Ahhh Cute

Over at Nate’s Place awhile back I mentioned having some baby antelope pics. Here you are.

The Antilocapra americana, meaning "American antelope goat" is a a unique and interesting creature. The young are born without scent. After birth the mother licks the fawn clean and nurses it and walks several hundred yards away so that predators like coyotes won't see them and run them down. Considering that this little guy let me walk right up to him and his legs were slightly wet, I assume he is less than a day old, maybe only a few hours old. Over the next two weeks the mother will nurse the baby and then leave it. As the fawn gains strength and running ability it will be allowed to spend more time near its mother. After 3 or 4 weeks mother and baby will rejoin the herd of mostly does and young bucks. About 60% or so of all antelope births are twins, however today while I was driving down the highway I saw a mother nursing triplets, which is more rare.

Ahhh Crap!

The prairie rattlesnake is an interesting creature. We have a few of them out at work. Normally I do my best to avoid them. I figure if they leave me alone, I'm OK with that. However sometimes they get in my way. So they have to die.
This guy got in the way today. BTW he's got 10 buttons on his tail, which means he's a good sized snake for his sub species. After I thought I killed him off, I measured him.

Yep, he came in at 38 inches, which is a pretty good sized snake. Right now 38 inches is the record snake kill so far this year, at least with the guys I work with.

After I shot these pics for the blog, and for the guys at work, I got one last little surprise. I was using my shovel to cut his tail off for a trophy. He decided to rally round for one last stand, and he tried for a strike. Which he almost made. Do you know those professional grade shovels that are supposed to be unbreakable? I broke one smacking him a second time on the head.
If you go back and look at the second picture from the top you'll see where I had dropped my shovel when I was taking pictures. Had he revived a little earlier and struck when I reached for the shovel, this afternoon might have included a trip to the ER for me. Alls well that ends well.

KFC

Holy inflamed esophagus burning with gastric acid Batman!

Some of you very astute readers will look at when this was posted and think, “gee wiz what was that old geezer Res doing up at that hour of the night, doesn’t he know he has to be a work in a few hours”. Let me tell you why I’m up typing instead of comfortably snuggled in bed where I belong. I ate devil chicken for dinner.

Normally when I have some time with the wife away, I’ll indulge myself in some form of convenient cuisine. The wife is gone for two weeks. I didn’t feel much like cooking. I went to the once tasty, now politically correct fryers of Kentucky style chicken. The fact that none of my cousins, aunts or other kin from Kentucky has ever fried chicken this way has never previously been an issue for me.

KFC has gone PC. The diet police have stirred up some local governments, like Gothem, I mean New York City, to pass laws against trans fatty acids. What the blue blazes trans fatty acids ever did to the diet police is beyond me. Apparently trans fat makes people fat, or at least that’s the theory. Another theory is people make themselves fat by cramming too much food down their gullet and not exercising enough afterward. That’s how I got fat. My own eat junk, don’t jog program did it, not cooking oil. However, that’s a politically incorrect philosophy. Personal responsibility, as a reason for why someone’s life is the way it is, has been widely discredited in politically correct circles.

Back to KFC, the evil purveyors of digestive distress. I’ve been waken up several times tonight by the overwhelming burning sensation of stomach acid trying to eat its way to freedom via vis my pie hole. Will it never end? This is beyond acid reflux, its acid gone wild. Not being a medical authority, I can’t speak to this as a scientific fact; however, I’m pretty sure that stomach acid isn’t supposed to go as far north as the nasal passages.

I guess I should thank the diet police. After this I won’t be eating KFC anytime this side of quadruple bypass again. Not that I eat it much anyway. Recently I restarted the treadmill/exercise/eat right program. After all, fast food really will kill ya. Thanks to the diet Nazi’s it will now do it almost instantaneously.

Husband at Wal-Mart

This is why women should not take men shopping against their will.

Mrs. Ipsa insists I accompany her on her trips to Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, like most men--I find shopping boring and prefer to get in and get out. Equally unfortunately, Mrs. Ipsa is like most women--she loves to browse.

Today Mrs. Ipsa received the following letter from our local Wal-Mart:

Dear Mrs. Ipsa,

Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and may be forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against Mr. Ipsa are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras.

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of Polident and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

3. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, "Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away."

4. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.

5. September 14: Moved a "CAUTION - WET FLOOR" sign to a carpeted area.

6. September 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department.

7. September 23: When a clerk asked if she could help him, he began crying and screamed, "Why can't you people just leave me alone?"

8. October 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.

9. November 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.

10. December 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.

11. December 6: In the auto department, he practiced his "Madonna look" by using different sizes of funnels.

12. December 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled "PICK ME! PICK ME!"

And last, but not least:
13. December 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed, "OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!"

Regards,

Wal-Mart

There is a Reason for That

"Res, this must be a record for comments on one of your posts. I know it's the most interest in the rafting trip, to date..."

I think I've had a few posts early on that drew some attention too. When I started the blog I had lots of time at the desk. Now that I'm out working in the gas patch I don't have very much time at all. Mostly I go to work around 6:30 and get home at night. Then its play time with baby. Household chores and consulting work have suffered as well. When I would post daily, there would be around 90-120 page views a day. The number is now around 40-50 with fewer commenter's. I have a feeling that if I posted more regularly that viewership would increase. That and I used to visit more blogs daily and comment which helped draw interest here.

If you are still considering rafting please email or call so we can finalize arrangements.

A Few Words

To those living and dead who:

Served in peacetime,
Served this country in a popular war,
Served in an unpopular war,
Carried a gun, drove a tank, sailed a ship, few a plane,
Sat behind a desk,
Pushed papers, or pushed a broom,
Did the job asked whether common or heroic.

Regardless if you:
Were wounded and bled,
Made it into Arlington,
Made it home,
Whereabouts still unknown.

You have allowed me to:
Hold a good job,
Provide for my family,
Live in peace,
Enjoy time with those I love,
Play with my little boy,
Work in the yard,
Grill out,
Enjoy the benefits of freedom you purchased.

I remember and I thank you.