When you get to a cross road, it’s best to slow down and take stock of the situation. On Saturday, we headed to a nearby town to sample the wares of a local bakery. The search for the very best bakery products sure takes a lot of work. There are no shops or stores in this remote mountain hamlet, so if you want to purchase anything, that involves heading off the mountain range. And Saturday, bakery products were calling their siren song.
All the roads around here have dirt for the surface. The recent years of wet weather has left many of them with potholes, although truthfully, they’re not that bad. Regardless, to get to the nearby town, we took the back road which leads north and east off the mountain range, and then out of the forest. It’s quite rural and the journey takes you past large rural blocks. Some people run cattle, some horses, and others nothing but grass. The land is easy on the eye.
Eventually the dirt road comes to a cross road. Sandra mentioned to slow down, just in case. I’d already backed off the throttle in the Dirt Rat Suzuki Jimny. All the same, the warning was good advice. At the cross road, a white Toyota Hilux bonnet could be seen edging just past the stop sign trying to get a better look at the traffic. The Hilux then shot across the road. It pays to slow down when faced with uncertainty.
Onward past the normally quiet country intersection, continuing along the dirt road. More cows, more horses, and even more grass. Eventually we arrived at a busy asphalt road. There’s a bit more traffic, and it’s moving fast. Turn left, and after a further five minutes of driving, we’re looking for a car park near to the bakery. Bizarrely, it was like the zombie apocalypse had occurred, the town was quiet. Plenty of street parking (there’s no other to be had). Ducked into the empty bakery, and nabbed a couple of sausage rolls and a lamington for later.
So, how did the continuing best bakery product search rate this time around? Well, ambience comes into the equation, and the morning was beautiful cool sunny summers day. We sat on a park bench and enjoyed the small town life passing by. A tiny packet of tomato sauce was squeezed onto the sausage rolls. Grins all around.
Why was the town quiet though? Oh, that’s right. It was the Australia Day long weekend, and the day before had been a public holiday. People were clearly elsewhere on Saturday, and just saying, they were missing out on most excellent sausage rolls.
As someone who is self employed running their own small business, public holidays are rather meaningless. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid. However, the Australia Day long weekend has slightly more meaning to me than other public holidays. It’s the weekend when the national youth music broadcaster runs their listener countdown on the best 200 songs of last year. Millions of collated votes might not sound like a lot, until you realise how small the population is on this continent.
The countdown runs over two days, and long term readers will know I take my music equipment seriously. The 30+ year old electronics were even refurbished during the past couple of years. It’s a hobby. The first day, the venerable Yamaha T-80 FM tuner worked perfectly. It’s not the best FM tuner ever made, but it’s right up there in terms of quality. And people chuck this stuff out, or sell the devices for peanuts. It’s utterly bonkers that the devices have little to no value. Sadly however, on the second day, the old work horse needed a bit of time out for further repairs. I swapped over to the plan B slightly lesser Kenwood FM tuner, and the music just banged on.
The incident started me thinking about how long will any of the amazing stuff that our society manufacturers will last. Probably not long at all if my experiences provide a useful guide. On this note, we replaced the clutch in the Dirt Mouse Suzuki Swift about two weeks ago. The vehicle is five years old now, and we don’t drive the thing hard. It was a surprise to us that the mechanism was failing. The mechanic showed me the old clutch plate he’d removed, and sure enough, it was worn down almost to the rivets. And to my eye the component looked slightly wonky, which is the technical term for ‘not completely flat’. The mechanic and I had a candid conversation about the subject of machine longevity, and I was not reassured by his frank assessment. He said that the Japanese built car was pretty good, all things considered. He then proceeded to suggest that things could be far worse with other manufacturers based on in his experience.
Maybe my expectations are too high? After all, from my perspective machines and systems have to work. Other people have some funny ideas about such matters. A few days ago there was an article in the news which made the claim that: ‘For a few hours on New Year’s Eve, South Australia was powered entirely by rooftop solar panels.’ You can read the article here if you’re so inclined: Booming renewable energy generation halves wholesale power prices across national grid
That’s nice, but it’s hard to really know what is meant by the highly technical term ‘a few hours’. And I won’t even go into the economic and/or technical issues surrounding grid frequency posed by that all solar outcome, or that the hours were during the holiday period. However, having a generous disposition, I’ll ignore those technicalities and instead pretend the article referred to at least four hours. Well what about the other twenty hours that day then? If the Dirt Mouse Suzuki Swift was only able to be used around midday in the summer months on cloud free days when the sun was shining, I wouldn’t call that a working system. Most peoples actual expectations are that electricity is available twenty four hours a day, even the people who write articles in newspapers.
Most of my paid work is reliant on a constant electricity supply. I presume many people enjoy a warm fuzzy feeling when reading articles such as the one I linked to above. On the other hand, I’m left with impression that the sort of future being sought is based on abstract notions, and not really grounded in technical and economic feasibility. And like the reaction to the car we met at the cross roads, I’ve recently taken a moment of pause for reflection. I’m left wondering whether more time and effort needs to be chucked into completing some of the projects around here.
It’s been another cool summers week, and there was even a brief storm (again). The very wet summer has meant that there is a lot of water in the area. Ordinarily we wouldn’t expect to see fog in summer, but this year is different.
Other than the day of the storm, the sun has shone without extreme temperatures. There are a couple of projects going on at the moment, one of which is excavating a flat site for a new and much larger firewood shed. Regular readers will recall that we almost ran out of dry firewood last year, and the year before. The health subject which dare not be named, has altered some of our work arrangements, so we use more firewood. Excavations continued this week, and a lot of soil was dug and hauled away.
The work is done by hand, using tools such as an electric (solar powered) jackhammer. It’s slow going, but I enjoy the work. All the soil was loaded by shovel into a power wheelbarrow where it was hauled away and used as fill on the low gradient path on the downhill side of the chicken enclosure.
The section of path you can see in the image above is now complete. It even has a good surface layer of crushed rock with lime, and feels very solid. You can get an idea as to how much soil was moved there by looking at the height of the rocks in the rock wall. Doing the work slowly means that with each load of soil dumped, you’re compacting the soil below. By the end of the work, the surface is naturally solid with no need for further compacting.
Long term readers will recall that we’d used a lot of old left over materials to create a very large (600m2 / 6,500ft2) new vegetable and citrus enclosure. Citrus trees don’t really grow tall enough to escape the vandalism of the wallabies. Those marsupials are smaller lone forest dwelling kangaroos with a penchant for breaking fruit trees. In the fenced enclosure the citrus trees will be protected. Also a bit under half of the enclosure has been set aside for future rows of vegetables. The idea is to be able to relocate vegetable rows easily as and when needed, and then leave other areas fallow. For many years I’ve been attempting to avoid the realities of crop rotation, and it is possible to do, but economically it is easier to leave areas fallow so that the soil recovers.
This week we finished wiring up all of the fencing, and it was a day long job. The sun was fierce, but at least the air temperature wasn’t too hot.
The European Pears are slowly ripening on the trees. We grow a number of different variety of pears.
We seem to have had a good year for grapes. The vines are in their fifth year now and are enjoying the conditions this growing season.
The round raised vegetable beds are producing quite a lot of leafy greens for the kitchen as well as flowers for the insects.
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 9am is 17’C (63’F). So far for last year there has been 192.6mm (7.6 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 174.6mm (6.9 inches)
Everything looks beautiful. The sky above the fog, with the fog down below, makes a lovely photo.
Happy Australia Day!
I think the high-level strategy in Australia’s NEM is to switch as much of the grid over to renewables as possible, use batteries for grid firming services, and fast-responding gas turbines for dispatchable power.
I think the (mostly) unspoken hope is that battery tech will improve to the extent that gas turbines can be replaced with battery storage.
I’m not sure if this is a feasible plan or not, but I do think it’s probably a fairly good technical solution that doesn’t ask people to use less energy (which would be *far* better, in terms of both carbon reduction and energy sovereignty).
It might lead to a less-reliable grid, but grid reliability is decreasing anyway as our coal power plants age and I can’t see anyone other than the government stumping up cash to build new ones.
Your comments about decreasing quality of manufactured goods is right, I think. I’ve got a few bits of 30-40 year-old hifi gear and it’s fantastic. It’s amazing the crap bluetooth speakers people buy nowdays, when for the same money (about $150) they could buy a vintage stereo that sounds incredible.
Had a busy summer at my place — built an anti-aviary down the Eastern and Western sides of the house — I used old Hills Hoist clotheslines for the frame and bought some 20mm steel bird netting. Seems to be working well — we had a huge harvest of nectarines, and though the plum harvest was smaller this year, they weren’t pecked
We went to a friend’s house for a hottest 100 party which was a lot of fun. I didn’t know a single song, though I did recognise a Crowded House cover 😉
Cheers, Gus
Yo, Chris – Crossroads are magic places. Known for being the go-to place for summoning demons, or having a chat with the Devil 🙂 . They’re reputed to be places where the boundary “between two worlds,” is thin. So, how did they get such a bum rap? Gallows were often erected at crossroads. I suppose so they’d get a good crowd, from all points of the compass. Food vendors appreciate a good crowd. Also, felons, witches and suicides were buried at crossroads.
There are a few “uncontrolled intersections,” around here, that I’m very leery of. Even if there are stop signs, or traffic lights, if the line of sight isn’t very good, I take it slow. Never know when some distracted driver or crim on the run might come barreling through.
I know you take your yearly music countdown, seriously. So, who won this year? Didn’t a children’s music group, win it recently?
Well, we’ve talked about the “crapification of everything.” (Chris, ©). Longevity? Not so much, anymore. I take an even longer view than you (cause I’m old), and can remember when more products were proud of their longevity. “Built to last,” was more than an advertising slogan. Years, instead of the next financial quarter.
Well, from what I understand, there are plenty of places in the world where 24/7 electricity is not the norm. Places where electricity is only provided for a small fraction of the day. And then, last night I saw this article …
http://www.time.com/6565415/rooftop-solar-industry-collapse/
I hope you can find it. More about financial slight-of-hand, than the problems you raised.
Well, you’ve had a busy week. Terraforming Fern Glade Farm and implementing your own Enclosure Act. 🙂 One wonders if some wildlife will “buy the farm,” by running into the fencing, in the dark.
The pears are lovely. The red, the green. They’d look nice in a bowl, on the sideboard. 🙂 So, when can we expect bottles of Chateau Fern Glade Farm? Looks like 2024 might be a good vintage.
I’m thinking about putting in a little patch of Oregano. Since I seem to be using more of it in cooking. And, I just checked and see the bottle I’ve got in the spice cupboard is 20 years old. Talk about Longevity! It still had a kick. Hmmm. The label says it’s “whole” Oregano. I wonder if there are any viable seeds, in there?
The massed Agapanthus is quit a knock-out. And the roses are really pretty. I wonder if they’re the same variety, that the Roman emperor Egabalus used at his deadly banquet?
http://www.dailyartmagazine.com/painting-of-the-week-sir-lawrence-alma-tadema-the-roses-of-heliogabalus/
I gave H a bath, last night. I was a bit taken aback, when I went to clean her ears, and the inside flap on one has a bad red rash. Not weepy, but it startled me. According to the Font of All Wisdom, it might be some kind of an allergy. But what? I know she doesn’t have mites, as her ears are always really clean. I’ll just keep an eye on it. Lew
Hi Joanna,
Thanks, and it’s a beautiful time of year. The rain this year has really sped up the growth of the plants, and it looks so green.
Hope the worst of the cold weather is now past for you.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Gus,
That’s my understanding of the strategy as well. I think the Snowy pumped Hydro upgrade is part of strengthening that narrative. At the moment, my understanding is that the current scheme can supply for about three hours, which is a lot, but isn’t really all that much on peak demand days. The vast majority of electricity generated in this country has its origins in coal.
It is possible that battery technology will make a giant leap into the unknown, but I’m pessimistic in this regard, and base that opinion on the fact that battery technology is a very mature tech. We’ve been mucking around with them for about a century and a half, and they are good, but they’re probably not good enough. The easy gains have long since been made. I could well be wrong, and in fact would like to be proven wrong. So yeah, I am unsure whether the direction is feasible, or otherwise, but am leaning towards the narrative pointing to the hopium side of the equation.
For your interest, the batteries here cover about three to four days supply, and I’m not seeing anyone asking for that quantity of storage from the mains grid. And that’s probably what is required for all renewables.
I agree, and my gut feeling suggests that we will witness a form of ‘rationing by price’ with regards to the supply. And then there will be the inevitable intermittency issues. People can adapt, and that’s what I reckon they’ll do to the lack of energy. It already happens in other parts of the world. I encountered the reality of this in the late 1990’s in Nepal when brown outs were scheduled. It was a real wake up moment. Back then I may have asked the hard question: What do you mean there’ll be no power?
I’m of the opinion that the intermittency issues will become bad enough that people will drop the carbon talk, and demand that something be done. It’s not as if the state government here didn’t construct the current lot of generators before then selling them off to reduce debt loads. The thing is, the generators take upwards of six to ten years to build. It is no small undertaking.
Respect. The Japanese equipment from around the 1990’s was the best that was ever made. The stuff is worthy of repair. In these days of compressed music, where even many FM radio stations broadcast such low bit rate music, the quality of sound is the last thing on peoples minds.
Well done with the netting. Ha! I so hear you about the anti-aviary, and have plans in future years to net specific branches and trees. The parrots are always hungry and often wasteful. What sort of birds are you dealing with? Rainbow Lorikeets?
The plum (and apricot) crop was wiped out here by a late frost, which may have even reached to where you are. However most fruit trees are biennial regardless, and will produce better every second year. Respect for your nectarine haul. Yum!
Ha! Good stuff, and glad to hear that the day was fun. 🙂 And hey, I remember buying that Crowded House LP back in the day… You’d be talking about Peking Duk! True stalwarts.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
The snake head arm band was a pretty awesome find. And apparently also a useful device should one find themselves at an actual cross roads and confronted with evil spirits. Such places have dire energy, but I’d not been aware of that lore. Hmm. Makes sense given the activities which historically went on at such locations. It’s weird, but the winning song over the weekend which hailed from your shores, referenced exactly those entities and made some bold claims. I’m not entirely convinced that a person can simply have a chat or make a deal with such entities, and survive unscathed. There are always consequences. Best left alone, despite any offers.
Yeah, that’s possible. It’s also possible that the folks working in your local goober of the mints, maybe outsourcing work which they themselves should be doing. I’m sure they’re busy. Dunno.
Oh my, the critics were rather harsh, and I note that the Brady / mother arrangement did not die at the end of the Sleepwalker film, but was resurrected albeit in a slightly different and more successful form in the Mr Mercedes trilogy. Ah well, not all ideas pan out. And the future incarnation was much better received. Turns out this writing biz is much harder than people make it out to be! 😉
Good to hear you rescued the bread grape combo, and that’s what proper environmentalism looks like. Reducing waste actually means just that. Your taco innovation might work, but candidly we ate rice, egg and garden fresh veg for dinner this evening. The Editor is now a fan of Silver beet leaves (or Chard as it is known elsewhere). It cooks up nicely in the rice.
With 6 jars to get through, you’ll soon be thoroughly acclimated to the taste. Although, a year or two back I made a batch of peach jam, and it just wasn’t that good and so was eventually mixed up with oats and fed to the chickens. If you don’t like it, you can mix the stuff into the soil. The soil critters will appreciate the energy.
Thanks. And yes the solid Kenwood KT-1100SD earned it’s upkeep on Sunday. Best to have a plan B, and hope you don’t need to use it. That’s my thinking. Plan B’s are not Plan A’s, put it that way.
Ollie and I took a walk around the new fencing today, and there has been one wombat incursion (they’re like armoured tanks), and one attempted wombat incursion. And no sign of wallaby or deer activity. Incidentally, earlier today I spotted a couple of deer with a fawn trailing the parents. Have you ever noticed that the word ‘fawn’, sounds almost the same as that of ‘faun’? Surely this cannot be a coincidence?
I’d read of a cross roads recently in the Jack Vance novel ‘Lyonesse’. The cross roads had been wandering about the landscape for all sorts of reasons, and was eventually fixed into place by a sorcerer who’d converted another sorcerer into an iron post and stuffed it in the ground near to the cross roads. Several problems solved. There was a nearby tavern and an annual goblins fair. Note to self, don’t annoy sorcerers! You can take that note as some good advice to yourself as well. 😉
Well, evil entities aside for this years countdown, yes, it can’t be denied, a very famous children’s entertainment troop won the countdown a couple of years ago. 🙂 Look, I didn’t understand that moment either, but they did a good cover of the highly acclaimed artist Tame Impala. Kevin Parker from that band is a real muso’s musician. And also I now know the children’s entertainers catchy ear worm: ‘Fruit Salad, yummy, yummy’, or something like that. Don’t check it out, it will invade your head space. Truly, you and I our fortunes would be made if I stopped this reality writing biz, and focused instead on the kids market. I’d need a manager to keep the kids at much further than arms length, and you’ve been volunteered! 🙂 I’ve said it before, but the book tours would be too much for me. Drats, I guess foiled on the quick fortune stuff again.
I agree, best to slow down for such intersections, as you say, it’s hard to know what might happen. That’s one of the reasons I gave up riding a motorbike. Most of the time you’ll be fine, but there are those times when your fellow human does unpredictable things.
It would be good to see products advertised with less emotional content, and instead rely on the ‘built to last’ philosophy. I’d seen those days as well.
Thanks for the article on the financial side of the solar industry, and whoa! My head is now spinning, and I can see how all that may have come to pass. Best not be involved is my opinion.
Ha! The fencing has been up for quite a while, so the wildlife is used to it, or at least they are now. Even the dogs were surprised by the fencing, at first. The wildlife has access to most of the rest of the place, but if they can’t accept hard limits voluntarily (such as not destroying height challenged citrus fruit trees), I’ll impose limits upon their deprivations. The wallabies are simply trying to keep an open forest for their own purposes, they just lose sight of the fact that the farm is a different kind of forest. 🙂 Terraforming is the word for sure for all those nice paths!
It depends with the grapes. They need to get enough sun for the next six weeks to ripen properly. Dunno, it was warm here today (and it felt quite hot in the afternoon sun) but the thermometer was telling a different story of cool air.
Turns out, it actually has been a cooler summer despite other parts of the continent enjoying severe heat waves and extreme temperatures. When will Melbourne have ‘real’ summer?
You won’t regret a small patch of Oregano, and beware there have been some substitutions in the commercial stuff. I can’t imagine why there is a need to substitute other leaves into the dried mixes, especially given the plant is from the mint family and without any care and/or attention it reliably turns up year after year. The fresh leaves are quite strong, and good tasting.
Those Romans sure knew how to party, and the good Sir Lawrence was probably miffed he wasn’t invited. Jokes aside, the detail in the painting was astounding. Content aside, the artist is a master.
How’s H’s ear today? Sounds nasty, and I’ve never seen such a thing outside of animals sunburned ears.
Had a day of paid work today, which was quite good given the warm-ish day outside. I’d been in the sun a bit too long yesterday afternoon finishing off that fencing job and appreciated the inside work.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Well, there’s always “The Devil and Daniel Webster.” From a short story by Benet (1936). It was turned into a play, and opera, and there were two films in 1941 and 2001. Then there’s “Faust” in all it’s various forms. So making a deal with the devil, can turn out ok, at least in the long run. At least, you won’t go to the hot place. 🙂 But, it takes pretty sharp intervention. Either by a smart lawyer, or more supernatural means.
City, county … even state officials usually have a whole other career going. Can’t live a really lavish life-style, on a bureaucrats salary. But, heck, the health insurance alone, is probably worth it.
I watched “Sleepwalkers”, last night. I can see why it wasn’t a barn burner, in the theaters. In the first 5 minutes, you have dozens of tortured and mutilated moggy, and then the story swings right into the incestuous relationship between the mother and son. Which is revisited several times, in the movie, just in case you didn’t “get it.” Mr. King has a cameo roll. I can’t say other bits weren’t interesting, and I did watch the whole thing. But not a movie I want to revisit. It was refreshing, though, to have a movie where there wasn’t a computer in sight, and half the dialogue wasn’t on some device. The highest form of electronic tech I saw, was a walkman. Remember those?
My dinner last night was a very sensible rice with many vegetables. Seeds, garlic, etc.. With a bit of Swiss cheese, on top. Tasty. I’m feeling like eggs, tonight.
“Fawn” and “faun” come from two completely separate roots. One French and the other Latin. “Fawn” can also be a verb. “To fawn over.” “Cringing or flattering.” Although when you think about it, both fawns and fauns live in the woods and wild places.
Maybe you built your fence across a Wombat migration path? 🙂
Well, I’ve often suggested ideas for children’s books, about the happenings at Fern Glade Farm. 🙂 Think of the merchandise spin-offs! The animated series! You’ll have to deal with the fans, on your own. I’d suggest a whip and a chair. Or something similar to a witness protection program.
When will Melbourne have a real summer? They better be careful what they wish for. It’s forecast to hit 62F, here, today. It’s actually been a pretty dry couple of days. Looking at the radar, the atmospheric river is passing well north of us. No worries. Rain (a lot of it) and lower temperatures are on the way.
Sir Lawrence was quit the painter. Really hit those Greek and Roman themes, hard. I’ve got a book about him, kicking around the place, somewhere.
H’s ear is still red. Doesn’t seem to bother her, and she doesn’t scratch at it. She gets the occasional treat when we pull through the library drive-by window. And, there’s a fellow at the Club who got her a bag of treats. They’re both supposed to be grain free, but I wonder …
I finished a true crime book, yesterday. Thirty years ago, the author Gregg Olsen, wrote a true crime book called “Abandoned Prayers: An Incredible True Story of Murder, Obsession and Amish Secrets.” He’s just published a follow up. “The Amish Wife: Unraveling the Lies, Secrets, and Conspiracy That Let a Killer Go Free.” I’m going to have to go back and re-read the original book. Turns out the library has three copies, but, there are 15 holds on them. I’ll give it awhile.
So now I started reading “Northeaster: A Story of Courage and Survival in the Blizzard of 1952.” (Pelletier, 2023.) It’s about a blizzard that hit our northern New England states. It’s started off by introducing the cast of characters, and you wonder, who will live and who will die? Lew
Yo, Chris – I haven’t personally ran into this. Though I think I might have seen it, here and there, at the chemists. And, of course, at our grocery stores, ciggies and liquor are often locked up. First self-checkout, and now this …
http://www.cnn.com/2024/01/29/business/locked-up-products-stores-freedom-case/index.html
I forgot to mention, you may have seen that the biggest cruise ship, ever, has been launched. “Icon of the Seas.” Carries up to 10,000 people. I wonder if it has enough life boats? 🙂 Lew
Chris, I see that you are probably in your prime now. Where do see in another twenty years or so as you are past that? As you decline as we all must as we age, how will you maintain the place you live in ? As I’m now 88 and a fan of yours, I wonder how you will keep it all going when you are actually old as I am now.
Chris,
WowWee! It was amazing. Astounding, even. Yes, the heat wave. +15C at my house on Sunday. With sun and no wind. Warmer than “officially”, but it did set a record high for the date. Monday was a cooler +11C at my house. Still very pleasant. Back to more typical temperatures by the weekend, but still warmer than usual for late January/early February. I expect another cold snap or two, maybe to about -8C, but probably no more of those Arctic temperatures.
As you surmised, dad’s switch to mostly wood heat was, indeed, a result of the 1973 oil situation. It worked out great for him over time. Friends gave him free firewood, I split and stacked it, he warmed himself (and the house and family) with it.
And yes, the Princess and I both have a large respect for trees. She gets it that I talk to trees and plants and rocks. She was devastated the first few times driving through burnt out areas on the Rez after large wildfires. Trees are cool.
Your near miss at the crossroads is an every day occurrence here. At traffic lights, the rule when the light turns green is “Count to 5, look both ways. Look both ways again, then proceed with caution.” Spokane is bedeviled with speeders and those who run red lights. And stop signs. In residential neighborhoods with unmarked intersections, it is truly every man for himself. Actually, those of us who use our brains stop at each intersection and look both ways several times before moving forward. 25 mph zone, but many cars scream through the intersections at 50mph and higher without slowing! When walking Avalanche, it’s a matter of keeping the old martial arts awareness turned on high. Stopping 6 meters away from an intersection when cars are coming has turned out to be a necessity.
Our television quit on Saturday night. It was supposed to last for 6 to 8 years. We’ve had it since summer of 2011. You know, it’s that modern HD digital machine, right? We brought up the basement tv as a temporary fix. It has a translator box to allow it to view digital signals. It is a tiny 14inch old style analog picture tube tv that the Princess bought on sale from Malwart when she worked there 25 years ago! When shopping for a new tv today, the salesman was mentioning that most of them are designed to last no more than about 6 years. We got one that is designed for about 8 or 9 if we’re lucky. In other words, the new technology isn’t as robust as the old technology. And it is more expensive. Blech!
I see that you also had to revert to backup plan B to listen to your music programme. It’s always good to have a second option.
Would’ve liked to have seen the headline for the solar power generation here on Saturday. “None of Spokane County had even a single watt of electricity generated from solar power today.” It would have read like that. Rained hard all day. Avalanche was out of sorts, still, and wanted to enjoy the rain. So I did my Plan B thingy and spent the afternoon outdoors with her. Got a fire started in a barbecue pit and sat there watching and listening to the rain, watching the fire, breathing in woodsmoke, enjoying just being there outdoors. That “activity” with me helped Avalanche, also. It was a good “reset button” for us both.
Awoke to thick fog again this morning. In our outing to the stores, it was possible to see both the Spokane River basin west of us and the Little Spokane River basin to the north of us. Both basins were filled with fog. It was quite spectacular seeing the Little Spokane basin in fog with some foothills and mountains behind it covered with trees and patches of snow.
You shared a nice color smorgasbord this week. The pinks and various purples must look wonderful each day! We had originally set up our slope project and flower beds with mostly pinks and purples with a few blue flowers added in.
DJSpo
Greetings Rdr James Morgan,
And welcome to the discussion!
It’s a good question, and I was left wondering whether you had any advice for me in this matter? I’m of the opinion that age brings wisdom, well that’s the general plan anyway.
What to do though? Well you may notice that we are putting an awful lot of energy into upgrading the infrastructure so that it is easier to live here – think low gradient paths for one example. Or removing the rocks from the paddocks, soil improvements etc.
It is not in my nature to be mysterious, however in this particular instance I do have a plan, but am reluctant to spell it out. Rest assured, there is nothing discreditable about the plan. Many years ago, I had a vision of the future, and believe that matters should run their own course in this instance.
Anyway, what do they say about avoiding advice from the elves for they shall say both yes and no. 🙂
I accept the realities of the situation in that I’m here to work, train and communicate. 😉
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
It’s +15’C here right now! 🙂 Admittedly it is night time. Far out, that would be a warm winters day even here. Tell me truthfully, was Dame Avalanche disappointed at the warm weather? Fingers crossed that you do in fact avoid further Arctic blasts. I was really surprised at how dry all that cold air was for you.
Your dad was clearly of a canny mindset to have resorted to firewood from that particular year onwards. I’d read a history from those ever so slightly pre-Disco days (I saw the Saturday Night Fever film when it was first released, and thought it was a bit stupid, but with a great soundtrack) which suggested that many areas of national forests were opened for the harvesting of firewood for domestic use. How many people would even have a wood heater these days to run the firewood in? It is hard to ignore the regular articles whining about wood smoke in urban areas which then call for a ban on those contraptions. Unfortunately, reducing the market for wood heaters would only remove the local manufacturers due to a sudden drop in sales volume rendering those businesses unprofitable.
Respect to both of you. With a bit of upfront work, the impact of the big fires can be massively reduced. Hope the rocks aren’t displeased with their new configuration. Always possible…
Holy carp! Your story alarmed me. Down here where surveillance has become something of an art form, there are red light cameras. So if a person travels through a red light, they enjoy a happy snap and lose points and incur a fine. Lose enough points, and say goodbye to the drivers license. And on the freeways there are number plate readers which will dob you in if you are driving unlicensed. Then the car gets impounded. It’s a heady mixture of escalation, so best not to run red lights is the way of the world. Of course if the vehicle has been stolen, then all bets are off. One morning, many years ago Sandra had a close shave with such a vehicle. It shook her up.
Oh yeah, of course I’d forgotten. Analogue transmission was switched off here many years ago, and a digital format replaced that. We have no digital reception at all here, but candidly I’d not noticed. Incidentally, just to get a quality FM signal I had to custom build and tune a five element Yagi antenna with a FM signal amplifier. There’s a lot to go wrong, so it took me a while on the day to discover what component had failed.
They apparently don’t last. What can I say? If we as a civilisation were genuinely committed to re-use, repair, only then recycle, the world would look very different. We could have taken this path at any time, Now I believe it is too late. Blech and Yech indeed!
Either FM tuner is well above average, one is slightly better. It now needs a bit of care and attention – which it shall have.
Ha! You’d be surprised. Even the very worst of winter days – think thick low clouds and intense rainfall, will still provide 15 minutes of power for the day. It’s not bad really, and probably stops the entire planet from freezing solid! But I’ve also noticed that the components in the system use all that energy, and then more.
I took Ollie out for a wee, and the tricksy dog licked me in the mouth. We were wildlife spotting, and he saw his moment. Yuck!
The view sounds lovely, and yeah cold moist air falls and collects. You really get to see the lay of the land.
Very good! And hope all the landscaping you did last summer produces an abundance of colour and life.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
I’d never heard of a locked up product before. What is this thing? No way… So petty theft and organized robberies are apparently that much of a problem. Far out! Well vast shop spaces with the inference being that there are minimal staff does kind of lend itself to a space which may promote the theft of products to opportunists. Back in the day, all the high value items were in glass cabinets, except that my experience of retail was that the item was handled by the customer under supervision. And you could ‘do the sell’ on the product at the same time. The system was well understood by everyone, and I never noticed that theft was a problem. Of course the products had higher margins which assisted paying for the staff to attend to the customers.
Oh yeah, spray paint cans are generally behind barriers (which you can open) but even then the products aren’t sold to minors.
Mate, I’d read about it and I’m trying to forget that cruise thing. I know people tend to really like those experiences, however for me, it would be something of a personal nightmare. I’d much prefer solitary confinement… I’m sure you understand my feelings in this matter? When I was a kid, as people reached retirement age, they’d go off on one of those cruises, but it would be a once in a lifetime thing. And that’s a good question. You’d hope the words ‘unsinkable’ weren’t used. Incidentally, I’d reckon there are now some parts of the world where it would be rather dangerous floating one of those behemoths.
Speaking of thefting off with stuff, the local dog obedience school informed us that they were having a few issues…. Thefts and vandalism impact Riddell. In this case Riddell referring to Riddells Creek (which begins near the lower parts of my property).
Ah, stories building upon stories reaching way back in time. Mr Webster’s oration was surely a fine piece, however, best not to try to trick, or even engage with such entities. Speaking of which, did you note that the name Ichabod was present at an even darker moment? Nobody spoke of the lawyers fees. Could have been hectic.
Best not become involved in the clutches of that system, the blood may not be drained, but the wallet surely shall! 😉 Speaking of which, you have not mentioned Elinor for a while. Have you had any news on that front?
As story fodder, the subject matter may be a bit confronting for the public? Brady was no good, although I’m sure Freud would have had enough material for a month look symposium. The Editor finished the third book of the Mr Mercedes trilogy the other day. It is all rather unfair that spoilers were withheld. Now I have to read the second and third books. Alas that is true. When we first discussed the ‘Chef’ film all those many years ago, the use of digital communications was then novel. I don’t hang out with people who lose themselves to their mobile devices, but I observe this happening.
A fine choice for dinner if I may say so, and I ate a similar meal and hour or so ago. Rice, garden fresh vegetables and eggs.
Well that was my thinking as to the entire fawn / faun etymology. Wild places perhaps breed wild things? When I was a kid I used to love the (is it graphic novel?): Where the Wild Things Are.
Maybe so about the paths, because the wombats do love their patterns. They might also want the choicest bits of plants for themselves? They can easily get under the fence.
What? Here is where I feel I must strenuously disagree with you. It was your job to keep the fans at bay. I wanted nothing to do with that work! 🙂 But the royalties on the merch might be worth it. Hey, do we really need the fans?
There was a bit of tempting the weather gods with such loose talk as to the demands for a proper summer. Take it from me, 114’F in the shade is over rated, and when the wind blows on those days, it’s downright frightening. Good to read that you dodged the worst of the atmospheric river, but will enjoy some more usual rain. There’s serious flooding going on again up north of the continent (and over in the far west).
Who knows what are in the treats H has been enjoying? It takes a lot of effort to stop food from going off. And I’ve always felt that as we get benefits from such efforts, there must be costs.
Pretty gruesome. Hey, when we were travelling around the country, we stopped past this next town when nefarious activities were going on. May have even walked past this very building. Snowtown ‘bodies-in-the-barrels’ accomplice Mark Ray Haydon set for release after 25 years in jail. An eerie tale that one.
After further reading since your last comment, do you have any better idea as to who survives the blizzard, and who doesn’t? Makes you wonder if a bit of the survival possibility came down to just dumb luck for some folks?
Cheers
Chris
Hello Chris
How I agree with Rdr etc. Every time you create more flights of steps, I wish that you would put in handrails. Also being 88 and living in the wild alone, I have had to get my son to put handrails and lower steps everywhere both outside and indoors.
I did wonder whether you saw my last comment the previous week. No matter if you did but you usually acknowledge every comment so I am just checking. Our different times make it easy to miss one of my comments.
Managed to lose a credit card when shopping today and had an horrific 45 mins on the phone getting it stopped.
Inge
Hi Chris,
Speaking of fog we’ve had lots of very foggy days lately so no night driving for me. We’ve not had a sunny day in the last 16 days but it’s been warm enough that the large amounts of snow are melting fairly quickly.
Yeah it’s hard to find anything that lasts like it used to. L.L. Bean had a great reputation for the quality of their merchandise. In fact you could return any item if it wore out for the life of the product. Well for the last 5 years or so the quality has gone way downhill. I’ve bought my annual flannel shirt from there and the last few years holes develop usually in less than one year. The guarantee is also a thing of the past.
Sadly we put Leo down this morning. We don’t know exactly how old he was but somewhere between 15 and 16. He’s never had any health issues. The last month his back legs were quickly getting weaker and he had trouble getting up and down. I think there was a bit of dementia as he spent much time just wandering the house. Then he was having frequent accidents in the house and at times would just groan when he lay in his bed. The vet’s office did a wonderful job and he went peacefully with Doug, me and Salve with him. They did say it was the right time. We had been conflicted about that as in many ways he still seemed to have pretty good quality of life. We’ll see how Salve does but we don’t plan to get another dog.
Margaret
Yo, Chris – I see to open the cases, one would need an I-whatever and an app. But, apparently, one can signal for a clerk for help. Given the thin staffing, these days, that would take awhile.
The cruise ship looks like a floating Dizzy World. You may also have heard about the recent story, of a planned three year cruise. People sold everything and quit their jobs, to sign on. Then the whole thing fell apart. It’s still up in the air, as to if they’ll get their money back.
Riddell’s Creek has fallen into a temporal anomaly. 🙂 But, what with what I see in the local paper police reports, articles on people acting out on airplanes and tourists misbehaving, I’m not surprised. Seems like the whole tenor of the world has changed. And not for the better. Darn! I meant to buy some bear spray, this morning. Slipped my mind. I thought about getting a taser, but I’d probably shot myself.
I have heard nothing as to Elinor’s situation in probably about four weeks. I pick up her mail, and put it in her apartment, and her daughter has been picking it up. I suppose I could call, but you know, the phone works two ways.
I watched a movie, last night, that I highly recommend. “The Bank of Dave.” “Based on a true(ish) story.” Dave is a fairly well-off fellow in a small, depressed northern England town. He lends money to people, the little people, that the London banks aren’t interested in. He’s never had a default, and if the folks insist on interest, he donates it to one charity or another. At the start of the movie, he has created 150 local jobs, through his efforts. Soooo … after awhile, Dave decides he might want to open a bank. Fills out all the paperwork, and employs a London legal firm. But there hasn’t been a new bank chartered in England, in 150 years. It’s firmly in the grip of the old boy network, and they don’t want to let Dave into the club, as, he’s a nobody. Never mind that they wouldn’t deal with the folks Dave helps, anyway. And they play dirty. It would be spoilers, to tell how it all turns out. There’s music by Def Leppard.
It got me thinking how our State pays a Big Bank, millions of dollars, to manage the State’s money. Once upon a time, I could search how much that is, per year. That information seems to have disappeared. I’ve thought for a long time, we’d be better off with a state bank. There’s another state that has gone that route, and they’re just doing fine. But every time it’s brought up, the big bank swings into action, a pours money into countering such a move.
I had rice and chopped up fried eggs, and veg, last night. Of course, H got some fried egg. Although that has to end, at least for awhile. To figure out what she’s allergic to, I’ll cut her back to just kibble, and see if her ear clears up. Then slowly introduce other things, back into her diet. Although I think any kind of veg would be ok.
She got her smart new coat, yesterday. You think she’d be excited. Nope. She was all, “Another day, another new frock.” 🙂 It’s a black and blue plaid. Oddly, I just happened to be wearing the same pattern of shirt.
“Where the Wild Things Are” is a children’s picture book. “A graphic novel is characterized by having a clear beginning, middle, and end, a central narrative, complex characters, character development, thematic messaging, precise, carefully considered dialogue, and paneled illustrations that tell a story.” “Wild Things” has been banned in many places due to the “witchcraft / supernatural” elements. I kid you not. Sendak’s other book, “In the Night Kitchen” is heavily banned, due to the naked little boy. It apparently “desensitizes children to nudity.” And has also had accusations of being kiddie porn. People have too much time on their hands.
Well, we didn’t hit the 62F forecast, yesterday. Only up to 57F. The rain is back, but not too much, so far. At least here.
That was quit an article about the murders. I don’t know if I’d characterize them as serial killings. I think of serial killers as lone wolfs.
Well, so far in the blizzard book, two lobster fishermen have bit the dust. Leaving behind pregnant wives and kiddies. Don’t know how some of the other people are going to fair. A naval guy stuck in a ditch in a car, as the snow gets deeper and deeper. People out on the highways. Two fishermen out on an isolated lake. People in New England are used to dealing with snow. But this was just unusual, and the forecasts were inadequate. But, given the times (early 1950s), they did the best with what they had. No satellites, back then.
Ran across an interesting article, in our local paper yesterday, about breaching dams.
http://www.chronline.com/stories/gop-reps-ramp-up-fight-on-hypocritical-assault-on-snake-river-dams-in-eastern-wa,333408
Years ago, I got lost and think I finally ended up finding one of those dams. By following the river, I finally made it to familiar ground. LOL, it was a bit of an ordeal. Gas was running low. Buzzards feeding on roadkill, was not comforting. Lew
Yo, Chris – Well, here you go …
http://www.cnn.com/travel/red-sea-tensions-disrupting-cruises/index.html
You may, or may not remember, when a cruise ship was hijacked in 1985. The Achille Lauro. Lew
Chris,
Indeed, Dame Avalanche is disappointed by the warm temperatures. The change from her ideal to record highs was rapid. But she’s coping…extra time outdoors with papa helps.
Spokane has 3 levels of air quality for burning wood. Green means, well, it’s green, man, so burn. Yellow means only those using EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) approved wood stoves can burn wood. Red means the air quality is very bad and stagnant, so NO BURNING. Well, unless wood is your only heat source. Of course, when it’s -20C and the wind has quit is when the Red conditions occur and when the addition of burning wood is most beneficial to heating. It’s allegedly all air quality related.
Ah, yes. Saturday Night Fever. Some of the songs are rather timeless. I still have good memories whenever I hear “Stayin’ Alive”. The movie? I saw it once, several years later, and was glad that I hadn’t paid to see it in the theaters.
The Princess and I ran a few errands again today. Today was “I forgot to add coffee to my morning cup of stoopid” day. At least that’s how everyone was driving – NOT stopping at stop signs, other stupid things. Sadly, very typical in cities nowadays. A week ago, there was a hit and run accident after dark – a car hit a pedestrian. (Pedestrian is alive, in hospital, but alive and expected to live.) While the entire intersection was barricaded by police cars with their flashing lights doing the flashy thing, one of the police vehicles was slammed into by a drunk driver. Today the driver that hit the pedestrian was arrested. His official story: “I saw her in the road, swerved to avoid her and clipped her. So I stopped and returned but didn’t see her so I thought she was fine and had run off. I left. When I saw about it on the television, I thought about calling the police to explain what happened, but decided not to.” Sadly, that entire scenario is far from abnormal here. Driving is not for the faint of heart.
We, too, have surveillance cameras for red lights at many intersections. Tickets get issued. Enough tickets and one’s insurance rates go up. IF the person has insurance. 50% of drivers in Spokane are uninsured. Illegal, but a fact of life.
Yagi antennae are cool. I always used a long wire antenna, even for my amateur transmitter. Had a good tuner for it. The power lines are a bit of a problem here. I thought and researched and thought and used a “grass wire” antenna for my shortwave radio. It’s a long wire antenna but on the ground. Insulated wire and running perpendicular to the power lines. It worked surprisingly well.
Oh, I know that some solar “leaks” through the rain and clouds. Back in the day, I wore those glasses that turn dark on sunny days. It was December, snowing, thick clouds and nearing sunset. I was archery hunting with my brother-in -law. I had to take my glasses off to walk back to the car, as they had turned black from the “leaking” solar through the clouds and snow. Would there have been enough solar to do much more than darken my glasses or maybe, perhaps, provide enough charge to keep the charging equipment alive? Probably, but not a lot more. We were maybe 10 days from the winter solstice.
Good job Ollie! Isn’t often that you get to outthink Chris. And a lick on the mouth? Major score! Of course, the old Peanuts comics had something to say about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq9hBEvFNlM&list=PLdAoZkHLKgoRA6hjyNlWepHla9ZWrNFVI&index=3
Meanwhile, the finger continues to improve. Killian’s human astutely observed that this first year is going to s u c k. Yeah, that’s the word she used. She has some related experience. But the feeling is slowly returning, as is normal finger function. It IS the middle finger, but so far it has had no desire to, well, go into bird mode. 😉
Current carving projects. I recently finished a jack-o-lantern. Used a carving knife to shape it. Then I used a special chip carving knife to cut in the facial details. Then I wood burned details and hues and textures. It was a fun little project. I discussed it at a recent club meeting, making the point that projects often turn out better when seemingly unrelated techniques are incorporate. Next up? I have 2 buffalo rough outs and an eagle rough out or 2. I need to get those ready for the June memorial service for sister.
DJSpo
Hi Inge,
Thanks for the correction, and yes, indeed I did miss your reply. Apologies for that. And perhaps in answer to your observation regarding the steps, hand rails and ageing, what if my body is fine, and it’s the old brain that quits first? Exhibit A) I completely missed your comment! 🙂 You’d have to suggest that in this particular case, the facts are very suggestive of the underlying realities!
However, back to your earlier comment. Now, I once encountered a person who I believe apparently engineered what is technically known as a defalcation. i.e. the dude allegedly pinched a lot of mad cash. My role in this matter was as part of the clean up crew and also setting things on a better trajectory for the future. It was an interesting time where the people around me were very emotionally invested in the situation whereas I just did not want hassles. I may have pointed out to the people then, that their energy would be far better spent avoiding such dramas in the future, and in fact set up procedures and control processes to limit such activities reoccurring. Anyway, what I observed about the person was that there were red flags which were ignored, and also it wasn’t simply the act, but I believe that there was an atmosphere of duplicity surrounding the person and I reckon that can be seen in their interactions with others. You have to keep your eyes open and understand that if a person treats other people poorly (or themselves), why would they treat you any better?
Sadly Inge, I am rather jaded in this regard, and no longer automatically give people the benefit of the doubt. One sniff of trouble, and they earn a response of my choosing, and at my timing. There’s an old saying about if a person can’t get the sale right, the after sales service will be a very questionable experience. My tolerance levels are actually quite low in this regard. With a bit of time for reflection, I can now look back at what occurred last week, and have a reasonable understanding as to the motivations driving the entire dreary situation.
Dunno about you, but I see that what the persons actions displays to me, is the root of their eventual fall. I don’t want anything to do with them, and so made my choice.
It interests me that you are also having an overall warmer winter. It may be of interest to you that although the summer days here have been cooler than average, the nights have in fact been warmer than average. None of this surprises me.
Your banking situation with the lost card is a total nightmare. Hopefully the bank cancelled the card promptly and that there was no unauthorised transactions.
It was another cool summers day today, and I spent it indoors doing paid work. From time to time I’d look out the window at the bright blue sunshine hailing from the wide skies, then get back to the computer screen.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Margaret,
Oh, I’m so sorry for you and Doug, and not to mention Salve. Please accept my condolences. It’s a hard thing to do, and tears are shed, but helping out our mates with the coup de grâce when life becomes untenable, is a true gift.
Vet’s are absolute legends, no more need be said. Dogs tell you when they’ve had enough, and we have to respect their wishes. If Leo was out in the wilds, the pack would have said their goodbyes, and nature would have worked her ways, yet Leo would have faced that trial alone. At least at his final moments, you all were with him.
Margaret, everyone says that about another dog. In this regard, the choice may not be yours.
When I was a younger bloke around the age of 25, I opened a gate and discovered a very young and sickly kitten. I looked at the little bloke and said to him: If you walk in the gate, the place is yours. And of course the kitten did just that. He had cat flu, so he spent a week in the vet (ouch!) and lived another ten years before dying of a broken heart. You never know where nature will take you.
Who likes driving in thick fog anyway? Talk about recipe for disaster. I’m with you, best avoided. 16 days of no sun would be like my personal solar nightmare!
It happens. How does a retailer compete on quality, when few if anyone actually demands that?
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Dame Avalanche soon learns hard lessons at the hands of an uncaring nature, however, she is clearly an adaptable and quick student. Huskies have their own mind, and aren’t afraid to use the thing. I tend to appreciate dogs with those traits.
Hmm. There are no such rules (that I’m aware of down here) in relation to wood heaters. Seriously, if it came to a choice between freezing to death, and not burning firewood, I doubt I’d even consider the matter with any level of seriousness. I guess they must be measuring particulate matter in the local atmosphere? What do they reckon is going on at the large scale generators which burn fossil fuels?
Speaking of which, I’ve had a couple of visitors note the excellent air quality here (possibly comparing to the big smoke? I didn’t pursue the conversation) Anyway, that’s a new thing, because being elevated, the air quality is usually pretty good regardless. What’s interesting is that the surrounding forest smells of honey to me due to the super tall trees flowering this week. Being the second tallest flowering plants on the planet does produce a remarkable effect. I got some photos of the flowers this morning using the big lens. What’s really interesting is where the flowers are being produced. And where the trees are very growing densely, there are no flowers at all. Hmm. I believe that there is something to be learned in that observation.
The songs were excellent, and I fondly recall the soundtrack. Our thoughts are on the same page in relation to the film. I struggled relating to the characters existential crisis’s. There was a much better and more recent film along similar lines but with mental health issues: ‘Silver Linings Playbook’. I recommend it highly.
Drink driving is a risky behaviour down here because the police set up random road side breath testing for blood alcohol levels. A quick way to lose your license. However, I recall being verbally abused by some dude in a car for not being fast enough when we were officially clearing a fallen tree off the road. It’s a risky job to do, and for all of those reasons. Did you know that most people usually claim that they hit a dog, or any other animal for that matter? There is a lot to unpack in that story. Ah, the lies that some people tell.
I read somewhere the other week which suggested that the rates down here are one in four, or 25% for that mayhem. With inflation and interest rates continuing upon their own merry way, I suspect that things will only get worse on that front. At least down here everyone is covered for the human side of that story. The insurance for that is collected with the annual registration fees which it should be noted are now in the $800+ / year mark. Of course there are unregistered cars driving around, but they have to dodge the number plate readers. And there is a lot of them.
A grasswire antenna is a whole new idea to me. Glad to hear that you got some good results from your set up. And it is not an advertisement like other large HF antennas are. Watched a utoob video on the subject. Oh man, there’s a local ham radio group, and it’s on my to-do list. It’s a long list you know, but I’m sure they’d be my kind of people.
Yeah, there isn’t much in the way of any solar energy to be had for a few weeks around the winter solstice. It’s physics, dude! 😉 Just wanted to say that, mostly because you already knew. For three weeks either side, it’s touch and go here. And I’ve got welding helmets that will do that particular darkening trick, which in your case proved to be somewhat problematic. Lately, I’ve been trying to get that winter idea into peoples heads but by comparing the energy to ‘how’s it working for the plants at that winter time of year?’ It’s a start, but trust me in this, peoples views are already made up on this subject of solar.
Snoopy licked me!!! Thanks for the laughs.
Wouldn’t it be awful if you wanted to flick someone the bird, only to have your finger not respond? Incidentally, I was once fined for doing so. Who even knew it was a minor crime? And I didn’t know that they were of the local constabulary. The lady was so angry. There was a lot of tension behind those eyes, and wow, did she dump on me or what? Ah, the things you do when you are young and dumb. Glad to hear your finger is returning to normal.
I presume that your jack-o-lantern was not of the pumpkin variety, but of wood? Carving the insides of the wood out would have been difficult to do. Respect. Have you ever seen one of those Chinese guard dog statues which have a moving ball in the mouth? Carved in-situ and can’t be easily removed.
Yeah, a thoughtful offering, and one that is even better for you made it with your own hands.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Seriously, I was just guessing the bit about cruise ships by extrapolating the goings on with container ships in that part of the world. I’d have to suggest that the situation there is what I’d describe as deteriorating. And it will get worse. Of course many an empire and overlord has earned funds by establishing gates where fees for safe passage are negotiated. Best if they were paid.
Oh my gawd. During you-know-what, ordering and paying by phone app for food became a thing. I’ve noticed that the usage has dropped off nowadays. I’d heard the tech providers took something like a 25% cut. I fail to see how businesses could make enough money to survive because that might be their full margin on food.
The old timers used to say about such matters: The bigger they are, the harder they fall. My mind on those sea monster things has long been made up. Not for I. And that’s the thing with failed contracts, they’ve failed, and if there are no assets left over, is there any point in pursuing? I’ll tell you a funny story. When we travelled around the country in a small hatchback with a tent, it didn’t take all that long for me to begin thinking of home.
Hehe! The theft of the copper in that instance has to be by someone who knew what they were doing. I mean, how did they not electrocute themselves in the extraction process. The local sports club grounds and rooms were seriously impacted, not to mention the clubs themselves. You can’t train at night without the lights. And yeah, the dog obedience school… Ruby was again bitten by ants today, but this time doesn’t seem as impacted.
You’d reckon acting out on an airplane would bring massive trouble onto a persons head? I tend to think of it as a numbers game. The same percentage of people are still doing so, there’s just a lot more people. Hey, it’s probably easier to grow super hot chilli’s. I’ve never seen a taser, but they’re around, and who can forget the amusing taser scene in The Hangover film?
I’m of the same opinion as you in that regard. There has to be some sort of rough balance.
The film sounds pretty good, so it’s on the to-watch list and your recommendation has been forwarded on to the Editor. Go Def Leppard! Speaking of money, work etc. It was a lovely day outside today, and I could see outside. Did paid work today, and felt good.
The people who I mentioned last week, had been stressing me out for a while now. I’m usually pretty relaxed, even in a crisis, but that particular train had been slow running for a long while. Like the proverbial story of the frog in the boiling water, at first the frog didn’t notice the rising temperature. This week has been a pleasure, and I’d not really understood things until clarity hit me today or maybe yesterday. Hmm.
Just pointing out the obvious, how would you even know if the kibble mixture for H had been changed? The Editor has had a few bad batches of wine recently fail (as has a mate of mine), and nobody seems to ask the hard question about the quality of the yeast they’re using. Problem solving is my thing. A bit of essential fatty oils for H might help, like err, fish oil.
Hehe! Go H! Clearly, H has standards when it comes to new frocks. And hey, just sayin, they do say that people sometimes resemble their dogs! 🙂
Ah, many thanks for the correction, and yes, that is the niche for that particular book. 🙂 Knew, you’d know. I hadn’t realised that so much was demanded of a graphic novel. My mind is now boggling over the effort an editor for such a novel would have to undertake considering there would be many people involved in the production.
Oh, you’re serious about the book being banned. Apparently the protagonist Max as a child was thus struggling to control his emotional state, and that is a somehow unusual occurrence – who knew? Isn’t one of the jobs of parents to socialise kids? Maybe I expect too much. Far out, that’s some weird business. Makes you wonder if there were other reasons for banning the book? Surely they would have noticed depictions of cherubs in their places of worship? The whole thing is strange from start to finish.
Your weather sounds not too bad at all. Hey, talk about putting the ‘kiss of death’ on the weather down here… Victoria set for Sunday scorcher. Looks like there’ll be a Sunday roast…
Ouch. The guy stuck in the ditch is probably toast. Who’d be on the road in that sort of weather? Oh, people were. Incidentally, sometimes the forecast is simply wrong. On the night of the 1983 fire which swept through here, the official thinking was that the fire was going elsewhere. I would have had a clear view of it all from here.
I don’t see how the grid can work without base load generators, like those dams. A whole bunch of people are talking there, but are they having a discussion? Dunno.
Ha! The image of buzzards feeding on carcasses was quite something else, but it sure would have sent you a strong message. 🙂 Fuel wasn’t so easy to purchase back in the day after hours.
Cheers
Chris
@ Margaret – I’m sorry for you’re loss. Every once in awhile, I look at H and think, “One of these days, I’ll be sitting in a vet’s office … ”
Chris is right, about maybe a new dog showing up. The way I put it is, “You take what the universe provides.” I always thought if I got a dog, it would be a “guys” dog. Didn’t happen.
I turned into one of those weird old guys with a wimpy little dog. 🙂 . Lew
Yo, Chris – When the economy gets bad, and the price of scrap copper (or brass and bronze) goes up, thefts rise. Empty houses or construction sites are prime targets. A few years back, someone even stole the brass letters, off the library over in Centralia. There’s been a crack down, on scrap metal dealers. They better know where that stuff comes from.
Maybe, Ruby is building up a tolerance? Or she’s more alert to swiftly leaving a problem area? I’m glad to know she wasn’t hit as hard, this time.
Acting up on an airplane, can get you serious fines. Maybe, even jail time. And a place on the no-fly list.
“Moment of clarity.” It’s a thing. 🙂 All the puzzle pieces fall into place and you have an Ah-ha! moment. Or just looking at things from a slightly different angle.
I’ll look into the fish oil, for H. She get a dab of peanut butter, from time to time. And, a bit of egg that’s been fried in olive oil. Although the last time I gave her some peanut butter, she ignored it. Last night, she got mixed veg, and, again, picked out all the green beans. After eating them a few days ago.
We got a few weak laughs, down at the Club. I’d hold her up against my shirt and say, “Camo! Look! The dog disappears!.” 🙂
Books are banned for a lot of reasons. It was quit a few years ago, but I took a couple of on-line courses, on children’s and young adult books. For a ten year period, THE most banned young adult book was titled, “Bridge to Terabithia.” The reasons to ban the book were pretty … squishy. Almost free floating anxiety. The female protagonist was dinged for a couple of (weak) reasons. She had no use for organized religion, although she was an honest and good person. How can you be honest and good, if you don’t buy into the religious party line? She also, on occasion, didn’t have sufficient respect for adult authority. Can’t have that! The book also dealt with a death, and you wouldn’t want little darlings to be confronted with life’s ups and downs. In 1978, the book won the yearly Newbery Medal, which is big deal. Take that! book banners.
LOL. I told them to be careful what they wish for. Well, at least you’re batteries will be topped up.
I finished “Northwester.” People got caught out, because a.) the storm was a lot worse than forecast and b.) it hit with startling speed. The young sailor was entombed in his car, for over 60 hours. He made it out, ok, even though buried under 30 feet of snow. He’d lingered to long, on a date, in a nearby town. The two cousins (both WWII vets, though one English and one American) who were out fishing on a lake, with their dog, were ok. They’d driven out on the lake, and stayed with their car, overnight. When things got light the next morning, they could see the lakeshore, between blowing gusts of snow. They made their way to a children’s summer camp, that had overwinter caretakers. A couple of old duffers, died, just from the exertion of walking through the snow. Over 1,000 people were stranded on a 45 mile stretch of highway, in their cars. Most were taken in by nearby farm houses. 500 ended up at one of the earliest chain restaurants. For two days, they were kept warm and fed by the staff. Snow plows off all sizes, broke down or bogged down. There was a terrible accident, when a train plow, hit a car. The book was a good read. America was a lot different then. All these little towns, were supported by, in this day and age, small industries. Woolen mills, iron works, shoe factories, match factories. I suppose they’re not doing as well, these days.
Well, luckily, I was lost during daylight hours. I just kept moving south and west. I knew I’d hit the Columbia River sooner or later. I hoped. I hadn’t seen a dwelling or person in hours. Gas was running low. I cam around a corner, and there was a buzzard, sitting on the corpse of a steer. Well, that gave me pause …. 🙂 .
When I took H for her walk last night, a rat came zipping out from under the door to the dumpster room. I suppose I should report it. Oh, well. I’ll mention it to the night manager, next time I see him. Unless I see another one. Lew
Late to the party, have only read the weekly entry.
Crossroads- yeah, it’s a trope in sci-fi, and maybe even toyed around with by legit physicists, but there is a notion that every second in time a decision can be made, an alternate universe splits off so each choice proceeds on its merry way. Doesn’t sound likely, but the idea that we make millions of mini crossroad decisions through our life, some big and noticeable, but most just unconscious and going though the motions, can lead to some interesting reflections on how we got where we are.
The whole idea of whether we have free will comes in to play. Over at Nate Hagens place, he had a discussion with Robert Sapolsky (who’s having a moment) that I’m still digesting.
At the end of the day, I think the free will question is moot, we simply work with what we have, and to our minds, it feels like free will, so act accordingly.
Anyway, this past weekend, had some relatives over for a visit. They are nice folks, but are energy blind and quite comfy in the golden years of their American dream. We dance around serious topics, so play cards, eat too much, and talk about our kids, grandkids, and old age aches.
So it goes.
Hi Lewis,
Man, I can remember during the mid 90’s recession that things got so tight for us that we sold off all our collected copper scraps to a scrap metal dealer. And that sale gave us enough mad cash to buy the groceries for the week. A harrowing time. I’d recounted this story to a friend a few years ago who is a bit younger younger and was not an adult during those times. He struggled comprehending how bad economically things can get, but then that seems to be very true for a lot of people. Tough times those days for a young fella.
The thing with the nearby theft, someone told me that not only was the copper pinched, but the switch board was taken as well. Now, I don’t reckon anyone other than someone who intends to install the thing elsewhere would have a use for such a beast of equipment. The electrical connection would have been three phase too, and only those in the know would understand what they are doing. Such arcane knowledge is beyond me, but I know enough not to mess with such equipment.
That’s the thing with second hand dealers down here. The scrap metal dealer I sold the old yellow trailer to a few months ago, has my ID. All of it. Oh yeah, those systems are tight as. Nah man, I reckon the thefted off switch board will likely be installed somewhere, although it may be off loaded inter state. Dunno and I’m just guessing. The now deceased farm machine repair dude was a licensed second hand dealer, and he also had to take all my ID and keep those records before accepting trade ins of old equipment.
Ruby does appear to have decamped from the ant scene a bit earlier this time around before too many stings were experienced. Perhaps the dog is a slow learner? 🙂 She is feeling better today, and we rotated the dogs outside a bit more quickly than usual whilst we worked. The air temperature wasn’t hot today, but far out the sun squooshed hard.
Another week, another project – done! 🙂 Happy days! The low gradient path on the downhill side of the chicken enclosure is now complete. Last week, the path was finished to the surface drain, but today the ramp leading past the surface drain was finished. It feels good to be kicking some goals. There is now only one more path to complete. We dug and hauled a lot of clay today. Feels good.
Ooo, well that’s not a list you’d want to get on, although as someone with zero interest in flying anywhere, it wouldn’t bother me, not that I’m a likely contender anyway. It’s an interesting realm of discussion because it seems like there are several lists and for some unknown reason, they don’t share data. People have to learn to control their emotional states.
I hadn’t known that ‘a moment of clarity’, was a thing. But yeah, it was just like what you wrote – the pieces of the puzzle fit together and a coherent picture was formed. It would be nice to be able to see such views in real time, but sadly my brain requires processing time. I’m sure you know the feeling?
Apparently fish oil is an anti-inflammatory food, so at the very least a couple of drops of err, the dreaded cod liver oil of yore, might work wonders for H? Or fish oil. It’s worth the trial. Each day the dogs get a bit of coconut oil in their brekky (as do I). What? The fluffies would never ignore peanut butter. 🙂 H could stand some competition for the choicest morsels! As to the green beans, I dunno, dogs perhaps know their needs better than you and I.
That’s funny about the camo! H would love the attention. And incidentally, I absolutely agree with you in regards to the Universe provides. And it applies equally to the recently expressed fears for the future that other folks had commented upon. I worry about some things, but not that. I’ll tell you a funny story, the shelter folks lied about Ollie’s breed (he’s actually an Australian pig hunting dog), and his age (they said six months, I reckon three months), but that was what the universe provided at the time. And the dog is a real charmer. He wouldn’t know a pig if he encountered one. 🙂 So, yeah sometimes a person has to let the winds of fate guide their wings upon this rough and uncertain path and just be blown about. And who knows, the destination might just be OK. Anyway, dunno about you, but I’m not big into control for it is an allusion.
How did I miss the novel: ‘Bridge to Terabithia’? The plot sounds delightful, and all the better for there being real consequences. The reasons for the banning sound a bit flimsy to me as well, but it’s right up there with that gear. It’s no good for every narrative to end in a nice and happy way. Life doesn’t work that way, and I don’t really get why people would want to pretend that it does.
You called the weather folks correctly. I thought that it was an act of hubris as well. Oh well, we’ll discover the truth of the matter on Sunday.
Far out, 60 hours entombed in a car would have been seriously cold, although the snow maybe insulated him a bit from the very worst of the conditions. Still, I would have died then being warmer climate soft and all. Did I read that correctly? The WWII vets had driven their car out onto the lake? I’m assuming the surface must have been frozen? You’d be left with warm fuzzy feelings for that chain restaurant, and I’m assuming that the staff were stuck there as well? Did the phones get disconnected during the storm?
Mate, the same thing happened down here too with those small industries. I honestly don’t know what to make of an economy where the production of housing seems like the big game in town. Frankly speaking, the situation has some unpleasant parallels to a ponzi scheme.
Thanks for the story, and the buzzard really painted quite the dire picture of things having hit rock bottom for you that day. And yet, you survived. The moment would have given me pause as well.
Rats would totally enjoy a dumpster. It’s like rat heaven. I’m surprised there aren’t more of them. I’ve been going head to head with the rats for many years, and the best I can manage is a rough balance where nobody is happy. Probably that’s as good as it will ever get. So did you mention the rat issue?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Steve,
🙂 Life does intrude! And the visit sounded pretty nice to me. Plenty of people I speak with are energy illiterate and likewise avoid challenging topics, but no matter, each to their own I reckon. Man, you know what, knowing in some ways is easier, because you can enjoy a quiet life, and the pleasures of a rural idyll without seeking more.
It’s also been a fun ride! Such heady topics are beyond my brain’s capacity, but it is a bit eerie to imagine that somewhere out there is an evil twin. Just because you chose the path you did, doesn’t mean those evil twin Steve’s in alternative universes made the same choices. Thanks, my head is now spinning Exorcist style! 🙂
Maybe, and I concede that your opinion may be the way of things with free will. However, I’m of the belief that we get a little bit of wiggle room for our own free will. Also, if I may dare suggest, it is one of the challenges we all face to develop our wills in whatever fashion that takes. Hmm. A very thoughtful subject, and one I’ve been cogitating upon for many long years.
And I agree as well, we most certainly do have to work with what we have to hand, or can access. Hmm.
Sometimes the winds of fate blow from an unkind direction, but there are many other directions which are just as likely.
Today we finished the section of low gradient path leading away from the chicken enclosure. Yay! Lot’s of digging and hauling took place today in the cool summer sunshine. Me tired this evening, but also fairly pleased with the work.
Cheers
Chris
Hello Chris
No unauthorised transactions on my bank card, thank goodness.
Your mind is certainly not on the way out judging by your erudite writing. I gather that it is thought that we are about to be able to tell people 15 years in advance if they are going to get Alzheimers.
How dreadful, one really wouldn’t want to know.
The electricity went out yesterday evening. Made a phone call to ascertain that it wasn’t just my problem and then relaxed. It was out for just under 2 hours. The local holiday camp which is well occupied at present, would have made one hell of a fuss.
Warm and sunny today. If the climate is really warming, then that is great for us here.
Inge
@Chris and Lee
Thanks for the kind words. It’s hard to load that old guy but he had a long and healthy life. When Mercedes died we had decided to only have one dog which was the recently acquired Leo. About a year later Salve followed us home in our morning walk in a cold day in February. She has been abandoned on our road and was skin and bones as well as a prolapsed uterus. Doug’s mother was living with us at the time and both she and Doug said it was meant to be. So yes sometimes we have no choice in the matter. Salve’s a bit down but we’re giving her plenty of attention.
The sun finally is out today after 17 days.
Margaret
Marg,
Condolences on the loss of Leo. Losing pets is hard.
Glad the sun is back. 17 sunless days is a long time. We went 30 consecutive sunless days here once. Not fun.
DJSpo
Chris,
Agreed. Like you, I appreciate a dog that has a mind and uses it. More challenges occur, but that’s okay. Sometimes you can see Avalanche’s wheels turning. At other times, she tends to overthink things. But she IS intelligent, and that is fun.
I was the same as you when we heated with wood. Hmmm, burn wood or freeze, burn or freeze. There’s really no question there. Burn. And no, they DON’T think about the other ramifications. AKA science is not their strong suit. Spokane gets carbon monoxide problems due to automobile exhaust during air inversions, which can also coincide with Arctic snaps. Yet, in the name of “safety” several arterials have had one lane per direction removed and the speed limits lowered. The result is more traffic congestion, more idling cars at peak travel times, more “nasty” emissions, decreased air quality. Yet they are concerned about wood smoke during cold snaps, emissions from those of us who use natural gas, etc. Also the science behind electricity generation, sources and transmission are never discussed.
Oh, your air has to be much better than what is in the big smoke. And many other places. One thing I noticed when I lived in Las Cruces. I’d visit my cousins in Albuquerque. A friend and I would drive to the top of nearby Sandia Crest, elevation 3,255 meters. My normal nasal congestion cleared every time we climbed above 2,200 meters. That has been true ever since. Maybe something similar is true of your remote and elevated area.
The grasswire exceeded my expectations. By far. A very good receiver helped, but the grasswire knocked down interference (noise) from the power lines. And it was an outdoor antenna. I’ve noticed with a lot of shortwave receivers that the length of the antenna wire isn’t as important as getting it outdoors. And then avoiding the noisy things like electric lines, which is tricky in our urban setting. It also worked well for the AM broadcast band. I had a lot of fun with it.
That “Snoopy licked me!” idea ran throughout the Peanuts comics and the cartoons. Lucy was VERY phobic about dog germs. Snoopy just liked to have fun. And after Ollie licked your mouth, well, …
OR worse. You flick the bird and the finger gets stuck in that position! In theory, the finger can result in a ticket or worse here, too. It’s never enforced. I think there might have been some high level court cases that said that the finger is considered freedom of speech or something. I never tested that theory with my bosses or the local gendarmes. A prudent approach to life has certain advantages.
Ooops. I left out a key word. I recently carved a FLAT rough out of a pumpkin. Getting the innards out of something in the round is WORK. Takes gouges and chisels if one doesn’t have wood turning equipment. So my project was basically 2 dimensional, although the edges of the pumpkin were shaped to give the hint of curving. I’ve carved a few measuring spoons and a rough cup by using gouges. Also, the coffee scoop we’ve used daily for years was one of my concoctions. But the pumpkin project was flattish.
Yes, I’ve seen those carved guard dogs with balls in their mouths. Impressive. One of our newer carvers recently tried to carve a ball in a cage. He couldn’t do it, as he kept breaking the cage while trying to carve the ball on the inside. I told him the trick…Carve the cage. Separately carve the ball. Soak the cage in water overnight, softening the wood. Gently move two of the cage “bars” apart and slip in the ball. Let go of the cage “bars”. They move back to where they were and will dry and harden properly. Dunno if that’s how the Chinese guard dogs are carved, but I know a few carvers who use that technique.
Me? I can’t carve the cage. The “bars” always break. I need to learn more patience, use less force and take away smaller pieces of wood. Learning to slow down when doing things is one of the reasons why I began wood carving and pyrography.
DJSpo
Hi Inge,
Glad to hear that there were no unauthorised transactions on your card. Most people are reasonably honest. I’ll tell you a funny story. As a spotty teenager I worked in retail at the local Tandy Electronics store (known as Radio Shack in other countries). Anyway, I liked working with the public and if the shop didn’t stock what the customer wanted, I’d send them to a different store which did stock such items. Business was good. Anyway, I recall an episode where a customer accidentally left their credit card at the store. In those days, the customers were predominantly locals. So the manager of the store got me to look up the customers name in the phone book. The potential phone number was there, and so I called the household. They were grateful to have the card returned, and drove back down after we’d closed the store for the day and picked it up. Can you imagine such a thing happening nowadays? And people tell me with serious looking faces as to how much we’ve progressed. I believe the answer to that statement is no.
Inge, thank you. From you, the observation is high praise. I’m of the opinion that you are very well read and also erudite. My actual thinking in this matter is that if I had Alzheimer’s, how would I even know? I’ve observed that this is generally a problem for the people surrounding the person so afflicted.
Hmm, that’s a good question. However, I try hard not to hide from the uglier aspects of the human condition when I inadvertently encounter those. For me this is more of a self defence response and so I’m always alert to behavioural red flags. However, my strategy and experience in this regard can easily produce a negative reaction when none at all is required. Given my difficult upbringing, it’s hard for me to know, and so new information gets incorporated. Admittedly, sometimes I’m wrong, and that is a risk I have to live with. Although, life comes with few certainties.
I so hear you about the electricity supply interruptions. Being off grid, there have been times when a light bulb flickers, and at those moments I do wonder if the entire power system is failing, or at least some crucial aspect of it. I can’t recommend the feeling. Being disconnected for two hours is no big deal, unless you were at the local holiday camp! Thanks for the laughs. What do you mean we can’t run the clothes dryers… 🙂
Yeah, I expect your island will do well from the change given the maritime climate. I have the rainfall records for here for the past 150 years, and they’re pointing in an upwards direction. There are downsides to this, but also upsides. I’ve barely had to water anything this season. Hmm.
It was cool and sunny here today at 70’F, and tomorrow is warming up.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Margaret,
Hope you, Doug and Salve are feeling less sadness today. It’s never easy to have faced what you’ve all just gone through, and you have my sympathy.
Exactly. That’s how the universe works. Not a bad result. Leo needed a friend, and one day a sad and woeful, but grateful for the assistance, Salve pops onto the scene and finds a good home. Yeah, it was meant to be.
Margaret, truthfully, after winter comes spring, and the sun returns to warm us that remain.
Thought you might enjoy a very old, but remarkably similar story from many years ago (scroll down to the ‘Sprinter’ heading): Sprinter.
Cheers, and condolences,
Chris
Hi DJ,
🙂 It is more fun. There is a series produced by the government broadcaster titled ‘Muster Dogs’, and it is all about kelpies. 🙂 Worthwhile watching if you get the chance. Puppy update – what the Muster Dogs are doing now. They’re doing a season two, and this time there are the Border Collie breed in the mix as well. I met a breeder of kelpies and he said to me about the Border Collie breed: “Can’t think for themselves” Of course I am unable to verify this opinion.
Also it is worth pointing out that Ruby and Dame Plum were the rejects, which is perfectly fine for me. 🙂
It’s interesting you mentioned the air inversions, but the big smoke gets those as well in the winter months. When approaching that city and state of affairs from a reasonable distance (and elevation) away, you can actually see the low quality of air that most people living there breathe. Wood heaters are the least of the concerns during those weather events. The main issue with wood heaters in an urban environment is that sooner or later you’ll get some numpty burning all manner of things in the combustion chamber and creating a stink. Like they used to do back in the day when everyone seemed OK with backyard incinerators. I did one job as a kid burning off the refuse from a pharmacy in a backyard incinerator. Can you imagine a kid doing such a job nowadays? 🙂
Most people seem pretty cool that serious industrial pollution which produces their gadgets is done at a location which is far from them in the mystical land of elsewhere.
Yes, the air here is better than an urban environment. Right now with some of the eucalyptus trees in flower, the air really smells of honey. A recent visitor likened the smell to vanilla, and I’m not arguing with that observation.
Interesting. Your breathing is an issue that I too have long been wondering about since an early age. Lower air pressure might be an issue, but it is also worth mentioning that pollution and pollen are less evident at such heights above sea level. As a young adult I booked myself in to see an ENT surgeon about this matter, and he opened up the nasal passageways. There is a slight risk to that procedure where things could go very badly wrong, but it has helped me a lot.
Thanks for introducing me to the concept of grasswire antennas, and it is one of those things which are obvious from hindsight. There’s not a lot of electrical interference here (unless the house inverter decides to pack it in – you’ll pick up that noise for sure). But I agree, getting an antenna outdoors is a big improvement. Mate, with the Yagi, had to find a gap between the trees and the local geography just to get the best signal. And even then it needed a 30db+ signal amplifier. Oh well, there are both upsides and downsides to living here.
I looked into online or even digital radio, but the bitrate is way too low for my tastes. Compression of music is an elegant technology, but it can be taken too far.
Hehe! Yeah, Ollie won. We just went outside to do a patrol check, and no licks this time. I’ll bet Dame Avalanche has tried the sneaky lick from time to time?
Ouch! What an idea. Imagine having your finger locked in the bird position. What they actually got me on was not the bird, but for hanging my arm out of a vehicle. Talk about technicalities. It’s rare to meet such an angry person in a position of authority, and she must have been having one heck of a bad day. As well as the fine, I got what can only be described as a dressing down. My grandfather would have fined me, but just laughed it off and called me a ‘d@#khead’, and he would have been correct. 🙂 Ah, to be young and dumb again!
Ah, that makes sense about the pumpkin. Candidly, it sounded like an epic undertaking, although pumpkin flesh could be more easily removed than say, err, hardwood. 😉 Nice work on the cup and scoop, and I’m impressed. It would be hard to stop such work from splitting.
Speaking of such things, I’m in two minds about trialling a chainsaw mill for timber for the next two projects. It would probably pay for itself, and I’m not fussed about rough hewn timber. Dunno. Have you ever used one?
The mouths of the guard dogs look very solid, so I’m of the opinion that the balls were carved insitu. However, those works of art are not cheap, which reflects the effort to produce them. Thanks for the idea of the ball in the cage, and that is very clever.
I would be unable to do such work either without much practice (and repeated failures). It’s a good lesson to learn how to slow down. Hey, I’ve got a saying which gets wheeled out during moments of uncertainty: If in doubt, do less! It works…
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Hope you’re cool mate, and that things are going OK.
I didn’t mention it, but the matter I wrote about two weeks ago now, had been a low level background possibility concern for about two years. It floored me when it finally happened, and I was probably a bit more annoyed than I actually let on, but what do you do? Life is invariably tragic. Hang in there.
Today was another cool and sunny summers day. We went about an hours drive up north to visit an organic orchard I know of. Picked up a 10 pound box of mixed sun ripened plums. Oh my, they’re good! The late frost wiped out all of the plum and apricot crop here this growing season, so I’m grateful for the tasty stone fruits. They’re grown for flavour. Yum!
Whilst we were up near the gold fields area, we checked out the ‘Forest Creek Diggings’ near to the town of Chewton / Castlemaine. There was an old rusty and very large industrial plant (hope the photo works out) which was described as a gas engine. I was left wondering whether the plant was actually a former wood gas generator. It kind of looked like one, but who knows. They’d run a hydro blasting machine there as well, and far out those machines produce an epic mess. They were quite the thing back in those days. In these enlightened days we have very large and powerful diesel engine powered excavators.
Tomorrow it will warm up. And Sunday will be warmer again. But worry not! The rain and cold weather will return Monday.
Forgot to mention. Picked a purple fig yesterday. I don’t really like figs, and use them in jam making. However, this variety was very sweet and tasty. I may have to change my opinion in relation to these fruits. Do they grow figs in your part of the world?
Had a read of the article on the sale of the local flower/bulb farm. And had also not appreciated the scale at 160 acres. That’s a lot of flowers and bulbs. The story as to how the family got their start was fascinating, and people nowadays would be hard pressed to repeat that story. At least the farm is going to people who’ll use the land for farming, despite the massive investment.
Growing the more usual strawberry varieties baffles me, however the six Alpine Strawberry plants have just produced massive quantities of berries this year. Those variety are so much less stress that I’m impressed with the variety. This area was previously used to grow potatoes and berries long ago, and it may well be that there are some soil pathogens lingering.
Will get back into work tomorrow.
Cheers
Chris
Hi everyone!
Well this is an absolute first in just under ten years of blogging. Not one comment. Nada. Nein. Zilch. Zip. And maybe some other stuff…
Anyway, this is a sign from above to begin writing early.
Until tomorrow, signing out!
Chris
Hi, Chris!
Yikes! I haven’t had time to respond. May have to wait till Monday.
What’s this about #36 no comments?
Pam
Hi Pam,
No stress at all, and apologies if the comment sounded ungrateful.
What I was attempting to express (somewhat poorly) was that on that particular day, there were no comments. However, being wrong is something I can do, and your comment to my delight, utterly disproved my observation.
This logic stuff is hard. 🙂
Hope you’re doing well, and thinking of you.
And for your interest, Ruby went to her first day of dog obedience school earlier today. The other dogs were avoiding her, there were minor incidents were she may have expressed her displeasure at this unexpected imposition upon her time. Apparently a miniature poodle took a liking to Ruby, and she may have made a friend, maybe.
The little rascal will now be put through some intensive socialisation. About time too if you ask me.
Cheers
Chris
Hello Chris
Unable to sleep last night, I had the radio on the world BBC news. There was an interview with Carlo Rovelli about his book ‘7 brief lessons on physics’. He answered questions that came in from around the world. I was impressed beyond belief and assume that the book is a must read.
Inge
Chris:
Aren’t we funny? You and your “No comments”!
You mentioned dirt roads . . . About three weeks ago, after our first (and only) snow and ice this this year, the state came in and graded/scraped the road that we take to get to the 2-lane highway to get into town; it’s about a mile long. That took off ALL of the gravel and it has been mud ever since, though a bit firmer after some windy and sunny days. They have not replaced the gravel. One wonders what will happen after the next big rain. I remember from my reading that people a hundred years ago used to put chains on their tires for rain, just like we still do sometimes for snow.
Thanks for all the rest of the essay; I enjoyed it. And thanks for the flowers. I planted some snapdragon seeds outside yesterday. Don’t know if that will work. I have always started them indoors before. And thanks for your flowers!
Pam