"A jury is composed of twelve men of average ignorance." - Herbert Spencer

Turns out our pastor is a knife geek and knows all about the kinds of steel used, the advantages of each, preferred grips, blade profiles....
I knew he's an avid hunter so I asked him yesterday if he had a recommendation where I should go to get a good knife for butchering goats (Cabella's?) and instead he told me about a specific knife that is WAY underpriced and is his favorite out of an apparently sizable collection.
I ordered one over the phone this morning from BladeTech. Got it for $10 less than he paid (I'm better looking) AND I avoided both shipping and sales tax. The company is located in Puyallup, WA, just east if I-5. I'd already planned to drive up to visit the folks this week so on my way north I'll stop in to pick it up and maybe get a look-see at their factory at the same time. $49.99!
Here is Brett's YouTube review of the knife. I realize you don't care about it, but it's interesting to watch if only because it gives an idea how much there is to know about a good knife.

The plan was to drive up Wednesday and back Friday morning, but the memorial service for Alisa is Friday at 2 p.m. so I'll stay for that and leave from the church there.

I think I figured out Sally's problem: "User Error." I was just taking the choke off too soon, based on the temp gauge. This morning I left it on slightly until I reached the coffee shop and had no trouble at all. Didn't take it all the way off until I pulled into the parking lot and she did fine with no tendency to stall.
I can't decide if I feel more embarrassed or pleased.

I finished the section I decided to add to that journal article. I'l let it sit for a day or two, then go back and read it to decide if it should stay or get cut.

Speaking of getting cut, I read up online on how to butcher a goat carcass. How should it be sectioned for the best results? I also found some good info on how to cook the various cuts. Turns out goat meat has the lowest cholesterol level of all meats and the highest protein level.
I also found some recipes that look good, but that's Pam's department.

Pam pulled this from our garden this afternoon. Not sure what's going on below ground on Baker Rd. but it's suspect.

The Scandia 5k is less than a month away, Aug. 12th. I sure would like to improve on last year's time and maybe even take 1st in my age division (I took 2nd last year). The procedure on my foot set back my training so I've been pushing it a bit since, increasing my distance a little faster than I otherwise would. I bumped it from 2.5 to 3 miles today, so now I know I won't have any problem with the race distance. I'll get it up to 4-5 miles per day before the race, but now I'll start doing some speed work at the HS track in Elmira.

This morning at the coffee shop I learned about The Great Oregon Steam-Up, a festival featuring antique steam engines that runs for two weekends - the last in July and first in August - in a town 90 minutes north of us. Vintage tractors, trucks, automobiles. logging engines...anything old and steam driven, and all of it in operation including a parade each day at 2 p.m. I'm in Michigan to speak the first weekend in August but I think we may go up for the earlier weekend.

One of the things we've enjoyed over the years is this kind of local festival. Sometimes it's focused on an local agricultural product - the Strawberry Festival in Watsonville, CA - or a local manufacturing focus - the Saturday Night Special Festival in Riverside, CA (OK, that one isn't real but it could be with several firms making cheap pistols within just a few miles).
Americana at its best.

Every state has an insurance commission to oversee auto and home insurance providers in that state. That industry makes cheating people easier than most so these commissions protect consumer rights.

OK, what if we DUMPED national health care programs, passed some minimal national insurance commission-type laws, and then let the marketplace dynamic take over.
No rejection for pre-existing conditions, you can buy across state lines, if you go w/o health insurance for more than 90 days they can levy a surcharge (your call if you decide to skip health insurance), and then some regs on Rx prices. (It doesn't seem right that the same med can be purchased...illegally...from Canada at a fraction of the cost.)
Oh, and tort reform re. malpractice lawsuits. (Read "King of Torts" by Grisham if you wonder how screwed up this has become.)

The insurance companies give tons of money to Republicans and the Lawyers give a ton of money to Democrats so I'm not holding my breath.