Open Thread – Dogwood Flowers
Not the kind that grow on trees – these are the dainty alpine dogwood, which grow close to the ground. Each blossom is about the size of a quarter. There’s a big patch blooming out back. You may see more of these before I’m through.
That is Cornus Canadensis. The ‘flower petals’ are actually brachts, modified leaves, as with Poinsettias, and Indian Paint brushes. There is another species of Dogwood in Ak, Cornus Stolonifera. It makes a shrub, if the moose give it a chance. There is some along the Glenn highway past Palmer, around the overlook. There is a lot around Chitina. It has white berries.
What To Say About Trig
In mid-August 2008, Palin announced that she would be hosting a baby shower with Trig to benefit military families. But when it came down to writing up the p.r., the governor needed a ghostwriter to help pen a quote about her newborn.
She wrote to her staffers via email: “can u think of a powerful quote to put in there re: we’ve been blessed with trig, now’s a fun opportunity to bless others through kwhl’s event.?”
Does anyone know who actually takes care of Trig from day to day?
Too good not to post. This is the fake letter that Palin allegedly penned and tried to have someone else publish under their name. I guess that badly needed college scholarship wasn’t put to very good use:
“Dear Editor: To address Judi Spry’s Anchorage Daily News letter-to the editor on July 26 asking where the governor was during this year’s Miss Alaska Pageant: First, when I asked Gov. Palin if she was ever Miss Alaska (as Ms. Spry stated), our Governor replied, “Nope, a mere “Miss Congeniality”, one of the runner-up sashes, and much-needed college scholarships were my wins as a participant in that scholarship program, about 100 years ago it seems now.’”
Gawker’s John Cook points to this July 26, 2008 email, in which it looks like Palin ghostwrote a letter to the editor of the Anchorage Daily News.
http://twitter.com/#!/johnjcook/status/79269960769216512
Palin apparently ghostwrote a letter to the Alaska Daily News in the name of a supporter: http://bit.ly/jpKNDs
I
Agricultural zoning folks claim that a thousand feet of altitude equals 200 miles north. I know dogwood/bunchberries from the Rockies at 5700′ altitude. Lovely white stars.
Someone said please put Blind Allegiance reviews on Amazon- there was only one on Amazon.ca, so after devouring the book in a day, I submitted this:
Yearning to make a difference- Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin, Jun 9 2011
By KateinCanada –
Many of us yearn for significant work that will shape our world in ways we see as good and honorable. Frank Bailey’s tragedy is that when he went looking for a cause that he could give himself to totally, he did not find a worthy leader.
This is his story of four years’ labour in Sarah Palin’s revolving cadre, sometimes in, sometimes out, always loyal, usually confused.
Bailey grew up in the hardship of rural Alaska, went to Christian colleges, and is a fundemetalist conservative who may be a good man. His yearning to make significant change has been redirected into telling Americans why letting Sarah Palin near the presidency would be a disaster for everyone. In passing, he tells us why thwarting her is dangerous, convincing me that he may have to leave Alaska to find another job.
Bailey is not a writer, so he enlisted California writer Ken Morris and Alaska political writer Jeanne Devon to research and assist. Bailey documents his story from his huge email archive, covering the most notorious of the Alaska stories. Likely, he has enough for another one or two books. What strikes me is that he has taken great care to tell these stories with very little collateral damage to the other members of Palin’s Rag-Tag crew, her children, or peripheral individuals. This is not a gossipy or spiteful book.
As a Canadian, I found the book’s description of the role of a State Governor surprising- how a governor can be disinterested, dysfunctional, or incompetent, using an inside team of equally incompetent persons, yet the state still survives, at least for a while.
****
Bailey comes across as a decent man, and when he is labelled “the only one to be guilty of an ethics violation” I root for him to write another book…
There’s an interesting review on US Amazon by former bureaucrat Art Chance (?) Say when SP ran in the governor primary the ADN supported her because they thought she was weak and Knowles would trample her.
We always called them dogwood berries or bunchberries. Berries are typically red-orange, not particularly juicy and don’t translate well into jam or jelly, but as kids, we ate them with gusto. I still do. Hey, as kids, we ate anything unless we were specifically told it was poison and in Alaska, there are only a couple of those plants. As far as I remember, all of the kids I ran around with didn’t die of eating bad berries.
what a beautiful flower AKM. i am so happy today. vintage AKM here and on the previous thread.
love it! want more! it is nice to kick back with be on vacation with Jeanne Devon.
Live blogging as they read the emails:
http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/06/10/6825771-heres-your-live-blog-for-the-palin-email-release
“Clarence Thomas: The Best Supreme Court Justice That Citizens United Could Buy”
http://www.politicususa.com/en/clarence-thomas-citizens-united?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+politicususa%2FfJAl+%28Politicus+USA+%29
What an embarrassment to the nation.
a disgrace is what he is. shameful.
Does anyone know what ship that N Gingrich is vacationing in Turkey and Greece? I tried Google and found the web site has been blocked.
Heard today on CNN that it will take some time to sift through all the boxes of the Palin e-mails. If something comes up that is interesting—-they will report on it.
Seabourn Odyssey,a luxury liner thats costs at least $2499 each,not sure where from.
I love the ground dogwoods. I have them on the path through the forest to my cabin. Like my “comfort sounds” of the whales spouting, eagles screeching and the mysterious spring time bird that makes a familiar call i associate with spring, the ground dogwood makes me smile inside and out whenever I see it. This year we have a house in town with running water and electricity, and more than 1 room for the 4 of us, but it doesn’t have a patch of wild dogwood to make me smile whenever I pass. We hope to forsake the house in town for the summer any day now, although it is hard to find the time to make the move. I am sure when we make it happen we will be glad we did, although running water is hard to give up. Our ground dogwood just turned white (the flowers start a light green then whiten within a week)…so I guess we better hurry and get out of town! I hope each of you find some small bit of natural beauty in your lives today.
Oooo, they are gorgeous! I didn’t know any dogwood grew except on trees. How lovely. ♥
http://effectivenm.blogspot.com/2011/05/things-that-have-always-been-issues.html
issues or fads?
🙂
wow, check out the pictures in this slide show:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/06/12/magazine/alaska-sebastiao-salgado-14.html
Mo, thank you for posting that link. Wow, what photos.
I love Salgado’s photography. Those photos were breathtaking. Thank you too for posting the link.
The Rapture did capture!
http://rogueskennel.com/blog/?p=913
Another intelligent Irish rant (I think I love this guy): Sarah Palin: a rogue is gooling you all
http://www.irishcentral.com/story/roots/the_wests_awake/sarah-palin-a-rogue-is-gooling-you-all-123623274.html
ROFL. Irish Central have certainly changed their tune. There was a time when they were fawning over her.
I loved this bit.
“I saw her on TV the other evening. She was appropriately dressed as a Hell’s Angel for God’s sake!” 🙂
The Kansas City Star has some insight into Palin’s new history show:
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/10/2938302/commentary-us-history-101-with.html
bless you Claire Luper-
for all you did,
all your life
http://www.wqow.com/Global/story.asp?S=14873418
She sounds like an incredible person!
CLARA Luper- what is up with me?
http://storiesinamerica.blogspot.com/2005/07/oklahoma-sit-ins-conversation-with.html
Are Republican business owners not hiring for a reason?
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/06/uncertainty-and-economic-recovery
yes. i believe they are holding the country hostage and there isn’t a darned thing we can do about it since we are not able to or willing to start treason hearings for the Alito court and its corporate masters like the Koch brothers and the bankers who were responsible for destroying America’s financial system. Holder and Justice ought to be filing deportation papers against Murdoch as we speak. it will not happen of course. America has been sold and She is no longer “We the People. By the People.”
the corporations are now The People. not us.
They probably can’t deport Murdoch, he became a U.S. citizen in 1985 so he could own TV statioins, per Wikipedia.
well good. let’s try his ass for treason then.
Let us go post hastily and change the rules for Murdoch on Wikiii. They can do it,we can do it.
Murdoch is not a legislator. Instead of wasting time whining about Sarah, go after McConnell, Boehner or Cantor. Jeez, you people are useless.
oh and dear Sarafina……you have no idea what we do here. i am useless to you? fine. i can live with that.
I think one of the commentators stated it best:
(Many) business owners are more willing to invest in software and machines rather than people. People are ‘bad risks’ to their interests.
I don’t like it, but I suspect that is what is pushing the trend to the furthest reaches of ‘cutting off your nose to spite your face’ ends.
Yes, the economy (jobs!) is the only card they believe they hold. Today’s Grand Old Party has strayed so far from their former platforms they are unrecognizable. They’d sooner scuttle the ship and drown us all rather than work together as one united people to weather the storms. In another era, this type of manipulation might have been viewed as treasonous. Today it is Supreme Republican Court sanctioned.
But they have gone too far and the tide is turning. Keep rowing mudpups. Yes we can.
also, ON Wisconsin!
In all the excitement about the release of the emails, let’s not forget to check Sarah’s nose. It’s growing again.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/sarah-palins-garbled-history-of-the-cold-war/2011/06/09/AGg1DmNH_blog.html?hpid=z2
This time she’s lying about the Cold War and President Obama’s current intentions about sharing military secrets. Does this woman ever tell the truth? [Foolish rhetorical question.]
It is so nice to see that Mrs. Palin is showing an interest in foreign affairs, and is sharing what she has learned. Of course, she is wrong. I am sure we will hear her explanation shortly. I hope the de- gobblely-gook brigade is on full alert!
Wonder if she realizes that we BUY the Russian RD-180 motor from Russia to launch the Atlas V rockets to put our satelites in space ? And that we are now dependent on the Russian space program to send out people into space ? Military technology takes a LONG time to develop (10 years+).
SERIOUS satire alert:
http://peakoilhausfrau.blogspot.com/2011/06/retired-marine-opens-ninth-peak-oil.html
Frank Bailey was just on the Today Show. He said Palin instructed him to delete emails.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43281157/ns/today-today_news/t/palin-emails-be-released-free-archive-msnbccom/
I hope they highlight the emails that show how she orchestrated a character assassination against the fellow who registered complaints about the tour bus traffic by (once again) using her children as weapons.
Let’s hope some of her pro-Palin letter writing campaigns are also prominent (hmmmm using state resources to promote herself?????).
It will be interesting as well as intriguing as to how she will again spin away any criticism. I understand, from a post over at Gyrphen’s, that the flying monkeys are already rallying and taking to the air to save their master.
An attempt to distract from the email release.
I suspect RAM is not available right now.
Very pretty. Is dogwood the one that smells bad? Listen up gang. I’m curious if anyone has has an amputation of a small appendage and how does one deal with it? I will be parting ways with my left big toe due to ligament damage from years ago. Although I have become attatched to it over the years,he/she has become too mavericky and roguish and won’t toe the line,so to speak. Any stories or jokes would be appreciated. There are noise restrictions so as not to scare my wombat. As always i am deeply grateful to all of you.
Mike,
So sorry for your loss.
My one and only industrial accident resulted in the loss of my left index finger in 1980.
The phantom appendage phenomena is real – and that finger “feels colder” in the winter. I was highly self-conscious of the deficiency until a few years ago when I got the stump tattooed – now I get lots of compliments.
Oh, and the grief process for your loss is real, too; it will take as much time and need-to-process as any major loss – you may be told to minimize it but please don’t feel you have to.
Your wombat-walkabouts now will probably be in circles, since the big toe is partly responsible for lateral stability.
but then you can always call the big toe (tow) truck if you get stuck, Mikey 🙂
{{{{{mike}}}}}
and do whatever your physical therapists tell you, also, too (my daddy, my sister, and LoveMyDogs would never steer you wrong, eh?)
I have no experience with toeputation. I am sorry you must go through this, and hope your recovery is swift and sure.
oh Mike. i am terribly sorry you are having to go through this.
i can’t think of a good joke but i can say that when i read:
“I’m curious if anyone has has an amputation of a small appendage and how does one deal with it? ”
my first thought was ” oh Cripes! Mike’s gonna lose his small appendage. his best friend. the family jewels so to speak. i think maybe you will get physical therapy and perhaps there may be a prosthetic shoe designed for just this problem. please keep in touch and let us know how you are getting along Mike.
Oh Bubbles,don’t get me started on that turncoat and traitor.
Mike, I once faced the possible loss of a great toe from frostbite. The doctor told me the only thing I wouldn’t be able to do is run in the sand barefoot. And yes, there is an orthotic (shoe insert) that some can get once the surgery has healed.
My aunt had her big toe amputated a few years ago and she is fine. Sorry that you have to go through it though.
In my previous career I worked with many amputees who’d lost limbs of varying locations and lengths, some due to trauma, others due to illness or disease, some from congenital causes.
One man I knew had gone through dozens of surgeries on his calf after it was severely damaged in a car accident. He finally decided that the pain was not worth the convenience of the limb and had it amputated just below the knee. I saw him several months after the surgery and he said if he’d known what the outcome was going to be, he would have done it years earlier! For the first time in years, he was free of pain, and his prosthesis actually made him significantly more mobile than he had been with the injured leg.
As Bretta said, there will be an emotional recovery as well as a physical one, but if you have been dealing with pain and lack of mobility, you will no doubt be much happier and more comfortable once you heal. Take your time and accept any and all support that comes your way.
There is a wonderful organization called the Amputee Coalition of America that provides information and support for amputees. It is a national organization and has support groups and resources in many cities around the country. Here’s the website:
http://www.amputee-coalition.org/
As for an amusing story…
A young girl I worked with had been born without one of her hands. She only had a wrist joint on one arm and, when she was young, wore a prosthetic hand for cosmetic purposes. When she was about 10, she was performing in a ballet recital and, during one of the dances, went pirouetting across the stage. Naturally, she was a little nervous and began to perspire inside the prosthesis. As she made one of her last spins, the centrifugal force overcame the friction and her hand flew off her wrist and into the audience. She said there was quite a bit of screaming and thrashing about in the theater. It was quite a memorable evening for some poor person who ended up with an extra hand in their lap! She and her family, on the other hand, found it terribly amusing! Needless to say, she never wore her hand again for recitals!
Best of luck with your surgery and recovery.
Thanks for all your help and thoughtful posts. I feel so lucky to have you guys around.
I hope all goes well with the toe surgery. A couple of months after knee replacement surgery I found myself wondering what had happened to my knee. Fortunately I didn’t waste too much thought on the matter; my knee had done nothing for years but cause me grief.
My dogwoods have yet to bloom but they should be dazzling when they do.
On another note, Palin earns more Pinocchios with her garbled rant about the cold war:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/sarah-palins-garbled-history-of-the-cold-war/2011/06/09/AGg1DmNH_blog.html?hpid=z2
This is Failin’s post that earned her the Pinocchios:
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/06/another-what-the-fuck-moment.html
Palin’s Pinnocchios!!
That says it all – thanks.