Old Man Mower

Cut the grass for the first time yesterday.

Not bad considering there was four inches of snow on the ground twelve days ago.

And I didn't cheat by using the brush hog on New Holland Boomer.  Besides it is still way too squishy to use a large tractor without damaging the turf.

Last winter the Frau and I purchased a proper riding lawn tractor.  A Sears Craftsman rider with a big Briggs and Stratton engine and a hydrostatic transmission.

It's going to  take some time to figure-out an efficient mowing pattern but I now feel like a proper old guy.

The walk-behind mower is now relegated to finish duty.

Too Big To Fail

I recently met this fella when he spoke at a library foundation luncheon.  He signed a copy of his book for me. 

I actually have a small collection of author autographed missives.  Maybe I can supplement my retirement income by selling them-off.  Anyway, I was absolutely riveted by his story - Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System---and Themselves.

Sorkin does a masterful job of outlining the chronology of events that begin with the collapse of Bear Stearns and end around the point that TARP is passed.  Two hundred pages alone are devoted to the months of September and October 2008 when the world thought the financial system seemed about to implode upon itself.   

This is recommended reading.

In the mean time I am disappointed to learn that Greg Mortenson may have fabricated portions of his book and his foundation is operating under a cloud.  

Understanding Your Taxes

The folks over at Google recently held a contest for computer geeks, financial whiz kids, and others to create an interactive web-based tool that would simplify an indiviidual's understanding  of what they really pay in federal income taxes and where their money goes.

Here is the result.

All Hail the Queen

A new pup arrived yesterday.

Her pedigreed name will be:

Königin Erdnuss von Shamrock Acres

But we're going to call her Sister.

Sister's mother was sired by the same dog that sired Girlfriend - Borador's Deer Run Ratatouie. 

I'm not sure but that might make them sisters, once-removed.  This pooch's lineage is chock-full of Champions and Master Hunters.

If you roll a tennis ball across the kitchen floor she'll fetch it and bring it back.

I have a good feeling about this canine.

Girlfriend is going to need some more time to get used to this latest interruption in her heretofore perfect life.

Talkin' Turkey

Hunting has been difficult this spring as the conditions have been less than perfect.

At least since I hunted.

I scored a first season permit and hunted the first day in almost ideal conditions.

I was back home with my bird by breakfast time.


Since then the weather has been horrific.

Braumeister hunted in wind, followed by wind with rain, followed by wind with rain mixed with snow, followed by snow and freezing conditions.  Hoping for a nice big tom he passed on some jakes and returned home empty handed.

Lawyer was greeted with four inches of snow and flooding.  Conditions were far from ideal.  Finally, on the last day of his hunt he was greeted at sunrise by plenty of gobbling and yelping.  With his weather window rapidly closing he left for home the other day with his Thanksgiving bird.  A dandy fifteen-pound jake.

This is why the Frau says - It is hunting not shopping.

The pressure mounts for Sid.

He's hunting in a couple of  weeks and  since 'spring' is probably at least three weeks behind I think he's going to have ideal conditions.

Go get 'em big fella - you are over-due.

Easter Sunday

It is an absolutely gorgeous day.

Decided to put the spinner target out in the back and unlimber the GI .45.

My hand hurts.

Do Deer Swim?

I've heard that they do.

It's pretty wet around here.  The creek has flowed over its banks and the trails are flooded.

The trail camera is strapped to the tree on the far right.

If the waters rise any higher the deer better learn to swim.



Small Town USA

The  pick-up truck lost its brakes.

I had thought  I noticed a spongy feel to the brake pedal lately.  This morning it went right to the floor.  Popping the hood a quick check of the fluid reservoir revealed it was devoid of brake fluid.  Must have a leak somewhere.  Topping it off I drove to town and left the Chevy at the local garage with a note and the key on the seat.

You can do that.  Besides, red Chevy pick-ups are rather common so I can't imagine anyone actually wanting to steal one.

At the grocery store the junior boys basketball team was bagging groceries for tips. 

Thank you and have a happy Easter mister.

Business was steady as usual at the dump. Everyone wanted to know who had gotten their turkey.

The cafe was bustling  too.

Update On The Ladies In My Life

The Frau now has permission to begin to put some weight on her mending broken leg.  Progress is being made but the boot remains.

Girlfriend and I stopped at Fleet Farm and stocked-up on puppy supplies.  Sister is scheduled to come home with us next week.

And Mrs. Robinson has a nice clutch of eggs.



Mrs. Robinson

Last weekend we noticed a robin through the transom above the back door.

Going outside to check it out I discovered that mama robin had constructed a nest on the shelf outside.  It's under the porch roof and sheltered from the elements and one of the few places not covered by nixalite which does a really terrific job of repelling the barn swallows.

That's a smart bird.

Climbing on a chair to remove the nest I discovered that mom had already laid a couple of eggs.

The Frau and  I have decided to wait to remover it until after the chicks have fledged.  That should be right about when the porch screens can be installed.

Mama is referred to as Mrs. Robinson.





Taxman

George Harrison's Taxman will likely be in many minds today - the April 18th filing deadline.

The song colorfully illustrates the many frustrations of the dealing with the long reach of the tax code, including the cynical observation that when you die, the taxman 'will even tax the pennies on your eyes.'

Rock and reality TV icons Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne now have their own taxman issues to deal with as it was revealed the IRS has filed a $1.7 million tax lien against the couple. Read a review of other celebrities who've also had their share of tax notoriety.

Schizophrenic Weather



Started snowing yesterday afternoon and for awhile it was blowing horizontally.

While the snow has stopped the wind is still rattling the windows.

What the heck happened to spring?

Why Do Birds Migrate?

This pair of tree swallows was dive-bombing me while out turkey hunting the other day.  It's the nesting season.

This diminutive little bird usually arrives in late March or early April following a winter stay in the Gulf Coast, Cuba or Guatemala. 

Why in the heck would any self-respecting song bird travel such a great distance instead of staying in the inviting climate of the Gulf Coast?

The answer is that many birds do not migrate.  It is believed that as many as four-fifths of all birds remain in the tropics year-round.  The theory about migrants has much to do with the availability of food.

If all birds remained in their tropical winter habitat food resources might grow scarce under the pressure of raising a family.  In the northern latitudes food resources are abundant three seasons out of the year.  Moreover, the days are longer and with longer daylight it is easier to feed a hungry brood.

Summer in the arctic region is awash in a swarm of insects and daylight is all day long.

Wisconsin Ghost Towns

My pal Braumeister sent me an email the other day with a link to an article he stumbled accross on the web.

According to the 2010 Census a number of communities with a population of more than 10,000 have vacancy rates of more than 55%.

They constitute the new American ghost town.

What is surprising to me is that Vilas, Burnett and Sawyer Counties rank amongst the Top Ten.

Learn more about this strange factoid here.

Green Wine

A cheap wine is like lawn mower beer.  Cold, palatable and not the least bit pretentious.  It's also affordable.


I was at the grocery recently and purchased an affordable box of this-

I wasn't much paying attention to the box as I was to the price.

It was only after I fetched it from the pantry to put it in the fridge that I actually read the labeling on the box.

Wouldn't you know it.  I can drink this cheap wine and actually know that I am saving the planet.

Brilliant marketing.

Even more brilliant is what is located on the lower right hand corner of the packaging.

The seal of approval.

SFI Certification. 

The gold standard of marketing your renewable trees if your are a tree farmer.

Take some advice from Old Swamp.  Drink not ye the wine from the bottle.  Imbibe of the green wine from the mylar bladder enclosed in the cardboard SFI-Certified outer layer.

Prosit!



New York Demands Income Tax from Orbiting Astronauts

New York's tax authorities, infamous for aggressively reaching beyond their borders for revenue, are demanding that astronauts pay income tax for the period of time that they will be over New York in orbit.



"Those astronauts on the space station orbit into New York territory 15 times a day, spending as much as 40 seconds in the state each time," the New York tax commissioner told the media. "They need to pay their fair share for the cost of providing New York services to them."

HT - Tax Policy Blog.