The Scariest Things In the World

[Mike (the Paladin)]

You have proved yourself a "Renaissance woman" you ride a motorcycle AND drink mocha lattes. I'm proud of you. Be yourself!

[Sharon]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "I know most shake their heads at this as they can't conceive of our grids (power, water, information, communication) failing. But they can. An EMP in the right place could shut things down for year...Automobiles today can't be worked on without a computer. An EMP also wipes out their circuitry. Houses can't be heated without electrical power.Food is shipped for hundreds of miles, most cities have about a 3 day supply if something happens. "

I'm probably one of the few 'fortunate' people. Grew up on a remote ranch in MT, no electric, no running water, no indoor plumbing, no telephone. Went to town (60 miles over gravel roads) maybe once a month during the summer months, not more than once every 3 or 4 months during the worst of the winter. Got electric (REA) in when I was 10 or 12. Didn't get phone lines or indoor plumbing until I was grown and gone from the ranch.

I moved to KY 12 years ago but the two years before that I lived on another remote MT ranch, electricity was the only modern convenience ... water was a spring near the cabin, telephone service available only by cell phone if you drove up to the top of the hill.

I've raised gardens most of my life (have lived very little of my life in the city), I can and do raise livestock for meat and I've hunted most of my life as well. I go to town (20 miles) once a month to shop for groceries and could likely survive 3 months or more on what I have on the shelves and what we raise here on the farm now.

Would I enjoy doing without the amenities I've learned to appreciate? No. Could I survive without them? Yes.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

That's how I feel. I'd hate to lose all the modern "inconveniences" as Popeye once called them. I'm sort of busted up now so my getting by will depend on what the disaster is I suppose. Hope it doesn't come. Still I shudder at what my own kids and their contemporaries can't do.

[The Pirate Ghost, Long John Silvers Wanna-be]

I'm with you Mike... I remember talking on watch with the young guys on the Battleship Wisconsin and when they young guy walked off, going, "you know, I know I learned about that shi (...er stuff) in High School, how come this college graduate Ent-swine (Ensign) hasn't got a clue?

[Mike (the Paladin)]

What can we say. I do need to replenish our caned goods.

[Sharon]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Hope it doesn't come. Still I shudder at what my own kids and their contemporaries can't do. "

A good friend of mine, raised somewhat like I was has a 40-something son now a computer guru of some kind living near Washington DC in an upscale residential area. He and friends were discussing this and they were absolutely horrified when one of his 'suggestions' was to rename their two pet rabbits "lunch" and "dinner" ...

I know some of my interest in apocalyptic fantasy and sci-fi is because I have to snicker at some of the truly gaping holes in the logic and impractical (impossible) situations.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Have you read Heinlein's youth books? I'm thinking of Tunnel in the Sky.

[The Pirate Ghost, Long John Silvers Wanna-be]

I have, great book! (I liked it better than Heinlein's more philosophical stuff.)

[The Pirate Ghost, Long John Silvers Wanna-be]

And i notice the your showing your Atticus (sp) today Mike... works for me. Very... that's scary if your a Mocking Bird.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Reread TKaM recently, so I went with the Atticus avatar.

I had two ripe tomatoes this week...I got one. A squirrel got the other. I live in Nashville, but I'm unlimbering my pump up air pistol for little furry if he decides to munch on the garden stuff.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

It's like a few years ago when I was into bow hunting. My hunting buddy was part of my D&D group. I think we were a minority..deer hunting and D&D players.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Blue Jays eat up gardens to. Haven't had much trouble with birds so far.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

All those eat bugs, you want to see them if you have a garden. Even crows will eat more bugs than vegs. if they can get them. Jays to...but they are annoying, LOL. I had bird houses at the place I left. Maybe another project???? The problem is more money than time now.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

....Goat on the half shell????? Either these are very exotic goats, or you're planning on using "non-goat" shells.

[The Pirate Ghost, Long John Silvers Wanna-be]

Dean wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "He and friends were discussing this and they were absolutely horrified when one of his 'suggestions' was to rename their two pet rabbits "lunch" and "dinne..."

I thought you got into trouble when you named the animals who wer food... of course... goat on the half shell? ... I mean, come on... is this something edible? ...it's kind of like Chicken McNuggets... if there was really a part of chicken called a "nugget" would you eat it?

but i digress... hmm... lost my bearings here... (Does Senility scare anyone?) ..what was I talking about?

[Sharon]

Curmudgeon wrote: "I thought you got into trouble when you named the animals who were food... "

That's the basic "farm kid" rule ... but there are some sub-sections, as in "if you have to name it has to be a 'food' name ... goat on the half-shell I agree is a little iffy, but Pork Chop, Bacon and Hambone are all totally acceptable pig names, as are T-Bone and Sir Loin for cattle. I also have to confess to having had rabbits named Stew and Pot Pie.

[The Pirate Ghost, Long John Silvers Wanna-be]

Sharon wrote: "Curmudgeon wrote: "I thought you got into trouble when you named the animals who were food... "

That's the basic "farm kid" rule ... but there are some sub-sections, as in "if you have to name it ..."

Heh LOL no Hosenvepor (SP) for the Rabbits or was that purely a Bugs Bunny thing?

[Sharon]

Curmudgeon wrote: "no Hosenvepor (SP) for the Rabbits or was that purely a Bugs Bunny thing?"

Our MT ranch menu ran more to chicken and noodles, beef stew and fried 'everything' ... I didn't know what hasenpfeffer was until I left the ranch and lived in the military 'complex'. That's where I was eventually introduced to things like hasenpfeffer, rumtopf, paella, snails and a number of other things.

[The Pirate Ghost, Long John Silvers Wanna-be]

woh..woh..woh back up... snails? escargot? ... now I'm scared! (I bet it tastes like... snails, smothered in garlic, basil, butter and olive oil right?)

[Sharon]

Curmudgeon wrote: "woh..woh..woh back up... snails? escargot? ... now I'm scared! (I bet it tastes like... snails, smothered in garlic, basil, butter and olive oil right?)"

Pretty much. Snails are a real 'delicacy' in Spain and were served as a 'special treat' for this family's American friends when they invited us to dinner. They explained at length how they were caught, kept in a certain kind of water so they would 'clean' and then cooked and served in the broth they are cooked in over brown bread. It was such a big deal there I'd have felt obligated to eat and pretend I liked them, no matter what, but I didn't actually have a big problem with them.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

"Delicacy"...definition: Name for any food you wouldn't eat if you knew what it really was.

[Lisa P, My weekend is all booked up!]

Sharon wrote: "Curmudgeon wrote: "woh..woh..woh back up... snails? escargot? ... now I'm scared! (I bet it tastes like... snails, smothered in garlic, basil, butter and olive oil right?)"

Pretty much. Snails ar..."

I tried my first escargot as a kid and loved it...of course, as a kid, I never actually thought it was a real snail...I just thought it was something that tasted good served inside a pretty little shell for presentation.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

The things we do to our children...feeding them snails.

[Lisa P, My weekend is all booked up!]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "The things we do to our children...feeding them snails."

Ha Ha...Actually, I liked them so much that if we went to a restaurant that served them, I would beg my parents for them...I know better now though :)

[Mike (the Paladin)]

You realize that what you like is the garlic, butter, mushrooms, Parmesan cheese and so on. Put it over paste and it'll taste just as good, possibly better...I mean, snails? Think about it.

[The Pirate Ghost, Long John Silvers Wanna-be]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: ""Delicacy"...definition: Name for any food you wouldn't eat if you knew what it really was."

LOL yep.. and if you hear about a Delacacy that "tastes just like chicken"... run.. run as fast as you can to KFC and, get the real thing!

[Mike (the Paladin)]

That was always my thought...

[The Pirate Ghost, Long John Silvers Wanna-be]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPMS6t...

Yep, here's the Secret of KFC!

There's something in the chicken!

[Mike (the Paladin)]

And this was all news to you?

[Eileen]

Pam wrote: "Another scary thing ... I was coming home from work on my motorcycle and some (I won't use the word here) decides that it's perfectly acceptable to drive so close to me that I could tell what color..."

That's horrible and I hate when people screw with my coffee! Now if I ever make it up to your part of the world...can I mooch a ride?

[Eileen]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Reread TKaM recently, so I went with the Atticus avatar.

I had two ripe tomatoes this week...I got one. A squirrel got the other. I live in Nashville, but I'm unlimbering my pump up air pistol fo..."

I do enjoy looking at Gregory Peck. One of the finest actors ever to grace the movies.

[Eileen]

Enjoy the new Samsung and Happy Anniversary, Pam.

Also, the Wallenda walk across the Falls was amazing. The crowd was so quite when he was on the rope you could hear a pin drop.

Last weekend I took my two sons to see a B29 at my local airport. A little bit of history I thought they might enjoy and they did. Being that it's the only B29 still flying from WW2.

[The Pirate Ghost, Long John Silvers Wanna-be]

I got a new phone too!

(yes, there is such a thing as a fear of being forgotton!... not that it applies to me... of course...(cough))

[Eileen]

Congrats on the new phone, Hugh! What kind? Does it come with all the bells and whistles?

Who are you again?

[Mike (the Paladin)]

I hate phones with bells AND whistles.

[Eileen]

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "I hate phones with bells AND whistles."

They do still make phones with just bells and no whistles, there just harder to find. We tried to find a phone without the internet (didn't want to pay for it and give him complete access) and they only had a few to pick from.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

My cell is one that I got with the prepay deal I have...I still have like 15 hours of unused time.

I finally laid away a new computer (largely so I can play Diablo 3) and it's a desk top model.

[Eileen]

My phone has turned into my mini computer. There's nothing wrong with a desk top, that's what I use most of the time.

[Kevin]

How about the movie "The Sound Of Music"?

Did it scare anyone else, or am I the only one?

[Mike (the Paladin)]

One of my favorite movies...

[The Pirate Ghost, Long John Silvers Wanna-be]

Yeah, it's a great movie!

[Kevin]

LOL!

Yes a great movie that scares the HELL out of me...

Enjoy folks.

[The Pirate Ghost, Long John Silvers Wanna-be]

Kevin wrote: "LOL!

Yes a great movie that scares the HELL out of me...

Enjoy folks."

Well it is a bit surreal... I mean... it's about the family of a Naval Officer in a land locked country, with Nazi's and a Nazi vs. Nuns theme. Julie Andrews... who's not scary but...okay...victor victoria was a bit scary...but other than that she's not too scary...

and I have heard and sung all of those songs at one time or another...and not known it.

Not to mention the kids are kind of ...you know... Stepford Creepy...(there TOOO good)

[Mike (the Paladin)]

No...I don't see any of that....and WWI the Austro Hungarian Empire wasn't land locked, just Austria.

Really.

[The Pirate Ghost, Long John Silvers Wanna-be]

I thought he was Swiss?

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Austria...Salzburg...the Anschluss (when the Nazi's marched in, the Austrians having voted that way)...some Austrians not willing to be part of Nazi Germany...the song edelweiss.

They crossed the Alps into Switzerland at the end of the movie. If you read the biography they went on from there and ended up in the U.S. where they became the Trapp Family Singers. I believe the grand children or great grandchildren are still using the name. I bought a Christmas DVD of them a couple of years ago.

[The Pirate Ghost, Long John Silvers Wanna-be]

Your right. My bad. I also thought I heard, or read where there was a real guy this story was based on.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

The whole family was real. Only the older daughter's boy friend (who becomes a Nazi) is fictional. Maria Von Trapp and the Captain (who was older than Christopher Plumber in the movie) were real people. The biography is The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.

[Kevin]

Look what i started...lol

[Mike (the Paladin)]

Not "interloping" Pam. As you noted, it's a discussion.