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Friday, February 19, 2021

Thank You, Rush

stilton’s place, stilton, political, humor, conservative, cartoons, jokes, hope n’ change, Rush Limbaugh, excellence in broadcasting, death, obituary, hero, radio, rush
Talent on loan from God, paid back with interest

Rush Limbaugh is gone. And if there are sadder words to write, I certainly can't think of them at the moment.  Rush was a personal hero of mine, and we'd listened to his show for so many years that he really felt more like family than a radio personality. His presence in our home on weekdays was simply a given, albeit never taken for granted - especially during his final year of broadcasting while waging a tremendous battle against an unbeatable health condition.

When I heard Rush Limbaugh's show for the first time, I wasn't a conservative - I was a political idiot and too dumb to even know it. I more or less believed that Democrats were good (hey, they're against lynchings!), Republicans were bad (they only serve rich people!), and all else was unnecessary detail. With that level of ignorance, I would never listen to a radio show about politics - but fortunately, I turned in for a different reason.

I'd heard that this "Rush Limbaugh" fellow was something of a radio wild man - a "shock jock" agitator and lunatic who made people crazy (rather like broadcaster Joe Pyne and his ilk, who provoked guests into screaming matches). So I turned on the program expecting a complete freakshow...and found something entirely different. Limbaugh was funny! And smart! And the things he was saying didn't inflame me - they made sense. And the more he spoke, the more I cared...and the more I realized that it was important to care, and not to be an unthinking tool of the political/media spin machines.

More than any other individual, Rush Limbaugh is responsible for shaping my worldview and appreciation of genuine conservatism and Constitutionalism. Without Rush, this blog would have never existed.

Using logic, wit, and unmatchable broadcast skills, Rush brought millions of people back to classic American moral virtues over the course of 30 years. He united us and reminded us of the power for good we can wield as a group. And most importantly, he gave us hope - every day, no matter what. Circumstances both political and personal threw seemingly insurmountable challenges his way, and he not only carried on but did so with strength, optimism, humor, and an infectious faith that things would eventually go our way.

Rush Limbaugh will never be replaced - some shoes are too big to fill, and that "golden microphone" gleamed not because of its color, but because of the voice it transmitted. Happily, Rush changed the landscape of conservative broadcasting (he arguably created it) and so the void he leaves will be filled with other voices rather than silence.

Rush will be desperately missed, but the many lessons he taught me about politics and life will carry on. And for that, I'm truly and deeply thankful.

MANY ARE COLD BUT FEW ARE FROZEN

The year 2021 is still showing outstanding initiative when it comes to being a complete pain in the rear end. On a personal level, the latest affront was the Great Texas Freeze and the unsurprising discovery that the Green New Deal (now known as the Gangrene New Deal) will be a really, really effective means to kill people.

For multiple reasons - but primarily the near 100% failure of electricity-generating wind turbines in Texas, followed closely by the closure of many coal-fired generators - a freakish polar vortex knocked Texans for a loop as our power grid went down.

Here at Jarlsberg Manor, we lost power at just after 2 AM on Sunday night/Monday morning. And it got cold in the house fast. This kicked off three days (and long, long nights) of "rolling blackouts" which sometimes consisted of 8 or 9 hours with no power, followed by a half hour of electricity with which to raise the ambient temperature by about 5 degrees before being plunged back into darkness and arctic cold.

The Jarlsberg family coped by wearing layers upon layers of clothing and swaddling ourselves in blankets and, whenever available, dogs. For some reason, our gas fireplace sucks more warmth out of the room and up the chimney than it returns - so that was out. Our one source of heat was a small propane heater which would glow for six hours on a one-pound propane tank. And the heater was rated for indoor use (and used with caution bordering on paranoia), though also cautioned "may create carbon monoxide which is odorless and colorless and will not only kill you but make your neighbors mutter about what a stupid way you chose to die."

Adapting to the unpredictable rhythms of brief electrical service, we kept a large pan of hearty soup on the electric stove, and fresh grounds in the coffee pot. At the first "queep!" of electrical activity, we'd scramble to get things cooking and brewing. First pot of hot coffee went into a thermos, and hopefully we could squeeze out a second for immediate consumption. 

Even for the brief periods we had electricity, our Internet, cable TV, and landline phone service were out (it turns out that the repeated power outages destroyed some component common to all three services). We had radio, but didn't listen that often; we knew things weren't going to warm up for days, and we were already depressed enough without getting more news of the world.

Eventually, the periods with electricity grew longer and more frequent (yay!) and as of Thursday morning our other services were restored. Not that we're completely out of the woods; owing to so many pipes bursting in local homes (not ours so far), there's an extreme water shortage in our area. We've been told "no showers, no laundry, no dishwashing, no "trickle of water to prevent pipe damage," and so on. Being community-minded, we're doing our bit by making our scotch and waters out of scotch and scotch. And yes, we KNOW we could use snow, but where's the fun in that?!

In all seriousness, the experiences of the past few days will be something for us to reflect on for a while. It's surprisingly focusing to be freezing in your home, in the dark, cut off from communications with the outside world. Which, considering the "outside world" in 2021, was at least a minor blessing.

53 comments:

Mike aka Proof said...

Glad to hear you're surviving. Be of good cheer! 2021 isn't going to kill you. Where would be the fun in that? No, it wants to torture us for at least ten more months!

Hang in there, Stilt! Use your Clan MacGregor to dilute your Clan MacGregor!

Graham McDonald said...

I meant to ask in the previous thread - how did your daughter make it through the cold?

Jess said...

The deep freeze allowed me to increase my knowledge, and I'm now even more horrified of the idiots we allow to control our electricity.

M. Mitchell Marmel said...

(raises a glass to Rush's memory)

Glad to hear you survived Snowmageddon. I trust that the idiots in charge of power in Texas will be properly chastised; I understand a coat of tar, covered with feathers, will keep the recipient nice and warm in these frigid times.

OvergrownHobbit said...

Snow + mint + bourbon is a treat.

Glad things are looking up for you. And thank you for sharing that picture. I was able to watch when Mr. Trump awarded Mr. Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom. A lovely thing.

Fish Out of Water said...

Can you imagine how much more that disaster would have been compounded by thousands of "Green Deal" mandated EV's putting an additional X factor strain on the grid? And the thousands of owners stranded with EV's the batteries of which had run down to zero?

Maoz said...

Stilt, your caption under the picture of Rush is pure gold.

Jim Irre said...

Methinks the emergency generator market in the Great-state-a-Texas is about to heat up! Pun intended, of course! Here's hoping the rest of Texas recovers!

Rob said...

Thank you! You were able to put into words what I couldn't about Rush. I, too, feel as if I've lost a family member. I will miss his ship to "talk me off the ledge" in the days to come.

Rob said...

*miss his ABILITY. Damn autocorrect.

Bobo the Hobo said...

There are individuals who can never be replaced, George Washington, Jonas Salk, George Patton, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Jefferson and countless others; all great minds Rush Limbaugh is certainly among those giants. While losing Rush leaves a big, big hole, be of good cheer because while Rush never had children of his own, he was responsible for a legion of “Rush Babies” and now we have “Rush Grandchildren”. All I can add to that is “Thank you, Rush, we’ll take it from here”.

True story: I converted the hubs from Dem to Conservative with Rush reinforcing my efforts.

Jerryskids said...

Glad to hear you seem to have come through this experience okay, but I hope perhaps you'll take global warming more seriously now!

ruralbob said...

Joe Pyne - you must be as old as me!

She’s A Beauty said...

But, Stilt! Wind power!

John said...

We're in the Texas Hill Country on a ranch. We lost power last Saturday morning, well water froze up days ago. We are keeping our antelope somewhat fed, they seem to be doing okay. Several birds have died of exposure. Really, really bad time here. Power co-op has 300 poles down and we have no prospects for power restoration. Small Honda generator keeping freezer and fridge food sort of okay.

Elbarto said...

Rush will be sorely missed. And thanks for reminding me of Joe Pyne (used to listen to him on the radio and watch him on TV when I was in high school), haven't thought of him in years. I'd like to say that I feel your pain, but here in Arizona we still have power.

Anonymous said...

Stilt-

concerning your fireplace, check your flue. It sounds like your draft is too strong , you might try closing it some. And if it has a fan, be sure it is not blocked

David Miller said...

ush was perfect, and what many of us experienced over the years. He was family, and in our homes 3 hours every weekday. I was always conservative, but his instruction showed me exactly why.

Snark said...

Rush set an example for all of us to follow. Granted, we don't all have access to that borrowed talent he enjoyed but we can persevere to advance conservatism and fight the powers of darkness -progressivism - that threaten our Republic. The "progressive" functioning of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas demonstrates clearly how well these theories work in real life. Sort of how Venezuela, North Korea and Cuba demonstrate how well socialism works. While we can learn from our own mistakes, the wiser of us will learn from the mistakes of others. The "progressives" will learn from neither, so we must continue to oppose anything they propose knowing that their results will always be the same.

California has spurred the standby generator business for the last year or so; now Texas will join the parade. Generac stock was somewhat overvalued, perhaps now not so much. Living in hurricane country means that power outages are part of life, granted without freezing to death in the meantime. My generator sends me a text every other Thursday reminding me that it is exercising, then another that it is ready to run. It is hard to express how comforting that is. Of course the "progressives" would rather my freezer melt and floors buckle instead. To use language that Rush was too polite to use - fuck 'em. And the donkey they rode in on. Fight on. While you can vote your way into socialism, you have to shoot your way out of it. Let's make sure that freedom survives this generation. But remember to keep your powder dry.

donpaul53 said...

Time for everyone to step up to the plate. Not out do Rush, but to give the best they have to conservative radio. There is more at steak today than ever before. They're out to destroy America. Can we stop them?

TrickyRicky said...

I too was largely converted to conservatism by El Rushbo. I was raised conservative, but went to school in Boulder during the 1970s. I was bent towards the dark side, but the Clinton administration and Rush brought me back. Then September 11 sealed the deal. His show was always on when we were home and he became like family. He will be missed, RIP.

As I said a couple of months ago, I hope that 2020 will not be seen as "the good old days". I am afraid we are already there.

Sally Jo said...

I've been a daily Rush listener for 28 years and the void that's left simply cannot be filled. Reading others' kind words about him helps--and knowing I'm not the only who had nascent political and patriotic ideas flaked and formed (as Rush used to say) by his wit and eruditeness. He is desperately missed. While there are other great radio show hosts I agree with, none are as fun to listen to you. They are either too intense or too jocular. Rush was just right...in more ways than one. I'm glad he also inspired this blog, which is also just right :)

Buck said...

Stilt, it's been a while since I've responded, so sorry about that.... Thanks for your insightful and inspiring words regarding Rush. Mt Grandfather loved him, as did my Dad. I would listen when I could, and often enjoyed the liberals ranting about Rush's talk show; which meant he was doing something right!

Stay warm and enjoy your single malt. I just bought several casks of the fine brown liquid magic, just to get me through the rest of 2021's winter!

Semper Fidelis, Buck

millard fillmore said...

Years ago,the local Rush affiliate gave out,'Rush is Right' bumper stickers at an event we attended.I lost track of one of them,until my washing machine wouldn't pump water out.Guess what I found in the pump?Yep.I had to laugh.Rush was Right,but he didn't belong in my washing machine.There's no particular lesson here(except that my wife doesn't clean out her pockets very well.But it was pretty funny.Rush would have laughed,and then asked why I was the one washing clothes,in jest,of course.I loved his sense of humor and how he used it to make a serious point.It seems like there's some website I read that does that very well...

MAJ Arkay said...

M. Mitchell Marmel, the problem is that the people in charge of power in Texas are not actually in Texas. The chair lives in Michigan and another one lives in Germany. A Texas legislator filed a bill to require all ERCOT board members actually live in Texas.

Our power company did a reasonably good job in this part of the Hill Country. We only lost power for about 20 hours. Our house is heavily insulated to keep out the Texas heat; did a fine job of keeping the wood fireplace heat inside. We never went below 57 degrees.

Our water company is owned by a San Diego, CA business. While the work crews are slaving away, the customer non-service reps either did not answer the phone, or referred us to their other subsidiaries in California and Connecticut (yeah, that's helpful), and did not bother to update their website or social media until yesterday. We still have zero water after five days. We're shoveling snow into the bathtub for flushing, and filling up containers to boil, then run through our camping water sanitization equipment for drinking and cooking. The company did put out a boil order -- be happy to boil water, just as soon as it shows up again. We've walked our water line several times and it shows no leaks so far -- we'll check again this afternoon when it's in the 40s out there (knock on wood, fingers crossed). Meanwhile, lots of folks are giving all kinds of leads to the state and the local paper for investigation and stories about this water company. Our NextDoor page is busier than it's ever been...

We're warming up in the bright sunshine now. Should be above freezing in another hour or so. We'll drop back into the 20s tonight, and then that's it for the freeze. Only then will we know if we have any damage.

Ben Rumson said...

Thanks for your kind comments about Rush. I listened to him whenever I could, even on prospecting trips in Oregon's wilds.
Glad things are getting better there. Lost power here in Portland, still don't have internet or any TV except for through the air broadcasts.
Replaced the heat tubes in the fireplace in September for just such an event.
All the best...

Anonymous said...

Stilton, As always a very nice email from you today. It seems you have the ability to step up to the plate with any crisis that's out there. As a guy who once lived in Southlake, TX and now SC, I feel your pain. Whenever we have the occasional power outage or water line break it makes me appreciate the many times we have those things even more. I too will miss Rush but finding a guy like you has been wonderful. I was tipped off about Stilton's Place by a friend and have passed that on to several of mine. Keep on keepin' on Stilt, and stay warm.

Emmentaler Limburger said...

And this is what the Overlords want for us all day, every day. This is what socialism and communism deliver every day without some weather cataclysm as its cause. Texas not being the epicenter of the socialist movement, the hardship is somewhat wasted on you. They need this in Minnesota, in Oregon, in New York, in Kha-lee-phone-ya, and very other bastion of socialism within this country. Of course, I don't think they have the intelligence to make the connection...

joetote said...


We have lost a great American and Patriot. but more than that, we've lost someone who one could consider the conscience of our country. He believed in what made this country great and in turn pointed out the idiocy and worse of these people who not only spout hatred and more towards our country but in fact hate it and the fundementals it was founded on. And one point to all the haters out ther, especially to those who never bothered to even listen to him or his show.

Rush always made the point of telling his listeners "don't just listen to me and take my word as gospel! Check out the facts, educate yourself as to the realities of the situation and not just on what I say"

I heard him say that many times (believe it or nit, Glen Beck always did that also). So how bad can someone really be who opines then turns and tells all to study it their selves then make what is hopefully a learned decision.

May he rest in peace and let me say Thank You Rush!

John the Econ said...

For whatever reasons, I've been a conservative for as long as I can remember. This may have been because my parents had science & engineering backgrounds that taught me to be critical of everything I see and hear, especially in media. And my personality has always been contrarian in nature, so growing up and sailing in a sea of dominating liberalism kinda forced that. So I can't say that Rush Limbaugh changed me, but he certainly did encourage me and renewed my optimism about America, and fortified my resilience in the fight against Progressivism.

I stumbled across Rush in the early '90s in an age where the electronic media (still dominated by the 4 alphabet networks) was already exclusively Progressive in nature. Intelligent mass media conservative thought at the time was largely limited to places like the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, National Review, and some lesser magazines and newsletters. Ironically, even in the waning years of the Reagan era there really wasn't any largely accessible conduit of conservative thought in the mass media. Until Rush. And AM talk radio was almost exclusively leftist pablum and coma inducing.

My immediate impression upon hearing Rush for the first time was "OMG, how did this guy get on the air?!?!?! The contrast against the sleepy leftist dogma that was the standard of the time literally blew me to the floor.

For possibly the first time, I was hearing on the radio someone who shared my values instead of endlessly attacking and mocking them. And I knew I wasn't alone. And in the pre-Internet age, he was a conduit for news that Progressives and their allies in the mainstream media would have safely assumed would be decidedly suppressed. He broke the narrative monopoly. He changed everything.

As @Stilton pointed out, his wit combined with seriousness was unparalleled. The left which had grown comfortable with their media monopoly decided they had to fight back with some "just add water and money" counter programming, Air America. "How hard could this be", they clearly thought. I think I listened to Air America just once for about 15 minutes. What I heard was Al Franken and some other host prattling on trying to make fun of other people and congratulating themselves on their own brilliance for doing so. It all fell flat. They didn't get it. Making fun of people just because wasn't enough. Air America didn't last long.

And as I said yesterday, he extended the life of the America we know and love by at least a generation. As Mark Steyn points out, he dominated the medium that was radio for at least a third of its entire existence. That in itself is amazing.

Navyvet said...

My finding Rush, 30+ years ago, was a bit different. The Minneapolis Star & Tribune, more commonly known as the Red Star & Sickle, as it is makes Pravda of the 70's look pro America. Anyway, 30 years ago when I still on a rare occasion actually read the rag, had an article about this horrible guy Rush Limbaugh. Immediately I figured that if the Star & Sickle is against anything, then I am for it. So I researched and found the station he was on and was hooked. My first thought was, "I am not the only person on the planet that feels like I do, there are millions of us." Been a loyal listener ever since.
So sad to hear of his passing. We have lost the greatest American of our time.

mamafrog said...

Sorry to hear about Rush, I did the same as you on listening to him and finally got to where I enjoyed him. He will be missed and I'm sorry he went from cancer, that's a rough way to go. We had electric though other parts of OKC had rolling blackouts (but hey, they had a Thunder game). Unfortunately, no water since about Tuesday because of a mains break in our area. I'm staying with my youngest sister on the other side of town since my son can manage on his own and take care of the dogs as he's off work for now. Things are starting to get back to usual but snow and cold are still a problem.

John the Econ said...

And welcome back to the 20th century, @Stilton. We hope you enjoyed your free trial of "The Green New Deal". And thanks for the vivid description of what the left has in store for the rest of us in the near future. They're already promising to have even more snow-covered solar panels and frozen solid windmills so this won't happen the next time.

A new motto for Texans: Remember the Alamo... with the lights out.

Dave Lndesmith said...

Thanks for the good word about Rush... always a laugh when he and Bo would indicate the percentage of correct times RlRuchmo was right 99.9 and then the chaser "talent on loan from God". Stay warm and may the lib's in Fort Worth freez as well, did hear a story that the lights were on in downtown, lordy dispise progs. Love to hear from you always.

Shelly said...

I was introduced to Rush by my son when he was in college in the very early 90s. He's 51 years old now and I've been listening to Rush ever since. I was devastated by his diagnosis and held out hope he might beat the thing. Even when desperately ill, he would still go on the air as much as possible. He managed to keep his radio career despite losing all of his hearing. Can you imagine a liberal flake doing that? I am devastated by his loss and will miss him greatly.

Stilt, my experience in lost power, etc., mirrors yours, with the exception that I DID have a pipe burst and flood my living room, bedroom and dining room. Luckily I have a wonderful next door neighbor who had a key and turned off the water before the ceilings crashed in. Small blessings, right?

Right now I am completely amused by the media meltdown over Ted Cruz' trip to Cancun. These are the same assholes who could not care less that Cuomo killed thousands of people with COVID and tried to hide it. They are too busy praising Dr. Jill Bidet's trip to the bakery wearing a schrunchie. How adorable. Nothing like that Nazi Melania.

Pat Cummings said...

Love this cartoon that SuperDave shared with us yesterday on "Pookie’s Toons" :
"What you should take away from the Great Texas Freeze of 2021..."

Sortahwitte said...

Years ago when I first heard Rush, My thoughts were not favorable. I thought he probably lived next door to "Rev. Ike and the Blessed Prayer Cloth" on the radio from Del Rio. About two years later, I heard him again and was hooked. Like others have experienced, he made clear to me how conservatism was the great hope. We are losing more pillars of our community than I care to think about. It's time for some of the younger "right thinkers" to step up.

@mamafrog. My younger daughter and her family live out by Oklahoma city university and had the joy of rolling blackouts. Not impressed how they shut off the lights in downtown OKC, but it was necessary for the Thunder to play. A pox on the nba. Rich apologists for wife beaters.

Regnad Kcin said...

Sure hope the temps do come up soon. I'm down to a quarter cord of freeze-dried libtards out back. They do make for adequate fuel in the fireplace.... just crack a few down the middle with my bolo machete and toss 'em in. They light up right nicely and their btu output is quite good due to the fat content in their heads. This is my idea of the "Green New Deal". Now, if I could just get Pelosi and AOC to come over for tea and crumpets.........

DougM said...

Ahh 2020, the Good ol' Days

John25mm said...

When I first heard about Rush's passing one of the first thoughts I had was the line along the lines of "Cry not for the loss of men such as this but cry that such men lived." not an exact quote but close enough. I know that it was originally meant for the Service members and the like but the impact the Rush had on so many people and not just for enlightening a generation of people on how good America was, is and can be. From what I understand he also helped a great deal of people behind the scenes in so many ways and well into the light his help with the foundations that helped both members of the military and law enforcement/first responders. No his shoes won't be filled but there are others out there who will help us continue on the journey. And yes I did cry when I heard because I felt like I had lost a close friend.
To those affected by these storms I wish you well and speedy recovery.

LenSatic said...

I had always hoped that Rush would say something more about his "self" education. Like Rush, I was a shoeshine boy. I started at age 12 in the County Seat of Texas County in the Oklahoma Panhandle. It was probably the best classroom I ever spent time in. At the time, there was only one barbershop in town and it was co-located with the only hotel, so every man in town came there. The mayor, city councilmen, fire chief, police chief, postmaster, congressman, all the businessmen, the farmers and ranchers, even the town drunk. I sat and listened to all of their stories, true and false. Those who say the the WW2 guys didn't talk about the war are wrong, they just didn't talk about it to their families but they did talk amongst themselves at the VFW and American Legion halls and the barbershop.

For several years, this was my classroom. And I learned a lot. I always felt that Rush's time as a shoe shine boy may have had something to do with his clear insight of the world. It did with me. I also didn't go to college, I didn't need to.

Rest in Peace, Rush Hudson Limbaugh III.

mamafrog said...

@Sortahwitte Yeah, they gotta get that money back they paid Seattle for the team, lol. I hope it was worth it but it's really not. as the prices are more than a lot of people can pay, plus this is a serious college football state

Pete (Detroit) said...

Came across Rush in the early 90s, when I was a test driver for Ford. On the midnight shift, especially, I liked to listen to talk radio b/c it was always different, unlike music which rapidly bored me. One station had probably the best interview show I've ever heard, Gil Gross. Always great guests, good topics, well presented. Rush followed, a re-run of his daily show from 3-6am. At first, I'd yell at the radio, AT him, then quickly, along WITH him (Right Arm, Right Arm!). In any event, he kept me stirred up and awake, which is important while driving around the world, to the left, slowly. (EPA does not want NEW vehicles to smog test, they want them AGED. According to a protocol, of course. So, we'd put ~5k miles on each vehicle usually 4-5 of a particular configuration, and Ford would test them all, then send the best to EPA for certification. More or less around the clock, year round operation) Point being, in some ways, I feel I owe him my life. Literally. Have been an avid fan since.
Tuned in late on Wed, (had been working w/ a client) and heard Katherine talking about him in the past tense. Well, poop. Didn't really have time to "process" it then (busy day) but have been chewing on it since. Somehow, it seems to be tied up w/ feelings of losing Dad 2 months ago, and intermittently things go sideways for a minute or six.
Take a deep breath.
Wiggle the toes.
Praise God that I have toes that wiggle, there are people who don't.
Take a step, keep moving...
He, like Dad, will be missed

Power Outages - doesn't happen here so often (apparently out windmills are upgraded w/ the 'All Weather' kit) but I WAS part of the Great northeast Blackout back in '04, or 05... Sitting there, in the dark, thinking "I have no power. I'm powerless" is pretty depressing. And that's not even trying to fight freezing to death.
DID lose the furnace one year, about Christmas. Called a guy, who said "yeah, it sounds like a motherboard. Unfortunately, it'll be three days until I can get to you. Well, lovely.. fortunately Repair Clinic https://www.repairclinic.com/ has a brick and mortar not too far, had both boards in stock, and a return policy. Figured I'd be making two trips anyway, got both boards, return the unneeded one and lookit that, I'm an HVAC tech! But, for the day and a half it took me to get the fix on, was REAL glad to have fireplace, space heater, and doors to close off the rest of the house from the living room and bath.

Often listen to WBAP out of Dallas, as local programming goes to crap at 5, and their afternoon guy is pretty good, and they have Levin at 6, so I listen live as opposed to getting the delayed show locally. So I heard about all of this on Monday evening. By Wed, it was a big enough stink to be on the local top of the hour news...
When I was in College Station, mid-late 80s got cold enough once that they shut the whole town down. Asked everyone to set thermostats to 68 or less, businesses to 50 (and close) There was plenty of Nat Gas available, but the delivery pipes were not large enough to supply enhanced demand. Fortunately, they could keep up w/ the REDUCED 'enhanced' demand. Still seemed odd, to me.

The other day, after a story about Texas, blackouts, water outages, the local guy came on and said "yep, we got 9 inches last night, it's icy, slippery out there, You know, like February. Drive slow, be safe. But then, we have equipment to move the snow, and power (thank God) stayed on. We even were sending repair crews (talk about people who don't get paid enough!) to OH/KY/WV to help out. Because that's what those guys DO...

ANYWAY everyone stay safe, stay warm, things "should" start thawing out next week!

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Readers- What a pleasure to read all the stories about how we discovered Rush and the varying paths that brought us all to being who we are today. And it's great to have this community to share with, as not many of my acquaintances in "meat space" are mourning the great man.

Some months ago, out of the blue, I received a lovely package of Rush Limbaugh merch. I don't know if someone bought it for me as a gift, or if - somehow - someone at EIB central knew I was a fan. But those items are especially precious to me now.

On a different note, our electricity and heat are holding. So now the suspense will be waiting to see what my next electric bill will be. Owing to the extreme eccentricities of Texas power, during the worst of the crunch the cost of a killowatt hour (or somesuch measure) went from $25 to $9000. At least one homeowner has already received an electric bill of $17,000. Suddenly, retrofitting the house with an emergency generator system doesn't seem so unaffordable.

Dan said...

@Stilton- Good to see your situation has improved.

We have a whole-house gennie installed. Hurricanes are not unusual here, and I really, really like AC and being able to cook, etc. Natural gas service stops about halfway up the block on a connecting street, so gennie is hooked up to a propane tank.

The gennie is a bit pricey, though, but the coin landed heads up, so we now have one.

When having it installed, remember it's noisy. If possible, get it placed someplace it won't annoy you or your neighbors when running. I've been meaning to contact generac and see if they can mute it some (didn't have the subject come up during sales pitch, site survey, or installation).

Joseph ET said...

@Dan Our Generac system isn't that loud. We hear it and our neighbors hear it too. Everyone likes hearing it because we are assured that my medical devices are energized. Many of them had their own portable generators running during our black outs to keep food cold and a few light on. Point is that when the power is down, everyone understands and will not have an issue with the noise. There's no reason to run it at other times except for an occasional short test during mid-day.

Rod said...


Long time go in Houston while our neighborhood didn't suffer much real damage there were some flooding issues and a hurricane-induced power outage. We made the detached double garage with a portable generator available to some other stay-at-home neighbors as well. WE had a heavy extension cord going into the house to run the frig-freeze and a couple of lamps when needed but not much else. If the loads were spread out the gen could also serve as "camp galley" in the garage to cook with camping gear; or on tailgate of trucks, we had some cool boxes for food; run couple of lights, make coffee and power a TV or radio. We pooled lawn mower fuel for the generator and I had extra oil if needed. It worked well and was actually fun. The water stayed on but we all had bottle water useful in the "galley" and tubs inside the houses with the drains duct-taped to assure no leak-off filled up to overflow to use as utility water, flush toilets, etc if needed.

I know a lot of people DO know how to get by in odd times but I also fear that fraction of population is falling a lot. Now it's a disaster if the cell phone dies; and so many are not individually prepared to carry on. Alarming how many of them have babies as well.

Keyworth Blueleader said...

Don't worry AOC is coming down to save you; unless Ted Cruz has her killed first.

Anonymous said...

I remembering hearing Rush for the first time when I was waiting for my college class to start and I had time to kill (I was in my late 30's) and the news was Clinton and Monica. When Rush went on to explain the real news, I said to myself "finally,someone who thinks like me!" I was thinking where has this guy been all my life. I listened to him ever since. I remember Rush saying about Obama "I hope he fails". I heard it live and knew exactly what he meant. The news media went on and on, how dare he hopes Obama fail. During the Obama years, Rush helped to calm me down, I would wait to hear his voice and analysis. I so looked forward to hearing him and of course signed up for the Limbaugh Letter-great stuff. Saved all the copies and will be re-reading them. When I read them, I will be hearing his voice in my head. How can so many people not understand him or his humor. Oh, wait, that is why they never understood President Trump! I will miss Rush severely.

Michael Riles said...

Newsflash” Lady Gaga's dog walker was shot, her two dogs were dog-nabbed. She's offering $500,000 in reward for the return o her dogs.” SB radio, February 25, 2021

To the tune How Much is that Doggie in the Window

Lady Gaga's pooches were dog napped.
Her dog walker shot on the scene.
Gang initiation---I wonder
A wealth envy asshole's wet dream.

Michael Riles said...

Newsflash: Victoria's Secret will close 50 more stores.

To the tune Let Me Entertain You

Victoria's
Secrets are closing.
Covid
Is the blame.
No more can horn dogs buy
those bras that catch their eyes
and panties that
cause THAT THING
TO RISE.

So long
sexy and sleek.

As we become a PROLETARIANT RED HELL HOLE
To the porn sites men will go.

Michael Riles said...

“It looked like a cruse missile.”
Passenger jet pilot reporting a long cylindrical like object that flew over
the cock-pit of his jet in New Mexico.

To the tune The Brady Bunch

Here's hoping,
that these guys land,
and we can
have a real nice
chit chat.

Maybe,
in what's left of my lifetime
They will arrive,
tell us we're FULL OF CRAP.

Maybe they will,
tell us how,
things are done
in their really advanced world.

And we'll blink our eyes
with mouths wide open.
And out heads,
in an uncontrolled whirl.

Will they make us,
look like real dopes
Please land
answer our questions
and take notes.

Michael Riles said...

Newsflash: El Chapo's wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, was arrested at an airport in Virginia on drug trafficking charges. And more like her will:

Tune Walk Right In

Wander in
set up shop.
sell the drugs as gringo's drop.

Kill them with
meth and crack
Joe will only turn his back.

Liberals don't care because many of them,
use the drugs that they bring in.

So walk right in
set up shop
get their bucks and watch gringo's DROP!