Nielsen's ra(n)tings

Politics, guns, homeschooling for the gifted, scuba, hunting, farming and somewhat coherent occasional ranting from your average Buckeye State journalist/dad/farmer/actor.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Mmmmmm! Tasty vittles!


Future occupants of the Rantmeisters larder

More game photos from the Rantmeister's hacienda...lotsa gobblers are apparently using my food plot during their daily constitutionals. In the small inset photo, eight gobblers are going through the plot in two straight lines...reminds me of the Madeline stories from my childhood. Memo to the deer reading this: Just wait until Saturday.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Lots of gobblers, but no fall season


Turkeys, turkeys everywhere...

More pictures from the game camera...this time of four gobblers taking advantage of one of my food plots. Unfortunately, there's no fall turkey season in my county...of course, half a mile away in a neighboring county it's a different story. Pay no attention to the day/time stamp...it apparently reset itself when I changed batteries (have to remember to fix that next time I change disks.) I also got some doe/fawn pictures the last time I changed disks at this location...sure wish I'd start seeing some horns, though!

Friday, September 15, 2006

Help! Irony meter pegged! Medic!

Direct from the “I couldn’t have illustrated unintentional irony better myself” files, here’s Pakistani (our allies, remember?) foreign ministry spokesman Tasnim Aslam (Via LGF):

Pakistan’s parliament unanimously adopted a resolution condemning (Pope Benedict) for making what it called “derogatory” comments about Islam, and seeking an apology from him. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry also called the pope’s remarks “regrettable.”

“Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence,” Aslam said.

So…to recap…Islam is not a violent religion. Mmmm-hmmmm. And anyone who says it is will die by the Islamic sword. Gotcha.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Blue birthday

Today is my birthday.

I was born on this date 46 years ago, a 7-pound-6-ounce 22-1/2 inch mini version of the bean pole I would become. The doctors smacked my butt, pointed me toward the formula bottle, and the rest is history.

This year, however, there is something overshadowing my usual tolerant acceptance of the family festivities. It took me awhile to figure out what the problem is…I tossed and turned much of last night due to a really sneaky, foggy, malevolent feeling about today. I realized when I was taking a shower this morning from whence the feeling originates – this will be the first birthday I’ve observed without my mother.

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

The shower was the private, dark place last February where I finally broke down and admitted to myself that my mother was going to die. In the shower, you must understand, no one can see you cry. So it should come as no surprise that my satori about the source of my current funk should occur there.

You see, birthdays were very important to my mother, and to most mothers I imagine. Christmases, Easters and Halloweens might come and go, but birthdays were where Mom’s emotional capital was invested. Troubles might come and go, but come your birthday, you always knew Mom was truly grateful for your existence. You unfailingly got a telephone call that morning (and perhaps the night before as well), a card and a clothing present. Even last year, when I had to remind my family two days after my birthday that it had occurred, mom remembered and called.

There will be no call this year. It will be sorely missed.

My father, also I think haunted by his own demons of melancholy on this date, dropped off a birthday present last night and bolted from the house, refusing an invitation to stay for dinner and some pre-birthday cake. He called today to wish me happy birthday, but it wasn’t the same.

So, my 46th birthday sees me sad, a little lonely and a little blue. Time moves on, but not for everyone, it seems, and the fact is that I’ll have to get used to celebrating each year of my life without the woman responsible for my existence. And I’ll have to content myself with the best wishes of family and friends for continued good health – but I don’t think I’ll ever stop longing for that yearly phone call from someone who proudly proclaimed my very existence as one of her two greatest accomplishments.

More on the red/blue divide

I couldn't say it any better than Kim duToit has said it at his The Other Side website:

Here’s the intrinsic problem, and it’s why America is so divided as a nation: we conservative/Red Staters and you liberal/Blue Staters have diametrically-opposed visions of what constitutes the Patria.

Our patria is a representative republic, founded on pretty much immutable Constitutional principle; your patria is a popular democracy with a “living” Constitution.

Our patria is a capitalist society with low, limited and broad-based taxation; your patria is a neo-socialist society with embedded wealth redistribution policies (through onerous graduated tax rates, incremental taxes and inheritance taxes).

Our patria values private property ownership; your patria would prefer that most property belong to the State.

Our patria believes in a State welfare policy which offers a helping hand only to those in genuine need; your patria redefines “need” as “anyone who asks for it”.

Our patria values private gun ownership; your patria would prefer that officers of the State be the only armed entity.

Our patria believes in self-reliance; your patria prefers to keep people as wards of the State.

Our patria believes in sovereign nationality; your patria insists that national boundaries are irrelevant.

Our patria believes in devolving political power downward as much as possible; your patria concentrates political power upwards.

Our patria believes in a robust, America-first foreign policy; your patria prefers accommodationism.

Our patria would prefer to fight evil decisively; your patria believes that we have brought most of the evil upon ourselves, and that “evil” is a relative term anyway.


There's more at his website...some very clear thinking from a freedom-loving immigrant. Read the whole thing.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

First video post - woo hoo!

Pow-wow


A native American dance

We went to the Native American Pow-wow Saturday at nearby Buck's Bison Farm. We saw much in the way of native dancing, crafts and art - it was an education for the Rantmeister's clan as well as our Russian Exchange student. Later in the day, the Rantmeister's daughter and the exchange student took part in one of the intertribal dances - basically an everyone-is-invited hoedown. I also have video, which I may post later it I figure out how. The event also featured some representatives of the Iroquois nation...of some interest to my wife, who counts a Cayuga chief among her ancestors.

'Chick' learned nothing

“It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and confirm it.”

Quote NOT FROM Natalie Maines

Natalie Maines , lead singer of The Dixie Chicks, apparently didn’t get the memo. Maines, whose outburst deriding President Bush at one of the Chicks’ overseas concerts derailed the group’s meteoric rise, is back at it again in the upcoming film, “Shut Up And Sing.” You’d think she would have learned the first time…you’d think crappy US ticket sales for Chicks’ recent tour would have been an indicator…you’d think country stations’ rejection of their music would make an impression…you’d think her cohorts would be ticked off about her big mouth pissing away super-ultra-mega-stardom for the group.

You might be wrong.

Maines, who contrary to the title of the film, apparently can’t just shut her yap and sing, apparently takes time in the new movie to say of Bush: “You dumb f***!” Repeatedly.

Miss Kettle, please meet President Pot.

Now I realize Miss Maines probably thinks she’s fighting the good fight against whatever evil Bush apparently embodies for her, but a person of intelligence would realize that the only people she’s hurting through her vituperation are herself and her band-mates. Bush isn’t hurt by the fact she’s sacrificed possible megastardom for the chance to use the stage as a bully-pulpit to feed her Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS.) And, of course, she’s depriving the country world of some first-class tunes – I love “Goodbye Earl” and other songs on the “Fly” album, but confess I haven’t bought a Chicks CD since she opened her yap.

Maybe her BDS is more important to her than success and universal acclaim…or maybe she’s just a spoiled and stupid woman, able to feel passion but not think logically.

I understand now she’s trying to persuade her band-mates to ditch country and move to some genre more receptive to her shtick. Maybe it’s the right move…maybe they can slide into the Indigo Girls track on the folk circuit…singing and preaching to like-minded flower children.

Because as long as she keeps spewing her unasked-for opinions and invective instead of singing, her music will be absent from my CD player.

Friday, September 08, 2006

Channeling Camelot

I feel like I’m in the parental version of Camelot right now.

“Don’t let it be forgot,
That once there was a spot
For happily ever-aftering
That was known as Camelot"

*From the musical

My daughter’s doing very well in her transition to middle school, my son appears to be doing well and has developed a monstrous appetite for reading…he’s read three full-length sci-fi/fantasy novels in the last week…and our exchange student appears to be coming out from her shell more and interacting in new ways with the family.

It’s Camelot, pure and simple.

I must admit, though…I’m waiting for the other shoe to fall. You know, I have always thought I came from a Pollyanna/Horatio Alger/glass is half full kind of mindset. There’s got to be a pony under all that horsecrap, right? And I’ve certainly shoveled enough horsecrap to know.

I’m ready for adversity. I’m just not ready to relax and enjoy success…yet.

My daughter-who-will-be-the-death-of-me, age 11, has As in all her classes (as per usual), but has been doing homework without complaint and has been dressing to the 9s in a style which garners parental approval. Aside from a couple minor Type A personality squabbles with our Russian exchange student, her behavior’s been exemplary.

Son and heir, 13, read Piers Anthony’s “Juxtaposition” and “Out of Phaze” during the early part of the week and pretty much polished off Jennifer Roberson’s “Sword Dancer” yesterday. The books, part of multi-book series’ by the authors, are among my favorites, though I think I was older when I read them. Over the last couple weeks, he also polished off at least four of Terry Brooks’ Shannara books – he’s approaching my reading pace.

It’s a wonderful, and excruciating, thing to watch as your children develop. You can go from bleak despair to boundless joy in days, hours or even minutes. One minute you’re convinced the state will bear the burden of your child for the rest of his/her miserable life (either in prison or an institution), and the next minute you’re in awe of your child’s brilliance, thanking providence that such a boon was delivered to mankind.

So, for the time being, parental optimism holds sway at the Rantmeister’s hacienda.

“For one brief shining moment…”

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Another month, another auction


This would look good in my gun safe

There's another Gunrunner Online Auction afoot, though with depressingly few items of interest to me this time around. They do have a Browning A-bolt in .25 wssm which is of some interest...mainly because I�ve started a collection of .25-caliber rifles (I have a .257 Weatherby, .25-06 Ruger and Japanese Arisaka in .257 Roberts.) The auction is on now, we'll see how high the final price gets.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Game pics


Pictures this morning from one of my feed plots

I bought a game camera the other day, a Moultrie 2.1 mp digital, and put it out last night. Here are the results...a couple pictures of a doe and her fawn feeding this morning in one of my food plots. No horns, but I'm sure I'll get some of those in time, too.

Yeah, baby! Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!


I'm not sure whether this is from the "only in Indiana" subcategory of earthly existence or is just too cool to be believed. It's the one thing you never knew you always wanted.

Interest piqued? Check this out...

Update: I added an image from the Ebay auction because the link wasn't working...search for hot rod manure spreader...woo hoo!