Pull Tight

“Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer." [ Mark Twain, a Biography ]”  ―  Mark Twain A few years ago, I went to the library to review shop manuals for auto and home repairs. Now U Tube videos are the place to go.  Watched a few and set out with my projects last weekend. All the videos for garbage disposal replacement said it wasn't too hard, but every video mentioned cursing as a part of the process.  Working under the sink holding a heavy appliance above your face is somewhat awkward.  Finished this project much faster and easier than expected with only one additional trip to the hardware store.  No profanity needed. This kind of repair has probably gotten easier with pvc pipe and sink adapters. Then I moved on to a headlight replacement.  Before the 80s I used to do almost all of my own car repairs from tune ups to engine overhauls.  Cars were simpler to work on then, but needed work m...

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/12/08/ride-lives Bothers me these kids can't evaluate the risks of what they are doing.  Have read the human brain can't truly assess the effects of risk until reaching an age in the late 20s.  Many of these kids are going to end up with injuries which will change their lives forever in sometimes major ways. Enjoyed participating in some very tame (by recent standards) local rodeos as a teenager. Then, I went to a college with the national champion rodeo team. Became acquainted with some of the guys who rode bucking stock. Met a few around 20 years old getting around as if they were 40 years older.  The stories of injuries, accidents, hospitalizations were numerous.  Many of these guys were never going to be the same. Wonder how many of them now in their 60s look back and think the glory was worth the risk. Read the attached article and ask yourself if you would want your child or grandchild to participate in such an injur...

My favorite tree.  This old oak tree is near the mouth of Pony Creek.  Have visited it many times over the years.  As a child I camped with my uncle and cousin underneath. It once provided shelter for my horse and me in a sudden rain storm.  Walked from the tree to watch fish swim in the clear water of Pony Creek.   And, swam in the Paluxy river a few yards away.  If I were ever to become so destitute I had to call a tree my home or if I ever become so affluent I can call a tree my home, this is where you might find me. Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come. - Chinese proverb

Before today I was probably the oldest living Rocky Horror virgin in all of the English speaking countries. A really fun day at the theater (Dallas Theater Center). If by chance you haven't seen it, go see at the theater or a midnight movie.  Much of the experience involves the abundance of audience participation, many of which have seen the show numerous times and come prepared with costumes, comments, props, etc.

Had a friend a few years ago who grew up in the Port Arthur Beaumont area in the 1960s. She used to tell a story about the day she went outside and her pantyhose melted. The part of the story you discovered later was the pantyhose were hanging on a clothes line instead of being worn.  But, enough organic solvents in the air to melt pantyhose is remarkably scary.  There is a pretty good chance if you knew a few people from this area from during time frame (and for many years afterwards), you either know somebody or know somebody that knows somebody with leukemia or a similar serious illness. Fast forward 40 years, Tarrant County now has the worst air in the State. Increased vehicles, gas well extraction pumps and fracking in the immediate area are causing problems. Cement kilns and power plants downwind also make significant negative contributions to our air quality.  Asthma and respiratory rates are way above the rest of the State. If interested and concerned, this lo...

“Coffee, according to the women of Denmark, is to the body what the Word of the Lord is to the soul.” Isak Dinesen We are somewhat connoisseurs (snobs??) of coffee at our house. Every morning starts with grinding coffee beans and preparing coffee with a French coffee press.  Sometimes it is coffee with Nancy while watching the morning news. Or sometimes it is stepping outside with coffee in hand after releasing the hounds.  The hounds are really Westies, but it is still nice to be outside with your coffee. Visited this place after reading about it. Car repair and coffee roasting make for a unique place of business located on the south side of Fort Worth. Reviews say the best coffee in the Fort Worth Dallas area comes from here.  Still on my first batch, but will probably be in agreement with the reviews. No coffee is roasted until ordered. Be prepared to wait about 20 minutes for your coffee to be roasted if you don't call ahead. Waiting is part of the experien...

Recently met up with some long lost cousins. Shared some photos and stories with them. This is mostly for my children, nieces, nephews and those cousins for whom Clint McIntire would have been their great grandfather. Many others will remember Granddad as well. Granddad was the only janitor for a few years at the school in Tolar during a time when there were only about 200 students in all 12 grades combined. The kids all called him Smitty. He was so popular with the student body the school yearbook was once dedicated to him. One his duties as janitor was helping with the school cafeteria clean up during lunch. He would stand near the exit emptying and stacking plates as the students exited. One day, when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade and the entire cafeteria was filled with only the first few grades, we heard this loud blowing noise. It sounded something like air coming out of a balloon. A few of us kids looked over in Granddad's direction where the sound was coming from. Smitty ...

ER Physician to Mom "CT scan shows nothing going on in your head, your family may already know." Most mornings on the drive to work, I phone my parents and talk for a few minutes.  This morning Dad answered "We had an accident and are at the emergency room, mom was kicked in the head by a cow." One of the last things you need at age 87 is to be kicked in the head by a cow.  I kept driving past work to the ER in Granbury. Mom and Dad had been up early, corralling a few cows for market. A bull calf kicked a steel gate which swung into Mom, striking her in the forehead and shin. With the laceration on her forehead bleeding pretty profusely, a quick stop by the house was made for a towel to slow the bleeding. They then made a high speed drive to the hospital. About 35 stitches to close the gash on her forehead, but just a bruises otherwise.  A couple of hours later, she was on her way home. However, probably won't finish penning the cows until tomorrow.

“Would anyone remember the story of Godiva if she lowered Coventry's taxes without taking her clothes off?”  ―  Daniel Donoghue ,  Lady Godiva: A Literary History of the Legend Went for a mid afternoon bicycle ride in a local park yesterday. The weather was changing from a hot sunny day to possible rain. Thunder and lightning could be seen and heard nearby.  The normally very busy park was mostly abandoned. However, the few people at the park were interesting.  There was a family taking pictures of their 2 or 3 year old dressed only in a cowboy hat and boots and standing on split rail fence.  A couple with a woman (all in their 20s) were photographing the woman.  The woman appeared to be clad in only high heels, a large straw hat and a man's dress shirt.  Couldn't record any of this on my smart phone without looking like a pervert, but an interesting day at the park.

Have a friend from the Houston area who speculates that if not for the invention of air conditioning, Houston would not a population large enough to justify paved roads.  This is probably pretty close to true for much of the south.  We just went a few very hot days with a broken air conditioner.  Climate is controlled again and we are cool and happy. Thought about growing up mostly without air conditioning and some of the things done to stay cool on the farm, especially at night.  Remember lightly sprinkling the bed sheets with water so the evaporation would cool them. But my favorite memory before air conditioning was taking the beds outside on hot summer nights. To lay in a comfortable bed outside on a dark starlit night was a special treat.  Going to sleep watching falling stars is a favorite childhood memory. Maybe we should try a little less climate control again.

Was almost always a fan of the Beatles.Who doesn't like Hey Jude or Here Comes the Sun. My earworm today however is from one of the songs on the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Lyrics keep going through by mind. "....... .will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm.... ."

While waiting in line to order a burrito at Chipolte, I was mistaken for the summer version of Santa Claus. Girl of about 3 comes in with her mom and breaks out in a big smile and starts waving her arms. The slightly thinner build than winter Santa and short cropped mostly white beard.....  Maybe I am the summer Santa.

“God is a cloud from which rain fell.”  ―  Dejan Stojanovic ,  The Sun Watches the Sun The sky during morning dog walk just before we started getting wet. Few things feel or smell better than a summer rain in this corner of the world.

Discovered this on the banks of the Paluxy River. Must have been tossed from a bridge upstream by an art critic of sorts.

Found this broken horseshoe near an abandoned road.  Always try to imagine the time and story of artifacts I run across.  Where were the rider and horse going? What did they look like?  Why is the shoe broken?  Where is my time machine?

“You have corrupted my imagination and inflamed my blood...”  ―  Leopold von Sacher-Masoch ,  Venus in Furs Probably many friends went to see the opening of 50 Shades of Gray this weekend.   Venus in Fur is the movie they should have gone to see.  Check out the reviews. Based on the Tony award winning play which was based on the book Venus in Furs, written in 1870.    Emmanuelle Seigner, the only actress in the movie, performance is so good you will leave and search for her other movies.  Her husband in real life is Roman Polanski, who directs the movie. Regardless of your opinion of him you should see the movie.  

122.  This afternoon my old worn out car was exaggerating the temperature by over 20 degrees.  It's preference was parked under a shade tree instead of running errands with me.

Saw this movie over the weekend and highly recommend. It is a Polish movie made about a time in the 1960s.  Film is black and white and in a non-wide screen format as if made in the early 60s.  An orphan raised in a convent is about to take her vows to become a nun.  She discovers she is actually Jewish and her parents were killed in the Holocaust.  Her only living relative is an aunt who is an official in the Communist party. Even if you don't normally watch foreign films, this one is to be seen. We saw it at the Fort Worth Modern Art museum.  The movies there usually are not very well attended.  Almost every seat was taken for this one.

You don't need a silver fork to eat good food. Paul Prudhomme c  On a recent trip to Chicago, we had a very good salad at one of the Rosebud restaurants. The results of an attempt at duplicating it at home are pictured here.  Alternating layers fried eggplant, beefsteak tomato, buffalo mozzarella cheese and arugula and then topped with freshly grated pecorino romano cheese.  The dressing is reduced balsamic vinegar. Easy and really tasty.

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. Aristotle A walk in the park near home at dusk on 07/04.  On this day I saw the copperhead snake and a family of raccoons (mom and 6 babies). Pictures are with a cell phone in very low light. Always amazed at the abundance of wildlife in the urban park.  Seems to be a greater density of wildlife than in a similar size rural area. Probably the combination of many picnickers, nearby apartments/houses feeding pets outside, and the river make for a perfect habitat. In this park in the middle of Dallas Fort Worth, I have seen coyotes, bobcats, foxes, turkeys, armadillos, several species of small mammals and a great variety of reptiles.

Went to the very entertaining feel good movie Chef this weekend. Great road trip through places many of you have probably visited. If you like good food, be prepared to leave the theatre lookin for a cuban sandwich.  If you like to cook, check Craigslist for a used food truck.

The first of January I started going the Gym and doing a spin class or session about 5-6 days per week. Having not been very active for the past two or three years, I wanted to lose some weight and get in a little better shape for some bicycle rides (and to generally feel better).  Although my diet wasn't particularly bad  by American standards, it could be improved.  At the same time I started spinning, I gave up most wheat, dairy and sugar (the really bad things in our diets). Losing weight at a slower rate than I hoped, down about 15 pounds so far.  What surprised me were the other numbers. By the end of March my heart rate had dropped from 75 to 52.  My cholesterol went from 230 in January to 160 in March. Joint pain and allergies have pretty much been nonexistent. All of the stuff we are told about diet and exercise might really be true. Join me at the gym or on a bike ride.

I learned that very often the most intolerant and narrow-minded people are the ones who congratulate themselves on their tolerance and open-mindedness. Christopher Hitchens Back in the 1970s I knew an enlightened young woman from a very small town in Texas who made this comment about stereotypes and intolerance. "I'm not prejudiced against Blacks because they are born Black.  I am not prejudiced against Mexicans because they are born Mexican.  But I am prejudiced against Baptists.  Being Baptist is a choice and it is OK to be prejudiced against people for what they choose to believe or to be." There was a lot of truth in this young woman's statement. Guess I don't need to mention she wasn't a Baptist.  This discussion was obviously about religions (and some local religious leaders exhibiting questionable behavior), but it could have just as easily been about so much beyond religion. Perhaps the only thing it is truly OK to be intolerant or prejudic...

Have a good friend who along with her husband is remodeling her home. Having gone through a complete remodel and after hearing from others with the same experience,  my advice to her is first consider the following options. Move - the remodel is going to take much longer and cost much more than you think.  You could move to a nice place and still have enough savings left for an exotic vacation. Divorce - an option for remaining at least friends with your significant other Murder - Either spouse kills the other or most any of the contractors and/or subcontractors.  While this seems a little harsh at first, it is a viable option.  Just make sure the judge or least one of your jurors had undergone a home remodeling project.  The verdict will most certainly be justifiable homicide.

I enjoy classical music, without really knowing very much about it.  Go to the occasional concert, opera or ballet. And, listen to the music, mostly in the car.  The fact that I only recognize the composer or name of a very few pieces doesn't prevent me from appreciating and enjoying. Every January when the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo rolls around, I recall a chance meeting of 27 years ago. Driving out of the Fort Worth hospital district listening to the local classical music station I drove past a young female hitchhiker dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans, carrying a backpack. As this was not a particularly safe part of town at the time, I circled back and offered a ride. As she tossed her back pack into the back seat and sat beside me in the front seat she remarked "Haydn's 6th".   A correct observation as it turned out when the name of the piece was given at the end the performance. My guess of a college student was correct, but she wasn't quite an inn...

"......To stop all my singing And never play music again..." from I'd Have to be Crazy by Steven Fromholz Texas Trilogy written and sung by Fromholz captured life in small town Texas better than anything I ever heard or read.  The songs were about life in Kopperl, Texas, located on the Brazos river, in the late 1950s. If you have never heard the songs, you are in for a treat.  The recordings by Fromholz may be a little hard to find, but Lyle Lovett rerecorded them a few years ago and you can easily find his recordings. Fromholz put on great shows, got to see him perform a couple of times. He would become a Texas Poet Lauret.  A few years ago he worked as a river guide on the Rio Grande. He would cook dinner for the travelers and then entertain around the campfire, I am told.  Canoeing with him down the river will have to be taken off my bucket list. He died yesterday in a hunting accident. Think I will get out my old turntable and his Texas Trilogy LP and list...