Stringy thing

On my way across Minnesota today I saw a sign on the road that made me pull into the next town to take a look for myself. I couldn't pass this one up. The largest ball of twine lives in Darwin, Minnesota. And I've been there. It might qualify for a spot in the annual Christmas letter. Hey - I wonder if you can knit with twine?

"The affect of Sonic booms on the average 9 year old"

One of the things I remember most about being a kid (other than cows in the house) was the freedom I had to play outside in the summertime. I would leave the house in the morning ( on my bicycle) and spend the day visiting the neighbor kids. I would hunt for bluebells , pick plums in the section line, climb on top of the barn or chicken house, play cars in the dirt, ride the propane tank "horse", etc.

Along with that freedom came a liberal dose of "fear". I can remember these wonderful sun filled days being rudely interrupted by an ear splitting noise that sounded like thunder and felt like the concussion of an explosion. It was always so sudden and unexpected and the sound was terrifying for a little kid in the single digit age bracket. I would always hit the deck and lay flat on the ground - waiting for what seemed like hours, because sometimes there would be a second boom that would hit just seconds after we were able to stand erect again. We learned that the noise was called a "sonic boom" and was caused by airplanes flying very fast. I remember being comforted by the thought that it was the same airplanes that would be used to fight the Russians if they ever attacked us - so we didn't complain much. They were just "practicing". I do remember feeling a little skittish after each "boom" episode. It kind of made me want to stay inside inside and color for the next few days - an activity usually reserved only for rainy days.

I haven't heard a sonic boom for years. Perhaps they are prohibited because of the adverse effect on milk and egg production. Maybe it disturbs the harmonic balance of the universe. It probably has something to do with global warming. In any case, it scared the crap out of me that summer when I was 9 years old.

Used as a test site to measure the effect of the noise, Oklahoma City was subjected to 8 sonic booms per day for a 6 month period in 1964 in the OK City sonic boom test. It resulted in 15,000 complaint letters. I wonder how many 911 calls would be generated today if New York City had a sonic boom.

Perhaps we could arrange a "sonic boom" or two each summer just to keep us all on our toes. I think a little psychological warfare would be good - I think I'd buy stock in Crayola.