Open Thread – Morning Moose!
Today’s open thread was slightly delayed, but hopefully worth the wait. Here’s a visitor to the yard, who wasn’t too keen on positioning himself to catch the optimum light, but ended up looking rather etherial, and quite handsome anyway.
No more bears to worry about, but then a severe cold snap with temperatures well below zero in these parts. No break for the herbivores. I’m sure in this weather Brian and all our ungulate friends are glad to have the proper insulation.
Antlers shed already?
Brian, your chakras are showing..or is that glowing.
Great photo – I vote for holiday card also, and I will send you my address 🙂
WfAK
Why in the hell should our Senators sign the Norquist Pledge?
Who in the hell is he? The Senators should vote with the wishes of the peoople that put them in office. If they can’t do their job—–vote them OUT of office.
How lovely! He certainly is a picture.
It is actually Novemberish here. Finally. Cold, dreary, drizzling. Heat on. Too icky to be outside, so I am forced to clean. But, I do have a new book that I am reading in spurts as a reward for actually cleaning for an hour at a time.
I’m very well-insulated, too. Perhaps I should live in a colder climate.
David Frum has written an excellent article in New York magazine. I disagree with Mr. Frum on many issues (for instance I happen to be very happy with President Obama) but he has written a very informative and thoughtful piece worth passing around. He slapped conservative media’s distortion and lies, he praised the idea of health care and he did give credit to President Obama’s intellect and integrity. It is long but worth the read.
http://nymag.com/news/politics/conservatives-david-frum-2011-11/?mid=nymag_press
Work is good. School and education are good. I found that I had a difficult time working and going to school. Something suffered. So, I’d quit the job because education was primary. Many kids I went to school with had afterschool jobs, even in jrhi. Some kids CAN work and go to school also, and the idea that if kids had to do janitorial work in their school, they would respect it more. that does sound good, but I don’t see that is would be a good required policy. We cannot expect underage students to produce what a full time janitor does. Right now, I have a high school kid working for me – 2 hrs/week. If grades start to fall, she must return to her primary job – school.
This might sound good and it might work in small bits, but as the total. It just won’t work to the benefit of the student.
Newt ain’t about benefiting any students, just his and those who he fronts for, bottom lines.
Brian!!
what a gorgeous fellow!
Lookin’ good there, bro!
Just when you think you’ve heard the most absurd and outrageous statement of this campaign season, one of the idiots running for President lowers the bar by another mile.
Apparently we can all relax and stop worrying about both the economic crisis AND the failure of our educational system because Newt Gingrich has the solution to both in one tidy little package.
What we need to do is eliminate those pesky “stupid” child labor laws and take poor children out of failing schools because they’re not getting a good education anyway. Then we use those poor children to replace those greedy union janitors and make them clean the schools that they should be learning in.
I swear he actually said that.
“Most of these schools ought to get rid of the unionized janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. The kids would actually do work, they would have cash, they would have pride in the schools, they’d begin the process of rising.”
In other words, he wants to turn this country into a Dickens novel.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/11/20/372918/gingrich-calls-child-labor-laws-stupid-wants-to-replace-janitors-with-poor-kids/
The more I learn about him, the more I know he is a truly despicable man.
When my grandfather was a teen, he spent his extracurricular time working at the wonderbread bakery to help bring money into the home. He swore his kids would never have to work while in school. He wanted to make sure his kids could join in any activity they wanted to. He must be turning in his grave right about now.
Some kids had after school or Saturday jobs when I was in high school in the 60s, but most were part of DECA and that was part of the program. My mother never wanted me to work in high school. I did have a part-time job while I still lived at home and attended junior college – it was a good balance. But she didn’t want me working when I went away to KU. Her feeling was the same as your grandfather’s – my “job” was to go to school and study and to participate in school activities.
I’m so glad my mother was my parent and not someone like Newt. What a twit. Apparently he missed the point that Dickens was making when he wrote about the deplorable treatment of children in the 19th century.
Aw, a wonderful picture. I love the light and the moose.
It’s just cold here. It was in the 20s overnight and the cars were covered with thick frost – glad my husband had to scrape it off instead of me. And we are looking forward to a week of rain. I’m not sure which I like better – the cold and sunshine or the slightly warmer temps with lots of rain. At least it isn’t snow.
A moose in the morning mist…can’t think of a better way to start the day!
Lovely photograph, handsome moose.
We had gusty winds from the south yesterday that pushed dark, grey clouds northward at a furious pace, but gave us temps in the low 70s. About mid-afternoon, though the winds started circling to the north and by nightfall it was an exercise in will power to open the patio door to let out our wire fox. He didn’t tarry – so cold had the winds become. Haven’t yet worked up the courage to go outside (now, don’t laugh at this, but its 34 with a “feel like” temp of 24.). That’s nothing to an Alaskan, I’m sure. But the swiftness of change from feels like 71 to feels like 24 in less than 24 hours is just a bit too much of a shock for these older bones.
Glad the moose can stay warmer with a heavy coat and better circulation. Guess I just need to do some aerobic exercises and think warm thoughts.
Peace be with you – and fly your tents (a la Berkeley).
I nominate this as your 2011 holiday card. Beautiful light and shadows.
I agree!