We just sent out our free monthly BHM newsletter to newsletter subscribers. In it we offer a 30% discount on just about every anthology we carry. We’re calling it a Stimulus Special and it’s meant to give newsletter readers a special break on prices. You can click this link to access the ordering page. It’s such a big discount I decided to put it on my blog too to include more people. The offer lasts only two weeks — until June 15. I’ll be curious to see the response.
In the first race called Tuesday night, conservative insurgent Rand Paul — son of former GOP presidential candidate and Texas Rep. Ron Paul — defeated Secretary of State Trey Grayson in a Republican primary fight for the seat held by retiring GOP Sen. Jim Bunning.
This means the Tea Party Movement is taking hold. It’s not just socialist-leaning Democrats who are not safe, but it’s politics-as-usual Republicans too. This must have the entrenched Republican/Democrat establishment scared as hell. Here’s a young face who wants to restore limited government and the U.S. Constitution. He’s running as a Republican but he’s a Libertarian.
This is another huge advancement for the peaceful revolution that is underway: a return to the fundamental values upon which this country was founded. His father paved the way, but I’ll sure settle for a young pup who understands what is at stake for his generation.
We just got off deadline for another very solid issue. Annie honchoed everything, putting in 80 hours in the last 10-day period. She welcomed her Marine Corps husband home for good as she sent the computer files over the wire to our Wisconsin Printer, Ripon. (And she’s due to have her new baby in about three weeks.)
John Silveira gets most valuable editor award for straightening out the details of our lead article about building a goat cottage. Annie had given it to me but I handed it off to John because his Last Word commentary was already done and I was in the midst of writing my My View commentary. John has always been the “go to” guy on deadline
Spectacular cover to top off the issue. It’s a scene from under water that Don Childers and I thought up a few weeks ago. It goes with part 2 of our “water treatment” series and a “fishing for food” article. At age 80, Don continues to raise the bar on himself by producing spectacular paintings for the covers.
The Letters pages were interesting. I had to cut them from 8 to 3 pages due to space limitations. The recession in America is a lot deeper than most people suspect, and the Letters reflected the general slowdown in every area of economic activity. I had a few very angry letters with harsh words about my Libertarian politics and pro-gun stance, but there were lot of appreciative letters. I included a few of each.
I like the few days immediately after deadline. The hectic pace suddenly stops and we can sit back with a few brews and relax. Then we’ll pick up all the suspended projects that deadline interrupted. The most important is Claire Wolfe’s book, Hardyville. I’m disappointed it’s not to the printer yet, but it will be very soon.
I like working with talented kids. No sooner had they given out medals at the District Golf Championship than I was driving our two top-seeded golfers, Matt Anderson and Robby Duffy, to Corvallis, Oregon — a three and a half hour trip — to compete in the State Band Championships with the GBHS Band. Matt is the main drummer and percussionist, and Robby is one of only three trumpets. We got into Corvallis about 9 pm (eating a drive-thru Chicken McNuggets and fries on the way), the boys had a quick night’s sleep, and in the morning they and the GBHS Band won fourth place in their Division of the State Championships with a wonderful musical performance that made GBHS a band power in the state for the third consecutive year. Gold Beach is a well-known football power, having won or competed for several state championships, but thanks to achievers like Matt and Robby we are now also known as a school with golf and band talent.
Gold Beach High School’s Matt Anderson is going to the State Golf Championships. He placed fourth overall in the second day of the District tournament, earning him two medals, one for winning a spot on the All District Team and another for earning one of the three spots available for individual players to go to State. He was the only member of GBHS to qualify. Matt shot an 83, while Robby Duffy was second on the team with a 92.
Rogue River and St.Mary’s took the top two team spots in the six-team tournament, earning the right to compete at State as teams. Gold Beach came in fourth.
I travelled with the Gold Beach High School varsity golf team to our District Championship yesterday. It’s a two-day tournament in Klamath Falls, Oregon, the first day today at Running Y and the second day at Harbor Links. It was cold when we started, then began snowing as my son, Robby, was on the green at Hole No. 8. After a couple of delays, they finally cancelled the first day. Tomorrow it is forecast to warm-up into the 50s.
Today’s scores won’t count as most of the players finished less than half the course. Our school was not expected to do well enough to make it from District to the State Championship, but now with District cut down to a one-day event, I think anything can happen. We only have to play well for 18 holes.
Yahoo! I got my US Open tickets today for Pebble Beach, June 14-20, on the Monterey Peninsula south of San Francisco. Trouble is, I ordered too many of them. I got 3 adult sets and six junior sets. (Each set includes eight days — four days of the Open, a day for a potential playoff, and three days of warm-up so you can watch the players practice and get autographs). What to do! I like problems like this.
