HobbyLobby

"Since when was it any of the governments business or your employers obligation to fund your sex life and accidental pregnancies? If anything demands personal responsibility...it is this issue." TFL

I yield the rest of my time to my friend Matt Walsh.

http://themattwalshblog.com/2014/06/30/want-birth-control-go-buy/2/

90,110,74,0,B

Where are you going?

Time to weed the airfield...

98,107,77,0,B

Echinocactus horizonthalonius

devilshead 

turk's head cactus

blue barrel cactus

 eagle's claw

 horse maimer 

horse crippler 

visnaga meloncillo

45,106,74,0,B

Theremin Thursday

http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/ed82/?cpg=fbl_ed82
92,99,69,0,B

friendly storm

Nice pre sunset storm.  

Fast rain falling straight down. 

Over in a half hour.  

70,95,73, .27",B  

scary storm

Got slammed at about 2:30am with a big light show, gusty winds, but just a little rain.  The lightning woke me up just before the winds hit.  Maximum gust was 65 mph.  I REALLY DON'T LIKE THIS KIND OF STORM.  Fired up the computer to check the doppler radar and was happy to see that the full brunt of the storm was right on top of me and passing quickly.  If was all over in about a half hour but took forever to get back to sleep.  84,92,72, .17",G

Highway Melons

On the trip to El Paso a couple of weeks ago I noticed a bunch viney looking plants along the highway outside of Marfa.  Did a supply run to Alpine today and saw one just south of the Border Patrol checkpoint on 118.  Spotted another on a berm on the west side just across from Elephant Mountain.  Kinda wondering how they got started.  85,99,72,0,B

Polite Society

I grew up in a Christian family.  I started going to Sunday school when I was 5.  Continued on till about 8th grade when I started going to regular church with my parents and older brother.  Every Sunday morning we would all dress up and get our dose of religion (for a time, my dad and my brother and I all had matching London Fog raincoats we would all wear when the weather demanded it).  My grandparents went to church every Sunday.  My aunts and uncles and cousins all went to church every Sunday.  Most of my friends and their parents went to church every Sunday.  Funny thing is...in all those churchgoing years, no one (in all my family and friends) ever spoke of God or religion outside of church - except perhaps a quick prayer before dinner.   One might think that it would have been worthwhile after all that effort for so many years to at least bring up the subject occasionally outside of the worship service.  I think it might of had something to do with how many believed (and still believe today) that it was not appropriate to discuss politics or religion.  That being said:  I think the governments of the world are leading us to destruction and the only hope for mankind is repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as savior.    

WARNING

89,99,67,0,B

visitors day

79,90,67,0,B

Holding Pattern

89,99,71,0,B

unforgiving

93,103,72,0,B

more rain

Recently someone asked me on Facebook what I missed most (if anything) about my life before I moved off the grid.  My pat answer used to be...nothing.  My new answer is...the illusion that I had access to an unlimited supply of potable water.  83,102,76, .48",W

The MacGyvers

So TFL got a 1/4" of rain late yesterday.  The guys who built the tippy outhouse were out for the weekend and repaired and reinforced said outhouse. They had been visiting the park yesterday and got back just when it was pouring here.  From then on they were textbook MacGyver.

1.  It was raining - they didn't attempt to drive out my road that evening.
2.  The morning after the rain it was really muddy by the highway - they didn't attempt to drive out my road.
3.  They had a problem to deal with because of the weather and didn't come to me before trying to deal with it on their own.

These guys did all of the above and then some.  This morning I was wondering what their situation was since I figured they were either swamped in or swamped out.  I went to check my road on the quad and saw some human tracks in the mud.  Drove up the hill to check on their situation.  They hiked in 3 miles to their camp this morning at 5 AM and packed up their gear in such a way that was their best option for getting the stuff out on foot without anyone's help.  They didn't even stop by to ask for help and were prepared to drag their gear all the way back to the highway by themselves.  They did such a good job of prepping for their escape that it was an absolute pleasure to help them.  All their gear was secured to a folding plastic table, with ropes attached to do the 3 man drag.  The final perfect touch were the wrapped towels added to the ropes (secured with cable ties) to act as shoulder pads. With the quad - I dragged them and their gear 2 1/2 miles dogsled style to the swamped spot in the road.  All they had to do on foot was get it across the swamp (about 30 ft.).  From there they walked out to their truck and the road had dried enough for them to drive back in to that spot and pack out.  Three cheers for Sandy, Ryan, and Rob.  87,103,70,0,B

Spurs

Had a new guitarist at church today.  

They call him Spurs.

The Science Channel

Tune in tomorrow morning - check the local listings for your time zone.  British documentary series shot almost 2 years ago.  The host of the show - Ben Fogle - is who my Ben is named after.  In the spirit of good ol' reality TV production, they never once showed baby Ben but they HAD to show us cutting the head off his dead momma.  99,104,73,0,B

Bubulcus ibis

82,96,76,T,W

pretending

Still just pretending to fly and trying to work through the mental block.  Had just enough rain to facilitate a first sprout on the cleared airfield   100,109,73,0,B

TOOHOT

102,109,69,0,B

The Freak Lab

Well...I have known about this for quite sometime now and it is time to share the news.  I have a Gynandromorph and a Cryptorchid in residence here.  My hen Mary Lou has grown spurs and does her version of crowing every morning - yet still lays eggs.  Bud's neutering was botched - he has one testicle up inside and he has been exhibiting aggressive behavior for months now.  The hen I can deal with but I think Bud is going to get traded.  95,103,66,0,B

State of The Rainwater Catchment Address

Recent storm activity has gotten me thinking about my water supply.  So far this year I have gotten just shy of a half inch of rainfall.  Last year by this time TFL had almost 4" of rain.  Checked the levels in all my tanks and I am happy to report that as of today I have 11,450 gallons on tap.  I am currently using about 40 gallons per day (mostly for Ben'n'Bud and the chickens and rabbits).  At that rate, my reserves will last 286.25 days.  Looking forward to some more substantial gains.  80,92,71,0,B

by grace...

...the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

thealmoststorm

75,108,76, .18",W

El Paso Joe

96,102,76,0,W

whenpushcomestoshove

Used the quad to maneuver the round bale into the barn.  I think the boys would have been willing to do the pushing.  98,104,66,0,B

barn day

Raking out the loose stuff wasn't too bad.  Chipping up the 4" layer of compressed hay, poo, and pee was rather labor intensive.  97,104,68,0,B

How to do a tip to tip

Pepino Season

Got a little toasty today.  Pepino kept up for the most part - chilling the ambient air down over 25°.  Temperature inside the hut got up to 88°.  97,109,70,0,C

Hell Is For Dummies

People (and most churches) don't really like to talk about hell very much.  After all...how could a loving God actually send people to hell to experience torment for eternity?  Well that is not the way it works.  Just to be clear - God does not send anyone to hell.  People go to hell by choice.  You have been warned.

Deuteronomy 30:19   I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.