In shadowed Ulthar, where the moonbeams fall
Draping the chimneys with a silver pall
Where the people work by light of day
And trade with the merchants from down Hatheg way
In Ulthar, one must all cats respect
No cat in Ulthar ever knows neglect
For the cats of Ulthar are special ones
Old ones that drowse by the light of the sun
Young ones that sing when the moon fills the sky
Wise ones that gaze with intelligent eye
Kittens that caper on slanted rooftops
Teasing the moon till the Old Man cries "Stop!"
Leaping and climbing from gable to gable
Till rooftops are seething with calico and sable
Until finally, the sunrise
When they narrow their bright eyes
Down from rooftops they gambol
And homeward they amble
To nap on the hearth till the sun should go down
And the gibbous moon rises on their little town
And the star-pinned night sky will send out its call
In shadowed Ulthar, where the moonbeams fall

---

The first "poem" I ever wrote, sixteen years ago.

One of those things you do when you get bored is Google your own website to see what turns up, right?

I just discovered that an old post of mine on the Dardick is one of the references for that firearm at Wikipedia.

Man, what a slow day.  Took the kids to our one-day Vacation Bible School today, went and picked up some fencing.  That's about it.  Here's a meme I've seen in a couple of places, most recently at When your only tool is a hammer.

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No, although my name sounds like I was named after a character from "Robin Hood."
DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No, it's messy.  I print all the time so people can read it.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Uh...HEB used to have some expensive mesquite-smoked turkey slices that I really liked.
DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes.
IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Sure.
DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?  You must be kidding.
DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes, and appendix too.
WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Stuff like Honey & Nut Crunch, Honey Nut Cheerios, Nut & Honey, etc.
DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes.
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? No.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Bluebell Homemade Vanilla slathered with butterscotch syrup.
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their eyes.
RED OR PINK? What?
WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I procrastinate.
WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?  Don't really know.  There are a lot of people I've known that I often think about and wonder what ever became of them.
WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue jeans, no shoes.
WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Bacon & cheese sandwich.
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The Sirius new age channel on Dish Network, thunder rumbling in the distance.
IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Blue violet.
FAVORITE SMELLS? Rain, freshly plowed earth, wood smoke.
WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? The HR person from SAWS.
FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Women's gymnastics.
HAIR COLOR[S]? Brown.
EYE COLOR?  Blue.
DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No, but I've worn spectacles most of my life.
FAVORITE FOOD? Pizza, hamburgers, venison, barbecued beef (not a big fan of chicken), mashed potatoes, homegrown peas & beans.
SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Both.
LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Howl's Moving Castle.
WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? White.
SUMMER OR WINTER?  Autumn.
HUGS OR KISSES? I'm not really a touchy-feely kind of person.
FAVORITE DESSERT?  Apple pie, lemon meringue pie, cheesecake, fresh strawberries dusted with a little sugar (fructose instead of sucrose, if I can find it).
MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Not sure what these questions are talking about.
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett.
WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don't use no stinkin' mouse pad.
WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Tonight I watched that cartoon "The Replacements" and I thought it was pretty funny.  It had a lot of joke references that the kids didn't get.
FAVORITE SOUND[S]?  The wind through pine trees, thunder and rain, whippoorwills and owls calling at night.  And coyotes, too.
ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles, except I think "Tattoo You" is the best album ever (see sarcasm above).
WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Jasper, British Columbia.
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can sing a little.
WHERE WERE YOU BORN? The hospital (there's only one) in Floresville, Texas.

Not so good news today.  One more doe gave birth, this time--oddly--to non-identical twins, one buck and one doe.  The baby doe was stillborn, and it looks like the little buck will have to be bottle-fed to survive.

This doe was, for some reason, always getting chased by the other deer.  It's very strange, but they never let her rest.  She'll have to go into the new pen when it gets built.  Or we might just have to sell her.