Since I'm Now Banned On Facebook...

...for the next 30 days, I'll post here a bit to keep in touch with those of my online acquaintances who aren't on Twitter or MeWe.

I actually had just finished a five-day ban on Facebook for typing the words "tranny" (not a reference to automobile transmissions) and "muzzy" (slang for Muslim). Don't know if I was ratted out by other people on Facebook or whether Facebook has an algorithm that looks for such words. Anyway, today was my first and last day of freedom on Facebook for the next thirty days, as I typed the words "white trash peckerwoods" in a comment about the movie Deliverance only a few minutes after being able to post again. Within a half hour I was again in Facebook Jail, this time for a 30-day stretch. Still don't know whether it was a rat or an algorithm that got me.

So, thirty days from now when Facebook allows me to do things on my profile beside read it, I'll update my profile photo:

Mark Him Down As #1 On a Particular List.

"Rep. Eric Swalwell Thinks Gun Confiscation Will Work Out Fine Because Government Has Nukes."

It shouldn't be necessary, really, to say that Rep. Swalwell is both a Democrat and from California. He's a gun grabber, and ready to kill deplorable gun owners, or actually to have others do the dirty work for him.

Lafayette, the Debt Is Paid.

One of the oldest allies of the United States - - France - - has decided that the US under President Donald Trump is to be treated as an enemy:

Emmanuel Macron has called for the creation of a “true European army” to allow the EU defend itself from threats ranging from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin.

The French president has pushed for closer EU defence union since coming to power last year but has been so far met with limited success amid foot-dragging by other member states.

“We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America,” Mr Macron told France’s Europe 1 radio in an interview.

I've been less scornful of France in the past than other Americans because of the tremendous debt that our budding country incurred when France came to our aid during the Revolutionary War. It's quite probable that without that aid the Revolution would have failed, and we would still be subjects of the Queen of England. Even going to their aid during WWI and WWII didn't repay that debt, at least in my mind. Now, though?

Lafayette, the debt is paid. You're on your own from this point on, as far as I'm concerned.

Meanwhile, In Maryland...

...family members call on police to execute grandpa, who had become a bit of a nuisance.

Now that Grandpa is taken care of, we can divvy his stuff up, and we don't have to go broke putting him in a nursing home a few years from now.

Oh, you don't think there's potential for abuse in "red flag" gun confiscation orders? Just fell off the turnip truck, did you?

Musical Interlude

NC native Tift Merritt's paean to a dying mill town:

Arrival

Ordered Friday, arrived Monday. Fender Sonoran electro-accoustic guitar, $289. This one is in a color described as "surf green," which was the same color as a house I grew up in as a boy in Florida. I can't play a lick, but I'd like to at least learn a few early Jimmy Buffett tunes to strum, if nothing else.

Hurricane Day!

Hurricane Florence has washed ashore in North Carolina near Wilmington, and will be crossing the Carolinas throughout the day. I'll make updates throughout the day as long as power stays on. I'm also available on Facebook and on Twitter (@drawncutlass).

Update, 4:40 p.m.: woke from a nap. No rain, wind is gusting but not blowing steadily.

Update, 6:10 p.m.: rain finally arrives. Wind still mild.

Update, 3:00 a.m.: It's now the 15th, I woke up a half hour ago. We still have power, currently no heavy winds or rain. Checked on the cars outside, they are undamaged.

Update, 3:45 a.m. Sunday 16 September. Nothing much to report in the last 24 hours. We had gusting winds but not sustained wind conditions, and rain has been mostly moderate. Florence apparently spent herself slamming into the NC coast, and has been downgraded back to tropical depression status. Crossing my fingers and touching wood and saying a prayer that it stays that way.

Update, 12:01 a.m., Monday 17 September: *at work* So the hurricane weekend is now over, and I'm back at work. I violated the Union County curfew by driving around after 9:00 p.m. tonight, but no one stopped me, so...

We made it through well at the house. Never actually lost power, although it flickered at least once, my sister reports (I was asleep at the time). The storm itself came through our area on Sunday, with heavy rains but little wind. A lot of areas in the county flooded, and I was worried about our rental house, with it being bordered by a creek; but the creek provided enough quick drainage that our house was never in serious danger of flooding. A neighbor's house down the street required sandbagging to avoid damage, however.

This will be the last storm update.

Musical Interlude

Chris McDermott, Even the Devil Gets Right Someday. He's sort of goofy-looking, but it's a great song. Sounds like it would be fairly easy to learn on guitar:

O Noes, It's the Attack...

...of the Giant Pickle:

Regarding the Pederasts In the Catholic Church

Vanilla Extract Project, Update 1

The vanilla beans were bottled in rum on July 19th, it is now September 2nd, so just over a month in bottle, with the bottle shaken vigorously several times per week. Color is now that of dark rum or vanilla extract or tobacco juice; when the bottle is opened to smell, a strong vanilla aroma dominates. I'm happy so far.

Begun, the Vanilla Extract Project Has.

I remember reading on Facebook that vanilla extract for cooking is dead easy to make at home, all that is needed are vanilla beans and a source of alcohol to infuse them in. The recipes call for vodka for this task, but say that rum or even bourbon can be substituted. I chose white rum. Here's a pic on Day One:

I'll post an updated pic every 30 days or so.

Denoument To the Bradford Pear Problem

In my last post we saw a Bradford Pear tree branch that shed from the tree and partially blocked the road. Since then, this happened:

This was on 6 July. I was in the house at the time, and in fact had just woken up; the tree branch came to rest on the roof above my bedroom. I wasn't hurt, nor was the roof damaged. We notified the landlord, and rather than get rid of the Hell Trees entirely, he paid for this:

Not the best solution in my opinion, but better than doing nothing, and this will result in far fewer leaves to blow in the front yard this fall, and we can get a better lawn next spring by planting Bermuda grass seed, which loves sun more than the current fescue grass does.

Well...Crap.

This is what I came home to an hour ago:

A Bradford Pear, also known as Satan's Own Tree, also known as Causes Arborists To Grind Teeth In Rage. They have beautiful blooms in early spring, and that is all. They suffer from branch-shedding as seen in the photo when they are mature, and the two in my front yard are as big as they get - - and need to be removed. This is the second large limb that has shed from this same tree. They need to go before they fall on the house, one of the cars, or one of us peoples.

Mr. Noscandal

*sings*

I met a man Noscandal
And he'd dance for you
In Gucci shoes

With greying hair and starchy shirt
And sharp-pressed slacks
The IRS blues!

He would tell such lies
Tell such lies!
With a snarky little frown.

Mr. Noscandal...
Mr. Noscandal...
Mr. Noscandal...dance!


"Judge Awards $3.5 Million Settlement to Tea Party Groups for Obama IRS Targeting Scandal."

This Needs To Be Said

At some point in the future - - possibly the near future if Democrats take the House and Senate in November - - there is going to be a bloody and headline-dominating "cold dead hands" moment between a law-abiding gun owner(s) and agents of the State charged with confiscating guns. Aesop's fable "Belling the Cat" is germane. Ask yourself if you're ready to die for the principle of gun ownership.

Not To Put Too Fine a Point On It, But...

...running on the following agenda seems sort of counter-intuitive, unless you're a Godless commie Democrat:

1. Speaker Nancy Pelosi!

2. Impeachment!

3. Raise taxes!

4. Gun confiscation/repeal the 2nd Amendment!

I Love a Happy Ending!

Sheriff: Concealed Carrier Pulled Gun, Fatally Shot Assailant While Being Robbed at Gunpoint.

Florida’s Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) says a concealed carrier was able to pull his gun and fatally shoot an assailant while being robbed at gunpoint Tuesday morning.

The concealed carry permit holder was a white male in his 60s and the deceased suspect was a Hispanic male in his 20s.

Return of the US Navy 2nd Fleet

Deactivated during the Barack Obama administration in 2011, the Norfolk-Based Second Fleet is being reactivated to counter Russia.

For Sale: Frying Pan Shoals Tower

The Frying Pan Shoals Light Tower, which was retired by the Coast Guard about a dozen years ago and sold, is for sale again.

It's off the coast of North Carolina south of Wilmington. It's been operated as a bed-and-breakfast place for the last several years, but would make a good Bond Villain Hideout, or a great place for a hermit with a lot of money.

Sorry For the Scant Posting

I'm going through a particularly misanthropic period right now. Headlines and particularly Facebook or Twitter just infuriate me. I'm spending all of my spare time on Lord of the Rings Online, where if someone acts like a troll or an orc they likely are, and you can deal with them as trolls or orcs should be dealt with: face to face, hand to hand, to the death.

Attaboy Snoopy!

"100 years ago, WWI’s ‘Red Baron’ met defeat."

Probably the Best...

...commentary I've yet seen on Stormy Daniels:

Originally found here.

Damn, I Hate Leftists

Social Justice Warriors managed to get author John Ringo disinvited from ConCarolinas, a literary convention that will be hosted here in Charlotte in June. I've never attended a convention before, but was considering it because I'm a fan of John's writing. Now? Forget it.

Ruination Day

Gillian Welch sums up the history of April 14th:

Restless President Polk

Born just down the road here in North Carolina, but unable to find permanent rest in Tennessee.

Translations From the Romanian

Pope Francis tweeted this a few minutes ago:

Translated from the Romanian it reads "Your hovercraft is full of eels. How would you like to come back to my place bouncy-bouncy?"

Neighborhood Meeting

It was an animal neighborhood meeting, actually, as I drove to work this evening. My headlights caught two rabbits in a yard sitting and waiting, and a possum was making his way in that direction, also.

Random Thought

Leftists react to criticism of their ideology in much the same way that Muslims react to criticism of Islam - - they go apeshit. They'll riot, commit violence, make death threats. This should tell you how leftists view Leftism.

Back In the NRA

I let my membership in the NRA lapse in 2016 - - money is tight, and I felt complacent, as I should never have, knowing that leftists, gun grabbers and Communists (but I repeat myself) never rest in their efforts to take guns from law-abiding Americans. After the Florida shooting I renewed my membership - - so I'm good for supporting the murder of schoolkids for the next year.*








*this is what is referred to as "humor" or "sarcasm."

Crown Of Thorns Brings Water To the Desert

Cool story from The Daily Caller for Good Friday.

Pope Francis Provokes Apocalypse

According to Drudge, anyway:

153 Ducks and 11 Feral Cats

A New Hanover County, NC woman has been hoarding ducks.

Charges are still pending against a local woman who allegedly kept more than 150 Muscovy ducks in unhealthy conditions, according to the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office.

Cynthia Huber, 56, was arrested Dec. 29 on nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, one count of failing to vaccinate a dog/cat/or ferret and one count of misuse of 911. In North Carolina class 1 misdemeanors such as these carry penalties of 120 days in jail and a discretionary fine.

The charges stemmed from the Dec. 20 seizure of the ducks and 11 cats from Huber’s Watermill Way home. Among various ailments, the ducks were reportedly underweight; 80 percent suffered from an upper respiratory infection; some had tumors that were left untreated and others had broken bones, according to Skywatch Bird Rescue, which helped New Hanover County Animal Services collect the ducks and has been caring for them since the rescue.

Crazy duck lady with a minor in crazy cat lady.

They're Only Found In Coastal North Carolina

Venus's Flytraps, that is.

And only in a small strip of coastal North Carolina, at that - - the area right around the NC-SC border up to the Wilmington area and a little beyond. Only place in the world that they are found.

They are regularly poached and sold to plant fanciers; even a carnivorous plant garden in Wilmington was hit, with over $10,000 worth of plants taken. So it's now a felony in NC to poach them.

Caro Emerald

I discovered Dutch-born singer Caro Emerald via Pandora a few years ago, and like both her songs and videos a lot. Here's some samples, see if you agree:









And just listen to the dead-on Louis Armstrong vocals in this one:

Sing To Me, Tift

I have the blues, and I'm tired of the fight:

Waking Up

It's no great revelation that blogging isn't as popular as it one was - - Facebook and other social media outlets make it easy to post the details of your life there instead of on a blog; but increasingly, Facebook and Twitter are suppressing speech from everyone that doesn't approach the world from a leftist direction. I've been banned by Facebook twice already, and by Twitter a couple of times, also. I don't appreciate it, it pisses me off, and increases the resentment I have toward leftists to the level of hatred.

So I'm going to wake the blog up, based on Brigid's (Home On the Range) example. She was the victim of leftist trolls and hate mobs, and took her blog offline for a while, blogging as a guest at Borepatch's place instead. Now she's back, and since I see my blog listed on her sidebar, I can only man up and do what she's already done, and try to start posting regularly again. I'll try to start out slow. Can't make any promises.

Most of my leisure hours are spent taking refuge in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth, via the game Lord of the Rings Online. I literally waited decades for the technology to come along so I could spend time in Middle-Earth; I purchased a lifetime subscription while it was possible to do so, a decision that I've never regretted. The game is over 10 years old now, and people still play it daily, just as they do World of Warcraft or other online games. The developers bring new content online regularly - - North Mirkwod and the Lonely Mountain most recently - - and some of my happiest hours are spent exploring these new places. Being a game there is too much killing required for levelling up, which would probably horrify Tolkien; remember that Frodo Baggins never killed anyone in The Lord of the Rings, Sam Gamgee is noted as killing only a single orc, and the other hobbits have similar low body counts. So I'm not really comfortable to be constantly killing stuff in game. I like wandering the landscape, exploring. Crafting. One can farm in the game,raise crops - - pipeweed included. And one can smoke a long pipe, and blow smokerings. Or play music - - there is a robust system for playing music in game, and there are many very talented bands that regularly give "concerts" in game.

I have a full stable of various characters, including a family of dwarves, the Stoneskulls, named after the patriarch of the clan, Blarni, who survived an orc bashing his helm in during the battle of Azanulbizar. Blarni has four sons: Sporki (named after an eating tool that Blarni invented), Snarki (the wiseass), Corki (likes to drink), and Tardi (a little slow, perhaps, or maybe it's because he's often late to appointments). There's a hobbit burglar, Asbo Stabbins (an ASBO is an Anti-Social Behavioral Order in the UK, given to minor criminals and delinquents), three men: Animbecil, Thoronwe, and Pinkrandir the Transwizard (he likes to be called Trandalf; he's pink now, but once was blue). And a couple of Elves, Feleg and Linroth. Blarni Stoneskull the dwarf is my main character, the one I've played the most; the rest are just there to provide a bit of relief from time to time.

Probably more information than you wanted, but it's my current main interest. Lord of the Rings Online can be played free in a limited way, so if you want to visit Middle-Earth, you can do so. I play on the Brandywine server, if you want to meet up in game.