Odd interests and activities

[mahayana]

This is the annual Rattlesnake Roundup weekend, and I went twice. Bought a CD of Woody Guthrie.

I spent about 10 hours surfing around the internet on the subject of fuel-ethanol. Also spent some time posting on whistlestopper.com , in the science, religion, and US politics sections.

Listened to a Frank Sinatra CD and played along. (It has the song "This Love Of Mine" that's also in the MB2 book). Got out the sheet music to "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" and did a rough chord-melody thing.

What was your day or weekend like?

[Professor]

I never agreed with that rattlesnake roundup. It seems so cruel the way they do it. PLUS -- it desimates the population, and those snakes are eating much less desirable creatures than rattlesnakes by the ton. I know...it may not seem like there are less desirable creatures, but it's true.

Beverly Hills recently outlawed feral cats, and forbade people to let their cats outside....until all those rich snobs found themselves Ass-deep in rats! Coyotes are the same way. The average Coyote eats 3 or 4 rats and mice a day.

[mahayana]

I can see you haven't lived out in the country in West Texas, Prof. It's the Big Country, but you can't look at the horizon when you walk around. You have to look down all the time, LOL.

The rattlesnake population is doing fine. The roundups don't make a dent, much less decimate. They have been doing this for fifty years and still got 11,800 pounds of live snakes this year.

[morjaz]

I read that rattlesnake meat isn't that tasty....that's a pity.The Sweetwater Roundup sounds like a good time though......at 3 days long it must be quite a big affair.
I spent the last week with my partner and her brother,holidaying up in Golden Bay, which is in the top left hand corner of the South Island of N.Z.
It's called Golden Bay because of the color of the sand up there on it's many beaches.There's also hills and mountains covered in subtropical bush which we did some tramping in.
Sounds like the opposite of the West Texas Big Country..
Heard some good live music,too...some good western swing on one night....and some very heavy jazz bass on another night.On another night we went out to to catch "Walk the Line"....it was great to see Jerry Lee,Elvis etc doing their thing in the early days of rock n roll...
All in all it was a good trip.....

[mahayana]

Well, it doesn't really taste like chicken...there's a fishy flavor in there, too. The real purpose of the event is education, and they "milk" every snake for making anti-venom. I've never "hunted" snakes to sell at the roundup, and I don't harm any except the ones that come into my yard. One good thing about rattlesnakes is they make you keep the lawn cut!

[L4sleeko]

EEEK! At first read I thought you said "it doesn't really taste like CHILDREN". Well, THAT"S a relief.
?;^)~

[mahayana]

I've always been interested in gardening and horticulture- have been going crazy planting things here on the new six acres. This is my 4th orchard (in 3 States) - so far it has 4 varieties of apples, 4 of peaches, 4 of apricots, 3 of pears, 3 of plums, 3 of figs (rooting cuttings of 6 other ones), 3 of blackberries, 3 of raspberries, 9 of blueberries, 2 of strawberries, 2 of pecan trees.

Also have planted many kinds of flowering shrubs, bulbs, etc- mostly ones with fragrant flowers. And I have two vegetable gardens, the new one is 50' X 70' where an old hog pen once was.

Another thing I've been getting into this winter is astronomy/stargazing. I've been watching Saturn and Mars and Jupiter, learning to identify constellations, etc. My son thinks this is some kind of spiritual thing, finding one's place in the universe...don't know about that, but it's something most folks never get around to.

[morjaz]

Hey,Mahayana......how's things? I moved from my small hometown to the city a while back and lost track of the band I'd played with.Still getting used to city life.I've joined up with the community gardens...whole bunch of 'greenies' growing vegetables....also joined a creative writing group and have written some stories...this is all good fun.I'm beginning to get back into more guitar ac

[morjaz]

Hey Mahayana. How's things? Kiwijohn here. I moved to the city a while back from my little hometown...and lost track of the band I'd played with.Just getting used to city life.Joined up with the local community gardens..a bunch of 'greenies' growing vegetables.Pretty cool place.Also joined up with a creative writing group and have written some stories.Also good fun.Getting back into guitar a bit now and will go along to the local open mic scene this week which is at a place called the Sand-dance Cafe. Going to brush off "Scotch and Soda' for my first offering.

[mahayana]

Hey, KJ. Guess I'll have to check this place more often, good to hear from you. Sounds like you're keeping busy. I've been dealing with $$$ issues, lost it all in the stock market. So much for my short-lived prosperity, hah! Everything is worth less, have been trying to sell my other house for several years now.

Latest song I'm fooling with- "Across the Borderline" by Willie Nelson. Kind of a country/existentialist thing, with the little intro borrowed from Simon & Garfunkel's "Bookends."

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[morjaz]

Mahayana......Sounds like a short ride you had with the stocks and shares.But in another post you mentioned all the vegetables and fruit you have planted.It's pretty cool to be able to grow your own food.
Only vaguely familiar with Across the Borderline.I used to play a lot of that Simon and Garfunkel early stuff - learnt a lot of finger picking from that era."Leaves That Are Green." etc.
The little progression you posted I saw as something I've used for All Blues.