Sure, I had plans. Vacuum the house – check. Clean the bathroom – check. All stuff which needed doing. Late morning, Sandra came back home from dog training with the opinionated Ruby. The words: I think we should do the video today, were heard. Had I heard that correctly? Those were not my plans, but when in a relationship, one does need to compromise.
Years ago an old friend of mine told me he wanted to have a relationship with a lady where he didn’t have to compromise. It was an odd thing to say, and I may have replied: Are you some sort of psychopath, or what? For all I know he may have eventually found the girl of his dreams, but I don’t know because we eventually parted company as friends. Not wanting to compromise on any issue was part of that story.
Whatever. You don’t want to hang out with psychopaths, for any reason. Things may end badly for you. Fortunately I knew what to look for with such miscreants. The hippy dippy high school for disadvantaged children which I attended in Years Seven and Eight, showed us horror films for media studies. It certainly left me with the impression that the media could be a horror show, yeah. Anyway, I know things, like say, dudes wearing hockey masks are bad news. Strange dudes with razors instead of fingers, not to be trusted. Creepy clowns hanging out in drains saying something about balloons, best avoided. Two old dudes incoherently debating each other, trouble. You learn proper things in media studies.
Woe is me for I am house broken, and knowing when to compromise is a useful skill in a relationship, and you know, the time truly had come. The video demanded to be made. So made it would be. You see, I’d had a bad run recently on the social front recently and needed to do some re-branding. Alas, Sandra knew about it. I guess there’s always a story.
A few weeks ago an old friend was super excited about off shore wind farms, and may even possibly be looking forward to doing some work in that industry. Dunno. So me, being me, and having an interest in renewable energy technologies, takes a look to see what investors are saying about those giant machines when they’re located in the big drink of the ocean. Investors are the sort of folks who have to pay for the machines, and then try and get a return on their mad cash. The news reports suggest the investors were less excited about the technology than my old friend was. That’s cool, but here’s where I went wrong: I relayed the information onwards. Can’t truthfully say that I’ve heard from the old friend since then.
Then there was the other incident a few months ago. Another friend was waxing lyrical about the future of electric vehicles which were self driving. They were all going to be networked as well, so that would somehow make the roads all safer. Truly, I didn’t understand any of it, and may even have blurted out: Do you actually own an electric vehicle? This time around, I have heard from him by text message, but certainly haven’t seen him in months.
Yup, losing friends and alienating people seems to be something of a knack of late. It’s a weird old world when people can get upset about beliefs. Makes me think I’ve somehow stepped into a temporal anomaly and ended up in the Middle Ages. Hope they don’t want to grab the ol’ stakes used for burning inconvenient conversationalists!
I’m sure if it wasn’t such talk on my part, I’d liked to think that it may have been something else, maybe… However, I’m an adult and know when to compromise in a relationship and just sort of go with the flow. And that was how things rolled today. It was video making day. Sandra had never used a video camera before, and I’d been putting off the task for months and had no idea whether any of the components would even work. So we went over every aspect of the various bits and pieces, tested how everything worked, learned how to use the software, and uploaded a video.
After ten years of weekly writing, often getting way high up on my soapbox, it’s time to reach a wider audience. Of course the blog will continue in its current format. But it’s a truth universally acknowledged that more people will watch than read. Plus Sandra has promised to do most of the fun work with the videos. And so we’ll show what we’re doing as a response to a world which allows two old dudes to debate each other, one of whom was having serious troubles, and act as if there’s nothing wrong with that. See? This is why I get into trouble with friends by saying stuff like that.
Do opinions even really matter? A lot of people seem to think so nowadays. But deep down, I’m a practical guy, and if it feels cold, well, like a President of yore may have quipped: Put on a sweater. Seems like sensible advice to me, and the videos we’ll do are all going to be along those lines. No ideology, no soapbox, no opinions, just plain old, this is what we are doing, and this is what we are producing. It’s funny but when I look around, I don’t see a lot of people honest enough to show their garden output in all seasons, instead most people talk a big game. Gawd, I’m probably going to get in trouble for saying that too!
Anyway, one of the best places to save money in a household, is in the kitchen. The first video shows me making a batch of Anzac biscuits. We use them as a snack food for both us, and the dogs. The product cost, low. The quality, very high. And they’re super tasty. What’s not to like about that?
Earlier in the week was sort of dry for the middle of winter. That sort of weather is a sign from above, to continue cleaning up the old loggers mess. This week, we relocated and burned off a number of very old tree stumps. The trees appear to have been pushed over many decades ago by the loggers and left to rot (more on that later). All of the fallen trees display the scars of the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires, and they were all hard work to clean up.
The trees were clearly dragged to where they ended up, and you can tell this because generally trees don’t grow on a horizontal angle. An electric jackhammer and mattock were used to remove the compacted clay from the root balls. Whenever I moved away from the stump, the birds would dive in and sift through the loosened clay feeding on any unfortunate insects.
Root balls are too heavy to lift, We have no machines to do that work, so we simply roll them over towards, and then into the bonfire.
That day, most of the timber was rotten, but generally any timber which can be saved is used as firewood. But first any of the good stuff has to be cut into more easily moved rounds, and you can see some of them in the above photo.
One of the root balls had been mostly lifted way above the soil level and was left on an unusual 20 degree from horizontal angle. I’d thought it would be easy to remove, but no. That job ended up taking about four hours to sort out. You can see the last chunk of the epic monster in the next image.
The next work day, we burned off a few more old tree root balls. To the loggers respect, at least this time around the tree roots were not lodged in the soil upside down.
And the birds watch our every move.
And near to a very large and old tree which had been pulled over long ago (as seen in last weeks blog), we discovered a rusty old broken cable. It was sticking up out of the ground, possibly where it had been dropped. I removed it from the soil and placed it on the very large old long dead tree.
It’s uncomfortable to consider that the loggers were somehow able to tie a knot in the thick steel cables. But it sure was broken.
Looking at the broken steel cable, and considering what may have happened, I get the impression that way back in the day there may have been a forestry incident, someone got hurt badly, and the saw log recovery job came to an abrupt halt. A sobering thought, but given the mess, there’s a high probability that’s what happened.
We learned that the rental charge for the LPG gas (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) cylinders had increased yet again, and is now $70 per quarter. For many years there was no rental cost at all because we paid for the cylinders upfront. One day, new rules came into force and it looked like double dipping to us, perhaps? Anyway, we use very little of that gas energy source, and candidly having them next to the house during a bushfire is something of a serious explosion risk. So we’ve decided to discontinue the use of the 45kg (100 pound) bottles and make other arrangements. You can get almost 8 smaller bottles per year for the rental costs alone, let alone the costs for any usage. They have to go.
Winter has been rather mild this year, and there is plenty to eat from the garden. Meyer Lemons are having a great year and they survive the occasional frost.
Mandarins are another variety of citrus tree which seems to grow well here.
The flavour of the massive Kiwi fruit crop is improving with the occasional frosty weather, and we are eating the fruit, but they could be better.
About a year ago, we moved many of the Rhubarb plants to an area where they are more easily harvested. And over the past few months, the plants have really established themselves and are growing very well.
This next one is hard to explain. The Alpine strawberries in the greenhouse are producing berries.
The plants in the greenhouse are doing quite well, and I’ve reduced the watering to maybe a day or two per week so that the soil stays warmer. The application of cold water cools the soil and slows the growth of the plants. Reducing water to a bare minimum works…
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 11am is 5’C (40’F). So far for last year there has been 465.0mm (18.3 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 449.6mm (17.7 inches)
Yo, Chris – Compromise? My sweet patootie! You couldn’t wait to get in front of that camera. 🙂 I had a couple of additional thoughts, about the video. You might want to toss around the phrase, “kitchen economy,” or “home economy.” Gives a bit of a theme, to what I’m sure will become a series. And, a little more eye contact, with the camera. Show them that Australian twinkle, in your eye! 🙂
I could pretty much figure out which movies you were referring to, in your Media Studies. Except for “two old dudes debating each other.”
I guess you’re going to have to start asking yourself, which is more important. A friendship, or being right? You know, my Idaho friends and I don’t see eye to eye on politics. I don’t bring it up, and neither do they. Ever.
I spotted the magpie, before you mentioned it. I missed the Kookaburra, entirely. That photo, of the last piece of wood. Is that a bear, peaking out of the brush, behind you and off to your left?
You ought to have a psychic, out to the farm. Have them touch the cable. It’s probably full of “vibes.” Now, if this were a Stephen King story, when you touched the cable, you would have had a psychic flash, of the accident.
The lemons and the Mandarin oranges, are lovely. Looks like a good start, on the rhubarb. The leaves on yours are slightly different to the leaves on ours. Yours have more of a point on them. Ours are more fan shaped. What’s that growing in the greenhouse, that the dogs are so interested in? Radish?
Succulents have such interesting flowers.
There was a volunteer poppy, that was getting ready to bloom next to one of the raised beds. Between this morning, and afternoon, it burst open. Not a poppy I was familiar with. A Pom pom poppy. There’s another one, coming up. I wonder where the seed blew in from. I can’t remember anyone growing those.
Our weather has been odd. No rain on the radar, or in the forecast. But, we had enough rain, yesterday, that I didn’t have to water. Today, there were a few drops, when I walked H. But not enough to skip watering. Too much of a good thing? Our irrigation system has gone berserk. In some sections, the sprinklers are coming on, three times a day. Some areas are waterlogged, with standing water. Oh, well. Master Gardeners come, tomorrow morning. Maybe they can get it sorted. Lew
Yo, Chris – A new solar project, from the Land of Stuff …
https://www.yahoo.com/news/worlds-largest-solar-plant-featuring-083000242.html
Gives you something to aspire to. 🙂 Lew
Hi Lewis,
That is big, very, very, huge. Honestly I have no idea what to make of such an installation, and clearly I don’t think in such monster terms. I converted the acres to square miles to try and wrap my head around the size, and it was 51 square miles. You know, I was seriously trying to imagine how anyone would go about finding a cable problem over such a large area, and also noticed that it was in a desert, err, sand blasting of the glass will be a problem. The panels will get hot there and de-rate too, but it’ll be interesting to see how it works in reality. Still won’t produce any electricity at night though. But yes, it certainly sets the bar for sheer vision, I’ll give ’em credit for that.
Ah, yeah very funny! Yeah, Fats Domino, man I know my music bro. 🙂 Dude, it’s been like seven years since the last video. That’s what happens when the camera breaks and isn’t replaced, until now. I’ve missed the screen, the fans, the parties. And that’s the thing, practical all the way with this series. But alas, whilst working I kind of have to watch what I’m doing because you know, I’m a guy, and as such am limited to doing one thing at a time, so looking at the camera lens and doing stuff is maybe a step too far. Makes me wonder how celeb chefs manage that trick. Hmm, might watch them a bit more closely. The Editor does not believe this talk of male limitations, but I dare not hint that it may be possible to do two things at once. Think of the consequences!
Yeah, sure you don’t. We don’t talk politics here, but we can occasionally mention the words ‘car crash’. It’s kind of a code word to describe two old dudes debating each other. Hey, we’d be more interesting up on the podium. I’d definitely say something about sweaters, and dare I say it? But that would take all the ‘heat’ off you. 🙂 See, I can do amusing…
OK, point taken. I’ll do my best to nod along and try and look enthusiastic the next time someone mentions such grand schemes. Won’t it be wonderful? I’ll say, then go on to talk about how practical woollen jumpers are. Will I get the same enthusiasm returned in kind for my efforts at dissembling? What do you reckon? I guess there is middle ground there. But I do get your point, and on a serious note I am careful not to annoy people. Sometimes I just make mistakes.
Lewis, I would not so casually amble through the forest if there were bears. The things here will kill you just as dead as your lot will, but after the deed is done, they generally leave you alone and don’t tend to rip a person limb from limb whilst munching on the particularly juicy bits. Your bears are quite scary.
Hopefully the leather riggers gloves protected me from such dire forces stored in the cable. Mr King is right too, leave such things well alone. I tend to believe such tokens remain as a lesson to the unwary, like a stay away from this bad-as idea because it will end badly. Mr King knows what he speaks and writes of. When that steel cable broke, I’d hate to think where it would have whipped around and hit before the tension and energy was depleted. I’ll be curious as to your thoughts, but something suggested that the cables were to stay in the area where we found them. I think I’ll do that. They’re part of the history now.
Rhubarb I believe, will hybridise and adapt to the local environment. Those crowns came from a local lady who inherited them from her grandfather. They also self seed here, and you’ll see new rhubarb seedlings growing. That’s radish growing in the greenhouse on one side of the row and beetroot on the other of that bed.
Is your Pom pom poppy a peony? Papaver paeoniflorum is the variety the interweb returned? Quite an amazing plant to have just turned up in the garden. There’s a peony farm near here, and I went to the open day once and it was mayhem. Who knew that plant was a cultural thing?
Proving that the weather here and in your part of the world is somewhat similar: Record-challenging high sitting over Tas this week. The next seven days of weather forecast reads like a day-on-repeat. Sunny, cool, dry. And it rained early this morning.
The Little Monsters film is on the to-see list and we’ll try and nab a copy, somewhere… There’s an earlier version of the film with the same name. They both seem to have done poorly at the box office. Will the film title be used a third time?
Always feel free to indulge a decent whinge. Seems only fair given some of the stuff I write about! 🙂
Oh, I’d never have thought of that problem with the brain vat situation. Not much a brain could do about it, that didn’t involve zombies taking up the cause.
I have doubts you’d get any meaningful statistics on airline safety. It’s probably the result of people wanting to fly on the cheap. Some things should never be done on the cheap don’t you reckon? I recall the days when they used to feed you a proper breakfast. Somebody I know told me when they flew recently, and they were given an apple to eat as a substitute for a meal. Just between you and I, flying sucks, and I usually don’t tell anyone that, mostly because they think I’m judging them, but it genuinely isn’t about them, I just hate flying. See, this is why I annoy people. It’s a gift! 🙂 And yup, that quote makes a lot of sense to me. Maybe I saw one too many plague riddled catapulted corpses during the middle ages in a past life? I dunno.
It sure was a tit for tat in that war as boundaries were pushed. Didn’t rationing continue on through the 1950’s?
The mise en place was good for me, and we’d heard of that term from watching the potty mouthed chef. But alas, we discussed the placement of those two tubs in the aftermath of the videoing. Also, the Editor could have panned the camera over so I didn’t leave the frame, but early days, and that was her first shoot. And yes, there was parchment paper on the baking tray. Did you notice the biscuits almost slipped off the tray as I put them on display? A quick adjustment and everything was saved. The dogs are dirty to get in front of the lens.
I’m not 100% sure how much control I have over the comments, but will do my utmost to filter spam and trolls – as usual. No point giving them air time. Good to hear, hope the hard core foodies turn up to troll me, particularly on other websites. That’s called free advertising. But it also suggests how well I know the recipe. Hmm. Few people would have encountered an electric solar powered oven!
Cheers
Chris
Hi Inge,
What a nightmare, and I had wondered how goods got onto your island from the mainland.
That’s sadly part of the rural experience. Things cost more, and I hear that too – we don’t freight to your area. Believe it or not, we get no mail delivery here. Before moving here, I’d not been aware that mail delivery was not a thing everywhere. It truly is a black hole for services here, but in other respects, that also reduces the opportunity for exploitation. The worst is having to pay for an annual water bill. It’s outrageous given I have to pay for and maintain all of our water and sewage infrastructure. But what can you do?
Looks like we’re headed for a week of stable cool and sunny weather. How’s the rain going at your place?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Don’t forget those red carpet premiers! 🙂 Yes, I thought about the perils of making eye contact, while cutting something up. There was a Saturday Night Live sketch, sending Julia Child up, that did just that. Blood spurting, everywhere. Hmm. Just found out the story about Child dropping a chicken on the floor, is a myth. Yes, I caught you juggling biscuits. I thought it was part of the act 🙂 Yes, it would have been nice to show the electric solar oven. Oh, well. Another time. Can’t reveal everything right off the bat. Hold something back. Keep the audience wanting more.
Ah! I see. You time traveled from watching horror movies, in your youth, to “the debate.” I ignored the whole thing, other than seeing the headlines, in the aftermath.
Well, just try and hesitate, long enough to ask yourself, “Do I want to keep this person as a friend.” There’s something in Recovery that I can’t quit explain, something, something about an action (from another person) and a reaction (from you, or me, for that matter.) That one might insert a thought, in between. I try, when meeting a situation, to ask myself, “This is what I would have done in the past. Why not try something different.”
Besides our bears and cougars, there’s this ….
https://youtu.be/LG4ZcRHB3b4?si=4V6Hb8vkyOvRr4L0
I didn’t realize they ranged so far north. King has a short story, in the new book, about Florida, a dog, and an alligator. To say more would be spoilers.
I’ve been thinking, recently, about the interior life of dogs. H is such a funny little thing, and I often wonder what goes on in her head. She probably wonders the same thing, about me. I think it’s kind of like a Vinn diagram. One circle is me, one circle is H. Where the circles overlap is where we reach a common understanding. All else is a mystery. On both sides.
Yes, I’d say the cable is best left where it is. Although you’ll have to be careful not to run over it with one of your machines. Or, you could sell it for scrap.
The Master Gardeners were here, this morning. They got the irrigation, sorted. Someone had set it to go off, four times a day. Gail, who knows the most about the system, is moving to Florida. She winters there, and is making a permanent move. She trained at least four other Master Gardeners, in the mysteries of the irrigation system. No, I didn’t. Above my pay grade.
The Master Gardeners said the pom pom is a Poppy. There are some lively discussions down the rabbit hole, as to what the difference is, between a peony and a poppy.
I’ve let a couple of my radishes, bolt. I want to save the seed. They’ve started to flower, and I noticed some tiny pollinators. One Master Gardener called them “Fairy Bees.” I did a bit of research. They’re actually called “Fairy Wasps.” But they don’t sting. There are many different species.
It’s forecast to be 90F+, here, by next weekend. That ought to really kick the garden into high gear.
I think I’ve mentioned how when you look at ads for plane or train travel, in the 1940s and 1950s, everyone was so well turned out. It was an occasion. They dressed for it. By cheapening air fare, they cheapened the experience. Although, you get what you pay for. First class air travel, can be pretty lush. Then there’s private jets and corporate jets.
Rationing ended, in England, in 1954. Even bread, which wasn’t rationed during the war, was rationed for 2 years after. A character, in “Foyle’s War,” mentions that a rationed loaf was probably “half chalk.” Also, a couple in the series manage to get into the prefab houses they were building. They were happy to have it. And, a lot of people liked them, as they had amenities that they didn’t have, before the war. Such as indoor plumbing.
The early seasons of “Call the Midwife,” take place just after the war. The effects were being felt, well into the 1950s. Lew
Hi Lewis,
Ostentatious, I could do that on the red carpet, yeah. Proper tails and a top hat would be the way to go in this instance. Of course one wouldn’t want Toto the dog ripping any curtains away at an inconvenient moment. A bit of a buzzkill really. In a commercial kitchen one never needs to hear the words spoken: “I need a doggie bag for my finger” 5 Year Engagement: Finger Chop. A good film too and with food, plus it flips the male and female roles and tells the tale of the downsides of a super-extended courtship. Is that a film recommendation, well yeah, right back atcha! 😉
The last second save of the biscuits from falling off the tray was part of the performance. An established rock band has to learn how to deal with the occasional dropped line and/or waver from the correct timing. Years ago I was at a party with folks who performed in symphony orchestra’s and so I put the hard question to them. Turns out, the show really must go on! That’s what professionals do.
This whole video thing is a project of the Editors, so we’ll see where the winds take us all. At the very least, it should be fun.
It ain’t just you man. There’s a theory that in the early phases of a civilisation a creative minority arise and work tirelessly to solve the various problems faced. After a lot of years and generations, people do what people do and get lazy. That’s when you discover that there is now a dominant minority in power whom can’t seem to solve basic problems like say, tying shoelaces. Then then the whole unnatural edifice crumbles to dust. I didn’t watch the debate either, I’m too busy getting on with the future. The headlines were bad enough.
Lewis, it’s a personal problem which everyone knows about. I like neat endings, and so people who are cowardly and don’t wish to confront their inner workings when dearly held beliefs are challenged by reality, well, they poke me, and they prod me, until they get a reaction. It’s really sad for me to watch people not wanting to be the bad guy, when they are exactly that. Refer to the previous paragraph as to why it goes on. My wider comprehension of the social landscape is that we will all (or mostly all) have to experience abject failure at a civilisational level before settling into a more mature and hopefully wiser frame of reference.
What can I say, other than I get eerie insights. 😉
Thank you for the wise advice about taking a moment to consider, and I will try hard to do better in future. Mostly when I act, the relationship is nearing the conclusion phase for whatever reason, and I give them the peace of conscience to blame me. My shoulders are up to the task. For your elucidation, one person moved interstate and works jobs which see them sent on remote jobs which pay well, but I dunno what hours to phone and so we drifted with the loss of contact. 12 hours work shifts in remote spots will probably do that, especially if they don’t want to put the effort into acknowledging that they’re out of synch with the majority of society. Oh well, people come and go around here all the time, as was said somewhere! The other, and I don’t really know, but at a wild guess (and this is pure speculation based on nothing more than a gut feeling) has to deal with family issues, so pulled away from contact, but wanted and here again I’m just guessing, to indulge in anger to maybe because that is easier than feelings of loss and all the stuff going on at home? I accept that life is complicated, and I’m sure you’ve experienced your fair share of friendship dramas?
Hey, that’s a book tease if ever I’ve read one. 🙂 Is it a pet and/or service alligator? If the climate continues to warm, those critters will expand their territory, maybe eventually reaching as far north as where you are, maybe further.
A good point, and I almost did exactly that with a machine before taking a closer look at the broken steel cable. What have we got here? Hmm My gut feeling suggests the situation didn’t end well that day. Scrap metal is getting good prices. The other week I got a quote for lead (the metal) at $0.72/kg. Not bad.
A man’s gotta know his limits! 😉 Hey, I used that above-my-pay-grade line today, because it was true. Thanks for mentioning it. Mission creep is always a problem in my profession. Good to hear that the irrigation system has been sorted out.
I’m not worthy to discuss such subjects as to whether a plant is a peony or a poppy. I could add the useful observation that both varieties of plants begin with the letter ‘p’, and that at least may mean something? What’s your gut feeling as to the Latin name for the plant?
The seeds of the radishes are quite large (relatively speaking) and glad to hear that you believe them worthy of saving for another season. We’ve collected seeds too, and are planting more of them all the time. Dinner this evening was a salad which included grated radish and roast beetroot – both taken from the greenhouse.
90’F is admittedly rather warm, but spare a thought for us down here in winter land. It’s 34’F outside right now, and the nights will get even colder this week. On the positive side, the kiwi fruit are improving in taste.
You have mentioned that, but then the general level of deportment was far higher when I was young. In my first adult job it was a requirement to wear a full suit and tie, and nobody thought anything was wrong with that. People know less and less about clothes these days based on what I observe of the things being worn. Hopefully chalk is easier on the digestion than say, plaster? Oh my!
That part of the world had to learn how to live within their means, and repay a lot of debt. It ain’t cheap to fight wars.
Brr! Me cold! 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – I see you’re “Five Year Engagement” (looks like a rom-com), and raise you “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” Yup. It was a popcorn evening. High body count (the bad guys) and cool explosions. And, a bit of a comedy. Based on a true story.
https://w.wiki/AFf6
By the way, I noticed that the costar of “Little Monsters,” is an Australian actor. Abe Forsythe. I see by my library record that it’s “under review.” Hmm. Wonder if I can send them chocolates, or something, to sway their opinion.
I’m looking forward to more “Land of the Wombat,” episodes. Will there be an animated version? A musical episode? 🙂
Can’t tie your shoes? Slip-ons. Or, thongs. Never mind the cold weather. You probably have too many toes, anyway. Maybe the thong will become the symbol of our collapsed civilization?
“Do I think that mole looks odd?” (said the accountant.) “Maybe, you should consult a doctor?”
What Latin name?
Back when I worked in libraries and bookstores, I had to wear a shirt and tie. No suit coat, though.
Well. When I took H for a walk, yesterday afternoon, there was a policeman, out in the hall. Brought her home and went out to have a cuppa, at the Club, and then do some shopping. Some for me, some for the Club. There were two cars in the lots, when I left. “Lewis County Corner.” The guy across the hall from me had died! Sometime, last week. Luckily, he didn’t have a pet.
Other than to say “good morning,” I really didn’t chat with him. He smoked, and, rumor has it, drank heavily. We now have 5 vacancies, in the building.
H and I are heading down to the Club, to drop off the few things I got for the pantry, last night. Clear the decks for when the boxes come tomorrow. Lew
Yo, Chris – An interesting article about the world economy, and debt.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/02/economy/global-debt-crisis
Suggesting doing something about the world-wide debts is about as politically popular as, well, suggesting people put on a jumper and turning down the thermostat when energy gets expensive and scarce. Lew
Chris,
I’ve had similar results when people ask my opinion about solar, electric cars, you get the picture. Or when they try to convince me of their views. Giving facts and reliable data bursts bubbles. And might end a friendship. Although I’m not sure how strong the friendship was if giving facts destroys it.
Videos. So you and Sandra can make videos. You might need to do a video on how to make videos. Then I could maybe do that project I was assigned on the job 10 years ago that entailed making a video. 😉
Opinions? UGG. If I want somebody’s opinion, I will tell them what it is. It is so much more enjoyable talking about actual events and creatures. Like the raccoon that trotted down the alley the middle of the morning the other day. Or the 2 crows who were simply standing for 10 minutes in the bird bath. Just standing. Two crows, so I had to recite the old poem “The Twa Corbies”. Ot the 2 crows who were on a wire hanging across the street, cawing at Dame Avalanche and me until I looked up and brightly said, “Hi guys! How are you this morning?” Perhaps all they were doing was saying “Hi! Hi! Hi!” and got startled when somebody responded. Or maybe teaching the basics of chip carving at the club. These things are all more rewarding than simply exchanging opinions about stuff that is beyond my control.
We had some good thunderstorms all weekend. Probably 12mm of rain Sunday. Everything is dry now – windy again.
The furnace guys were here today. Annual maintenance on the furnace and heat pump/air conditioner. Just in time, too. Temperatures are expected to be between 38C and 40C from Monday through Thursday next week.
The quince bushes have multi-trunks. Never tried the fruit. There’s always some, but not very much. One of these years I’ll break down and stew some, see how it is.
I was fortunate. I know 2 guys who were adept at bush survival, all seasons. Washington Williams grew up learning and taught himself a lot more. The other chap, who is now in the carving club, was a survival instructor for the military. I was fortunate to be able to learn from both.
Agreed. Asking if someone is ok might backfire. But a friendly, “Hello, nice day, isn’t it?” can go a long way.
Got a knife sharpened with a stone. The scissors will need work on the grindstone. There’s some pits in one blade, so I’m thinking the scissors are beyond repair.
You know it was planned decades ago by the loggers? Yes, they KNEW that someday, someone would do some cleanup of their mess and Feed the Birds in the process. If you had been able to see their entire mess from an aerial view soon after its creation, I’m sure that it made a picturesque pattern. Or not. Anyhow, they were looking decades in the future so that their friends, the birds, would be handed some wonderful meals.
I can see it now. A new Olympic sport: Rootball, the event that makes football and rugby look like they’re for sissies. The winner would be the person who moved the most rootballs from location A to the target zone, removed all the clay from the roots, and had good rootball fires going. Timed event: 6 hours maximum to separate the men from the boys.
Our roses were spectacular this year. All of the “designer” grafted-on roses have died in some harsh winters. New shoots appeared from the roots, all of the plants now sporting dozens of deep red blooms. It has been a grand year for the thyme flowers, also. They’ve been in full bloom for over 6 weeks.
DJSpo