Category Archives: Night Writer

Timothy, Mary Jane’s cousin

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Any day now a 45-pound bale of a green, grassy substance known to produce a sense of euphoria and a case of the munchies will show up at my doorstep. People in brown or blue uniforms will have been paid off. No, my connection isn’t named Raoul (as far as I know) and the transaction won’t involve a shoebox full of five and ten dollar bills. It’s all been handled online and funds transferred via PayPal.

And it’s all because my wife likes sticking it to “The Man.”

The bale in question consists of timothy hay, and we’re getting it because our guinea pig has a hay habit that makes Cheech and Chong look like a Red Hat Society bridge club. My frugal wife, the Reverend Mother, is also known as the Finance Minister and is our chief procurement agent (that’s because one of my titles is Minister of Fritter and Waste). It bugged her to make repeated trips to PetSmart or Petco to buy, well, grass. Especially when she figured out it was costing about $2.50 a pound. OK, that’s not much I suppose as pet fodder goes, but it just seemed to her that there couldn’t be that much value added to preparing it for resale.

Sure enough, a little poking around on-line and she had a source ready to cut, bale and deliver for just under a buck a pound. You really can get just about anything on the Internet!

Now it’s just left to me to imagine the neighbor’s reaction when they see this green bale left on our doorstep, or what her new friends on the city police force might say.

Do you think they’ll believe us if we say it’s for personal use?

Update:

I received a telephone call from a mysterious reader to this blog Sunday night. The caller said, “Hey, man, I’ve got the stuff.”

My response: “Dave’s not here.”

Friday Fundamentals in Film: Conagher

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This week’s movie is Conagher. If you’re looking for a film to demonstrate certain manly virtues it’s hard to go wrong with a movie based on a Louis L’Amour book and starring the laconic Sam Elliott. Elliott plays Conn Conagher, a seasoned cowhand with the highest personal integrity; not looking for trouble, willing to avoid it if he can, but able to deal with it efficiently if the need be. The role could have easily been a caricature but in Elliott’s hands (and face) it comes off as note perfect. In fact, the acting throughout the film, originally made for TNT, is first rate: Kathryn Ross (not afraid to show some lines in her face) and veteran character actor Barry Corbin are excellent and there’s even a small but significant appearance by Festus himself, Ken Curtis. Shot on location in Colorado, the scenery is spectacular and even the minor characters look as if they’ve just stepped from a Frederic Remington or Charles Russell painting.

The action revolves around one man, Conagher, making a stand for doing what’s right in a wide open land with little “controlling legal authority” where many are looking to take advantage of others any way they can. There’s also a strong but largely unspoken love story woven throughout that is heightened by the sense of loneliness and isolation that is well illustrated by the cinematography. For all of Conagher’s rawboned toughness, he’s also consciously well-mannered and respectful around the widow Evie Teale and her children. His silences and discomfort are not because of boorishness or a lack of confidence, but because he knows himself so well and doesn’t think he’d be good for her. As he asks Charlie McCloud (another interesting character study) at one point, “What have I got to offer a woman like that?” To which McCloud replies, “Why don’t you let her answer that question?”

As I mentioned earlier, Conagher doesn’t go looking for trouble with other folks, but just by the way he goes about doing his business he convicts others of their shortcomings and causes them to feel as if they need to prove themselves – for good or ill – as a result. Conflict and teachable moments abound throughout the movie as a result without bogging down into preachy dialogue. You can watch it with the whole family and everyone will enjoy the story and get something different out of it.

Here are some questions I’d ask a viewer:

  1. What did it mean to Conagher to “Ride for the brand”?

  2. What does it mean to have integrity in a world with little in the way of effective law enforcement?

  3. Chris Mahler, Kiowa Staples and Smoke Parnell were members of the Ladder 5 gang that Conagher was resisting. Aside from the conflict over the cattle-rustling, however, each man was challenged in some way by Conager’s personal character. Can you describe what it was that bothered Phillips and Mahler the most, and the way Parnell regarded Conagher?

  4. Describe Evie Teale’s character. Do you think it makes a difference in the story that the children are her step-children?

  5. Describe what kind of men Charlie McCloud and Seaborn Tay are.

Points to Ponder:

  • Independence is apparently understood and highly valued in the part of the country where the story takes place. Why do you think that is, and how is this expressed by the different characters?

  • Johnny McGivern’s father died when he was very young. How would you describe his personality and how these factors influenced his decisions? Do you think Laban might have turned out to be like him as well? Why or why not?

Great Quotes:
Laban: “Who gave you the black eye?”
Conn: “Nobody gave it to me. I fought for it.”

Tile Coker (under Conn’s gun): “East? But that’s a 50 mile walk!”
Conn: “That’s the life of an outlaw. Tough, ain’t it?”

Cut the cake

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Today is the one-year blogiversary of The Night Writer and I find myself amazed. Considering that I didn’t have more than a general idea of what I was going to write about when I started or even more than one or two ideas on Day 1, I’m amazed that I’ve made it this far, amazed that it went by so fast, amazed by the number of new people I’ve met electronically and in person in this time, amazed that there have been 398 posts (counting this one) and amazed that according to Site Meter there have been more than 17,000 visitors to this page. That’s a slow week for Mitch Berg (and now JB Doubtless will probably slam me for mentioning traffic – see #55) but I have to admit that it’s something I pay attention to.

I know a lot of bloggers say that they blog for their own satisfaction, and that’s a big part of it for me as well – if it wasn’t amusing me I wouldn’t do this. But I’ll tell you, if I did this just for my own entertainment there would not have been anywhere near 400 posts here. The thought that someone might read your blog can be enough to get you started; knowing that people are reading it can be powerfully motivating and I’ve tried to put something of interest here every weekday (and there are good days and bad days). I’ve said before that since I can’t sing or play an instrument this blog is my garage band; my chance to jam and vent my muse. Thanks for being there.

My first post compared having a blog to having a CB radio. I started about the time that Eason-gate was reaching its peak, and I later got my first mini-lanche in writing about Terri Schiavo. I’ve written about trips I’ve taken, things my family has experienced (pretty interesting times for us when I stop to think about it), wild animals in my home, wild senators on television and Vikings sex cruises — and enjoyed cruising through the MOB and the other blogs to see what others are writing about. Thinking about it now, I have no idea how many words I’ve written in the past year. I wonder if I had spent the same amount of time and effort each evening in writing a book if it would be finished by now. It’s doubtful because without this blogging experience over the last 365 days I never would have thought I’d have the gumption to come this far. Someday perhaps I’ll turn my time and attention to a book and let this lapse, but for now I feel as if I’m in a good vein and I’m going to mine it a bit longer.

One thing I know for sure is that if I hadn’t met so many wonderful people through their blogs and the trips to Keegan’s I wouldn’t have made it to this anniversary. It’s fitting that today is also a Trivia Night so I’ll be heading over there for sure. Leo, my first blogging buddy, is going to be in town from St. Cloud and I don’t want to miss him or any of the other regulars (and irregulars). I instituted a new rule for my blogging daughters (something else I didn’t expect when I started this): no Keegan’s for them unless they’ve posted something that week. This must be pretty motivating because they both “got ‘er done” before this week was two days old.

Well, another day and another post done. Now, what the heck am I going to write about tomorrow?

Update:

Shucks. Doug noticed it was my blogiversary even before I mentioned it. He’s got a sharp eye and, according to my Powerblogs statistics, more people have come to this blog from his than any other external referrer. An extra big slice of blogiversary cake for him!

Update:

Pssst! It’s Leo’s blogoversary on Sunday!

Bad news for the Reverend Mother: global cooling on the way

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I don’t think there’s a bigger freeze baby in the state than my wife. Flannel-lined pants, three or four layers of shirts and sweaters and afghans strategically placed around the house are standard for her between Labor Day and Memorial Day. During this time she’s likely to say that my best feature is the BTUs I put out. This report suggests that our retirement years might be golden but cold.

Scientist predicts ‘mini Ice Age’

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Feb. 7 (UPI) — A Russian astronomer has predicted that Earth will experience a “mini Ice Age” in the middle of this century, caused by low solar activity.

Khabibullo Abdusamatov of the Pulkovo Astronomic Observatory in St. Petersburg said Monday that temperatures will begin falling six or seven years from now, when global warming caused by increased solar activity in the 20th century reaches its peak, RIA Novosti reported.

The coldest period will occur 15 to 20 years after a major solar output decline between 2035 and 2045, Abdusamatov said.

Dramatic changes in the earth’s surface temperatures are an ordinary phenomenon, not an anomaly, he said, and result from variations in the sun’s energy output and ultraviolet radiation.

The Northern Hemisphere’s most recent cool-down period occurred between 1645 and 1705. The resulting period, known as the Little Ice Age, left canals in the Netherlands frozen solid and forced people in Greenland to abandon their houses to glaciers, the scientist said.

Man, I hope this won’t interfere with my golf game.

Loaming charges?

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I’m keeping my eyes open for a good cell phone deal. It’s mind-boggling to keep track of all the features that are available now: camera-equipped, web-ready, text messaging, GPS, walkie-talkie, hands-free, digital, tri-mode, biodegradable.

Biodegradable?

From Zblog:

In 2004, the University of Warwick, Motorola and materials firm PVAXX developed a biodegradable cell phone case with a hidden sunflower seed in it. When the phone died, users were instructed to plant the case and simply wait for the summer bloom. Needless to say, the prototype generated a great deal of enthusiasm from environmentalists across the globe and they have been waiting patiently for its official release in the stores.

So where is the biodegradable cell phone today? It turns out, Japan got the job done first. Made from potatoes, corn and kenaf, the outer shell of the NEC N701 rots and then completely decomposes when you toss it in the compost pile. For those of you pining for your very own, you might have to wait just a bit longer. The NEC N701 is only available in Japan but a similar model will probably be hitting European markets next year, just in time for the fall harvest.

Made from potatoes and corn? What a great phone for the Minnesota emergency survival kit in the trunk of your car! If you break down on a remote section of our tundra you can use the phone to call for help. Out of range of a cell? Eat the phone!

Cheney finds weapon of missed destruction

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I can’t believe how big a deal is being made of Dick Cheney accidentally shooting someone while bird hunting, and the fuss about the “news blackout.” Now, if he’d shot Scooter Libby I could maybe understand it, but this seems a tad out of proportion.

I thought about making a list of people that I’d like to see added to the VP’s guest list for future hunts, but I’m really not comfortable wishing harm on anybody. Instead, here’s another little list; which of the following would you least like to do:

  • Go bird-hunting with Dick Cheney.

  • Play golf with Jerry Ford.

  • Sit in a boat with Jimmy Carter while being attacked by a rabbit.

  • Have sushi with George Bush, Sr.

  • Play “Truth or Dare” with Bill Clinton.

  • Watch cartoons with Osama bin Ladin.

  • Go for a drive with Teddy Kennedy.

That’s all for tonight, folks. I’ve got three lovely ladies expecting creative hand-made (or computer-made) Valentine’s Day cards tomorrow.

Challenging Word of the Week: umbrageous

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Umbrageous

(um BRAY just) adj.



Umbrageous has two entirely distinct meanings. Its principal meaning is “shady,” in the sense of creating or providing shade, like the famus “…spreading chestnut tree…” (in the poem by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807-1882) under which “…the village smithy stands…” An umbrageous tree, then, is a shade tree. But an umbrageous person (umbrageous here refers back to the word umbrage, a feeling of offense, resentment, and annoyance, usually found in the expression to take umbrage) is one quick to take offense. When umbrageousness reaches the point of mental disorder, it becomes paranoia. Umbrageous is from Latin umbratus, past participle of umbrare (to shade or overshadow), and it may be the feeling of being overshadowed that creates the umbrage. Umbrageous trees provide shade; umbrageous people feel overshadowed.



From the book, “1000 Most Challenging Words” by Norman W. Schur, ©1987 by the Ballantine Reference Library, Random House.



My example:People with umbrageous tendencies should avoid reading editorial cartoons.



I post a weekly “Challenging Words” definition to call more attention to this delightful book and to promote interesting word usage in the blogosphere. I challenge other bloggers to work the current word into a post sometime in the coming week. If you manage to do so, please leave a comment or a link to where I can find it.

Friday Fundamentals in Film: Kidnapped

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You can trust a Robert Louis Stevenson tale to work in plenty of swashbuckling action, hair-breadth escapes … and moral clarity. Kidnapped doesn’t disappoint, and this 2004 made-for-tv adaptation (don’t confuse it with the earlier PBS version that plays fast and loose with history and the book) delivers a rollicking story with plenty of villains and heroes.

Young Davie Balfour (Brian McCardie) is the rightful heir to the Shaws estate in the Lowlands but his miserly and covetous uncle conspires to have Davie kidnapped for eventual sale into slavery in order to keep the estate for himself. On the ship carrying him away he meets another traveler who didn’t intend to be there, Alan Breck Stuart (Armand Assante), a supporter and agent for the Scottish king in exile, Bonnie Prince Charles. Stuart is a fugitive from the English trying to smuggle gold to Charles from his still loyal subjects after the failed Jacobite rebellion. Together they make a plan and escape the ship and its evil crew and find themselve cast up again on the shores of Scotland.

Stuart is a man of action and experience, while Davie is quiet and well-educated. They make an unlikely, and sometimes unwilling, team as they try to stay one step ahead of the British soldiers, complete Stuart’s mission and regain Davie’s inheritance. Despite their different backgrounds and circumstances, both are clearly men of honor who thereby bring out the worst in those who would harm them. Greed drives many of the actions of others, while some are in it for power. Stuart remains steadfast to his cause and his loyalty to his king, while Davie is “betwixt and between” in his political sentiments but committed to acting honestly and justly.

This version is nearly three hours long and Assante’s Scots brogue is as uneven as the terrain the men find themselves traipsing around, but the story is fun and the on-location scenery is spectacular. It is an entertaining movie for the whole family with several good talking points on the role and importance of honor, duty and honesty. It also has a stirring recitation from Psalms 35 from an innocent leader condemned to die.

Points to Ponder:
The role of clan feuds and long-standing enmity between the people of Scotland and the role this has played in the country’s history.

Questions to answer:

  1. Why did Davie not open the envelope his father left, even though it had to do with him?

  2. What question did Stuart ask Campbell the Red Fox that put him on the spot and proved that Campbell was lying to him? Why wouldn’t Campbell answer him?

  3. Why did James of the Glen surrender himself to Mr. Reed, the agent of King George? Why was this necessary?

  4. Describe the life of Uncle Ebenezer and the use he got out of his wealth.

  5. How did Davie change over the course of his adventures, and in what ways did he not? What affect, if any, did he have on Alan Breck Stuart?

Great quotes:
(Despite my politics) “As a gentleman, it is my duty to see justice done if I can.” (Davie Balfour)

Red hair and blue eyes

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Nearly four years after our first miraculous birth (and here), my wife and I decided to have a second child. We brought the topic up with our eldest at dinner one evening.

“Mall Diva,” (she wasn’t the Diva yet, of course), “we’ve decided to ask God for another baby.”
“Oh good, a little sister!”
“Well, no, we might ask for a little brother.”
“Too late.”
“Too late?”
“Yeah, I already asked Him for a little sister.”
“Oh, what did He say?”
“Fine!”

Well, rather than have a crisis of faith at such an early age, we decided that we would agree with her for a sister. We did have some other specifications in mind, however, so we made our list and took it God. We asked for a little girl with a sweet disposition and many of the same characteristics we’d been blessed with (without asking) in her sister. Almost as an afterthought my wife threw in, “Oh, and God, red hair and blue eyes would be really cute. Amen!” My wife then went off of the Pill and we awaited developments, which weren’t long in coming.

Over the ensuing months people would ask us if we knew what we were going to have. Our response was always, “We asked God for a girl.” Usually we’d get a response such as, “Uhhhh-huh. So, what do you think about what’s going on in the Middle East?” Suffice it to say that we seldom went on to say, “Oh yeah? Well she’s going to have red hair and blue eyes, too!”

Came the day twelve years ago (actually, nearly two weeks past her due date) our little special order was induced to appear. Sure enough, a little girl and, oh my, not just a dusting of maybe reddish-colored hair but long, thick (for a baby) carrot-bright hair! I told my wife, but she couldn’t see for herself because the nurses wrapped our daughter right up and pulled one of those little stocking caps over her head. It was a couple of hours later when things had settled down a bit and my wife had some quiet time to nurse that she decided to pull the stocking cap off and gasped. Misty-city, as a friend of mine used to say.

Have you ever felt as if God was winking at you? That was what I felt like. I “knew” in my mind that He answers prayer because of what we’d already experienced in our marriage, but this was an extra little touch at once exhilarating and humbling. The day that we had her dedicated at church I told the congregation that God had now sent me two confirmations to bolster my faith that I’d never be able to forget. I compared it to God leading the Israelites through the wilderness with a cloud by day and a fire by night – and left it to them to decide which of my daughters was which.


My cookie! My cookie! Geez, this guy’s been nothing but trouble.

Which one was the pumpkin?

And, of course, He is a God of abundance. We not only got everything we asked for in spirit and temperment (and hair and, yes, blue eyes), but even more than we could have hoped. Despite her blogging persona, Tiger Lilly has the most amazing and compassionate heart, quick to obey and eager to serve others without even thinking about it. She was strong enough to hold her head unsupported the day she was born, and stood up and started walking without fanfare – or warning to her parents – when she was ten and half months old. She’s always been curious about everything and adventurous and ready to try just about anything (except where food is concerned).

We couldn’t have asked for more. We couldn’t be more proud. Happy 12th birthday, Tiger Lilly!

What’s pneu to fight the flu

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A normal but nasty strain of flu is circulating (see here and here ). It appears to run its course in a couple of days but with flu there is also a risk of getting a secondary streptococcal infection leading to pneumonia, bloodstream infections or meningitis, which can be deadly. In fact, with concerns about an avian flu pandemic it is worth noting that many of those who died in the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak (to which the avian flu is closely related genetically) actually died from pneumonia that set in with the flu.

While pneumonia has been effectively treated with antibiotics in the past, the disease is becoming more resistant. The strongest protection now may come in the form of pneumococcal vaccinations. These won’t prevent the flu virus, but can stop secondary pneumococcal infections from taking advantage of an already weakened victim. The Minnesota Department of Health does an excellent job of providing information about pneumonia shots as well as information on how this can affect the impact of the avian flu.

(HT: Z-Plus Partners Blog).