Vote Early & Vote Often

Paraphrased from a Sunday News show*:

Evan Bayh:  If the American people want more moderate politicians that are willing to compromise then they need to vote during the primaries. 

Dana Perino:  Neither party wants more moderate candidates elected.

Evan Bayh: Yes, but polls show the American people do.

Dana Perino:  Well lets see if they come out and vote.  I don't think they will.

Hey, Evan Bayh just told you how to fix Washington, and the political parties don't want you to think about it.  The trick is, vote.  Vote early, vote often, and more specifically vote in the primaries.  This decides whether a partisan candidate, or someone more pragmatic makes it to the big dance.  Partisans typically vote for partisans, and they often show up en masse to vote during the primaries.  More power to them; literally, those who vote hold the power.

Yes, this sounds like a cheesy civics lesson, but consider why parties spend millions on get out the vote efforts.  The power is ultimately in the hands of the people.  The question is, 'Do you really want Washington to change?'  A little time, attention, and homework, and you can figure out who represents you best.  Wading through slogans, and pettiness, and all the campaign rhetoric can absolutely be aggravating, and the political parties are counting on you giving up.  Don't.

Washington politicians are maddening, yet we have the good fortune of living in a democracy.  These goobers weren't selected for us.  There was no coup or violent revolution that installed them, and it's easy to forget how fortunate we are to live with this peaceful yet maddening system.  We picked them, so like it or not their ours.

I don't write about politics much anymore.  One main reason is that I don't feel my opinions need to be your opinions.  If you ask, I'll tell you that I lean right fiscally, and lean left socially.  If you disagree - no problem.  I doubt that we can all get along, but some of us can.  I write this in an attempt to convince you of only one thing - Washington can change via simple arithmetic.  The polls continuously report that 'the people' are fed up with Washington and its acrimony and discord.  So if 'the people' care enough to pay attention and vote in the primaries and not just the general election that is a remarkably simple solution to what seems to be the endlessly annoying problem of Washington politics.

*Couldn't find the transcript for Fox News Sunday from October 16, 2013, so the quotes are paraphrased.

Evan Bayh is a member of No Labels a group working to promote bipartisan solutions.

Simple Tips for Happier Hiking - Part 1

This article could be subtitled, 'Wear Good Shoes and Drink Plenty of Water.' Hiking is about as simple as it gets, it's just a long walk in the woods.  Started hiking much more frequently a few years ago.   Found that hiking is quite enjoyable as long as you don't screw it up.   So here are some mistakes worth avoiding.

1.  Buy good hiking shoes/boots. Most hiking gear is not critical for a casual hiker, but good hiking shoes make for a much happier day. One reason is that the toe is reinforced. You would be surprised at how many roots and rocks you kick while hiking; you might also be surprised at how badly it hurts to kick rocks while wearing sneakers. The first few times - not too big a deal; the last few times may make you want to cry. Shoes and boots designed for hiking also have straighter smoother side edges.  This helps prevent tripping and getting your feet tangled on roots and rocks. When you're tired this is a decidedly 'un-fun' experience, and may even be treacherous at times.

Another important feature is the traction and grip hiking shoes give particularly on rocky and slick surfaces. Take it from someone who bounced her butt off a rock after slipping at the tail end of a hike; good shoes are worth it, and were purchased not long after the bruising went away.   Boots are typically recommended over shoes as they provide extra ankle support, however, I am a fan of the hiking shoe. They are a little lighter, and find them to be a better walking shoe for around the town/neighborhood. Your back and feet will feel much better if you pick a quality shoe/boot with good support.

2. Bring water, food, and more water. While it seems like a no-brainer to bring water on a hike, bring more than you think you need. If your hike takes longer than expected, if it's hotter than expected, if your body just needs more water for whatever reason, you will be very glad to have it. These aren't tips for survivalists, if you're in a dire situation there are ways to get water. However, I personally don't want to suck on a leaf or drink from a mud puddle. The extra weight you carry in your pack is worth not being dehydrated and feeling rotten.

Similarly, pack what you think you'll need for food need plus some more. Bring snacks and foods that are easy to munch on throughout the day plus a meal. During a strenuous hike you may not feel that hungry but instead your energy fades.  A quick snack can be very helpful. Again, like water, if your hike goes long or you need more food than normal, you'll be very happy to have that extra bite to eat.  I like to have bananas, nuts, trail mix, and/or chips along for a quick snack plus a sandwich for lunch.

3. Be aware of your fitness level. The corollary to this tip is don't drag someone out hiking who isn't prepared to hike. I see this almost every time I go hiking. Sometimes people under estimate the hike they've planned. However, most frequently I come across a young lady whose boyfriend has convinced her to go hiking - he's aggravated and she's miserable. It's not always this combination. One woman told her boyfriend to, "Suck it up buttercup," as he tagged along behind her. Just last weekend, several hikers were trying to help out a woman whose husband had left her behind while mountain climbing. Suspect that fellow earned himself quite a long stay in the doghouse.

I've also underestimated a hike where I was not yet fit enough.   I hurt my knee making the decent difficult and awkward as I latched onto every tree I could for support. Fortunately, there were no pictures because I looked ridiculous, and was lucky the injury was minor.

There are a number of other things that can make a hike better that I will discuss in Part 2. Yet these are pretty easy problems to avoid, yet also easy mistakes to make.  'Sneakers will be fine,' 'I have enough water,' or 'That shouldn't be too tough a hike for me,' doesn't sound at all unreasonable, but they are also three easy ways to wreck an otherwise enjoyable day.

Johnny Cash Quotes

Because you're mine, I walk the line.

I'm not bitter. Why should I be bitter? I'm thrilled to death with life.

It's good to know who hates you and it is good to be hated by the right people.

There's a lot of things blamed on me that never happened. But then, there's a lot of things that I did that I never got caught at.

My arms are too short to box with God.

I wear black because I'm comfortable in it. But then in the summertime when it's hot I'm comfortable in light blue.

Success is having to worry about every damn thing in the world, except money.

Sometimes I am two people. Johnny is the nice one. Cash causes all the trouble. They fight.

You've got a song you're singing from your gut, you want that audience to feel it in their gut. And you've got to make them think that you're one of them sitting out there with them too. They've got to be able to relate to what you're doing.

The Problem Bear

Don't know if this is a true story, or a just a 'camping story.'  Either way it's fun, and heard it while hiking with the Sierra Club in Virginia years ago. 

Yellowstone had a bear problem.  The bears were coming into contact with people far too frequently.  For the safety of the park visitors, they were forced to tranquilize and relocate some of these bears.  Unfortunately, people were often part of the problem.  They were an easy source of food.  Some campers would leave food out, others driving through happy to see a bear, would feed them right from the car.  This was not only dangerous, but it encouraged bears to seek out people who may or may not have food.  Particular 'problem' bears that park rangers had relocated would actually return to the scene of the crime seeking out more food.

The trouble with these repeat offenders was that they were smart, they learned how to not get caught.  The rangers actually believed that many of these bears recognized the park rangers vehicles and uniforms and would flee at first sight.  This meant the rangers needed to be covert, so they wore civilian clothes and drove an unmarked vehicle, and worked in teams for these particularly difficult cases.

One day, two rangers found their problem bear and were able to shoot him with a dart from their unmarked vehicle.  They waited several minutes for the tranquilizers to kick in, as another group of rangers were radioed in to pick up the bear.  As they waited, a park visitor pulled up to get a closer look at the bear they just spotted.  The rangers watched as this fellow rolled down his window down and handed the grateful bear an apple.  The bear took a bite, stumbled backward, and collapsed on the side of the road.  The team of rangers sped in in their official relocation vehicle, jumped out, put the bear in a cage, and then loaded the cage into the truck. 

The visitor to the park looked on in bewilderment, "What happened?"

A ranger from the second team replied as they pulled away, "That's why the sign says, 'Don't feed the bears!"

After the first pair watched events unfold, one fellow said, "Shouldn't we give him a ticket for feeding the bear?"

"No.  He'll never feed another bear again."

More Dogs Welcoming Home Soldiers

Dogs and their soldiers, so sweet...

Little Girl Dances up a Storm at a Wedding Reception

This is making the rounds of the internet, and how can you not smile? Too cute...

Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers

Don't know how unusual this is, but both a Hairy and a Downy Woodpecker stopped at my bird feeder the other day at the same time.  The larger Hairy Woodpecker is on the right, and the smaller Downy is on the left.  They shared the feeder for a decent length of time, enough time for me to snap the pic below.

Chicken Rehab

My father spent his summers with his grandparents in a rural farming community when he was young. He and a friend would ride their bikes from farm to farm eventually returning to his grandparents' home. As they rode down the hill towards home, a flock of chickens would scatter, running away from the approaching bikes.

One day, as they completed their ride back down the hill they noticed one chicken lagged behind the others. Upon further examination the chicken appeared sick. He informed his grandmother that there was a chicken under-the-weather.  She came out to see, and agreed the poor chicken wasn't well. So they scooped up the bird and brought it inside to take care of it. They all took turns carrying the chicken around the house.  Periodically the gave the chicken a few drops of brandy from an eyedropper so that it would feel better while recuperating. If they needed to put her down, they would lean the inebriated bird up against the wall where she'd stay until they were able to come back and pick him up again. The chicken started recovering and getting stronger, and was back in good health in a about a week.

The chicken was returned to her spot amongst the other fowl, and my father and his friend resumed their bike rides though the local farms, and back down the hill to his grandparent's home.  However, there was one noticeable change in this routine, from then on whenever my father rode his bike down the hill, all but one bird would run from the oncoming bicycles, while one specific chicken would run straight for his new found friend.