May 10

Today is the 5 year anniversary of Astoria Rust. It is at this point where I'm taking some inventory on the 1887 articles I've posted here over the last half decade. So many things have changed over the last five years. I like to think I've matured, though I'm sure we all like to think that.

I wrote this post about a month ago and at that time I had the full intention of ending the blog today. The point is I have already written my best stories. I got them out there and I no longer have to keep them confined to my mind.

Yokio Mishima believed that it is better for him to enter his heaven as a young, strong good looking man where he believed he would retain his good looks forever. I feel this way about this blog.

It's just like flipping through the TV channels and seeing that Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives is still in production. You have to ask yourself "what's up with that?" These shows should have ended years ago.

I'd rather be like a show that left with some dignity like Twin Peaks, The Sopranos and Battlestar Galactica. We could have used some more content but we can now imagine how things would go on.

I spent the day Saturday at a beekeeping workshop, and like always a few thoughts came to mind that told me that this or that situation could be turned into a blog post. Oddly the ideas are still coming; though much slower.

I've decided that I am going to retire this blog eventually, but as of today I'm going into semi retirement. I'll write only when I feel like it.

What do I plan to do with all my spare time? Live, listen to Sufjan Stevens, write other things elsewhere, spend less time on the computer.

Thanks for reading and for all the comments in the past. Special thanks to all those who have been with me from the start.

There, I've almost run out of things to say. Lovies!

Cleaning Out

I spent the better part of Sunday cleaning out a room that housed many things I no longer need. I found my first tax return from 1971. I found hundreds of cassette tapes. I found old photos that I had long forgotten about. There were photos all through out my life. Photos back when I had a full head of dark hair.

I gathered two boxes of books to donate and another box of other items I haven't used in years. I can't see myself ever using tennis rackets again.

There is a certain joy in purging things from the past. Between the things I sorted to trash, burn or donate, I have a good feeling of accomplishment. It adds more value to the items I decided to keep.

Now it it time to reflect on things and then I'll move to another room; probably my shop and clean that out.

Douche

Maybe it's because I'm from New Jersey, but there are people out there where every time I see them I say, "Douche Bag!" to myself under my breath. After I do that I laugh to my self because the idea of calling someone a douche is still funny to me.

I have to wonder how the object became associated with people of certain behavioral traits. It's a perfect term. It isn't as abrasive as calling someone an asshole, but it is just as gratifying and seems to have the same implications.

I think there should be a National Douche Bag Day and it should be on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November.

Some Horses Are Just Weird

I've met a lot of strange horses over the years. Each horse I've ever encountered had it own distinct personality, or should I call it a horsenality...

Thoroughbreds are thin skinned and don't like being touched; though some loved being rubbed between their neck and front shoulders. Brush them too vigorously and they won't stand for it.

I met another horse that didn't like dry hay. This one would always empty all the hay from his hay rack into his water bucket. He'd wait an appropriate time and then when soaked long enough he'd eat it as though they were noodles.

We recently had a horse that would only pee in his stall. He could be in the pasture all day and as soon as we brought him in he'd dash for his stall and pee.

We had another horse that would pee as soon as we let her out in the pasture. It was the first order of business for her. Most horses when put out will roll on the ground, run around a bit and then tuck into the grass, but this one would always pee first.

We had another horse that could tell time. I try to feed the horses on a strict schedule. This horse would get very vocal if I was ever late with his feeding.

We will be getting another new horse soon and I wonder how long it will take before she displays he particular quirk.

Refer Madness

Being tall and having the need like all people have to clutter up some space I've found the top of the refrigerator to be an excellent spot. There are several reasons this is a great space. First because most people can't see up there, second because is is an undisturbed flat space and third because no one will mess or move the stuff I put up there. Finally it is my sub-conscience; a place where I put things I wish to forget.

We are expecting a lot of house guests over the next several weeks and it was time for me to take everything off for a cleaning. I am somewhat embarrassed about all the stuff I found up there and carted a bag of stuff like hardware out to my (also cluttered) shop. Other things were filed and most of the stuff was deemed expired and irrelevant and were placed in the trash or the burn pile.

I hosed down the top with Windex and I'm off to a clean start again. I wonder how soon it will be before I place the first item up there to start a new collection.

A Kid's Wish List

I recall that while growing up in the pre-technology era of the 60s the wish list of kids I knew all shared three items that were commonly advertised in the magazines we would read. These items were: A Sunfish sailboat, a motorized go cart and a mini bike.

Most desires at 12 years of age aren't at all realistic simply as most kids did not live on a lake and at 12 years old we didn't drive and would have no way of getting a sail boat to a lake. Go carts required a track since they weren't street legal and how many laps could one take on their own driveway before realizing their limits to fun.

However the mini bike was totally practical and attainable. You could buy one for around a hundred dollars and there were enough fields and dirt lots to cruse. The only obstacles were saving up $100 and one's parents objection.

Now that I think of it I probably only had two friends that overcame those obstacles. My brother was somewhat caught up in the fever and one day I came home to find he got a Cushman motor scooter. It looked like the photo below but was as I recall cream colored.



I think it had two gears and it drove like a two wheeled golf cart or perhaps like a two wheeled refrigerator. I rode it once through the field across the street and the bottom kept getting high centered on the grass. It did drive better on the dirt road. It certainly wasn't a mini bike.

The look of the Cushman was kind of douchey back in those days, but I bet a lot of folks would love to have one today. I have no idea what happened to that scooter but I do remember it well.

I thought of this over the weekend as it seemed like there were hundreds of motorcycles on the road on the first sunny day in a considerable amount of time. Most of the riders were my age and I'm sure once had a mini bike on their wish list, and it has taken a mid life crisis for them to make their larger adult dreams come true.

Sad Yet Ironic

Back in 2008 I posted an article about scary movies and in it I mentioned the Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. In the post I said, "Even Attack of the 50 Foot Woman was scary, but fortunately she was pretty hot and personal fantasies overpowered any fears that one might have."

Oddly the woman, Yvette Vickers who played a floozy in this movie kept the monster concept going over the last year.

According to the Los Angeles Times:
The mummified body of Yvette Vickers, a B-movie actress beloved by fans as “the 50-Foot Woman” (and an early Playboy playmate) was discovered at her Benedict Canyon home in Los Angeles. According to police, Vickers had not been seen for some time. A neighbor became suspicious and decided to investigate on April 27th. The state of decomposition may indicate the body was there for close to a year.

Candy For Kids

When I stumbled upon this photo I was taken back to my childhood. When I was a kid candy mattered. Candy was an affordable constant that most kids with some pocket change could afford. Most adults look forward to going to going to a pub or out for a meal, but for kids look forward to their next candy bar.

Some candy didn't survive from my generation to the present though some are being offered in retro shops as limited editions such as Bonomo's Turkish Taffy, Chunky and Clark Bars.

Personally I find it odd that 3 Musketeers survived. It is probably the most boring of all candy bars, followed by Mounds. It's strange how placing an almond on top really makes a difference and turns mounds to Almond Joy and makes it not so boring.

It's funny, though I'm diabetic and have changed my diet drastically over the last few years I can't resist the occasional bite size versions of some of these treats when I find them available.

Obligation for Another Year

This morning I mailed off my hive registration to the Oregon Department of Agriculture and I sent in my annual dues to the Beekeeping Association. I'm scheduled to be an instructor at a beekeeping workshop next weekend. So, I guess I'll be keeping bees for another year.

The Weeping Angles

Doctor Who fans out there will feel a chill run up their spine when they view the photo above. Of all the monsters that that have been featured in this show since 1963,(yes, it's been on for 48 years now)the Weeping Angels may be the most frightening.

These angels are statues that are perfectly still as long as you are looking at them, but blink and they move very quickly. Blink twice and they will snap your neck.

It seems that a few years ago people started going angel crazy. They collected all sorts of angel imagery, most being visions of chubby little toddlers with wings but when you read up on what are considered the ten phylum of angels one will come away fearing them like the weeping angels rather than loving them like we see them in religious fiction. The fact they are described as "phylum" is interesting on its own.

The Guardians are the first phylum. They assist us with our fears and phobias. The color of their wing tips is silver.

The Archangels are the second phylum. There are 4 of them. Their primary purpose is healing and they're also messengers of hope. Archangels have white wings with blue tips.

The third and fourth level of angels are the Cherubim and Seraphim. These are singing angels and they hang out constantly singing the words "Holy, holy, holy" They have white wings with rose colored tips.

The fifth phylum of angels are The Powers. The Powers use their energy to heal. The electrical force that comes from them enters your body and heals you cell by cell. They're quite large in size.Their wings are white with greenish white tips.

The sixth phylum of angels are The Carrions also known as Blood Angels. Their primary purpose is to escort away dark entities when they die. Their sole mission is to stand back until a dark entity passes into death. No mention of wing color.

The seventh phylum of angels are The Virtues. They help to guide us before we begin our journeys here on earth. They have white wings with pale blue tips and a silvery blue luminescence.

The eighth phylum of angels are The Dominions. They watch over us and permanently record our actions and good deeds in the Akaschic Records (look that one up, it's worth it). They have white wings with maroon tips.

The ninth and tenth phylum are The Thrones and Principalities and are considered the highest phylum of angels. They represent Mother and Father God's armies.

The Thrones and Principalities come to us when we're in any type of danger. The Thrones are Mother God's army and The Principalities are Father God's army.

In conclusion, though the Doctor Who Weeping Angels are scary, the theosophical accepted phylum of angels are every bit as scary.

As Ricky Gervais said, "I thank God I'm and Atheist."