…which I have been neglecting. With a book deadline and one for a big article not too far away, the impending operation, and things like four- hour “Neurological Psychology” tests, these more than one hundred miles away– I won’t burden you further, but I can be distracted. But: FEATHERS. I an a bit disappointed that …
Month: June 2015
Malcolm dissents
Malcolm Brooks, author of Painted Horses and a capital- F Friend of Q, was so appalled by an Adam Gopnik anti- gun rant in the New Yorker that he wrote the furious and sometimes even funny riposte below. Turns out he was “baited” with an old essay, but the truth remains. Apparently no one at …
James Salter, RIP
James Salter, novelist, is dead at ninety. The BBC report, which Reid sent, said that he “never converted critical acclaim into commercial success.” Really? He was a “writer’s writer”, and a maker of perfect sentences and some small perfect books, as well as a big one– in that sense, and because of the slightly icy …
Painted Gunstocks
If you are like me the mere idea of a painted gun would likely make you wince, or at best grin condescendingly. The idea of decorating stocks sounds kitschy, something crude and maybe embarrassing, at best folk art. You would be wrong– I was. My first clue was when Gil Tracy, a man of taste …
Deep Brain
The date for operation if all goes well is 10 August. Wish me luck, say a prayer, raise a glass, whatever your style. I am more than ready…
Apache
Paul has his old NM Gos back, a bird who might have been his best. He has descendants, with Finnish genes, and if all goes well I may yet fly one. Accipiter gentilis apache may or may or may not be a valid taxon, but Gila Goshawks are distinctive. First I ever saw was in …
Spring Reds
This seems to be the spring for red fox in western Wyoming. It’s not that we have more of them, but we’ve got a few litters that have been more visible than usual. Fortunately they aren’t near our lambing grounds, so they aren’t in areas where conflicts would be expected. I spotted six kits at …
One more quote
From TRD, a Mongolian maxim : “While your father is alive make as many friends as you can, while your horse is alive, see as many lands as you can.” I get the second at least. But so many sayings are now attributed to Mongolia. One I actually heard there more than once over …
Another quote
From the late Christopher Hitchens, via Jackson, who said of it (remember, he is Orthodox): “… [he’s] both cynologically and theologically astute (atheist or no)…” Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are God. Whereas owners of cats are …
Darwinian quote
Annie D got this from some Internet meme about retired people’s opinions. I like it. “I’m not saying let’s go kill all the stupid people. I’m just saying let’s remove all the warning labels and let the problem work itself out.”