Expedition Oregon

The Deluge

2009-12-15T10:29:00.000-08:00

i was about to write about the single digit temperatures here at FOB:YF, but it was just too cold. Imagine, if you will, constantly thinking about keeping warm or maintaining warmth, or something do with warm, warmth, heat and/or hot. Sort of like that. Oddly enough, no snow. Color me surprised. Cheated perhaps?

Winter is just getting started, let's see.

Surprise! Now it's raining. Where is the leak in the barn? Why are the impact resistant insulators suddenly not impact resistant any longer? Why ? Why Why?

Suddenly, the venting stopped... and the blog post was concluded.

Not Warm...

2009-12-04T06:51:00.000-08:00

The exterior thermometer read 24 Degrees F as i headed out for chores phase 1.

It's very dark at 6 am. The flashlight beam lights up the ice crystals that cover the grass, dog feet crunching on top of them. The scene, with clouds of exhaled C02 in the air, strikes me a something out of the "X Files"- only we're on a farm, there are no UFOs and no FBI agents. Otherwise, it is exactly the same.

Funny how quickly one loses feeling in their hands at that temperature.

In Memory of

2009-11-24T12:12:00.000-08:00

Usually, the blog posts are light fare. Snarky or sarcastic- thin attempts at humor or maybe brief foray into the philosophical. i won't be doing any of that today.

The BKODs had for a month or so, allowed another feral cat into their domain. He enjoyed his time so much here he was given a name, Ainmire. It is Gaelic for "Great Lord"

Thus Ainmire was welcomed into the FOB:YF family, he would gleefully charge after the dogs at full speed, attempting to leap onto the dogs backs, or perhaps hang from their necks. Ainmire earned his keep as well; hunting to protect the barn from rodents.

Feeding time is always at the same time twice a day. One saturday, last saturday, he failed to come to feeding. On sunday, our worse fears were confirmed by a neighbor down the road.

He had died.

How ? i don't know. Some things, i think, we just aren't allowed to know the why or how.

It just is.

It saddens me that we lost him. The dogs know, the BKODs seem to know as well. Our little family is diminished.

Goodbye Ainmire, you came home after all.

11/14/09

2009-11-15T17:41:00.000-08:00

Ainmire.

In Flanders Field

2009-11-11T15:50:00.000-08:00

In Flanders Fields

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

Wait. Yes, i noticed the date is wrong as well. Here at F.O.B:Y.F, things have been slightly askew, hence the posting schedule. Treading water is a good thing, as this is an indication you are not drowning. Barely.

Chew on that, dear readers.

High, Lonesome, Imhotep.

2009-10-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

Fog

2009-10-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

The ground clouds have made their appearance again at F.O.B:Y.F. With them comes tidings of much toiling; the fallen leaves, the many branches. Vexed are we at lack of the machinery, the workings of which were unknown to the peoples of the islands.

Yeah. i mean a leaf blower.

Rock Yeah.

2009-10-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

There is about 13 tons of gravel and perhaps 10+/- or more tons of river sand currently visiting us here at F.O.B:Y.F. The great winterizing project of 09 has finally begun, so these are not uninvited guests.

To help you keep your mind off the scale of the project, i present "The Real JDM"

To Les...

2009-10-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

Rest In Peace.

Dokken's Don Dokken

2009-09-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

808 Pastry

2009-09-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

i'm sure i've mentioned these before, but here they are again- as i have a craving for them. Behold, the Starbucks Oatcake!

Thanks to A Passion For Food for the reminder of home.

A Car Commercial

2009-09-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

Feeling the Cash for Clunkers Blues? Your old car letting you down? We here at F.O.B:Y.F would like to offer these as practical metallic pick me ups for your automobile "blahs" Forza!

14 September 2009

2009-09-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured,
Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me?

And now my life has changed in oh so many ways,
My independence seems to vanish in the haze.
But every now and then I feel so insecure,
I know that I just need you like I've never done before.

-John Lennon Paul McCartney

Changes, for better or worse, continue to land like unexpected fruit pies falling out of the sky at F.O.B: Y.F.

Did you know that you can only get Starbucks Oatcakes in the state of Hawaii?
Did you know that saimin costs money ? ( along with everything else)
Did you know that Ketchup is Catsup ?
Did you know that some people insist on no anchovies? Shame on you, heathen bastards.

With everything that is coming (and even the things that aren't), i will continue to write objective, un-biased, and scintillating tripe that some call "writing", and others call "swill".
This is for the sole benefits of the residents of F.O.B: Y.F and those amongst you on the internet willing to stomach the journey, stream of Consciousness writing... or what i like to call the venomous blathering that spews from my fingers and toes-Ready at once to peel the facade of mother Internet! Willing to brave danger at every corner of the WWW...

oh wait.

The captain has turned off the fasten seatbelts sign, you may roam about the internet at will.

9/11

2009-09-11T08:03:00.001-07:00

No Surprises

2009-09-06T07:23:00.000-07:00

A heart that's full up like a landfill, a job that slowly kills you, bruises that won't heal...
-"No Surprises" Radiohead

i'd figure that a quote from a goth-y, angst ridden lyric might be a welcome break from the normal torrent of butterknife sharp wit around here. Today is one of the yearly markers here at Forward Operational Base Yamhill Freedom. What is it? Why it's national tune your guitar to low B day, Johnny!

i kid, i kid. i kid because i love. -Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofski, a.k.a "Krusty The Clown"

Things have been a little slow at FOB:YF, the charges have been sent to other ranches for training, leasing or general boarding. That all changes as of Today. i will be the first to admit that the winter prep tasks before us seem a bit daunting, but it has to get done. While it was a nice break in routine, FOB:YF is missing something without our one horsepower friends.

Paradise Lost?

2009-08-31T19:13:00.000-07:00

An article regarding racism in Hawaii, from the Southern Poverty Law Center:

Prejudice In Paradise

Hey Joe

2009-08-26T19:22:00.000-07:00

Acoustic Shred

Mini Heat Wave

2009-08-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

A "mini" heatwave has descended upon the Pacific-Northwest. Thankfully, the residents of Yamhill will be spared from the blistering, brutal onslaught from the previous month. Various weather services have made forecasts of 96-100F today. i am hoping for lower rather than higher.

My charges have been off site for awhile now. Getting used to the change in tempo and scheduling of FOBYF will take awhile. As long as the horses are happy...

Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 13, 2009

2009-08-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

Godspeed, Les Paul.

Baby Luau

2009-08-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

i thought i've seen everything...

via The Tasty Island

A 'Hello Kitty' Baby Luau

Shade Us Now (Or How I Learned To Not Enjoy Summer)

2009-08-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

As an exercise in writing, i try not to let my little corner of the internets turn into a giant bitch fest.
Here is a small bit of good news.

The current brutal heatwave that is suffocating the Willamette Valley in particular, and most of the Pacific Northwest in general ,is starting to break. Relief continues to come with each new sunrise, and the weather is expected to get back to normal (80s' -ish) by Tuesday of next week.

-break

*did that paragraph make any sense at all? i should just write in little notebooks and scan the entries. At least my handwriting would get better..*

-end break

We continue to research our options regarding re-conditioning of the paddock/barn areas. With the amount of *distractions* and *setbacks* happening here at F.O.B.Y.F , channeling energies into something that has tangible, positive results...would be nice. To say the least.

Vague? Fuzzy ? Yes, i do that on purpose.

To the cheese cave , nocturnal flying creature male! It's certainly much cooler there.

106

2009-07-28T15:45:00.001-07:00

That's right, the mercury hit a mind melting 106 degrees F today. Where did i leave my fruit punch?

The weather services are reporting one more day of scorchingly inferno like temperatures (say it with a smile) with some relief coming as early as Wednesday night. For a person born and raised in Hawaii like myself, i would consider a snowfall of at least 1 foot on Wednesday "relief".

Thank you for your time.

Summer

2009-07-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Nation Weather Service has posted a big red warning regarding the Oregon weather: "Oppressive Heat Developing Inland Through Midweek". First rule of writing? Keep it simple. So I present my warning: "Summer. It gets Hot"

Hot Heat

2009-07-26T09:20:00.001-07:00

This week brings us the promise of 100 degree + weather for several days at a time. If i had a wall that was mine, would i put some handwriting on it?