I don’t understand why the Republobots still have this dope as the party chairman, but he sure is funny: Republicans line up on opposite sides over latest Steele controversy. All that having been said, I find his utter disregard for, uh, facts, to be humorous and sad.

Date posted: July 5, 2010 | Filed under politics, shortlinks | Leave a Comment »

The 4th of July Parade is now history, and the Lockardugan clan is officially tired. As happens every year, we kick ourselves into overdrive for about two weeks prior to the event in order to get everything ready, so when the day of the parade arrives we’re already waiting for it to be over so we can go back to bed. We did use some discretion and hire out a cleaning service for the house, which made preparations much easier, and Mr. Scout installed a working sink and toilet on the first floor, which Finn officially christened the morning of the parade.

This year we had a great turnout, with lots of old friends we haven’t seen in years, along with parade stalwarts and first-year virgins. The parade itself was good but not quite as weird as we are accustomed to; the shriners, republicans, and dixieland groups all made their customary appearances, but there was no Jesus banner, there were no Mummers, no strippers, no cockroaches, and there was only one step band. I spent a lot of my time keeping an eye on Finn, keeping an eye on the house, and actually watching the parade, so I didn’t shoot nearly as many photos as usual (and really, how many ways are there to take pictures of the same thing) but I did spend time watching my daughter, sitting happily on a big-girl chair by herself, smile, clap and wave as the parade rolled out in front of her.

Watching the Parade

Date posted: July 5, 2010 | Filed under finn, flickr, history | Leave a Comment »

My new favorite picture.

Date posted: July 4, 2010 | Filed under family, flickr | Leave a Comment »

Peer Pressure is home, and it’s like driving a completely new Scout. She fires up on the first turn of the key, idles smooth, smells good (for a 34-year-old carbureted engine), and doesn’t backfire when my foot comes off the accelerator. I ran errands early this morning, then drove her into work, and I don’t reek of exhaust and gasoline. I cannot describe how happy all of this makes me.

And, the problem was not with the float bowl itself; it was with two little O-rings which were actually supposed to be X-rings, and were not even in the carburetor when he took it apart. Stupid O-rings.

→ This is a syndicated post from my Scout weblog. More info here.

Date posted: July 1, 2010 | Filed under Scout | Leave a Comment »