Why don't I pay more attention to the lessons of literature? Here I was almost gloating because for almost three weeks it appeared that my nylon mesh fencing had defeated the menace of the furry little bastards.
Alas, I should have heeded more closely the words of Gandalf: Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again. (That is from the Chapter "The Shadow of the Past" at page 60 in my copy of FOTR, Houghton Mifflin Co. paperback. I can't recall if it made it into the naaaasty, wicked movie version. (But that's a different subject.))
As I was helping the girls with their bath tonight, I glanced out the window and saw the Foul Bunny of Mordor go through the fence! When I dashed out, hoe in hand, he shot through yet another section like dammit. An inspection of both points revealed that the mesh had been cut (whether by biting or just pressure, I don't know).
That's it! I've had enough. Over the winter, I know I'm going to have to get more chicken wire and reenforce the perimeter up to three feet from ground level. In the meantime, I'm getting that air-rifle I've been talking about. I can get within about ten yards of the little sneak to take a shot - plenty close, even with a BB gun. (My father used to plug squirrels that were raiding the bird feeder with one.) Not only that, once I do bag this puff-tailed Junior Balrog, I'm going to stick his wee head on a stake at the entrance to the slot leading to the local burrow as a warning to any other potential pests. See if I don't.
My current Metro reading is VDH's Ripples of Battle.
Now as much as I admire his work, one thing that has occured to me more than once is that Hanson could really use an editor who strictly limits the use of exclamation marks. They seem to come about the rate of one every two paragraphs in this book. This is really too much for something that purports to be calm, scholarly, historical analysis. It's beginning to make me twitch.
Just saying.
I love the name of this site - Memento Moron. Sound advice for all of us. Go on over and check it out.
Yips! to Tim Worstall.
Mr. Enoch Soames, Esq., serves up one of Plum Wodehouse's classic lines.
The man (Wodehouse, that is) had an endless store of these little gems. One of my favorites from his early school-boy story phase, which I am (badly) quoting from memory, is a description of a group of loafers and bums hanging around a village bridge:
They had the appearance of those who seek employment but are only offered work.
Another, from Uneasy Money, describes a very large (and drunk) young lady developing the mashers for Bill Chalmers:
'I'm sure,' said the Good Sport, languishingly, like a sentimental siege-gun, 'that if I had ever met Mr Chalmers before I shouldn't have forgotten him.'
A third, from one of the Bertie & Jeeves short stories, describes the laugh of a certain hearty young lady (Honoria Glossip, I think) as sounding "like a squad of cavalry charging over an iron bridge".
Priceless.
To be perfectly honest, I'm feeling a bit burned out by politics at the moment, so when I came across this long post over at Sheila O'Malley's on the movies of Howard Hawks it made me feel a lot better.
She's in overdrive at the moment with all the types of goodies that makes her a required daily read. It's always reliable but NEVER predictable.
We go back to school this week, so the main impact on me is that I have to start wearing socks again. Registration is tomorrow, and classes begin friday. Maybe I need to draw up my syllabi.....
Anyhoo, our post-modern pentathaletes over at The Hatemongers Quarterly are on top of the story for all you college kids, with the Official HMQ Back to College Week Survival Guide.
Monday of course was the complete guide to drinking games. My only addition would be to remind kids that because of the concept that they'll learn about in Econ 101 called the exchange rate, if you use a Canadian quarter it will only get you about as 60% drunk as if you use an 'Merican one. However, if you can get your grubby paws on a 2 Euro coin, dude, you're going to get hammered about 75% more quickly!
Today's entry is about orientation: the condensed version is how to learn to suck up the po-mo mla ideological line.
That is, of course, if you make the mistake of wandering into my classroom....
(Eloise is on a roll, btw---scroll down for her absolutely hilarious "How to Frighten an Oboist")
Guest blogging over at Larry Lessig's: Richard Posner.
As in the Honorable Judge Richard Posner of the Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. As in Professor Posner at the University of Chicago Law School. As in Richard Posner, one of the most prolific authors in the law.
Talk about being the king of all media.
Beck over at Incite has a great piece on "marketing myopia"---the tendancy of organizations or entities to not realize or remember what business they are in. The result? Failure.
So what business are the Llamas in ? Well, maybe our title should be "Fat and Merry Jack Falstaff's Ye Olde Tasty Bits Internet Crack House and Comedy Shoppe"
Yesss! I've now managed to install my Star Trek Voyager Door Chime (TM) on my incoming email notification. I am still sufficiently ignorant of all things computer-related to consider this a major triumph, particularly as I had saved it on a floppy disk from my old system and brought it over here with me.
Roll your eyes all you want - these are the little grace notes that help make life more enjoyable.
This may be akin to asking how to flip on a light switch, but can somebody out there tell me how you go about doing a strike-through on a post? I've always thought it was a nifty editorial device, but could never figure out how to do it myself. Thanks!
Where the hell is a phone booth when you really need it? The Cranky Neocon managed to catch me in media res. Good thing I wasn't wearing my Bart Simpson undies yesterday. Well done, indeed!
Go on over and have a look at The Bookish Gardener's post and photo of her Joe Pye Weed.
I have two big clumps of JPW in my garden, about half started from seed over the winter and the other half obtained from Park Seed. All of it is thriving and in full bloom at the moment. (Indeed, I pirated this pic because mine looks very much like this, only a bit bushier.) As Chan notes, a very happy, satisfying sort of effect. One of my groupings is smack up against a patch of black eye susans - the lavender/yellow combo looks very good indeed.