FamGuyToday by Aunty Fox

watched Bill Maher, you gotta see this new one. He is at the top of his form, and makes the conservatives look even MORE stupid, if that is possible. One of the lines has to do with the 'birther' idiots who claim Obama was born in Kenya, even though both Hawaiian newspapers of the day have his birth announcement. Maher says, 'if he wasn't born here, it is typical to bring in a foreiner to clean up a mess, AND, I'll show you Obama's birth certificate when you show me Sarah Palin's high school diploma.' I dare you! Watch it. The best one ever....

It's that weekend, in what has become a tradition, to head up to Keystone, to hear some great music and sample some of the best microbrews around. Is always fun to try and find the 'best' brew at the festival. Also, I'm a sucker for the BBQ turkey wings. The tradition includes dinner at the local Mexican restaurant, and riding the many bike paths along the river, lake and ski resort. Just one of the many percs, of living in Colorado. Later, mi amigos... P.S. Was looking for an image for festival, Googled it, and got this pic from the public domain, off Laura's blog, from last year. A couple of 'Bad Girls', (note Kari looking really mean) who got 'tattoos', last year. Was kinda funny when they came up on Google...

Yesterday, when it was 105 in Seattle, at 5 in the afternoon, it was 55, here, and got down into the 40's at night, on July 29th. Not sure what's going on, but I like it.

but was having a rocking chair moment, and thinking about some of my favorite outdoor experiences, and found a theme. One of the largest, most beautiful trout, I ever caught, was a big brown, on the Blue River, near Kremmling. 'Twas early in the morning, and I saw him working a beaver pond, rising to every large bug that landed. It took a LONG time. to work my way into position, find a place to cast, and to put a fly in the right spot. He took it, and after a long fight, I landed him. At first I thought, 'All right, breakfast"! But, he was SO pretty, and the moment so right, I released him. And have been so glad, ever since. Another time, I was pheasant hunting, north of Broomfield, and saw a huge rooster, with a hen, in the ditch. I slowly drove up, and stepped out, ready to shoot. We looked at each other, and I finally got him to fly. Then I watched him fly away. Too pretty to shoot. More than once, when elk hunting, with a cow license, I scoped in on a large cow, wi...

It's been a long time since I've posted anything. Actually I have posted some stuff, late at night, then deleted it in the morning. Bottom line, I still have the same attitude toward the long term damage that Bush and his cronies did to us. Totally unprecedented. BUT, it's old news, although we will continue to feel the effects for MANY years as the economy has been hurt in such a way, that it will take many more years to recover. The Repubs are spinning the news to make it seem like it's Obabma's fault, because he can't fix it overnight. SO obvious, if you look at the truth, BUT, FOX and the Repubs have a whole different agenda...

The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed on from generation to generation, says that, 'When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.' However, in government, more advanced strategies are often employed, such as: 1. Buying a stronger whip. 2. Changing riders. 3. Appointing a committee to study the horse. 4. Arranging to visit other countries to see how other cultures ride dead horses. 5. Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included. 6. Reclassifying the dead horse as living impaired. 7. Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse. 8. Harnessing several dead horses together to increase speed. 9. Providing additional funding and/or training to increase dead horse's performance. 10. Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would improve the dead horse' s performance. 11. Declaring that as the dead horse does not have to be fed, it is less costly, carries lower overhead and therefore contributes su...

of Walter Cronkite, THEN looked at FOX News website, I wonder what he thought about someone like Rupert Murdoch, being able to buy a 'news outlet'. There was a time when news was just truth, No longer. The Repubs own their own 'spin machine', and, there are people out there who actually believe the crap they put out there. Unbelievable, but true. I'm sure Walter had some thoughts on it...

the historical footage of Walter Cronkite's life, the memories came flooding back. One of them, was how he changed public opinion, coming out against the Viet Nam War. He later said he wished someone had stood up against Bush, when he was lying about Iraq. The main memory was JFK's assassinataion. If you actually believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, THEN, Jack Ruby, as a patriot, shot him, acting alone, THEN, Ruby died before he could talk, you are SO naive/gullible that I can't relate to you. Bottom line? You ain't alone, BUT, you don't have a clue. Just my humble opinion.

from today's paper. Like cats that have lost their whiskers, the Republicans seem off balance now that they have lost their talent for hypocrisy. Who can forget the glory years, when the Gipper invoked God but never went to church? When Newt Gingrich and other conservatives indulged in affairs with young Washington peaches as they pushed to impeach Bill Clinton? No one had more flair than W. and Cheney, crowing about making us safe as they made the world more dangerous, and bragging about fiscal restraint while they spent us into oblivion. Now when Republicans get caught flouting the principles they dictate, they are not able to practice hypocrisy with such impunity. Not that they don't try.

BUT, after 3 rounds of the British Open, one of the 4 golf majors, Tom Watson, 2 months from being 60 years old, is leading. NOT the Senior division, but the entire tourney. 'Tis great for us old guys, to see that a gray-beard like Tom still has it in him. Golf is the only game I know of, that oldsters have a chance at that age. Would love to see him win it, tomorrow. Was also great to hear Rick do the color commentary on ABC. Reilly has some amazing insights, AND humor. Played w/Randy Hayne yesterday, who shot an even par against us, from the blues, a few months after total knee replacement. Golf, a great way to get out of the house, get some exercise, and have some great competition w/your buddies.

with this recession, other than the world-wide aspect of it, is the fact that, in the past, the Fed has been able to get the economy moving by cutting interest rates. The Bush administration cut the discount rate to ZERO, over the last couple of years, just to prevent a total meltdown before he slithered out. Bottom line, the Feds' best weapon has no bullets left, and we're looking at uncharted territory. Since the Great Depression, that is. The MAIN job creation force of the economy, home construction, is dead in the water, and there is such lag time there, that even if builders wanted to start building, it takes a long time for a house to get approved and built. Other highlights include MANY more ARMS readjusting to higher interest rates, as home values continue to drop, and MANY unemployment benefits run out, while MANY more are relying gov't assistance, the tax dollars that support it are drying up. Many choose to ignore the obvious. Sorry, but I can't. It IS gonna ...

If you are of my generation, you know, that he was THE voice of the news, for many decades, on TV. You also may realize, that if there was anyone who disliked George W Bush more than me, it was Walter Cronkite, who said Bush had, 'exceptional arrogance'. He made his living in the news, and he was one of the first, and loudest, to proclaim W's illegal invasion in Iraq, was based on lies. I just hope that this part of his life comes out, with all the coverage his death will get. Gonna miss his honest assessment of the news...

who you believe? There are MANY news sources out there. A few of them, like FOX, are merely the voice of a political party, and I gotta admit, MSNBC, also has a definite political agenda. HOWEVER, most news agencies merely report the news. The mainstream media, counting overseas outlets, mostly has it right. My point? If you want to believe FOX, do it at your own risk. Admit that is is totally biased, AND, if that is what you WANT to believe, just do it. Bottom line, just don't confuse it with the truth.

when I get kinda upset, when I can't find my golf ball. Today, at the British Open, Tiger hit into the rough, and over 100 people couldn't find his ball. It just supports my theory. There are times when the ball just disintegrates. Has happened to me several times...

I really think that most people don't realize the slippery slope that W and the Repubs put us on. Michigan unemployment is officially over 15%, which means the REAL number is near 30%. Over 15 states are over 10%, which means 20% in reality, and the numbers are growing at a geometrical pace. I think MOST people don't understand the extent of this disaster. This is HUGE! Our way of life is slipping away, like a snowball going downhill. Bush wrecked our economy to a point that only the historians will be able to truly document. There is NOTHING the current politicians can do, to halt the slide. Slow it, MAYBE, hopefully. We are faring better than most, here in Colorado, as jobs dry up elsewhere, and we will remain a destination point. Bottom line, hunker down, and get ready for survival mode. Sorry to be the messenger, but please, show me where I'm wrong. This is something we have never seen before, but our parents did, during the Great Depression. IS gonna be interesting, th...

The evening news, tonight, says that 22% of US homeowners are 'under water', that is, they owe more than their home is worth. This is a HUGE snowball rolling downhill, and gaining momentum. There is nothing like the housing industry, to create jobs, and that industry is dead in the water. Even around here, where the values are holding up, there is no new construction. The stimulus package is based on road building, and, compared to home building, that is NOTHING, as for creating new jobs. I just don't see an end in sight. Pretty scary....

by Lee Child, that the library finally notified me to pick up, I realize that he is one of my favorite authors. With this one, I will have read all of his books. The same goes for Nelson DeMille, John Grisham, and Stephen White, whose books take place in and around Boulder. I have read most of Stuart Woods' works, (and that's a lot), as well as Robert Ludlum and James Michener (LONG books), plus, most of Stephen King, including the Dark Tower series. In between I read best sellers like, 'The Shack' and 'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle'. Bottom line, I am looking for a new author. I am in the process of reading all of Michael Connelly, and have his new one on reserve at the library. If any, or either, of y'all are familiar with the genre I that I enjoy, go ahead and recommend a new author. The gift that keeps on giving.

'Gone Tomorrow', by Lee Child, has a reference to Ronald Reagan sending Donald Rumsfeld to Baghdad, in 1983, to present Saddam Hussein with a pair of solid gold spurs, as a symbol of his support. Just wanted to see if was for real. It is. The Reagan administration installed Saddam, with our $, turned him loose, and he turned into a monster against the Iraqi people. To make up for it, W unleashed his 'Oops, bad information, 'Shock and Awe', war on them, which killed and wounded hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, and took out the water and electrical grids in a desert climate. No wonder the US is so popular in Iraq. Damned Republicans. After Viet Nam you'd think they would have learned something. Nah.. What they learned is that there is 'Big Money' in war, if you are in the right place. Sure worked for W and his Big Oil contributors...

that I would take the time and energy to go see, battling rush hour crowds in Denver, then trying to find a parking place around Denver Botanic Gardens, (where there aren't any) BUT, William Topley is one. His album, 'Mixed Blessing', is one of my all-time favorites, and have listened to it on many long hiways, and lonely nights away from home. He's an Englishman, but writes about New Orleans and sailing in the Caribbean. The intimate setting at the gardens, where you can bring your own picnic, was the perfect venue for his acoustic show. He played the old favorites, and introduced a couple new songs, that fit right into his special sound. All in all, a fantastic evening. Thanks, Matt.

as we met, with Kari and Ted, up at Nate and Laura's, to see the new little girl. What a sweetheart. Laura's gradually getting her strength back, as Nate does his best to take care of everyone. Were in the middle of a great lightning/thunder/rain storm, which is real special at that altitude. Duke made a memory for the us, as he caught and killed a chipmunk in front of everyone. Can't blame a dog for being a dog, and at least the end was quick. All in all, a wonderful time was had by all. AND, just got a call from Matt, who has tickets to William Topley, tonight, outdoors at the Botanical Garden. Life is good.

they had a list of the top places to live, in the US, based on several factors. Didn't see the entire segment, BUT, did see #1, which was Louisville, CO, which is about 5 miles from here. Good news, bad news. Glad to have some outside recognition of what we all know around here, BUT, don't want any more people messing up a good thing. Nearly every evening, as we sit on the deck and contemplate the view, either Carol or I will say, "Wow, what a great place to live", and it seems we are right...

or, rather, trying to keep my balance while the wind blows up, past me, REAL fast. Kari and I went to SkyVentures, to redeem my father's day present, and I tried my hand at indoor skydiving. Harder than it looks. The experts, there, bounced around like ping pong balls, flipping and rolling, in full control. I was in control for awhile... Anyway, it was fun, then we met Ted, had a great sushi lunch, and I saw Prism Seismic, where he works. Pretty cool present. Thanks, kids..

hot water heater, with can of corn for perspective. Finally had Kenny over to hook up the elec, although I ran all the lines, mounted boxes, did all the plumbing, etc. Just figured since it was 240 volts, with a 70 amp breaker, I oughta have a real electrician hook it up. The good news? It seems to work. Should be more efficient than a standard hot water heater with a tank, that keeps 40 gallons HOT, ALL the time. Not discarding my old hwh, though. Not yet, anyway. Will let you know how it works after a few months and a couple of gas/elec bills.

No one understands me. It’s like I’m speaking some Eskimo dialect or something. Andrea Mitchell follows me all the way to Kanakanak Beach and I get a French manicure and set up this huge photo op for her, even though she spooked the salmon. Todd and me are in our cool fishing bibs. Piper’s helping out on the boat. It’s an amazing day that shows how our Creator favored my beloved Alaska, gatekeeper of the continent, and makes a great shot for all the network reporters up here to milk. This progresses me away from my image as some kind of flaky “rogue diva” and back to my image as a tough huntin’ and fishin’ gal. But Andrea makes such a darn big deal about how I’m quitting in the middle of my term. “You’re not listening to me!” I snap. She says maybe I didn’t want to go back to the nitty-gritty of Alaska politics after the bright lights of the national campaign. “The nitty-gritty, like, you mean, the fish slime and the dirt under the fingernails and stuff that’s me?” I said. Awesome resp...

many years from now, as I sit in my wheelchair, at the old folks home, and read my diary, that I shared w/y'all. I may say 'YEAH!', or maybe, 'what an idiot,' I was/am, BUT at least I'm putting it 'out there'. Time will tell, but, as my buddy Matt says, 'What is, IS', and this is what I think now. At least I'm not some brain-washed FOX sheep. And, by the way, if any of you readers, (either of you), (thanks LadyJ), want to share anything, good or bad, feel free. Just click on the 'comment', if it's not too complicated....

Ward Churchill didn't get his job back at CU. The plagiarising, falsifying, 'native-American', was overpaid by $1, at his jury trial. BUT, at least we don't have to pay him any more. Too bad, Ward...

on Sarah Palin. As a woman/mother/governor of Alaska, I love her. As president of the US? You gotta be kidding me!

in 3 mountain towns, in 1990, with $5 limits. I thought, at the time, that the limit would be raised within a couple of years. 19 years later, the limit was finally raised to $100. It's gonna help the economy a BUNCH. Large, destination hotels, for out of staters, and Colo people who want to get away. Not that I'm gonna spend a bunch of time and $ trying to 'beat the house', BUT, it's nice to know we don't have to go to Las Vegas to play roulette or craps, or have a week-end party. Will let you know how the first foray goes, if and when it happens.

the truth of the matter, but I had assumed, as many had, that Michael Jackson was probably a child molester and had bought his way out of prosecution. There was an interesting guest on the Today Show, this morning, with Matt Lauer. The guest, an author, had done considerable research on the trials and the children/parents involved. It was his conclusion, after interviewing dozens of them, that MJ was 'definitely' not guilty of the charges, and, if you remember, the jury said the same thing. In his well documented opinion, the parents, and agents of these kids, had seen an opportunity for blackmail, which they did, and then went after more $. Jackson, after putting up with continued lying, and terrible publicity, for months, finally said, 'Do whatever it takes, pay them whatever, I can't take it anymore.' If this is true, and I tend to believe it might be, I feel sorry for the talented musical genius who never had a childhood. True, he was strange, but many icons are...

The US Dept of Justice just completed a raid in Blanding, Utah, where over 150 heavily armed Federal Agents, at dawn on June 20th, arrested 16 residents, including a 59 year-old doctor, and relatives of the town's founding fathers. The Dr. committed suicide after finding that he was charged with several felonies. His wife is now charged. A week later, another man killed himself. If you have ever hiked in the Lake Powell area, you realize these artifacts are all over the place, and searching for them has been a custom for generations, with many museums offering $ for good pieces. And we know in this economy, we need all the extra $ we can get. This 'undercover sting' was started years ago, BUT, the Dems and Interior Sec Ken Salazar went along with it. In this day and age, there has to be a better use of federal time and $ than having 8-10 armed agents per house, rousting out senior citizens for collecting and selling artifacts. Cedar's Museum, in Blanding, has over a mil...

and legitimate news agencies, couldn't have been more clear, than in their handling of the death of Robert McNamara, Nixon's Sec of Defense who recently died. Fox treated him like a patriotic hero, who will be missed, but TOTALLY IGNORED his change of heart in later years. The 'real' news pointed out how he admitted that he was 'wrong, terribly wrong' about Viet Nam and how he regretted sending young men to their deaths, long after he knew the war was unwinnable, and knowing the war was based on lies that we had been attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin. Typical FOX bullshit.

if you have the time and inclination. The first is about Sarah Palin, and is neither positive nor negative, but informative. The 2nd one is about the death of Robert McNamara, the former Sec of Defense, responsible for the deaths of thousands in Viet Nam. After the war he admitted he knew it was a lost cause, but proceded anyway, then asked for forgiveness. I hope he burns.... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/opinion/06ross.html?th&emc=th http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/opinion/07herbert.html?th&emc=th

the 'next big hope', for the Repubs. He, who railed against Clinton, was a Promise Keeper, and said, 'I'd never be in a car with a strange woman', was caught in in an affair with one his staff's wife. The 'wronged' husband, offered to stay quiet, if his mortgage was paid. He even went to Meghan Kelly, on FOX with the charge. MISTAKE. FOX doesn't report news, unless it is against the Dems. Then there was Sanford, their other choice, and his Argentine girlfriend. NOW, Sarah Palin, is freaking out. Poor Repubs.... Trash our country, then what???

I gotta say, although not on the scale of W, Obama has been a disappointment. In my opinion, now is not the time to be diverted from the economic disaster that Bush left. Sure, we need health care reform, and global warming is a problem, BUT, you gotta choose your battles, and there's not enough $ for everything. The Repub morons scream about too much $ being spent to rescue the economy, after their boy trashed it, and handed out $750 bil, with 'no strings attached' to his high finance buddies, just to keep the country afloat 'til he slithered out. Sure, no one likes the huge expenditures, BUT, there isn't a choice. Billions of $'s, and the economy is STILL crashing. Who'd a thunk a trillion $ war, based on lies, $147/bbl oil, and changing all the financial rules so the fat cats could rape the system would hurt us?

Bush was cheered as a hero in Woodward, OK, one of the FEW places in the US that wouldn't have booed him off the stage, at a 4th of July speech. Woodward is described as a 'middle of nowhere' oil town, that voted over 81% for Bush in the last election. THEN, were rewarded with over $25 million (OUR tax dollars) for a new park, in thanks. $147/bbl oil, and tax$ from the gov't? OF COURSE they love him. The only way they could like him more, is if they manufactured bombs, artificial limbs and coffins.

the recession/depression we are in, the more I agree that it will not be a V shaped (on a chart) recovery, or even U shaped, and hopefully not L shaped. As the stock market has staged quite a comeback, (undeservedly, I believe), I would have to bet that whatever recovery we have, will be W shaped, and we are at the middle of the letter, right now, not knowing how many years pass 'til we get to the far right side of the W. There is simply WAY too much wrong with the economy for us to be in a V. Furthermore, it couldn't be any more appropriate, than to have this disaster shaped like a W. GW Bush has his fingerprints all over this one. No matter what the right-wing pundits screech, this is totally a Bush/Repub consequence. You don't have an administration that inherited a surplus, then ran it into the ground for 8 years, and convince anyone that it is Obama's fault. UNLESS, you are a right wing, Rush/OReilly wack job, then it's totally Obama's fault, of course. Tim...

From today's paper. As the G.O.P. implosion continued, Sarah wanted everyone to know that she’s not having fun and people are being mean to her and she doesn’t feel like finishing her first term as governor. Please, say it ain't so. At least we can only hope she's using this time to become the Repub candidate for 2012. I can't think of ANYONE I would rather have the Dems face, than wacky Caribou Barbie. You betcha! There are enough wackos out there that love her, for her to be leading the GOP ticket, BUT, thankfully, there are many more voters in the US that actually have some cognitive ability, and she would be soundly defeated. So PLEASE, Sarah, use this time wisely, while not shooting wolves from an airplane, to prepare for 2012. You have my FULL support.

was kinda different this year, 'cause it was the first time in 10 years we hadn't had a party. Laura's due date was right then, so we figured (rightly) that we'd be busy, and we were, visiting Piper, who is a real sweetie. Turned out to be a great year NOT to have a party, as it rained most of the afternoon, for the first time I can remember, on the 4th. Were invited to neighbor's party so it turned out fine. We did watch the local fireworks show from the backyard, and it went on FOREVER, then about an hour after it finally stopped, it started again, at 10:50, and went for quite awhile, again. Strange...

7-0 lbs, on 7/1, at 7:02. A little doll, who never cried at all, as we all held her. Mom's still kinda out of it after C-section, but everyone's doing fine, especially proud grampa. She gets the CUTEST expressions, for a new born, but maybe I'm a little biased....

I'm a grandpa. Beautiful little Piper Joy Olson finally came into the world, by C-section at 7:02 pm, on 7-1, weighing 7-0 lbs. Blonde hair, blue eyes, everyone's healthy. Got to hold her, and we had her for about a half hour and she never cried, but had a bunch of really neat expressions. She likes me. Long day, but a great one. Nate is SO proud. Laura is sleeping it off. Am looking forward to spoiling my new granddaughter.

that Mississippi remains the most obese state, closely followed by Alabama. Colorado remains the leanest, followed by Massachusettes and Connecticut. You know what this proves? You can tell a Republican just by looking at 'em. No surprise there.... (No baby news yet, so just killin' time)

Nate called and said he took Laura into the hospital early this morning, and the contractions are now about 3 minutes apart. I said, 'we're on our way', but was told it could be awhile, and he'd call us when they wheeled her into delivery. Can't believe this day is finally here. Grampa Olson will no longer be my dad, but ME. Let's hope all goes well. Will let you know.