Shortly before my self-imposed hiatus, I was driving north from Converse on Hwy. 513.

S.R. 513 was built by INDOT when the Mississinewa Dam was under construction in the '60's. State policy (at least currently) is that after 10 years, the road is offered free-of-charge to the nearest town or to the counties. Miami and Howard counties assumed the road, and the difference in the current road between the two counties is remarkable.

The roadbed is superb, built to accommodate the super-heavy machinery necessary to move millions and millions of tons of dirt to construct the 1/2 mile long, 40-foot high earthen dam.

The surface is another story, and, driving north, it is almost startling to pass from Howard to Miami County.
There are power poles on either side of 513 north of Converse. The line on the west side hangs from 30-foot high double tees, with a kind of Shepard's crook out the top supporting a fifth line. On the very top of one was a sharp-shinned hawk, enjoying a for-miles view, too high for even a wary sharp-shinned to pay attention to passing traffic.

Driving east on the trail yesterday, there was a sharp-shinned hawk just north, over the woods, flying west. A beautiful sight I hope to never forget.

So where are the red tails? Haven't seen my two "friends", from Pearson's Mill and Converse Cemetery, for weeks.

I only have about 115 books on the very subject, and must spend a few hours in research, both for my need-to-know and so I can make an entry that will take you about eight seconds to read.

Saturday I was driving a bit too fast (like so many preachers, practice is for others) and just caught sight of a Belted Kingfisher on a bridge rail at a wet ditch. These birds are so distinctive, and equally regal as befits a "king", that one mile-per-hour would have been much too fast to do him justice.
The next day, trying to make up for my transgression, I slowed to a crawl at the same loci and was rewarded with a Great Blue Heron in the ditch, but no kingfisher. There are places you are almost guaranteed a heron, but seeing them in places like this is truly great.

Mark Sodder, congressman first from Indiana's 3rd, then a redistricted 4th, District, became the umpteenth Republican (sorry if the upper-case R offends) "family values" hypocrite to succumb to pleasures of the flesh. Sodder was a warrior in the wholly inept war on drugs, pushing legislation that denied thousands of student loan applications in Indiana alone, rejected for admitted pot use.

Sodder ran in 1994 on the Neuter Gingrich agenda supporting term limits, then stuck (like dogshit on a shoe) around for an 8th term, only to have his family values compromised by a part-time staffer.

JFC, whatever is wrong with these creeps?

Sodder, in the truest republican chicken-hawk tradition, applied for C.O. status for the Viet Nahm war draft, but his number wasn't drawn, and his appeal was moot.

Little Krystle has a new companion. A three-foot high heart-shaped stone.

There is a problem. Her fucking father's name is on it.

The man has no shame.

He really needs to look up at six feet of dirt. Hope I can expedite that.