water and for once didn't drag over the shoals, and we shared the river with only a small handful of other floaters and fishermen. Without a doubt, this was one of the best days I've spent on one of my favorite rivers.

Ready for launch...

Daryl at the stern of our canoe, with his Michael Jackson glove.

Me.

A dab of fall color.

Lunchtime!

Alan, Daisy, and Yvonne. Alan plays a heck of a mandolin, Yvonne the bass and autoharp. Daisy just listens.

Raccoon tracks.

Picturesque.

Chewing Gum Fail

I consider myself quite the chewing gum connoisseur, and I while I'm not steadfastly loyal to one brand, I do particularly enjoy Orbit gums. You may have noticed the same trend as I have of late of outlandish and wacky sounding gum flavors appearing on store shelves. At first I was tempted by these new taste sensations, but after Orbit Sangria made my stomach flop around like a dying guppy I decided to stick with the old standby of some kind of mint or cinnamon.

However, hubby had yet to learn this lesson. At a recent gas station stop, he picked up Orbit Maui Melon Mint. I thought I'd give it a try, since it did have the word "mint" on the package.

We each popped a piece in our mouths and chewed. Marden summed up the taste in one astute statement, "Tastes like I'm eating Noxema!"

That's EXACTLY what it tasted like. And no, we don't go around tasting facial cleansers. But we've all had the experience of washing your face, and a little bit gets on your lip, and your first reaction is to go, "Pwaaahaaahwaaaaaaaaaaa!" That's Maui Melon Mint. I wonder if it also prevents blemishes?

And not only does it taste like facial cleanser, but it's the gum that keeps on giving. The next morning when I opened the door, I was immediately brutally assaulted by a rotten-fruit stench. On my mission to find the ginormous over-the-hill mangotangerinepineapple that must surely be stuck somewhere, I found the gum...the rotten stench emanating from within it's seemingly harmless package.

Yup. I don't care if it means I'm boring or an old fogey. I'm sticking with plain 'ol doesn't-stink-up-your-car-or-make-you-puke mint or cinnamon.

Honor Roll Eagle Scout Suspended For Pocket Knife In Car

And the idiocy continues...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,565520,00.html

Good Freaking Grief

Again, I must ask the question...when exactly did we start collectively losing our minds? This morning during my morning cup of coffee I nearly dropped my cup when I heard the story that hopefully you've heard by now. Six-year-old Zachary Christie, who was so excited about joining the Cub Scouts, took his combo knife/fork/spoon to school to use at lunchtime. As a result, he was expelled for bringing a "weapon" to school, and now must attend reform school. Here's the story you can read for yourself:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/education/12discipline.html

And, here's a link if you think this is just as much ridiculous idocy as I do:

http://helpzachary.com

You know, I'm not THAT old. I can't believe things have changed SO much just since the 90's. I vividly remember our school parking lot full of farm trucks, complete with gun racks - and guns IN the racks. I remember once in history class, the teacher had recieved a box containing new books, and she asked who had a pocket knife she could borrow. Nearly everyone in the room offered her one. How have we come to this point?

How far will we go?

Congrats Caveman Cuisine!

A few years ago, my cousin Chad decided to take up bbq-ing. Not just your average Joe backyard grill bbq - this is some serious no-holds-barred-bbq-sauce-in-your-face competition bbq-ing. Soon, Caveman Cuisine was born (cue lights and angels).

I'd never known Chad to be a real Maestro in the kitchen, so his bbq dream came as a bit of a surprise to me. Surprise which turned to drooling awe after the first bbq sauce smeared taste. And, over the past few years, his bbq has only gotten better, with tender brisket, beyond tasty chicken, perfect pulled pork, and my favorite - ribs that you don't even have to chew - they just magically float from the plate to your mouth to your very happy tummy. As Grandpa would say, Chad's bbq is "larrupin'".

This past weekend Chad and crew, with smokers on their log cabin kitchen trailer in tow, headed up to Kansas City to the American Royal BBQ Competition Invitational, one of the most prestigious bbq competitions in the world, to stack their meat up against 123 other teams. Chad walked away victorious, with...drumroll... Reserve Grand Champion. They took 1st in pork, with a perfect score of 180, and 13th in brisket. For Sunday's open competition, out of 473 teams, Caveman Cuisine took a very brag-worthy 54th.

I'd like to say my slammin' logo design had a hand in the win, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it was actually the food. Congratulations Chad, Nicki, Brett, Cole, Jodie, and BJ!

By the way, I'm always available for a taste test...

Yay China!

This week marked the 60th anniversary of the rule of Communism in China, which was celebrated by lighting up the Empire State Building in red and yellow. This caused numerous human rights organizations - such as Human Rights Watch, who has offices in the building (as well irking many Americans who are still paying attention), to exclaim, "say WHAT?!?" due to this political party's tendency to um...deny people basic human rights. But, even though communism is the antithesis to the American ideal, a classic American icon is lit up in China's colors to celebrate. Of course, they do own us now. Hooray! So put on your ultra-cool Che shirt, read up on Marx, and give a salute. It's good practice.

Silver Dollar City

This past weekend the hubby and I met my folks for a day at a local theme park, Silver Doller City. If you haven't heard of it, you're not from here. I'm told it's known worldwide, which may be true, but I just can't imagine anyone travelling any distance for the specific purpose of visiting the park. Don't get me wrong - it's nice - maybe it's just been that growing up in the vicinity of Branson takes away some of the thrill. SDC really plays up the down-home Ozarks image of music, shows, and crafts. Some aspects are pretty neat, and some sit on the border of lame and hokey. It's pretty much what you'd expect from Branson, catering mostly to tourists who want to see down-home "authentic" Ozark hillbilles.

Still, it's not a bad way to spend a beautiful late-September day. And, we had the added bonus of seeing Violet, my illustrious fiddle teacher, who has had her fiddles and herself displayed in a booth every year during the Craftsman's Festival in September and October for many years now. I even played a few songs with her, accompanied by her grandson on the guitar, and some other guy I didn't know also on the guitar. My ears only burned mildly hot with embarassment, and I actually felt confident in my meager playing abilities while spectators watched and clapped.

We soon left Violet to deal with her many admirers, in order to meander around the park, browse the crafts, and get in some thrill rides. Silver Dollar City isn't by any means well known for ultra-trilling rides, and in the realm of today's amusement parks, SDC's rides would be considered pretty tame. Still, now with real roller coasters and a giant barn swing ride, it's made great improvements. And it helps that neither hubby or I have extensive amusement park experience, as much as we'd like to. Neither of our ride resumes reach beyond regional parks, and unfortunaly we've never been on any of the big

famous rides featured on television.

My main goal of the day was to try out Powder Keg, which was new to me. There's a good reason this coaster is called "Powder Keg." Unlike most coasters which slowly pull off the embarking platform and inch up the first hill, keeping riders in anticipation of the first drop, Powder Keg pulls forward and stops on a piece of track which moves sideways and upwards to pull forward onto the main track. THEN, after a few tense seconds, the coaster cars are instantly blasted forward from zero to ninety (well, actually 0-53 mph), up the first hill to fall down a screaming drop, which you're totally unprepared for because you're still thinking about the unceremoniously quick start.

Unfortunately, hubby and I were not aware of this fact.

From our vantage point waiting in line we couldn't witness it and be warned, either. Instead we happily boarded, and I even remarked to Marden, "This must be a pretty pud coaster...it only has lap bars." He agreed. Our cars pulled out onto the movable track, putting us on the main track, where we sat. I presumed we were waiting for the last set of cars to clear a certain point before we started lumbering up the hill. Not that I gave it much thought...we were busy chatting and waving at Mom and Dad who were on the observation platform. Mr. and Mrs. Oblivious. I was in mid-sentence when we were unceremoniously jerked forward, leaving my innards in place while the rest of my body went screaming down the track. At least that's what it felt like.

I think my exact words were, "I don't think Mom has the camera turned onNNNAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" I can't type Marden's exact words becuase this is a family-friendly blog.

We rode Powderkeg three times, once waiting extra long to get seated in the front car.

I think we hit all the rides, which doesn't take long at SDC. We avoided the water rides, but made sure to hit "Fire in the Hole", which hasn't changed a bit since I was in early elementary school, when the ride was shortened. I barely remember the longer ride, but found more details on the old ride thanks to Fire in the Hole's very own Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_In_The_Hole_(Silver_Dollar_City)

It's pretty weak in terms of a "thrill ride"...but very nostalgic.

All in all, it was a great day, and we left happily exhausted. I hope I'm never "too old" for theme parks and funnel cakes.

More Vacation Pics

Southwest Revisited

Today I think I'm finally recovered...the last day or so I've been completely worn to a frazzle from spending a week on the road and in New Mexico.

A few weeks ago my friend Judith called to tell me of an amazing opportunity - she and her husband were planning a trip to meet some friends in Taos, New Mexico, but at the last minute he couldn't go, and would I be interested?

Does a bear use Charmin after it poos in the woods? I guess we all know the answer to that, and now you know the answer I gave Judith. If our trip was going to be anything like our Southwest adventure last year when we explored and camped the four-corners region, I was all in.

So, last Friday we loaded up with way too much stuff and eagerly pointed the Prius west. Judith is an easygoing travelling partner and we have a lot in common, including our love for seeing what's on the other side of the hill, a tendency to avoid Interstate travel, and a desire to simply fly-by-the-seat of our pants. We like the back roads, mostly because Interstates are boring, and you miss a bunch of interesting stuff. If we'd stuck to the Interstate and stayed on a rigid schedule like a lot of travellers, we would've missed stuff like getting disoriented in Tulsa, touring the "No Man's Land Museum" in the Oklahoma panhandle, stopping to get a bunch of green Hatch chilies from a roadside stand (making the car smell very chili-peppery), and nearly upending the car to see Historical Markers.

The theme for this trip was "I'm game if you are."

The first half of the journey was spent in an absolutely awesome rented house in Taos with some folks from Texas, who go frequently to the area to enjoy the artsy, hippie-esque culture and to paint landscapes. Well, the women do...the guys mostly seem to piddle around with their metal detectors or frequent the local casino. I took my drawing stuff, but I couldn't seem to get the time or inkling to sit long enough to draw - too much to see and do. While the others painted our first full day there, Judith and I travelled to the Three Rivers wilderness area to do some ambitious day hiking. I think it's safe to say that as much as we both love to hike, we got our fill on this day.

A few of the house guests played instruments, and against my better judgement I brought my fiddle on the off chance they wanted to taint their great music with the screechings of a scratchy, inexperienced fiddle. But, they insisted, and it was actually a lot of fun. Apparently it didn't sound too terrible, because we played for three nights and nobody's ears bled.

Second day in Taos we accompanied the group to Arroyo Hondo - for the ladies to paint, and for us to mess around hiking and searching for petroglyphs, as well as enjoying the hot springs. "Enjoy" may be a bit much, since on this day it pretty much felt hotter than blue blazes, and after a short hike to the site a bathwater temperature spring isn't high on the list to sit in. Still, we sat...it wasn't bad if a person stood frequently to cool off. Later we went to Arroyo Seco to eat at a tiny little joint, then back to the house to play more music.

The third day we dragged our tired butts out of bed and decided to spend the day mostly shopping and doing the less strenuous toursity things normal people do in Taos, so we visited the Kit Carson museum and the Taos Pueblo.

Day four we hit the road again and drove the scenic loop around Taos. Unfortunately it was raining so we couldn't do much, but I did encounter a lady who told me all about the UFOs which hover over the canyon. This nice lady went from her pleasant can-I-help-you visitor center face to wild-eyed alien abductee in .02 seconds, and with little prodding she went into detail. That experience alone was worth driving the loop. After nutty UFO lady we had a decision to make - head home, or do more stuff. After a very short discussion, we headed south for White Sands.

White Sands, like pretty much everything else, was awesome. We visited on a very rare rainy day, and the whiteness of the dunes I suspect was even more brilliant against dark rainy mountains, and it was surreal walking around in such snowy whiteness while not being cold.

Maybe it was the visitor center UFO lady that prompted us, but we decided we couldn't leave New Mexico without visiting Roswell. It was, actually, on our way. We pulled up to the International UFO Museum and Research Center unfortunately after they'd closed, and after some deliberation we decided we had to see that museum, even if it meant home would have to wait another day.

The museum was all we'd hoped for and more. I was especially gratified when I was placing the "where-are-you-from-pins" on the map and was greeted by one of the workers who asked how many were in my party visiting the museum. I said, "two", and he stated, "ahh...two humans" before ambling off. The museum was surprisingly professional despite the greeting and considering the subject matter, which covered in depth with newspaper articles and sworn affidavits about everything from the Roswell UFO crash to sightings/incidents around the world, weird inexplicable body implants and what little is actually known about Area 51. While I will remain an interested skeptic until I see a bonafide UFO and/or alien with my own eyeballs, I concur that the "Roswell Incident" is very very fishy.

It's a dreary pre-fall day back here in Arkansas, but thanks to some of the stuff I brought back the house smells western - like sage and roasted chilies. New Mexico is wonderful to visit, but I'm not sure I'd ever get used to living out there. There's a measure of comfort in big green trees and grass. The mountains are nice, but I don't think I could see myself permanently in the arid climate and wide-open spaces void of large trees, full of sage brush and desolate emptiness. I guess it's just all in what you're used to. Still, I'll be ready to go back.

More pics to come!

Warning - Political Stuff

Oh no! She's at it again...airing her political opinions. Give me a second to get up on my soapbox.

There are so many things to write about these days...so many things making me want to stick forks in my eyeballs out of frustration. I feel the need to explain myself...why does this stuff matter to me so much? Because I, like many Americans these days, feel more and more helpless, without a voice. We feel a strong, very visceral, feeling that our Republic is being changed right under our noses, our personal freedoms just about to be trampled, and most of us are too ignorant to see what is happening.

My desires are simple. No matter what political party, I simply want politicians to follow the Constitution, remember we are a Republic, and stay true to the expressed desires of the American people....and that hasn't been happening. For a WHILE. Our current administration doesn't get all the blame. In the past I've played into partisan politics, but I've seen the error of my ways, and I've officially resigned from the Republican party, for good unless they return to the principles I thought they stood for, and please - quit with the corruption.

All of a sudden, things seem backward. Marxism isn't viewed as being so bad. Socialism...hey, it works some places...we should try it here! We have politicians calling regular Americans standing up for a cause they believe in ugly names, not answering direct questions, while a congresswoman stands up and actually says that Fidel Castro is a great leader, and he's done "so much" for the Cuban people. Um...did you ask all the Cubans who are leaving all that greatness to float over to the U.S. in a raft? Michael Moore has a new movie vilifying capitalism - the very system that made him rich. When exactly did we all start losing our minds? We had an avowed Communist activist in the White House as "Green Jobs Czar", or, a special advisor to the President if you prefer. When did this become ok? Van Jones did resign of course, but all the media could talk about was how he called Republicans "a**holes", and how he's a "9/12 Truther." Um...that shouldn't have been the issues causing resignation...I myself have referred to Republicans in similar terms lately, and I also have questions about 9/11, though maybe not as far-reaching as the Truthers. How about...um...HE'S AN AVOWED COMMUNIST. Not to mention all the unsavory audio/video about changing our system, spreading the wealth, etc. Marx would've been proud. How did this guy make it into the White House???

Then, healthcare. The Pres says the debate is over, and we need to act. Huh? Do the millions of Americans who put the brakes on the bill not get a voice anymore? It's not like the Repubs and Blue Dogs are standing in the way just because they want to throw in a monkey wrench...there are a few actually LISTENING to their constituents. As it should be...as our system was designed. Unfortunately, so many in office now are of the same opinion as Bill Mahr...that we're too stupid to see what's in our best interest, and just ram it through already. Never mind the will of the people. Never mind that the politicians work for US, not the other way around. Never mind massive debt. Never mind that we have a healthcare system that CAN work if we tried some tweaks (Tort reform, interstate competition, tax breaks, vouchers, etc) - not the sweeping, massive changes being suggested....and you can't convince me these changes won't lead to more unsustainable debt (just ask the non-partisan CBO - Congressional Budget Office), and eventually socialized medicine. The words "I'm in favor of a single-payer system" came out of President Obama's mouth just a couple years ago, and so far he hasn't stated he has changed his mind. Republicans have offered no less than 35 reform bills just this year to the President, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid, none of which have even gotten a hearing, and yet the President continues to say his opponents have given no alternatives to his proposed sweeping changes.

Then of course there's the cost - $900 billion. That's $900,000,000,000 proposed. Never have cost estimates on heath care been accurate - they are always at least doubled. Even Bush's Medicare Part D has blown away all cost estimates. Again, ask the CBO.

And the facts about who is for these changes keeps getting SOOO skewed, it's hard to know what's truth. CNN ran a poll the day after President Obama's healthcare speech, showing that 75% of people thought it favorable. At the bottom was fine print stating that of those polled, 45% were Dems, 17% Repubs. Think you can get a fair poll that way? No, but you can sure fool folks not reading the fine print.

Government keeps getting bigger and bigger, with more of a hold on the people. For any of you who are fans of big government - ever thought about how BAD big government might be when the party you oppose has the power?

We have a great country, a beacon of freedom for the world. It's my personal opinion that we really need to pay attention, consider what's being proposed, and stand up when we don't feel it's right. Republican, Democrat, or Independent...we all have so much in common we CAN agree on. But hey, I'm just a "nutjob", a "Tim McVeigh wannabe" who is "running around in a white sheet." Those ugly words were all heard on "unbiased" network news, by the way.

Today a bunch of regular Americans are marching on Washington to make their voices heard. Who knows if they will be. A significant chunk of our population is increasingly feeling alienated, ignored, and marginalized. Likely they will be ridiculed and mocked by the media, and possibly politicians also. They'll be called ugly and unfair names. They'll be the butt of jokes for late-night comedians. Regardless, I wish I could be with them...just a crazy nutjob looking for accountability from her elected representatives and government.

By the way, rebuttals are welcome. Someone prove me wrong. All I ask is for no name-calling - only the facts please.

Fiddle Update

My goal is to have a completed fiddle by Christmas, and I'll go out on a limb and say that I *think* it's actually doable. I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Or rather, hearing the music. Here's an update on my recent progress:

Most of "dishing out", as Violet calls it, of fiddle backs and tops are done with a curved knife. But the knife leaves deep grooves, so the finish work is done with a scraper - a piece of glass or sharpened metal, and sandpaper. Violet says she and her Dad used to do most of their scraping with broken fruit jars. Here's me in the process of scraping the inside of my top with a piece of windowpane hubby's granddad and I had a lot of fun breaking.

The grain of the sassafras wood I'm using makes it a little tougher to get smooth. Joe, a guy who's also making a fiddle, is using soft maple. He smugly sits across from me and proceeds to cut it like hot butter. However, I seem to gravitate toward challenges. (I mean, look at my choice in husbands. Haha...just kidding Marden.) I've learned a lot by watching Joe, though. #1) Always listen to Violet, because if you don't you end up putting a hole in your fiddle back, cutting the wrong end off your finger board, nearly putting a hole through the fiddle top, making your sound holes too big, and a myriad of other issues encountered by not listening. #2), Always measure multiple times, and have Violet check your work BEFORE you glue. #3) is to pretty much do the opposite of what Joe is doing. While he's a super-nice guy, he is the proverbial bull in the china closet. He'll get his fiddle done, though...and we'll both learn a lot in the process.

After what felt like years of scraping and sanding (and tons of sawdust boogers), I was FINALLY able to cut the sound holes. It took me a good 30 minutes to actually draw them on, then a full hour to screw up the nerve to actually make a cut. Violet does her sound holes with a drill press, but I wisely chickened out and chose to start mine with a tiny hand drill, then (remembering Joe) slowly expand the holes with a well-worn but very sharp pocket knife.

That's it for now! Stay tuned for further updates.