tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748Sat, 18 May 2013 14:51:13 +0000more lame adviceetsyTrue BloodsustainabilityJanis Joplininfectious diseasescelebrityroad tripsTMIRossinideath and dyingmy bookswe're not number onekidsDragon ConweathertherapyNew YorkcemeteriesbeervanaNiobrara NSRconsumerismNatchez Tracebail outsalternative medicineNebraskafried green tomatoesTammicorporate liesliteracyS M Stirlingmellow mushroomwhy am I not surprised?gahan wilsonwildfirespresque isleneonThe Lake is the Bosscookingoregonwash your handshas-been celebritiesintroductionadventures in bureaucracyRocky Islandrenovationsmedicaresurgeon generalsawmill housesupper michigangiftsmysteriescharityOkefenokee NWRraptorshagiographynew yearSamoasKatrinaObamamade in the usaBooth TarkingtonmiraclessarcasmRussell Cavediversitypaleontologywhat kind of fuckery is thisrecyclingGitmoenvironmental historylogging historyOcmulgee NMcowardsEl Progressoworkers of the world unitewhite collar crimeand Wumpdecision-makingIsle Royale National Parkwhy blogPulitzerAmerican exceptionalismoldiesHarriet the Spyhoardingthe old good newsFrances Perkinsunionspuppy millsconvictsBemisself disclosureSequoyah's CabinCopper Country Motors sucksGroundhog DayOuter IslandCamp FiveGoeringhappy feetJFKHell freezes overfossil recordtrip down memory lanerack of doomPortlandhiking with the S.O.Cane River Creole NHPgraduationcockroachesBig Chickenclose callsLee TerryoutsourcingLouisianaDr. ZhivagoFinlandnews media idiotsprocrastinationswine fluKromerone for the S.O.advice columnsScarlet Sister Marydumpster divingXmas breakyou get what you pay forpublic healthR.I.P.milestonesclimate changesweet jesus I hate Chris Matthewsscum also risesgay rightsArrowsmithregulationFEHBPbargainscannonball parkspolanskichainsaw artmoving oneditingNorth Cascades National ParkFimbulwinterclass warfaredetailelitismgun controlriding the dogsmutunder a flaming skyEarly Autumndecoration daykarmaChelsea Quinn Yarbrobloodsocial problemsfundraisinglooking for god in all the wrong placesDropkick MurphysFord liesSeattleBill MaherAlabamaplain languageChattahoochee NRAHappy ChefRanger BobempathyBrown v Boardvalue of higher educationCarlinagricultureclassical musicminingrepeatsvampireslife in generaljunk scienceLullabye loggingVapputhe S.Obirthersinternet addictionvanity sizinggalileoarcheologycyber-slackingdomesticitypoetryJim ButcherscandalI had a dreamspring feverburn outcognitive dissonanceChe Guevarayour inner fishpedestrian bridgegood newssarcasm warningdomestic terrorismplaying touristYears of GraceIsraeltechnological determinismquantity does not equal qualityxkcdmemescultural aberrationsvotinggoing car-lessWebster weptreadingreformCoca Colatime suckersshop 'til you dropglobal warmingaddictionsfeminismguptaJoan Hessdaily showpublic educationennuiTGIFAffordable Care Actoppressed proletariatbobbleheadsunemploymentgoing campingLewis and ClarkWICi've been everywherereich wing wackaloonspovertyeducationLaughing Boylizardshermit islandnot a heartless bitch after allno free lunchespseudoscienceadvertisingMarxismMay Daygun nutsI want my tuna Cajun stylelight stationsJulia Peterkinman's workmass transitAlbuquerqueJoe the PlumberSunday diversionsescapismtabloidsSaxonNerfdivision of laborsanity saversvaccinationIron County AmbassadorsLamb in His BosomSCAL.T.van MeegerenMiss Marplee-bookslivestockteleworkseason's greetingsinfrastructureanimal crueltyinsomniaSociety for Commercial ArcheologyConfederate historyBlackwaterCormac McCarthycall someone who caresCharliedistractionsThornton WilderNational Historic LandmarksCockspur Island lightfitnessMondaysno shit sherlockBeatlessalmonellacancerKorpiklaanizoonosesHarrahsSecond AmendmentJohn Ringoyou can't make this stuff upjoys of rural livinguseless giftsroadside attractionsStephen Ambrosespringfiberglassamerican cockroachelectronic tetherroadside architectureOrgan Pipe Cactus NMlabor movementsmall town lifeenergy efficiencyLate George ApleyMotorcraftI love the Baraga County Road CommissiondogsFox Motors suckswwjdthe stupid it burnsforgeryrebrandingsigns of Springdiet chowPink FloydRepublicansThe HelpDrive-By TruckersdietingRed CrossF.A.S.T.public schoolspublic librariesbook reviewreading listsazaleascorruptionNew Dealoverboardbeer shortagetom tolesdubious legaciespestilencecurrent affairsearth dayMamas and Papasgreat outdoorsblizzard of 09neil gaimantake a breakbooks I plan to buyenvironmentSabine Countypost-apocalypticnot exactly a fun friday nightsay it ain't so joeevolutionary theorySeattle City LightBlue RidgePiddleoccupational healththe future looks grimhunter s. thompsonignorance is blissinfluenzaEdna FerberDiscworldblogiversaryroadkillNational ParksTom Tomorrowit's still rainingJohn P. MarquandLast Child in the WoodsEat mor chikinscienceculture warsroadside artvacationpaul thorngullible consumersmad cowspoliticsjoys of pet ownershiprewildingAmazing Gracebottles in the basementgovernment cover-upsNPScoalCommunismit's a mysteryFlorence Nightingalebut who's counting?Haitithird world nation statusdrugsclassic cartoonsorphan signsSt. Augustinehistoric artifactsCusterCleoFort Pulaski NMno child left behindWasillaabortionprivacyFord is a horrible companyfinnish-americansVicksburg NMPmen in suitstelemarketinghobbitsFaceBookclassic weight loss methodsjackiesueescapingtechnological wondersdoes this mean I'm in show biz?kids todayscamstaxesFood or road kill?workers rightsirrational exuberanceRolling Stonesfeeling like I'm fixing to dieAtlantamore stuff I never thought I'd postpatriotismPartially Clipswhen pigs flyconspiracy theoriesgreedvegansquiltingREAChristmasinflationDresdengovernmentword playmiscellaniascience and politicsshades of My Laicar shoppingMSMepistemologyxmaspen palsRed Man Supper Clubpollutionslaveryepidemiologyfavorite fantasiesNatchez NHPHAESendangered speciesHappy birthdaystatisticsBiltmorebloggingcowscritical thinking skillsJeevesHAERcommodity brokersresolutionsnaivetekeepersgreat minds think alikeretirementSocial SecurityAmerican Livestock Breeds Conservancyshameless self promotionnewfiesyard artawolgrammarUpton Sinclaircash cowspornwaterFort Larned NHSfolk metalWisconsinlet it snowmisogynyOklahomasomething I actually like about the SouthFavrevampire fictionmusicI love Ted RallTerry PratchettimaginationGirl Scoutsclicheslocal historymelancholiawho said life is fair?ganjawordsbiomass conversionwe are so screwedfood stampssolidarity foreverPort ArthurPinochetwritingjoys of bloggingnostalgiahobbiesnews of the weirdcivic dutywooup too earlywhite flightNevada BarrStones River NBmental healthone more thing to feel guilty aboutFord FocusTwilightlibertarianismbalance of natureEdith Whartonrailroadsheart diseasein this our lifefamilywackaloon right-wingersit's mysterygeorgiabad news clichethe device paradigmare you really going to eat that?bloviatorsdoorsracismsecond chancesmmwreconomyPalinSamaritansSupermanlanguageforest servicedespairhousingwar crimesmore depressing newspromisesjobs I didn't know existed but now I wantLeninbeyond crazythe lowest form of humorI blame Reaganghost adsmainlining caffeinestereotypesMcMansionsmalaisetinfoil hatsgazahealth foodPosleenagingargothometown historysexBeatrice Ojakangastits in a visefood poisoningtreesSavannahCharles Darwincharismahigh schoolsurvivalismMichael H. JohnsonLeaping on the Caturday bandwagonacer negundofootballlame adviceGrand Maraisveterans daysome folks never learnDavid Ruffinlocavoresbad driversthe grammar policeThe Ed ShowGileadHurleytrashTexaseconomicsApostle IslandshistoryIsabel AllendeCallaway Gardensteaching to testjob huntingwar on xmasHerman Miller Aeron Chairgreat blue heronomensSVTxenophobiahodagElizabeth Petersimmigrationvernacular architectureAngelo HerndonChristopher Reeve syndromerelativesbig rock candy mountainprivate vs. publicTrayvon MartinFabulously Furry Freak Brothersblinded by scienceFDAKomenpublic employeesTybee Islandspamlife's a bitch and then you dieWilla Catherapathywhat you see is not what you getworkVermeerdunggender equityoil industryephemerawolvesmurder mysteriesSt. Patrick's DayFurminatorLuckovichviolenceKelvinatorHodges Gardenslunatics on paradeluckarchivesredlininghealth careI really miss OmahaStorm Worldabstinence educationanniversaryholidaysTudorscommunity radioinsuranceAstoriaauto industryStar TrekOccupy Wall Streetobesity mythyoung adult fictionfantasiesdreams deferredsummer heatAJCSkagit hydroelectricHardballThanksgivingretail therapyhypocritesslingshots are cheap and rocks are freerhubarb piePeachtree CreekOscar Wildeyour tax dollars at workon the roadValtomorrow's slumsHarry Siitonenweb filtersOmahasave the planetCNNWodehousevintage dressesgardeningFernbankthe writing lifeFord Motor Companyjustice systemPaul Therouxsocial psychologytruly dumb ideassuperbugtaggedMotorcycle DiariesBuffyAfghanistanWalking DeadhinckleykerningFord suckscommunity organizersmediocrityRed Skeltontravelkarma's a bitchsex workair qualityrerunsfair usenot so benign neglectOzark National Scenic RiverwayshumorexerciseNational RegisterVulcan Ironworksmind candycivil rightsrevisionist historyC-SPANnatural disasterswinter wonderlandgeezerscan't cure stupidparadigm shiftsvinylgeographyfalse consciousnessretirement bunkerNinety Six NHSsummer's overtrees died for this?illegal immigrantsignorance2008 retrospectivewinterFort Donelson National Battlefieldscience geeksdown timein your dreamsblog for choicelife's little mysteriesHot Springs NPMississippieternal vigilanceis anybody out there?obesityhome sweet homebirthdayboozeVPIthe we can be the Cleavers fantasytourismdefense of marriagecommunicationranchingbody imageknittingbudgetsfoodKentucky DerbyCanada is looking goodoptimismbin LadenreligionLacy J. DaltonAndrew JacksonSmitty's TapmoneyRandom thoughts about roadside art, National Parks, historic preservation, philosophy of technology, and whatever else happens to cross my mind.http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Nan)Blogger985125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-112259928779819020Sat, 18 May 2013 11:53:00 +00002013-05-18T10:51:13.650-04:00historic artifactslife's little mysterieslocal history Since I started volunteering at the county historical museum, I've stumbled across a lot of oddities. The museum has always been a 100% volunteer effort. A few of the historical society members have actually been historians (or at least had a B.A. that qualified them to teach high school history classes), but most have been and still are enthusiastic amateurs, folks who got interested in one http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/05/you-betchum-red-ryder.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-7256695688892685338Thu, 16 May 2013 11:43:00 +00002013-05-16T09:24:43.410-04:00the stupid it burnsadventures in bureaucracy I've been watching with some bemusement the current kerfuffle about the Internal Revenue Service scrutinizing applications by quasi-political groups seeking tax exempt nonprofit status. A number of questions have crossed my mind, including the obvious -- why the heck would groups that were created for political lobbying be referred to as "social welfare" organizations? -- but one thing struck http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/05/business-as-usual-at-irs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-3974894906809719408Sun, 05 May 2013 14:44:00 +00002013-05-05T10:48:35.878-04:00book reviewtrees died for this?historyfinnish-americans Back when I was in grad school, my professors would rant about "History is more than just one damn thing after another!" Pastor Armas K. E. Holmio never got that message. Either that, or his training in the seminary meant his writing style was influenced way too much by the Old Testament and its long lists of begats. History of the Finns in Michigan has some fascinating tidbits buried in it, http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/05/and-then-elo-begat-toivola-history-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-681053268250911430Sun, 05 May 2013 11:24:00 +00002013-05-05T07:24:10.845-04:00life's a bitch and then you diehumor A year or two ago I mentioned the two cent solution as the low budget version of euthanasia for ailing pets. Turns out it's no longer quite that cheap. Fear mongering apparently pays off. The price of ammunition has been climbing. The fantasists who believe Obama or the ATF is coming to take their guns away have made such a run on the gun stores and online sales sites that the cheap stuff is http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/05/fear-mongering-pays-off.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-4775088615953211143Wed, 01 May 2013 15:24:00 +00002013-05-01T11:24:42.648-04:00life in generalworkers of the world uniteweatherVappu Last year we didn't do a May Day bonfire because conditions were too dry. This year there's no bonfire because the snow in the field is still more than knee deep and we don't feel like wading through it an attempt to torch a pile of sodden spruce boughs. Besides, how can it be May when snow is predicted for tomorrow? It's been an odd year. Time is out of joint. January felt like it should be http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/05/is-it-still-vappu-if-there-is-no-bonfire.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-2107693767487961626Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:17:00 +00002013-04-23T07:17:44.504-04:00Fimbulwinterlife in general I really hope this is my last driveway plowing photo until next fall.http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-22.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-8247911952872292070Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:01:00 +00002013-04-21T10:01:42.663-04:00current affairsmental healthMSM One of the benefits of moving back to the tundra and semi-detaching ourselves from the grid has been that we're no longer news junkies. The S.O. has figured out how to live stream MSNBC so once in awhile we'll catch a little of "Hardball" or "PoliticsNation," but we don't do that often. I've even managed to kick my C-SPAN addiction. The news we get tends to come from NPR or from reading varioushttp://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/04/simple-solutions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-8539077312965505559Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:27:00 +00002013-04-19T10:32:02.534-04:00life in generalweather Ice fishermen on Keweenaw Bay near the L'Anse waterfront, April 18 They're still ice fishing on Keweenaw Bay, they're predicting about a foot of snow is going to fall locally during the next 24 hours, and I'm thinking I'll celebrate my birthday (15 days away at this point) by digging out the red wax and going skiing. A friend keeps channeling Laura Ingalls Wilder and muttering about The Long http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/04/fimbulvinter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-2123106246036599717Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:45:00 +00002013-04-08T11:45:17.798-04:00paul thornroad tripsfamily We just got back from a 9 day road trip out to Grand Junction, Colorado, and back. The impetus for the road trip was a quasi family reunion to gather multiple generations in the same spot to enable a five-generation photo of my mother, myself, my daughter, her son, and his kids. Eight people, four generations, two cars, approximately 1400 miles one way. What could possibly go wrong? The good http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/04/road-trips.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-970622522666305889Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:42:00 +00002013-04-08T09:42:19.036-04:00current affairslunatics on paradebeyond crazynews media idiots Haven't been paying much attention to the news lately, but on the rare occasions when I did in the past week, it seemed like North Korea and its one or two nuclear warheads and its one-step-above-an-ox-cart delivery system were the main topics of discussion. Listening to the professional bloviators and fear-mongering politicians, you'd think that North Korea and its figurehead of a leader, Kim http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/04/much-ado-about-nothing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-4006201237436623115Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:44:00 +00002013-03-26T06:17:42.562-04:00Fimbulwinterlife in generalThis weather app is beginning to annoy me. That's today's weather. It was also yesterday's weather. And the day before that. Tomorrow is always looking good, partly cloudy, warmish, and with truly spring-like temperatures promised for about 72 hours away. When I looked at the forecast this past Friday, it showed the current day as rather crappy (freezing drizzle), but Saturday was going to be http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/03/minor-annoyances.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-5232203967232401360Sun, 24 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +00002013-03-24T09:00:33.418-04:00holidays http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/03/think-its-arriving-this-week.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-6780916137886170637Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:32:00 +00002013-03-18T08:32:30.397-04:00it's a mysterylife in general The S.O. and I have been Leviathan shopping lately, looking for a motor home similar in size and amenities to the one his brother owned but available for much, much less money. For some reason, shopping for an RV is starting to remind me of politics. We've been hearing a lot of promises from sellers -- it runs like a charm, never had any problems with the generator, etc. -- but with no evidencehttp://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/03/but-does-it-run.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-4966360395377346428Sun, 17 Mar 2013 05:00:00 +00002013-03-17T01:00:03.045-04:00St. Patrick's Dayhumorrepeats http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/03/repeats.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-4611424310193394751Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:37:00 +00002013-03-12T11:37:41.122-04:00fantasiesmininglife in generallocal history The S.O. and I have had to do some driving around our end of the Upper Peninsula lately -- south to Stephenson, west to Ironwood, and east to Marquette -- and have noticed one constant: yard signs supporting mining. There seem to be a lot of people who are fantasizing about a magic mining fairy waving a wand and showering local communities with a sudden infusion of ca$h. Granted, there has http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/03/still-waiting-for-mining-money-fairy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-1513792618733124531Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:07:00 +00002013-03-07T06:07:53.984-05:00bloviatorsblogging h/t to Bad Tux for the reminder. There was a time where we'd end up with cases of cookies in the freezer, but not recently. I guess if I really wanted some, I could track down a Girl Scout fairly easily, but neither the S.O. or I are so fond of Thin Mints that we're going out of our way to find some.http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/03/its-that-time-of-year-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-2932675508628425105Sat, 02 Mar 2013 11:30:00 +00002013-03-04T09:11:36.031-05:00humor Years ago, way back when we lived in Panorama City, right in the heart of the San Fernando valley, a scandal broke concerning a fast food chain that forever after we've referred to as "Jack in the Pouch." It turned out the hamburgers Jack was peddling were made from kangaroo meat. Not surprisingly, most Americans were thoroughly freaked out by the idea of eating Kanga and 'Roo; as a rule, we http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/02/say-whoa-to-meatballs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-8405536728487684752Sat, 23 Feb 2013 13:03:00 +00002013-02-23T08:03:17.960-05:00humortinfoil hats Spent a couple hours last night in a planning meeting for some events scheduled locally for mid-June. As tends to happen in meetings, the group as a whole went wandering off on a number of tangents. One was Customer Service. The events being planned are meant to present a positive enough image of the local area that any tourists who are first-time visitors to the county will decide it's worth http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/02/customer-service-or-lack-thereof.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-631496707138877067Sat, 16 Feb 2013 14:05:00 +00002013-02-16T10:15:36.192-05:00archiveshistoric artifactshobbieslife in generalhistory I spent a few hours at the local county historical museum yesterday. After I rejoined the county historical society last year, I looked around to see where my skill set would be most useful to the museum. It didn't take me long to figure out that the archives were a mess. Over the years, the historical society has been remarkably successful in obtaining donations of artifacts and documents. Thehttp://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/02/another-headdesk-day-at-museum.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-1370426765260897016Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:20:00 +00002013-02-15T07:20:55.676-05:00relativesVal http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/02/happy-birthday-val.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44229776106220748.post-6297603678771362666Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:00:00 +00002013-02-14T05:00:05.132-05:00one for the S.O.Lacy J. Dalton http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2013/02/valentines-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nan)1