Making Hay While a Minnesota Sun Shines.

As is the case, since ever I worked in any horse barn, the hay shows up on the real hot days.

Today was a beautiful summer day. Ninety and some odd degrees. This is Minnesota, we are surrounded by vibrant green fields and many, many lakes and ponds.

When the sun comes out lots of water jumps into the air.

First it's all around you and you can feel it. When you go out into the sun it is especially hot and thick. You get damp and hot.

You learn to appreciate a breeze.

Walking in fields is difficult. Cleaning stalls seems never ending. Just picking up a lead line becomes a chore.

It is hot and humid.

You can see over on the horizon, above the tree line, clouds growing. Thick white vapor columns rising and growing. These huge water monsters arise, awaken, and storm across the countryside.

But until then, probably about 4:30 this afternoon, the three hundred bales of hay need to be stacked in the overhead and the barn needs to be cleaned and then the animals need to come back in.

Some are a little sweaty.

They prefer the cool barn, it's not the heat it's the humidity.

Spring is Gone, Summer is Here.

It has been a very busy spring for me.

We have watched the leave come out of the trees and bushes and unfurl. They have that brand new crispness that makes the woods look especially brite and vibrant, you only get that in the spring.

I have seen more Bluebirds, as well as other fun little colorful birds, this spring than ever before. I think its because I am spending more time, especially mornings, very near the Mississippi river and a tributary stream to it - Silver Creek. This is perfect song bird territory and on one of the big migration routes.... Also the owner has bird baths, feeders, suet and hummingbird straws.

It is now the first day of Summer and we have had some hot humid days and some good rains, but not everywhere has had rain and there are many dry spots around Minnesota.

We have made lot's of progress on many fronts.

Base line daily work at the double H stables ("HH")/ Haines Tree Service with weekly forays in the nautical direction.

I also have been taking weekly "breaks" to work jumpcrew at some horse events located about Minnesota.

Just finished one yesterday (Sunday) out Loretto way. we had a happy little hummingbird come into the judges stand, twice.

(Loretto is west of the twin cities about 25 miles for those not familiar with our state. Wooded rolling moraines with homes and farms and lots of glacial remnant lakes.)

I had the sailboat "Liberty" along and got her out on Lake Independence and tested the repaired sail. All is good!

Steve also acquired the 28' "Aqua flite Deck 280" and we have had it up and operating.

It is a FANTASTIC lounging and fishing platform. "Steves' Clubhouse" is a twenty eight foot long and eight foot wide pontoon boat. The front two thirds are flat decked for fishing, swimming or lawn chairs, and the rest is under canopy, with Pilot chair, table and cushioned seating for four.

Steve is a great guy, a fine machinist, but Steve is also a tall heavy landlubber. I am always nervous when canoeing with him. Now we have the perfect platform for everyone! I am going to have to work on uploading some pictures.

I now need to go to get my motor boat out of the shop. 135 Johnson needed help we were not situated to give. This will be our runabout. It's an aluminum V-hull, as yet to be named.

Now she is turn-key ready.

I also had an opportunity to be part of an event in Shorview. I was speaking on the Forests of Minnesota at an event centered on free market ecology. I was the closer, fifth of five.

I think it went well, I brought along a large plywood cutout of the state of Minnesota for display and reference. Gave rough description of things and a little on succession.

I had been living the last week out of a motel in Medina, I am now home. While away I bought Jacklyn, now 4, some animals for her barn. A momma Giraffe and a Baby Giraffe. She liked them so did her mother. I also brought home the game "Hi-Ho Cherry-o". She likes games.

I got a call from the boss at "HH" last nite and she said I didn't have to come in today. That was nice, she new I was wiped.

So today I recover and get back to a normal pattern. Tomorrow I go to work back in Stillwater.

A Point in Time.

I have been following the Minnesota Legislature for about twenty years now. The House, the Senate, the Governor(s).

I have seen many of all kinds.

I remember Willard Munger before he admitted in the paper he was a socialist and told Paul Wellstone to vacate his pledge to only two terms as Senator.

House leadership under International Falls' Irv. Anderson and the rocky end of that era, leading to the Dee Long's, Phil Carruthers's and Margaret Anderson-Kelliher's.

With the spending and controlling mania of the DFL virtually unchecked, the Government costs has been doubling at an alarming rate while the individuals and businesses of Minnesota carry an ever increasing burden of rules and taxes.

Those that stay I mean, many are leaving. It is sad.

We all remember the Senate, with the firm controlling rule of the Joe Bertram years (of Paynesville in Stearns County). He, with his brother Jeff in the House, where so drunk with power they were handing out PCR chits worth fifty tax dollars to people for haircuts and stealing leather vests from stores.

I was one of his constituents and I went to his office while in session daily to call for his resignation.

He did finally, but the ways of the Minnesota Senate didn't skip a beat, marching ever forward to the glorious future of fairness.

They've had their own history of some rather ignoble behavior on behalf of the people of Minnesota.

Often it seems especially hard on the non-DFL women.

The way they treated Carol Molnau of late comes to mind, and Bob Greenburg, a local vegan eco-freak for light rail had to chose a women Senator (Flynn I think) to pie at the entry to the Senate.

The local papers said the "violence" was in the fist behind the pie. Justifying, at least to themselves, that it was not an act of violence.
I think she was violated.

But that's just the DFL (strib) rationalizing its own uncivilized behavior. They do that a lot you know.

Hubris, the DFL is loaded with Hubris by the tanker-full.

[The one balcony to the Senate is still closed due to the antics of the Sierra Club during the NSP nuclear dry cask storage "debate"]

In an attempt to appear stately the Senate has, in the past, left the more blatant smash and grab work for the more emotional House or maybe the latest "look at me" sitting in the Attorney Generals' Office.

But maintaining the growth pattern of their favorite pet; the Machine of Government here in the North Star State, has required them to sully their white shirts a bit.

And both bodies are much controlled by the agencies of bureaucracy now representing a large DFL voting block.

Just who is running the asylum?

We know if the agency doesn't like an Executive appointment to lead their bureaucracy they will mutiny.

Just as the tough guy; Jesse Ventura, about his attempted appointment of some FBI person to lead the DNR. [very powerful, the eco-govenmental complex of Minnesota]

This year, after five months of ignoring the big budget shortfall, the DFL leadership and majority in the Senate, lead by Lawrence Pogemiller and James Metzen {with a supporting role by DFL house tax committee chairman and governor hopeful of Cook Minnesota; Thomas Bakk} offered a tax increasing solution to vote on.

A big part was a 2 billion dollar item called "Property Tax Recognition Shift".
Sounds a lot like "Payment In Lieu of Taxes" or PILT money.

It seems we're running a little short of slush funds these days.

It also seems that when the Government owns more property, then local property tax revenues drop.

I think encouraging private property ownership, or at least not referring to it as a "Threat", would serve us much better.

In the process of bullying through this tax bill on the last day before the Constitutionally mandated deadline, the Senate leadership ignored the Rules of the Senate, rules of parliamentary procedure, Roberts Rules of Order, simple rules of protocol, respect, decency, and democracy.

Just like in their elections, the DFL legislatures are patronizingly gracious winners and ruthlessly vicious losers.