ness

Not picking on you Al -- you make some good points here. Just wanna add my take on them: True -- military and entitlements are huge expenditures, but I can't help but think there's plenty of room for improvement in the way those funds are spent. It's viewed as almost sacrilegious to say we should cut military spending, because we've been trained to believe that means you don't 'support the troops'. What I don't support is reckless spending on military equipment and endeavors. I'd like to see us be a lot more prudent about the money we spend and which foreign causes we feel a need to pony up for. We should rethink being the world's police force. We simply can't afford it. As far as the high rate of assistance in the Ozarks: The government essentially provides an incentive for people to remain in economically depressed areas. I wouldn't advocate pulling the rug out, but I think we ought to get out of the business of helping people who won't help themselves. I can accept a little spillage, but I don't believe we're putting enough effort into helping just the helpless. No doubt a lot of folks simply find it's more convenient to suck at the government teet. We should rooting those deadbeats out. For the rest, who are able, we should be making them get to work filling potholes, picking up trash, whatever. I guess I'm more skeptical than you about the need or validity of every program. As far as too many people for too few jobs: It should work itself out through good old supply and demand for the most part. But, we have a minimum wage and essentially incent some people not to work through unemployment benefits...so it gets a little more complicated. You can be sure that's a large part of why we ended up with 12 million illegal immigrants doing the jobs we feel are beneath us or don't pay enough to get us off the couch. When we insert these non-economic elements into the equation, in ever increasing amounts, we create our own problems. It seems like a good idea at the time, and all people/voters like more money, but we're just borrowing from the prosperity of our future. Part of what I find discouraging, even maddening, is the exaggeration of these points by so many, including our President. I thinks it's poor leadership, irresponsible and pandering to tell tales of kids without food, teachers fired, air traffic controllers furloughed, long(er) lines at airports for flights that will be less safe. It's just another example of politicians boiling a complex issue down to a few sentences that make it all sound sooo obvious and the opponents soooo bad. What really sucks though is that this is a result of our legislators -- all of them -- not being able to rise above the petty, personal BS and work for the American people. In the grand scheme, these cuts are minuscule -- approximately 2 percent of annual expenditures. Any enterprise that can't withstand a 2% hiccup needs to freaking rethink things. Correcting the situation will certainly cause some pain, but it's just payback for all the excesses we've been enjoying. We're at the point where we have made promises we can't possibly keep. We've assumed the burden of insuring everyone is comfortable and has healthcare when we can't possibly know what those costs will be in the future, much less create a self-sufficient program for it all in the present. Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, other welfare total around 60% of expenditures. Defense is around 20%. We've become largely dependent on foreign capital for the normal operation of our country. About 1/3 of the national debt is owned by foreign entities. Another 1/3 is held in trust for entitlements. (That's kinda like taking out a loan to pay your bills).The debt and deficit need to be corrected -- quickly and permanently. Throughout our 200+ years we've been through ups and downs and have emerged as the wealthiest nation on earth, ever. Lot's of folks will say we'll make it through -- because we always do. Well, I'm not Chicken Little, but I will say -- it isn't a sure thing. It never is.

Just wrapped up "Woe to Live On" by Ozark writer Daniel Woodrell. I can't remember who it was here that recommended him, but I'd like to say thanks. He's a talented author that I'm gonna read more of. You may know him from "Winter's Bone". WTLO was about the border wars before/during the Civil War, told from the perspective of a pro-slave Missouri bushwhacker. Awful good read that captures what those violent times were like. You Tiger fans would enjoy the section on the burning of Lawrence.

Kinda depends on the seeds. If it was a cache from grandpa, I'd do about whatever I could to get them going. If it's an old box of my stuff I forgot about, well... I live in Shawnee and work in Grandview, so I know both areas pretty well.

Yeah, I've got most of my stuff started in the basement. I kinda stagger them out based on where I want them when it's time to plant. Peppers, maters, herbs, onions started back in January. Followed up with some Alpine strawberries, annual flowers, ground cherries. Will start lettuce, cabbage, this week. blue79: Seeds will last for more than the current year depending on how they're stored, what kind they are, etc. Cool and dry conditions are the best. Some of my starts this year are 3 year old seed. I'd do a germination test on the old stuff you're interested in trying: wet a folded paper towel, lay out a bunch of seeds, fold it over and place in a sealed baggie. Keep in a warm place -- I use the back of my shop lights over the ballast. Check every couple days and see what happens. Some will naturally sprout fast, some slow so be patient. If you catch them just as they sprout, but before a root gets into the paper towel, you can gently transfer those to some seed starting material.

I agree with duckydoty

Yeah CWF -- I'd do it for sure. It's a Saturday next year -- even better. For the naysayers, it's not about fishing really. It's a chance to shake off the shack-nasties while pretending to fish. Since there's about a 50-50 chance the weather will be miserable, you can fish the first 30 minutes then call it a day. Drink a little brown likker, smoke a stogie er two, fart with with folks who appreciate it, eat greasy fried foods, tell some lies, play some cards, whatever. Gawd I do love it so.

Nice report and nice fish, Ollie. That rainbow's a chunk! My tummy tells me the browns are generally caught downstream and the rainbows upstream. Can anybody shed any light on that theory?

Welp, the frame on my Smith's cracked over the lens. Gonna gather up my paperwork and take advantage of the lifetime warranty -- again. The prescription photochromic glass is near perfect, though a click or two behind on prescriptions.

Not the handsomest bird around, but they are kinda cool they way they fly together, lock their wings and glide. I didn't know we got them around here.

With the heavy snows last week and another 10 inches or so today on top I wasn't able to go to work today. I was able to get a start on the first pattern I'm tying though -- a popper. I'll be working on number 2 tonight

Very cool! Thanks for sharing those.

I should. It's clearly defective.

Kinda depends. I do like to fish alone -- just do it when, where, and how long I want. If I want to take a break, smell the roses, smoke a stogie, explore a little, whatever -- I can do it without thinking about what the other guys have in mind. It's nice to just be there alone, soak it up, not interact with humans -- which I get plenty of in day-to-day living. But, I also love to fish with others too. I've gotten to be friends with a few folks through the internet -- the old Conservation Cafe, Ozark Chronicles and now here. Good folks to spend a weekend with. It's just gotten harder to find the time and sync up for a weekend the last few years. I've got local friends I like to fish with too, but it's gotten just about as hard to hook up with them as it is my St. Louis buds. What I've enjoyed the most the last few years is 'guiding' my daughter and nephews. The nephews are in their 20s and both aspiring fly fishermen. My daughter's college age, and has come back around to wanting to spend a little time with pops (especially when there's nothing better to do). When I'm with them, the whole dynamic changes and I'm 100% focused on getting them fish. I get more exited about their success then I ever do on my own.

More accurate too!

Yep, good old masking tape and epoxy. I've done it on every flyrod I've done. Solid with no squeaks.

Hell -- just noticed this. You can't be dishing it up if you weren't even there, man.

Official reading in from accuness weather -- 12 inches. Sposta be getting some ice on top. Yippee.

Nicely played LOL

Man, it's a mess here. Just snow -- no ice. Not sure of our total count but it's 10 inches or more. I'm on the west edge of town and work in the southeast part. It started snowing on the way to work around 7 AM and by the time I left at 11 is was a mess at probably 8 inches. No time for the plows to get ahead of things, and any prep they did got buried. I took a round about way home trying to get to plowed roads as quick as I could, plus I'd offered to take a friend to her husband's work to help them out. Cars and semis off everywhere, cars going the wrong way on the highway, exit ramps blocked. Every hill or stop light was a big chance to get stuck. Dozens of cars stuck turning off the main roads into neighborhoods. Worked my way back up to 435 only to find people backing down the entrance ramp because they couldn't make it up. Worked out good because they announced it was closed a few exits up anyway. Stayed at a dead stop for over an hour on 119th street while they cleared something up ahead. Got through that about 1:30 and it had stopped snowing. It was almost a ghost town by then. Rolled into my neighborhood about 2. Ground to a halt in ~foot deep snow just outside my driveway -- plow hadn't been through. Neighbors dug and pushed me the last 20 feet. It's been snowing for at least a couple hours now. Can't really tell how much, but my car is covered in a few inches.

About 4 inches from what I can tell. Windy as heck.

Does that come in colors for dudes too?

I found the Mizzou home court announcer to be absolutely ridiculous and distracting. What gives?

Well, too long to read, but it's clear Mr. Dablemont or his buddies wrote it based on the first paragraph. Which pretty much makes it a joke, not a biography. I always wonder about folks who write stuff about themselves like that in the third person, as if to imply there's at least ONE person who believes this crap.

Found some pretty decent road kill on the way home from fly-tying class tonight. If I can get the funk out of it I'll whip up something good. Anybody know where I can get some hooks?

It's always a little easier to believe a young lady, no? It's been the ruin of many men.