I think I’ll be able to walk from downtown Ghetto Chopper to the plaza to avoid the crazies on the Plaza and get some steps. I didn’t think I’d be able to catch the earlier yokel bus downtown but somehow I did.
Maybe if it didn’t look like the rain 🌧️ would pick up later, I could have ridden in but the bus even with the traffic beats taking the SuperDuty to work. Still waiting to hear about the truck cap. But looking forward to getting out of town.
Last night I went out to Five Rivers 🐸 after dinner and packing my air pump. The rear tire seems lumpy and out of true but the spokes seem tight but maybe I need to adjust that. 🛠️ The chain 🔗 seems good no slipping though some of the shifts could be better but I think I have the derailuer mostly back in alignment. It’s not some fine french bikes that the lesbians ride but it gets me from Point A to Point B most of the time.
People who spout off on the internet about what a piece of legislation does should first read the actual text of legislation, not a press release put out by the Republicans who seek merely to score political points.
Also take in consideration what the constitution says, along with all legal prescendence and laws relating to the proposed law. When you do that, you will see the measure is both completely reasonable, prudent and consistent with existing public policy.
I am not saying the Democrat who sponsors the measure is not guilty in playing into the Republican fears, the press release implies the measure is a lot more extensive then it is in reality. In many ways, if the sponsor had chosen a different title for the bill, not put out a press release, and it had remainined a simple departmental bill put out by a state agency, few people would have ever taken notice, as the measure is consistent with existing public policy, but probably still necessary due to existing constraints in the law.
But yeah, the politicians had to ruin it for the rest of us.
I won’t say which measure I am referring to, but I think I’ve seen a lot of alarming posts about it lately on social media, most of which claim things that are far from true.
It’s a strange feeling when you know your brand new truck has a discontinued engine already. Not because the engine was bad, but because it was seen duplicative in mind of the accountants. Hearing that Ford is pulling the plug on the 6.8L “Minizilla” in 2027 makes my 2026 Super Duty feel like a bit of a relic before its time, though I’d argue for many thrifty customers like myself, the Minizilla makes more sense.
The Minizilla was sold as the budget-friendly alternative to the 7.3L Godzilla for base trim trucks, but had many benefits beyond a $1,500 cheaper price. By simply shortening the stroke of its big brother, Ford created a snappier, higher-revving engine with fewer pumping losses. For those of us not trying to move a mountain every day, it was the “Goldilocks” option—fuel savings enough to keep the gas bill sane during these high-price spikes, but punchy enough to make a base-trim truck feel light on its feet.
I’m not losing sleep over maintenance; the fact that it shares a DNA pool with the Godzilla means parts will be sitting on shelves for decades. But from a perspective of many fleet operators who wanted something less expensive it feels like a missed step. In a world where every cent per mile counts, having a less thirsty, lighter-duty option for the everyday grind just makes sense.
I suppose I can’t blame Ford for wanting to streamline the assembly line—producing two engines that are nearly identical is a hard sell for the accountants. But sometimes, in my mind the “smaller” option is actually the better one.
The old man in the park is going from trash can to trash can, pulling out cans for their deposit. Making a few bucks and keeping some aluminum and plastic out of the landfill.
I’ve really gotten into watching this channel on Facebook about dumpster diving. There are so many good free things you can find in dumpsters and divert from landfills. The amount of various products discarded by businesses is shocking and there are free resources – considered by many to be waste.
If I only had land where I could store and sort materials – and use them there is so much I could do. Collecting various scrap metals for sale at scrap yards. Deposit cans and bottles. Discarded food waste from grocery stores and restaurants for feeding hogs and chickens. Shredded paper for livestock bedding. Pallets for livestock housing, fencing and bonfires. Amazing how a little bit of pallet wood can make other trash burn hot!
So many resources are out there if you are willing to dig through what others call garbage!
Every time I hear that song, I can’t help to think back to last summer floating down the East Canada Creek on my rubber truck tube after smoking some truly europhic grass and drinking much too much coffee. There’s just something about those Grateful Dead lyrics that are so hilarious when your high as fuck – your heart racing, laughing uncontrollably – the idea of playing cards with a Dire Wolf, begging him not to murder you.
Like so many things in this world, it’s often more fun to think about it then do it. Maybe because in your imagination you don’t have look to carefully at the downsides of it. As much as I like smoking pot, I actually enjoy more being sober and thinking about those good times high as one can be. That warm sun, the laugher, and cold water and singing along, “Don’t Murder Me!” I am sure there are those who find such behavior to be concerning, but in the wilderness, who really gives a damn?
There is a time to be serious and do work. But also good times, high times on vacation full of laughter and enjoyment. Often people are too staid and unwilling to have a little drug-induced fun to free them from their everyday problems and fears. Turn off the news, and just laugh a bit. And even when you aren’t high, spend some time looking back and remembering those high times.
If you’ve ever driven along a highway or walked through an old, abandoned pasture, you’ve likely seen the Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana). These resilient evergreens a pioneer species because they are among the first to move back into disturbed sites like mines or abandoned, worn-out farmland.
A Survivor Against All Odds
The Eastern Red Cedar is an anomaly in the natural world. Most pioneer species are short-lived, meant to pave the way for larger forests. However, this tree can live for over 900 years. It thrives where others struggle, surviving in everything from dry, rocky soil to rich riverbanks. Its secret? An extensive, fibrous root system and small leaves that make it incredibly drought-tolerant.
However, there’s a catch: Eastern Red Cedar can’t tolerate the shade. On rich soil where faster-growing hardwoods can tower over it, the red cedar is quickly out-competed and rarely becomes the dominant tree. But in worn-out pastures, mines, abandoned “waste lands” it can be a very aggressive species.
The “Double-Edged Sword”
While beautiful and durable, the Eastern Red Cedar has a complicated relationship with its environment:
Orchard Enemy: It acts as an alternate host for cedar–apple rust, a fungal disease that can devastate apple crops. Because of this, farmers often have to remove these trees if they are too close to their orchards.
The Fire Hazard: Red cedars are fire-intolerant. Their low-hanging branches act like “ladders,” allowing ground fires to climb and engulf the entire tree. In places like Oklahoma and Texas, dense populations have been blamed for the rapid spread of dangerous wildfires.
Ecosystem Invader: In the Great Plains, these trees are expanding so aggressively that they are transforming grasslands into cedar thickets. This “invasion” pushes out native birds and ruins grazing land for cattle, leading many conservationists to use prescribed burns and cutting to keep them in check.
A Winter Lifeline for Wildlife
While sometimes invasive and damaging to apple orcards, Eastern red cedar is considered a “workhorse” for local wildlife, providing essential food and shelter throughout the year. While it can be aggressive in some landscapes, its ecological value to dozens of species is undeniable. Female red cedars produce bluish, berry-like cones that are a critical high-energy food source, especially when other food is scarce in winter.
Birds: More than 50 bird species rely on these berries. The cedar waxwing is even named for its preference for this fruit. Other frequent visitors include Eastern bluebirds, American robins, Northern mockingbirds, and game birds like wild turkeys and bobwhite quail.
Mammals: A variety of mammals, from small white-footed mice to black bears, consume the cones. White-tailed deer also heavily browse the foliage and twigs, particularly during harsh winter months.
The tree’s dense, evergreen foliage provides year-round protection from predators and the elements.
Year-Round Cover: Its thick branches offer “thermal cover,” helping animals stay warm during cold winter nights.
Nesting Sites: Many songbirds, including chipping sparrows and song sparrows, choose the red cedar as a preferred nesting site due to its privacy and protection.
Building Materials: Squirrels and birds like the indigo bunting use the tree’s soft, peeling bark as a primary material for building their nests.
The Eastern Red Cedar is also host plant for more than 30 species of native moths and butterflies. Most notably, it serves as the exclusive host for the juniper hairstreak butterfly, which lays its eggs on the tree’s foliage.
A Legacy in the Landscape
The presence of Eastern Red Cedar is often a “clue” to the past—an echo of a time when the land was cleared for agriculture, pasture or mining decades ago. These hardy pioneers continue to march across the landscape, changing our ecosystems one seedling at a time. Next time you see one, remember: you’re looking at one of North America’s most ancient, tough, and debated residents.
![Untitled [Expires July 16 2024]](https://andyarthur.org//data/photo_014376_large.jpg)
![Cedar Above the Clay Pits [Expires May 26 2026]](https://andyarthur.org//data/photo_022911_large.jpg)
