| Observed at the intersection of Markham and Rodney Parham, a black Nisson Maxima SE with plates reading "N3RD".
Leetspeaks for itself. | comments: Leave a comment   |
| Every so often, Wulf spots an amusing or clever vanity plate that is worth sharing. Wulf's all-time favorite was the hot-red convertible with tags that read: VN VD VC . Pretty sure it was a doctor's car.
Today, a small, white sedan heading east on Cantrell Road (at moderate speed) sported tags reading: GONABL8 . | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Tags: | haiku | | Current Music: | whirring of a fan | | Subject: | Haiku | | Time: | 07:57 pm | | Current Mood: | stable |
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Cool, refreshing rain
Satisfying, useful work
Strolling as sun sinks | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Sunshine to The Hunter:
"Don't burn down the house! It's where we keep our variables."
Yes. X, y, and z. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| 
visited 41 states (82%)
Create your own visited map of The United States
Most of these states were visited briefly on vacations. Most of the Northeastern states were just driven through on a trip to Maine, and Florida was only a drive through the panhandle.
The states Wulf has lived in, from longest duration to shortest are:
Arkansas - twice, amounting to a few decades
California - twice, totaling maybe a decade)
Tennessee - four school years, no summers
Virginia - as a small child; don't remember much
Oklahoma - mostly lots of summers
Missouri - one year
South Carolina - one amazing summer spent on Paris Island
Wulf was conceived in Hawaii, but that doesn't really count. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| | The fastening assembly for a toilet handle is reverse threaded. Huh. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Whenever Chris M.'s family is away for a few days, Chris takes it upon himself to complete some project, often some improvement to his house or yard. This time, it was the fire pit. The M. family is given to hosting congenial gatherings on the expansive decks and within the pleasant gardens of their home. The fire pit is a favored gathering spot for tuneful singing or the spinning of improbable, amusing tales. Chris decided to surround the circle of large rocks with a suitable expanse of gravel, so to spare his guests' feet from sooty soil, and to provide a safety barrier against wandering sparks.
The enclosing frame of landscaping timbers was a simple task for an artisan of Chris' ability, but after carrying a few bags of pea gravel down the many steps to the back yard, Chris had a better idea...
( The Sluice )
| | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
| Here at Dog Hill, Wulf's ancestral abode, there is a place in the front yard where water (from the French drain in the back yard) cascades down the hill to the street. About a year ago, Wulf noticed that some vile cur had absconded with some of the rocks Wulf had in place to curtail erosion.
After pondering for some months as how best to emend this environmental debacle, Wulf noticed some fine limestone pieces, a type of stone not found in this area, in a creek bed. The limestone appeared to be some deconstruction debris, dumped either to curtail erosion or merely to be rid of some waste. In any case, Wulf reasoned that the greater public good would be served in Wulf's yard, where a few carefully placed stones would prevent large parts of Wulf's yard from returning to the sea. In the creek bed, the stones were but a few amongst millions of rocks.
So, after every rain, Wulf would search the creek for any pieces of limestone that the rushing waters might have uncovered. It took months, a few stones at a time, for Wulf to acquire what appeared to be a sufficiency of stone. Wulf then began the long delayed project...
( The Watercourse )
| | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| Nicked from ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) fashonista_35, by way of ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) sail_aweigh</lj> , done with Winamp.
Directions
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it makes you look.
4. Title this post what the answer to your last question is.
5. Good luck and have fun!
IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Volcano – Jimmy Buffet (Wulf's demeanor is not in the title but more in the lyrics “I don't know...”)
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Love Is the Drug – Roxy Music (Fair enough; more than a little accurate.)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Blue Suede Shoes – Elvis Presley (Panache, style, class; yup.)
HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
I Just Want to Celebrate – Rare Earth (Hell yeah!)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
No Rain – Blind Melon (Much of Wulf's efforts in life are devoted to avoiding troubles.)
WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
How Far Is Heaven? - Los Lonely Boys ( Parents can be awesome.)
WHAT DO YOU OFTEN THINK ABOUT?
Uncle Tom's Cabin – Warrant (Wulf spends inordinate amounts of time pondering issues of human rights and liberties.)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Turn Your Radio On – Andy Griffith (If we don't tune in, we might never know.)
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Banua – The Kingston Trio (“This Banua jail is cold and damp. The rats, they cover the floor." Um, no. At least not yet.)
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Let's Roll - Christine Kane (Hell yeah!)
WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Perfect – Alanis Morrissette (Hadn't thought about it, but this might be a great choice.)
WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
It's Too Late – Nanci Griffith (Dead on.)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Benny and the Jets – Elton John (Who knew? *shudders*)
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Fields Of Summer – Nanci Griffith (Hmm, can't think of any relevance, unless it was those bodies Wulf helped bury...)
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Rocky Mountain High – John Denver (The spirit of the song is accurate; seeing friends is like coming home.)
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO NAME THIS POST?
Jesu Christus, Unser Heiland – J. S. Bach (Okey dokey.) | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Tuesday morning, as Wulf crested the road around Chenal Mountain and sped earthward in the direction of Chenonceau, he looked down and away to spy a hot-air balloon drifting in the crisp, sweet air. The morning sun illuminated the spiraling orange and red colors of the balloon against the background of emerging autumnal colors of the woods across the valley. The slight tinge of disappointment Wulf felt at not having a camera handy was inundated by a wave of joy.
There is something joyful about balloons as a mode of transportation. While there may be practical reasons for a balloon, the unhurried elegance of floating, carried by the whimsical winds in a craft of ebullient colors and fantastic patterns, speaks not of practice, but of joy. The birds may envy us when we fly by balloon.
On Wednesday morning, Wulf and JD were strolling through an park little frequented, when we left the path to explore what may only be described as a tunnel through the thick wall of privet bushes. The tunnel led to the well-kept grounds of a church, which led us to walk down roads we had never before trod. Our peripatetic meanderings led us beneath a pecan tree which had dropped not a few pecans onto the road for Wulf to harvest. The meat was sweet and piquant with that woody, smokey flavor only pecans possess, all wrapped in a bi-colored, balloon-like shell.
As a further bonus to our adventure, we came across an old T-pole, formerly much used for clothes lines, lying beside the road, awaiting pick-up by the sanitation department. Though rusty and heavy with concrete where its base had been dug from the ground, it was reasonably sound, though in want of paint. Wulf resolved to salvage the pole.
Thursday afternoon, Wulf came for the heavy T-pole, happily to receive aid from two kind gentlemen working nearby, who assisted Wulf in loading the weighty object into Snow Wolf. Upon returning home, a neighbor inquired as to Wulf''s intentions for a single pole, only to volunteer that he had a like pole in his yard, which Wulf could procure to complete the pair.
Friday, much anticipated, came and while procuring some desired provisions, Wulf passed a gigantic, purple, inflated triceratops balloon advertising a Halloween carnival, which offered all manner of delights, including free pony rides. Wulf, being a slow learner atimes, still had no camera at hand, yet was suffused with a childlike sense of delighted wonder.
Halloween was optimal this year, coming on a Frinight with mild weather. Ominous clouds swelled from the north, adding to the foreboding atmosphere of the festivities, yet only a smattering of droplets fell. Biscuit, Redwolf, Sunshine, and The Hunter all harvested magnificent amounts of plunder, notable for the abundance of chocolates. Both Sunshine's raccoon mask and The Hunter's Pikachu mask were of papier-mâché, begun with balloons, carefully wrapped to make egg-like shapes. Uh, still no pictures.
Wulf believes he has uncovered one of the secrets of life:
balloons = happiness | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
|
Nicked from ejuliana , by way of sowilo
As evidenced by Katie Couric, Sarah Palin is unable to name any Supreme Court case other than Roe v. Wade.
The Rules: Post info about ONE Supreme Court decision, modern or historic to your lj. (Any decision, as long as it's not Roe v. Wade.) For those who see this on your f-list, take the meme to your OWN lj to spread the fun. (If you wish, of course.)
Go forth, and edumacate!
Consider:
Sparf v. United States, 156 U.S. 51 (1895)[1], was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that federal judges were not required to inform jurors of their full rights and powers to judge both the facts as well as the law in bringing a general verdict. The decision was rendered by a five to four judge margin, with two strong dissenting opinions.
- from wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparf_v._United_States
This is the decision that tried to assassinate jury nullification, the right of free people to assess the justice of the law itself, as expressed by juries. Jury nullification is the ordinary person's last peaceful defense against tyranny. When you sit on a jury now, the judge may lie to your face, saying that you must follow the law, judging only the facts, yet in the case above, the Supreme Court acknowledged that you have the right to to judge the law itself when sitting as a juror.
How odd, that we should have rights which the government doesn't feel we need to know exist...
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| She is a creature of joy. With a couple of sharp yarks (yip-barks), she charges across the kitchen floor to savage a favored chew-toy. Sunshine named her JD (Just Dog) after the family dog in the wonderful television series, Dead Like Me. JD is the pick of a large litter of twelve adorable pups. This was Avalanche's fourth litter.
 
With every litter, when the puplings have approached six-weeks in age, a classified ad has been placed in the paper, the phone rings incessantly, and homes are found for all. What confounds Wulf is that people are continually opining that Wulf's dogs should be spayed and neutered.
As Wulf understands it, the purpose of spaying and neutering is to prevent unwanted litters. These litters are not only wanted, but in high demand, so spaying and neutering are not an issue. In addition to the sheer pleasure of a houseful of puplings, the process is an excellent opportunity for Wulf's cubs to learn biology. Sunshine and The Hunter have witnessed the birthing process, nurtured and cared for the tiny beasts, and ensured proper socialization of the growing hounds.
Wulf is concerned about the almost religious fervor to promote the sterilization of pets. If people sterilize the pets they want to keep, they are selecting against the very traits that are desired. Wulf must ask what will happen after, say, a thousand generations of narrowing genetic diversity, limited breeding stocks, and a pseudo-religious jihad against mankind's most ancient allies.
This is not nature's way. Nature prefers large numbers of offspring, most of which die. The problem is not that pets have lots of offspring, but that people are often irresponsible in handling nature's largess. Let us face this. Too many people will dump unwanted pets, leaving the animals to suffer and starve, or become nuisances if they manage to survive. This is not kindness; this is cowardice. If one cannot find homes for unwanted pets, put them down. Kill the excess, as humanely as possible. We should not be urging people to sterilize, rather we should be telling them to man-up, to kill when killing is necessary. It is hard on the individual dog, but it is good for dogkind. This is nature's way. Mankind should tread cautiously when we think we have found a better path than nature's way.
We humans have difficulty taking the long view. There is no good reason we should inflict our lack of foresight upon our best friends. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Saturday, we were adopted by a baby squirrel. Sunshine first noticed the squirrel beneath Snow Wolf, our pickup truck, nibbling on a small pile of regurgitated cat food.
Samson, our cat, occasionally decides to binge and purge, leaving an undigested clump of soggy cat food somewhere about the yard. Wulf is pleased when something else cleans up, so the squirrel was not disturbed, though Wulf generally regards squirrels a glorified tree-rats.
The tiny squirrel showed no fear, even when the cubs got quite near to observe her. After a while, sated, the squirrel began to follow us when we walked by. Wulf, well aware of the unpredictability of animals, especially wild animals, cautioned the cubs against petting or frightening the squirrel. The tiny animal was persistent in attending the cubs, however, and when she decided to climb The Hunter's pants, Wulf was forced to risk grasping her firmly enough to remove her tiny claws from the clothing. The beast was not frightened, but seemed pleased at being held.
Wulf placed her upon a tree, but she came back down and continued to follow us, eventually climbing Sunshine's skirt. Sunshine had little choice but to hold the creature. Sunshine, having recently viewed the movie Enchanted, dubbed the squirrel Princess. Sunshine spent the afternoon and evening attending Princess, carrying her about, enchanting all the neighbors with the affectionate squirrel. Wulf permitted Sunshine to stay up an hour past her bedtime, so much fun was being had by all.
Undecided as to what to do with Princess, Wulf found a cage to protect Princess through the night from her own injudicious friendliness. Nestled into a pile of rags, with bowls of food and water close by, Princess settled in to sleep.
On Sunmorn, Princess could not be roused, displaying extreme torpor. She was barely responsive through the day. By Sunnight, Princess was limp and cool. On Monmorn, she was dead.
It is not clear why she died. Wulf should worry that we have been exposed to some contagion, yet this seems unlikely. Perhaps it was eating the regurgitated cat food. The cat seems as fit as ever. Today, Wulf has observed that the usual plethora of squirrels which infest the neighborhood are strangely absent.
Wulf hypothesizes that some squirrel plague killed Princess' family. Driven by hunger, she found us. Driven by loneliness, she embraced us. Then she succumbed to whatever sent her to us.
Princess was only with us for a few hours, but we will long remember her. She had the pure, innocent love and need of every child. Princess died young, but it was not a bad death. She had no distress, sleeping through her brief illness. She died surrounded by those who loved and cared for her, having built a lasting bridge between two species. We should all have so fine an ending. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| Renaissance faires led Wulf to WW I (Wulf's Woman I), whom Wulf called Thunderbolt, because she struck him like one. Wulf was a rebound relationship for Thunderbolt. Rebound relationships rarely last; Thunderbolt, unbeknownst to either, was mere days pregnant with our second child when she announced to clueless Wulf that she was leaving.
Renaissance Faires gave way to the Society for Creative Anachronism. The SCA led Wulf to WW II, whom Wulf calls Starlight, for she is as darkly beautiful as starlight. She is a score of years younger than Wulf. Wulf knew better, but Wulf was helpless before her ravening beauty (she resembles a diminutive Claudia Christian). When our second child was not a year old, Starlight vanished, like Karl Edward Wagner's Kane, into the mists, reappearing intermittently, bringing chaos in her wake.
On Raglan Road, on an autumn day,
I saw her first, and knew
That her dark hair
Would weave a snare
That I might one day rue.
I saw the danger, yet I walked
Along the enchanted way,
And I said, "Let grief
Be a falling leaf
At the dawning of the day."
Raglan Road - The Chieftains with Van Morrison
For inspiration, Wulf holds forth two more examples of true love:
Wulf''s old friend, Captain Chuck and his lady, Ms. Linda, two who interlock so perfectly, it is not imaginable to Wulf that they could ever be apart.
Wulf''s high school friends, John Z. and Martha F. were secretly married when they were still in high school. Martha died quite young of breast cancer. Memory of her love and their joy sustains John through the trials of his now difficult, painful life.
The search for true love continues, though it be a passive search. Wulf likes to ponder what may be attributes of his True Love.
She certainly loves dogs and children, and may have several of each, though the children might be grown by now.
She likes costumes and acting.
Her many friends lovingly describe her as quirky and eccentric.
She sings whenever her heart is so moved.
Her tastes are generally modest, so she is frugal in most things.
She likely enjoys cooking and loves eating a variety of cuisines.
At home, she is surrounded by her books and those memory-laden artifacts with which life tends to encumber us.
She has a love/hate relationship with her computer, if she owns one.
Spiritually, she is mostly content with her religious beliefs or lack thereof.
She could be thoroughly outspoken in her political beliefs, which may be quite different from Wulf's, defending/advancing her positions with generous helpings of passion and logic.
She prefers to keep her hair long. In her youth, it was probably dark, though now it has gone to salt and pepper, when she is not experimenting with alternate tintings.
Most of all, she is independent. She wouldn't need Wulf at all.
[This last is somewhat of a peeve with Wulf. What kind of person, after achieving sovereign adulthood, suddenly can't live without a particular new person in their life? Wulf views those making such proclamations, especially men, as manipulative children. Run away, swiftly.]
Being independent, and generally staying close to home, we may never meet. It would be ever so sweet to find each other before our span of days is over, but if not, Wulf will content himself with thinking about her. Wulf does not wish to make any side-trips for regular love as he did when he lacked understanding. He is holding out for true love.
Then again, we may meet unexpectedly, perhaps at a yard sale, our hands brushing accidentally as we reach for the same treasure, our eyes meeting, the gleam of recognition in the eyes of a beautiful stranger...
If you meet her before Wulf does, tell her Wulf abides.
"It was not until he was seventeen and Grandma had entered her wild and frivolous second youth that he met one that made him burst with longing..."
Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernières | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Tags: | love | | Current Music: | The sounds of the children playing with the puppies | | Current Location: | home | | Subject: | True love: five | | Time: | 04:16 pm | | Current Mood: | stable |
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| If true love is only one-way, if it is not mutual, perhaps it should be called something else. Wulf will use the term Great Love. The Goddess was Wulf's Great Love.
Even if Wulf could alter the past, he would not. Were anything much different, he would not know the joys that are his children. Wulf has evolved (devolved?), kept moving, kept looking. Nowadays, Wulf is a staid homebody whose main interest is shepherding the next generation, but it was not always so. In his halcyon days, Wulf led a life of action and adventure...
The best cure for a woman is not another woman, as is oft repeated, but hard work. Wulf labored during the week repairing advanced avionics on F/A-18 Hornets, yet on weekends he would retreat to the Sixteenth Century, where he would work twice as hard, at considerable expense and for no pay whatsoever. There, in the persona of Lord Captain Sir John Grey, Wulf was healed.
Renaissance Faires engaged Lord Grey in singing, ballads and bawdy songs, solo, duets, trios, quartets, choruses. He performed in plays, pageants, and processions. There were theatrical sword fights, brawls, and duels. Lord Grey served at the whim of kings and queens. When Lord Grey uttered words of command, lieutenants brayed, sergeants barked, and scores of stalwart halberdiers jumped to. Earls and Dukes sought his counsel. Young couples asked him to perform handfastings. When there were no faires, there were drills to run, workshops to be taught, garb to be made, equipment to be mended.
Vignette 6 - The Gift
Lord Grey strode the hot, dusty lanes of the Great Northern Faire at Blackpoint Forest in thigh-high leather boots, jingling and clinking of spurs and keys, poniard and sword, on forgotten errand. His garb, an admixture of leather, jewels, and costly raiment, was set off strikingly by his long, light brown hair which gleamed red and gold in the sunlight, contrasting with his rusty beard and waxed mustache.
From out of the throngs that travelled the road, an unknown lady emerged to pause before Lord Grey, saying only, "Good my lord, I would present you with a gift from the ladies of the faire, in thanks for not taking advantage of your great good looks." She handed Lord Grey a single rose, and for one of the few times in his life, Wulf was struck speechless.
Wulf should make another pair of those boots. Wulf should also have noted the clue. Though immersed in romance, Wulf paid no heed, seeking only love, true love.
There was The Ice Maiden, who caught Wulf's eye with her dark, ringleted hair and brilliant blue eyes, but Wulf detected a flaw in her demeanor, a tendency to assume the worst about people. She had a big, black labrador, however, that became Wulf's faire companion. Wulf kept a small apartment which admitted no pets, so Wulf would borrow the dog for walks and weekend trips. Her name was Tyche, after the Greek goddess of fortune, though her mistress softened the pronunciation to tai-shee, to make the name sound more feminine. Tyche was a big marshmallow, sweet and loving, so Wulf made a faire muzzle for her of black leather and brass studs, so as to project an air both fierce and terrible. The muzzle fooled no one.
There was Crazy-Eyes, a golden woman of elfin beauty whose pupils were not round, but sort of star-shaped. She once invited Wulf to share her cloak in the crowded tent of her guildmates. Wulf could not bring himself to leave Tyche alone amidst strangers in an unfamiliar place, so he slept on the cold, hard ground with his borrowed hound, instead of in the warm arms of an exotic enchantress.
Wulf will ever remember The Countess. She had the most beautiful singing voice Wulf had then heard. Wulf would have married her surely, but that she was barren. Telling her that Wulf must leave her was a hard thing.
The Ice Maiden eventually took-up with and married Andy J., a kindly, bear of a man so like in appearance to Wulf that we were oft taken for brothers. His kindness was the perfect foil to her inner bitterness. They are yet happily married, an example of true love if ever there was one. When Tyche grew old and had to be put down, they called Wulf from California to let him know. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Tags: | love | | Current Music: | Chris Isaak - Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing | | Current Location: | home | | Subject: | True love: four | | Time: | 08:23 pm | | Current Mood: | stable |
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| "...All will love me, and despair!"
Galadriel, Jackson's The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers
Wulf has tasted true love, perhaps. Invited by some of Wulf's teenage Dungeons and Dragons players to teach the game of Cosmic Encounter to one of their teachers, Mrs. M., and her daughter, Wulf was not expecting the dynamic mother-daughter team that became his good friends. They were astute gamers, brilliant, educated, inquisitive, the sort of people Wulf has ever sought for company. Wulf came to nickname the daughter "The Goddess". The Goddess was a willowy, green-eyed blonde, the archetypal California girl, not at all Wulf's type, and somewhat beyond Wulf's league. Some years would pass before Wulf even considered her with romantic intent.
The Goddess was playful, clever, enchanting, open, mysterious, vengeful. We liked each each other immediately. Our circles of friends merged and expanded. Our group did everything together, movies, cookouts, hiking, rafting, shopping, travelling, camping. Those were high times. The Goddess and Wulf would oft converse for hours, on countless subjects. Despite the seven-year difference in our ages, we thought much alike.
Vignette 5 - A Driveby
Wulf entered the party, breezing past small groups of people, seeking the hostess. Perchance, Wulf passed The Goddess, engaged in conversation, only to overhear a fragment of her words, "... I don't like to sweat." Without breaking stride, Wulf interjected, "Don't like to sweat? How much fun could you be?" Half a step on came the icy reply, "You'll never know." Wulf chortled with laughter, but picked up speed.
The Goddess got even. She always got even.
The transition crept up slowly. Wulf cannot pinpoint when he fell in love with The Goddess, but one day it was plain even to one as obtuse as Wulf. It was different from any love Wulf has experienced, before or since. With every other love in Wulf's life, there have been the usual prurient fantasies, but it was not that way with The Goddess. Wulf would fantasize about....just being with her. Mind you, The Goddess was a totally hot, stone-cold, centerfold babe. Wulf's love for her was crystalline, pure. Wulf was never jealous or envious, concerned only with her happiness. Could it have been anything but true love?
Wulf remembers the precise moment when, had he but leaned forward and kissed her, The Goddess would have been his. Yet he held back, unwilling to risk so fine a friendship on uncharted waters of romance.
"All love is unrequited."
- Ivanova, Babylon 5
Weeping one moment, laughing with joy the next, Wulf could not have kept secret his love much longer. Then she said it, the one thing Wulf did not expect of her. " I will never have children." Wulf's heart collapsed.
Wulf has always known he wanted children, even as a child himself. Some things are more important than love, even than true love. The sad truth is, love is not enough. Three times in his life, Wulf has set aside love, because children were not wanted or were not possible. Wulf's True Love would understand.
Wulf lives far away from The Goddess now. We exchange e-mail every year or so. We have changed much over the long years; The Goddess could not now be Wulf's True Love. Besides, she is married, and has two children, whom she adores with all her heart.
This, because Wulf did not acknowledge, did not trust in true love. | | comments: Leave a comment |
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