January 20, 2007
Rained all day yesterday and into the night. Actually more of a drizzle, but it flat out wrecked the attendance to the Thunderbird Wine Festival up in Carefree and I imagine it didn't help the Barrett Jackson Car Auction down in Scottsdale any either. Kathy and I went to AZ Wines after work and sampled some new wines. Ended up at Crazy Ed's "Chilibeertos" (which is a take-off on the proliferation of Rolberto's and Roloberto's and Philberto's, taco stands that are everywhere around here. Ed always likes a good pun, thus the "Chili" and "Beer" to's). One of the couples we met at the wine tasting remembered "Weed Wackin' Wednesdays" a radio bit we used to do on KSLX, and he and his wife recommended Chilibeerto's, which is in the old Goatsucker Saloon, next to Crazy Ed's and very close to Clantonville, our original True West headquarters when we brought the magazine out from Stillwater, OK.

Kathy had a burrito and I had the tampiquena ($27, includes tip, cash, house account). Not great, but good solid fast food. The couple who recommended the place and two of their daughters, along with a Cardinal's cheerleader with huge talents (and who's going to Hong Kong with the team, and hopefully the Cardinals will stay there. Ha.), showed up as well and we laughed it up. It didn't hurt that we all had free tequila at the sister store to AZ Wines. It may have been free but I paid for that later. See next paragraph:

Woke up at two, mulling my business and The Top Secret Project. Went out into the studio and built a fire and went to work. Painted and sketched until six, then went back to bed and got up at 7:30. Snow is tipping the tops of the ridges up on Continental Mountain. Went for a bike ride and decided to put straw in the chicken house to get J.D. off my back. Locked the Chicken Killer (Peaches) out and ignored Buddy Boze Hatkiller who was sleeping in the big chair next to the stove and went out to rake and get the nesting portals of the hen house cleaned out. As I backed a big garbage can up to the door, three chickens took the opportunity to step out into the yard for a little exercise. I had duly noted that in Mexico the dogs, the hogs and the chickens get along extremely well, and I saw numerous occassions when chickens walked right in front of dogs and they didn't even raise their nose, so I got to thinking that maybe it was just Peaches who was the chicken killer and that left to their devices, the two breeds might get along just fine.

I finished putting straw in the perch pits, and went out to herd the three amigos back into the hen house. I got two in, but just as I turned to finangle the third, here came Buddy like a bat out of hell, and grabbed that chicken in three lunges, feathers and obscenities (mine) flying everywhere.

And now we have two chicken killers.

Onion Headline de Jour
Local Man To Open Chicken Killing University (CKU) For Dogs

Sorry. Made that up.

"Set positive goals and reasonable expectations."
—Steve Strasser