Occupation of Independence

Microsoft sent me another fan letter, informing me of the imminent end of security updates for my Windows 7 laptop, purchased in 2011. Rather than get angry at being forced into buying a Windows 10 computer -- which I really don't want -- let me try to be a good sport: 8 years is a good long life for a $250 computer. 'It doesn't owe me any money,' as the saying goes. I was shocked at how bad the laptop choices were at places you'd think would be good: Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, New Egg, and Target.  Maybe it was the websites that were poor. They can't seem to categorize sensibly. For instance, if you ask for "Windows laptops", it gives you Chromebooks. If you ask for 11.6" displays, it gives you 14" and 15" displays. If you ask for the Windows 10 operating system, it makes you dig through the entire write-up before you learn that the computer uses Windows 10 "in S mode." S mode is Microsoft's devious plan to forc

You think it is easy to be a political strategist? Imagine the self-control required right now of Democratic leaders in Congress. What are they thinking? It is probably that they should give Trump enough rope to hang himself with. That is, he should get his and Netanyahu's way in starting a war with Iran, and make himself a one-term president. Of course the Democrats need to sound unsupportive of the War, while appearing to "Support the Troops." That's not easy. The rope that Trump hangs himself with is likely to prove successful -- at least more successful than the phony Russiagate scandal the Democrats (and their Media) tried to pull off. Then again, what if Trump is brighter than he sounds, and he limits the Iranian War to a few localized airstrikes? His real risk comes from sending ground troops. The American people won't get too upset about a video game in the skies over Iran. Heck, it will just be a form of Reality TV. Unless the price of oil re

Perhaps it shouldn't have surprised me. After all, this is multiple-use public land. I drove around a corner on a narrow dirt road, and saw about 75 black cows walking toward me. They certainly chose a good year. Look at all the greenery to munch on! This experience seemed amusing to me because I have been watching old "Rawhide" television shows on DVDs. From 1.bp.blogspot.com I stopped and shut the engine off. The cows plodded slowly around my vehicle. There were what appeared to be three generations of a ranching family. The youngest was a girl about 10 years old. Actually I really enjoyed seeing such an atavistic scene out of the "Old West." Somehow, the cowpersons seemed to sense my pleasure -- they gave me friendly waves and even talked a little to me. But of course, there was no camera handy!  It is funny how Hollywood made the cowboy life look glamorous and interesting. Whenever I have seen a cattle drive, the cowboys seemed hot and bore

I smirked and rolled my eyes this morning when I read about the attacks on the oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz.  Does the Netanyahu/Trump administration really have that low of an estimate of the intelligence of the American public? Then again, maybe I should cheer the Netanyahu/Trump administration on. A good spike in the price of oil might be all it takes to bring on a global recession. The means bye-bye for Trump. It might also slow down the tourist traffic in Colorado this summer. Recessions and low prices are beneficial to retirees, especially ones who are in the market for a new motor vehicle.  I don't watch cable news but they are probably parroting charges against the Iranians. Until any independent evidence shows up, here is my explanation for 'who dunnit.' Netanyahu finally convinced the Trump administration to bring on some sort of incident that Iran could be blamed for, and would achieve their long term dream of starting a multi-trillion dollar war

The river-runners are going crazy this year, thanks to heavy snowfall. What will the river look like if we have a warm spell and the mountains shed snow-melt like crazy? The river is flowing from right to left! Surfer boys on the river? This last guy was like a dancer on the water. Isn't it amazing what human beings can learn to do?! It is hard not to like the outdoors culture of this state. On the same day, the Ride the Rockies bicycle tour came through town. It was a steady stream of bright jerseys and spandex for about 2 hours!

As always, sunrise was perfect at the campground; but hardly anybody experienced it. With conditions so unbeatable this morning, it seems ironic to have stumbled onto a business news article that brought on a nightmare. "Wolf Street" had an article about FedEx telling Amazon to jump in a lake. Amazon is aggressively building up its own delivery capabilities, from cargo planes to last-mile delivery services, and in the process has become a logistics giant in its own right, as it is trying to get control of its shipping costs and move business away from FedEx and others. Does this imply a bizarre future for the 'RV/mobile/nomadic' lifestyle? Can't you just see it? Amazon's "Camper Force" could be upgraded to thousands of nomads pulling small trailers, and doing deliveries for Amazon. As restrictions on camping increase every year, and as everybody uses internet blabbermouth websites to find the few campsites that are still available, RVers

Never again will I allow anyone to use the phrase 'nice sunny day' in my presence without an argument. How much sunlight do you need for life? What life really needs is Water. This winter and spring are turning out to be more blessed than any year I can remember. At this time of year (June) the sky is supposed to be hopeless: a blue-white glare, utterly cloudless, uninteresting, and enervating. You can barely step outside in mid-day without an aluminum umbrella. But it is different this year.  I hope it snows on the Fourth of July. But of all the Life brought forth this spring, the best is represented by Greta, a 10-week-old golden retriever pup, who wandered by my campsite the other day.  She was fearless around big dogs: Let's see, how did that little jingle in Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance (?) go? Remember the "Three Little Maids from School?" Wasn't it...'Life is a joke that's just begun...' It

I would like to find some more books on the "post Exilic" career of the Jehudi elite, who returned to Palestine after a few decades of captivity in Babylon. They somehow managed to turn primitive Jawhism into Judaism, one of the most historically important religions of the world. They returned to the unimportant province of Judah, where they could have been seen, almost, as foreigners. Apparently most of the "Hebrew Bible" (aka, Old Testament to Christians) was written during this post-Exile. And they did such a good job of it, with dramatic stories of ancestral heroes, that a Jewish identity was made solid and lasting. But until I get a chance to learn more about this process, around 500--450 BC, I wonder how this example compares with more recent ones. How many times has an Elite been overthrown (taken captive, etc.) and then returned to its homeland, only to blossom into something much greater that it was, originally.  It is a rare experience, is it not? Oh