French Campfire

I miss the fall and winter because it's not nearly as fun to do this when it's 90 degrees outside.  If it's been awhile since you've sat around a campfire you should try it.  I'm not sure if campfire-sit-arounds are as much a part of the French culture as they are the American rural culture but if not it may not be too late to make the adjustment. 

If you live in France, you should try setting up a nice campfire in your backyard (if you have a backyard), get a couple of bottles of your favorite wine (I hear it's plentiful over there) and invite a few of your favorite friends over for the evening.  You might even arrange to have some of those little sandwiches you're famous for on hand.  Or is it my Canadian friends who are famous for little sandwiches.  I get confused on who's famous for what food but I know the French are famous for good wine...just like Americans are known world-wide for our campfires.

I'll try to keep you posted regarding the first campfire of the upcoming fall in Southwest Missouri.

Oak Tree Table

The red oak log in the background of this picture is nearly ready to become a table in my barn.  I had it sawn into 2" thick planks about a year and a half ago and those planks have been air drying since.  I moved them into the barn last week so they can finish drying.  I'll check the moisture content soon.  It's been a lot of work just getting to this point.  We'll see if it pays off.  I'll keep you posted as this project moves along.

P.S. Regarding the post "Sucked In Like a Maniac", I decided to keep my Linkedin account open for business related purposes.  I closed out Facebook and Twitter in an attempt to continue "warding off the plug".  (If you're tuning in from Russia or France "warding off the plug" may not translate well.  In other words, I'm trying to avoid so-called "connectivity" as much as possible.  Nature is where I'd rather be connected.  I'll keep you posted on that too.  I suppose you could call this P.S. a little update on that issue.  Much better update-follow through, if I say so myself:)  

Political Opinion Not Wanted

We'd be well served to learn to laugh at ourselves now and then. Many of us simply take ourselves too seriously. (Especially celebrities and politicians: Which often times are the same person.) In reality, few people are interested in another person's opinion, unless of course it supports their own. When someone doesn't really have an opinion they'll often times look for ways to purvey someone else's. Not very original but none-the-less effective if your objective is to peeve off the other person. Some seem bent on offering-up their opinion to nearly anyone who'll listen in spite of knowing it really won't make much of a difference. Kind of like these chickens sharing their opinion about the state of the fast food "bidness". Their opinion about the boneless-skinless chicken breast probably won't stop very many people from heading down to Chic-fil-A the next time they have a hankerin' for a good Ol' chicken sandwich.

For what it's worth, the above is just my opinion. Anyway, the majority of folks are on Facebook reading opinions and not on Old and Ridiculous reading about random topics. One thing both venues have in common: Neither one really matters all that much in the grand scheme of things.
I'll keep you roasted...I mean posted.

Farmers & Markets

A Farmer's Market is a great place to exercise your legs while supporting the local folks.  You'll likely pay a little more for some of the things you buy there but it's hard to find this level of quality from a retailer who purchases tomatoes by the train car load and most of the other stuff from China or Taiwan.  You'll also meet a lot of down-to-earth regular folks who are happy making a living off the land or with their hands.

I've gotten to know a real nice guy named Roger who crafts outdoor furniture from western red cedar he has shipped in from our friends to the North (Incidentally, Canada celebrated their 150 birthday yesterday: An important day for the Blickstead's, Chevigny's and Reids, as well as other great folks like Gary Crosina and his local crew of home grown Canadians). One of Roger's swinging adirondack chairs sits on our cabin deck and gets used every time I realize it's been too long since it's been sat in.  A hand-spun coffee cup crafted on a potters wheel by a gal named D. Little gets used by the author on almost a daily basis.  A huge jar of raw honey made by local Springdale bees sits on our kitchen counter and gets dipped into with frequency: sometimes just because it's there.

Yesterday, I bought these Hand-Made in America black iron hangers from a Bentonville man who had a working forge set up in his booth at the corner of 2nd & Main.  You won't find these at Lowe's or Home Depot.  The next time I'm out at the cabin the big hanger will have a 1930's era lantern swinging from it and I'll find a couple of old family trinkets to dangle from the 2 small hooks.   

Farmers markets: a great place to find cool stuff to use and healthy things to eat.  Regarding ways you can spend your hard-earned money, "You "Cain't go no better"!

Keeping you posted from NW Arkansas and SW Missouri...

Sucked In Like a Maniac!

I've been sucked in by Apple Computer, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin and cable news to name just a few.  I can hardly believe it and I don't like it!

I know folks who can barley do anything unless there's an APP to support their actions.  I have friends who keep track of their steps, where they ride their bike, how many calories they're consuming, how much water they're not drinking, how much weight their lifting, loosing or gaining and for all I know, how many times a day they're breaking wind (I haven't checked but I bet there's an APP for it).

Also, I've fallen into the rat-trap of feeling like I have to be constantly "connected" and available to anyone on the planet who wants to contact me about darn near anything.  Somehow, I've also convinced myself that there are a bunch of people just waiting around to hear what I have to say; as if there's a shortage of opinions, ideas and suggestions floating throughout cyber space.

The truth is, I can't think of one celebrity or TV personality who's opinions I need on anything that pertains to my life, with the possible exception of Stuart Varney, Charles Payne, Jim Cramer and most of the folks on CNBC's "Fast Money".  
 
So, effective Tuesday morning, July 4, 2017, I'll be conducting an experiment by unplugging from Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, most of cable news and all of network news.  For at least the forceable future I plan on getting most of my world updates from Mauricio; the proprietor of The 211 Cafe, just in back of the Bentonville Square.  He makes a great cup of Guatemalan coffee that's well worth the $3 it will cost you to acquire one.

For personal enjoyment and writing fulfillment, I plan to continue posting on this blog just for fun.  In the unlikely event your entertainment needs aren't fully satisfied through the nearly limitless sources vying for your attention, you can check out "Old and Ridiculous!" now and then...just for fun.  It's the one place you can find out what's been going on in my world, if you choose.

For my family and friends, my phone will be off most of the time, although I do plan on checking it  randomly and at various times throughout each day.  I never want to miss communication from my family and friends.  In the highly unlikely event of an emergency, you can contact my bride, my daughter or my Mom.

Regarding this "semi-unplugged plan"....I'll keep you posted.

Bentonville, Arkansas

Bentonville, Arkansas is a nice place to visit!  If you live in The Czech Republic, you'd probably like it here.  I'm not sure if I'd make the trip all the way from there just to visit our little town, but then again, people travel further than that to visit towns that aren't nearly as cool as Bentonville.  Now that I think about it, I'd recommend logging onto myoverpricedplaneticket.com and choose the least overpriced ticket available.  And if you're planning on staying a few nights, I highly recommend the 21c Museum Hotel, just off the Bentonville Square.  Once you get your first cup of coffee or pint of  locally brewed craft beer...you'll know what to do.
On these and similar travel related topics, I'll try to keep you posted on a more regular basis.

P.S. If you stay at the 21c, tell them "that one guy" recommended you stay there.  (There could be a free beer in it for me:)

Ol' Pal Salute!

The only thing nearly as good as a fine K9 companion is the memory of one.  Here's to our Ol' Pal Max!

In 44 years of owning cars and trucks the only vehicle I've ever named is the one I've been driving since May, 2002.  I refer to my Chevy Tahoe as the "Max-Mobile".  It was Max's favorite place to nap and hang out.  I'm guessing I hauled him around in the Tahoe at least 100,000 miles.  On top of the many miles traveled he spent countless additional hours napping in the back while it sat idol in our driveway.

Max is not the only dog deserving of the moniker "One of a kind" but he was certainly one of them.  Thanks for the memories Max...gone but not forgotten.