tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-143460032024-03-14T11:51:23.841-04:00Welcome to my back porch where the shade of a summer's evening cools the yard long before sunset. Pull up a chair, an iced tea, lemonade, or your favorite adult beverage and join me. This blog is for news and happenings here in the sticks. In addition, I'll also present a variety of science related issues for discussion.Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-59886934175876988502010-09-04T20:00:00.019-04:002010-09-05T11:47:38.926-04:00

Beverly and I were thinking of things to do over the long Labor Day weekend. We were looking over the map of Kentucky vineyards and noticed several in western Kentucky. We decided we'd call my mother and sister in Madisonville and find out their plans. They had no plans so a wine tasting tour it was. The tour expanded when we elected include visits to the Clement Mineral Museum in Marion and the

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-46795433562143473522010-06-23T15:34:00.001-04:002010-06-23T15:34:38.273-04:00

We had breakfast at the Borough Market south of London Bridge. We ate lunch in the Ledenhall Market and walked to the Monument to the London fire in 1666. We scaled the 331 steps, descended, and crossed the London Bridge. From there, we walked to the Tower Bridge, crossed it, and found bus #15 to return us to Limehouse Sta. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-46820679602492332132010-06-08T18:17:00.000-04:002010-06-08T18:18:17.216-04:00

Well, we've boarded the pond hopper and are on our way. I'm hoping to make entries here and on FB. Next from London. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-62136545529680155952010-05-31T08:19:00.011-04:002010-05-31T13:30:11.538-04:00

This long Memorial Day weekend we took two tours, northerly and southeasterly.On Saturday, for the northern trip, we decided to take the advice of Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and try a restaurant in Bellevue, Kentucky called Virgil's Cafe. From Frankfort, we headed east to Georgetown on 460. The intent was to take 62 to Cynthiana, but somehow we made a wrong turn. No matter, we ended

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-25390106885241289902010-05-02T13:11:00.007-04:002010-05-03T08:50:17.315-04:00

There are places you can only find with a GPS if you are actually there. OK, not really, they exist on paper maps and you can find them by working out the latitude and longitude and then programming the GPS to go there. With a GPS, you can't "GO TO" a place name (if it's not in the database) or an intersection (if there are too many digits in the highway numbers or it's just a name--Happy Ridge

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-14688828791032201422010-04-13T12:57:00.000-04:002010-04-13T13:00:47.634-04:00

I'm testing sending pictures to my blog from my BB. If this works and my BB can find a web connection, then I'm set. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-44621897844109357632010-04-11T19:24:00.007-04:002010-04-11T20:34:14.488-04:00

Beverly hopped in the car today thinking I had a plan. As we started out of the driveway she asked where are we going? "I don't know." Earlier in the week, Paula said something about Anglin Falls. I had looked it up and Anglin Falls outside of Berea became our destination.Keeping to our no interstates rule, we routed through Harrodsburg, Danville, Lancaster, and Berea: Google Map.The trail was

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-12446352193352139102010-04-03T10:35:00.001-04:002010-04-03T10:40:13.770-04:00

Last weekend was a travel bust. This weekend, we are waiting for a new range to be delivered (hopefully this morning). Beverly was listening to the radio and there was something about Cave-in-Rock, Wickliffe Mounds, and other western Kentucky destinations. It looks like that is on the agenda. We'll have to do some planning on this one as I think that would more than just a long day trip. We'll

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-28173185839924854312010-03-21T08:28:00.009-04:002010-03-21T13:27:57.994-04:00

Beverly and I love to take drives on the weekend. We usually pick a State Resort Park, a Kentucky winery, or a distillery. The parks are Sunday dinner destinations and some nature walks; nice especially in the spring and fall. We wind up where ever. There are two rules: no interstates (unless it starts getting late and there is a basketball game) and we always start with (or find somewhere along

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-43349197681683902122007-07-05T14:54:00.000-04:002007-07-05T16:11:55.235-04:00

BBQ, bar-b-q, bar-b-que, barbecue. You can argue about the spelling just about as seriously as about which is best. For my money, it's slow cooked, smoked (hickory, apple, etc), pork, mutton, beef, or chicken. I'll not argue these are the only choices; if it can be killed and grilled, it can be barbequed. I will posit that you can't really barbeque shrimp; the best you can do is grill 'em and dip

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-32537963218762528692007-06-30T18:02:00.000-04:002007-06-30T18:24:51.735-04:00

Hah! Very funny. Not me, but real turkeys.The hot dry weather isn't helping my raspberries at all. I've been checking them and, in their shaded nook at the back of the yard, next to the fence line, they have buds. The canes are drying out and the leaves curling. I was walking back to check them again today when I looked, and there, behind the canes, was a hen turkey. She hadn't spotted me so I

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-86629760993315070722007-04-22T15:31:00.000-04:002007-04-22T16:19:13.838-04:00

It is appropriate that I again return to the topic of mowing. One never finishes that task short of living in an apartment surrounded by concrete. Not for me. As much as I might protest, as hot as I'll get later in the year, it's still a satisfying task.Today, I listened to Dr. Phil Plait, the fellow behind the Bad Astronomy web site, discuss science education, evolution, and the value of public

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-12454737057767226472007-04-14T08:30:00.000-04:002007-04-17T21:46:04.370-04:00

This spring season is not particularly favorable for outdoor work and so I have turned to contemplation (OK, there's no live football on TV on the weekends either). I have been pondering the origin of our sense of morality and ethics for several reasons not the least of which is the continuing effort by conservative religious groups (read fundamentalist) to require the Ten Commandments be posted

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-40456313453739472982007-01-15T13:03:00.000-05:002007-01-15T13:36:45.684-05:00

I started to call this entry "Woodpeckers," but changed my mind. It has been raining here for several days and a squirrel is sitting in my birdfeeder. I'm not concerned. Maybe next year, if her brood survives, I'll bemoan the little raiders. For now, it's only the one. In this rural area, feral dogs and cats, coyote, hawks, and hunters keep the squirrel numbers down. I don't mind the hunters; I

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-1150077326764402302006-06-11T21:26:00.000-04:002006-06-11T21:55:27.493-04:00

It rained this afternoon; a steady soaking rain without the the drama of a thundershower. For a short while in the twilight, just before dark, the light was magic. A pervasive deep yellow green illuminated a rising fog seemingly from everywhere and nowhere. Shadows seem to shrink into their hiding places. It suggests a primitive, Middle Earth, light where one might expect Hobbits or Elves to

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-1146705684144599792006-05-03T20:55:00.000-04:002006-05-03T21:21:24.163-04:00

The black locust are in bloom. If you slow down, a gentle breeze will bring their sweet smell to you. It's time to set tobacco. The tractor inches slowly along pulling the planter. The driver twists and peers back to check that all is well. With no quotas and the buyouts, you might not be seeing this for too many more years. The auctioneers have already sung their last chant in most places and

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-1145221846616498992006-04-16T16:11:00.000-04:002006-04-16T17:10:46.693-04:00

It is spring. In fact, it's Easter. That means peach blossoms, the start of daylight savings time, long shadows across the horse farms on Old Frankfort Pike, and others. One special "other" is, of course, mowing the lawn. The first time is always a big production because mowing the lawn is actually the next to last thing I do (before I take a shower to clean up and cool off).One of the first

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-1138571899430545072006-01-29T15:47:00.000-05:002006-01-29T17:06:57.356-05:00

There is something deeply relaxing about losing one's self in the woods. I don't mean getting lost. Today is a very blustery day. There was a short shower around sunrise and I thought the weathermen were going to be correct: warm, then clouds and rain later. The sun broke through the clouds, however. It stayed warm and the rain held off. I decided that today would be great for a visit to the

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-1137444278621603232006-01-16T14:15:00.000-05:002006-01-16T16:43:25.056-05:00

One of my favorite places to go and have a nice walk is Cove Spring Nature Preserve, Frankfort's newest park. The preserve is located off Highway 127 (Owenton Road), north of the interchange of 127 with Wilkinson Boulevard. The spring is the source of the stream commonly known as penitentiary Branch after it enters the wetland west of 127 and behind the State Highway garage. Early pioneers in the

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-1135794446149418252005-12-28T12:30:00.000-05:002005-12-28T13:27:26.180-05:00

It is one of those early winter days that is cool, but not cold, and gray. In fact, it is warm enough that thunder is rumbling around. We've had lightening and a little hail storm. The hail was BB -sized and came down while the sun was brightly shining. If you closed your eyes and didn't look outside or at a calendar, it would almost remind you of spring. But, it's just the unsettled prelude to

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-1135305446387863582005-12-22T20:39:00.000-05:002005-12-22T21:37:26.403-05:00

When I was planning to attend the reunion of my father's WWII pilot's association, I decided I needed a compact digital audio recorder. The plan was to be able to record the veterans telling their stories and answering my questions. When comparison shopping, I found a 20G iPod for a very favorable price (it was an "open box"). With an iTalk microphone, it worked just great; I could record for

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-1132523037027524512005-11-20T15:50:00.000-05:002005-11-20T17:25:30.150-05:00

The small plot (about 10' x 20') behind the house has been cultivated for decades. Shortly after the house was built, Beverly's grandmother, Davie, began the garden. O'Dell and I have continued the tradition; I'm mostly tomatoes and chilis. I have been trying to build up the soil (and break down the Bald Knob clay. I've been mulching the garden with leaves and lawn clippings in the fall and

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-1131974465887633582005-11-14T08:21:00.000-05:002005-11-14T21:44:46.596-05:00

The validity of intelligent design (ID) is being judged, not with data collection, experiment, and the other mechanisms of science, but by Law. Arguments are being heard in the case of Kitzmiller et. al. v Dover Area School District. The question before the court is whether the addition of ID to the Dover science curricula is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-1129667338925793442005-10-18T16:28:00.000-04:002005-10-18T16:31:41.660-04:00

I've just returned from vacation at St. Pete Beach. A fine time was had by all the sisters, in-laws, nieces, nephews. I really didn't do much, which is exactly what I wanted to do: sat on the beach, read books, had a few rum collins, sipped a bit of Kentucky bourbon, ate seafood, flew a kite, floated in the ocean, walked the beach before breakfast, collected a few shells and sand dollars, and

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14346003.post-1128166630532076672005-10-01T06:57:00.000-04:002005-10-01T07:42:46.826-04:00

A cold front came through late this week bringing with it the cooler temperatures and crisp blue skies that announce the fall season. It's still dry and green, but you can tell things are slowing down. Acorns are banging off the tin roof of the shed. In the early evening, this can startle the deer in the back yard as they graze on them. The does get used to it and after a while, the yearlings

Brandon C. Nuttallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11059494930062596283noreply@blogger.com0