Comic strips such as the A&J Sunday that appeared in newspapers August 2 always are problematic. The cartoonist knows that while the August drought may have set in where he lives, there are places somewhere that still are getting more than enough “free water.” When the living room furniture is afloat, readers easily can lose their sense of humor. That’s just the way it is. However, that is not why I’m showing you the last panel from what was an admittedly weak joke. Actually, I was playing around with Photoshop, trying to simulate a driving rain. This was the result. I still think it looks OK on a monitor screen, but I noticed in the newspaper version that it was not quite as effective. At least I didn’t think so.
Rain Maker
By Jimmy Johnson
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115 responses to “Rain Maker”
Nancy, the movie version of Oklahoma! (The exclamation mark is part of the musical’s name.) may have been filmed in Arizona, but it took place in the north-eastern part of Oklahoma Territory about a year before statehood.
For those who aren’t sick of the subject (free water), 6/10 of an inch of rain fell on most parts of eastern Massachusetts. We have four – count ’em, four – 55 gallon rain barrels set up to capture the rain from the roof on the back side of our new house. Those barrels are now full.
But Mark is wrong about how we water: no hoses. When you have four inches of mulch instead of grass and paths in the mulch, a hose becomes a weapon of mass destruction for those paths. So, we use jugs — 3-gallon cat-litter jugs repurposed to carry water. That way, we get exactly as much water as we need on each plant and the paths remain intact.
But having a rain barrel is a statement about being serious on the subject of water conservation. Economically, it’s off-the-charts stupid. Even purchased at a steep discount, our four rain barrels cost a total of nearly $200 (at retail, the price would be twice that), plus diverters and other cosmetic things. Water from a tap costs 1/4 cent per gallon, so our four rain barrels collectively hold 50 cents worth of water. As Emeritus Prof will tell you, that’s 400 fillings before you begin to see the curves cross, which is a time measured in decades (you don’t water from late October to April and the rain never syncs exactly to your watering needs.
Class dismissed.
GR6: “Nothing wrong with a gown with just two plain spaghetti straps…easy-peasy. ;)”
But wouldn’t those gowns have looked better if they’d been occupied?
Trucker, I was thinking in terms of “The few the straps, the easier to get the gowns unoccupied.” 😉
But if you’re referring to the gowns in the photo link, absolutely!
Mark: That was beautiful, and is the tune we learned. I think there are others, and will explore that site. Peace, emb
Ghost, I have been sitting here thinking about what to say. You finally floored me with your comments on the two nightgown/not gowned women in your life. Have you kept a diary or at the least a journal of some kind other than that incredible memory of yours?
Love, Jackie
sandcastler™: “Thirty-four years ago today IBM introduced their PC.” That is hard to believe! And I thought I was “liv’n in high cotton” when I got a word processor to help me with my college courses. Now… laptops, tablets, Google watches… wonder what the next thirty-four years will bring?
Gal, watch for the name Ernan Sinar; he will be leading all things tech in 2050.
No, Jackie; my memory is more vivid than any journal could ever be. 🙂
One of the treadmills at the gym is “hard bent” and has been for almost a week, awaiting a PC board to arrive from the Ye Olde Treadmill Works. This has at times led to a wait for a locomote-in-place unit, and how does one kill time at a gym doing besides pumping iron? At least I’m getting extra-muscley, I suppose.
[::In my best Sam Elliott voice::] “Regular exercise…it does a body good.”
emb, you’re welcome. Thank you for giving me enough information to find it. With the combination of the four words and knowing it was a round it was much easier to find the right version. Enjoy. I listened to a short bit before posting it and thought it sounded very good.
History being made before your very eyes: emb posting something from youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ysa5OBhXz-Q?feature=player_embedded
Peace, emb
Debbe 😉 Pretending right along, like you didn’t already get it right, this is Clue #3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IUG-9jZD-g
Sand
Need an edit button – at that time no energy to correct – could have taken out “an”
so plural elephants. Elephant’s is better.
But I misspoke – Curly was in Oklahoma – Gordon Macrae was in Iowa (I read that long ago-
before the internet so it must be true.
emb, thank you for that video. It is a great introduction to natural ecosystems in a short format. And really good photography.
Just saw a chart (on line) that purportedly supported a theory – except the change was
mandatory which means those that were NOT doing it were breaking the law – so it was all
flower growing material.
Also a news article that was couched in inflammatory language. So much for unbiased reporting.
Other week woman on radio said “numbers don’t lie”. It has been my experience that people that use that statement are manipulating the numbers or presenting them to further an agenda.
Mark Twain said ” there are lies, D4mn lies, and statistics”
A certain brand (maybe most) of softener salt that says its pellets are 99% clean and the solar
salt is 98% clean – 1% difference OR one is twice as dirty as the other. Same #s stated differently.
G in O – I could build a little house so you could listen to the rain and contemplate. I would even put a hole in the seat for you 🙂
Today’s real time must be a Ghost tribute.
In other news, what a sad day for China. I fear the death toll will be very high. What a massive pair of explosions.
Good morning Villagers….
It’s a pleasant 61 degrees here, windows open, fired up Miss Dell here…..then it hit me….dang skunk…cant’s stand that smell; so i closed the windows. I enjoy listening to the sounds of a new day dawning.
The Boss came by yesterday and looked at the steel rod conveyor. He took a wire brush to all 160 feet to it, and says we should do that also every morning…auurrggghhhh. But, the eggs do look better. Oh, well, more time on the clock I say.
Indy Mindy, saw the headlines on weather.com. Very sad. And yes, I do get my news from the weather report….(quick, name that tune the lyric is in GR 😉 )
Going to have to upgrade my cell phone…it died. Husband says I may as well get him one too. We’re both due for a free upgrade. Nothing fancy, shamsy…just easy peasy. (Hadn’t heard easy peasy in a long time.
Ya’ll have a blessed day
GR 😉 on the subject of free water……………..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-itA2rv8p4
Loved the Temptations in your video….the suits, the shoes and the synchronization.
I’m concerned about Denise….she’s not posted for several days now.
….and you too Jerry!
Old Bear, would you also draw the moon’s quarter on the door for Gal?
But what would you use for paper, since the big retailers stopped printing catalogs? One more way life changed due to everything going electronic!
Old Bear: That is funny! Been there… done that…
Re Janis’s nightgown today: It’s black, strappy, presumably silky, low-cut in back*, and shows a hint of both pokie and side boob…Arlo’s comment pretty well says it all. And yes, it does look like that number came straight from “The Ghost Collection”, were there actually such a thing.
* IMO, the erotic appeal of female attire that is low-cut in back is very much underrated.
Debbe 😉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujm8IV9ZQPQ
The mystery of spellchex managed to erase that comment which may be good, it involved the migration of my silky nightgown south even with me sleeping alone! What I was trying to say was even if the house caught on fire, I would have to make sure it was in right location before running out of house with my dog in my arms.
Still, Jimmy, the strip is proving funny and that you know us. How many psychology courses did you fit in with the journalism?
Love, Jackie
Jackie, I consider the slipperiness of silky nightgowns, leading to southern migration, a feature, not a bug. 😉
Well, that was a given, Ghost! I knew your criteria.
On a more Janis related similarity, I just placed a couple of big seed orders to replant the luxury garden out in back yard and the side kitchen garden out of house. A friend suggested that digging in a lot of dirt always cheered him up and I agree, nothing like weeding, pulling out the burnt up plants and starting over. Johnnys Seeds benefited from my need for pole green bean seeds, along with a few sale items, while Parks Seeds got most of my sale purchases for fall.
Both excellent companies I have bought from for years and years. Anyone else out there going to attempt fall gardening? Of course, I have to either get up earlier or something and figure out how to germinate those seeds when temps are astronomically high. Last year I fooled them by soaking seeds and using innoculate, along with some shade covering as I recall.
Those trellised green beans look so beautiful, I can’t resist. Got yellows, purples, greens and some whites, I mix all together and they cover those beautiful overhead trellis, shading the stuff below.
Luxury garden comes from fact I could buy vegetable futures on the stock exchange cheaper than my gardening expenses. But then I would miss the dirt!
Love, Jackie