A Journey Through Space and Time

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
--Henry David Thoreau

Sitting around Fredonia, Kansas, making funeral arrangements, and cleaning out grandma Borland's house got me thinking about things and people whose time has come and gone. Grandma died at age 99, she'd lived in that house for approximately 60 years and her husband, who died in 1988, added on to the house a couple of times. My mother-in-law, said that when they moved into that house, there was no electricity or running water; they didn't have these utilities, that we now take so for granted, for another 3 years after moving in.

In many ways, southeast Kansas itself, seems like its time has come and gone. Granted, there is a lot going on there, mostly farming, but all the manufacturing and mining is gone and there aren't a lot of companies chomping at the bit to relocate to such an isolated place. There are some magnificent houses in Fredonia indicating that, at one time, there was serious money there but that is all in the past.

My journey through space and time began and ended on gravel roads, but I only covered a small portion of Wilson County, Kansas. I drove past several farms that had been abandoned for years and falling apart. I saw an armadillo and a bobcat but wasn't able to photograph them because I was in motion and couldn't safely stop in time.

The first thing you notice is that there are no paved roads in the rural areas. The day I took these pictures, I drove for several hours on gravel roads, only crossing a paved road from time to time.

I crested a hill and saw this chimney sticking out of the ground in the middle of a field. I found an opening in the fence and drove into the field. Needless to say, I spent most of the day in 4-wheel drive.

Any wood that was attached to this chimney is long gone indicating great age but no one seemed to know when the house was built or when and how it came to not exist anymore.  I have to assume that the house attached to this chimney had no electricity or indoor running water.

Seemingly endless roads to nowhere abound. The scenery is beautiful though; very green for August because there has been a great deal of rain. Flooding from the rain put more than a few farmers out of business.

Another sign that points to an abandoned building, Altoona, Kansas.

This structure was once a church. No one seemed to know what denomination worshipped here or the approximate dates of its function as a church, As I mentioned below, when the older generation passes into history, so does a lot of knowledge. Now this church sits inside the fence at a cattle farm and cattle graze all around it and seek shelter from the heat inside on the church's cool dirt floors.

Mrs. Morhua's grandmothers

The last of the eldest generation is gone, it is truly the end of an era. Two grandmothers within a month of each other. The first, paternal grandmother was 97 years old, she died a couple of weeks ago. The maternal grandmother, age 99 died today.

I remember once that Mrs. Morhua's dad, who was 60 at the time, got a speeding ticket whilst visiting his mother. Being a friend of a local judge, he called and said that he intended to pay his fine but wondered if the judge could see to it that the "crime" didn't make it into the local paper because he said, "I don't want my mother to see it."

Needless to say, the announcement did make the paper and his mother said something like, "I see you were going a little fast." Busted.

The maternal grandmother kept her wits about her until about a year ago when she had a heart attack, then things kind of unraveled. She once told me that she remembered visiting relatives in a covered wagon when she was a little girl. She was also able to recite a poem from memory that she'd learned in high school.

Both grandmothers were fascinating to speak with, they were a wealth of history and information and they will be sorely missed. I think that there is a base of knowledge that is lost every time someone of their vintage dies off and the sum of all human knowledge drops a few points. The first-hand knowledge is gone, all that remains is the history.

Back in January, Rudy Giuliani compared G W Bush to Abe Lincoln because or their unpopular wars. As if. There is no comparison between the Civil War and The War Against Terror (TWAT). None whatsoever. Seriously, does Rudy actually believe the shit that comes out of his mouth? More importantly, do the voters believe it?

Just in case Rudy is correct about any of this, someone needs to take Dubya to the theater.

756*

Now we're supposed to believe what Barry Bonds is telling us rather than believing our lyin' eyes.

Barry Bonds, cheater, liar

I don't think so.

"You're talking about something that wasn't even illegal at the time. All this stuff about supplements, protein shakes, whatever. Man, it's not like this is the Olympics."

Barry Bonds, March 4, 2005

Barry Bonds, December 2003, admitted using steroids (The Clear, The Cream)
Testifying before the BALCO Grand Jury, Bonds admitted to using two undetectable steroids from BALCO. He testified that he believed The Cream was an arthritis balm and the THG was flaxseed oil capsules. Both substances were given to him by his friend and trainer, Greg Anderson. 

More Evidence

1. When he was questioned during the raid, BALCO's James Valente told Novitzky that Bonds had received the undetectable steroids the Cream and the Clear from BALCO. Valente said Anderson had brought Bonds to BALCO before the 2003 season, seeking steroids that would not show up on drug tests. Valente said he provided Anderson with drugs to give to Bonds. Valente pleaded guilty to a steroid conspiracy charge in 2005.

2. In his own statement during the raid, Conte gave an identical account of Anderson's bringing Bonds to BALCO and Bonds's subsequent use of the Cream and the Clear. Conte said Bonds used the drugs on a regular basis.

Documents

At Anderson's apartment, investigators found steroids, growth hormone and $60,000 in cash, along with a folder that contained doping calendars and other documents detailing Bonds's use of steroids. Prosecutors questioned Bonds about the documents during his appearance before the grand jury. Some document entries reflect payments for drugs for Bonds: $1,500 for two boxes of growth hormone; $450 for a bottle of Depotestosterone; $100 for 100 Clomiphene pills; $200 for the Cream and the Clear. Other entries reflect Bonds's drug cycle: For February 2002, a calendar showed alternating days of the Cream, the Clear and growth hormone followed by "Clow," or Clomid.

A document labeled "BLB 2003" listed cities where the Giants played away games in 2003, with notations for the use of growth hormone, the Clear, the Cream and insulin on specific days. Other documents associated with Bonds referred to the use of trenbolone and "beans," the Mexican steroid. At Anderson's apartment, and in a search of A BALCO's trash, the agents also found evidence of Bonds's blood being sent to drug labs for steroid testing.

But wait, there's more

In fact, there is more from Harvard psychiatrist Harrison Pope, an expert on the mental-health effects of steroid abuse. In 1995, in The Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, Pope and three colleagues published a mathematical formula for use in determining whether a person is using steroids. The "Fat-Free Mass Index," as the formula is called, predicts steroid use from a series of computations involving the subject's "lean muscle mass," which is determined from height, weight and percentage of body fat. The higher the index number, the leaner and more muscular the individual is. The average 30-year-old American male scores 20, Pope says, while the former Mr. America Steve Reeves, the most famous muscle man of the presteroid era, scored 25 in his prime. A score of more than 25 indicates steroid use.

In 1997, when Bonds reportedly weighed 206 and had 8% body fat, he scored 24.8 on the index. In 2002, when Bonds reportedly weighed 228 and had body fat of 6.2% his score was 28 -- well over the level of a "presumptive diagnosis" of steroid use.

"This record is not tainted at all. At all," a defiant Bonds said in a post-game press conference. "You guys can say whatever you want." --2007, after hitting home run number 756.

Yeah. Right.

Gadus Morhua's Carpet Stain Removal Tips

The first thing is to identify the stain you want to remove from your carpet. I found this nice little stain that more than likely resulted when a cat knocked a soda off a nearby table. Diet Dr Pepper is nearly impossible to get out of carpet. The fact that we both hate our carpet makes it even more annoying because we don't want to expend a lot of effort on cleaning it because, as I mentioned eariler, we hate it.

That is when I said, "Honey, I can get that out."

The first step it to select a stain removal method. Whereas some people might be attracted to Shout, Oxy Clean, Resolve or the almost endless selection of bottled cleaning fluids one can purchase for steam cleaners...

 I think I'm going to go with the mighty sharp as hell box cutter pictured below.

After utilizing the Stain Removal Tool, you will find that the stain is permanemtly gone so feel free to step back and admire your work.

Simply amazing, isn't it?

We just love it.

I made this on Sunday, it just made me laugh so I thought I'd post it.

Last weekend I went to Home Depot to get something, I don't even remember why I was there but I saw a great sale on marble tile ($1.99 sq.ft.) that grabbed my attention and felt a project coming on. I went home and told Mrs. Morhua that we really should go look at it but after we got there, we seriously looked at ceramic tile for the master bathroom because it's an idea that's been kicked around for a couple of years. I just happened to know the square footage off the top of my head so we selected our tile, bought some tools and went home.

I immediately cleared the room of rugs, took the toilet off the floor and gently placed it in the bathtub. Then we ripped out the old, yucky vinyl flooring and got busy prepping the floor which amounted to scraping up the glue-like crap that was holding the vinyl to the subfloor. Not bad, really just time consuming.

Since space was an issue, I had to complete the job myself even though Mrs. Morhua really wanted to contribute to more than just the demolition stage. I assured her that thigs would be different when we tile the kitchen, we both thought it would be a good idea to tackle a smaller job before taking on the considerably large space in the kitchen/dining room area. We are very happy with the results.

before

after

Crop loss in southeastern Kansas because of flooding.

We were talking with a friend who has farmed in that region for over 30 years and he reported that he has about 20 acres out of 800 that are going to yield crops this year.

Desolation all the way to the horizon

The Importance of Good Role Models

I saw the story below on the BBC in 2000 and it disturbed me greatly. I've seen this same thing play itself out in human families too; good role models are essential to the future of the species and probably the planet too.

On the down side, I have seen parents who did not have good parenting role models and held the belief that children just "know things" and that the parent didn't have to teach their child anything.

They became angry and frustrated when the child didn't meet their misguided expectations. By the time they realized that they have to teach their child almost everything, it was too late, either they were harming the child in some way or the child was "out of control."

I got involved only because some Court somewhere decided that the children were in danger and I was supposed to put it all back together. Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't. I did accomplish case plan goals in over 96 percent of the cases I had over a 9-year period. I was always clear with parents that they are the ones doing all the work and that I am here to help them any way I can.

I gently explained that The System identified a problem and whether they liked it or not, something had to be done to change their situation. My job, I told them, was to get The System off their backs. Most families responded to this approach and viewed me as an ally even though I was clear with them that I reported to The System. I attribute their acceptance to the fact that what I was saying was exactly what was happening and 100% true.

The bottom line is, all the animals on this planet need good role models so they can become good role models.

Well, wadda ya know, can't sleep.

I did read that Osama bin Laden had a crush on Whitney Houston and wanted to make her his wife after killing her husband Bobby Brown. Hmmm.

"Hey Whitney, Osama might be a lateral move after Bobby, I'd think seriously about that."

This "crush" was suggested by 37 year old poet and novelist Kola Boof who claimed she was bin Laden's sex slave for four months 10 years ago. The Sudanese author claims that bin Laden admitted that Whitney Houston was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen," and he couldn't stop talking about Whitney, even though he disapproved of music

Ok, let me get this right, he disapproves of music but rape and having a sex slave is ok. Listen to yourself Osama! That's crazy talk....!