Absent Again, but Back with Amusing News

This just in from Saro, Sweden: a moose was found stuck in an apple tree, apparently drunk from eating fermented apples.  CNN has the whole story.

Once rescuers freed the moose from the tree, the moose laid right down to sleep off his bender for the rest of the night and most of the next day.  I can only imagine what a moose-sized hangover must feel like.

@Hungry_Birds

I don't use Twitter myself. I think our shrinking attention span is a sign that we need to get outside more, not an indication we should stop using more than 140 letters at a time.  But @hungry_birds is just too funny not to share.

A Latvian magazine titled "Ir" also thinks Twitter is for birdbrains, and I mean that in the most literal sense possible.  Ir set up the @hungry_birds Twitter account, smeared a standard computer keyboard (still attached to the computer) with salted bacon fat, and left the rest to history.  In the winter, between about 5AM and 4PM GMT each day, birds flock to their very own internet cafe for a snack and a quick tweet.  (I just love how this post comes with its own built-in puns.  It makes my job so easy!) 

You can see the birds typing their thoughtful messages on Ir's webcam or join over 2,600 people following @hungry_birds on Twitter.  Unfortunately, now that spring is here, Ir has taken down the bacon-covered keyboard, but it wouldn't surprise me if they replaced it with a more summery variant.

Say what you want, but I bet the birds' messages make more sense than some tweets from real people.

Yoga for Yankees

We at Red River are always looking to expand our offerings and to make our guests' stays more enjoyable. We're looking out for your health and well-being, folks. What could be better, then, than leading our fishermen in a relaxing yoga session right as the sun rises over the hill each morning?

Yoga for Yankees, that's what.

Fred Marple and the good folks of Frost Heaves, New Hampshire, conceived this idea, and I think it's going to sell big! Pop over to Frost Heaves, and you can see the rest of their videos, as well as the bloopers/outtakes reel from this one.

Namaste.

Food Fight!

As I alluded to yesterday, there's been a big debate/fiasco over the "Maine State Dessert."  I haven't been following it too closely, mostly because of this one burning question I have that no one can seem to answer:

Why in the world do we need a state dessert?

I know there's been precedent for weird and seemingly pointless state symbols; for instance, did you know that the Maine state soil is the Chesuncook soil series, or that the Pertica quadrifaria is the state fossil?  (I did find it interesting is that the Schooner Bowdoin is officially the state vessel.  I spent a summer on the Bowdoin back in 1997.)  It's not just Maine, though; milk is the state drink of Maryland, and the cast iron dutch oven is the official cooking implement of Texas.

But I digress.

The debate at hand was whether the Whoopie Pie or Blueberry Pie should be given the title "Maine State Dessert."  Even with many more pressing matters to attend to in Augusta, legislators have been tied up with this question since late January.

The whoopie pie is, of course, two dollops of cake sandwiching a sugary frosting center.  Mainers like to take credit for the creation of the whoopie pie, although Wikipedia indicates that it could have been first created as far away as Pennsylvania Amish country.  The main argument against the Whoopie Pie, however, is that it's terribly sugary and fattening in a time when over 30% of Maine children are overweight or obese.  Really, there's nothing nutritionally-redeeming about it, antioxidants in chocolate notwithstanding.  (It's darn tasty, though.  That's at least something we can all agree on.)

Blueberry pie is even more self-explanatory.  What with the blueberry being the official state berry, it would stand to reason that its pie would also be remarkable.  It's also, as some people have noted, a real dessert, where the Whoopie Pie is more of a daytime snack.  (I can't make this stuff up, folks.)

Last Wednesday, the House approved a compromise: the Whoopie Pie would be the Maine state treat, while Blueberry Pie would be given the title of state dessert.  The compromise was approved in the House 107-34 and will soon go to the Senate for consideration.

I'm glad that there are still some things the government can come to bipartisan compromise on.  My burning question, however, remains unanswered.

Hair Hackle??

Here's another one to file under S for "Seriously?"

I just read an excerpt from the Angling Trade blog regarding a bizarre new trend- hair hackle.  Apparently, the beauty industry has fallen in love with the long saddle hackle typically used by the fly tying community and is now marketing it as hair extensions.  Take a look: Fine Featherheads

They're not just for women, though: Do Hair Extensions has feathers for men, and Puppy Locks has some for your best furry friend.  (How exciting!)

Unfortunately, the beauty industry is so large that it could wipe out the entire hackle supply without a second thought.  Angling Trade noted that the Home Shopping Network was looking to do a trial run of hair hackle and estimated that they could sell 15,000 saddles in a single weekend.  In short, there's almost no way the supply can keep up with the trend.  In fact, Angling trade is predicting that the trend will probably be over by summer not because society has gotten bored with it, but because there are just no saddles left.

I guess if you're going to San Francisco this spring, you should be sure to wear some hackle in your hair.  (Because you never know when you might get a hankering for fresh-caught fish...)

An Oldie but a Goodie

And now, for your Friday distraction-from-work pleasure, I give you a bear with phenomenal rhythm.

Check out the USGS for more information on the Northern Divide Grizzly Bear Project out in Montana.

Sorry for the slow posting recently. Life has been full, but not of things related to Camp. (February is always slow in that arena.) Like I said earlier in the week, I'll be taking a little bit of time away from the computer starting tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to my trip to check on Camp; it's always nice to get back to the Real World to recharge the batteries.

Squirrel Control

Living so far out in the woods, we tend to share and share alike with the local wildlife.  Most of the time, it's not a problem.  We do, however, have problems with red squirrels getting into the cabins and stealing our bedding for their own.  We once had the blankets and bedspreads folded up nicely in one of the cabins, and one of the little guys chewed all the way down through the stack.  We ended up with blankets that had eight holes each.  Not amusing.

One of our guests forwarded this to me, though, and I think it might solve our problem.  We'll simply train the squirrels and keep them so busy that they won't have time to go after the bedding! 

I think we're on to something.

A Quick Laugh

I'm planning a quick trip up to Camp in February to check on Camp- the roofs can get pretty laden with snow in the winter.  I do not, however, plan to do what this Estonian gentleman did:

At least all's well that ends well.

Vote Summer!

A great political ad from the folks at Landline TV to get you geared up for fishing season! I have to admit; I'm one of winter's biggest fans, but this could sway my vote... How about you?





The original video is here.