Some New Links Added

Since I find myself repeatedly writing about climate change, alternative energy sources, ethanol, the weather, etc. I've added a few Links in my Links list. There's some interesting reading there if you have time to wade through it all.

Global Warming Again

I can't decide what to think about "global warming". I don't trust the media, I don't trust politicians, I don't even trust the so-called scientists. They all have an agenda they are pushing which biases their positions. I think there are certainly observations and measurements of climatological factors that indicate that the earth is in a warming cycle -- at least some areas of the earth. Is the warming man-made, or part of the natural rhythm of the earth's climate?

I had a lot of training in statistics when I was in college. The old adage that "the figures don't lie, but liars can figure" is appropriate to consider, and certainly relevant to the question of climate change. If you have a particular point of view that you believe to be correct, the research that you conduct will be conducted in such a way that you will likely prove your point -- especially in an area that has as many variables as the earth's climate. If you believe that the polar ice caps are melting, you will look until you find evidence that they are melting. If you believe that the earth is warming, you will look until you find evidence of warming -- even if you have to measure the temperature in a thousand locations to do it! All research begins with the biases of the researcher. They cannot be removed from the process. I know that you "scientists" out there will disagree with this, but keep in mind that your disagreement is a bias in itself.

My training is in economics. Economics is a so-called social science. It is the study of the allocation of resources. It uses scientific methods to the extent possible. However, all economic problems are affected by huge numbers of variables. The larger the number of variables, the more inexact the conclusions. The large number of variables is one of the biggest problem with climatology. In economics, quite literally, the price of eggs in China can potentially impact the futures market for corn in the United States. Why? One possible scenario is that a high price for eggs in China could cause a shift in chicken raisers from meat production to egg production. This in turn could create a demand in China for imported chicken. Perhaps the chickens are imported from the U.S. as frozen, boxed chicken. The increased demand for chicken from U.S. suppliers could cause a price rise in chicken meat in the U.S. causing a shift in consumption by U.S. consumers from chicken to beef. In the feedlots of the U.S., corn is one of the primary feed ingredients. Therefore, the quantity of corn demanded would increase and the cash price of corn would increase -- at least temporarily until the farmers responded by planting more corn. The cash price increase would create a speculative increase in the corn futures market. An endless number of other scenarios can be concocted by any good economist that would provide the same or a different answer. It is likely that none of them are completely true.

Now all of that was said for this reason. How many variables affect the weather? Even solar flare activity affects the weather on earth. There is no way that scientists can know with certainty that human activity is causing global warming.

Al Gore has come to the forefront as one of the biggest "fear-mongers" of global warming. He's also making a lot of money in that role. Is he also running for President based on the questionable fears that he is creating in the American public? The general public notoriously follows the media. The media tends to give favorable treatment to the most liberal of ideas. It all just makes me suspicious.

It's time for the American people to take our country back from the vultures. If we don't, they'll soon be picking over our bones.

No Nap Today

Normally Sunday is pretty much a day of rest for us. We go to church in the morning but after lunch is usually nap time. Today I missed my nap. I got out and sprayed the yard. Now I'm not talking about spraying for weeds, or fertilizing, or something like that, I'm talking about Roundup. I was spraying to kill. I want to kill the grass, the dandelions, everything. I have tried for three years to reclaim my yard from the mess that we bought and I've gotten nowhere except frustrated. I decided this year I would plow it up, level it, and re-seed it. The weather finally cooperated today. It is the first time that it has been warm enough, or dry enough, or still enough to spray it. I hope I got a good kill -- roots and all. There is stuff out there that no self-respecting person would put up with. I don't know what all of those weeds are, but they are tenacious and have spread every year in spite of everything I have done to defeat them. This is the last shot.

This must be the spring for projects. Besides the lawn, we are remodeling the kitchen. I posted a poem a couple of days ago about that. Yes, it really does cost twice as much for about half of what we thought we could do. Plus the yard. Plus I'm going to have to replace garage doors. And we would like to put in a nice rock patio. I think I'm in over my head. All these things we've put off have hit at once. Logically, the patio should come before the yard. I can't decide whether to jump in and try to do it before re-seeding, or to wait until later in the year. I'm running out of time to get grass established before the weather turns too hot. So, the patio will probably wait.

Killing the existing wild flora that we call a yard is just the first step. Next will be tilling it. Then raking all of the dead grass, etc. out that doesn't plow in. Then I will apply a good starter fertilizer -- I may have to apply a second kill to the growth after plowing -- then I will plow the fertilizer in, rake it level, pack it lightly, and then seed it. Then will come the water. It takes a lot of water to establish even drought tolerant species of grass. Then I get to fight the weeds all over again.

One of our sources of weed problems is that the land to the south of us (the direction from which our prevailing wind blows) is planted to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). When it was put into the program, they planted an inexpensive variety/mix of grasses. They are very invasive. They have spread across my lawn -- and they make lousy lawn grass. There are also lots of weeds in the CRP ground. They all spread their seed my way every time the wind blows. Yeah, I know. I'm just asking for the same problems with my newly re-seeded lawn, but I've got to try. I just can't stand the mess any longer.

We live in the country. A nice lawn shouldn't be a big deal to me I know. But, that isn't the way I was raised. Dad's lawn is always immaculate. I always enjoyed the feel of the lush grass. I have a niece and nephew that sometimes visit. They need a nice lawn to play in. Also, come July, I expect the first grand baby. She will need a nice lawn to play in as well. I've got to get a head start on it or I'll never get it established before she's ready to toddle out into it.

Oh well, it looks like my weekends, and evenings, and every spare minute are going to be occupied for quite some time. Stay tuned, I'll try and remember to keep you updated on the progress.

On another note, Ronnie, if you're reading this, know that Nancy and you are in our prayers.

Shopping, Not Buying

Shopping wears me out.
Now don't get me wrong,
I can buy with the best of 'em.
It's the shopping that's hard.
You look and you look
And then drive someplace else
And you look and you look
And still no decision is made.
Things that I would reject
In less than a heartbeat
Get looked at and talked about
And critiqued and discussed
Until I'm thinking, "let's move on,
We already know this isn't it!"
Yet, we keep looking and shopping --
Not buying at all. It makes me tired
And I struggle to maintain
A good attitude about the process
That is involved in deciding.
Me -- I like to make a quick tour
And assemble ideas for later processing at home,
Or while doing something else.
I can make up my mind a lot better
Without continuing to add to the clutter
By looking and looking and looking
And looking and looking and --
I think you get the message.
Shopping is not my thing.
It makes me tired.
I get grouchy.
Narrow it down for me.
I'm a buyer, not a shopper.
Is that a male thing?

A Commercial

I continue to learn a little each day about blogging. Today I added "Blog Rolling" and "Technorati" to the sidebar. Both of these tools are designed to broaden the readership of my blog. However, the best tool that I know is for you to share with others that you think might be interested in what I have to say, a link to this blog. You can do that by e-mailing them the URL to this website.

One of the side benefits of blogging is the opportunity to make a little extra money. When you visit any of the ads that are on the sidebar, or click on the ad words listed at the top which will pop up a list of ads to click on, I make a few cents. In a way, I guess these are my sponsors. Visit them occasionally. You might find something you want!

My intention for this blog is not to become commercial about it. It is really all about sharing thoughts and disciplining myself to write something on a daily basis. However, it doesn't hurt to make a little money doing something I enjoy.

Burn On

Perfection is a desire that lies within
Only the elect few. It is an expression
Of our reach for more because there
Is deep inside, a longing that is not
Fulfilled by the ordinary. To exceed
The norm becomes the norm as the
Drive is intensified with the adrenaline
Rush of success and the adulation of
The crowd or the satiation of the
Fire that drives our behavior --that
Is our passion. To find one's passion
Is something that few experience
Because the settled-for existence of
The survival struggle dampens the
Flame until the faint glow of remembered
Embers is all that remains unless fanned
And fueled and nurtured. The burn,
Once brought to flame continually seeks
More fuel to consume as it spreads
Outward in the never-ending quest
Unquenched. There is always more,
Always better, always bigger, always
A new venue in which to play until
The energy is released and only
The ashes remain. Burn on my friend.

Who I Am

Who I am is greater
Than the sum of what I've done.
Who I am is bigger
Than anything I know.
Who I am is greater
Than the sum of past successes.
Who I am is bigger
Than all of my failures.
Who I am is greater
Than my family's heritage.
Who I am is bigger
Than all my friends combined.

Who I am is someone
That is nothing on my own.
Who I am is someone
Because of God alone.

On the Horizon a Puff of White

On the horizon a puff of cloud
Appears to grow from nothing.
It's fluffy whiteness slowly deepens
To a grayish blue as it pulls
The moisture into
Its blossom.
Suddenly, a slender bolt
Dashes to the ground
And the low
Vibration
Rolls across the prairie until
The panes in the windows
Lightly rattle.
A gentle breeze begins to stir
The grass and bend it
Lightly toward the
Approaching
Cloud.
It is growing higher, and wider
And imperceptibly a
Dim curtain
Appears
Below.
It is the rain beginning to reach
From the expanding mass
That blots the sky
In the
West.
The grays turn to blues with an
Occasional streak of white
That takes on a greenish
Tint as the storm
Swells across
The sky
Until it stretches across the horizon
And the whispy edges begin
To pass overhead
And blot the
Last rays
Of Sun.
The wind is now gusting and changing
Directions continually until
It suddenly ceases
In eerie silence
And the low
Warble of
Sirens
Is heard in the distance warning all
To take shelter because
A possible tornado
Has been sighted
Somewhere
Within.
And the hail begins to fall at intervals
Until a low roar like an approaching
Train begins to grow louder
And louder as though
The train is coming
Right at me and
I know that it
Is time to run
Into the house
And into the
Basement
And wait
Until it
Passes
On,
On,
On,
O............

Ethanol -- Why???

The traffic volume on the highways throughout the Panhandle seems to be increasing. That's a good sign. It is a sign of a thriving economy.

I have been seeing a lot of trucks on the highways carrying what appears to be capital equipment and machinery. I have recently seen parts for the giant wind generators, many large storage tanks, motors, fan assemblies, valves, etc. Almost all of the pieces destined to either wind generator fields or to ethanol plants.

I really struggle with the ethanol plants -- especially in corn growing areas that rely on the Ogallala Aquifer for sufficient water to grow the corn. Think for a minute about what it takes to grow corn in the Texas Panhandle where our rainfall is approximately 20 inches per year, or less. The fields are prepared by tractors fueled by diesel, the primary nitrogen fertilizer (anhydrous ammonia) requires huge amounts of natural gas to manufacture, the water is pumped from an aquifer that lies several hundred feet below the surface and therefore requires energy to lift the water. Usually the irrigation pumps are powered by electricity, the bulk of which continues to be generated at plants fueled by natural gas. Once the corn is ready for harvest, the combines that shell it, and the trucks that take it to the ethanol plants are fueled by diesel. I have heard it said that we spend approximately $0.98 worth of fossil fuel to produce $1.00 worth of ethanol. It just doesn't make sense to me.

The one area of benefit that I see, is that the ethanol plants are a source of jobs in many smaller rural communities. I think that's great in the short run, but what will happen in the longer term? Will those jobs still be there in 10 years? Or, will they dry up with the demise of ethanol.

One argument says that this is a transitional time for ethanol. Eventually we will shift to a cellulosic basis for production rather than using corn. I think that's great, but will that reduce the amount of fossil fuel used to produce it? I doubt it.

Another problem with using corn, or any other crop for that matter, for making ethanol is that it is causing a shift in acreage from other crops to corn production. This does several things. 1) It increases the amount of fertilizer used which adds to potential runoff issues. 2) Corn demands a much larger amount of water for production than most other crops raised on the High Plains, further stressing the already significantly depleted water supply. 3) The acreage shift to corn from other crops drives up the price of all crop-based commodities. This may be good in the short-run for the farmers. But, it will eventually be reflected in one of two ways. Either our food and fiber costs will increase at the consumer level, or we will end up purchasing more from other countries.

If our strategy in developing ethanol as an alternative fuel is to decrease our reliance on other countries, it won't work. It will just shift the reliance from a minuscule percentage of our fuel demands to a significant percentage of our food and fiber demands.

Increasing crop prices may have the short-term positive effect of increasing farm income from the marketplace to offset government subsidies. This would be a positive benefit to the taxpayers of the nation if the Congress would just not spend that money on something else. We all know how that will turn out.

Currently there are significant government subsidies to incent the creation of ethanol capacity in our country. Some of the subsidies are direct and some are related to the investment of funds in alternative energy production in lieu of taxing those funds derived from other means. Either way, it is dollars out of the taxpayers pocket. I would much rather see that money spent on projects such as the windmill generators, or geothermal, or nuclear energy. The problem is, ethanol plants seem to generate more votes because of the "pork-barrel" nature of the projects.

It would be nice if Congress would vote for sensible legislation rather than their behavior being totally dictated by what will get them the most votes, or line their pockets the quickest. I think we need to fire them all and start over.

Remodeling Estimates

Thinking the kitchen is in need of remodeling
We put out a request for quotes.
The funds we had set aside look kind of small
And the timeframe to do it remote.
The first problem is getting a contractor to call
Because there seems to be no lack of work
And our little project is such a small fish
The message elicits a smirk.
But when we can get one to come take a look
And he makes lots of marks on his pad,
My heart starts to rise way up in my throat
And my bride starts to look kind of sad.
All of those "little" things we wanted to do
Suddenly don't look so small.
With calculator smoking he taps on the keys
And we know that our dreams are too tall.
So we start cutting back on some of the things
That weren't all that important to us
Until the number is falling quite nicely in line
And we wonder what caused all the fuss.
We settle for something much less than we planned
But costs less than the first total now.
And although we only get half what we want
Its price is twice what our budget allows.

A Movie and a Sermon

We watched a movie this evening called Flyboys. It was about American volunteers who flew in the French Escadrille in World War I prior to the American entry into the war. It was an excellent movie. I would highly recommend it.

Sundays around our house are usually a day of rest. The mornings are filled with church activities, but the afternoons are usually for naps. I had a good, long one today. Tonight, at church, we had a fill-in speaker since our pastor was out of town. I really enjoyed listening to him. He pastored a number of churches after a lengthy military career before retiring here. He has some very interesting stories to tell both from his service in the military and from the various small churches that he pastored. Tonight he talked about experiencing God's abundance fully. Too often, we settle for a life of "near joy". We need to look for God working around us and seek to experience His working in our lives. When we do, we will dine on steaks, not hotdogs. (That was the very condensed version.)

I think he's right. Sometimes, it is in the worst of times that we experience God's abundance the most. Too often, when things are going well, we forget about Him and think about how well we are doing. It's Him all along. It's just that when we aren't fully dependent on Him, we don't experience Him. I don't know if that makes sense, but I know that it's true from experience. God is in control. I personally prefer the steak to hotdogs.

Buffalo Lake NWR

One of my favorite drives in the Texas Panhandle is Farm Road 168 south of Umbarger, Texas. I enjoy the area around Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge. I guess the reason that I like that stretch of road is the wildlife that can be seen at almost any time of day on almost any day of the year. Today as we passed by heading south, we stopped to watch a wild turkey gobbler strutting with full tail fan for a couple of hens. He was less than 30 yards from the road so it was easy to see him.

Often we see deer there. Tonight, as we passed by returning north, we saw numerous deer -- mostly mule deer. There must be hundreds of deer that populate the refuge. At night, many of them migrate into some of the wheat fields that surround the refuge. You can sometimes see herds of 50 or more.

When there is water in the lake (which is rare), there are plenty of waterfowl -- especially during the fall and spring migrations. It is a popular stopping spot for geese and ducks. Frequently, during those migrations, bald eagles can be seen hanging around in their pursuit of the ducks.

I believe the lake was originally impounded in 1937. It became a very popular boating, skiing, and fishing lake in the 50's and 60's, but during the 70's, due to drought and years of silting, the lake went dry. When sufficient rains fell to re-fill the lake in the late 70's, it was determined that the dam was unsafe, so the lake was permanently drained and the old dam replaced by a flood control dam.

I have vague memories as a child of going to Buffalo Lake on the weekends in the summer. I had an uncle that would take his boat out and those who were old enough got to ski. I remember my father skiing and I thought it was "pretty cool". By the time I was old enough to ski, the lake had silted in to the point that skiing was unsafe. At one point, you could walk across nearly any part of the lake without it getting more than waist deep (if I remember correctly).

I am happy that Buffalo Lake is now a National Wildlife Refuge. It would be nice if it was still a recreational lake, but since it is not, I am glad they have preserved it. I believe that it helped immensely in re-establishing the deer population of the central and southwestern Panhandle.

If you have memories of Buffalo Lake "as it was", please share them in the comments. I would be very interested in the stories. If you have pictures, you can e-mail them to me at panhandlepoet@hotmail.com, I will post them for you.

Rain

I love to hear the rain.
It is like a thin sheet of tin rattling
As it peppers the windows,
The skylights,
The sidewalk.
The low sound of thunder
(The "potato wagon turning over"
Of my youth) brings a promise
Of violence
Or of renewal
Or both,
As it slowly grows closer.
It is spring.
Officially.
In reality.
As the trees bloom
And the leaves unfold
And I sneeze
From the whiff of pollen on the air.

Catching ZZZ's

Often in the darkest night
When thoughts are whirling 'round
Of conversations and events
That passed throughout the day
I question what and why and how
And if and even say
To myself, "did I handle that
The way I should?"
Sleep remains a sought for goal
That slips just beyond my reach
Until it finally occurs to me that
I shouldn't question each and every
Thing in such detail but rest in
Knowing that God is in control
And it really doesn't matter
Whether what I said or did was
Exactly right because in all
Those things He works for my good
And for the good of all who love Him
And seek Him with all of their heart.
In that comforting, enveloping knowledge
I peacefully fall asleep.

Ramblings on Music

This is choir night and I'm in Garden City, Kansas. I guess it seems strange that I look forward to choir practice the way that I do. I always try to get home in time to make it there on Wednesday nights. Church choir is what I'm talking about. I enjoy singing.

Our choir is very good. Not professional level of course, but very good. Don't tell him, but I attribute a lot of the high quality of our choir to the director. He is very demanding -- almost militaristic in his approach to practice and to performance. He brings a discipline to us that I've not experienced with other directors. It is a good thing. It brings out our best.

We sing a wide variety of pieces in choir ranging from arrangements of some of the more contemporary pieces to the very difficult "high church" music from several hundred years ago. We are always challenged.

I think some of my favorite pieces are the Southern Gospel pieces. We don't do a lot of them, but I especially like some of the Bill Gaither arrangements. However, I just as much like some of the arrangements of the Chris Tomlin pieces, or -- well, just about anything we attempt. It is just a joy to sing with a choir that can handle about anything that is thrown at it.

I also sing in a small group called BASIC. It stands for Brothers And Sisters In Christ. We do mostly contemporary pieces. The group is small enough and the members adept enough that we can do some difficult harmonies effectively. The hardest part of singing in BASIC is that we have to memorize everything. I have let my memory skills decline with age and it is sometimes difficult for me to achieve the confidence level necessary to perform the songs from memory. I always want a crutch of some kind. Fortunately (or, unfortunately), our director does not allow us to use a crutch. No notes, no music, nothing.

I have sung with self-accompaniment on the guitar for years. The guitar has become my memory crutch. As long as I am playing the guitar, it seems I can remember the songs. Without it, the words seem to evaporate. I don't know what that is telling me. Probably that my mental discipline has lapsed through the years.

Suffice it to say, I love music. I like all kinds of music. If you looked at the collection of CD's in the console of my pickup, you wouldn't know what my favorite kind of music was. There is everything from Rachmaninov to Stevie Ray Vaugh, The Eagles to Steven Curtis Chapman, and everything in between. I like any "good" music. I don't care for most Rap and I don't care for Pop (Madonna, Michael Jackson, etc.), but I like Blues, Jazz, Contemporary Christian, old Rock, Rock and Roll, Classical, Big Band, Choral, Instrumental, Country, Blue Grass -- and just about anything else you can think of . I like music. I like strong lyrics and I like great music even if the words are so-so. Strong lyrics combined with strong music are a rarity.

I've written a little music through the years. I'm not very good at it, but it is fun to make the attempt. Who knows, maybe someday, I'll write something that people will enjoy. My goal is just for them to not know that I wrote it, but ask, "who wrote that?!!"

Writing music and writing poetry aren't all that different. Many poems can be set to music. Most contemporary music is written to a formula. That's not my goal. I don't think that writing to a formula is true art. It is closer to mathematics. When I write, I want it to convey a specific message. Sure, the lure of selling a hit is always there, but the art itself should be pure. If the art is good (just like a painting that is well done) it should sell.

There is music everywhere. I think God "broadcasts" songs to the earth. Different artists hear it and therefore express it differently. I think that is why there are often multiple songs released on a common theme at about the same time. Have you ever noticed that? When some artist releases a song with a new theme, there are often multiple songs with similar themes released in the same relatively short time-frame. The time-frame is too short for them to have been created in response to the first release -- they had to have been created virtually simultaneously. To me, that's God supplying the theme and the creative impulse of man revealing it to their brothers. Who knows? Maybe I'm right and your belief that it is just coincidence is merely your way of denying the truth. Ok, so I'm on a soap box. My point is -- I like music. I believe it expresses our deepest feelings and reveals our inermost truths.

Alternative Energy

Towering above the mesa
The row of white needles
Puncture the blue with
Rotating scythes that
Capture the power of
The wind. Lined for miles
Across the prairie they
Are seen for great distances
And yet stretch over
Such an area that
They can't all be seen at once.
The wind blows,
The blades turn,
Slowly spinning the
Turbine that generates
Electricity to flow
Into the grid. It is
A much better way to
Invest the taxpayers
Dollars than ethanol.

One Man's Treasure...

The sign said,
"Going out of Business Sale"
So, we stopped
Because we like antiques
And that was what the other sign said.
In a former use it was
A boarding house
But now it contained
Leftovers from estate sales,
Yard sales,
Any kind of sales that
Had items long past their prime
That might be considered collectibles
Or maybe vintage
And rarely antique.
The memories rose from the
Stacks and shelves and piles
Like ghosts of the former boarders
That once occupied the 23 rooms
While they sought a living
In the oil boom town
Long deflated.
It was a pleasant hour of
Strolling and looking
And laughing and
Figuring out what the use might have been
Of some strange utensil.
The books always intrigue
But they were well picked over
And nothing caught my eye
That didn't already occupy
A place at home.
It was interesting looking at
The items that
To the former owners
Were treasures I'm sure
But to me were just

Junk.

Back to Work Tomorrow

The hardest part of vacation
Is going back to work
And that's exactly what I've got to do.
So, even if my mind is still
Somewhere in South Texas
And yeah, on deep sea fishing too,
I've got to put those things behind
And focus on the job
Because tomorrow it's back to work once more.
I've got to make a trip
Up into Southwest Kansas
And the driving up will be a boring chore
In which I'm sure my mind will wander
Back out to the Gulf
Where I'll think of hooking to a big ol' fish
Out on the peaceful ocean
With the waves gently lapping
Is quite likely just exactly what I'll wish.
But maybe by the time
That I reach my destination
The readjustment will have taken place
So that I'm geared and ready
For the task that is at hand
That tonight I just don't want to face.
But, come to think about it
I guess that I'm already
Partially back on track to do the job
Just look here at the subject
That was chosen for my entry
For the last day of vacation to my blog!

Pictures From Fishing Trip

These Brown Pelicans were looking for a handout

This is the view in the harbor at Port Aransas

This shark was caught by one of the other passengers.

This was the catch in Port Aransas

The ones laying in front are King Fish

The red ones are Beeliners

The Spinner Shark is in the middle

Home Again

Home again, home again, jiggety jig!

El Mercado in San Antonio this morning followed by lunch at Mi Tierra Restaurant completed our trip. We left San Antonio around 1:00 pm and headed home. Our return was interrupted by a brief stop in Ballinger, Texas, to visit an antique shop that was having a "going out of business" sale. We managed to escape without a purchase. We had pizza in Snyder and then arrived home a little after 10:30 pm. The first chore upon arrival was re-wrapping the fish into appropriate sizes and getting it into the freezer. Now it is time for bed.

No matter where we roam
There's no place like home.

Well, maybe.....