Ray's Thought for the Day - JB 29, 05'

Red says the Cow Barn supports the war in Iraq, cause we pay taxes. Ray's thought is, perhaps, some of the Cow Barn's very own tax dollars that we pay toward supportin the war in Iraq, are goin toward the new prisons, in Iraq, that are helpin spread democracy in Iraq.

Red had a thought too. Remember last night when I was summarizin that "Pigs are Interesting." Red thinks that 10) means that because I, Ray, couldn't see the moon that night, the Goddess sent the pigs to keep me company so I, Ray, wouldn't have a panic attack.

Ray's thought for the Day - JB 28,'05

I am tryin to figure out, from what the Demon said his name was, Legion, how many Demons were infestin the crazy man (men)whose name(s) nobody can remember. The reason I'm undertakin this exercise is to see if I can figure out if the story is literal or allegorical or just a lie.

Ray's Thought for the Day - JB 27, '05

Let's see, it says here that Bendigeinfran got stuck in the foot with a poison spear and figured that the jig was up, but he had a plan. "Cut off my head boys, and if you follow instructions it will be just as good a company for you as if it (me noggin)was attached to the rest, of me". So the boys listened up on the instructions they were supposed to follow and then they cut off Bendigeinfran's head. Then, sure enough Bendigeinfran's head was known far and wide throughout all the lands of the Cymry and a ways further off too, for it's clever conversation and singing voice. The head lasted in this fashion for 87 years and a little bit. Then the boys took it to London and buried it, facing France.

Now I've got to wonder, is this literal, or allegorical.

I'll bet this story is where that band got it's name from.

Inquire of the Lovely Druidess Rayetta

All righty then. This here, "Inquire of the Lovely Druidess Rayetta" is a new service that the Cow Barn is providin to the public. A while back, as you all know, the Cow Barn opted to go evangelical, but we didn't have all the portended services set up yet, then. So as not to foil our predictability we have started introducing them gradual over time. This service,"Inquire of the Lovely Druidess Rayetta" like "Raymone's Word du Jour" is one of the services I'm talkin about, now.

The way this one works is, anyone with a question can inquire of the Lovely Druidess Rayetta and the Lovely Druidess Rayetta will answer back by tellin the truth and not lyin. Remember, we are all honor bound agin lyin. If the Lovely Druidess Rayetta don't know the answer, then the Lovely Druidess Rayetta can count on the Cow Barn and the Druidry in these parts to help her out with answerin the question.

____________

Red ruminates

Gaul dern it, seems like there was a awful lot of Lovely Druidess Rayettas in that speech. Who wrote that dang thang, fer me?

Raymone's Word(s) du Jour

The nub of the gist of Druidry is language, from which we conjure satire.

So what should a Tabby Labber carve into that first wand to conjure all the knowledge of the world?

Easy that, the alphabet.

Also, we are always striving to improve our vocabularies. To whit:

literal, allegorical and we probably should have included parable with the other two words because of what's going to happen anon.

Main Entry: 1lit·er·al
Pronunciation: 'li-t(&-)r&l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin litteralis, from Latin, of a letter, from littera letter
1 a : according with the letter of the scriptures b : adhering to fact or to the ordinary construction or primary meaning of a term or expression : ACTUAL liberty in the literal sense is impossible -- B. N. Cardozo c : free from exaggeration or embellishment (the literal truth) d : characterized by a concern mainly with facts: a very literal man
2 : of, relating to, or expressed in letters
3 : reproduced word for word : EXACT, VERBATIM
- lit·er·al·i·ty /"li-t&-'ra-l&-tE/ noun
- lit·er·al·ness /'li-t(&-)r&l-n&s/ noun

Main Entry: 2literal
Function: noun
: a small error usually of a single letter (as in writing)

Main Entry: al·le·go·ry
Pronunciation: 'a-l&-"gOr-E, -"gor-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ries
Etymology: Middle English allegorie, from Latin allegoria, from Greek allEgoria, from allEgorein to speak figuratively, from allos other + -Egorein to speak publicly, from agora assembly -- more at ELSE, AGORA
1 : the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence; also : an instance (as in a story or painting) of such expression
2 : a symbolic representation :

Main Entry: al·le·gor·i·cal
Pronunciation: "a-l&-'gor-i-k&l, -'gär-
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of allegory
2 : having hidden spiritual meaning that transcends the literal sense of a sacred text
- al·le·gor·i·cal·ly /-k(&-)lE/ adverb
- al·le·gor·i·cal·ness /-k&l-n&s/ noun

Ray's Thought for the Day - JB 26, '05

At the Cow Barn there stay Carya illinoiensis, Hyphantia cunea, wasps and Coccyzus americanus. Translating these into English we get pecan, a web worm type that is white when its in a moth metamorphosis, wasps, and the yellow-billed cuckoo. Note: There are sundry wasps that stay here, but we don't know all their names.


What's that Red?

Yepper. One more I need to mention is Passer domesticus, the house sparrow, or as we reference 'em here, "them dern English sparrows".

So all these, ah, Red should I include Lomo here?

Gaul dern it Ray, leave Lomo out of it, ye'll put us off our breakfast feed.

All righty then Red. So all these noted above that stay here at the Cow Barn are a partial parcel of a food chain that for the sake of the vulgar and ignorant I have here greatly oversimplified leaving off Lomo, flies, spiders and ants among others. Now roaring ahead on at supersonic speed; there's the pecans and the webwroms eat them, and everone else eats the webworms. The birds may eat the wasps too, but none of us have been able to verify that (academically speaking) at the Cow Barn scale. The wasps and cuckoos eat the webworms when the webworms are in one of their several caterpillar metamorphoses. Them dern English sparrows though, catch 'em (the webworms) when the webworms are in their white moth metamorphosis. Note: Them Dern English Sparrows Turned Flycatchers Days is celebrated as Holidays at the Cow Barn because we are all mightily tickled by them dern English sparrows' acrobatical aerial displays which they (them dern English sparrows)undertake to apprehend the moths.

Which brings me to my Thought for the Day.

In the times of travel between my apprenticeship with ol Dr. Swineherd and fetching up here at the good ol RGVECB I once heard a snatch of song that went:

"The cuckoos a purty bird,
she sings when she flies,
but she never says cuckoo,
til the 4th of July".

Now I am wondering if this snatch of song was meant as literal, or allegorical. Cause the cuckoos in these parts have been saying cuckoo ever since they fetched up here, back in May. (I have also had this thought before now too, on many occasions dating back many moons, and it troubles me).

On Understanding the Limitations of Satire

Between the times of our associations with Dr. Swineherd and Red, Rayetta and me lived for a long while off the fat of the land, like a couple of Wrens, relying on our wits. We had lots of adventures on our migrations in those days and met some strange characters.

One of these (strange characters) had no sense of humor, or at least that's what he told us, and he took pride in humorlessness, and he said, "I don't think anything is funny at all and I never laugh at anything."

Rayetta and me almost got through this recitaton with straight faces, but Rayetta started laughing so hard at this strange character that she (Rayetta) exhaled snot like a hee-hawing donkey.

That let the air out of him.

Then on another adventure we met a man who boasted of being the most boring man
alive. And Rayetta said to him. "Really, that is most interesting, so interesting in point of fact that you don't seem at all boring, to me."

That let the air out of him.

However, we also learned that some strange characters are so exceedingly ignorant and/or so trigger happy that satire may not work on them in time to keep the satirist working the spell from getting seriously hurt or even killed dead. In addition, sometimes we found oursevles, spur of the moment like, up against pure evil masquerading as ignorant/trigger happy. Satire never works directly on that sort.

Now all you Tabby Labbers pay attention.

There aren't enough of us to take on all the exceedingly ignorant and/or trigger happy strange characters head on, yet. So we need to stay away from them as much as possible. But if you get cornered or a confrontation is inevitable, go berserk and don't forget to use a weapon. If you don't have a weapon on you, pick one up. They are generally lying around close at hand. Hurt them and keep hurting them until you are sure they can't hurt you. Remember, you are way more valuable to the Goddess than they are. Also, remember, that whatever you do, you need to be smart enough to get away with it.

Common Sense

is what all of us are supposed to have in some measure. Yet there is no general agreement on this, because I have heard the phrase, common sense, used, yes even in reference to me, thusly. She doesn't have any common sense. Or, she lacks common sense. So I admit it, I don't have any common sense. Now though, I hear an appeal for me to use some common sense. Maybe there's a pool of it out there I can dip into. Hey Paul, did you fill up the common sense trough today?, I gotta get some. Hey Raymone, can I borrow some of your common sense?

I've noticed one other thing too about (common sense). Those who talk about having it the most, seem to have more than their fair share, by inference anyway. Because as one of us might say, "That poor basturd don't have common sense, but here am I to recognize that that poor basturd don't have common sense, and that means, by inference, that I do have common sense."

Again, this opine withers the land with redundancy, He/she/they should show some common sense. It certainly would freshen me up to hear someone else say, like a politician maybe, "I should show some common sense".

One more gem, "It's just common sense".

Rayetta

Red remembers

It was a great while ago in Emuin Machae the seat of Conchubur, King of the Ulaid, which is the name the people of Ulster of that day went by, and spelled their land. And the Druidry in these parts, meanin' Ulaid, was troubled on account of Conchubur's shenanigans. As Cathub would say, "He's not right, with the Goddess." Then there was the business with Conchubur sleepin' with his grown up daughter Deichtine, and her bein married off so sudden like. Plus everone knew that he had Derdriu hid away, bidin his time til she was old enough to spell Deichtine or whoever else the old fool was dickerin with.

So with little regard for Conchubur, us Druids was on stand down alert, which meant we was just sort of workin for Conchubur. Then one day Cathub called a meetin. I had pretty well got over my fidgetin by then, Ray, so I got an invite too. At the meetin, the Druidess Lebarcham, who is well known for bein efficient and also (well known) as a smart aleck prissy pants, allowed as how, "I, Lebarcham, have been visitin with Derdriu all along, while the rest of you were sort of workin fer Conchubur. So I, Lebarcham know, that about now Derdriu has run off with Noisiu and Noisiu's brothers have gone with them. So now there is a beginnin to the endin of Cathub's foretellin. Serves Conchubur right, fer sure."

But Cathub sang,

"It spells death for the Sons of Uisliu, and Derdriu too.
And much sorrow through many ages will come to the Ulaid from this."

That set a somber tone for the remainder of the meetin and we determined that the best course was to keep sort of workin for Conchubur and do what we could to keep the people and the little wonders safe and happy and fend off the anticipated generalized panic attack.

Conchubur tried ever way to catch the Sons of Uisliu and Derdriu, but they continuously, fer awhile, stayed one step ahead of him in their adventures. But at last, through treachery, Noisiu and his brothers were murdered and Conchubur had Derdriu for a year. We know this from Lebarcham: "At the end of a year, Conchubur wearied of Derdriu, for she was sullen and miserable and poor company. "I do not sleep now, nor do I brighten my nails" is the kinds of songs she would sing, sadly. So Conchubur, said, "Derdriu,, who do you hate more than me? And Derdriu replied, "Eogan". Eogan was the one Conchubur got to kill Noisiu. "Alrighty then, you shall go and stay with Eogan for a year", said Conchubur." So Conchubur took her over to Eogan's. But the next day they went off to a fair, these two evil men and Derdriu, and that's when Derdriu espied a big rock and jumped head first into"

"That'll larn 'em!"

Gaul dern it Judy, lemme finish up the rememberin and we can listen to yer opinions later. Now where was I? er,.................it (the big rock), killin herself.

Draft of the Little Wonders (Magnoliophyta) to Home at Red's Good Vs. Evil Cow Barn

An asterisk indicates that the species was absent from the Cow Barn, but has subsequently come to be at the Cow Barn abetted by a Cow Barn denizen and/or the Druidry in these parts, or another motile agent acting as a vector. Non-native species, which comprised most of the Magnoliophyta at the Cow Barn prior to our migration to the Cow Barn are most of the ones subject to "eradication pressure", or they are native and we have something against them. Plants that we tried to introduce against their will are generally identified as (deceased or a synonym thereof). There is some overlaps and omissions in the subtopics below cause none of us here have carefully edited this document on account of the Magnoliophyta changing faster than us. A ? indicates we're not sure about the taxonomy or something else about that species. Sorry, no common names. Red also just noticed how this list aint as up to date as it could be, so Ray is gonna be workin on that (gettin it up to date).

Rayetta


________________

graminoids

Andropogon gerardii *
Andropogon glomeratus *
Andropogon ternarius*
Bothriochloa ischaemum (subject to extreme eradication pressure, most have died)
Bothriochloa laguroides
Bouteloua curtipendula *
Bouteloua hirsuta *
Bouteloua rigidiseta *
Brachiaria fasciculata
Bromus japonicus (subject to extreme eradication pressure)
Bromus uniloides (subject to extreme eradication pressure)
Buchloe dactyloides - native and introduced "Prairie" cultivar *
Catapodium rigidum
Cenchrus incertus (subject to extreme eradication pressure)
Chasmanthium latifolium *
Coelorachis cylindrica *( not seen recently)
Cynodon dactylon (subject to extreme eradication pressure)
Dichanthelium oligosanthes *
Digitaria ciliaris
Echinochloa colonum
Eragrostis intermedia
Eragrostis spectabilis *
Eriochloa sericea *
Hilaria belangeri *
Hordeum pusillum
Leptochloa dubia *
Limnodea arkansana
Lolium perenne (subject to extreme eradication pressure)
Muhlenbergia lindheimeri *
Panicum capillare
Panicum hallii*
Panicum obtusum *
Panicum virgatum *
Paspalum dilitatum (subject to extreme eradication pressure)
Paspalum pubiflorum
Poa annua
Poa arachnifera*
Schizachyrium scoparium *
Sorghastrum nutans *
Sorghum halapense (subject to extreme eradication pressure)
Sporobolous asper
Stenotaphrum secundatum (we aren't sure what to do about this one)
Stipa leucotricha
Tridens buckleyanus* (transplanted but committed suicide)
Tridens flavus *
Tridens muticus *
Tripsacum dactyloides *
Urochloa fasciculata

sedges

Carex brittoniana*
Carex blanda*
Carex bulbostylis *
Carex cherokeensis *
Carex microdonta *
Carex sp. *
Carex muhlenbergia var. enermis
Cyperus alternifolius (eradicated except for those exported to Druid Pat's)
Cyperus ochraceus*
Cyperus retroflexus
Cyperus rotundus

herbs

Abutilon incanum
Acalypha ostryifolia
Achillea millefolium *
Agalinis heterophylla
Allium canadense
Allowissadula holosericea*
Amaranthus albus
Ambrosia cumanensis (psilostachya)
Ambrosia trifida - (invader from the neighbor)
Anemone heterophylla
Argythamnia humilis
Argythamia mercurialina* (transplanted but commtted suicide)
Asclepias tuberosa *
Aster ericoides*
Aster patens*
Aster subulatus
Aster oblongifolius?
Aster sp.
Bouchetia erecta * (try keying this one out from the family level key in Correll and Johnston)
Brazoria scutellarioides *
Calyophus drummondianus *
Capsella bursa-pastoris (under modest eradication pressure)
Capsicum annuum
Centaurea melitensis (came in bar-ditch seed mix the city put out following sewer line construction, must all die)
Callirhoe involucrata*
Callirhoe sp.
Cerastium glomeratus (under moderate eradication pressure)
Clematis pitcheri *
Commelina erecta
Croton capitatus
Croton monanthogynous
Cymopterus macrorhizous*
Daucus pusillus
Datura wrightii * (introduced but committed suicide)
Delphinium carolinianum* (doesn't much like it here)
Desmanthus velutinus
Dichondra carolinensis
Dichondra recurvata
Dicliptera brachiata*
Engelmania pinnatifida*
Eryngium leavenworthii* (came in with sod from wherever the sod came from)
Echinacea cultivar *
Eupatorium greggii *
Eupatorium incarnatum*
Eupatorium serotinum*
Euphorbia nutans
Euphorbia
Eustoma grandiflora* (has been present on occasion)
Evolvulus nutallianus* (introduced bu committed suicide)
Evolvulus sericeus
Facelis retusa (goofy non-native lawn weed)
Gaillardia pulchella *
Galium aparine (under extreme eradication pressure)
Galium virgatum (under moderate eradication pressure)
Gauralindheimeri?
Gilia rigidula *
Hedeoma acinioides *
Hedeoma drummondii *
Helianthus annus*
Helianthus maximiliana*
Heliotropium tenellum *
Heterotheca subaxillaris
Hybanthus verticillatus
Ipheion uniflorum (South American)
Ipomoea quamoclit *(deceased)
Ipomoea trichocarpa
Ipomopsis rubra*
Jacquemontia tamnifolia* (introduced from material collected in La, 2000), none survived 2001
Justicia runyonii*
Kallstroemia parviflora
Krameria lanceolata *
Lactuca ludoviciana
Lamium amplexicaule (under eradication pressure)
Lindheimera texana
Malvastrum aurantiacum
Matelea biflora *
Medicago lupulina (needs to be exterminated)
Medicago minima (the worst of the lot, almost wiped)
Medicago polymorpha (must be exterminated and almost has been)
Mimosa strigillosa* (came with buffalograss prairie cultivar)
Monarda citriodora
Neptunea lutea
Nyctaginia capitata *(deceased)
Oenothera speciosa
Oenothera missouriensis* (may be deceased)
Onosmodium bejariense*
Oxalis dillenii
Oxalis drummondii*
Papaver somniferum* (deceased, arrived with the bar ditch botanical emergency)
Parietaria pennsylvanica
Parthenium hysterophorus
Passiflora foetida *
Penstemon cobaea*
Penstemon guadalupensis* (deceased)
Penstemon triflorus* (deceased)
Phlox drummondii*
Phlox pilosa *(probably deceased)
Phlox roemeriana* (deceased)
Plantago rhodosperma
Polytaenia texana
Prosopsis glandulosa (undermodest eradication pressure)
Pyrrhopapus multicaulis
Ranunculus macranthus*
Ricina communis * (deceased)
Ratibida columnifera (
Rivina humilis
Ruellia brittoniana*(deceased)
Ruellia davisorum*
Ruellia nudiflora
Rudbeckia hirta *
Sagina decumbens
Salvia azurea*
Salvia coccinea *
Salvia farinacea *
Salvia regla* (These age fast and need to replaced).
Salvia roemeriana *
Salvia texana *
Sida abutifolia
Silene antirrhina (keeps the rhinos away)
Silphium laciniatum*
Scutellaria drummondii
Scutellaria wrightii*
Simsia calva*
Sisyrinchium minus
Sisyrinchium pruinosum
Solanum americanum
Solanum elaegnifolium
Solidago canadensis
Spermolepis inermis
Stellaria media (under moderate eradication pressure)
Taraxacum officinale (under moderate eradication pressure)
Torilis arvensis (all Torilis must be wiped clean)
Torilis nodosus (ditto)
Tragia brevispica
Triodanis perfoliata
Valerianella amarella *
Valerianella radiata
Verbena bipinnatifida
Verbena canescens
Vicia ludoviciana
Vicia sativa (this one is real hard to kill and liable to get away from us)
Viguera dentata*
Wedelia (Zexmenia) hispida*



Perennial vines

Antigonon leptopus * (deceased)
Campsis radicans
Clematis pitcheri*
Gelsemium sempervirens*
Lonicera japonica (under extreme eradication pressure)
Lonicera sempervirens *
Passiflora foetida*
Rubus cultivar (has a disease so its going to get deceased eventually)
Rubus trivialis (subject to modest eradication pressure)
Smilax bona-nox (subject tomodest eradication pressure)
Toxicodendron radicans (subject to extreme eradication pressure)
Vitis mustangensis
Vitis cultivar


Shrubs

Anisicanthus wrightii*
Caesalpinia cultivar?*
Callicarpa americana*
Clematis drummondii (under moderate eradication pressure)
Croton fruticulosus*
Foresteria pubescens
Hamelia patens*
Hypericum cultivar* (this one needs to get eradicated)
Ilex decidua *
Ilex vomitoria *
Lantana camara *
Lantana horrida
Malpighia glabra
Malvastrum aurantiacum
Malvaviscus arboreus **
Modiola caroliniana*
Myrica cerifiera *
Pavonia lasiopetala *
Photinia sp. -(eradicated)
Pistacia texense *
Prunus minutiflora* (killed itself)
Rhus aromatica*
Salvia ballotaeflora *?
Salvia greggii*
Schaefferia cuneifolia*
Sophora affinis*
Sophora secundiflora *
Tecoma stans* (the crumby one with fat leaflets)
Yucca rupicola* (deceased)
Zanthoxylum hirsutum

Trees

Aesculus arguta* (goes deciduous in late July, so is annoying most of the year)
Aesculus pavia*
Bauhinia lunarioides ?
Bumelia lanuginosa
Carya illinoiensis
Celtis laevigata
Cercis canadensis
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Fraxinus texana*
Melia azedarach (cut stump is used to make deer spears)
Morus microphylla*
Prunus mexicana*
Prunus cultivar *
Sapium sebiferum (one huge very troubling one)
Tilia caroliniana *
Quercus buckleyi
Quercus virginiana
Ulmus crassifolia

Ray's Thought for the Day - JB 24, '05

Probably, you would be, as surprised as me, to read the phrase "meteoric water increases during the rainy season". It is a troubling phrase on many levels. Yet I have read many referals to meteoric water. Which reminds me that these parts, including Red's Good Vs. Evil Cow Barn, is in the Grip of the Demon Drought. Verily it waxes hotter with each surpassing (shorter) day, yet the rain falleth not.