turn off the lights

friday, july 22nd, 2011

it would be a real shame if America lost its AAA Credit Rating, just because the idiotic, moronic, commie liberal-demokkkRATs can't balance a simple checkbook and do the right thing: stop borrowing and spending money (15% of GDP/ Gross Domestic Product !) we don't have. Yet, many voters will blame the GOPer/RINOs, and rightly they should, when an idiot like House Speaker John Boehner (RINO-OH), says this, about a fellow idiot, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (MORON-KY), whose pitiful "plan", which the liberal-demokkkRATs just love, because it gives them 95% of what they want. Don't even bother talking about the McConnell bullshit plan, Tea Party Folks or GOPers; if you pass it, you're all going to lose your jobs come 2012! I frigging guarantee it!

I have a much better idea: unshackle the real job creators, you stupid assholes! Get out of our businesses' way and let the small-medium-large businesses do what we do best: create jobs and get the economy moving again! Whoops, there goes Borders' 400 stores and 19,000 employees into bankruptcy, ∅bummer-boy asshole. And Cisco is laying-off 6.500 workers. Government can't do it; you only create more roadblocks with higher taxes and more regulations, which kill us and the economy. Now they're regulating the race of dolls used for toys at day care centers? Get out of our lives, you corrupt, stinking, PC-sons-of-bitches! All of you!

Forget the electric car crap; your "green & clean energy" garbage and it are a loser and total bullshit, ∅bummer-boy! Where do you think the electricity comes from, incompetent Kenyan idiot? From coal-fired plants, you dumb asshole! GM (Government Motors)'s electric are doomed, too, as no one will buy them. They're allabsolute JUNK and destined for junkyards, not American roads! And while I'm at it, fuck your useless "wind energy", too; it's useless, expensive dogshit, ∅bummer-boy! You'll see my words are very *prophetic", all too soon.

Personally, I spit and piss on the totally-irrelevant, lowlife dirtbag, US Sen John McCain (TRAITOR-AZ), for both his trumped-up and phony US Military Service in Vietnam, where the commies "turned him" (Manchurian Candidate) against the USA while a POW, and on his far-too-many-useless years in the US Congress, where he's just another Congressional RINO Pig feeding at the US Taxpayers' Teat. His comments on this issue are both idiotic and inane. And the dysfunctional US Senate (hasn't passed a US House-proposed Budget in 800+ days!) is just as bad as McLame is: riddled with useless, worthless, inept, incompetent assholes, who can't balance a checkbook or who have never even run a successful lemonade stand in Georgia or another lemonade stand in Texas, much less a real business, and are unable to make a rational, coherent and hard decision about anything which benefits America.

As an aside: Back in the 50s, when our Family was living in Huntington (WVa), due to my Dad's job with Allied Chemical Corp at the time, I had two very successful Summers (1955-56) with profitable lemonade stands, plus another profitable one in 1959 when we moved to Arlington Heights (ILL), also due to Dad's Allied Chemical Corp promotion to Gen Mgr, and easily made money without any government interference, whatsoever. Even the local police would stop and buy a 25¢ cup of my "killer lemonade", easily "the best anywhere in town", they all said. So, liberal-demokkkRAT shitheads: get off those young girls' lemonade stand in Georgia, you stinking bull-dyke, police chief bitch-skank, Morningstar! And now it's happening to another lemonade stand in Texas by the liberal-demokkkRAT-owned, union-driven police! It's also happened in Chicago to a lemonade stand, to a stand in Wisconsin, and to another in Maryland (VIDEO). Are they "protecting special interests"? Health code inspectors? F•ck them! Save the town or county $80,000/yr by getting rid of those liberal-demokkkRAT assholes! The socialist "nanny state", communist "cradle-to-grave" state marches on and on and on, to America's inglorious end.

Racist, hate-America, hate-Whitey, inept, incompetent, petulant lowlife punk, narcissist dirtbag ∅bummer-boy, is a LIAR; we don't need to raise the debt ceiling. We have much more money coming-in as revenue ($200 BILLION/ month) than we need to pay current, "necessary services" bills, such as the US Military, SSA, Medicare and a few others. Let the "unnecessary services" – Congress, most Federal workers, Welfare, Medicaid etc – go without any paychecks. They're useless, US Taxpayer-sucking parasites, anyway, IMO. Raising taxes in a DEPRESSION is an asinine idea, you lib-dem shitheads! Watch this: ∅bummer-boy says "No Depression"? Worst US President ever in our History; 10x worse than Carter was in the horrible 70s. What's the biggest tax loophole around? Almost 50% of Americans pay no taxes. So even though ∅bummer-boy says they aren't, the so-called "wealthy" are paying far, far more than their "fair share" of taxes. The reality is that the top 1% of US Taxpayers paid more than the ENTIRE BOTTOM 95% of all US Taxpayers. But that's only the beginning.

Uh oh, here's come the expected "race card" bullshit, from none other than the idiotic, incompetent, racist, useless, hate-Whitey, lazy, loud-mouthed, empty-headed, sambette bitch, US Rep Sheila Jack-scum Lee (RACIST-TX), and it's eminently laughable, as always with anything that smelly, skank 'ho says. ∅bummer-boy-sambo's "getting blasted because he's black"; actually, he's totally incompetent at handling money and budgets, completely inept at making tough decisions, a liar, a whining punk crybaby, who, when he *can't have it his way*, resorts to storming out of budget meetings, lying to the public about poll numbers, denigrating others on both sides who want to get the tough decisions made, and spending millions on unnecessary travel, ludicrous, asinine and wasteful White House parties, a "US Taxpayer-paid ($500,000) date trip to NYC", with his ugly, fat-assed (has its own zip code) skank bitch, fast-food gobbling, hypocrite 'ho, Moo-chelle, while preaching "austerity for us regular folks". And now, a week-long-plus vacation trip to Martha's Vineyard with an entourage of 200+ people, requiring 6-7 Air Force and Marine Corps aircraft, to stay at a $50,000/week mansion that will cost over $1,000,000/week in your tax money, while we all stay home and "staycation". Get it yet, folks?

The great Thomas Sowell "dissects" the crazed left's bullshit on "tax cuts for the rich". And when I hear the liberal-demokkkRAT filth whine and bitch about the abject "poor and poverty in America", I have to laugh. How rich are you?

∅bummer-boy's commie-infiltrated US Government has formed a small, yet powerful group, which has been "stealing" as much food as they can from America's manufacturers, grocers, and restaurants. This theft has already been trickling down and affecting the American consumer. Just look at how much food you're getting for the amount you've been paying, each week at the store. The packages are getting smaller and you're paying more for it. I know this sounds implausible, but during almost every major financial crisis of the past 200 years, the US Government has intervened in the food supply, in some way. The US Government is stealing your and my food, and giving it to those who don't work and don't pay any taxes; watch this. When 90% of Americans find out, there will be "trouble". "Martial Law" (Operation Garden Plot) will then happen to us all here in America.

We're not entering a "2nd Recession"; we're past the start of a full-blown DEPRESSION right now, by all available, measurable metric standards. The so-called "Debt Ceiling" is a pathetic liberal-demokkkRAT charade. Anyone who denies this is also a LIAR. Just like ∅bummer-boy-sambo's a well-known and a certifiable LIAR. In fact, his entire life is a LIE. It's has nothing to do with race, you ignoramus, ugly, empty-headed, racist bitch! 52% of America doesn't know the facts: ∅bummer-boy-sambo's actions in Libya and elsewhere are illegal and unconstitutional. He should and must be impeached for "high crimes and misdemeanors", according to the US Constitution.

President "Crybaby" ∅bummer-boy-sambo's Top 10 Leisure Activities, which the rest of America isn't allowed to enjoy: 1) Golf: A lot of Americans wish they had the time, let alone the money, to hit the golf links twice a week. The day after the Japan earthquake and tsunami, Obama played his 61st round of golf, fewer than 26 months into his presidency, 2) Foreign Travel: All modern Presidents have taken foreign trips, but President Obama knows how to combine pleasure with business, often picking hot vacation spots such as this weekend's trip (with his family) to Rio, where sightseeing will be mixed with meetings. And Michelle Obama’s extravagant summer trip to Spain with an entourage of friends and security (but not her husband) during the depths of America’s economic woes invited comparisons to Marie Antoinette. (She just went to suck-up to South Africa), 3) Vacations: The Obama clan likes to spend time on tony Martha's Vineyard in August and go to Hawaii for a lengthy family visit around the Christmas holiday. They've taken a long weekend in Chicago. And a trip out West to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. And time at a beach in Florida. Plus several jaunts to New York for high-society events. In fact, he has taken nearly a dozen vacations since becoming President. 4) Dining-Out: Whether dining high-on-the-hog or slumming it at Ben's Chili Bowl, this is a President that likes to eat. After all, his culinary exploits once inspired this headline on a blog following the first family during a Martha's Vineyard vacation: "Obamas Depleting U.S. Lobster Supply", 5) Playing Basketball: At times it seems that Obama would rather be an NBA star than President. He has a regular pickup basketball game with friends, and even played some hoops last summer with NBA stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. But his passion comes with some danger: Last year an opponents elbow cut the first lip, requiring 12 stitches, 6) White House Concerts: Nothing like inviting famous singers and musicians to your house for a little concert. The first couple has been serenaded at the White House by the likes of Paul McCartney, Joan Baez, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and Bob Dylan during performances honoring Motown, Broadway, and "Music that tells the story of America," including “Songs of the Civil Rights Movement", 7) White House Theater: The Obamas have been getting good use of the White House theater in recent months, having guests over for a Super Bowl party, movie screenings, and sporting events. During a screening of Thurgood, an HBO film about Thurgood Marshall, he shared popcorn with Al Sharpton, and for a Chicago Bulls-Charlotte Bobcats game he invited Illinois and North Carolina lawmakers over for Chicago-style hot dogs and pulled pork, with Dove bars for dessert, 8) Sporting Events: Obama likes to take in a ball game from time to time. He often snarls Washington traffic while attending basketball games at the Verizon Center or baseball at Nationals Park. Once, when attending a Georgetown-Duke basketball game, he was interviewed at courtside and briefly called the game for the TV audience. "After retirement, I'm coming after your job", he told CBS announcer Clark Kellogg, 9) Youth Sports: During a crisis, Obama can act decisively and selflessly. He stepped in when his daughter’s basketball coach couldn't make it to a game and coached the team himself, even though his daughter Sasha was on a ski trip to Vail, CO, with her mother, 10) NCAA Brackets: As Japan’s nuclear crisis neared a meltdown and Libyan rebels were being routed, Obama found time to videotape his NCAA basketball tournament picks for ESPN to air later in the week. To his credit, the President did pause long enough to urge Americans to think of Japan while filling out their basketball brackets. Any more questions about this inept, incompetent, racist, hate-America, hate-Whitey, lowlife dirtbag muslim asshole, Fellow Common American Folks?

Countdown until ∅bummer-boy-sambo leaves Office: 547 days as of today, Friday, July 22nd, 2011. Thank You, God!

Here's one of the best, common sense, short articles to read, if you really want to know "the current State of America", and what's truly going on. Go ahead; I'll wait.

Would the Last Real American Leaving-The-Nation, please turn out the lights?

Around The Garden Center

The respite from the heat and humidity was short-lived, and it began its return on Friday, only to be forecast to be much worse over the coming weekend. It is after all, Summer in The Mid-Atlantic Region. Whenever I think we've got it really bad here, I hear about other states where the heat and drought are 10x worse. That doesn't do much to quell my feeling sorry for all the flora and fauna around here, suffering terribly from our oppressive heat and "The Unending Drought From Hell", now in its 16th year. No, the t-storms do zero good, since the heat-baked ground is like concrete and the downpours merely run off into the gutters, creeks, streams, rivers, retention ponds, or into York Water Co's two massive reservoirs, benefiting Lakes Redman & Lake Williams. It is what it is, right now.

I was tired from the day's activity, both expected and unexpected, so I crashed early around 8:15pm. I needed to get to my Church Board Mtg at 8pm tomorrow night, having skipped and slept through last Friday's meeting, as I was worn-out from the heat and frenetic pace. I was okay to go this week. My "alarm clock" and condo cat, Murphy, was already waiting on the bed. I had my clock set for 5am, but I knew Murphy'd have me up long before that rang.

True enough; he had me up at 4:15am, so I fed and watered him, made breakfast, scanned the weather and news websites, and left early for work just as it was getting light, around 5:15am. Today was payday for the employees – not for me, since I've only had 2 monthly paychecks since January – and I'd gotten-in several customers' large checks yesterday, that would help with payroll and numerous vendor bills. Taxes (weekly) were also due today, and I'd pay them online to the state at their website's secure server section. I also received the replacement Wisecomm WW-7700 2.4 GHz closed-circuit, wireless TV camera/ monitor yesterday via UPS, so I had that to install and replace the older, exact same unit so I could keep an eye on the front counter situation from my office monitor.

Once in a great while, I have a "brain fart". Upon entering the alarm-armed Main Retail Building at 6:30am, I drew a "blank" for the disarming code and set-off the security alarm and sirens, and Choice Security Co called to make sure everything was okay, with my special password as ID. Yes, embarrassing, but hey; it happens once-in-a-while to me. I have to remember so many passwords and codes (online/offline) that it's mind-boggling.

It was a busy day, with very little retail traffic, but lots going on. The LSCP Crew installed 15 trees at an estate in Stewartstown, the septic company pumped 2,100 gallons of "solids" from two massive underground tanks, I worked on LSCP Estimate revisions for upcoming, scheduled jobs, fielded many, many phone calls, reserved a day in September for a York-based Garden Club's tour-demonstration-lunch-business meeting, did payroll checks (I didn't get one, once again), paid PA state sales taxes and vendor bills, made appointments for my 3 nursery broker reps to place Spring 2012 orders, met with Rich and Steffi about inventory and LSCP design/plans, handled front counter computer malfunctions with our IT Company in Baltimore, worked on the magazine article, met with Alan about next week's LSCP jobs, was home by 4pm, after a few errands, fed & watered Murphy, and went to my 8pm Church Meeting.

After getting back from the meeting and packing my gear and weapons – my old faded and worn, US Army Duffel Bag from The 'Nam full of four complete changes of clothes, "Jack Bauer" Satchel Bag full of all kinds of "special survival necessities", 16" English Wellington Boots (snake boots, deer/wood tick protection), Hoppe's Premium Field Gun Cleaning Kit, 16" Bowie Knife, 12" LLBean Maine Insulated Hunting Boots (more deer/wood tick protection) plus just good comfy sense in that rocky terrain, Tactical Range Vest, my Deputy Sheriff Badge & ID, which I always carry with me daily even in York, my AR-10 .308cal (7.62 x 51mm NATO), with Leupold Gold Dot CQ/T Scope, extra Hi-Power .308cal ammo (7.62 x 51mm NATO) ammo, my Remy 11-87 Semi-Automatic 12ga Shotgun with an EoTech Red Dot Scope, plenty of hi-power ammo, my Beowulf .50cal with an EoTech Red Dot Scope, and plenty of Hi-Power ammo (300gr .50cal rounds), my Full-Auto, Class III Bushmaster AR-15 .223 cal (5.56 x.45mm NATO), with a Trijicon Acog 4 x 32 Scope, and of course, various Eagle Carrying Bags with pockets and compartments for all rifles & shotguns and PVC "techno-crates" to carry it all in the Jeep. I have specific Hoppe's Cleaning Kits and 20,500+ rounds now "stockpiled" at "The Cabin", for all the various 7-8 calibers I own; just about more than enough, I figure, in case TSHTF – for my Saturday afternoon trip to "The Cabin", I was tired by 10pm, and decided to get some sleep. Saturday promised to be a very hot and humid day, and would tax all of us, despite the shortened Summer Hours Schedule of 8am – 3pm. Murphy joined me, and it only took a few minutes to reach la-la land.

I "slept-in" until 5am, much to Murphy's chagrin, as he was thirsty and hungry at 4am and wanted me up. But I had another bad night and was up 2x with "weird dreams"; then a smoke and up for 5-10mins each time, clearing my head from them. I fed & watered him, made a nice, leisurely breakfast of Eggs, Bacon & Grits and coffee, since I didn't have to be in until 8am on Saturdays, but when I got in, the BS started immediately.

I had the Complex opened-up and running by 7:15, and instantly had a problem with our CounterPoint POS (point-of-sale) system at the 2 front counter computers, in connecting to the server in my office. Without it, we'd be in trouble for retail sale. So I called our IT Company in Baltimore, and Mark stepped me through re-connecting with the Server in my Office. Then, I started watering the 1¼ acre Main Retail Display Area, and after manually moving the zone from 1 to 2 to 3 (of 13), it failed. Then I called Alan and he found it: a GFI (ground fault interrupter) switch had tripped in the Main VWGH (VanWingerden Greenhouses) Retail GH, and shut-down the irrigation system's controller box. Once that was reset, everything was back to "normal". I worked on a complicated, 3-phase LSCP Estimate until almost 1:30pm, fielded numerous phone calls about plants, hours and days of operation and added a new LSCP Maintenance job to the August schedule. We closed-down at 2:45pm and left. I had Sunday off and would be headed to "The Cabin" for the rest of the weekend, such as what was left of it. (Jump down to The “Virtual Cabin” – A Novella; if you please.)

It was an awful 88°F when I got home at 7:30pm on Sunday, and after watering & feeding my condo cat, Murphy, I scanned the weather sites and it promised to be in the mid-90s all next week, with very high humidity, making the Heat Index an intolerable 105°F or worse. I grabbed a shower, fresh clothes, did laundry, set-up the new pillows on both my Master Bedroom's and the Second BR's beds. I needed some quality sleep and hit the bed at 8pm, since 4am would come early. Murphy joined me within minutes.

I hate the Mid-Atlantic's hot/humid Summers and bitter cold/freezing Winters. My favorite Seasons are Spring & Fall, now that I'm 61 years old. I could "take it" 15-20 years ago, but not anymore.

I "slept-in" until 4:30am, fed & watered Murphy, made breakfast of Oatmeal w/ Banana & Cinnamon & coffee, and hurried off to work; it would be a very hot/ humid and busy day for all of us. I met with Alan to go over the 2-day+ job in nearby Stewartstown, but with the projected heat/ humidity in the mid-90s, I doubted we'd get it done in just 48 hours. Because of this and next week's heat/humidity, I postponed Steffi & my re=-pricing all the many conifers (evergreens) in the upper growing field, for at least 2 weeks, until the heat wave broke. We had ticks and snakes to deal with, in addition to the heat, so I opted for a week of 80s, ostensibly the last week of July, according to NWS' (National Weather Service) Long-Range Forecast; hopefully they'd be right and we could get it all done before the Fall 50% Off Sale started in September and continued through October.

By 7:30am, it was already 73°F and climbing 1-3°F/ hour, and it would be un-Godly hot by 3pm, or sooner, when we quit for the day. I had a small desk fan running in my Office, since I only have ½ a window to open *they're horizontal sliding windows and one entire window is occupied by the AC's window unit, but I have that AC unit which I only use when it gets intolerable in the Office. It would be there soon enough. I pitied the LSCP Crew, having to work in this heat/humidity, but 15-20 years ago, I led the LSCP Crew myself in addition to doing all design and estimating work, at 39-45 years old, and didn't mind the weather, even without an AC unit, which I didn't get until 1993; now I do mind it, just as I hate the Winters around here. Spring & Fall are my 2 favorite Seasons. Okay, enough bitching and complaining. By 10:15am, it was already 82°F and climbing steadily. Alan and the LSCP Crew weren't back by the time I closed-down at 3pm – it was 94– and climbing – so Steffi, Kim & I left, armed the Main Retail Building & VWGH and "alarm-bypassed" the Landscape Office Building for Alan and the Crew to use when they returned. He called and said that our $2,500 Edger-Trencher broke-down on the large job in nearby Stewartstown (PA), and he had to rent one, so he wanted to finish that today and return it for only a ½ day rental. I also unplugged the motherboard from the Retail Display Area's Irrigation Controller Box, due to severe t-storms headed our way tonight, in case of a lightening strike. It also didn't look like we'd finish that job in Stewartstown in the allotted 2 days, so I'd have to make a couple of calls on Tuesday morning to re-arrange the week's schedule to accommodate it, and some other people would be disappointed in not getting their jobs done until later in the week. Blame the heat and machinery.

I had several stops to make on the way home and found that the AC output in my Jeep was cold when the RPMs were over 1,500, but went warmer when below that RPM. I just had it re-charged last week during a filter/oil/lube/state inspection appointment at Endurance Automotive, so I'll now have to take it back and have them put another charge into the cooling system. Or something, I guess. I was home by 4pm, fed & watered Murphy, and worked on some Corporate Website Page changes. To save money each month, I'm having my cleaning lady & her husband in only 2x/ month, and do every other week's chores myself. Even I have to "economize" in this shitty economy, brought-on by the liberal demokkkRAT ∅bummer&Co's moronic, idiotic, incompetent, inept "policies".

After scanning NWS' (National Weather Service) Long-Range Forecast and WGAL's weather site, it looked as though the latter part of this week would come close to breaking the 100°F record, and that next week "wouldn't be a picnic" either, with temps in the low-to-mid-90s. We're getting what the west and midwest had last week. I was tired by 8pm, and decided to call it a day.

On the way home, I noticed that gas-at-the-pumps had gone-up almost 31¢ since last Friday. Unleaded Regular (87 oct) is now at $3.65/gal, Unleaded Premium (89oct) is at $3.75/gal, Premium (93 oct) is now at $3.95/gal and Diesel just jumped to $4.19/gal, in the York (PA) area, at many of the larger gas stations.

I finally got a good night's sleep, with the help of those new extra-firm pillows, and was up at 4am without Murphy's "help"; in fact, he was still sound asleep when I got-up. I fed & watered him, made a breakfast of Oatmeal w/ Banana & Blueberries & coffee, and left the bed unmade and laundry in the dryer, since my cleaning lady/her husband comes on Tuesday. The garbage put-out at the curb last night for collection this morning, I left for work just as it was getting light.

Rich was in this hospital and recuperating from an operation all of this and next week, so I could concentrate on writing the article and selecting pics for "Pennsylvania Gardener" Magazine, working with Lauren at NeFra Communication Center, Inc. in East York, on the 25% Off Nurserywide Fall Sale promotion, getting some neglected other paperwork done, and perhaps some vendor's bills paid.

I was in by 6am, opened-up, set-up dozens of pieces of various containerized nursery stock, and tried the manual watering system override; nothing worked, again. So I re-set all the breakers, GFIs for a 2nd time, and still nothing. It would have to wait until Alan arrived since he programmed it, he'd know what to do. Well, the controller box's transformer was burned-out and, although we were getting electricity into the box, until Alan swapped the $48 part (same as a doorbell transformer from a hardware store), nothing worked, except by manually-turning the underground solenoid valves, which we did to start the watering cycles of the worst-dried-out plants. I started hand-watering the other "fried pots" and moving them into GH-2-3-4 in the shade, with plenty of water, to begin their recovery. They wouldn't be saleable for another several weeks, until they'd defoliated and pushed-out a new set of leaves. We'd also have to cut them back to encourage growth. Shit. Crap; it's always "something", here.

By 12noon, it was 91°F and climbing; Kim & I had watered all GHs and the Retail Display Area's worst-hit spots, all morning, with me using the irrigation system on manual override and using a hose w/ watering wand, and her just using a hose w/ watering wand. As fast as we could fill the plants' pots, they dried-out 15-20 minutes later, and I re-ran the overhead 13 zone irrigation system, leaving the field's B&B trees without water. The Jap Maples and other container trees were also automatically watered, and would be again tonight, starting at 4:30pm, running all night through the full 13 zones. The black plastic nursery pots just absorb the sun and heat, and quickly "cook-out" the available moisture. Whomever thought of *black nursery pots*, should be shot, IMO!

I noticed that NWS' (National Weather Service) Long-Range Forecast had *red thermometers* for both Thursday & Friday temps, indicating ***extreme heat advisory*** – something I've never seen before in 21 years in my York area GC&N business – and really got worried about what was coming our way. The whole damned nursery could cook-off between waterings, and we'd have nothing left of any value for the upcoming Fall Sale in Sept-Oct. Worst of all, it was dangerous for my LSCP Crew to be out in this weather, as heat exhaustion and the even-deadlier heat stroke were a very real possibility for them, as none of us were getting any younger. Alan and the 3-man Crew returned around 2pm, with the job finished at or near budget, despite all the heat-related problems with machinery/ equipment breaking-down, he finalized and handed-in the day's paperwork, so I could bill it out on Wednesday. We'd moved Thursday's job up to Wednesday, before the 97-100°F temps arrived, and moved some lighter tree installs to Thursday and Friday, when it would be downright nasty outside. I closed at 2:30 and headed home.

My old friend, Jeff stopped by at 5:30 to take a look at my condo computer's "back-up system", for the super-fast HP hard-drive in the HP Pavilion HPE h8se series (WIN-7 Pro) and Western Digital 2 Tb "My Book" external drive. He made some good suggestions about adding an additional WD 7,200rpm Hard Drive – of which I have 5 "spares" at the Office – tomirror the HP's Main HD in case of a failure, moving all apps off the WD External "My Book" drive and onto the HP Main HD, and doing daily back-ups instead of my weekly routine. I'll be bringing the 5 drives home so we can sort through them and choose which one we want. He left at 6:15, and I called it a day at 8pm. Those new Extra Firm Laura Ashley® Pillows I bought last weekend, are wonderful for sleeping!

Awake at 3:30am, I took care of Murphy's food & water needs, and made myself a nice breakfast of Grits w/ Butter & Sea Salt, Country Sausage, and Pancakes w/ Raspberries, and Turkish-ground, French Roast drip coffee. I probably wouldn't eat lunch, as I have trouble eating in super-hot weather. I'm back down to 182 lbs from 185, now. I had to scan the various weather channels to see if there was a change in the terrible weather which they'd predicted, but it was even worse than last night's forecast for the coming days. At 4am on Wednesday, the forecast called for 98°F+ on Thursday, 100°F+ on Friday and 97°F+ on Saturday, with some relief coming on Sunday at 86°F and "comfy" low-80s through next week. Add-in the humidity of 95-98%, and the "Heat Index" climbs from 100-115°F+. Imagine what the antiquated "Power Grid" is going through.

I'll definitely being leaving for "The Cabin" on Saturday, after work on Saturday, by closing early before 12noon, to get out of the predicted 100°F+ heat. Watering the GHs worried me over the weekend, so Kim will be coming-in Sunday morning and doing that for me. Being closed on Sunday, after those 3 days of horrendous heat, would be a real problem for all those plants in the GHs, without another thorough watering. I'm just hoping we don't have another mechanical/electrical malfunction in the irrigation system during the next 3-4 days and nights – as we did on July 4th Weekend – or we're really, really screwed, bigtime. A lot of plant material was "temporarily-damaged" in Tuesday's 93°F+ heat/ humidity, and I can't afford to lose even more for the upcoming Fall Sale. It'll all recuperate, but that's going to take a few weeks. We need to get on some serious and quick root-pruning and re-potting to larger size containers, as much of the 1gal, 2gal & 3gal containerized plants are growing very fast, have become "rootbound", and are not holding enough water in the depleted soils, for the leaves. This condition makes the especially susceptible to leaf-burn in this hot, scorching weather.

Steffi and I watered several thousand plants all day long. I ran 8 of the 13 Retail Display Area's Irrigation System zones manually, in addition to an overload of paperwork, and she watered the 5 massive GHs, definitely the worst job of the day. Somehow, in her late 20s, she doesn't mind the heat/humidity as much as I do. I was "that way", once-upon-a-time, too. The Landscape Crew was back by 1:15, job completed, and I closed-down at 1:30pm. It felt good to get home, get a shower and some fresh clothes, as I was "wilted" from the heat and humidity. After working on some Corporate Website Pages and this week's "Journal", I got the Banner Ad *.PDF for the Fall Sale announcement, from Lauren at NeFra Communication Center, Inc., for the August, September & October issues of YDR.com, and will forward it on to my adv space rep on Thursday, having already made space reservations. She did a very nice job on it. We still have 2 more much larger print ads (*.PDFs) to get ready for my proofing/changes and forwarding. No radio spots or postcard mailings this year.

I listened to "The Savage Nation" at 6pm EST, on local WSBA 910-AM, for a couple of hours while working on Website Page changes, a show I listened to for many years, but stopped when I found shows such as "Iron Chefs" and "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives" on "The Food Network CATV" more interesting. Once-in-a-while, I go back and listen to Savage and find him still very interesting and provocative. Here's where you can find his show. Then I scanned the weather channels' forecasts: 98°F on Thursday and 100°F on Friday! Shit. Crap! Time for some sleep at 8pm and Murphy was on my heels.

I had a terrible night with my recurring, various weird "Bladerunner" dreams once again, and woke-up at 2am, soaked in a cold sweat, changed pillows, had a smoke and went back to sleep until 4am. After feeding & watering Murphy, making Eggs Benedict & coffee for myself, so by 5:25am I headed-out to the Complex to open-up and begin manual watering of the 13 Zones before Steffi & Kim arrived to hand-water the 5 massive GHs at 8am, so we didn't run-down the 3 wells. It was already 79°F and climbing quickly. But the 3 GFI breakers were tripped – probably from a nightly power surge on Met-Ed's Regional Electric Grid – and I had to re-set them all to get the irrigation system working. By the time Alan arrived at 6:30, it was 82°F, and we reviewed paperwork from yesterday's job and today's agenda. I planned to send both Steffi & Kim home by 11:30, and the guys home by 12noon. I posted a temporary sign – CLOSED TODAY, Due To Oppressive Heat. Re-Open at 8am. – closed-down the Complex, chained the gate and left at 12:15pm. It was 91°F and climbing. I stopped at Weis Markets in East York to get some things and by then it was 97°F, and I headed home to the AC and shade of my condo.

Is the term "Heat Index", just BS? I don't think so. It is what it is, IMO.

By 4:15pm, temps had climbed to 98°F and I had the condo buttoned-up tight to preserve the AC and keep-out the heat. Murphy wanted to go out into the garage, but it was so hot in there, I refused him unlike I usually do, as he enjoys climbing around on and inside of my 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. Letting-in all that super-hot air would defeat my purpose of keeping the condo and myself cooled-down.

I took a short 3hr nap on the LR couch with Murphy, and made a 6pm dinner of a Soft-Boiled Egg with Asparagus, Créme Fraîche Aux Fines Herbs, and Butter-Fried Croutons, Oven-Roasted Russet Potatoes (with skin-on) cut in 1" pieces, drizzled w/ EVOO and Kosher Sea Salt, Crusty Italian bread smeared with Oven-Roasted Garlic Clove Paste, Keller's® Butter and Chanterelles with White Wine, Butter & Parsley, all washed-down with Ocean Spray® Diet Blueberry-Pomegranate Juice. Mmmmmmmmmmmm, good! My training at CIA (Culinary Institute of America) back in the mid-80s, in between advertising jobs on NYC's Madison Ave, always shines through when I want it to, though I haven't cheffed any 3-4-5-6 or 7 course dinners for Family or friends, in almost 2 years. Perhaps I will again, one day soon.

By 6pm,it was 100°F outside and still climbing on all Net weather stations. My condo's Professional-Grade Weather Station read 103°F, but that wasn't an "official" reading, whatever that means. It was so frigging hot that I truly dreaded even going into work tomorrow, as forecast highs were in the 102-104°F range, not counting the Heat Index (screw Limbaugh's opinion).

I decided to get to sleep earlier-than-usual, so I'd be able to get into work around 5am, and check the GFIs and other electric breaker switches, to see if they'd tripped again due to another Met-Ed Electric Grid power surge, and if need be, continue with early morning watering cycles, before Steffi & Kim arrived and started their watering routine. I listened to "The Savage Nation" until 7:15pm, and then headed upstairs for sleep. I took an Ambien® CR™ to help me get to sleep right away, and allow me to get-up around 3:30am to start my daily routine. I wanted to get it done before the 100°F+ heat arrived, get my paperwork and payroll done, send everyone home before 12noon and close-down early. Needless to say, that pill "put me out" quickly, as I was also quite tired from the day's temps & humidity combination.

The “Virtual Cabin” – A Novella

I closed-down on Saturday at 2:45pm, since retail activity was essentially over for the day, and decided to go to my condo in East York, feed and water Murphy with plenty of extra food for the 1½ days I'd be gone. I hit I-83 north, exited at my usual place above York County, and headed down the long road , into the mountains, to The Cabin, about 12 miles south of the quaint old village of Adam's Junction. After pulling into the 1,000ft crushed bluestone gravel driveway, and parking by the front porch in the circle turnaround near the large deck & picnic table on the side deck, I disarmed the building and went in to see Jenny with my weapons first, then back out for the gear. She was happy to see me, but didn't knock me down this time. I fed & watered her, called Randy and told him to stand-down until Sunday evening, after I'd left for York. Although it was 88°F in York, it was 72°F here in the mountains and no need for AC just yet, as the trees' shade was very cooling. I opened-up The Cabin's windows to air-out the place. It was 3:40pm.

After unpacking my clothes and gear into the Master Bedroom and stowing some extra provisions into the well-stocked Kitchen Pantry. I grabbed a shower, some fresh clothes, and plopped myself down in one of the LR's comfy chairs to rest. If I didn't invent "The Virtual Cabin" to escape to, I'd have gone completely insane over a year ago, with all the burdens the lousy economy and traitors in DC have foisted upon me and my business. Although "virtual", when I'm there, it's "real" to me and I "come back" refreshed and ready for another week in the "real world". I had some food and personal item shopping to do at Bev & Tony's General Store, and some freshly-baked crusty Italian bread and delicious "Hot Cross Sticky Buns" to get at Old Mrs Patagonia's Bakery, before they closed at 5pm today, for Sunday's Church Services, so I closed all the windows, armed the building and left for town. On the way in, I filled-up the Jeep at Roy's Shell Gas & Service Station, Randy's father's place, where lots of truckers and scores of tourists now stopped-in right off I-83, in both directions.

When I got to town and finished my shopping errands, getting exactly what I needed, I decided to drive around the quaint, turn-of-the-19th century village of Adam's Junction, and then head downtown to the Town Square, and watch people for a while. I'd brought the perishable groceries with me from York and put them in the 'fridge before I left The Cabin, so what I had in the back of the Jeep wasn't going to matter. It was a good 10-15°F warmer here, since the streets and building reflect and retain heat, than back in The Cabin's wooded property. I love the angled parking; reminds me of going to college at Drake University in Des Moines, IA, back in the late-60s, where everything was that way, and villages and towns had "squares". Those days are long gone in all but a very few communities, now.

While sitting in the Square, one of the Town Square's "residents" visited and I fed him some peanuts from a 20oz bag I'd bought at Bev & Tony's General Store. Soon, I was inundated with tame, eat-out-of-your-hand squirrels and gave the rest of the bag to them. I walked up and down the north end of Main Street, and around the south end of AJ's Main Street, through an alleyway off Main Street, around the east side of the Town Square, past some nice shops, and still more nice places, up to the west side of Main Street, until I was tired of walking, and then rested in the Town Square Memorial Park for a while. I saw Capt Clay pass by in his new Captain's Police Cruiser with state-of-the-art everything inside, and waved. He did an illegal (not for him) U-turn, parked and came back to my bench to visit.

We talked for 10-15 minutes as he listened to the chatter on his belt radio, and I told him that early on Saturday morning, around 0:700hrs (7am), September 3rd on Labor Day Weekend was good for "shooting lessons". I could take 3 Deputies at a time, for 1¼ hours as the 1st shift, and handle the next 3 Deputies for the same time period as soon as the first 3 were re-deployed. I'd join all of them on patrol after the second 3 were re-deployed. He agreed and would work on a "revised schedule, since I'd wanted to do it early and everyone would be working that final Holiday Weekend; me included. Clay still wanted me to have a new, state-of-the-art, unmarked Police Cruiser instead of using my personal Jeep when I was on-duty, and that was sounding pretty good, right about now. At 4:05pm, he got a radio call for a "211 (robbery) in-progress" at the nearby Drover's Bank, just two blocks away, and ran to his new, state-of-the-art Police Cruiser. It was new and state-of-the-art, inside, too. He yelled at me to follow him in 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. I had my Deputy Sheriff Badge and ID, plus my Bushmaster Carbon 15 Type 21S Pistol and Beowulf .50cal with an EoTech Red Dot Scope, and 10 20-round mags loaded with 8 335gr .50cal rounds each (maximum capacity for that large a round), in the back seat in their Eagle Carrying Bags, plus my Concealed Carry (PA CCW 1990) Kimber 1911 "Eclipse Target II" .45cal ACP, as always. I followed him going "Code 2" (lights, no siren), to the bank.

We parked at the north end of the street, blocking any escape, while two other Deputies had done the same on the south end of the street, also blocking it. They were busy hustling civilians off the street and into shops who were told to "lock-up & stay down, away from windows and doors in the rear of the stores". Clay had his 12ga spread across the hood of his Cruiser, while I grabbed the Beowulf .50cal, 5 extra mags and worked my way along the buildings, toward the bank. Just then, two of the robbers, redneck criminals ostensibly from both the Grove and Holtzapple Clans, came backing-out of the Bank, with sawed-off Mossberg 12ga shotguns and a small bag of money each. As soon as they saw the Police Cruisers, they opened fire in both directions, but the shotguns weren't effective at that range and all that got hit were parked cars and store windows. I drew down the Beowulf and shot both of them in their chests, blowing their opposite sides out all over the place, dropping them instantly, never having enough time to go for the Sniper's Triangle, although one was facing me, the other wheeled-around and fired, as I ducked into a building alcove, dropped to my knees and fired from 3ft lower than he'd shot. There was a 3rd perp inside, who started yelling, "I've got hostages"! Both scumbags I'd shot quickly bled-out on the sidewalk and street. The cavitation in the human body (or anything it hits) by the Beowulf .50cal caused massive damage to them both (inside of 200yds) and no Trauma Center Team anywhere, could ever put those "humpty-dumptys back together again".

Hostages "changed everything", now. It was 16:25hrs (4:25pm). I had no Police Radio, so I didn't know what was going on with the other 2 Deputies and Clay, so I crept around the side of the Bank and carefully peeped into a 1" thick, tempered & hardened (but not bulletproof) glass window. All customers and employees were flat on the floor, with the perp standing, his 12ga to one of the women's head. I backed-up 6-8", took aim and fired through the 1" glass, hitting the bad guy square in the upper torso, throwing him back 5-10ft, without his even firing the sawed-off 12ga. I yelled to Clay that he was down and the Deputies rushed the Bank, as did Clay, guns drawn. Blood and tissue matter was all over the place, and on many of the customers, as the Beowulf .50cal blew a hole the size of 2 basketballs out of the perp's backside. I ran around the front, checked the 2 dead guys, and then went into the Bank. Wheew, what a mess! They'd be closed for days, doing "clean-up" from that one shot. Clay just smiled, and then got to business as the 3 Memorial Hospital Ambulances and EMTs arrived, with 2 more Deputies' Cruisers. The need for "back-up" was past; "clean-up on aisle 5" was in order.

I unloaded the .50cal, stood-down until Clay came out and took the AJPD's official statement, while the AJPD Forensic Photographer (new hire) was working on the crime scene. By now, 3 PA State Police Cruisers and 2 FBI Agents had shown-up and taken charge, since it was now a Federal Crime and they sealed-it-off with yellow "Crime Scene Tape". I was grilled pretty thoroughly by both the State and Feds, with Capt Clay adding to my statement, and giving his own. We were "dismissed" and left the Bank area. The Deputies had covered the 2 bodies in the streets with tarps, but the EMTs "tagged & bagged" them and took the 3 to the new morgue. All 3 were positively-ID'd as Holtzapples: Tommy, Bert and Ira. I was thinking that after all the Holtzapples and Groves I'd shot and killed, they must be "running out of relatives", but the woods could be full of them. Who knows for sure? The AJ Fire Dep't was pressure-hosing-off the sidewalk and street, after forensic and DNA samples had been taken and catalogued. The Bank's inside clean-up would be a "more involved process". I was getting hungry, so I invited Clay and the Deputies back to The Cabin for a Bacon Cheeseburger w/ Home Fries, but they'd lost their collective appetites after they'd seen firsthand the widespread carnage caused by the Beowulf .50cal. Didn't bother me; I'd seen far worse in my VietNam Tours w/ 3rd Special Forces 101st Airborne (Green Berets) and later. So I left for The Cabin, another shower and fresh clothes and some dinner.

After a shower, dinner and feeding & watering Jenny, I re-opened The Cabin's windows and front door to continue airing it out, and then sat in a comfy LR chair to do some more reading of "Unintended Consequences" by John Ross. By now, it was 19:30hrs (7:30pm) and it was getting on to dusk here in the mountains, an hour or so ahead of York and Harrisburg time clocks. I did a load of laundry, closed The Cabin's windows and door, lit the LR's Hearth and relaxed. Jenny had curled-up on her Kodiak Bearskin Rug, next to me and the fire. I'd had enough for the day; all I wanted to do was get away for the weekend, and not get involved in any Police activity, but was once again drawn-into it by Capt Clay.

I laid-out everything, except the food in the 'fridge, which I'd need for breakfast, as I did at my condo every evening for the next morning's breakfast, so there'd be no fumbling around looking for items at 04:15hrs (4:15am): plates, 2 8" well-seasoned cast iron skillets, coffee mug, bowl(s), Truvia® Sweetener for the coffee and Quaker Oats® Instant Oatmeal (not grits), Quaker Oats® Instant Gritss (various flavors), silverware and the Chemex® Drip Coffeemaker System. I hate fumbling around looking for stuff in the early, dark mornings, especially when I'm taking care of Murphy and making myself something to eat, get ready and hit the road to work by 05:45hrs (5:45am). I even do it on Friday and Saturday evenings for the weekend mornings; everything's set-up and ready-to-go. Just habit. "Prep work" is the key; I learned that at the ultra-prestigious CIA (Culinary Institute of America) in Hyde Park, NY, as a graduate chef back in the mid-80s, in between advertising jobs in my career on NYC's Madison Ave.

I was asleep by 21:00hrs (9pm), and had another very restless, weird dream-filled night. It wasn't the "Bladerunner"-type dreams; I can't remember just exactly *what dreams they were*, but I was awake 3x to shake-them-off, have a smoke and try to get back to a peaceful state of sleep. It wasn't at all peaceful, but more of a REM sleep, as I'd hoped it wouldn't be. Nevertheless, I was up at 6am and the day and week were ahead, so I fed & watered Jenny, did dishes, a load of laundry, some cleaning and got ready for a drive into town to watch the people headed to their Methodist Church, or Lutheran Church or Catholic Church. No Temples or mosques in this place. Their parking lots would overflow, as usual and from 9am to 12noon, Adam's Junction's streets and sidewalks would be empty. The few stores which would be open on Sunday, would do so after 1pm and would only be for "necessities". They still operated under ancient "Blue Laws" here, which don't exist anymore in 95% of the 50 states.

At 08:30hrs (8:30am), I took Jenny for a walk down the 1,000ft crushed gravel driveway to the road to town, and back to The Cabin, since I didn't want to have to deal with possible ticks in the 3-4-acre meadow. She loved being outside and the fresh morning air, and stopped 2x along the way and "did her business" in the recently-cut grass. Randy, Roy's (Roy's Shell Gas & Service Station) 18-year old son, takes care of The Cabin, Jenny, mowing, firewood and the snowplowing for me. I mail a weekly check for his care of those, plus other chores, same as I do in the Winter for plowing and shoveling-out The Cabin after one of the deep mountain snows. Well worth the $35/ week, plus a "bonus" for extra work such as firewood cutting and stacking, IMO.

By 09:00hrs (9am), I decided to take Jenny along into town; she'd enjoy getting out and walking around with me, on her leash, around some of AJ's Main Streets on a Summer's Sunday morning, when it wasn't so crowded with residents and tourists. Everyone we met said hello, stopped to pet her and get their hands licked, especially the kids. She was an instant hit, and everyone knew her history (the mixed-breed, half-frozen puppy I'd found along the road, rescued, and bought from her uncaring owners for $150, last Winter), so she and I were readily-accepted as part of the town community. We passed by a lot of shops and stores on the north end of Main Street, as well as the south end of Main Street, the west side of AJ's Town Square, a side street off The Town Square, a beautiful cobblestone alleyway off Main Street, and basically covered the 1¼ square miles of the entire downtown. Jenny was panting by now, and I stopped by the Town Square Memorial Park's fountain to get her a drink of water, at 11am. The town was still fairly empty with the 2nd session of Church Worship Services just beginning. By 12noon, it would get busier in town, but right now, it was peaceful and quiet.

New Deputy Arthur was driving by in his new, state-of-the-art Police Cruiser, pulled-over and stopped at the Town Square Park, to chat. He "10-20'd" the Police Dispatcher for 10 minutes, with his coffee, and we talked about the upcoming "shooting lessons" and my 3 Tours in VietNam (Laos, Cambodia & Thailand) with 3rd Special Forces 101st Airborne (Green Berets), during the late-60s/early 70s. He was concerned that he wouldn't pass my "tests" and would lose his job. I assured him that wasn't the case; that it was training and we'd all train until they (and Capt Clay) became as proficient as I was. He now felt better about it. Then at 11:10hrs (11:10am), he got a call about a "domestic disturbance" on the northern edge of town at an isolated, but very large and beautiful farmhouse complex. It had a long gravel driveway road, numerous outbuildings with 400 acres of very desirable farmland, and was one I'd looked at, which was for sale, before I bought The Cabin on its 43 acres. I'd have "gotten lost" inside a place with 10 bedrooms, 5 baths, 3 kitchens, servants' quarters, 2 living rooms, a library, drawing rooms etc, and just didn't have the $1.1 million to spend for it. (Of course, now I do with the "unreported recovery of $7,100,000.00 in gold nuggets" from the huge gold ore vein below the 3-4-acre meadow's stream, last year.) But I had plans for all that "unreported gold" (a "gift to the Town of Adam's Junction" plus keeping some for myself), since the recovered and reported $4,455,731.47 in gold ore was taxed at 70% and netted me another $1,335,720.00, which I carefully invested in oil-shale recovery companies in Canada, and am making 85% profit. Arthur asked if I'd go with him to the site and he ran for his Cruiser. I said yes, and quickly took Jenny on her leash and headed for the Jeep to follow him.

He went "Code 2" again and I was right on his back bumper speeding through town to the north side. I had the AR-10 .308cal (7.62 x 51mm NATO) with Leupold Gold Dot Mark 4 CQ/T Scope, and plenty of .308cal (7.62 x 51mm NATO) ammo in the 20-round magazines. I'd taken it along to show Capt Clay, who was on-duty today, as the weapon-of-choice for long and medium-range sniper work. I was still working on a "short list" of multiple weapons – Kimber 1911 .45cal sidearms, AR-15 & AR-10 rifles, and Remington Semi-automatic 12ga shotguns – for his 7-man force to upgrade to, from their shitty 9mm Berettas and older model Remy 870 12ga Pump Synthetic Express Super Magnum pump shotguns, one of which I have in my massive Cannon Dbl-Door Gunsafe's (which they don't make anymore) collection. We arrived at the farmhouse estate in about 8 minutes, with Capt Clay and 2 other Deputies already there, at the driveway entrance, some 350yds from the main road. Veteran Deputies Tim and Alex welcomed me and we shook hands. I took the AR-10 out of its carrying bag, loaded a 20-round mag, and grabbed 5 others to put in my "Jack Bauer" Satchel Bag, along with all the "survival gear" already inside it. Even though it was a bright, sunny day, the Leupold Gold Dot Mark 4 CQ/T Scope lit-up perfectly and short/medium/long-range shots would be easy.

Capt Clay had the people in the house on his cellphone talking to them about the "domestic disturbance" call, and trying to find out what it was all about. I waiting with him at his Cruiser, behind the engine, as protection from any possible 30-.06cal deer rifle shots, coming from the house. It seems that their one daughter's lowlife "boyfriend" was very drunk, had a deer rifle, had shot at the family dogs wounding one slightly, and threatened to kill the entire family when he was told to "go home and not come back". He was now holed-up in one of the outbuildings, and the family didn't know which one. Just then, a shot rang out and hit Deputy Tim's Cruiser's right rear passenger window, shattering it. Yep, the boy had our range sighted-in, and this was going to be messy.

I went back to the Jeep, and backed it against some dense, tall woods, in the shade, to hide it and protect Jenny, who was inside with the windows partially rolled-down, so she'd be out-of-sight and harm's way. I snuck up the left side of the property under cover of a long hedgerow of large lilacs and forsythia, getting within 50-60yds of the main farmhouse. The outbuildings were scattered behind the massive white barn and silo, leading to the pasture and some of the adjacent 400 acres. Much of the acreage was across the road and extended for miles. With only 9mm and .38cal Colt sidearms and 12ga pump shotguns, Clay and the Deputies were useless to me as covering fire; I was on my own, once again.

I scanned the buildings with my scope and saw the man in the doorway of the livery stable building, drinking from a bottle of Jack Daniels® Whiskey. He was wobbling slightly as he drank and leaned against the door frame, with the door and several windows facing the road, wide open. I could also see some of the family in the main farmhouse peering out of the windows, on the second floor. With a Police radio given to me by Tim, I told Clay to tell them all to get away from the windows; he called back on his cellphone, and their faces quickly-disappeared from my scope's view. I re-sighted the man in the livery barn, who'd by now put the rifle against the wall, thrown-up from all his drinking and was teetering-around the doorway. I didn't want to kill him, although I easily could have with a single shot to the Sniper's Triangle. If I'd wait him out, he'd probably either collapse or fall asleep from all the booze. About 45 seconds later, he was sitting down against the outside wall, head down, and I moved quickly toward him. Without waning, I hit him in the chest with the AR-10's stock butt, knocking the wind out of him, grabbed his rifle and the .357 Magnum revolver from his holster as he was doubled-up on the ground, and radioed Clay and the others to come get him. They roared-up the driveway in their Police Cruisers and were on him like "white-on-rice", had him cuffed, in the back of a Cruiser and secured his 2 weapons. Not a shot fired by us; he got-off only one, missing everyone but damaging Tim's new Cruiser's window. Tim was pissed-off; he'd now have to share a car or ride with someone else until it was repaired.

I walked back down the long driveway to the Jeep and checked on Jenny; it was 78°F she was thirsty, so I drove her up to the large farmhouse complex, and let her out on her leash to get a drink from a bowl of water the girl's mother had brought out. Meanwhile, Capt Clay was doing reports inside his Cruiser on the built-in laptop – no more clipboards and paper reports for them –, Deputy Alex had taken pics and Clay said there was no need to have either the PA State Troopers or CSI in for anything further. I was relieved that I wouldn't have to go through any BS with them again, after yesterday's bank robbery and intense questioning, primarily by the FBI Agents. I don't like Federal Jackbooted Thugs at all, and 75% of them act like that, whether it's FBI, BATF, ICE, DEA, Customs or Secret Service. They're all on a "personal power trip", IMO. Clay agreed 100% that since they weren't there, taking fire as I was, there was no reason for the harsh verbal treatment of any local LEO (law enforcement officer), especially a volunteer like me.

I unloaded the AR-10, stowed it in its Eagle Carrying Bag and the loaded magazines back into my Satchel Bag, for the ride home. The family's vet, and the one I'd chosen to care for Jenny when I found her, Dr Jayson Martin DMV, arrived and tended to one of the family's lab dogs, who'd been slightly grazed by the perp's deer rifle. She'd be okay, and he was amazed at how healthy and big Jenny was, in about a year's time. We agreed that Jenny was due for some needed rabies and distemper shots, now that I was taking her outside, and I'd call his office for an appointment next time I was up here, which would be next weekend. I said goodbye to all, and drove back to The Cabin. It was 16:10hrs (4:10pm).

After feeding & watering Jenny, cleaning the Beowulf .50cal on 5 sheets of newspaper on the Dining Room Table with the .50cal Hoppe's Premium Field Gun Cleaning Kit, I laid down on the large, comfy couch for a short nap; I was tired from the day's activity of off-duty/on-duty with Jenny along, but glad that I didn't have to shoot or kill that drunk, redneck asshole in the livery barn. I slept for a solid 2 hours, being somewhat "sleep-deprived" from last night. All my laundry, changing bed linens, cleaning, dishes etc were done, and I was ready to leave for York in another 2-3 hours, after a nice dinner of Pork Chops, Coleslaw & Roasted Potatoes. I washed and dried the dishes, and began to pack my gear. I'd bought 4 new Extra Firm Support Laura Ashley Fiberfill Pillows for my two beds at the condo, at the local (York) Bed, Bath & Beyond® Store (reg $49.99, on sale for $19.99) and would pick-up 4 more Extra Firm Support Pillows for the two beds here at The Cabin, for next weekend. I also bought 2 each for Mom & Dad, back in York. She turned 88 on Friday, July 15th; Dad turned 87 on April 14th and had a heart attack 6 weeks ago (is doing very well with his new pacemaker, thankyouverymuch), and they could use the Firm Support Laura Ashley Fiberfill Pillows just fine, instead of the older, softer units they've used for years.

I called Randy and put him back-in-charge of The Cabin, Jenny and splitting/seasoning another 1–2 cords (a cord = 2ft wide x 4ft high x 8ft long stack) of split firewood, to add to the Firewood Storage Shed in the Backyard's 10 cords just 100ft from the back door, as the Firewood Stack on the Back Porch was enough for now. If it was just–cut wood, it'd take 3–4 months to "dry and season", and then be fit for burning; otherwise there'd be too much sap in the wet wood and could cause a disastrous chimney and house fire. We're almost into Fall and Winter's not far behind, despite the heat/humidity and drought that we're going through right now. The 30 "Princeton"® American Elms (Ulmus Americana) which Tim Swanson and I had installed last Fall were 16–18ft tall now, and beginning to caliper-up nicely, and would be great shade trees in 20-30 years. The ones we lined the 1,000ft driveway with caught a lot of water run–off from the backside of the 43–acre property, and were nearly 25ft tall already. I was most pleased and would feed them all heavily with Holly–Tone® Fertilizer in mid-November, and again on March 15th in 2012. We worked our asses off for two weekends installing them, and Tim is a good friend for helping me.

With my rifles cleaned and stowed in the Jeep, I loaded–in my gear, brushed, fed, watered and said goodbye to Jenny until next Saturday afternoon when I'd return, checked all windows and doors, armed the building and left for I–83 south at 19:00hrs (7pm). I stopped at Roy's Shell Gas & Service Station to gas–up for the trip, since the Saturday & Sunday's activity had used–up more than ½ a tank, and headed for York and my condo in East York. Murphy was happy to see me, and I watered & fed him, unpacked and laid–out everything I needed for breakfast at 04:15hrs (4:15am). The new pillows would, hopefully, give me some serious sleep after last night's lousy trip to la–la land at The Cabin; first time that's happened. Usually, I sleep like a baby when I'm there. This trip was very different and I'm wondering if the 3 shootings at the bank robbery on Saturday had anything to do with it. Dunno, for sure. (Please Jump Back Up To "Around The Garden Center".).

muslim "Heritage" In America?

Ol' pigshit-for-no-brains, Barack Hussein ∅bummer, during his Cairo speech, said: "I know, too, that islam has always been a part of America's story." Say what, ∅bummer?

First, let's get this straight: islam is NOT A RELIGION; IT IS A POLITICAL SYSTEM OF TOTAL AND ABSOLUTE CONTROL over its mindless adherents, dumbass sambo boy.

Really? Were those muslims that were in America when the Pilgrims first landed? Funny, I thought they were Native American Indians. Were those muslims that celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day? Sorry again, those were Pilgrims and Native American Indians. Idiot sambo.

Can you show me one muslim signature on the United States Constitution? Declaration of Independence? Bill of Rights? Didn't think so, Mr. ∅bummer. There were 55 writers of the US Constitution and they consisted of: 26 Episcopalian Christians, 11 Presbyterian Christians, 7 Congregationalist Christians, 2 Lutheran Christians, 2 Dutch Reformed Christians, 2 Methodist Christians, 2 Quaker Christians, 2 Roman Catholics Christians and 1 Deist Christian.

Did muslims fight for this country's freedom from England? Nope; not a single one. Stupid sambo scumbag.

islam is a political system, with its own 6th century barbaric laws, controlling every aspect of a mindless muslim follower's pathetic life – from when to eat and drink, when to shit, what hand to use to wipe their asses, when to fart, when to rape, when to kill their own mindless adherents and Civilized Western Infidels, how to hate and murder, how to dress like a woman, how to fight like a girl, how many pre-teen boys to bugger, how many times to pray to the asshole moon-god allah and pigshit child molester mo-ham-head, – that all 1.2 billion of them richly-deserve *complete and total eradication from this earth*, IMO.

Did muslims fight during the Civil War to free the slaves in America? No, they did not. In fact, muslims to this day are still the largest traffickers in human slavery. Your own half brother, a devout muslim, still advocates slavery himself, even though muslims of Arabic descent refer to "black muslims" as "pug nosed slaves." Says a lot of what the muslim world really thinks of your family's "rich islamic heritage," doesn't it Mr. ∅bummer?

Where were muslims during the Civil Rights Era of this country? Not present. There are no pictures or media accounts of muslims walking side by side with Martin Luther King Jr, or helping to advance the cause of Civil Rights.

Where were muslims during this country's Woman's Suffrage era? Again, not present. In fact, devout muslims demand that women are subservient to men in the islamic culture. So much so, that often they are beaten for not wearing the 'hajib' or 'burka', or for talking to a man who is not a direct family member or their husband. Yep, the muslims are all for women's rights, aren't they, ∅bummer?

Where were muslims during World War II? They were aligned directly with Adolf Hitler, and the Nazis. The muslim grand mufti himself met with Adolf Hitler, reviewed the troops and accepted support from the Nazi's in killing Jews.

Finally, Mr. ∅bummer, where were muslims on Sept. 11th, 2001? If they weren't flying planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon or a field in Pennsylvania killing nearly 3,000 people on our own soil, they were rejoicing in the Middle East. No one can dispute the pictures shown from all parts of the muslim world celebrating the 9-11 attacks on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and other cable news networks that day. Strangely, the very "moderate" muslims who's asses you bent over backwards to kiss in Cairo, Egypt on June 4th, were stone cold silent post 9-11. To many Americans, their silence has meant approval for the acts of that day.

And THAT, Mr. ∅bummer, is the "rich heritage" muslim filth and garbage have here in America.

And now we can add November 5th, 2009: the slaughter of 13 American dead and wounding of 29 other American Soldiers at Fort Hood by a muslim major who is a doctor and a psychiatrist, and who was supposed to be counseling soldiers returning from battle in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The "heritage" of any and all subhuman muslim slime, garbage and scum in America is that of wanton destruction, murder and death. From 9-11 to so-called "honor killings", to massacres on US Army Bases and the many plots to blow-up people, places and things, the subhuman muslim filth are indeed, "The Enemy Within Our Gates".

The real enemy is islam, not just "radicalized muslims", Rep Peter King (R-NY). Wake-up America and smell the islamic stench surrounding us all!

Slaughtering people for burning a piece-of-pigshit book, the koran – I wipe a dead pig's ass with it – is your "heritage", you racist, dumbfucking, incompetent, narcissistic, petulant-boy, hate-America, piece-of-pigshit, stinking ∅bummer asshole.

Riots, death, destruction, from the pigshit-eating muslim filth.

I wipe a dead, rotting pig's asshole with the koran and all of the subhuman muslim garbage called islam.

Memo to Mr. ∅bummer: "allahu akbar!" is a cowardly war cry, really meaning, "I have to piss on allah-the-asshole", you racist, dumbfucking, hate-America, piece-of-pigshit, Kenyan asshole.

Your subhuman muslim friends in Af-crap-istan sure love you, ∅bummer!

That finally, Mr. ∅bummer is the "muslim heritage" in America. All muslims and everything islamic should be totally-outlawed in America, and their very existence should be made punishable by summary execution, IMO.

Obama, your buddy Osama is DEAD, you cowardly, lying islamic muslim pigshit filth scumbag! Lonely now, are you muslim asshole garbage?

The goat turd mo-Ham-head + allah-the-pig = Satan! Mohammed was an apostate from, and of, Hell.

Oh, I'm sorry, ∅bummer-boy: I forgot to mention the Barbary Pirates. They were and still are, all murderous muslim garbage, richly-deserving of summary death. ∅bummer, your "muslim heritage" is piracy and slavery, plain and simple, going back many hundreds of years and continuing unabated today. muslim trash/filth/scumbags are the biggest purveyors of slavery in the world today. Slavery came from islam and still does, for over 14 centuries.

Any questions, you half-breed, sambo, lowlife scumbag, stinking ∅bummer asshole? Thought not.

Things Which Make Your Head Explode

Nasty, angry, jealous, alcoholic, drug-addicted, bull-dyke skank bitch, Midway, GA, Police Chief Kelly Morningstar shut-down 3 young girls' *lemonade stand* because they didn't have a business license or the required permits? The girls had been operating for one day when Morningstar and another officer cruised by. The girls needed a business license, peddler's permit and food permit to operate, even on residential property. The permits cost $50 a day or $180 per year. Midway Police Chief Kelly Morningstar says police also didn't know how the lemonade was made, who made it or what was in it. It is home-made lemonade, you asshole turd pig! Morningstar: you're a fucking disgrace to America, you skank-assed dyke whore!

Back in the 50s, when our Family was living in Huntington (WVa), due to my Dad's job with Allied Chemical Corp at the time, I had two very successful Summers with lemonade stands, and easily made money without government interference. Even the police would stop and buy a 25¢ cup of my lemonade. Get off those girls' lemonade stand in Georgia, you stinking bull-dyke, police chief bitch-skank, Morningstar! And now it's happening to another lemonade stand in Texas by the liberal-demokkkRAT-owned, union-driven police! It's also happened in Chicago to a lemonade stand, to one in Wisconsin, and to another in Maryland (VIDEO). Are they "protecting special interests"? Health code inspectors? Fuck them! Save the town or county $80,000/yr by getting rid of those liberal-demokkkRAT assholes!

More out-of-control, corrupt, criminal cops, shackling, raping, beating, denigrating young anti-abortion girls, on the orders of their corrupt, liberal-demokkkRAT-controlled police union, and union-puppet-chief. This isn't the America I grew-up in the 50s & 60s. I was always taught to respect and obey police, and still do, but if they even tried to act this way towards me, my Kimber 1911 "Eclipse Target II" .45cal ACP would do all my *talking* to them. All those cops should be stood against a wall and SHOT, IMO!

More than 12,600 welfare recipients and their children will lose monthly checks averaging $511, effective Oct 1st. The state Senate passed a House bill today that imposes a strict 48-month time limit on benefits. Bravo, Michigan! It's a "safety net", not a fucking "hammock" for lazy welfare bums to lay around in, dammit! IMO, all 50 states should have a 36-month limit on welfare benefits. Get out and find a job – 2 or 3 jobs if you need to – you lazy welfare bums!

Welfare is a "safety net", not a "hammock" for millions of lazy welfare bums to lay around in, dammit! Get out and find a job – 2 or 3 jobs if you need to – you lazy welfare-US Taxpayer-sucking parasites!

The reason I haven't commented or devoted any time to this Casey/Calyee Anthony Murder Case, is that I didn't follow it at all. I was too busy with other things. It's heartbreaking that a 2-year old baby girl was obviously murdered, but from what little I've read, the prosecution didn't present enough, other than purely circumstantial, evidence, and the jury couldn't convict for murder and the death penalty, based upon that meager offering. Casey is obviously a lying psychopath and deserves death, but conviction on murder wasn't possible. So, she goes free. Another "OJ verdict"? Probably. But that's our flawed Justice Legal System, isn't it?

Atta girl, Sarah! Tell it like it is. I'll vote for you for President, in a heartbeat!

Wake-up, Illinois! Concealed Firearm (Handgun) Carry works and cuts-down on random crime; that's a proven fact. And after the murders of 3 police officers, you'd better realize that "an armed society is a polite society", lib-dem trash.

Yes, I'll defend ∅bummer any day against this bullshit charge, even though I despise his commie guts! Shoot and kill the Spanish lawyer, Daniel Fiol!

Some People Just Need Killing

It's not my intention to be the judge here — that's God's "job" — but rather to "hasten the meeting" so that He can send the following subhuman filth to the "Fires of Hell", "River or Lake of Sulphur", or whatever He deems appropriate. I'd gladly/happily volunteer, at no cost to any of my Hard-Working, Fellow US Taxpayers, to gladly/gleefully/happily headshoot these murderous, lowlife dirtbags of all stripes — their skin-color doesn't matter to me, at all — and rid American Society's innocents (especially our precious children and the frail, defenseless elderly) of them, once-and-for-all. And yes, I'd rather see one innocent man convicted and executed, than 10 murderers/robbers/child rapists-murderers freed, to rob, rape and murder again. Hey; call me an "Old Fashioned Conservative"! Too harsh? Nah. Just & RIGHT!

Yes, I agree with the premise of this article, that "the death penalty is a Noahic Covenant with God, in a post-flood world", and America should apply it everyday to those deserving death for their crimes against society.

Society's innocents — our precious, defenseless children and the frail, defenseless elderly — must be protected from predators, murderers, rapists, robbers and other subhuman filth, at all times and at any cost.

Piece-of-lowlife-shit, liberal-demokkkRATic California state Sen Loni Hancock is pushing legislation to end California's death penalty. "Capital punishment is an expensive failure and an example of the dysfunction of our prisons," she explained in an idiotic and totally stupid statement. "California's death row is the largest and most costly in the United States. It is not helping to protect our state; it is helping to bankrupt us". Hey, dumbass BITCH: The death penalty works and is very, very final, moron bitch. I can fix "your problem" very quickly! I'll headshoot everyone on "death row" with a single 20¢ .45cal ACP HP (hollow-point) round from my Kimber 1911 "Eclipse Target II" .45cal ACP, at NO CHARGE to any Kalifornicate taxpayers. I'll pay for it if you let ME KILL THEM ALL! Deal?

Head-shoot and kill this subhuman, pig-fucking muslim filth, Rageh Almurisi, 26, for trying to storm the cockpit of a San Francisco-bound flight in May, after allegedly yelling "God is Great" in Arabic and pounding on the cockpit door of American Airlines Flight 1561 from Chicago. KILL HIM! I volunteer.

Both of these subhumans need killing, for their crimes. Instead, we'll spend millions of hard-earned US Taxpayer dollars on them, in either prison or psych wards with "three hots and a cot", trying to "rehabilitate" them. Bullshit; KILL THEM. Now, that's "permanent rehab", IMO.

Subhuman alcoholic, drug-addicted, lowlife dirtbag, Rodney King is back in the news? Here's $10 toward a fund to KILL HIM and get rid of the subhuman, riot-causing asshole!

Subhuman garbage in Peoria (IL) "flash mob" need instant killing with full-auto AR-15s equipped with 100-round drum Beta Mags, IMO! Or with my AR-10 (7.62 x 51mm .308cal) equipped with a Beta Mag, too! I'd kill all of them in a f•cking heartbeat, no matter their skin color!

More "flash mobs" need instant killing, this time in Chicago/DC/Vegas/St Paul/ and anywhere else; I'd kill all of them with my .50cal! Put 'em DOWN & DEAD, like the subhuman, rabid dogs they are!

"Flash mobs" or "wilding"? Who the fuck cares? KILL THEM ALL! I volunteer with my .50cal, AR-15 or AR-10! They're subhuman animal garbage-shit-trash-filth!

More subhuman lowlife filth in Philly on a rampage? KILL THEM, too! If the chickenshit cops won't "handle it", we Citizens will! I volunteer to kill them, any color will do nicely!

Even more subhuman dirtbag garbage in Philly on an attack on defenseless women? KILL THE SUBHUMAN FILTH!

More rampaging sambos in Milwaukee attacking a "bleeding White girl"? KILL THEM ALL! I volunteer; color not important to me!

Where's all the "white trash flash mobs", huh? There aren't any yet, folks, but if this sambo-scum "flash mob" shit keeps-up, THERE WILL BE FAR WORSE THAN BLACK FLASH MOB ATTACKS! There will be wholesale slaughter of entire black communities and neighborhoods; count on Civil War II coming! Here's how to KILL in a "flash mob" attack. And here's more on how to KILL those subhuman filth in a "flash mob" attack, no matter "what color skin they're in".

Personally, I carry concealed (PA-CCW 1990) a Kimber 1911 "Eclipse Target II" .45cal ACP, with a Galco Dual 8-Round Mag Carrier for my Kimber .45cal and if I have my "Jack Bauer" Satchel Bag along, it's full of "all kinds of survival necessities", such as another 8-10 8-round magazines for the Kimber .45cal. Two Sniper's Triangle shots per subhuman scum, and they're instantly dead. You'd better "be prepared"; it's coming right before the 2012 Elections, IMO. Stock-up on food, water, guns, ammo especially, TP, Sterno cookers, first-aid kits etc. Think I'm kidding? Guess again, friends.

Are you ready for Operation Garden Plot? You'd better be.

For making such a hate-filled, anti-American decision, New York State Supreme Justice Paul Feinman should be stood against a wall and executed, IMO. Of course, ABCNews takes the subhuman muslim (islam is totally a POLITICAL system; NOT a religion. It is a system of militaristic fascism with elements of religion thrown-in as a disguise. islam is pigshit, IMO!) filth's side, on this hate-America issue.

Hate-America, anti-US Military bitch and traitor, "actress" Jane Fonda said in a statement posted on her website today that the QVC television channel canceled an appearance they had scheduled with her today to promote her new book "Prime Time," blaming the cancellation on what she called "well funded and organized political extremist groups". In the same statement Fonda said, "I have never done anything to hurt my country or the men and women who have fought and continue to fight for us". LYING BITCH! In 1972, during the Vietnam War, Fonda took a two-week trip to North Vietnam, where she was photographed sitting on an antiaircraft gun that North Vietnamese forces otherwise used for shooting at American planes. She richly-deserves summary execution for TREASON, as she did 35 years ago, IMO! I'd volunteer to put a bullet through her liberal-demokkkRAT-commie, traitorous head, at no charge to US Taxpayers.

A convicted sex offender given custody of a 3-year old girl? You gotta be kidding me! KILL HIM!

Once again, the stupid Brits got it wrong: serial killers are entitled only to summary death, NOT benefits, you dumb asshole morons! You live on a fucking island, and have no latitude to talk any common sense, Limey cretins.

When Abdulhakim Muhammad killed a soldier outside a recruiting station in Arkansas, he hoped the world would pay attention to the war he had declared on the United States. He took responsibility for the shooting, called it retaliation for US military action the Middle East and claimed ties to al-Queerda. But when Muhammad goes on trial this week in Little Rock (AK), he won't face any federal or terrorism charges. He complained he's being treated like a common criminal, with a state trial on a capital murder charge. There will be no grand stage for his political beliefs, and if convicted by the state rather than the federal government, he faces a much greater chance of execution. KILL HIM!

UN High-Asshole Commissioner for Sub-Human Rights, Navi Pillay, accused the United States of breaking international law when Texas executed Mexican citizen Humberto Leal Garcia Jr, last Thursday night. The execution sparked controversy after the illegal International Court of Justice in the Hague determined in 2004 that the US had violated the Vienna Convention when officials failed to tell foreign inmates about their right to visit their consular officials. But the US Supreme Court voted yesterday that Texas could go ahead with the execution, even over the objection of president ∅bummer-boy-sambo. Pillay said today the execution "raises particular legal concerns" about the fairness of the proceedings against Leal. Fuck all of you, UN asshole, subhuman commie filth! Get the fuck out of my country, scumbags!

Thank you, Texas, for making my week by executing another subhuman, murderous piece-of-lowlife-shit, Mark Stroman, 41, Wednesday night. May he rot in Hell, and good riddance, asshole!