Duck Kenzi

Animal Picture Book with Kenzi & Mama

Amazing Grace

Reprise Tree

This photo was taken around noon time on Thanksgiving day of the largest Sycamore tree in Connecticut located in Simsbury, Connecticut right next to the Farmington river. I posted a different photo of this tree in a previous "blog" posting and thought that I would take a more recent picture to see if this tree is still growing. This tree has a circumference of over 23 feet seven inches.

Although "trees don't grow to the sky" as the old saying goes I was surprised to see that this tree is still growing as I calculated that this tree is approximately 2.3 to 2.7 inches wider from measuring the tree from the most extreme left tip to the most extreme right tip on the branches.

I guess this tree still enjoys the almost unlimited supply of fresh water from the river in addition to the carbon emissions from all the cars that go by this tree on the way to and from the Hartford ,Connecticut area. Yes, this location is a veritable "tree paradise" as far as growing conditions are concerned. I'm sure this tree is "thankful" for this prime tree growing location. I will try to remember to measure this tree again next year to see if the tree has grown another couple of inches or so.

Trumpet Player?

Democratic Senator: FCC should shut down Fox News and MSNBC United Liberty Free Market - Individual Liberty - Limited Government I wonder if Senator Jay Rockefeller was in his high school band as a youngster as a trumpet player or perhaps a Tuba player? I wouldn't be surprised as you need a good set of lungs to play many musical instruments as he sure sounds like a "blow hard" at least in my opinion. Listen to this "wind bag" at the link above as he describes his wish that Fox News and MSNBC should be taken off the air as he feels that these stations make it difficult to do their work in congress. Hey, anyone is entitled to their opinion even if they are descendants of wealthy businessmen like Senator Rockefeller who through his lucky birth circumstances was a multi-millionaire when he was one second old. Bully for hm! We should all be so fortunate. However, it seems to me a little presumptuous that he feels that he has the right to try to stifle public discourse and the free flow of competing political ideas. Who gave him this right to assume that his opinions are of more importance than the rest of us? I know stifling political free speech was a popular technique in history such as in Nazi Germany, Maoist China, and the former Soviet Union for example; but, unless America wants to give up freedom of speech and surrender individual thought to the glory of the almighty "State" and walk down the road of socialism or national socialism and have the citizens all become mind numb automatons, then Senator Rockefeller will just have to learn to live with a climate where different points of view are welcome and tolerated.

Yes, we live in a representative republic where elected leaders are voted into office to address the issues of the day. Maybe it is just me, but I resent the elitist attitude portrayed by people such as Senator Rockefeller who don't want to hear the views of the people but relish "tooting" their own self-important horn.

"Great Pumpkins"

I inspected a house today on Cape Cod that had this display of a couple "Great Pumpkins" out in the front yard. The owner said that these pumpkins weren't the biggest he has ever raised as his greatest pumpkin weighed in at 990 pounds. He has never broken the thousand pound weight yet for a pumpkin but of course there is always next season to try again. If he succeeds in growing a thousand pound pumpkin then this pumpkin would weight half a ton.

Probably the greatest record for a fruit that I have heard about at least in song form was when "Cheech and Chong" sang about a "One Ton Tomato". Now that would be truly impressive and you could surely make quite a bit of tomato sauce out of a one ton tomato.

"I Thought Okies Liked Football"

OKC Mayor Mick Cornett says no to Lingerie Football League NewsOK.com. I thought people who lived in Oklahoma liked football. Throughout the years I have often heard of the football rivalry between Oklahoma University and the University of Texas for example. Now I see according to this article (click the link) that Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett has rejected the expansion plans of the Lingerie Football League for a franchise in his fair city. I think this is very discriminatory against the rights of hot babe supermodel types who want to play tackle football while at the same time play in the comfortable sexy attire of bra, panties, and lingerie. To me this type of outfit is more risky to the players or should I say risque; compared to the wimpy 300 pound plus men who have to put on shoulder pads, helmets, and other assorted protection. What do you think?

Why shouldn't supermodels have the right to play nearly nude football? Next thing you know this Mayor will start banning female mud wrestling and jello wrestling. Where will this discrimination end? Maybe the Mayor banned the Lingerie Football League because there don't seem to be any overweight "plain Jane" type young women in the promotional posters. Maybe the mayor banned this franchise because there aren't any men on the roster and I'm sure somewhere in America there must be some men who wouldn't mind tackling these lingerie ladies. I don't know. Maybe this Mayor thinks that this lingerie league is in bad taste but who is he to determine taste? Furthermore, if he thinks these outfits are in bad taste he could stipulate that these young women can play football as long as they play in tasteful edible clothes for example if he is so worried about taste. Maybe this Mayor thought that the lingerie football players would be wearing spiked heels while they play as they often wear this type of shoe on the fashion runway and he was concerned that playing in high heels may result in too many broken ankles not to mention players getting their eyes poked out by these heels. If the Mayor is worried that this form of football is too low class then how about letting this franchise play but insist that the players sing opera songs during time outs so that the spectators can enjoy some "high culture".

In the travel industry, the State of Oklahoma has a slogan "Oklahoma is OK" (probably a take off of the 2 digit state abbreviation). I don't know about you but when I vacation I try to look for someplace to go to that is hopefully better than just "OK". I say let them play or Oklahoma is NOT "OK". Okie Dokie?

"I Learned Something Today"

I learned something today that I never knew before when I met a 96 year old man at his home in Dennis, Mass for a routine insurance inspection. As a boy this man lived in Sudbury, Mass near the legendary baseball great Babe Ruth who at the time lived on a 100 acre farm while he played baseball with the Boston Red Sox. Back then according to this man "The Babe" used to invite his fellow baseball teammates out to his farm to hit golf balls and also practice putting. "The Babe" used to pay the neighborhood kids to retreive the golf balls and would also invite these kids to share in the food that he had on hand for his guests. Yes, "The Babe" enjoyed golf more than baseball. I did not know that.

Instead of swinging a bat in baseball "The Babe" would rather swing a golf club as well as play with his putter.

"Hold Your Tongue"

With the rampant unemployment currently present throughout the nation; it is important to respect the value of a job no matter what the job is and important not to be judgemental towards others who may be perceived as performing certain jobs that may be below their abilities but need the work and money to support themselves until perhaps a better opportunity develops for them. Yes, people should "hold their tongue" and "Judge not lest ye be judged" as "the good book" says.

For example, I remember that when I was growing up in Simsbury, Connecticut during the grammar school or junior high school days that there was a tale often told which I'm not sure was true. The story goes like this; one student would say "My father shovels ashes in a ship yard." Now, there is a big shipbuilding operation in Connecticut around the New London, Connecticut area where they build submarines so maybe this young fellow student was telling the truth. However, this student would encourage in this case to say this phrase "My father shovels ashes in a ship yard" while holding your tongue between your thumb and index finger.

As mentioned above, it is not good to criticize anyone's employment but, in this case while holding your tongue the resulting phrase was somewhat funny then and continues to be somewhat amusing to this very day. Try this yourself if you dare but not around young children unless you want them to learn some interesting language that they too can repeat in their school.

"Sunset on the Evening before the Dawn of Change"

Sunset on this November 1st evening before the dawn of a new day tomorrow. Tomorrow should be an interesting day as the voters start the process of "taking back America" from an out of control elitist power hungry group of smug career politicians. I think tomorrow could be a "day to remember". I don't remember each day of my life in full detail; hardly anyone does I suspect but for some reason November 2nd is usually a memorable day for me.

It will be interesting to see how tomorrow "plays out". It may in the end turn out to be the best thing politically for President Obama to lose control of the House of Representatives as he may have found a new group to castigate as his "enemy du jour". President Obama can't continue forever "blaming Bush" for his own horror show antics. Just like in the movie "The Dark Knight" with "Batman" and the "Joker" where the Joker said that he needed a foil, a nemesis, if you will.

Now, I don't personally see how Barak Obama at this point in time will be re-elected to a second presidential term. If the unemployment rate stays above 8% along with his poor performance with the "BP oil spill disaster; I can't see him winning another election. However, there is a lot of time until November 2012 and no one knows for sure what the future will bring between now and then and who the Republican party will nominate for president. Some people have short term memories and forget things over time.

What I forsee happening politically is that President Barak Obama will now try to emphasize a spirit of "compromise" to "get things done" with the new Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio). However , President Obama's idea of compromise will be to stubbornly cling to his notion that he knows what he is doing and what is best for America while trying to expand governmental control of the ecomomy and people's lives. President Obama will also keep up the "class warfare" argument that "the rich" are not paying their "fair share" of the tax burden. When Speaker John Boehner and the House Republicans reject President Obama's lame brained ideas; President Obama will say he "tried" to get along with the Republicans but that they just won't cooperate. Just like President Clinton rebounded in the polls and won a second term when there was Republican control in Congress; President Obama has an opportunity to regain some of his popularity. I don't think President Obama will compromise with the Republican leadership though as he has shown himself to be a man who thinks he has an almost divine destiny of his vision for America. I doubt that President Obama has the political skills of President Clinton to take advantage of the "moderating influence" of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

We shall see. What do you think?