Some old commercial building along a railroad siding somewhere.

Another race-baiting redneck bit the dust. Jesse Helms died, appropriately, on the 4th of July, a day for celebrating the freedom this racist pig would have denied to millions. If he truly believed in heaven and hell, as his dumbass religious ranting seems to indicate, and if there is anything to those beliefs, I think he’s getting a big surprise about which part of the afterworld he gets to occupy.

I have not a good word to say for this chump. He represented the worst of a terrible era in our country’s history. I refer here to the days of Jim Crow. I hope we do not see his like again.

Bee Balm. My version of Fourth of July fireworks.

The candidates have been talking about the non-issue of “patriotism.”

Remember, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” Samuel Johnson.

Bumper sticker madness in Chatham, Massachusetts.

1. We became kayakers. Well, maybe more accurately, we bought kayaks. We had been pondering the matter for quite a while, and took the plunge. We have lots of quiet waters to kayak on: Great Pond; Green Pond; Eel Pond; Bourne’s Pond; Child’s River; Waquoit Bay; etc. Looking for some exercise and relaxation. The Kayak Shop in Monument Beach was our source. Very helpful and patient with out novice questions. First impression: fun, a workout, directional stability a challenge for the beginner.

2. Daughter and son-in-law are off for a getaway in Maine. We have Babycakes here, and she’s delightful as always. To the beach. To another beach. To the playground. To the aquarium in Woods Hole. She’s got enough energy to solve the “crisis.”

3. We took a jaunt up to Chatham to go on a boat to Monomoy Island to see the seals. These are grey seals, the males get up to 800lbs. I learned that all pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) share a nasty pathogen. The tour guide called it a “flesh eating bacteria.” Apparently a disease from this used to be called “seal finger” because the hands would get infected from handling seals, their carcasses, and even the bones. Amputation of fingers often followed. Cuddly.

4. It’s been foggy quite a bit lately, and we are serenaded by the Nobska Light foghorn. Even if there is no fog here at the house there often is out over Vineyard Sound, and thus the almost incessant blowing. It’s not loud here at the house, and I find it oddly peaceful.

5. We’ve been doing a sort of ad hoc clam chowder tasting tour as we get around. So far we’ve sampled the chowder at the Quarterdeck in Falmouth, Fishmonger in Woods Hole, the Clam Shack in Falmouth, the Lobster Trap in Monument Beach, and the Impudent Oyster in Chatham. Tonight was to be the Silver Lounge in North Falmouth (or perhaps that’s West Falmouth). My Honey and Babycakes will definitely get to try it, less likely for me because I’m waiting for some painters. The Silver Lounge got a high chowder rating from Cape Cod Life.

6. My gardens are prospering. We have a lot of roses. The dahlias look like they are happy, and have plenty of buds. The day lilies are coming into bloom. The variegated willow is stunning (although the showy stuff is leaves, not flowers, I think. We have cool stuff blooming I don’t even have a name for.

7. The bird feeders are getting plenty of business. I have to refill one of them about every two days. It is the easiest to access for the birds, so they gorge there, and then when it is low or empty, go to the other two feeders. Flying piglets. Goldfinches, House Finches, sparrows, titmousies, chickadees, and even the odd woodpecker, bluejay, or cardinal (the latter are not usually feeder eaters, more deck eaters. I hope to get good pictures when they stop being shy of me. Already when I go out to water the hanging plants they are pretty cheeky.

8. I scored tickets to see Ani DiFranco in Hyannis later this month. The show was sold out a couple of years ago when she was there. I am eagerly anticipating seeing what sort of wildlife shows up to constitute the bulk of the audience.

9. I’ve been trying to avoid the news lately. The “press” just do a godawful job, and I am over the political race. Obama now is starting his pandering to religious groups and says he’ll outdo Mr. Bush with the “faith based” crap. Jerk.

10. Geez, I’m running out of gas. Okay, here’s #10: summer reading. I’m working on Al Gore’s The Assault on Reason. I already read Joh Clinch’s Finn (a tale of Huck Finn’s father); Chris Bohjalian’s The Double Bind; Diana abu-jaber’s Origin, Michael Ondaatje’s Divisadero, and Orhan Pamuk’s Snow. Oh, I forgot, the book about the Dust Bowl, The Worst Hard Time, which I discussed briefly in a prior post. I’m a readin’ fool

Worcester, Mass.

I’m mindless, so I’m thieving a meme from mrschili, who boosted it from Tense.

1. You have 10 dollars and need to buy snacks at a gas station. What do you buy?
Two gallons of gas.

2. If you were reincarnated as a sea creature, what would you want to be? King Neptune.

3. Who’s your favorite redhead? mrschili.

4. What do you order at IHOP? There is no chance I’ll eat there, I don’t know what they have.

5. The Last book you read? Divisadero by Michael Ondjaate.

6. Describe your mood. Up too early brain dead wistful.

7. Describe the last time you were injured. I don’t think I’ve ever been injured.

8. Of all your friends, who would you want to be stuck in a well with? I can’t go there, I have claustrophobia, I can’t even think abou this.

9. Rock concert or symphony. Rock.

10. What is the wallpaper of your cell phone? Babycakes!!!!!!!!!!!!

11. Favorite soda? Diet Coke Splenda.

12. What type of shirt are you wearing? Tee shirt with pocket. This would be the same answer 99% of the time I’ve got clothes on.

13. If you could only use one form of transportation what would it be? Shank’s mare.

14. Most recent movie you have watched in a theater? Resident Evil: Extinction.

15. Name of an actor/actress/singer you have the hots for. None. I never seem to get wound up sexually about people I do not know in the flesh.

16. What’s your favorite kind of cake? Babycake!!!!!!!!!

17. What did you have for dinner last night? Grazed on leftover marinated beef tips, marinated turkey tips, chicken marsala, salad, orzo.

18. Look to your left, what do you see? Hanging plants, trees, house, bird feeders, birds.

19. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? On the rare occasion I wear lace-up shoes, yes.

20. Favorite toy as a child? I have very little memory of that period of my life.

21. Do you buy your own groceries? Yes, we shop for groceries together, and take our own cloth bags.

22. Do you think people talk about you behind your back? What? I’d be very surprised if anyone talked about me at all, and I really don’t give a damn if they do.

23. When was the last time you had gummy worms? My sweetie is a great cook, and would never serve gummy food of any kind.

24. What’s your favorite fruit? Pineapple. Is pineapple even, technically, a fruit?

25. Do you have a picture of yourself doing a cartwheel. No.

26. Do you like running long distances? I used to.

27. Have you ever eaten snow? Yes, and even ice cream made out of it.

28. What color are your bed sheets? Which set? Actually, I couldn’t tell you this, I never notice. We have acquired some bamboo fabric sheets, and they feel very good.

29. What’s your favorite flower? Hmm. Dahlia, I guess.

30. Do you do ballet? No. Does anyone?

31. Do you listen to classical music. No!

32. What is the first TV theme song that pops into your head? M.A.S.H. (I think it’s called “Suicide is Painless”).

33. Do you watch Sponge Bob? No.

34. What temperature is it outside right now? Dunno, parbly around 68.

35. Do people consider you smart? I don’t know if people consider me at all. I think I’m smart (at times).Well, actually, my Honey thinks my IQ exceeds that of a tortoise.

36. How many piercings do you have? None.

37. Are you signed in to AIM? No.

38. Have you ever tried gluing your fingers together? WTF?!

39. How do you feel about your family? Like I’m supposed to, I guess.

40. Do you have an iPod? Multiple.

41. What time do you go to bed? Usually around midnight.

42. What CD is currently in your CD player? Refer to #40. I don’t play CDs anymore.

43. What movie do you know every line to? Bambi Meets Godzilla.

44. What is your favorite salad dressing? Blue Cheese.

45. What do you want for Christmas this year? Maybe an iPod touch.

46. What family member/friend lives the farthest from you? Hmm. My brother David (maybe tied with brother Charley).

47. Do you like hugs? Only from people I have (expressly or impliedly) given permission to make contact with my person.

48. Last time you had butterflies in your stomach? I’ve never tried butterflies, but if you have a recipe, I’ll consider it.

49. What’s the way people most often mispronounce any part of your name? Ha! My last name is Rosser. That’s “Ross” with “er” on the end of it. Most people handle the name “Ross” pretty well. Patently, most people say “er” almost as much as they say “you know.” They say “Rose-er.” They say “Rozier.” They say “Rosen.” They even say “Russer.” People are so freaking stupid.

50. Last person you hugged. My honey, just before we settled into sleep. Babycakes isn’t up yet for her morning hug.

Mountain Laurel, growing in my garden.

Today I read the last sad entry on Winston Rand’s blog “Nobody Asked.” His “Roomie” (his wife) reported that he’d left us. His was one of the very few blogs, you see them listed on the right, that I clicked on every day, sometimes more than once, to see what he had to say. Go back and check some of his posts if you were not a regular reader. I feel as though a friend has passed.

He was, indeed, a Pretty Good Guy, and he’ll be missed.

In his memory I say: Tell everyone that you love that you love them. Every day. More than once a day.

Big Pink Revisited, originally uploaded by twoblueday.

Suffolk Punch draft horses.

I just finished reading Timothy Egan’s The Worst Hard Time. This is a non-fiction work about the Dust Bowl of the nineteen thirties. I had, of course, been aware of this great man-made disaster, if from no other source then from Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. I picked up this book because I had been thinking lately (as have many people) of humankind’s assault on Mother Earth.

After the Comanche were finally driven off the range, there was a deliberate assault on the great grasslands of the High Plains. The buffalo were driven virtually to extinction not just by greed, but by an actual program to exterminate them. Then came the two Homestead Acts (I think it was two). The lands promised to the Cherokee and other groups was opened up to farming. What about grazing you say? Well, the market for cattle/beef collapsed, and the bright idea of mega wheat farming took over. The grasses which held the plains in place were plowed under, and the rest, as they often say, is history.

The Egan book, which I found to be a page-turner, explores the facts and tragedy of the human despoiling of the Great Plains. I commend it to your attention. As alluded to above, I find the story an object lesson for our times (I’m thinking here of global warming and other crap us happy campers are foisting on the planet). It is a classic tale of greed, bad public policy, and, in the end, human suffering. Here’s a bit from the epilogue:

“The High Plains never fully recovered from the Dust Bowl. The land came through the 1930s deeply scarred and forever changed, but in places it healed. All told, the government bought 11.3 million acres of dusted-over farm fields and tried to return much of it to grassland. The original intent was to purchase up to 75 million acres. After sixty-five years some of the land is still sterile and drifting.”

What we, the human species, are doing to the Earth is likely going to make the Dust Bowl look like just a breezy day. Whether any of the climate-caused disasters we are seeing now are related to global warming, I do not know, but I do wonder. Hunker down, folks. Hunker down.

1. As usual, I’ve been gardening here at Cape Cod. The picture above, a red dahlia, is one of the perennials I’ve added this year. I think I’m supposed to dig it up and store it indoors in the winter. Hmm, wonder if I’ll get around to that in the fall.

2. This second image is also a new plant, another dahlia.

3. Over the last few years I’ve been planting a lily garden in the “shell yard” of our house. I demarked it from the shelled area with a few stones. The most recent addition, which I put in a couple of days ago, is the lonely-looking guy in the foreground. It’ll propagate and spread, and, if necessary, I’ll separate the “babies” to get a fuller look. I think this will be the last addition to this area.

4. I’ve been seeing “top lists” of movies being blogged up lately, and I don’t want to be left out. I don’t rank them in order (yet), but the ones listed here are definitely on my list. Excalibur. This version of the King Arthur story is just stunning. Nicol Williamson’s portrayal of Merlin is worth the price of admission. One of my favorite movie lines (the words, the delivery, the setting): Merlin: “It is the doom of men that they forget.”

5. Breaker Morant. The first wave of Australian-made films came along back in the seventies (or sixties, or eighties, who cares). They seemed to me to have a different sensibility or something. Anyway, this one has stuck in my mind all this time. Three Aussie soldiers fighting in the Boer War shoot a prisoner (following orders, or at least tacit orders), and (for political reasons) get court-martialed for it. It was based upon a book called Scapegoats of the Empire, I think, I’ll try to look up the author. I did look it up. The book was written by George Witton, who was tried with the others but got life instead of death. Interesting history on the book.

6. Unforgiven. The best Western ever made? Well, I don’t know about all that, but this was a heck of a movie. Clint Eastwood’s masterpiece, if you ask me. Unforgettable line: The evil sheriff (Gene Hackman) rails at Eastwood for shooting an unarmed man. Eastwood: “He should have armed himself.” A bit out of context, but, then, aren’t some of the best movie lines, as they lock themselves in our memories, out of context?

7. Alien. Here’s Twoblueday on Sci-Fi movies: 99.9% of them suck, blow, and are a waste of film, a soup sandwich as it were. This opinion comes from a guy who loved to read sci-fi as a young dude, but has pretty much abandoned it as an adult. This movie is pretty much a haunted-house movie set in a spaceship named “Nostromo” (a Josheph Conrad novel). The follow-up movies rank from okay to terrible, but the original is a classic (whatever the word “classic” means).

8. Nosferatu. Cheating a bit here, I include both the old black-and-white film and the later version starring Klaus Kinski. They shoulda quit making vampire movies after these two.

9. The Hunt for Red October. I know I’m chiming in with others who’ve made this a top-100 choice. I think I may have seen this film, or snippets of it, more than any other. If I’m channel-surfing, and come across it in progress, I almost cannot turn it off. Worth the price of admission to hear Sean Connery say “Buckaroo.”

10. Yesterday we drove to Osterville to a framing shop. I wanted some of my photos re-mounted (I’m going to enter some of them in the Barnstable County Fair). While there we ate at Wimpy’s. Naturally, we had the Wimpy Burger (the bison version). Yummy. The Tiger Woods/Rocco Mediate playoff was on the telly, and there was much chit chat amongst us and our fellow patrons at the bar and the bartender (boy, this sentence blows!). I didn’t know who to pull for (it’s hard not to pull for Tiger, but the “old” feller had a lot of appeal for me–personality that won’t quit). Greg Norman’s famous collapse at the Master’s tournament came up, and a fellow said he and his son had bumped into Mr. Norman somewhere, and all the Shark wanted to talk about was baseball. Hmmm. For no reason at all a fellow I’d been acquainted with while practicing law in Miami came into my head. He had actually beaten Tiger Woods in match play in the Dixie Amateur in 1993. He, the lawyer, was about 40 at the time I’d guess, and Mr. Woods was probably 17 or so. The lawyer in question had been an All-American golfer at Michigan State. I regaled the crew at Wimpy’s with this story. I even gave the lawyer’s name, in case they wanted to look it up: Rick Woulfe.

Okay, out for today.

One of the irises which greeted me when I arrived at the Cape Cod house.

Friday we went walking on Racing Beach, looking for glass, of course, and it turned out to be a Two Blue Day! Weather was mild, sunny, and just about perfect.

Friday the 13th was also Babycakes’s 6th Birthday. What a joy this little girl is, and has been since the moment of her birth.

Today is father’s day. We, as a couple, don’t make a big deal out of either father’s day or mother’s day. My Honey did make me eggs benedict for breakfast. Anyway, happy father’s day to all the fathers out there.

It rained during the night, and has been off and on this morning. We needed it, and I’m looking forward to happy plants in the garden (and everywhere else).