Friday, March 8…Calvin and Hobbes (JJ Heller)

 Saw Sam Elliott out on our walk today.  He was riding to town for a part for his truck carburetor.  Kim said, “Hi, Dean” as he passed by, which made him turn around to see who was talking to him. Made some small talk and then he dropped some interesting nuggets into the conversation. He brought up the

topic of the upcoming election and that led to the state of politics in general.  When he was trying to find a time reference for a memory that he wanted to relay, he nonchalantly confessed that he couldn’t remember if it was before or after he worked for the FBI.   Wait! What!? FBI?  He also told us that he’s a Constitutionalist and has never voted in his life.  Also, that when he was eleven, he lived in Ohio with a man from Hungary, who had him reading and discussing political systems, which helped form his political ideologies. Briefly mentioned that a few years after that, being a victim of parental kidnapping, he went to live elsewhere. Getting back to politics, he likened the current attitude of politicians to a specific Calvin and Hobbes cartoon that he has pinned up in his room. Also, he currently works in Tucson for 3 weeks at a pop and then has some time to do other things. That’s why he needs his truck fixed. I confess I had to look up the definition of a constitutionalist. This is the definition that I found on a Standford webpage: Constitutionalism is the idea, often associated with the political theories of John Locke and the founders of the American republic, that government can and should be legally limited in its powers, and that its authority or legitimacy depends on it observing these limitations.

   All in all, it was a very pleasant and coherent conversation and since he seemed sober, who am I to question that FBI statement.  

   Being a Calvin and Hobbes fan myself, I couldn’t help but search for the ‘ignorance is bliss’ panel that he referenced.  I found the panel and found that Dean’s comparison to the actions of some politicians was spot on.

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   Another day made for not getting on the bikes.  Morning air had a damp chill going due to everything still being wet from yesterday’s rain. It started out sunny, then it was cloudy with a wind, the sunny again with the wind still making its presence felt.  Goosebumps on exposed skin. Anyway, we hopped in the truck, instead of on the bikes, for another run to Casa Grande. So far tomorrow is looking like good weather for a ride.  Fingers crossed on that one.  

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   Went down to the cell camera on Nutt Rd. to make a slight adjustment to branches on some nearby bushes.  It’s been sending notifications like crazy without any animals visible.  With the wind we’ve had, it makes sense that the branches have been setting off the camera. Now, hopefully, only animals will trip the shutter.

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   The birds have found the suet cake! Back home, woodpeckers are the main birds eating the suet. The only woodpecker I’ve seen in our yard thought it was a hummingbird; it was a gila woodpecker and it snuck up on a hummer feeder, awkwardly clung to it and started sipping nectar. After watching that performance, I wasn’t sure if suet was on a gila woodpecker’s diet plan. Anyway, today there was a sparrow sitting on the suet holder when we pulled into the yard.  Now I didn’t actually see the bird eating the suet, so it is possible that it was using the suet holder as a perch, just waiting his turn at the seed rings.  But then again….

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   It was cloudy right up to dusk but then the sky cleared so Kim could set up his scope to do its thing. He targeted the Fossil Footprint Nebula or a.k.a. Little Pac Man Nebula. And, of course, with that clear sky came some chillier temps…in the high 40s right now.  Ooh wee! That means the heater will be on tonight.