Friday, September 7, 2012

Friday, the 7th day of September, 2012


Saturday, September 1st was the first day of Dove hunting season… On Friday I got out my shotgun, checked it out; got out my bucket seat and washed (again) the inside cooler and kept it ready for Saturday; last, but not least, checked out my ammo: I had five boxes of #7 shot. READY! Saturday came and, as any other dove hunting day, it was time for expectations, pressure, (had to get, at least, one!) anxiety, humility and last, but not least, lots of fun! Those little birds are about four inches long, have a tremendous eye sight, fly at about 37 MPH, and have an extra-sense that allows them to tell where the sound and the energy is coming from and, therefore, turn on a proverbial dime… If you think you’re good shot, try dove hunting… It is like golf, or bowling: you think you are on top of your game and then you flop! At any rate, I got only two on the first day (the guy that got the most got six!), and I hope to do better next time.

Somebody continues to mow on Hawks Bluff Phase I; almost all of the main drag (Hawks Bluff Rd) has been mowed and, to make things better, all the area around the entrance sign has been cleaned up: the grass and the dead bushes have been cut. A big THANK YOU!

Two projects have been consuming 95% of my time: (a) the planning and organization of the BBQ in a Jar event at the FCF State Park. Much effort has gone into making sure that we are compliant with the Health Department requirement, and that we have adequate coverage for food preparation and delivery during our time at the park. Jan and I cooked, pulled, bagged, stored and transported - and will eventually serve - 250 LBS of pork shoulder (the pork part of BBQ in a Jar). I am hoping for, and looking forward to, a successful sale. And (b) the consolidation of all my music (in electronic/digital format) into a consistent and only source; started out with five different sources in two different computers, with different naming conventions and with about 80 to 90% overlap… My eyes are crossing!

The DNC is over! According the pundits, it was better organized than the RNC. According to me, it was more of the same empty rhetoric both parties and candidates seems to have mastered… One side says that regulations and big government are killing us; the other side said GM is alive and Bin Laden is not… Nobody, specifically, said anything about their plans to fix this mess. Laissez-faire (anything goes with nominal regulations and minimal government) would not work – never has; continue to spend money we don’t have running deficits at record rates would not work either – never has. The answer is somewhere in the middle but there is not enough courage or selflessness (or should I say, stones!) to walk towards that middle ground and meet there! Thank God things are much better here in the mountains of Tennessee! ;-)

Baseball playoffs are almost here, and Football is back... All is good in the world!

And now food for thoughts:
“Man is the most intriguing of creatures… He sacrifices his health to earn wealth; then spends that wealth trying to regain his health. He is so anxious about the future that does not enjoy the present and ends up not living in either one. He lives like if he was never going to die, and then dies without actually having ever lived…”
 - The Dalai Lama


So, keep your priorities straight, my friends.



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