Sweet and Sunny

Although there was a little chill in the air, bright sunny skies and buckwheat pancakes with maple syrup brought a big crowd to Highland County, Virginia for the 54th Annual Highland Maple Festival on its opening day. "Virginia's Little Switzerland" threw open the doors and "Virginia's Best Kept Mountain Secret" didn't quite seem seem quite so secret as hundreds of cars and trucks jammed the roads leading into Monterey, the typically quiet county seat which has only a blinking light at the intersection of routes 220 and 250.

We got up early and traveled back roads through Deerfield to Warm Springs and then straight up Route 220 to to Bolar Ruritan Club for pancakes, syrup, and sausage. Although we arrived shortly after they opened, there was a line of hungry folks in the cool morning air. But, the bright sun warmed our faces and the line moved steadily and we soon joined two couples from Lynchburg - they don't let a seat go unfilled in the jammed packed dining area. Both the buttermilk pancakes and buckwheat  pancakes were great, but I think the table consensus was... buckwheat!! The sausage was good, but not the best I've ever had - everybody has their favorite seasoning blend it seems. Proceeds from the meals over the two weekends support scholarships for students from Highland and Bath counties - or "snobs" in the world according to Rick Santorum.... what a dumb cluck!

After stuffing ourselves we traveled through the tiny village of Bolar to Southernmost Maple Products where we found them using their (unique for Virginia) piggy-back evaporator. Maple BBQ was available and there were a few craft vendors. Traveling the quiet backroads we spotted many buckets still hanging on spiles with sap still dripping although many of the sugar camps that aren't on the tour finished production last month. Over the years we have visited all of the camps on the tour.

As we approached Monterey the quiet backroads gave way to a huge traffic jam, something that only happens during the Maple Festival. State troopers were took over for the flashing light to bring some order to the chaos. Fortunately we were able to slip our small car in a parking spot about halfway between "downtown" and the high school.

Walking towards the courthouse lawn proved a bit challenging as we dodged rambling groups of people eating maple ice cream or maple donuts. Lots of young families with kids in strollers or senior citizens (like us) in clusters slowly checking out the booths selling food and crafts. Still full from breakfast, we passed on the donuts this time. We then hiked to the schools where two gyms were packed with vendors. In addition to various maple products a number of craft artists (many from outside Highland County) were selling wood products, art, herbal remedies, jewelry, leather goods, and all the other items you typically see at crafts fairs - but I will admit that, unlike some fairs I have visited, all of these craftsmen were selling excellent quality goods. In addition to the breakfast, we left a few dollars in Highland County buying a small piece of art, some jewelry, and two quarts of maple syrup.

Heading east on Rt. 250 we took a chance that friends who own a place near McDowell would be home... we found them relaxing and watching the ACC tournament after spending six hours that morning serving pancakes. As with the fellow we bought maple syrup from, their production was down somewhat this year. Reasons are unclear, but the warmer than usual winter with lack of significant snowfalls is cited.

We've probably been to the Maple Festival half a dozen times starting in the early 1970s and I think this was most accommodating weather we have ever enjoyed. More than once we bundled up under cloudy skies with blowing snow biting the cheeks. We enjoyed the pancakes at Bolar Ruritan Club, just as we have in Monterey, McDowell, and Blue Grass during other visits. The Maple Festival is fun and a huge boost to the local economy, but we most enjoy Highland's unique treasures when all the flatlanders are back at home. Luckily, we have the friends with a place near McDowell and others near Blue Grass so we can find an "excuse" to visit from time to time.... and I learned that another work colleague just bought a place near Bolar! And what are some of those unique treasures...?

• Virginia's least populated county with about 2,300 people (population explodes during the festival),
• Highland has one of the highest average elevations east of the Mississippi River,
• The Battle of McDowell took place here on May 8, 1862,
• Fishing, hunting, hiking, camping opportunities are spectacular,
• The headwaters of both the James River and the Potomac River are in the county,
• Wide open spaces.

If you missed the Highland Maple Festival this weekend, you can check it out again on March 17-18 when the weather looks to again be great with temps in the 70s!

Agree with Pat Robertson?

"I really believe we should treat marijuana the way we treat beverage alcohol. I’ve never used marijuana and I don’t intend to, but it’s just one of those things that I think: this war on drugs just hasn’t succeeded."

~ Pat Robertson, March 7, 2012              

There isn't much I've ever agreed with Pat Robertson on, so his recent statement about the failure of the war on drugs and the high social and penal costs on the American people came as a bit of a surprise to me and many others. But, he is right - the war on drugs has never and will never succeed. The costs enforcing the laws and locking up offenders are exorbitant and rising. And the damage to youthful offenders (and their families) far exceeds any benefits of the current "tough on crime" policy.

Perhaps Rev. Robertson's statement will open some Republican eyes and bring out the libertarian in all of us. We can empty some jail cells, improve people's lives, save and maybe even raise some tax dollars. Sounds like a win, win proposition to me.

Wrecking Ball

Wrecking Ball arrived on my porch earlier this week and I've finally had the opportunity to listen it multiple times, to ponder and to reflect upon the power of Bruce Springsteen's music and lyrics. Not since Darkness on the Edge of Town has Springsteen delivered such a powerful and angry commentary on the loss of the American Dream. While he doesn't delve into partisan politics, this is a political album that points a finger at the bankers and the powerful whose greed and avarice have left many Americans in an economic and emotional dustbin.

Springsteen pulls out all the stops in Wrecking Ball. There is his trademark rock as well as Biblical, gospel, Irish, and hip hop influences. While most of the songs carry his passion and outrage there are songs of a better tomorrow like the grittier version of "Land of Hope and Dreams." And he explores the mystery of love and friendship in "You've Got It."

Even the titles of many of the songs make Springsteen's disdain for the political and economic elite clear - "Shackeld and Drawn," "Death to My Hometown," "Rocky Ground," and "This Depression" just to name the most obvious. But his deepest passion and anger is found in lyrics that make it clear who Springsteen holds responsible for killing the hopes and dreams of so many. For example in "Shackled and Drawn" Springsteen laments -

Gambling man rolls the dice

Working man pays the bill

It's still fat and easy up on Banker's Hill

Up on Banker's Hill, the Party's going strong

Down here below we're shackled and drawn

In "Death to My Hometown" Springsteen holds the robber barons accountable -

They destroyed our families, factories

And they took our homes

They left our bodies in the plains

The vultures picked our bones

Other songs repeat the themes with different settings and musical styles, but among some there is a glimmer of hope and a call for individuals, communities, the nation to help one another. "Jack of All Trades," one of my personal favorites, especially when Tom Morello's guitar adds a bit of rage, lays the blame for our economic woes squarely on the "banker man," but reminds us of the resiliency of American families -

The hurricane blows, brings the hard rain

When the blue sky breaks

It feels like the world's gonna change

And we'll start caring for each other

Like Jesus said we might

I'm a jack of all trades, we'll be all right

In "We Take Care of Our Own" Springsteen expands on the notion of "caring for each other" to a national scale as he reminds us of all that the politicians in Washington are forgetting -

Where's the promise from sea

to shinning sea

Where's the promise from sea

to shinning sea

Wherever this flag is flown

Wherever this flag is flown

Wherever this flag is flown

We take care of our own

Check it out for yourself....

Springsteen's detractors (I guess there are a few dumb clucks) probably question his sincerity - after all he's obviously part of the 1%, in the video above playing to others of the 1% about the trials of those of us in the 99%. But Bruce Springsteen's heart and soul are clearly rooted in his working class family and upbringing. Powerful songs throughout his long, prolific career speak to day-to-day life and challenges faced by Americans trying to make it in life - "Racing in the Street," "The Promise," "Factory," "The River," "Youngstown,""The Ghost of Tom Joad,""American Skin," and many others. In Wrecking Ball Bruce Springsteen reminds us that life can be horribly unfair but that we all hope for a better future for ourselves and our children. In 2007's Magic, Bruce Springsteen reminded us that finding our national soul will be a "Long Walk Home." By helping one another, we will get there.

Bob, litter is part of the problem

Rep. Bob Goodlatte (VA-06) has introduced a bill to halt the EPA's Chesapeake Bay cleanup plans. Pointing to "more mandates and overzealous regulations," Goodlatte wants to turn the responsibility over to states and to rely on "voluntary efforts." He also calls for "nutrient trading" programs.

In response, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation issued a statement urging Congress to reject the legislation outright. The CBF said, in part, that the legislation will "undermine the pollution limits currently in place, derail cleanup efforts and undercut the federal government's role in making sure that all Americans have access to clean, swimmable, fishable waters."

Okay, let's keep it simple: Goodlatte's bill would result in uneven enforcement at best and a dirtier Chesapeake Bay. And a more polluted Bay impacts Virginia more than perhaps any other state.

The Chesapeake Bay watershed consists of 64,000 square miles and drains portions of six states (Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York) and the nation's capitol. Leaving enforcement up to each individual state could mean no enforcement at all - Pennsylvania, a major contributor of the Bay's fresh water, might decide there is nothing in it for them and the costs just aren't worth it. So even if Virginia and Maryland made heroic efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, it would all go for naught.

"Voluntary efforts" is laughable. Let's try voluntary speed limits on I-81. It is hard enough to keep trucks and cars at 70 mph with enforcement; can you imagine the chaos if it were voluntary. Drivers who voluntarily comply better have a huge and effective rear bumper! As someone who has waded streams collecting water and macroinvertebrate samples, I have personally visited farms that have voluntarily done wonderful things to stabilize stream banks and to keep excess nutrients and pollutants out of our waters. But, I've also seen that a few miles of protected stream can't make up for the others that continue to allow erosion and waste to spoil our precious water resources.

"Nutrient trading" programs may have some validity in the short term. Polluters who can't clean up as quickly or easily could, I imagine, buy/trade nutrient credits with others who have cleaned up their act. But, in the long term we need everyone to get it right and realize we can't keep treating our waterways as sewers. Besides, "nutrient trading" sounds a lot like "cap and trade" which I thought the congressman and his GOP colleagues detested. A bit of Republican hypocrisy and insincerity on display here?

Cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay will take the efforts of all 17 million Americans who live in the watershed. And I do mean all - while intensive agriculture is a major contributor to excess nutrients and pollution in the Bay we need everyone involved. That means enforceable regulations on homeowners (septic fields and overuse of fertilizers), municipal sewage systems, developers, manufacturers, and businesses large and small.

Want to get involved with water cleanup in the Shenandoah Valley? Check out these organizations doing good work in your community:

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation
• Friends of the Shenandoah River
• Friends of the Middle River
• Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River
• Izaak Walton League
• James River Association
• Valley Conservation Council
• and many more....

You can also contact Rep. Bob Goodlate and let him know you oppose his bill (it is probably more about grandstanding against the EPA and posturing for the election than it is about good public policy). I just squawked at at the old bird.

But, will there be overdue fines?

Now that Virginia has some of the most lenient gun laws in the nation, a proposal has been "floated" to make guns even more available to folks who can't afford their own or just get caught temporarily without the Smith & Wesson in a time of need: Gun Lending Libraries.

Perhaps this idea should be expanded and improved. For example:

• Will there be drive-thru windows?
• Will there be overdue fines?
• Will private guns be allowed in the library?
• Will the library be allowed in a bar?
• Will the library raise money by hosting a gun fair?
• Will there be inter-library loans?

The morning after

The morning after a ho hum GOP presidential primary in Virginia. Most areas of the state saw turnout under 5% and some of those cast a blank ballot to protest the fact that neither Gingrich nor Santorum qualified for the ballot. That speaks in part to the Commonwealth's toughest ballot qualification standards in the nation, but more importantly to the lack of a good field operation by either campaign.

So the morning after the boring primary a Republican operative called for the General Assembly to lower the qualification standards for candidates. At the same time, Republicans in the General Assembly are making it harder for citizens to vote. Anybody see the irony, and hypocrisy, in that?

Guess it all fits in well with their battle plan following Citizens United: Fat cat donors bankroll candidates' (pay worker bees to circulate petitions) who will have to collect fewer signatures. Once their candidates are on the ballot, the fat cats and their super pacs bombard the airwaves and tweets with negative ads, character assassination, lies, and innuendo. And to drive the nail deeper in the coffin, they've disenfranchised segments of voter groups who have traditionally voted Democratic. Now that's a strategy to crow about!

Time to start spreading more Coarse Cracked Corn? I will admit the foul nature of politics makes it hard to get my feathers flying again. Some volunteering and other activities leave me feeling better when we turn out the lights each night. But, when the GOP litter starts getting deeper and deeper even an old bird has to crow every now and then. So, we will see how far this goes. Will the lights in the hen house stay on? Or not?

Things are looking fowl

Somebody must have turned on the lights in the hen house. Cluck!