Morning Walk...

It was clear this morning, first time in a while, but still cool and humid.  A roughly two-thirds moon was high overhead, just about on top of the Pleiades.  It provided enough light for us to see color even in the distance; after a couple minutes accommodation I could walk as confidently as in daylight.  Sirius is high in the east, and Orion even higher; the season is changing quickly. 

The three field spaniels went crazy with sniffing.  Definitely some beastie was in the yard, and they were on the job, diligently trying to absorb every molecule of scent it left behind.  I got the sense that they were outraged, that the beastie had done something the dogs were offended by.  Race, of course, just waited for me to kick the pine cone.  There are lots of them now; the year's “crop” is falling off the trees, delighting him with new and ever-more-wonderful pine cones every day.  Sometimes he'll find two or three in the same spot, and he'll try his best to carry them all in his mouth.  Fails every time, but keeps trying...

Morning Read...

From Mark Steyn, who's been off on some kind of mysterious business overseas and has been largely absent (and his wit much missed) from the season's political scene.  One interesting paragraph:

We know American government is living beyond America’s means. What’s more interesting is whether it’s living beyond the world’s. Historically, foreign official holdings of US Treasury securities have been less than five per cent of the rest of the planet’s GDP. By 2009, they were up to seven per cent. Obama-sized budgets depend on foreign holdings rising to about 20 per cent of the rest of the planet’s GDP.

Much more here – go read.