Owl Farm Blog

My friend Jim and I have been talking a lot about Thomas Jefferson. This is not lofty: we talk about everything from ambien mishaps, to the awesomeness of Ralph Steadman to how much beer a friend can drink. I think the last conversation ran from Walter Isaacson’s book on Steve Jobs, which flowed into Ben Franklin and somehow to Thomas Jefferson. Like everyone else, I just love T. Jefferson as well as W. Isaacson . Here’s a Huffpo story I wrote about Jefferson and Jesus Christ giving tacit permission beyond the grave to commit a crime.

Anyway, below are two interesting Thomas Jefferson letters that fit 21st century thinking about Health today — remember, he wrote them in the 18th…

Jefferson advised young people that a "strong body makes the mind strong." He wrote to his favorite nephew Peter Carr:

In order to progress well in your studies, you must take at least two hours a day to exercise; for health must not be sacrificed to learning…Walking is very important. Never think of taking a book with you. The object of walking is to relax the mind. You should therefore not permit yourself even to think while you walk; but divert yourself by the objects surrounding you. Walking is the best possible exercise.

Jefferson heeded his own recommendation concerning exercise. He daily walked his estate.

Jefferson felt that the mind as well as the body should be exercised. He wrote his fifteen year old daughter:

It is your future happiness that interests me, and nothing can contribute more to it than the contracting a habit of industry and activity. Of all the cankers of human happiness none corrodes with so silent, yet so baneful a tooth, as indolence. Body and mind both unemployed, our being becomes a burthen, and every object about us loathsome, even the dearest. Idleness begets ennui, ennui the hypochondria, and that a diseased body. Exercise and application produce order in our affairs, health of body, cheerfulness of mind, and these make us precious to our friends.

like to the above is at http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/winter2006/health.html

Your friend, promising to walk more,

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 02:47 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Yep! You win.

http://ineteconomics.org/video/30-ways-be-economist/gerald-epstein-banks-how-big-too-big

Intern Gina Odom just left and she agreed to send out the t-shirts this weekend. We decided to send everyone a shirt that answered in before this post. So as soon as we get the next t-shirt shipment, you’ll get your shwag.

I’m glad that we didn’t see Newt Gingrich’s name in the inbox. That man has a weird hormonal imbalance that makes him look and act like a mean old woman. Plus, he’s creepy. 

Anyway, thanks for playing — it was more fun than the stock market. Well, I don’t know, I’ve never played the stock market. i prefer the super market. But i loved reading your emails and I turned into a blubbering tissue hog when I read them. I love this blog and I love anyone who loves Hunter’s work. It’s much better therapy than a psychologist  –and less expensive too.

Writing is good for the soul, even if one isn’t very good at it. It’s probably better to take it out on the keyboard than on loved ones. 

 ANyway, thanks again. lots of love from Woody Creek.

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 01:12 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

If we examine the assets of the major US banks and investment banks, there are six with market capitalisation above $1 trillion: Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS), Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), JP Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) and Wells Fargo Co. (NYSE: WFC). The next largest bank with market capitalisation at about $300 billion is PNC Financial Services (NYSE: PNC). The six largest banks in America which share ownership* of the Federal Reserve are at least three to four times the size of their nearest competitor. Those six banks increased their market capitalisation and size as a result of the 2008 global financial crisis. Their position of dominance is guaranteed because they hold a monopoly on the supply of money to the US economy. Clearly the golden rule applies; he with the gold, rules. Or in the American case, whoever controls the supply of credit at 33 Liberty Street, controls Wall Street and therefore the United States.

Free Gonzo T-shirts to the first 5 people who can find the source that I got the above info from. There is an email link to the right. Thank you!

I’ll answer some more questions tomorrow. It’ll be on my mind as I have to pay the Sheriff a visit about Hunter’s suicide crime scene investigation before I make the next move on the application to turn this house into a Historical landmark. One step at time. This time of year is the worst. But it has to be done, one step at a time. Otherwise the mendacity and sting will bleed into the generations. Hunter, we love you. We will never forget you.

Anita 

Posted by Anita Thompson at 05:21 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

here is a letter that Sean sends to his supporters: Thanks Sean and Oprah…

Last month, J/P HRO and I were privileged to host Oprah Winfrey’s first ever visit to Haiti. It has been shown that the empowerment and education of women is the most powerful tool in the reversal of poverty. Oprah’s unique voice symbolizes this compassionate hope.  Haiti will be better for her having visited and the focus of her coverage will bring new attention to the problems plaguing post earthquake Haiti.
 
Please tune in to watch Oprah’s two part show on Haiti airing Sunday, January 29th 9-10 PM ET and Monday, January 30th 10-11 PM ET.  I hope you take pride in the support you have shown to the people you will meet in these episodes of Oprah’s Next Chapter.  Thank you for your ongoing support of J/P HRO.
 
Sincerely,
Sean Penn
 
For more information about J/P HRO or to donate please visit us online at www.jphro.org
 

Posted by Anita Thompson at 03:49 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Mj Mirano, Gonzo Store sponsored Woody Creek, 11-year-old athlete hero action in super Gonzo Style. Way to go Mj… We’re so proud of you!

Posted by Anita Thompson at 07:48 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

This is a stand-n photo of my nephew Ridley, and Athena, practicing for next year’s summer X games. I’ll post Mj silver win on the Rail Jam contest photo asap. 

love from Woody Creek.

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 06:40 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Our own MJ Mirano, eleven, is competing in tomorrow’s X-games! MJ is the first athlete to be sponsored by Gonzo Store. MJ’s mom is the post mistress of Woody Creek and MJ is a local hero. He competed and won the silver in last year’s competition!

Again, he’s not from Aspen, he’s from Woody Creek. We are so proud of him and wish him the best at the half-pipe tomorrow. We love you, kiddo.

I’ll keep you posted.  Go MJ go!

Off to the Woody Creek Caucus meeting,

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 05:34 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

The New York Times reports that recovery is not around the corner. The Federal Reserve said today that it was likely to raise interest rates at the end of 2014, which adds 18 months to the longest-running response to the financial crisis of 2008. By holding short-term rates near zero beyond mid-2013, its previous estimate, the Fed hopes to hasten that process somewhat by reducing the cost of borrowing.

The recovery here, at Owl Farm, on the other hand is reaching the Seven-year-mark. As I create a strategy to turn Owl Farm into a place for people to visit and share in the magnificent natural beauty of Owl Farm’s Red Cliffs and Hunter’s work space, the the grueling task of letting go and forgiving is an ongoing process.  A coincidence of supermarket DVD left me happily inspired to forgive.

For you, who deal with issues of having been blindsided by the suicide of a loved one, I recommend a movie: Seven Pounds. I bought the DVD at the grocery store for no other reason than a long line by a discount movie bin (well, there was the issue of the alluring face of Will Smith). The DVD cover reveals nothing of the content. I’ve watched it several times in the last few weeks and have recommended to those who were crushed by Hunter’s suicide. The character Dan Morris, played by Barry Pepper has helped me enormously to understand why anyone would assist a suicide of a loved one — something that has pushed some of us in the gonzo family to bitterness and unforgiveingness, if that’s a word.  I’m not cured yet, and forgiveness is not complete yet, but I can’t praise Barry Pepper enough for helping us understand the mind of a the person who would assist a suicide of a loved one. Director Gabriele Muccino, the exquisite Rosario Dawson, Will Smith, and writer Grant Nieporte are amazing..  Thank you so much guys: You can’t imagine how much this helps us in what has been a relentless Odyssey.

Apparently the movie was released the same year the financial crisis hit wall street, echoing down the economic line (2008, three years after Hunter died). And now as year 7 approaches, and it’s time to forgive and let go, so the movie was a welcome surprise. Thank you again Muccino et al.

your friend counting and letting go of the years.

love,

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 06:07 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

I like the sing-song Wobblies-style video of how the iEconomy works, and how the natural order of things shifts and obliterates the Middle Class in America. There are several layers of consequences to the cheap crap flowing from China that says "made in china" to the fancy iProducts.

The New York Times is doing an interesting series on the iChina syndrome:

Apple employs 43,000 people in the United States and 20,000 overseas, a small fraction of the more than 400,000 American workers at General Motors in the 1950s, or the hundreds of thousands at General Electric in the 1980s. Many more people work for Apple’s contractors: an additional 700,000 people engineer, build and assemble iPads, iPhones and Apple’s other products. But almost none of them work in the United States. Instead, they work for foreign companies in Asia, Europe and elsewhere, at factories that almost all electronics designers rely upon to build their wares.

Another excellent read is Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs , if you haven’t already, you’ll notice that he doesn’t go into great detail about Apple blooming in China, but there is a brilliant focus on the mega-personalities in the computer, music and cinema & Wall Street world. It’s a great read and demystifies the industry and the people surrounding our nation’s love affair with iProducts.

With Walter’s insights lack of insights into that world, it looks like we will wait and see how China fares if the American Middle Class is completely eliminated. Good luck getting the 1%ers to fill up their Gulfstreams with Walmart shopping bags. 

The only thing I can be sure of at the moment is that the eggs in my refrigerator were not made in China. Or were they?

I’m off to Detroit — be back in a jiffy.

I remember my first iPod — it was so fascinating to me, that I wrote about the possibility of a WePod. Still think about it.

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 04:13 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Flying dog has been such a great supporter of gonzo that i must post the link again — and the ad is too weird not to wonder…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQo3tbkESRg

Posted by Anita Thompson at 11:43 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Apparently the national Enquirer has a font page article that Johny and Vanessa are splitting up. I’m sorry that everyone thinks that I would know, or would tell if I did know. Vanessa is a really beautiful woman and Johnny and I don’t sit around talking about pesonal problems or anything at all. And the people who work for him don’t like me. We’ve locked horns over some gonzo matters. again, I wouldn’t say if I did know.

But if the family is in trouble, I wish them the best of luck. I’m sure they’ll work it out or split up amicably. I’ve never heard of a couple that doesn’t squabble — at least not if they’re made of flesh and blood.

Which makes a good time to answer question #7: Does Johnny Depp still have a room downstairs?

Answer: It’s true that Johnny DID live in the basement bedroom of Owl Farm while he was studying to be Raoul Duke in FLLV. I still call it Johnny’s room bc of the affection that Hunter had for Johnny. But please understand that Johnny doesn’t every stay here. Your letters, screenplays, movie-ideas, gifts, phone calls etc are not passed on to Johnny. They are sent back. I’m sorry to be so blunt, but I’m not a portal to Johnny — He has an agent in Hollywood. I don’t have the number handy, but you can look it up on google.

I even had a wrestling match in the doorway a few summers ago with a very tall man who had a music idea to over with Johnny — he was convinced that Johnny still still lived here. Thank god I had Athena that day. The intruder ended up with a gushing hole in his thigh from a warning bite. Other intruders might look down the barrel of 12 gauge shotgun.

years ago, Hunter and I moved the gun powder keg out of Johnny’s room bc of the instability of gun powder. I’ve kept the living areas of the house frozen in time because it brought me comfort. But now, I’d like to open it as a public museum, but the way the Gonzo Trust is written, Hunter was the most protective husband a woman could ask for. I’m to live here in this house until I die, or sell have the right it for money. So, I’m working to find another solution before Hunter’s birthday on July 18th.  I’m suck a unpopular nag when it comes to Hunter’s legacy, which annoys the trustees and many other people who would rather have the cash than a proper legacy going forward. i understand how difficult the economy is — I feel it in my bones. But again… you know the story

I’ll keep you posted. As Hunter’s readers do indeed have a right to know what the future of Owl Farm holds.

Anyway, was Amber Heard on Carson Daly last night? I sort of miss the TV. I’ve said before Amber Heard looks like a shimmering jet engine in the Rum Diary film. Gorgeous woman.

Also, read Rory Feehan’s review of the Book of Conflated Hunter S. Thompson writing… Thanks Rory, I’m so glad you posted. Never a dull moment.

I’ll get to more Q&A later — it’s a cloudy, gloomy day, and I’ve got a ton of work that I didn’t finish yesterday. I’m off to build a fire and get to paperwork –urg.

lots of love from Owl Farm,

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 10:28 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

good morning. I had a nice long sleep last night. From 11pm to 8am. I could’ve slept ’till noon, but my phone kept beeping with texts. Did something happen, I thought? I got up to check by blackberry: Ah, I forgot it is my sweet Athena’s birthday! Everyone else remembered.

Athena, the fierce German Shepherd protector of Owl Farm and its people, was born 7 years ago today. Jackie Friedman and I drove to Boulder County, on Easter Sunday, after Hunter died to get her. Athena was so scared when we brought her home, that she hid under the coffee table and shook like a leaf. a tall lawyer named Hal Haddon, tried to make friends with her, but she could only shake at his 7’2" stature. He said "she needs to get in the game." Well, seven years later judging by her fans, I’d say she took his advice.

Anyway, it was a glorious morning. Even the chickens and peacocks had warm peas for breakfast. Caesar had cream reserved for my tea, and Pele is still sleeping. And thank you everybody who texted and emailed. 

And aunt Jackie, we love you…

Cheers from Owl Farm,

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 09:21 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Good morning. Former research assistant, Brandon Wenerd, sent me this link to a story by the guy who wrote "Where the Buffalo Roam." it’s a really long, long story — you can skip down to read about Hunter covering Muhammad Ali’s fight w Leon Spinks in New Orleans. Thanks Brandon.

Hunter did like the movie because Bill Murray did such a good job — and that’s the only reason. Hunter loved Bill Murray and loved his work.

Anyway, this article is kind of sweet, but has a weirdness that I couldn’t resist. I usually ignore the petty criticisms of Hunter by people who brag that they were "alone" with Hunter, implying that that somehow gave them a view into his soul. But this comment is amusing because he tucks his insult into the paragraph oh-so-cleverly. Passive aggressive writing is an odd thing. But here ya go:

The Hunter I knew was funny, gracious, and kind, but in the year we spent together — off and on — I saw that he also carried with him a sort of despair (and pent-up rage) about his life, especially his writing. He knew he had not worked up to his potential and regretted it. There were times when we were alone that I witnessed a mind that, even without the drugs and alcohol, was filled with paranoia and pandemonium. I can’t say that we were close friends — he could be stubborn and petty and perversely inattentive to anyone else’s needs but his own — but I’m truly sorry that he’s gone, and I will always remember him with great fondness.

And check out our friends from Flying dog’s Ad!! it won the most inexplicable advertisement of the year: Cheers…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQo3tbkESRg

 I’ll answer another question later.

xo Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 05:17 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Hola again. I had a nap, woke up and got your emails that I posted the wrong link. It was the 4am insomnia typing. sorry.

This is the Cspan Book-TV link. Again, remember to fast forward the beginning where I read out loud — it’s a wonder that a huge hook doesn’t come out and save the audience from my butchering my own writing.

Doug wrote a nice introduction for the Gonzo Way. AND YES, yay, indeed, he is also editing the Mutineer.  He is finishing the other long awaited book, Cronkite, before he tackles the third letters book.So, it will be out in spring of 2013. yes. yes. yes.

You may have noticed that Johnny Depp was listed as the co-author. He’ll be writing the introduction. Since Johnny Depp is the most popular movie star in the world, the publishers must have thought that that would translate to pre-order book sales. But again, it is in proper hands with Professor Brinkley. If there is trouble, I’ll fly to Austin, New york ,etc and help get it out. One thing that I am good at, is nagging my loved ones into action. It’s the best way when you have no money, no power and no magic wand.

In fact, the month before Hunter died, I was leaving to meet Hunter and Doug in New Orleans, and sent off the first batch of letters to David Rosenthal of Simon and Schuster (at the time). Originally, the third letters book was to be letters through 1991. I remember writing the tabs on the binder by year… 1991 — the fourth letters book was going to be 1991-2020 something. Oh, Hunter.

Anyway, let’s all send out a cheer to Rory Feehan who is finishing his thesis on Hunter this summer. He’s working on it as we speak. So cheers Rory.

Rory liked that my favorite book is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, a book that he happens to teach every year. Love it.

My least favorite book is James Joyce’s Ulysees. I feel sorry for English majors who are forced to read it. As they say, for a book to be any worse, it would have to break into your house and defecate on your bed.

It might be easier to get through the original Greek version of The Odyssey. Right.

Your friend in Woody Creek answering questions,

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 11:21 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

"It’s a festival of theft." 

— Hunter S. Thompson, re: the internet.

It’s 4:40 on Thursday morning, a second night of insomnia. So many changes happening at home that there’s nowhere to begin telling right now. But…

Yesterday, the drive to pass antipiracy legislation was slowed enough that Congress might actually consider all its consequences carefully. Congress, one hopes, will now act more cautiously to create tools to combat online piracy without excessive collateral damage.  But the big corporations behind those bills have run into a bigger force: an extraordinary online protest yesterday lead by Google and Wikipedia. Now that Google and Wikipedia have flexed their muscles and won, there is no stopping them now. I hope it was a good thing…

Now, it’s the internet companies have to come up with a real alternative that gives intellectual property owners rights better ways to stop piracy by Web sites located in faraway countries, which get about 53 billion visits a year, more than Google or Wikipedia. But they are outside the purview of American law.

We’ll see. right?

Anyway, back to Muhammad Ali. Happy Birthday sir! it is true that Hunter’s heroes were Muhammad Ali, Bob Dylan and Fidel Castro.

In a C-span book TV talk, somebody asked me the usual question about Hunter’s modern heroes.  I repeated Bob Dylan.. Eminem, and even Dolly Parton and forgot to mention Amy Goodman, Katrina vanden Heuvel, George Plimpton, Ed Bradley , and a few more.

If you want to hear some of the questions and answers from that C-span Book TV , make sure you skip my reading… I still don’t know why people let me read aloud. I’m teddible at it. The Q&A about Hunter is much more interesting.

Anyway, Happy Birthday Muhammad Ali!

Posted by Anita Thompson at 05:05 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

It doesn’t surprise me that Wikipedia changed its mind (via editors) to protest the censorship and spying act of the internet. Then changed their minds again early this am (it’s 4:22). I’ve had my fights with Wikipedia over inaccurate information about Hunter’s life and death — and I received emails from them telling me to mind my own business. Their information is unreliable, and it’s good to whack them once in a while.

But google did a good job with the online petition. Google isn’t the scholarly source either, but at least they don’t get personal, as far as I know! Go Google…

www.google.com

night. Don’t know why i can’t sleep tonight. 

will check in later.

 Anita T.

Posted by Anita Thompson at 04:29 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

It was a mere coincidence that I praised Dr. Dre the same month that he came out with the weird fox fur headphones. I was totally unaware of them until I read the complaints.

I’m simply curious about the Dr. Dre, Eminem, Lil Wayne lineage of Hip Hop (even though I’m not very hip). And I posted the video because of Dr. Dre’s smart comments about Martin Luther King, and the use of hip hop as an art form which in turn, curbs violence. It’s still smart, despite his hideous headphones. I have about 6 years of the same sentiment on this blog.

As for using words to Art instead of words to Violence, we all agree, Art is better than blood. 

Again, no need to blast me for posting Dr. Dre after he came out with fox fur headphones. I’m with you. I’m also interested in American literature be it be Rap, Journalism, Hemingway, Dylan, Bill Maher, etc. All relate to Gonzo. so there.

a quote from Hunter’s Proud Highway: which will answer one of the questions from the list I posted yesterday: 

This is a partial answer, in his own words to my thoughts on Hunter’s legacy.

“Although I don’t feel that it’s at all necessary to tell you how I feel about the principle of individuality, I know that I’m going to have to spend the rest of my life expressing it one way or another, and I think that I’ll accomplish more by expressing it on the keys of a typewriter than by letting it express itself in sudden outburst of frustrated violence.  I don’t mean to say that I’m about to state my credo here on this page, but merely to affirm, sincerely for the first time in my life, my belief in man as an individual and independent  entity.  Certainly not independence in the everyday sense of the word, but pertaining to a freedom and mobility of thought that few people are able – or even have the courage – to achieve.”

— Hunter S. Thompson, October 24, 1957. (the Proud Highway)

And Gina’s favorite quote: from Song’s of the Doomed: 

I found out then that writing is kind of a therapy. One of the few ways I can almost be certain I’ll understand something is by sitting down and writing about it. Because by forcing yourself to write about it and putting it down in words, you can’t avoid having to come to grips with it.

— Hunter S. Thompson Hell’s Angels, SOTD

As for my favorite book (yes, yes, you are most interested in hearing about Johnny Depp’s room, where is the archive, the situation with Hunter’s suicide story changing in the press, etc… I’ll get to those. I’m not scared or shy to talk about them anymore. just can’t do it all in one day…)

My favorite book is Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly’s Frankenstein. Hands down –eek! Not American. What’s my favorite book by Hunter? Changes every day…

Your friend in Woody Creek,

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 01:36 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

With Gitmo still open for business, how can we really complain about Baghdad detaining US contractors that have been there since the beginning of the illegal invasion. Read article here. Tit for tat. Eye for an eye, making the whole world blind. Except that the Iraqis aren’t holding our men indefinitely, sans charges.

 I just came home from the bank, closed. Forgot it was MLK day.  Here is a great interview with the calm, cool, Professorial Dr. Dre. he gives beautiful, straight answers to some good questions about hip hop and Rap as a business. He also ponders what Dr. King would think about today’s Rap scene. love it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPp8liaezFc&feature=related

Your friend in Woody Creek,

Anita Thompson

 p.s. My hero and Owl Farm intern, Gina Odem, has compiled a list of questions for me to answer (to keep up with you). It’s true I haven’t been checking this email for about a year, but Gina is on it! Here are the beginnings of the list that she asked and we combined from some of your letters and emails:

The typical day with Anita & Hunter was like?
What does preserving Owl Farm mean to you?
What is going on with Hunter’s third letter’s book, The Mutineer?
What is going on with Hunter’s Archive? Is it at a University or Owl Farm?
Can I visit Owl Farm?
Does Johhny Depp still have a room at Owl Farm?
What are the movie plans for The Gonzo Way?
What is the story Dr. Thompson’s suicide story changing? Why don’t you talk about the possibility that he was assassinated?
Which of Dr. Thompson’s books is your favorite?
Is Gonzo journalism still alive?
What might Hunter think about the state of politics today?
Any tips or predictions for 2012?
Did Hunter have a "greatest" accomplishment or stunt?
What are some of your proudest moments?
Do you have a favorite book?

Answers to come…

with love, Anita

Posted by Anita Thompson at 02:06 PM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Moving well in to the 21st century, with Twitter at the helm (newspapers dead), we have this shocking story. How did Twitter, who we rely on for… everything, fail us?

Your friend in Woody Creek, bidding adieu to playoffs,

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 10:45 AM | Permalink Post a Comment:

Yes. new year. Thank god. And it’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine. The Mayan Calendar is going to turn over, they say, on Dec 20, 2012. That seems logical — that is over month after the end of what is already a nauseating Presidential Campaign. So after that, things will have to get better.

Although the Middle East is still upside down, the capital P Protester made person of the year in Time Magazine. The protester of the Arab Spring, Athens, Occupy Wall Street, to Moscow… It’s a beautiful thing to let freedom ring…

More beautiful things:

2 years to the date,  Sean Penn and Father Rick Fachette have surpassed the US in helping the Haiti relief efforts. The November’s GAO (Government Accountability Office) report titled "Haiti Reconstruction" is a 58 page report on why nothing is happening. Thank heavens for www.jphro.org.

Our own Eminem rocked the house this week in People’s Choice Awards — we knew you would.

The Detroit Auto Show is happening right now — naias, and American cars are taking a stand. As they should. Foreign imports are becoming more bloated and arrogant than ever. After my Audi dealership charged me $900 to fix a broken wiper I decided that overpaying is better done at Starbucks, at least a hefty green-tea latte is nutritious. So it’s time to roll American. After all, the America Dream did take place in a Chevy: The Red Shark. which is sitting in the barn right now, like Secretariat. 

Locally, we started the campaign to convert at least some of Colorado coal plants to biomass. I conducted the initial interview with Diane Golis and Steve Casey of Holy Cross energy. So happens, they’ve already signed a contract with Eagle Valley Clean Energy near Gypsum, Colorado, to produce some biomass energy for our local 55,000 meters of Holy Cross Energy. Thanks guys! The campaign is on.

With the massive amount of beetle pine in Colorado, we’ll be working together with locals to get some black pellet biomass into those coal plants — good timing with (stalled) Federal Standards for clean air recently passed — another beautiful thing, or things.

Meanwhile, back at the Farm, the vultures are working overtime. With so many protections that Hunter put in place for me, they (the Burns and Levinson trustees) and angry beneficiaries are finding any loophole to annoy me in my own home in hopes of pressuring my sale of Owl Farm. Tensions were so high last week as in Fire-Breathing Dragon high, that I did actually did consider surrendering. But of course, as I look around, being pestered by gnats is not the worst thing in the world. many have it worse, so — yes, we should count our blessings, not our gnats.

And yes, Burns and Levinson law firm does have a scum-of-the-earth reputation, but I’ll defend them here. They’re not scum. They’re just lawyers. And I am friends with many excellent people who happen to be lawyers.

 And the animals are good too. The chickens are great, Athena, Ceasar, Pele etc are all doing well. Jesse will be ready to join the outside peacocks soon, I hope. He still shrieks and yaps when I put him in the pen with the adults who peck at him. But he’s growing so fast, and learning to defend himself, in that elegant, peacock style of fighting, that I can graduate him to the peacock pen soon.

My friends are laughing at me for raising a bird in the house. Although I didn’t choose for his mother to reject him at hatching, I do realize that watching a peacock grow is a privilege. The moniker, King of Birds makes perfect sense. Jesse has all the characteristics of a healthy strong peacock that he simply could not have learned from me. his body and behavior comes from his DNA. He doesn’t sit around contemplating life, and beauty — he just is beauty. Watching him grow is like watching the physical manifestation of music. God’s own music. And for that, we love you, Jesse.

Your Friend in Woody Creek,

Anita Thompson

Posted by Anita Thompson at 11:48 AM | Permalink Post a Comment: