Peacocks In The High Desert

A peacock at the Scipio Petting Zoo in Scipio, Utah.

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2017: The Place Beyond The Pines
2016: He Needs A Personalized Plate
2015: Get Down With Oscar
2014: Embrace The Heat Of Miami
2013: Oh, To Be A Kid
2012: Kind Of Like A Virtual Celebrity Bodyguard
2011: Jack & Jill Went Up A Hill To Fetch Some Aircraft Parts
2010: Live Longer. Live Better. And Be Sure To Have A Devil Dog Once In A While.
2009: How Can You Not Be In Love With The Man Who Invented Kisses?
2008: And We Wonder Why We’re The Fattest Nation On Earth
2007: Star Gazing
2006: Only A Southerner
2005: Do You Take Wolfgang Winkelmeyer To Be Your Lawful Wedded Husband?

To Be A Kid Again

My mother is an artist.  She started with pen and ink drawings, then moved on to oils, then finally settled on watercolors, which became her preferred medium for creating.  She's made some pretty wonderful pictures over the years, selling some at art fairs, giving others as gifts, and hanging her favorites in her home.

But now, at seventy-five years old, she likes to color.  She has more coloring books now than I've ever owned at any one time as a kid.  She started with colored pencils but now she prefers markers.  She typically does it to keep her busy while watching TV - ummm, when I'm watching TV I stay busy by well, watching the TV.  And checking Twitter.  She often sends me pictures of the ones she's working on or has completed.

Unless you're living under a rock, you know that adult coloring has been a thing for a while now.  It's been said to have a number of mental health benefits.  They have MeetUp groups and coffee klatsches where people get together to socialize, gossip, and color.  Sounds kinda fun to me.

If you're interested, here's a post that showcases The 21 Best Adult Coloring Books. Find something you like and get in on the latest craze!



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2017: Light Traffic
2016: Stop Taking Pictures Of Me
2015: Sooners Have Always Been Takers
2014: The Original Walking Dead
2013: Hey! It's A Million Degrees Outside. Wanna Help Me Move?
2012: Kind Of Like A Virtual Celebrity Bodyguard
2011: Things Are Going Just Swimmingly
2010: A Real Truck Driver Meets A Real Housewife
2009: Stars Glowing, Wine Flowing, Sax Blowing
2008: Western Ed Friday
2007: Salena Kandinsky
2006: Bam! Traumatized.
2005: Swing Low Sweet Chariot

A Bolt On Your Head

When we got back into town after our last run, we had a surprise waiting on our back porch from my brother.  He made me a tall urn-like vase (photo coming in a future post), and he made Ed the motorcycle helmet in the photo above.

We were very excited to get one of his pieces.  He's made several nuts and bolts pieces over the years.  A few years ago he made this for our photographer friend.  And he recently made this turtle for my mother. 

This is one of my favorites.  Once I have a place for it, I'm going to ask him to give it to me.  
Let me know if you're interested in a custom piece.  I have connections.


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2017: Man Bun Burrito
2016: Boys And The Barn
2015: Not Your Average Meme
2014: Marine Transport

2013: Italian, French, And Classic Canadian
2012: A Hodgepodge Of Fun
2011: Sleeping Pill In A Swirl
2010: Putting Death On Hold
2009: Eddie Brings A Guest Friday
2008: The Things We Do For Love
2007: A Million Comedians Out Of Work And I’m Lucky Enough To Live With One
2006: Ah, The Primitive Beauty Of The Desert
2005: The Perfect Storm

Forty Years And Counting

The photo above was taken at my grandmother's house in the Bronx in 1978. 

I remember this little table all throughout my childhood - I think she had it when I was born but I've yet to find a photo of it at that time - and when my grandparents moved from the Bronx to upstate New York where we lived, the table followed.  After my grandfather died and my grandmother moved to Arizona to live with us, the table came with her.

Now it belongs to me.  I currently have it in an area off of my living room, and I painted it to match some of my other furniture (and to cover the hideous baby-shit brown color my mother painted it several years ago).  I've always loved the slatted top and the Mid-Century Modern tapered legs.

I love having a piece of furniture that belonged to my grandparents.  I can't wait to snag my grandmother's credenza from my mother!



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2017: The Checkpoint Of No Return
2016: Stalemate
2015: If It Won't Fit, Don't Commit!
2014: The Breast Tour He's Ever Been On
2013: Joisey Tomatoes And More
2012: A Very Gradual Climb
2011: Out With The Old, In With The New
2010: Urban Rest Area
2009: Within Striking Distance
2008: An Island Of COWS, Lobsters, And Girls In Imaginary Prairie Dresses
2007: Freakin’ Ewww!
2006: And People Say All The Good Ones Are Taken
2005: Ahhhhh, Bahston

Summer Desert Flora

I've posted about these little cacti last year and I'm lucky enough to have caught them blooming again.  I never know when it's going to happen - I don't keep track of nature events like this - so it always surprises me to see the bright pink when I open the curtains in my living room.

Both the colors and the heat of summer are upon us.



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2017: Illicit Scrawl
2016: Wake-Up Call
2015: Chippin' It
2014: Dreaming Of A Craftier Life
2013: A Surprise In The Park
2012: A Little Red Water Never Killed Anyone
2011: Instantly Sexy
2010: Natural Light In Waterloo
2009: So, What Brings You To My Neck Of The Blogosphere?
2008: Eternity Is Going To Be SO. MUCH. FUN.
2007: I’ve Been Everywhere Sunday
2006: That Eddie Guy
2005: Pee Bum Head

Happy Hipsta

Photo of Ed socializing with my family taken with the Hipstamatic app. 



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2017: Shift Change
2016: A Chair Is Still A Chair
2015: Summer Calls For Cukes!
2014: Nature's Bounty Fills My Fridge
2013: Bags, Boxes, And Bikes
2012: Wrappers Delight
2011: Breaking The Spell
2010: It Never Ends
2009: 275 Square Miles Of Brilliance
2008: Four Standards, One Newbie
2007: Semantics
2006: 36 Hours Of Hell On Earth
2005: 11:11:11

The Greening Of My Eating

This week I went out to eat several times.  In an effort to make better choices, I chose salads at every place I went to.

I had the Classic Cobb Salad in the photo above (romaine lettuce, blue cheese crumbles, avocado, all-natural nitrate/nitrite-free bacon, all-natural cheddar cheese, tomatoes, black olives and hard-boiled egg with ranch dressing) at Burgers and Greens. 

I had athe Savannah Chopped Salad (romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, dried cranberries, Gorgonzola, honey roasted almonds, tomatoes, and cucumbers) at McAlister's Deli.

I had the Enlightened Kale and Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad (Baby kale, herb-roasted brussels sprouts, romaine, blueberries, red grapes, dried cranberries, goat cheese, cucumber, candied pecans, toasted pepitas and red onions tossed in strawberry vinaigrette.) at BJ's Brewhouse.

I chose the Garden Kale Salad (grilled chicken, kale, heirloom tomato, asparagus, avocado, pine nut, parmesan, lemon tahini vinaigrette) at Culinary Dropout.

And last but not least, one of my favorite salads - the Spicy Thai Salad with Chicken (chicken, romaine, roasted cashew pieces, fire-roasted edamame, red pepper and carrot blend, cilantro and wonton strips tossed with low-fat Thai chili vinaigrette and drizzled with peanut sauce) from Panera Bread.  I usually pair this salad with a cup of their black bean soup.  Yum!

I've enjoyed the salads, and my only complaint is that a few of them had too much dressing.  I'll have to remember to order it on the side in the future.  I don't like my greens drenched.

All this salad eating is another attempt to drop some weight.  I've been spectacularly unsuccessful since my big attempt to do better two years ago, but I'm going to try again. 

And again. 

And again.  

One of these days I'll get it right!


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2017: Backlit
2016: Theatric Reading
2015: The Trout Capital Of Oklahoma
2014: Looks Like A Regular Moon To Me
2013: Laundry Options For A Modern Trucker
2012: It Can Only Mean One Thing
2011: It’s Like Cheers, Where Everybody Knows Your Name. OK, So It’s More Like Where Just One Guy Knows Your Face.
2010: Social NOTworking
2009: Scattergories
2008: Time Isn’t The Only Thing That Flies When You’re Having Fun
2007: Anything I Want
2006: Burglar And Idiot Proof
2005: Virginia Is For Lovers

Prickly Heart

New prickly pear cactus growth in my front yard.



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2017: Seventeen Years Just Whizzed On By
2016: Into The Mouth Of The Wolf
2015: We Have Our Very Own Air-Conditioned Theater
2014: A Real Weekend
2013: Gary Hits Me Up With Another Gem
2012: After Dinner Pusch
2011: Moments Before Sleepy Time
2010: Bakin’ It The Fake Way
2009: The Elegant Gathering Of A Life
2008: My, What A Nice Berg You Have
2007: The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Grapes Being Crushed Into Wine
2006: There Are No Words To Explain The Misery Of A Three Digit Temperature
2005: New York State Of Mind 

Unlimited In Oklahoma

I took this shot of trailers in front of Motorsports Unlimited in McAlester, Oklahoma only because I liked the silver and red trailer.  Looks kinda retro, kinda cool. 



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2017: The Crucible
2016: Find Yourself
2015: Bringing Back The Library Card
2014: Moab Muster
2013: Farm To Garden
2012: You Know You’re Getting Old When You Start Carrying Your Own Sugar
2011: America Runs On Dunkin’
2010: Los Links!!
2009: Here Kitty Kitty Kitty
2008: Intense Eddie Friday
2007: It’s An iPod, Not A wePod
2006: Doing The Wade
2005: It’s A Numbers Game

Squeezing It In

While I was home this week, I squeezed in an appointment for a mammogram.

See what I did there?  

They had a new machine.  It was super vise-like.

Good times.

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2017: You Are The French To My Toast
2016: Junk In The Trunk
2015: Clean Panties In The Corner Pocket
2014: Total Throwback Thursday
2013: Attack Of The 50 Foot Chicagoan
2012: The Art Of The Merge (And Other Simple Courtesies Of The Road)
2011: Montana Fluff
2010: Stop The Presses!
2009: Fiesta Ed Friday
2008: Crotchety Old Woman
2007: One Side Of A Coin
2006: Why Oh Why
2005: Sign Of The Times

Loaded Up And Heading Home

After the Million Miler Event was over in Savannah, we decided to go home for a bit.  I had a few appointments I needed to take care of and Ed had some maintenance work to do on the truck.

There weren't any loads going to Arizona so we snagged this forklift headed to New Mexico and after delivery there if we don't find another load we will just deadhead the rest of the way. 

I'm glad to see that the weather in the coming week will be a little cooler - in the low to mid-nineties instead of triple digits - and it's monsoon season, so we can expect rain every day which although it raises the humidity, also cools things down a bit.

Looking forward to some afternoon rainstorms!



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2017: The City Girl Snaps A Sunset
2016: Imperfectly Wonderful
2015: Charleston Blues And Greens
2014: Dodging Locals Under The Oaks
2013: The Best Trail In Town
2012: It’s Even Better Than Having A “Plan B”
2011: Who Says Truckers Don’t Have Nice Legs?
2010: Boy, Have Times Changed!
2009: I’ll Have A Short Stack With A Million Scrambled Eggs On The Side Please
2008: It Came At A Perfect Time
2007: Experimenting With Scrotum
2006: Can Anyone Spare A Roll Of Pennies?
2005: Matching Purse And Flip Flops??

Clean Sweep

Ed took this photo of a little tugboat hanging out on the Savannah River, waiting for a job.



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2017: The Little French Dining Car
2016: Shiny Happy People
2015: The Oedipus Driving Complex
2014: Summer At Percy Priest
2013: Heat And Humidity Abundant, Wind Nowhere To Be Found
2012: Delicious Eats And Healthy Treats
2011: Special Seasoning
2010: Two Truck Drivers, A Writer And A Photographer Walk Into A Bar
2009: Taking The Express To The Heartland
2008: TIT-illating Sights On The Road
2007: I’ve Been Everywhere Sunday
2006: Embracing Your Inner Bike Riding Hussy
2005: It Takes A Village To Wake A Child

Southern Cruising

The Georgia Queen waits on the banks of the Savannah River, day and night.  All you have to do is pick a cruise that suits you!



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2017: Financial Reality
2016: Spring Break
2015: Moving The World
2014: Shoving Off
2013: Bean By Day
2012: The Honey-Do List
2011: Following The Trail Of The Father Of Our Country To The Place Where A Cuckoo Flew Over A Nest
2010: Amid The Corn
2009: I’m Going To Be A Millionaire!!!
2008: How I Do Love A Colorful Lunch Plate
2007: Lucky Sevens
2006: My Head Has Been In The Clouds For Weeks
2005: Chunky Cheese

Taffy Pulling

Salt water taffy stretching and wrapping machines at the River Street Sweets store in Savannah, Georgia.



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2017: Hot Diggity Dog!
2016: Fashion Statement
2015: Proof They Have All The Training They Need
2014: The Value Of This Place Continues To Increase
2013: Bursts Of Light And A Bean
2012: Cool As A Cucumber
2011: I Think We Have A Winner
2010: Progressively Yours,
2009: Spill It
2008: I’ve NEVER Colored Inside The Lines. Why The Surprise?
2007: I Didn’t Make It, But I Ate It
2006: Sorry, no post for this day.
2005: Slim Or None! I’ll Take None.

Commerce On The Savannah

Over the course of our stay at the Westin Savannah Harbor, we moved rooms.  We originally had a golf course view and wound up moving to a river view, both rooms on the 16th floor, the highest in the building.

The golf course is nice, but in my opinion, watching the ships go by is more interesting.  This one passed through just as the sun was setting.  As you can see, just like the one that passed Ed on the river a few days ago, this one dwarfs everything around it.

The Savannah River is one of Georgia's longest and largest waterways.



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2017: The Horsepower Of The Apaches Was Natural
2016: Putting In The Miles
2015: Grand Parking Lot
2014: True Independence
2013: Pyrotechnic Parade Across The Midwest
2012: Plane, Train, Or Automobile – Just Get Me To Canada!
2011: Hello, Kitty. Who’s Your Friend?
2010: If It’s Good Enough For Homeland Security, It’s Good Enough For Me
2009: The Top At Dock
2008: Night Interrupted
2007: Just A Train And A Tree
2006: This is One Lawn Boy I Have No Desire To See Naked
2005: Not So Cuddly

Freedom From Bullshit

SOURCE

The chart seen above is a perfect way to celebrate Independence Day (click for a bigger version) because it gives you a way to free yourself from the bullshit you take in from the offending news sources that feed it to you on a daily basis.  It lays out the most popular sources (beware of your local offenders) and shows where their bias lies.  It was put together by MarketWatch, a company listed as one of the least biased sources of information.

I follow almost all of the neutral new sources in the green rectangle - AP, Reuters, Bloomberg, AFP, NBC, ABC, CBS, The Christian Science Monitor.  I follow the ones that lean left - Politico, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and I even follow the ones that skew conservative - The Hill, The Wall Street Journal.  I want to know what's happening on both sides.

The yellow rectangle contains organizations that provide a fair interpretation of the news. Of these, I follow The Guardian, The Economist, The New Yorker, CNN, and The Atlantic.  A little from each side there, too.

I don't follow any liberal sources in the orange or red boxes, but I do sometimes read articles from The Huffington Post if it's been re-tweeted by a journalist or person I follow on Twitter.

The most important part of this chart is the organizations that fall within that red rectangle - sources that are called "Nonsense damaging to public discourse". 

Nonsense damaging to public discourse.  Let that sink in.

These sources are watched and quoted, over and over and over again, by Orange Mussolini and his minions.  Trump and his supporters, repeatedly and with conviction, disseminate information (and use it as their source of "facts" when debating) from these sources.

These are the sources, ironically, that most often provide what these people like to call "fake news". 

Prior to Trump, these people, these conservatives, these right-wingers, these Republicans, got their news from the people in the middle. ABC, NBC, CBS, even CNN was what everyone watched before the 24-hour news cycle came into existence.  They trusted people like Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather and Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw.  Journalists who were the best of the best.  Dan Rather began his career as a journalist in 1950.  He's been reporting news longer than I've been alive.  He was and is a trusted source.  But things are different now.

Now, if the news comes from a source Trump doesn't like, or it portrays him in a negative light, he deems the information fake.  It's ludicrous.  It's even more mind-blowing to see these people being led willingly, in cult-like fashion, by a person who lies as often as he draws breath.  Even when he's fact-checked by, well, almost anyone, often by playing audio or video of him telling the lie, his supporters still believe him.  It's unreal.  

It's mindblowing to hear people say - with a straight face! - things like, "Michelle Obama is a man." and "Hillary Clinton ran a child sex trafficking ring out of a pizzeria."  It's as if they can't tell the difference between truth and bullshit.  Shocking.

If you can't tell, I am no fan of Donald Trump.  I despise him.  But if you told me he was running a child sex trafficking ring out of a pizzeria, I'd tell you right to your face that there's NO WAY that was happening, that I don't believe it, and that you're crazy for even repeating and spreading something so fucking stupid. 

It's just preposterous the utter bullshit people believe.  And the reason they believe it, is because the dissemination of the lies is constant - through Trump himself, over and over again at his rallies, from his supporters, through Facebook, on Twitter, in person.  I have eavesdropped on conversations where it took every ounce of restraint I could muster to not scream,  "HILLARY CLINTON IS NOT TRAFFICKING CHILDREN FROM A PIZZA PARLOR!!!!"

So again, those in the red box are:

Fox News - almost EVERY Trump supporter watches Fox News.  It's like their very own news cult.  Trump even tweets things he hears on this channel, often in real time.  They report it, two seconds later he's tweeting it.

The Daily Caller

Breitbart

Newsmax (the National Enquirer of "news")

The Blaze

The Daily Caller

Drudge Report (he's in the orange, but may as well be in the red)

and InfoWars - where nutjob Alex Jones spews his filth from.

Let's remember what they're saying about the companies in the red rectangle in relation to how they report the news:

NONSENSE DAMAGING TO PUBLIC DISCOURSE

So if you're a diehard follower of any of the organizations in red, you might want to consider moving to the top of the chart and start watching/reading some of the companies in green.  The ones in the middle.  Even if they skew conservative, it's likely you're getting actual news and not some crazy bullshit.  

If Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Judge Jeanine Pirro (God, help us), or anyone on Fox & Friends is your favorite "news" person, you really need to do yourself a favor and wander into reality.  Those people are entertainment personalities.  They are not journalists and they're not news reporters.  They host OPINION shows.  What they're telling you is their opinion, supported by guests who share their views, which are often very light on fact.  It's the epitome of spin.

So please, when you read or hear something, think about words you've undoubtedly heard in your lifetime - CONSIDER THE SOURCE.  And do your homework.  This is just one chart, but there are other places you can find minimal bias.  Before you forward an email, share something on Facebook, or repeat a story to your friends, check your facts. 

You're entitled to your own opinion but you are not entitled to your own facts.

Don't spread nonsense damaging to public discourse.

Now go have a great fourth of July!



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2017: Life, Liberty, And Ribs
2016: Happily Celebrating Beautiful Things
2015: Bring On The Bright, Bursting Skies At Night, Bring On The Thundering Booms
2014: Have A Berry Happy Fourth Of July!
2013: Relieved Of Civic Duty Just In Time For America's Birthday
2012: Blind With Patriotism
2011: Independence In The Town Of The Big House
2010: It’s So Much Prettier
2009: Soap Box Derby – Spavinaw Style
2008: Eddie’s Independence Friday
2007: Miss Independent
2006: Independence Day
2005: The Mother Road To Independence

Dwarfed

Yesterday, Ed's little charter fishing boat was passed by this giant vessel, and then pass by the hotel we're staying at on their way to the port.  I read in a book in our hotel room that the Port of Savannah is the largest single container terminal in North America.

Last year, the port welcomed the largest containership to ever call on the East Coast of the United States.

That's impressive.



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2017: When A Bolt Turns You Into A Bitch
2016: The Most Important Meal Of The Day
2015: The Weirdest Reunion Ever
2014: River Alarm
2013: A Face Only A Mother Sniffer Can Love
2012: Rolling In The Deep
2011: A Castle On A Bluff
2010: The Skies Really Are Friendly, No Matter Who Is Flying In Them
2009: Eddie Beach Feet Friday
2008: Panoramic
2007: My New Motto
2006: Fake It Till You Make It
2005: Feria Colour Strands