Squirrel Extreme Sports

While I generally like all animals, as a person who has (in the past) done significant gardening, squirrels are very low on my list of animals that I care about. I think it has to do with their innate destructive nature. It is difficult to see the logic of an animal that destroys a food source (i.e. plant) before it reaches the stage where it can even begin to produce food.

That said, as I was driving this morning, I was fortunate enough to witness one of the common, gray, tree-rats involved in one of the most impressive spectacles I have ever witnessed. The speed, agility and daring of this bushy-tailed rat was (I believe) unmatched by even the most daring of extreme sport athletes.

The squirrel ran into oncoming traffic and touched the tire… perhaps pushed off the tire, of the moving car in front of me. I doubt the driver of the car even realized the incredible stunt that he/she helped to create.

In what seemed to be only a gray blur, the squirrel ran into the street, touched the moving tire and reversed its direction back the way it came. It occurred so quickly, that I was both shocked and stunned by the sight!

I know most people would say that it was merely a “close call,” and the squirrel had only meant to cross when the car(s) came along. I’m afraid I saw something different! The small dare-devil clearly was demonstrating his superior skill as he counted coup in the tradition of the American Indians. The squirrel never meant to harm the car (his mortal enemy); he only meant to slap it and run away –thus showing his incredible courage in the face of danger.

I could only applaud his courage and spirit. I hope I don’t see him splattered on the street on my drive home.
KJC

The Story of Kevin’s Shack

Long ago, a baby was born to an immigrant family while they were traveling by ship from Germany to America. His name was Herman.

Herman was my mother’s uncle, and he lived in a shack in his brother’s (my grandfather’s) pasture. He lived a simple life and worked odd jobs.

I have had some difficulty developing a new career, and I have long considered carrying out a family tradition. You see, my brother has a pasture, and we have already discussed the location of my future shack.

If I decide to build and live in a shack in my brother’s pasture, I am thinking that I should also run for President of the United States of America. I would be the first non-millionaire to be President… since perhaps Abraham Lincoln. I would run on the shack platform.

The best part of all of this in my opinion, is that if I were to win the presidency, the Secret Service would have to send a guy to guard my shack, 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week; while I lived at the White House. I think that this would totally ROCK!

Threats

Threats
June 28, 2005

When I hike into the woods, there are a variety of things that can cause me harm. The real threat and the perceived threat may be different. It is obvious to worry about things like bears and cougars, though I am more at risk from domestic dogs and raccoons; and still more at risk from woodticks, mosquitoes, deerflies, unstable ground and stinging nettles.

Is this true of our situation as a country as well? Perhaps Iraq is not as big of a threat as a small group of radicals. Perhaps the reaction to the perceived threat is more dangerous than the threat itself. Would one use a shotgun to rid his kitchen of a mouse?

Maybe the way the USA does things is not the best way… huh?
Look at the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding eminent domain. It just reinforced what always was the case. If your city wants to give your land to a private developer, start packing. President George W. Bush recently opened up vast areas of protected land for development. Oil is still our primary energy source –despite the real threat that the supply is controlled largely by countries that dislike us.

I find it interesting that GREED prevented Communism from successfully expanding beyond a family group. And, it is GREED that seems to be the undoing of our Capitalist economy. Foreign countries offer cheaper labor, which loses jobs in the USA. In a market driven economy, profit (i.e. greed) pushes those in control of the money to manufacture overseas. Eventually, in this economy, China will buy Chevron and control our oil distribution. Even now our commercial aircraft are being serviced in foreign countries putting our security at risk. Would these foreign mechanics be qualified for the same job if they moved to the USA?

So, is the threat to our nation internal or external? Is it easier to blame others rather than to look at ourselves?
KJC

Who is Cutris?

"Cutris," is from my name "Curtis." It's kind of like when Brett Favre pronounces his name "Farve." My friend Dave gave me the name and it works good on the Internet since nobody else has that name.

I am a writer, musician and volunteer ranger in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. I have a band, and we have something like 160 original songs. I don't know what we're called anymore... I moved out to Providence for awhile, before returning to Minnesota. The band was called The Electric Frog Syrup Band.

I work part-time doing Government Television. I'm one of the people who puts city meetings on TV. I had been doing project work involving state academic testing. Then, once the projects were over I was out of work.

I used to work for the county Chemical Health Division located on Franklin and Chicago Avenues in Minneapolis. It was a good education, though I'm happy to have left that environment.

In my spare time, I hike in all kinds of weather. I also bicycle. I used to do a lot of camping, canoeing and rode motorcycle. I like all kinds of animals and plants. I make beer and wine and I like to cook.

I've never been married, though I'm not opposed to it either. I don't have any kids, but I'm also not opposed to that.
KJC

e-mail:
mnvalley@hotmail.com

Cutris Comes Alive

So... I decided to make a blog. Maybe it can help sell my book!


He Who Goes First
By Kevin J. Curtis


This is the story of a Mongol warrior who lived during Jenghiz Khan’s empire. It is a new look at a frequently misunderstood culture and history. The participants are not bound by ideals of what is good or bad. Like their ancestor the wolf, they do not act out of cruelty or mercy. They live by a natural law, which has been lost on modern society. To judge them in the midst of our politically correct, industrialized world is like trying to convince a caveman of the merits of having a personal computer. Jenghiz Khan was perhaps the most brilliant uneducated man in history. He was a master of human nature. The men who helped him create his empire, like He-Who-Goes-First, were making their lives from the “raw materials” of the times they lived in. The warrior in this story struggles with his spirituality and his role as a soldier.

ISBN: 1-4137-4190-8, 165 pages, 5.5 x 8.

$16.95 plus $3.00 Shipping & Handling (.50 per additional copy)

Phone orders (301) 695-1707

You may mail your order to:
Publish America, LLLP
P.O. Box 151
Frederick, MD 21705

http://www.publishamerica.com/books/6406