The word ‘sensational’ seems like an over-rated state of mind to me. Life is better when things are smooth and excitement is far from the front door. Of course, it’s true that in life, sometimes trouble is rarely far away. An individual however, is under no obligation to invite that bad energy into their home.
Earlier in the week, Sandra began reading a book by an Australian female author. The book had been sitting in the shelf untouched for years. It was probably purchased at one of those second hand book shops which are part of the Australian landscape. New books are expensive, so there’s an active market for the second hand variety. That’s what proper recycling looks like. Anyway the book sat on a dusty shelf in just such a shop, along with other books waiting to be re-homed. Those businesses have a certain smell to them, and anyone who’s worked in a library probably knows it intimately, but of course there’d be less dust in such hallowed, but mostly better resourced, places. One day long ago, Sandra spotted the book sitting all unloved and stuff on the dusty shelf, and made a purchase. It hadn’t been read. Until this week, that is.
The book is an account of the authors life as a drug user, and how the author paid for the chemicals. It’s not my kind of book, but you know, Sandra can read whatever she wants to. No big deal. Except, the narrative was so extraordinary, that Sandra felt the need to speak to me about it. For the record, my blood pressure was rising with each new discussion. Not a fan.
Eventually, after a few days of this, I’d had enough, and so put a hard limit under any further discussions upon this subject. Such stories are not for my ears and mind. You see, when I was a young bloke, my sister went ‘off the rails’ as they say. It’s indicative of the seriousness of the situation that Sandra and I had been married almost thirty years, and Sandra has never met my sister. There’s a good reason for that.
In many ways, and from the clarity of hindsight, it’s really quite an impressive achievement for one person within a family group, to cause so much mayhem. Early on the ill winds stank to high heaven, so my decision was to discreetly distance myself from the entire affair. The rest of the family, well, the situation consumed all of the available energy. As a young bloke, all the adults could ever talk about were the dramas surrounding my sister – and she no longer even resided in the household. Oh you got straight A’s, that’s nice, we’re really worried about… Oh you’re captain of the school cross country team, that’s nice. Have you heard about the latest with your sister… It was all so weird, but it was kind of like living with a ghost in the house who’s presence is always felt, but they’re never really quite there.
Cutting the proverbial Gordian Knot, I moved out of home as early as possible, and walked away from all of them. Life became suddenly easier, and less troublesome with them all out of my life. At that stage no bridges were burned, the easy option was to do what the kids call ‘ghosting’, and that meant not speaking to them, whilst generally being unavailable. And the truce stayed that way for years. Blissful peace.
Around that time, a friend of mine worked in a computer shop in a large shopping centre. It just happened to be around the corner from the bookshop my dad owned. My friend was nosy enough, and alert enough, to drop by the shop, ask some pointed questions, and have a chat with my dad, as you do. At that time, I hadn’t seen my dad for a dozen years at least and had no idea where he was.
My mother was a difficult lady, and it’s not a great leap of intuition to comprehend why their marriage busted up in the mid 1970’s. Due to his absence, I barely knew the bloke. He seemed nice enough. With a touch of guilt, but also pressure from the well meaning friend, I decided in the early 1990’s to go and see him and say hello. He hadn’t seen me in a dozen years, and yet! Yet! All he could talk about was my sister. He’d become embroiled in that mess as well. To hear that talk was enough for me, I was done with the lot of them.
When a person walks away from their family, there’s a lot of judgement, I sure can tell you. For years they were all kept at a nice discreet distance. By the mid 1990’s, Sandra and I had become engaged, and well, there’s a bit of disbelief in the stories I recounted. Sandra knew my friends as well, and my well meaning friend thoughtfully put her in contact with my dad. Unbeknownst to me, and much to my amusement, my dad spent a few hours talking with Sandra, about my sister. It’s impolite to say: ‘I told you so’.
Needless to say an invitation to the wedding was not extended. Unfortunately, we did invite my mother whom Sandra was, despite my warnings, attempting to have a sort of relationship with. But far out, did that matriarch bring enough drama in a short period of time to make up for the lack ability to do that over the recent years. It was a truly impressive effort to have done so, but it was just all so unnecessary, and afterwards the decision was made to permanently cut ties. After all the drama, pain and angst, you’d be surprised how easy that path was to take. Haven’t seen any of them in almost three decades, some are now dead, most are interstate, and that’s all cool with me.
However, the discussions about the book Sandra was having with me earlier in the week, were too close to home. Respectfully, the unfinished book is now on its way to the opportunity shop (thrift shop). And good riddance to bad eggs.
Work around the property has had to fit in around the weather this week. However, the war on rabbits is going well, there have been sacrifices, and the area near to where the large Echium shrub was removed, now looks less like a garden bed, and more like a bomb site. Oh well…
More large rocks were brought back up the hill this week. They’re being used on a new rock wall which retains soil for a line of water tanks. Needless to say, the rocks have to be very large and heavy indeed, just so as to do their job properly.
It’s hard to see in the above image, but that project is also taking quite a lot of soil behind the rocks. The rocks sit further downhill than the original line of soil which makes for a wider flat area. The hope there is that they’ll be less likely to tilt.
The soil is being removed from the site of an all metal shed which will probably be deconstructed over the next week or so. This shed is odd because the rate of corrosion is beyond anything I’ve previously experienced. It is possible that the combination of different metals used in it’s construction, means that we’ve somehow created a very unusual battery which masquerades as a shed.
For readers interest, that galvanised steel post is not out in the weather. The shed is unsafe and will be replaced with a timber framed shed. So far, that is the only shed which displays such rust. It’s weird, and candidly the steel looks like it was attacked by a very careless welder.
One day was warm and sunny, so we split firewood and hauled it back up the hill. It’s nice to see some firewood back in the shed (not the rusty shed in the photo above).
Firewood which is too damp for use, gets stored outside in the weather in a big pile where the fierce summer sun will eventually dry it all out.
You may ask how we know whether firewood is too damp to use in the wood heater? We’ve got a digital moisture meter which gives an exact reading of the moisture in the timber. Easy. But really, once you know what you’re looking at with firewood, it’s simple enough to guess the moisture content at a glance.
The solar power system scored a minor upgrade this week. A plastic junction box which was near the end of its useful life, was replaced with a more sturdy metal box. Incidentally the box was about $200, and it’d been a while since we’d purchased any building materials, so the cost came as something of an unpleasnt surprise. It’s a good box though.
In breaking produce news, the kale plants have all begun to flower this week. We grow enough of those plants that they sort of look after themselves in that garden bed and grow in a regular cycle. The garden bed soil there is fed maybe once or twice a year, and the kale grows just like a weed. A very useful plant in the kitchen.
Silverbeet grows in some of the many raised beds just outside the door to the kitchen. They are likewise enjoying the conditions. Unlike the kale, I’ve not yet learned how to save seed from the silverbeet plants.
With a bit of extra spring warmth from that big fusion reactor in the sky (otherwise known as the sun), the Asparagus spears are beginning to pop through the well fed soil.
Bizarrely, the snow last weekend, high winds, and torrential rain during the week haven’t knocked off the blossoms on one of the nectarines. Or is it a peach? I now forget, and that’s what happens when the wind blows the plant tags away! Whatever, the plant is a survivor. Let’s hope the fruit is good.
Plenty of tiny apricots have also survived the weather. Due to regular filthy spring weather, it’s been about four years since we’ve had a decent apricot crop. And whilst it’s still early, I’m hopeful.
Almonds are even more cold sensitive than apricots (in my experience), and yet some of those tiny fruit have also survived the recent extreme weather. Note to self, don’t count your fruit until you’re harvesting it.
The video we made this week, covers the kitchen garden, and Ollie (aka Mr Freckles).
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 11am is 12’C (54’F). So far for last year there has been 699.0mm (27.5 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 680.6mm (26.8 inches)
Yo, Chris – I’ve mentioned that not a day goes by, that I don’t thank my lucky stars that I’m single and childless. And, as far as family goes, am an orphan. Life is a lot more mellow and uncomplicated.
Well, addiction and recovery. Or not. I could tell you stories, but won’t. You’ve seen it up close and personal. Perhaps, some people need to be cut adrift from their families, to make any kind of progress. But I also realize, there’s tremendous societal pressure, to try and “save” the addict or alcoholic. By the family. But, your sister got what she craved, deep down. Endless attention.
So, are you going to plant anything in that backfill, behind the rocks? A little reenforcement to hold all that soil, together? I’d suggest Vinca. The roots are tough as old boots, once it gets established. And, it’s pretty. I don’t know about down there, but here, it’s the earliest thing to bloom, just about.
Wow. Rust never sleeps. In your case, I think it parties hard. 🙂 Someone will come up with an explanation, as to why that particular material and place, went nuts.
The Firewood Bank of Fernglade, looks healthy. Lots of deposits. No danger of a bank collapse.
Not very flash for a $200 junction box. Maybe, the cost of plane old utility, these days.
Maybe the almond, apricot and peach (?) are acclimating, a bit, to the wild and unpredictable weather? For survival of the species, they’d have to.
The video was quit good, this week. Seeing the asparagus makes me more inclined to plant the two wood tubs, next year. Though where to put the pumpkins?
Ask and ye shall receive 🙂 . How to save silver beet seeds.
How to Save Silverbeet (Beta vulgaris) SeedsSeed Saving Guide #2733
Family: Amaranthaceae
Binomial name: Beta vulgaris
Flower Type Perfect, self-incompatible
Pollination Wind pollinated
Isolation Distance 1000m
Population Required for Viable Seeds 5
Population Required to Maintain Variety 20-50
When to Harvest In the second year when about two-thirds of the seeds have turned from green to tan-brown.
How to Harvest Cut flower stalks and leave to dry for 7-14 days. Run hands along seed stalks to remove seeds.
How to Clean Screen or winnow to remove remaining stalks and chaff.
Image of Seeds Silverbeet (Beta vulgaris)
A cold period of at least 10 weeks below 4°C is required for plants to produce seed. May cross-pollinate with other Beta vulgaris plants including some varieties of beetroot, silverbeet and mangel wurzel. Pollen is very fine, making isolation cages and paper bagging ineffective; only flowering plants need to be isolated from each other.
I went back to properly credit, the above. What do you know. It’s a website in your country. theseedcollection. com. au Lew
boxes- I was curious what caused the electrical box. It looks like it is simply connecting conductors that could have been a single run. Is there something more going on there? Did things get moved?
that smell- yes, so much exploration of dusty musty shelves will find you odd things that would never grace the shelves of new book stores. Once a book falls of the best seller list, or the fad fades, bam- it’s gone.
corrosion- I saw rust like this once. It was in an oil refinery in the Caribbean. Humidity was involved, but also sulphur, from the various chemical processes refiners use to get all the sulphur out of the very heavy Venezuelan crude. Made for a constant pungent smell. Did you by chance leave a bag of sulphur near that metal?
Hi Steve,
A very astute query in relation to the electrical box. That was where the wind turbine was located long ago, so there is a single long cable running from there to the battery room. Then heading down hill another long run connects the big 16x panel array way off down near to the greenhouse. I’ve got this theory about electrical connections in that they’re the weakest point in any link, and they’ll be most likely place where any possible trouble will occur. Thus, they should be accessible so you can observe their condition. Any cable join hidden underground in conduit is asking for a lot of trouble. Incidentally, it’s the only half-way join, anywhere in the system.
So to answer your question: Things got changed from a wind turbine to the large 16x solar panel array way down below in the paddock.
The wind turbine incidentally was the worst outcome from any experiment I’ve run here. A total disaster of stupendous proportions as over two months the 600W turbine produced less energy than a mouse fart. A total waste of time and mad cash.
Yeah, that happens with books. That’s a product churn which must be hard to sustain. I found that out when as a young bloke where I put an order in at a sci-fi specialist book store, and discovered the book I was after, was out of print. The guy who worked there was understanding and mentioned that being out of print had nothing to do with whether the book was any good or not. Yup, old books get volunteered to be gone.
Steve, it’s weird, the corrosion is just in that area and nowhere else. For sure, it could be a natural sulphur deposit in the ground, but I’ve no way of knowing. Did you notice on the photograph that the steel corrugated sheets has a salt formation on it? I’ve never seen anything like this before, but rest assured the steel frame will be replaced with a timber framed shed – which we’ll mill the timber for over the next few months. Never worked with green timber before, but there’s always something new to learn, and it wasn’t all that long ago that everyone used green timber – because that is all that was available.
How’s the harvest processing going? On a related note, I discovered a lone hazelnut under one of the trees today – how did I (and all of the bird life here) miss that one nut? Given it had been through winter, the nut was buried near to where it would be useful to have another hazelnut bush.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Oh yeah, it ain’t just you there with all of those thoughts. Man, we had like no support from family for child rearing activities, so if anything went wrong, we’d be toast. Nah, a dude’s gotta know his limitations, and I totally agree with you – less drama is a wonderful uncomplicated space to inhabit. Over the years I’ve had people tell me how selfish that choice was, but would they lift a finger to help, if help was required? I don’t think so. Such statements are generally an expression of people worrying about their own choices in the dark wee hours of the night.
No need to tell me the stories, I’ve experienced them first hand. 😉 You know how things roll on that front, and it takes an enormous effort of will to do something different. And oh yeah, the pressure to ‘save’ her was immense, just like what you said. I never really knew, but I had a hunch that maybe my mother and father kind of felt a degree of guilt for how things turned out, so instead of expressing that guilt and dealing with it, they both individually channelled their energies into ‘saving’ their daughter – whatever that means. But the thing I kind of got about all of it was that my sister had to work out first and foremost that she herself was worth ‘saving’ before the direction could be changed. All I could observe of the outcomes from the energy being invested into her was that things kind of stayed the same, and that was a really odd thing to see. So much energy, so little outcome.
And I agree with you there, as I’ve long pondered that ‘endless attention’ aspect of the story. I really appreciate you saying that.
Of course, everyone has a different story and have to laugh, but the video game thing for me was an escape, which was the exact opposite of my sister who at a guess wanted to be noticed in a very big way. Hmm. The games were a quiet thing you could just do by yourself. Anyway, afterwards I learned to re-engage with the world, and thus avoided the easy escape route. But the family, it was not healthy to hang around them. It happens… 🙂 Far out, things are getting heavy, man.
Vinca is a most excellent suggestion, but due to wanting to reduce the overall fire risk, I might just give the surface some crushed rock with lime and leave it at that. Speaking of such things, the new fire fighting boots I’d had on order turned up in the mail this morning. Oh my, they’re comfy and good. The ones we got as volunteers back in the day, aren’t anywhere near as good to wear. One more item to order, and I’ll have a full kit ready to go, just in case. You never know. And who knows what will happen with insurance in the future? Best to be prepared, and not need that preparation.
Hehe! Thanks for that – yeah rust party central. 🙂 I won’t look at it the same you know!
I still don’t know why the box was so expensive. There are cheaper options online, but bricks and mortar sped up the process.
An interesting thought, and with a minor frost risk in the forecast for Friday morning, we may get to test the theory. But I reckon the fruit trees adapt to the local conditions as they age too. The trees probably have a very long history of dealing with climate shifts. I don’t see why they wouldn’t still do so.
Thanks! And I’m keying in the subtitles nowadays – no need for anyone to learn Auslish. 🙂 It interests me that the video folks don’t come across to the blog, but it makes sense. I’m a book worm as are most of the readers here, just like yourself. 🙂 The videos are slowly increasing in popularity, but that bird dog poop one really struck a chord with the viewers. One or two asparagus crowns or seedlings wouldn’t hurt? Ook? Someone else’s garden bed for your pumpkins perhaps?
Thanks for the info on silverbeet seeds. Ook! The isolation distance could be a problem. At least the plants appear to flower at different times, maybe. I’ve bought seeds from those dudes.
Lewis, I have to fess up. A long time ago, we touched the edge of a glacier. Such an idiot of thing to do too from hindsight. Fortunately it was late winter, but man, there are times when you can inadvertently push your luck without even knowing. And that particular glacier later killed two hapless tourists. Hmm. You’d have some glaciers in your part of the world. Ever visited them? And man, any cruise ship there would have been toast. My mind still reels from the concept of a 200m (660ft) tall tsunami wave. Ain’t nothing gonna survive that one.
Wow! That’s tough-as hardship to get close to that point. Eight months with no rain as well, and I’d have been out enjoying the light drizzle / mizzle too. Presumably that was a drought year there?
Same, same, weather here. And it held of raining today. Did some paid work, and also brought more rocks back up the hill for the new rock wall. Thinned the succulent garden because a baby rabbit had been hiding in the thick growth. Whilst we were at that work, we also removed a particularly spiky succulent. The thorns are like black locust needles. Ouch. Removed one from each of the dogs, and also the Editor was unlucky enough to get stabbed. I had to then remove the plant. The large wicked thorns take a lot of effort to remove from your skin too. They must be barbed.
Exactly, that’s the thing with grid tied solar. You’d have to protect yourself from every cheap-as inverter installed over the entire system and hope they all work correctly. Linesmen must have nerves of steel to do their work.
Years ago I had a friend who was a Mormon, and the Editor and I went to the wedding, of course we got the outsider version of the ceremony. But even then they were talking big about eternal marriage. It was a bit disrespectful, but I nudged the Editor and said: I like you, but eternity is a very long time, maybe too long . Later, she had to go to the toilet, and the only was inside the temple. That’s not right either. Apparently everyone was dressed in white. Hmm. They do look after each other with that network, which is more than can be said for the average condition within our society, and of course there are tithes – fair enough, that sort of support can’t be free. The guy I knew was hard working and industrious, but him and his lady eventually got divorced and he headed interstate. Maybe they’ll patch up their differences in the afterlife?
Oh you got that spot on – aspirations to public school! Thanks for the laughs. We’d been friends since primary school, probably grade three or something. And he was always just a little bit competitive with me. Have you ever encountered that sort of pressure? It probably didn’t help that I blithely ignored the competitiveness and just did my own thing.
Ooo, what a question! I don’t really know, because with Bullshit jobs, the thing I wonder about is that if people are trying to maximise their economic gains all the time, presumably Bullshit jobs are only ever a thing when surpluses are on the up? Dunno. I’ve never worked one, although my first full time adult job was slack – but we (the entire department) were eventually all made redundant.
That survival book sounds like fun, and kids would love that. I still think about that baker on the Titanic and his extraordinary survival when pretty much everyone else in the water perished. There are breathing exercises you can do to survive such extreme cold, and I’ve long wondered if he somehow knew about them, like even a deep untouched memory of the skill? I believe it’s a bit of a thing with some sects of monks in cold climates.
Ha! Speculation in art, or perhaps the art of speculation? 🙂
It’s interesting you’re doing that with the dehydration because I also don’t think that the crowding in of the tomatoes is as problematic as some would lead us to believe.
We find that too. Cooking from scratch is time consuming, but then the meals produced are usually far better don’t you reckon? Nobody leaves our table complaining. That sounds a bit Dirty Harry doesn’t it? I reckon that cooking is also a very real skill, which few people command. And plenty of people take pride in having poor domestic skills, and pride is the devil, just sayin…
Yum! A fine dinner. We had salad for dinner. We’re managing to eat more from the garden as time goes on. Spotted the first potato leaves sticking out of the soil today. I’ll heap soil up against the plants as they grow, and hopefully we get a decent harvest.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Re: Bookstore smell. Reading that book about the history of American bookstores … they mentioned Powell’s, down in Portland. Which may be the biggest independent, in the country. Any-who … Powells has put out a perfume, of bookstore scent. 🙂 They call it “Eau De Bookstore.”
I have seen more families de-rail recovery, than not. Enabling. Although I cannot accurately predict (and wouldn’t even try to) who will “get it,” and who won’t, I have some general theories. People who are in recovery, “to get back my old lady,” or, “to get back my children,” have a low long term recovery rate, I think. You have to be a bit selfish, and only want it for yourself. It is also “advised,” not to get into relationships, in early recovery. Timelines vary … 🙂 . Sometimes, when asked, I “suggest” a person run as fast and as far from family, as possible.
Rust. Altering your perception of the world, since 1949. 🙂
The Master Gardeners are here, this morning. One old hand, who has wintered in Florida, is moving down there, permanently. Madness, I think, given storms and sea level rise. But, she might be ok. Lives in northern Florida, fairly inland. Any-who. She sold her house here, and is finding homes for some plants. I snagged some carnivorous pitcher plants, this morning. Now where to plant them? They need a boggy bit. Best keep them in a container.
I caught a slug, heading for my pumpkins. I may have to deploy a bit of slug bait. Some of the pumpkins, are touching the ground, outside their barrels. I slipped some small paper (?) plates, under them, where they touch concrete.
That isolation bit, as far as seed saving goes, probably / might refer to cross pollination. Maybe.
It’s one of those years where we’re getting a bumper acorn crop, off the oak trees. The squirrels are delirious. I could experiment with making flour from them, as our indigenous people did. But, time ….
LOL. Write a children’s book. “I Survived … Touching a Glacier.” Your fortune is made! I think it was the booze, that saved the baker. Probably a lack of panic. And, I wonder what he was wearing?
I don’t think it was a particular drought year, when I lived in LA. It is built on desert. But there was a phenomenal storm drain system, so I knew it must rain there some time. A lot. Check out the images for “Los Angeles River.” Often used in films. Including a 1950s sci-fi about giant ants! It was titled, “Them!”
I really admire our local linemen. For our PUD (Public Utility District.) Anytime there’s a power failure, they’re right on it. No matter the weather.
And we won’t even get into a discussion about the Magic Mormon Underwear 🙂 .
Oh, sure. Competitive people. I generally ignore them, or walk away. Our night manager is a bit competitive, about our shared garden space. Not interested in playing that game.
Overlapping the tomatoes a bit, worked out fine. Had to pull some of them apart, but no big deal. Made for a fuller quart bag.
I seemed to have had a busy evening, last night. Picked another quart and a half of blueberries. They’re winding down. More that were pretty soft, or, downright rotting. I think only another few days. I also noticed the pole beans leaves, are beginning to turn yellow.
Also had my monthly indulgence in Mac and cheese. Added peas, broccoli, garlic and a couple of small chopped up tomatoes. In an attempt to convince myself it’s healthy. 🙂 Did some loads of laundry. Processed the blueberries.
But still had time to watch an episode of “The Brokenwood Mysteries,” season 10. A police story, set in a small quirky New Zealand town, with quirky people. Finished the book on skullduggery in the art world. Lew
Hi Chris,
Great video and you’ve got those subtitles down pat.
The used book store where I volunteer has changed quite a bit over the years from one like you to describe to one more upscale. The manager who is one of the few paid employees of the organization has a background in retail so the flavor of the place has changed and not without some blowback from some of the older volunteers. We do get tons of books donated though many of which are probably unsaleable so they have to be taken to the library where there’s a large recycle bin. The move is going on this week and the manager is going to be quite ruthless regarding what books we accept as well as how many. Now only 10 books can be donated at a time and those of us volunteering have to do a quick once over and decide if they meet our standards. However, the person donating will receive a card for 20% off a book in the store for each book they bring it. I understand some of the changes as people would be cleaning out their parents house and dump all these old musty books on us. We do sell a lot of DVDs and have gotten several large donations lately. Apparently we sold 1000 last year.
I read with interest about your sister. I do have one sister who can just suck the energy from you but life hasn’t been easy for her. I manage the time I spend so she has someone to talk to but doesn’t intrude too much on my life. She’s one of those people who if given a suggestion will find all kinds of reasons why it won’t work. There is a lot of drama in our large family but I try to focus on and enjoy the good qualities of each person.
You mentioned that you thought your parents had some guilt regarding your sister and talked about it almost to the exclusion of anything else. I’ve observed that people will talk about whatever is particularly weighing on them and they just want someone to listen to them which is not always easy.
The herbalist Stephen Harrod Buhner had issues with some of his family and also was a counselor. This quote of his made a lot of sense to me and I remind myself of it when I’m listening to people who are going through difficulties and are trying to figure out their life.
“Grief demands a obsessive review of past events, over and over and over again, always to the point where friends and family just want to scream. What outside observers don’t understand is that this obsessive review is essential to both emotional acceptance and the rebuilding of the self. And, of necessity, it occurs one incredibly slow step at a time.”
Not being judgmental as each person’s situation is different. There are times when I would like to be done myself.
Margaret
Hi Chris,
Forgot to mention we finally got some rain 1.8 inches.
Margaret
Chris,
What an ugly, corrosive mess that shed post turned into! I’ve seen similar things happen before. Somewhat mystifying why it happens sometimes. Possibly a combination of too much moisture, something in the soil, perhaps something stored in that shed, or maybe the Rust Deities chose that particular place to give you a gift.
Meanwhile, the new metal terminal box looks good. Hope it works out better than the old plastic (?) one did. Corrosion in such boxes is a Bad Thing. Hmmm, was that old box near the corroding shed by any chance?
Oh, jeepers! Addiction in the family. Sibling garnering all the attention. The combination is rough sledding, as you know better than most. Disowning the family, sadly, is often the only solution that allows one to keep some sanity. I can relate completely to the sibling getting all the attention. That is hard enough. Add the addictions on top of it? To be where you are in your life is wonderful. Respect.
Thanks for the link to that song Scar by Missy Higgins. I found it and the video to be very enjoyable. She can sing, I enjoyed her pianist abilities, and there were some good chuckles in there – holding the piano together with chewing gum, for example. Thanks.
Interesting note about the “Jose Cuervo” song. About 18 months before that song was released, I rode a bus to Chicago for Christmas break. At the stop in Missoula, Montana, a bunch of University of Montana students boarded the bus. A young lady sat with me. We ended up sitting with one another until Chicago. As you do when in those situations on break from university, we chatted about favorite ways to unwind. Turns out that she and her boyfriend had a favorite pub they frequented. She drank tequila with a little salt and lime. And she danced on the bar and started some fights. She said that her boyfriend learned the warning signs and often dragged her out of the pub before she could dance on the bar and start any fights. I’m wondering if the songwriter had frequented that particular pub in Montana in 1981.
Yes, as you said, that “dumb test” is applicable most anywhere. I find it to be very useful. Very, very useful.
The following statement you wrote is true: “It’s impolite to say: ‘I told you so’.” Further, saying that to your wife can be hazardous to your health and wellbeing. Saying it to your “superiors” at work is another Career Limiting Statement. Another thing to never say to you work “superiors”…Boss: “You need to do that because I told you to and I outrank you!” Me (while holding my nose): “Yes, sir, you are more rank!”
The unique smell of old bookstores is one of my favorites. I’m fortunate that the Princess also likes to read, so we spend a fair amount of time in libraries and used bookstores. On one trip through Portland, Oregon, we were ahead of schedule and were able to stop at one of the Powell’s Books stores that Lew mentioned. It was huge. I’ve ordered many books from them when I can’t find what I want in the stores in Spokane.
Dame Avalanche had a mild fright this evening. The ritual is for her to come inside and watch me prepare her dinner. As she rushed to the door t enter the house, she skidded to a stop as there was a large weird white BUG in her way. It wasn’t there when I had gone out, and I had no idea what it was. She tucked tail between legs and backed away. I smooshed it. She STILL wouldn’t go in because she could smell the weird bug smoosh. I had to go in and out twice before she would enter the house. Bug looked like something that could have come out of Edgar Allen Poe’s fevered imagination, or maybe even something H.P. Lovecraft could have concocted. I do NOT want to know what it was.
Your new stone wall for the water tanks looks good. Glad you added an area of soil, too. I second Lew’s idea to add vinca. That would be a pretty and low maintenance soil stabilizer.
Some thyme began blooming over the weekend. Pretty late for thyme. Of course, it’s awfully late in the year to be 30C. “Normal” for now is 23C. The thyme is enjoying the extra water I’ve been providing along with the heat.
The city’s water bill for the hottest month arrived. My water usage was very low. Because I have trees, I can water somewhat more next year which should reduce the parched-out areas to some degree. However I did it this year, the trees all seem to have thrived, except for the early aphid outbreak on the cherry tree.
Good luck with the apricots and almonds. Those can be finicky. Neighbor planted an apricot tree. Never got anything. There was a frost every year when the tree was in full bloom.
Nice idea with the kale and artichokes together. The different color leaves combined with the flowers is striking. Good food from both, too.
DJSpo
Hi Margaret,
Yay for 1.8 inches of much needed rainfall. If you now get some fall heat, your garden will assuredly turn into a jungle. How’s everything going? Have you had much free time to get out into the garden?
Thanks so much. The video journey has been interesting indeed, and it is better keying in the subtitles so that people such as your good self can avoid learning Auslish. 🙂 Like the written words here, I have no idea what will appeal to the viewers, but between you and I, birds eating dog poop seems to have captured an audience… 🙂 My natural territory is the written word. Hope you enjoy the tour around the place over the next weeks and months. The pace seems to be about right.
There’s always a touch of tension between volunteers and paid folks, and I saw that playing out in the rural fire fighting brigade, although the local brigade itself was 100% volunteers. There’s always pressure with the social aspects and the paid folks who have a different raison d’etre for being there.
Hope the bookshop move goes well, and that you aren’t asked to do too much heavy lifting and hauling.
Hey, I began dismantling that shed today, and so have been up and down ladders all day. Took breaks, and the job is going smoothly. It’s funny as you get older that the big solar panels seem heavier and more awkward than they used to. Plus it was a bit windy earlier on this morning.
Oh yeah, not every book should be saved, sorry to say. Some will never find a secondary market – at any price. That’s a smart recycling move on the part of your local library, and one which I don’t believe is the case here.
Oh Margaret, I so hear you. The old timers (as you’d know) used to say: Reuse; Repair; and only then Recycle. But just because something has been produced into existence like a book, does not mean that it will have any value whatsoever in the future. And people clearing out estates may have some emotional attachment to such objects. Really? I hadn’t known that about the active market for DVD’s, but it makes sense. Recently we tried to buy some older audio CD’s, and it was not as easy to do as you’d imagine it to be. Hmm things have changed. Streaming services have challenged some of the physical media, but interweb bandwidth is not exactly cheap.
Ah, I’ve met people who hold such beliefs, and you’re made of stronger stuff than I in that regard. Respect. And you know, I have nothing but respect for your proven abilities to navigate through the various family dramas we’ve spoken about over the years. There’s also a warmth in there in between all of your words which was very lacking with my lot. My mother had a lot of difficulty knowing how to express basic emotions, and so regularly vented the pressure in negative ways, thus the lack of warmth. Over the years, I’ve encountered other people like that. It happens.
I agree, and that was (and also is) certainly the case that people will talk about whatever is particularly weighing on them. Hmm. Are such conversations meant to be two way? And also I do wonder if there is a line which gets crossed when it becomes an emotional dumping exercise? Dunno. There’s probably middle ground in there somewhere. Honestly, I’m not really sure and am making it up as I go along. And certainly like you, I also need to talk about issues so as to, maybe not get clarity on them, because plenty of things can’t be resolved adequately, but maybe more to get err, perspective on the matter. It’s all very complicated don’t you reckon?
Thanks so much for the astute quote from Stephen Harrod Buhner. Margaret, way back in the day as a young adult, I’m pretty sure I sent my friends loopy doing just that, but eventually moved on. 🙂 Exactly though, it takes time to figure all this stuff out, and that’s cool.
It’s hard isn’t it? And I don’t believe that there is any right answer.
Cheers and thanks for the thought provoking comment.
Chris
Hi DJ,
Man, we’re taking good steel and producing iron ore – rapidly. It’s an impressive technology, but I don’t reckon anyone will want to pay for it! Do you recall the circumstances where you saw such corrosion? It’s beyond my experience, and the steel was meant to be galvanised. Those are all great explanations, and yes, let’s not annoy the deities of rust any further. Next time I’ll use properly treated timber. 😉 Isn’t that a great band name: Deities of rust?
Yes, the old terminal junction enclosure was plastic. It was the terminal stud inside the plastic box which was rusting. But I have a hunch that a larger enclosure box, which can be monitored – and sprayed with oil, will have a much longer life span. I had no idea what was going on inside the older plastic box. That is a worry too, because it was in a different spot. Hmm. For your info, I’m actually increasing airflow around a whole lot of things, but your unstated hunch maybe correct.
Anyway, I began dismantling the shed today. The solar panels were removed and are now stored, and all of the roof was deconstructed. It was quite hot in the sun today, even though it was only 22’C. I’d forgotten what warmer weather felt like. With the next shed I’ll make sure that there is no electrical conductivity between the soil and the steel sheeting.
Thanks for the saying as I’d never heard of ‘rough sledding’ previously. If it’s not too personal, what happened there? Have to laugh, as a young bloke I went and got some help for my brain after all that sort of stuff, and the psychologist said to me almost those same words you used. It is amazing isn’t it? But bizarrely enough, like being poor, you don’t realise your social standing, and then someone makes such an observation, and then you start looking around at more functional families. That’s a real wake up call. Hmm. I’d imagine the Rez would have a lot of such currents running through it as well.
Glad you enjoyed the tunes, and it’s a tough market down here due to small size and distant locales, but there is also a lot of creativity going on because the mad cash doesn’t drive the industry. Just hard to make a living for musos. It was a fun video.
DJ, Run! 🙂 Oh my, what a lot of trouble. 🙂 Fun, but trouble. Would a person tire of the trouble? I tend to think that if the situation continued long enough, the costs would eventually outweigh the benefits. Not to mention that sooner or later, you’re gonna lose one of those fights, badly. Although, for the right person, the experience may finely hone their skills, on many fronts. Dunno, a mystery, and too much for my tastes. 🙂
That’s it man, the ultimate test: Does this here thing work as stated in the brochure? Not always the case.
I take little pleasure in such statements anyway, but yeah a dude has to ensure that he avoid annoying his lady unnecessarily – home life being better that way don’t you reckon? 😉 And as to career limiting moves (CLM), we’ve all made a few of those over the years. Spend enough time with a group of people, and sooner or later you’re going to inadvertently annoy someone, or vice versa. That was a brave saying on your part making observations as to the err, stink of the boss. 🙂 Don’t laugh, or maybe yeah, why not? But I had a boss once tell me seriously: So you’re ignoring a direct order? To which I replied: Last I checked, we’re not in the army. It was very long ago and they were asking me to do something very dodgy. Interestingly I noticed a month or so ago that the same business was in the newspapers for the wrong reasons – an epic fine. Why didn’t they listen to me?
Sandra likes to read as well, so we can happily read together (although different books, of course). I’ve heard it said somewhere or other: Book worms, need book worms. Or was it books? Oh well. I forget…
Poor squooshed bug,
we barely knew thee.
All white
and gooey.
Stink,
to on high.
A final sad repose,
in front of the door.
Faced by brave husky,
sensed the alien intruder.
Humans knew not,
the impending threat.
The mighty broom,
washed all away.
Peace was restored,
Husky ventured inside.
Watch your back there, man!
Vinca is a good idea, but it dries out in drought and fire weather, so I’ll stick with crushed rock and lime.
Oh my gawd, that’s hot for your season. Hope it cools down for you soon.
Well done, and slowly water stressing trees is a good way to get them adapted to a possibly drier future. Cherry trees… The pear and cherry slugs turn up here every year towards the end of the season. Not much you can do about them all, and the birds pick off the insects.
That makes sense, and it’s been four years since we’ve had a decent apricot crop. Err, frost warning, err, Friday morning… Bummer. Oh well, next year.
🙂 Those are both great productive plants. Yum!
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Should have known you weren’t kidding with that old bookshop scent. Powell’s clearly nose (sorry for the pun) its customers. The shop is not all that far from you too. The constant temptation! 🙂 That would be a good title don’t you reckon? I discovered that ‘the constant gardener’ film, had very little to do with gardening, although admittedly the book may differ with such details.
Thanks for the interesting observation. Yeah, I can see that. I’d often wondered whether the constant saving was another form of enabling in order to retain the familial status quo. But a lot of the details were kept from me, although what I did hear troubled me. I totally get that about not being able to pick an outcome. Do you ever sponsor much nowadays? That’s my thinking as well, and there is that element of having to do such work for your own reasons, although the wider err, ‘situation’ probably has to be addressed as well. Some things can’t be saved, no matter how energy and resources get thrown at them.
That’s actually pretty wise, the advice of avoiding new relationships early on. You once gave me a great phrase to describe moving on as distinct from dealing with things as a ‘doing a geographic’. It’d be just too easy to fall onto well established patterns, but just in a new physical area.
🙂 You are indeed! Thanks for the laughs. Don’t have fun here?
It’s a big move, and has a long history. I was reading (briefly) about the historic Florida property bubble, a few days ago. Alas there is never enough time for reading. Oh well. Couldn’t live there myself. The state of Queensland exerts a similar pressure on this nations psyche, for the same reasons. Couldn’t live there myself – did I just say that? Hope things work out well there for her.
The rotten slug, and good shot. Pumpkin skin is usually pretty tough and resilient to insects, or is that the case in your experience? The local pumpkins (and squashes) have very thick and hardy skin, so maybe things are different elsewhere? Hehe! Yup, pumpkins spread. There maybe a compact pumpkin plant, but I’m yet to encounter one. Never tried that with the paper plate, and it’s a good idea – unless it rains a lot, maybe. How’s it working out with that experiment? Dunno really and am just guessing there.
That cross pollination with the beetroot was how I interpreted the story as well, otherwise growing seeds for sale would be almost impossible. The Editor requested that a whole bunch of random heritage varieties of beetroot get planted out, and I dunno how that one will go with seed saving. Might not work out, or we could get some super vigorous new variety? A mystery. Over time I’m tending to grow lesser open pollinated varieties, but in higher numbers so that they slowly adapt to the conditions. If I notice any declines, I could re-introduce some hybrid variety vigour down the track a bit. So far the need hasn’t arisen.
Yeah, but double yeah. It’s hard to get the time to do everything. We began demolishing that rusty shed today. Removed the solar panels and all of the corrugated steel roof sheeting. Then the roof structure was disassembled. A big day, and it was warm too 72’F. Another day of work will get the job completed. And don’t worry, the rain and cold weather is returning tomorrow (Wednesday). I’m a bit worried about the frost warning for Friday morning. Oh well, there’s always next year with the apricots and almonds.
I believe the Europeans used to wash the tannins from acorns then grind them up into a sort of flour as well. Why waste perfectly good food, although I’ve never heard of anyone consuming them down under.
Dude, sure I survived, but I might get into trouble as I slipped past the warning signs. I know! I know! There’s no excuse that can defend idocracy of the highest (or would it be lowest?) kind. Drats, I think yet again chances for fortune have slipped past.
See what I mean? It’s a fascinating tale that baker, and I was wondering that as well. Did he don six pairs of full body long johns under his clothes prior to stepping off into the water like a drunken, yet super relaxed madman? He may of. A person wearing the right wet suit could survive such water temperatures.
Oh my gawd! Eight months without rain would stress me out. I start worrying after a couple of weeks with no rain, let alone eight months. Far out. Was work hard to get there at the time? Or you went to seek fame and fortune, or a just a good time? Man, a whole lotta concrete, and yup huge drains. Plus some massive graffiti of stupendous proportions near the mouth of the err, river. Some of the historical photos when the water was rollicking were impressive. Not much rain, then a lot of rain.
Those guys work hard, absolutely. And I’m always impressed at how quickly the poles and wires distribution system gets repaired after intense storms. Like earlier in the year, I think six massive pylons were crushed by a err, downdraft thunder storm.
You started that! What the heck? Magic Mormon Underwear? Do I look this up, or not? These things are recorded and tracked you know. OK, deep breath, here goes … … Oh! It really is a thing for the temple. Well you learn something new every day. I guess whatever works.
I feel much the same, and probably like you, run my own race, and set my own goals. And I’m happy with that. I think that an element of dissatisfaction can seep into a character if they become too hung up on what everyone else is doing. Much easier to go your own way. Wise to dodge that aspect. It’s hardly a competition.
Yeah, they do get sticky, but dehydrating tomatoes can also stick a bit to the rack as well. Are they smelling good?
I’m truly amazed at how productive the blueberry bushes are in your part of the world. It’s awesome, and I assume this lot are for fresh eating? When fruit starts getting soft, yeah I agree, it’s nearing the end. Speaking of such things, one of the Babaco fruits fell off the pawpaw in the greenhouse whilst still mostly green (they’ll be ready to eat in maybe three months, maybe). It’s not as good as a fully ripe fruit, but it’s got enough of the hint of the final taste.
The fall weather will be on in earnest for you soon enough.
Go the Mac and cheese! 🙂 Dude, it’s positively gourmet the way your prepare the stuff. I’m still a bit dodge on the concept of orange cheese, and a friend from your part of the world does try to convince me of the merits of the colouring from time to time.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Chris,
As they say, when it rains it pours … a total of 3.7 inches of rain fell in two days, after weeks with a total of 0.1 inch. And if the future Hurricane Helene follows the very strange path so far predicted once she moves out of Florida, we’ll get some rain over the weekend from her remnants. I can hear the sound of the drought breaking!
Ugg, the rust monster strikes. Yes, it could well be differing metal compositions next to one another, effecting a battery. If I were better at redox (reduction-oxidation) chemistry I could tell you more, but that was one part of chemistry I couldn’t develop a good feel for. Or perhaps the galvanizing process was defective, or maybe there is something weird in the soil (using a highly technical term) leading to the rust reaction. Or some combination. Wood has its place! Of course wood is subject to rotting long-term itself. Are any of your local woods naturally rot-resistant, and if so, are they commercially available and used as such?
Claire
Yo, Chris – Would I kid you? 🙂 Anytime I’d visit my Uncle Larry, in Portland, the trip wasn’t complete without a trip to Powell’s. Actually, I’ve had a looong relationship with Powell’s. Back when I was a youngster, old man Powell, had a hole in the wall used bookstore, across from the main Portland library. His ghost supposedly haunts the current store. Michale Powell once shopped in my bookstore in Centralia.
I don’t sponsor. Never have. But, from time to time I’ve had young folk, gloom onto me. 🙂 I’m always up for a good chat. In some ways, I think we’re losing a bit of the “oral history” of AA. Given an opportunity, I tell the old stories, and use the old lingo. Besides “The Big Book,” there’s a lot of “conference approved” literature, floating around. The Club has it on offer. Being a non-profit, they’re sold “at cost.” Origin stories, etc.. I think my favorite is “Dr. Bob and the Good Old Timers.” He was the co-founder. A medical doctor (proctologist 🙂 He was a … steadying hand, opposite of Bill W., who was more an over the top enthusiast.
Yup, fun and what passes for knowledge and wisdom 🙂 These exchanges are a high point of my day.
I don’t think the slugs actually eat the pumpkins, but they leave welts along the skin. I’m surprised the pumpkins I planted, haven’t run all over the place. They’re pretty localized. Might be The Barrel Effect. Pumpkins are beginning to appear, outside all the markets and veg store. Most will probably go for decor and carving.
The volunteer tomato is interesting. I finally got to taste one, and they are tasty. They seem a bit larger, than the cherry tomato, they came from. Save seed? But so far, doesn’t seem to produce many tomatoes. Bares watching. It’s a real survivor, as it popped up in the middle of woody mulch. Though I gave it a leg up, once it was established. Pruned it a bit, caged it, fertilized. Keep it watered.
LOL. When I saw the header picture for this weeks post, at first I thought it was some dead animal. Or, maybe, some kind of exotic Australian poo. 🙂
The high yesterday was 72F (22.22C). Overnight low was 59F. Forecast for today is 82F (!). We’ll see. It sure looked like rain, yesterday, but, not. Rain in the forecast for tomorrow night. Maybe.
Speaking of maritime disasters, there’s been a lot of pictures of the crushed mini-sub. Even some video footage. Creepy. Don’t want to dwell on it.
How I ended up in S. California. I worked in a bar, in Seattle. The folks that owned it, were from Orange County, south of LA.. They decided to open another bar down there. Staff was given the opportunity to move and work at the new place. Business wasn’t what they expected. Hours were reduced. And, reduced again. I fell on hard times 🙂 . Eventually, I got a call from Walden Books. I had put in an application, months earlier. With my background in books, they didn’t think I’d be interested. Ha! Company was going through a rapid expansion, and, a year later, I was managing a huge bookstore, in a huge new mall. All this was in the early 1970s.
Mormons: Maybe best not to touch on the polygamy … 🙂 Or, the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
https://w.wiki/BJ89
One batch of cherry tomatoes, I thought too soft, and ran back through the dehydrator, for a couple more hours. Well, the blueberries planted are early, mid, and late season varieties. Hence, the long growing season. Every year, the Master Gardeners put on a blueberry seminar. I went to the first one, when I moved in. I might go again, next year. Just to catch the pruning part. It’s usually at the end of the seminar, and I don’t think all the bushes get pruned. Might fall to me, to do it.
Maybe your friend aspires to be transparent, like the “invisible” mice? 🙂
The Swiss cheese famine is over! Maybe. I was at the warehouse grocery store, last night, and saw some Swiss cheese. In a five pound (?) brick, over a foot long! Only about $12+. I passed. That quantity is more than I want to handle. And, besides, I still have a two pound brick of Mozzarella. I’ll wait til smaller quantities, appear. Lew
Chris,
I’ve been wracking my brain trying to remember where I’ve seen similar corrosion. I’ve been wracking so hard that I am near to wrEcking my brain. 😉 I seem to remember one instance in a university mechanical room when I worked in physical plant. A leaky valve wasn’t apparent because the asbestos insulation around the joint and the pipes sucked up the water mostly. Until it didn’t. Metal pipe, concrete, standing water, rust monster.
I remembered another instance. The valve from the water main decided to spring a small leak after 65 years. Basement, no ventilation, metal, concrete, standing water, rust deities, nasty plumbing bill.
And a poorly galvanized fence post that was supporting a galvanized shed looked an awful lot like your issue. I think that was the equipment shed on the farm we owned in the 1970s. Also a case of too much moisture in a poorly ventilated area.
Ventilation in general is a good thing. I think you’re seeing the pattern and have already indicated that you’re providing more ventilation now and in the future for the junction box. That should help.
I remember the redox chemistry section (mentioned by Claire) way back when I took chemistry, aka The Mystery of Chem. That was actually one of the units I did well with, which doesn’t mean that I understood any of it. Alas! My last Mystery of Chem class was in the spring of 1981, and I remember next to nothing about it. Next to nothing.
Rough sledding? I dunno where that phrase originated. I remember reading it in books when I was young. My paternal grandparents probably used the phrase a time or three. When I was 11, a friend and I trudged through many inches of snow to the best sledding hill in the area, Downriver Golf Course, called such because between the golf course and the Spokane River was the road aptly named Downriver Drive. Yes, it was downstream from downtown Spokane. And yes, there is, indeed, an Upriver Drive upstream from downtown. City owned golf course, sledding allowed. We found this one nicely steep run down the hill and noticed that some sparks occurred from our steel sled runners. Yes, it was slightly rough sledding. ;0 After the spring thaw, I noticed that the hill we had been sledding down was actually a long and steep set of concrete steps.
Yes, the Rez is full of tales similar to yours. Too similar and far too many tales.
I was fortunate with Tequila Girl. We were only friends for 3 days on one bus ride. While that was fun, I could NOT have sustained a relationship with someone who got that out of control. I would have run, all the way from Missoula to Spokane if necessary. 🙂
Someone else in the organization once replied much as you did, “Last I checked we’re not in the army.” That conversation was overheard by many. Much laughter ensued. In my instance, the Boss wanted to violate the State Law that oversaw our program. Wasn’t much he could do to me, although he tried to exact revenge for the following 19 years until he retired. Seeing as how he was the Boss that literally couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time, he is STILL waiting to get his revenge.
Nice poem. Maybe after a few more incidents of some type we can write the series up in as an Epic Heroic poem. Like Beowulf or something. Perhaps along the lines of Dame Avalanche, Rodents’ Bane, protecting her Ignorant Master from a Foul Worm. Of course, that would follow many tales of derring do in which the erstwhile Dame was the Vanquishing Bane to many a rodent.
Okay, you’ve moved on to ROCK and lime. No more sand and lime. But it appears you’re not ready to advance to salt and lime and tequila. 😉 I must say, I only drank too much tequila once. Yes, once. The following day hurt way too much for a repeat.
DJSpo
Hi Claire,
The saying is true! 🙂 And yay for the breaking of your drought. The weather news down here mentioned Helene, and you’re right on the northern tip of that hurricane looking at the forecast maps. Hopefully the tropical storm played itself out over the inland to the south east of you? It’s a plan, but those storms are notorious for their unpredictability, but all the same, you should get some decent rain from the tail end of that system too.
It’s nice to enjoy the tail end of such storms, as distinct from feeling the full brunt of them. The same thing happens here, and today was a classic example of the tail end of a major almost continent wide storm with it’s origins far to the North West in the Indian Ocean. Having few significant mountain ranges (unlike your country) means that such storms can meander their way all over the continent. Nothing too dramatic, just bleak low level cloud and rain all day. Rather bleak really. It was warm and sunny yesterday…
All of your suggestions was probably how things rolled with the mysterious case of the unexplained rust. Oh well, lots of iron oxide now exists in that spot, where before there was, err, something. 🙂 The shed will probably be a memory by the end of Friday, which is a public holiday for a football game (held on the Saturday), and so I’m staying home and working instead.
The local timber species is Eucalyptus Obliqua (messmate) and it is very dense at 750kg per cubic metre. I’ll follow some old school timber preservation treatments which are not for the faint of heart. And also set the timber in water tight concrete – which also assists the preservation. The old loggers mess has taught me quite a bit about how timber is preserved in this mountain range, and um, second hand advice that works is cheap.
That’s a great question, and for your information, the local timber species are marketed in Australia as construction hardwood under the name ‘Tassie Oak’. Go figure that name, and marketing is not my strong suit. 🙂
So are you feeling the storm yet?
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Please don’t wreck your brain on my account. The plan is that by Friday afternoon the shed will be a distant memory. Also if your brain is destroyed, who will be left to consider the mysterious rust case of 2024? You’ve got me wondering though – the neighbours to the uphill of here, I believe, replaced their leaking septic tank a year or so ago. In the past I’d been able to occasionally smell laundry soap emanating from the soil much higher up above the shed, but no longer since they fixed the tank. Hmm. Dunno. Groundwater and minerals can be a mystery.
Oh yeah, what a nightmare that leaking pipe would have been. But yes, I’m very much in agreement with you as to the concept that better ventilation assists the preservation of materials. An old timer once remarked to me that there is no such thing as ‘dry rot’ mostly because the timber had been damp at some point to cause all the damage.
On that note, the very last house we repaired in the big smoke was a brick Victorian era (around 1890’s property boom) terrace house. At some point in the past, the timber floors and sub structure (joists and bearers) had been replaced, and at that time some numpty must have gotten the bright idea of backfilling soil, so that there was even less underfloor ventilation. Probably worried about cool air getting under the house and feeling cold during winter – and maybe even miasmas? By the time I got to see the mess, one of the timber floors was held up by six layers of carpet (lot’s of floor bounce as you’d imagine), and the timber bearer was nothing more than a black line of organic matter in the dirt. Hmm.
All the floors and timber substructure (joists and bearers) were then replaced. Plus I removed an astounding amount of soil from each room. The extra ventilation dried out the soil, and hopefully the replacement timber is fine even today. Plastic damp course was also added between the hardwood timber joists and the brick pockets where they sat. The old timers used an asphalt style damp course which wasn’t all that great. Presumably they painted it onto the bricks?
Hehe! The memory sure doesn’t remain does it? And honestly, would knowing the exact chemical reaction make any difference to the outcome for the shed in that it is now in the process of demolition? Hey, at one stage I took French language lessons in early high school, and all I learned was that I’m no good at picking up new languages.
That’s funny about the toboggan, and yup, steel and flint has a predictable interaction. During the snow fall last week the enterprising folks at the general store were selling plastic toboggans. Your lot with their steel sleds sounded positively high tech. How do you stop them once the thing is up to speed?
Such stories happen, and the choice each of us face individually, is how do we respond to the circumstances. I haven’t always responded to such challenges in a gentlemanly fashion, and some circumstances don’t call for that response, but in between all of the drama, I do try to reach for good grace. Other folks, well they do what they can. You know what? My gut feeling tells me that in the long term the rez will be OK, but obviously not without a lot of pain sorry to say. Staring off into the future from a base of lower expectations might be no bad thing, and could even be an advantage for the nimble.
I must say that Missoula is quite an attractive looking city, but those mountains surrounding it speak to me of cold winters. It’s the tree line which is the give away for me. Oh yukko! Looks like the Friday morning the frost risk has increased. We’ll see, and hopefully the night is not clear and free of cloud. As to tequila girl, she’d probably be too (as the song says) hot to handle, and I lack the competency to err, even know what to do in that situation. Respect! I prefer a quiet life. But yeah, in the short term, lot’s of laughs and fun, until the drama arrives and there’s bar fights and tears.
Oh my, what a pain that boss bloke would have been. It’s been remarked upon before, that some folks just can’t move on. 19 years is a long time to hold a grudge. It doesn’t hurt though for people to ask to do such things, because being told that such an act is in violation of the law saves a lot of future hassle. It’s very rare to hear such big talk, and usually it fades away once they understand that they’ll bear full responsibility for the act. Anyway, there’s no upside for doing dodgy stuff, there’s only downside. Did I mention that for some weird reason, my profession has recently been placed under mandatory reporting requirements? There was some big consulting firm caught red handed doing what apparently was dodgy stuff, and now us lesser folks pay the costs.
Here’s to the epic poem! Beowulf is a classic rollicking good tale. I’m surprised that the early clerics reproduced the work, although I suspect they inserted a lot of additional religious text into the poem. Some of those lines looked out of place, even to my unfamiliar reading eye. Oh well, I guess it wouldn’t have been cheap for the clerics to maintain the words, so there’d be costs. I noted that Mr Greer suggested that Lord of the Rings will probably make it way off into the distant future. It’s a good tale.
Mate, we’ve all been there, and yes, that was my experience as well – tequila hurts, the next day. 🙂 Nowadays if I’m going to imbibe a spirit, it’ll be a nip of white or dark rum. Your tastes changes as you age, because when I was a younger I loathed the stuff. Probably lots of dead taste buds… 😉
The weather was filthy here today. Low thick cloud and drizzle all day. Last I checked, 12mm of rain had fallen and it’s only 7’C outside. It’s hard for me to now recall just how warm and sunny it was yesterday. Hope Dame Avalanche is roaming your backyard savannah in search of errant squirrels and/or mice?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
You might! 🙂 Your track record is notably very good. Hey, it’s clever marketing producing such a scent. Could they work it into a scented candle? Our fortunes may be made! Just the thing for a cold winters day (such weather is very much on my mind today) whilst settled on a comfy couch near to the wood heater with a good book. Light the candle, and bam, comfort and the smell of a book store… You’d hope they didn’t reproduce the dust smell as that might be bad for asthma sufferers, and then, err, come to think of it, a bad idea. Drats, foiled again, and back to the drawing board.
Fair enough, a dude does what he will, and as you note, you contribute in other ways. Ah, a good role to fill too because Clubs of long standing duration, do require the history to be remembered and recalled – lest the early mistakes be repeated. Presuming there were early mistakes? It is of interest to me that the Club began with founders of those characteristics, and the showman and promoter has his place for sure.
They’re very enjoyable for me as well, and who else wants to hear that when I went to the bank this morning, they’d somehow run out of $20 bills, or were restricting their supply. That would have been a very long day for them, but isn’t that their job to hand such items over upon request? The cynic in me wonders whether it is some push to the cashless society, but who knows?
That weirdness aside, I had an enjoyable day despite the filthy cold and wet weather. Half an inch of rain fell today, and whilst the day began warm, it ended by returning us to winter. Yay for us! 🙂 Got a lot of things done today that I’d not had time for previously, and everything was done at a relaxed no time pressure pace. I’ve also somehow convinced the Editor of the merits of obtaining a pair of fire resistant boots for herself. Best to be prepared, and not need them, than want them, and not have them.
Hmm, I’ve seen pumpkins where the skin has been compromised, although whether that was the actions of the insects, or simply something to do with the growing conditions – and here I’m very much considering your plate good idea for some of the fruit. The barrel effect could be very real in that the container restricts the root size of the otherwise sprawling plant.
Oh yeah, that is an interesting plant. Tomato plants do readily hybridise, and in the hot summer of four years ago, one turned up – similar to what you describe – in the limed driveway. I never watered the plant once that year and it produced some tasty fruit. Who knows, the plant you’re seeing could be a mash up of the many different varieties you’ve grown this year, as well as all of the seeds you’ve saved from previous years? That’s proper re-localising of plant varieties. It’s super tough to have grown in woody mulch.
Hehe! We do have exotic poo in the orchard – that’d be the squarish stuff produced by all of the wombats cavorting around and doing their nocturnal thing. 🙂
Did the strong atmospheric river turn out to be dire. Prof Mass wrote about it a few days ago. Must be something in the water because well, today here was wet and cold due to a massive continent spanning storm.
Man, I read some of the articles about the sub and the investigation, and my gut feeling is that allegedly, the whole affair was probably good in theory. The entire episode gives me the heebie-jeebies, so yeah, me neither. What were we talking about again? 🙂
Ah yes, the come down with that bar job relocation would have been very real, and unfortunate for everyone involved. It’s funny though how some things can just work out like that offer from the book chain.
I’d not previously heard of the massacre, and for the record, have no desire for a second, or more wives. Way too much for my brain to cope with. But back to the massacre, well that was an interesting read. My gut feeling suggests that the sect saw themselves as a people apart. It’s an option, but is it workable? A lot of high emotions in that story and people with itchy trigger fingers.
It just rained, again, and the wind has really picked up out there. Poked my head outside to see what was going on. It’s hard to imagine, but it will be slightly colder tomorrow.
Yeah, wise to do so with the tomatoes. You want them like chips. More work there. And a good reminder to prune the blueberry bushes at the end of the season here.
Maybe, but I don’t think the transparent mouse look will ever be a thing.
That is cheap for the cheese, and glad to hear that it’s back. Hey, we might be in the $20 note drought…
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – We’re told to not light candles, due to the smoke alarms. But, if I can char popcorn, with no problem … I have some nice bayberry ones, that I’d like to break out for the holidays.
There were all kinds of temperance movements, that dated back to the early 1800s. That all ended for one reason, or another. Mostly politics or religion. I think the early founders, of AA, were aware of a lot of them. And in the 1920s and 1930s, there was something called the Oxford Group. AA borrowed a lot from them, and some early AA members had belonged to the Oxford Group. I think they bit the dust due to politics. WWII was coming on, and, actually, there was quit a bit of support, in the US for Uncle Adolph and fascism. A couple weeks ago, I watched a new documentary, “Nazi Town, U.S.A.” It was pretty interesting to see how out-in-the-open that sort of thing was. Currier and Ives did a few temperance lithographs, in the mid 1800s. I have as couple. Interesting.
Lack of mad cash seems to come and go, here. The ATM’s pretty much spit out 20s, on demand. Though I think I mentioned that’s limited to $300, now.
Sounds like you’re having a bit of weather. 🙂 Yesterday, the high was 82F (27.77C). The overnight low was 57F. Forecast for today is for 64F. And, rain. I think it’s the southern fringe of that atmospheric river, pouring into Canada. But then we’ll have a string of nice days. No frost yet, on the horizon. I think the atmospheric river might be blocking any cold air coming down from Canada. I haven’t seen any news, about the weather up there. All the weather news here, seems to be about the hurricane hitting Florida.
The plates I put under the pumpkins, are some small, styrofoam plates. I picked up a pack, to slip between plates I’m going to pack. I turn them upside down, so water doesn’t pool. Bits of scrap wood might be good. There’s a new craze in bizarre pumpkins. Oh, there’s the usual, round, orange with gentle ridges. But then there’s a lot of pumpkins that look like they’re covered in warts. Why? Why? Ugly as. They’re called “Knucklehead Pumpkins,” if you want to get an eyeful.
I think most of the volunteer tomato’s parentage, is a red cherry tomato. But you’re right. Who knows what pollen might have drifted from other beds.
I just read the chapter in the history of American bookstores, about the rise and fall of the bookstore chains. It was interesting looking at the dates, and how that reflected my experience. My rapid rise at Waldenbooks, came during a period when they were opening about a store a week, somewhere in the U.S.. That’s the early 1970s. That coincided with the shopping mall boom. When they closed my Dalton store, in the late 1980s, that’s when book chains were swallowing each other up. They closed my store, to provide a tidier package, for acquisition. They were bought by Barnes and Noble.
LOL. For every extra wife, you acquire an extra mother-in-law. And probably some other extended family. The Mormons had been run out, and burned out, of at least two towns, back east. Leaders were lynched. They headed west, hoping to find an area where people would just leave them alone.
I think I dodged a bullet, yesterday. I checked my phone and had this odd voicemail. It starts off with very ominous music … in a key of D minor. Then Robo Woman comes on, and says that someone has charged a $1,400 computer, to my River Account, and if it wasn’t me that bought it, I should call them RIGHT AWAY!!! Well, I checked my River account, and there has been no activity for three months. I may be old, but I’m not stupid. Or, not very.
I loaded up the dehydrator, with another load of tomatoes, this morning. I’m surprised that my electric use, and bill, have not really bumped up, that much. Probably a good thing. If there’s a sudden spike in electric and water use, one is likely to have a visit from the authorities, to see if you’ve launched a marihochie plantation. It’s a real tip-off. Lew
Hi, Chris!
I do complain about it, but actually I am very happy when each day is pretty much the same as the one before except for expected seasonal differences. I know there is going to be drama anyway, I just don’t look for it. We used to say: “Don’t borrow trouble.” And as for trouble, Bertie Wooster always had something to say about it that was generally that if the day you are having is one of the brighter and chirpier ones, then you know the hammer’s about to fall. Too true sometimes.
As for certain relatives: Phooey on them. I had problems with my father’s side of the family and with my husband’s family, some of them, and then especially with my own brother. Alcohol and/or drugs were involved in some cases, but some of them were just born cussed.
Well, your rabbit hunting extermination project may be causing a mess, but it will green over. The tank wall is looking so good! That is odd about the shed corrosion. Perhaps they just SAID the metal was galvanized.
Yes, that’s a lot of beautiful firewood!
Neatness is your middle name even with junction boxes.
Silverbeet seed is hard to save. I’ve had indifferent luck doing so. So far, so good, with the fruit blossoms. I hope that luck continues.
What an enjoyable video – thanks! I appreciated getting an overall view of the kitchen garden. And there was Ruby (?)(I couldn’t see the ears) behind in the window and Ollie outside looking noble. Umm – sit, Ollie!
Where you mentioned to Lew, that is worrisome about your bank. Today at the grocery store, one of the cashiers could not take cash as she said there was none in the till. Possibly she said that it couldn’t be unlocked. That would account for it. Usually when there is a computerized till problem, I am one of the few who can pay as I only use cash in shops.
Thanks for the flowers! I especially like the Blackwood.
Pam
Hi Pam,
🙂 It’s a wonderful day when things go smoothly and there are no unanticipated or hidden dramas. As Bertie Wooster most astutely observed, this is not always the case. Although I have observed with Bertie that more often than not, trouble came to him, rather than him seeking it out. Alas, us mere mortals don’t have a Jeeves to sort out the more difficult problems, and so we must sometimes muddle through on our own.
Oooo. What you wrote just there is a very old school belief, and it is one to which I also subscribe. For your interest, alarmingly, the author / economist John Kenneth Galbraith, expressed exactly that sentiment in his book: The Great Crash 1929. In more recent times, you’ve no doubt also heard it expressed as: If it sounds too good to be true, maybe it is! Earlier in the week someone local sought my casual advice, and I provided a candid assessment of the situation, which reflected that old sentiment. If there were free lunches out there, then there’d be free lunches… Surely the chances of encountering a unicorn are more likely?
Oh Pam, so sorry to hear that about the relatives, but what do you do? If ever you come up with a better response than mine, please do let me know? Some folks are just like you say, cussed. It’s not our work to repair that lack, and my best guess is that it is a journey for which they themselves must do the hard yards confronting themselves.
Exactly, the garden beds will soon recover, whilst the rabbits will be increasingly nervous. What’s not to like about that? 🙂 The rock walls work so well when faced with the prospects of sloping land. However, I’m getting the impression that we have more rocks and boulder for such projects than in your part of the world? And as to the corrosion, yeah, it was totally weird. The remainder of the shed will be deconstructed by the end of tomorrow, well, that’s the plan anyway.
🙂 Pam, don’t tell anyone, but it is the perpetual fire risk which forces my hand to keep everything super neat. Plus I just want the power system to work under the worst case scenarios. It’s not much to ask, is it?
Thanks for the tip in relation to your experience with seed saving. Hmm. Beet seeds are funny things, aren’t they? Little clusters of seeds. Hopefully there is less on my plate when the task of seed saving comes around. Ook!
Fingers crossed. There is a risk of frost tomorrow morning. We’ll see how it goes.
Your powers of observation are good, for that indeed was Ruby. That’s how Ollie is, he’s got such a sweet nature for a dog that looks so tough and stuff. And did he listen to me? Noooo. He knew he’d be able to get away with it.
The videos have been an interesting journey. After a few months of trial and error, I reckon people are after a narrative, so yeah, that’s what they’ll get.
🙂 Wise. Very wise indeed. And my methodology is a little bit different as I just go with the flow, and can use either method. And like you said, that has also gotten me out of difficulties – once with a purchase of bulk chicken + dog feed. But yes, such incidents are I believe becoming more common. Hmm. Perhaps the future belongs to the nimble?
It was a lovely day here today with plenty of sunshine, but the air was cold. Brr! Has your place greened up after the recent rains?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Hmm. It’s hard to tell what kind of smoke will set off one of those alarms, but my experience has been that burning food will do just that (admittedly a very rare experience here, burning food that is). But the smoke from a candle, I’ve never seen that happen. You’re in a bit of a pickle there though. I mean how do you put the candle smoke to the ultimate test, without incurring the risk of setting off the fire alarm? A mystery, don’t you reckon? Speaking of such matters, have the hazmat and clean-up teams now been and gone through the apartment of death?
Dunno about you, but the pre-emptive nature of those earlier temperance groups kind of would have rubbed me up the wrong way. By way of explanation: I’d be enjoying a quiet drink at the local, sticking to my preferred single pint of dark ale, and then suddenly the temperance folks would barge in the door all self righteous and stuff, possibly of the fairer sex, banging upon drums and telling me that I’m an awful sinner and going straight to hell, before then decamping to the next pub. Headache worthy for sure. That frightening experience would definitely require a second drink (which wasn’t even on my mind in the first place) in order to soothe my now shattered nerves. Yeah, I can see why such groups ultimately failed. Hey, perhaps it was a cunning plan, much like very salty food and snacks, to get the customers to spend more at the establishment? Such things have been known to happen.
Wilson and Smith were some larger than life characters, particularly Wilson. Clever blokes to have worked their way out of the maze, with a dash of belladonna. And the Oxford Group are still around today, albeit with a different name. And I’m really impressed with number ten, not to get involved and side tracked in any other business, for any reason. Few precepts can provide as much protection for the Club as that one.
It’s not as if your country hasn’t had a war with the UK in the long distant past, so I could well comprehend how Germany had cultural ties. And err, not to mention doing business with both countries. One of the Wodehouse books which was set just prior to WWII, had a character who was very much an out there Fascist, so prior to WWII the movement was mooted as an alternative to the status quo. Bad ideas rarely germinate in good soils, just sayin. 🙂 Didn’t some cheeky wag from such a group cut the opening ribbon at the Sydney Harbour Bridge ceremony?
Oh man, it’s getting cold here. 37’F now outside and hope that there’s no frost tomorrow… Ook! Had the day off work and headed north to pick-up some supplies from a cold store which sells to the public. Much to my surprise a bunch of tourists were there as well. Never seen that before. One of them had spat out chewing gum, which ended up on the underside of my boot. Remarkably sticky stuff. Disgusting habit. You don’t usually see such things in the country. Oh well. Went for a walk in a nature reserve which we had pretty much all to ourselves. Despite the sunshine, the air has been very cold all day. Brr!
Our local mad cash, is perhaps under attack? 🙂
Your weather sounds really nice to me. Apart from an initial item of news about the hurricane, we haven’t heard anything about the atmospheric river to the north of you. News possibly ain’t what it used to be. Hey, it’s meant to be sunny tomorrow here, and also a public holiday for the footy finals, so the plan is to completely demolish the shed, the one with the rust. It’s a plan, will it be achieved, let’s find out! 🙂 But with a public holiday, I ain’t heading out anywhere.
Ah, styrofoam is a good choice for the plates, and nice idea turning them upside down. That would work. Sometimes I chuck dry sugar cane mulch under pumpkins which need the assistance, but your plate idea wouldn’t turn to soil like the mulch does. Ooo, they are warty things aren’t they? A work of plant breeders apparently. Hmm. They’d probably require more water than I’m prepared to supply such plants. Some background reading suggested the warts were caused by the plant taking up an excess of water, and then the trait was bred into the hybrid variety.
Have you noticed that your saved cherry tomato varieties get slightly larger as time goes on?
Oh! Did shopping malls begin to boom in the 1970’s? I recall the first ones down under, and the things were huge to my young eyes, but are probably much bigger again nowadays. There are abandoned shopping malls in your country – the images are super creepy, like something out of a post apocalyptic zombie flick.
Interestingly, the author / economist John Kenneth Galbraith mentioned that swallowing up of smaller enterprises in his book: ‘The Great Crash 1929’ – which I’m reading now. That took place in the 1920’s. Basically, such rapid expansion and take overs worked when credit was cheap and the returns were good. If either variable becomes no longer valid, then a great unwinding occurs. Oh my, both households and corporates combined own way more debt relative to GDP than your goobermint. All very exciting, and makes me wonder how it will all be paid for? I’m sure the same situation occurs down here. I stand corrected, things look far worse for down under, particularly for households. Who can stay their hand when so much partying is going on? Had rice, veg and eggs for dinner this evening. Just the thing for a cold Antarctic night.
Yeah, and all those reasons as well for avoiding the multiple wife thing. Not for me. I did also read that tensions, incidents and reprisals had been simmering prior to the massacre. The road to perdition is a long journey, and for your interest, a desire to be left alone has been mentioned quite commonly in the other parts of the world I’ve travelled to.
Beware the sense of impending urgency! And I’ve heard that sales folks employ that technique as well. Wise to cross check such claims. Seems like every couple of days there is a story in the media about someone having been taken for their savings via a scam.
I believe that people use the most electricity on days of extreme weather – either hot or cold. That sort of spike does get investigated, so too does people who steal electricity from the grid. I’ve heard that some nefarious folks bypass the meters.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – The Hazmat team has long come and gone. A new tenant moved into that apartment. A quiet little old lady that I seldom see out and about. The perfect neighbor. 🙂 I’m sure the other Inmates have filled her in, on the history of her apartment. Not a clue as to how she feels about that.
Cary Nation was the one who ran about, busting up bars with her ax. Scroll down, and you’ll see her in a photo, with her infamous ax.
https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/the-old-battle-axe
Doesn’t look like a fun date. 🙂
War with the UK? Twice! Don’t forget the War of 1812. That’s when the Brits burned our White House, and the First Lady, Dolly Madison had to flee, with a wagon load of tat, from said house. She dined out on that tale, for years. They also burned Congress, including … the Library of Congress. And, there were other skirmishes. Such as the 1859 Pig War, right up in our own Puget Sound. Talk about poor losers! 🙂
Our high yesterday, was 63F (17.22C). Overnight low was 48F. forecast for today is 70F. It rained enough, yesterday, that I didn’t have to water the garden. As far as the forecast goes, we’ll have about another week of temperate temperatures, in the 70s. Scattered big white fluffy clouds.
I did a bit of digging, to find out what’s going on, weather wise, up in British Columbia. They had one atmospheric river come in, and another is following close behind. The last one stalled, a bit. Localized flooding, 300mm (11+ inches) of rain, and threats of landslides. The next go-around will pack high winds.
Yes, the tomato volunteer seems to be about twice the size of its parent cherry tomato. It’s a red. It’s not producing a lot of tomatoes, but then, maybe in better soil … I planted a yellow and a red cherry tomato. I’ve noticed the yellow outproduces the red by about 2 to 1.
When I was working for Waldenbooks, in the early 1970s, it seemed like there was a new shopping mall, being built in the LA basin, about once a month. And every one had a bookstore. If store managers could take the time, we were called in to help them get stocked. I helped stock a few. The brand new mall that I managed a store in, was enormous. Westminster Mall. Four major department stores (the anchors), a food court in the middle, and two floors of smaller shops, stitching the whole thing, together.
Zombie movies and malls, indeed. Who can forget “Dawn of the Dead,” either the original or the remake. A lot was made over its supposed sociological context of commenting on consumerism.
Yes, household debt is a bit staggering. Financial gurus are always advising people who stagger under such debt, as to how to get out from under. I think the best advice I’ve seen, is, get a second job. Even if it’s delivering pizzas. I have one card, and it gets paid off, every month. If it get a little “up” there, I postpone any additional purchases, until the next month. I’ve got some pretty hefty savings (to me) and a couple of CDs, in case anything unexpected comes up. Can’t say I’ve been this fiscally responsible, all my life, but apparently with age comes a bit of wisdom. And, restraint. 🙂
I saw an interesting article, on American food, yesterday.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/american-food-best-dishes-cuisine
It’s interesting how some origin stories, are murky. How some versions of one dish compete (Manhattan or New England Clam chowder? New England, please), and foreign foods are adapted … and often returned to their country of origin, in an altered state.
I also picked a book up from the library, yesterday. “The Food Book: The Stories, Science, and History of What We Eat.” No author. Why no author? Because it comes from DK (publishing), which cranks out books on a number of topics. They aren’t so much publishers, as book packagers. Teams of authors and graphic designers, put the books together. They have a coffee table book flavor. Interesting, none the less. Lew
Chris,
Sorta behind today. Yesterday was dental work day. Then the big windstorm hit. Biggerer than forecast. A thunderstorm joined in just for grins. The 60 mile per hour gusts shook the house. Rain was literally blowing in sheets. Although power was out around us due to downed branches knocking down power lines, we were fine. Today has been cleaning up debris that blew in from all over. The rain that came with it? Maybe quarter inch in 10 minutes, so it just ran off the ground into the streets and muddled the cars.
Hopefully back to regularly scheduled programs on Friday. 😉
DJSpo
Hi DJ,
Big winds and even biggerer dental work. Not the usual day in Spokane! The dental work was for your lady was it not? Hope that you are both doing OK now, and that things have settled down.
Those sorts of wind gusts are not too far off minor tornado strength. Were any reported in the area? And did the power come back online without too much hassle?
The day after a storm inevitably brings lots of work, sorry to say. Was Dame Avalanche freaked out by the storm?
By a considerably different contrast, today was delightful down here. It may have reached 17’C for a few minutes, the frost was dodged, and there was no wind to speak of. We pulled down the rest of the shed, removed the electrical conduit lines, then levelled the site. Me tired…
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Oh! Well that was fast with the new neighbour moving in. And quiet neighbours make for good neighbours, unless they’re quiet because they’re up to some serious mischief, like I dunno, running a meth lab. That would be a bad thing don’t you reckon, but who would dare suspect the nice quiet lady living across the hall?
That’s an interesting point, and yeah, people can get very weird about such things. We’ve mentioned this subject before, but when I was a kid, people did used to literally drop dead. That was not an unknown experience, and so death was just a thing which sadly happened. There’s something lost in the push to institutionalise the passing of life.
And Cary Nation appears to have been the inspiration for the ‘old battle axe’ saying. Hmm, a formidable lady. Not a fan, and I agree with you. There’d be no fun on that date for sure. The determined set of her mouth tells me everything I need to know. I dunno about such acts, I mean, it’s great theatre, possibly awesome for the lady’s ego, but does such things really change people? The 12 steps are an entirely different path.
What? Twice? Well this is news to me. I’d not previously heard of the war of 1812, and yes, press ganging citizens into the navy is a provocative act. And yes, the building copped a hiding based on the painting. Not much left really other than the burnt shell. Still, the building appears to have been rebuilt, and tensions soothed. The wikipudding article suggested that neither side was really invested in a long drawn out squabble, and it would have been quite difficult for the UK to have supplied their forces over such a distance. Oh, and I’d not heard of the 1859 Pig War either. Dotted lines on a map, although some of the San Juan islands look quite appealing.
The weather between here and your part of the world is remarkably similar at this swap over time of year. Had to water the greenhouse today because it was a bit drier in there than perhaps it should have been. Ook. We’re getting UV rated as ‘High’ now, and trust me, you can feel the sun even when it’s only maxing out briefly at 63’F.
Dodged the frost! Yay, it’s a good day to be us. 🙂 The day was sunny, cool, but hot in the sun. Completely dismantled the shed. There were a couple of electrical cables for the 12V solar which were in conduit that all had to be relocated. And then the entire site got levelled. Proving that you never really have enough soil from this sort of work, there was not nearly as much soil as anticipated. In fact, there was no spare soil from all that work. The Editor came up with a good idea to shift the down hill rock wall so as to provide more flat space, and yeah, that ate all the spare soil (which was intended to be used on another project – the water tank rock wall). Oh well. Finished at sun down, and then had a well deserved small chunk of lamington (the remainder was shared with the Editor and dogs) and a coffee. By Monday, the water tank there should be in place, and we’ll begin filling it up from the house system. Things move crisply here. 😉
Far out, that’s some truly awful weather up north of you. When that sort of rain gets into fire affected areas, there’s not much to stop the landslides. Oh goodie for them, high winds in store… Ook!
That’s the thing with tomatoes. We all tend to plant them in good soil, and they produce well. In poorer soils, they’ll do ok, but not nearly as well. And oh yeah, yellow cherry tomatoes are feral for productivity. And they taste the same, if not better. One of my favourites is this one: Tomato ‘Barry’s Crazy Cherry’ (Organic). The photo is representative of what we’ve achieved with the plant.
New shopping malls down here are rare mainly due I’m guessing to land costs and availability, but yeah things were different back in the 1970’s on that front. Makes you wonder where the consumer demand for the malls came from?
True, and I was trying to forget Dawn of the Dead, the John Carpenter version. Fast zombies, utterly hopeless situation. Scared me from the first minute or two, and didn’t let up for the entire film. I’ve heard that talk as well, or it could just be a super scary film genre?
They call that a side hustle nowadays, and hey, I used to fix up old houses for profit, so it’s not a bad option – if you can hack the hours and work. I follow a similar strategy, and yes, if needed, just like you, we can hold back. There used to be an old saying about: “family hold back”. It was very suggestive as to economic hard times.
Thanks so much for the food article. It’s hard to pick just one, but the seafood gumbo called to me. Yum! As a mostly vegetarian, I just didn’t understand the barbecue… There’s some good stuff with the rest of the dishes. Anything stand out to you?
Oh yeah, the New England clam chowder is how the dish is meant to look and taste. Just the thing for a cold winters evening in front of a crackling wood fire. Oh, add in some chunky bread too for dunking purposes. I get the tomato broth, but it’s not the same really, is it? Well yeah, didn’t pizza originate in your country, then spread back to Europe?
Learn anything interesting from the Food Book? You’d hope the book had a decent editor who pulled the disparate team together?
Cheers
Chris
hazelnuts- all dry now, and will be hauling to the neighbor with the prototype husking equipment soon.
wind- I thought about wind here, as we are atop the ridge, with good resource for the area. But they are a much more maintenance effort, and more expertise in keeping in good working order. We get very cold winters, freezing rain, all kinds of issues.
A nearby homesteader has a wind turbine, tried to encourage me to do the same, but he’s a professional, and I’d be in over my head.
green timber- the shrinkage and potential warping are the added dimension to consider ( pun intended). If your design accommodates that, it will be fine.
Yo, Chris – I think our floor (the 3d), tends to be more quiet than the second floor. Luck of the draw, I guess. Most of the folks up here seem to lay low, and keep themselves, to themselves.
Yes. One never knows what might be going on, behind closed doors. Although not much goes on, in this building, that doesn’t eventually become known.
Oh, people still fall over, like a sack of potatoes. But these days, are whisked away, with dispatch. If one dies “unattended”, ie: not in a hospital or with hospice around, or something, autopsies are performed, to make sure nothing untoward happened. It’s interesting. A lot of the mysteries I watch kick off with misdirected deaths. Did the woman fall in the stream and drown by misadventure? But why does she have salt water in her lungs? A guy hanging from a tree? Then why the poison chocolate / strawberry candy, in his stomach? Overwhelmed police departments often write off deaths as suicide or natural causes. When they aren’t.
Yes, Carrie Nation was all about theatre. And, I think, she sure liked the attention. Reminds me of our current crop of “eco-warriors,” splashing stuff on paintings, or, glueing themselves, to same. Makes the news, but not much changes, as far as I can see.
The White House has a long and interesting history. There are still a few places, where you can see scorched brick. Back during the Truman administration (early 1950s), the place was completely gutted and rebuilt on the inside. After a piano leg, on the second floor, punched through the floor. A serious engineering look was taken. And, it was discovered that the whole place was about to cave in. The First Family moved to new digs, while construction was going on.
Any new tenant, tends to put their own stamp on the place. They can borrow from deep government warehouses and museums. And, an occasional First Lady decides the place is looking a bit tatty, and has an attack of redecorating. Usually costly, but these days, they shamelessly look for private donations.
Our high yesterday was 70F (21.11C). The overnight low was 57F. Forecast for today is 69F. It got pretty breezy, yesterday afternoon. I watered, and, of course, rain showed up, later. But not much. A thing of nice days, coming up. Tomorrow is the date of the earliest frost I have recorded. So, any time now …
I finished up hacking back the grapes, yesterday. They should be ripe in a few days. I also removed volunteers, from here and there. Darned squirrels! Cut back a wild rose, that was overwhelming a blueberry. Tossed it all in the back of my truck, and made a dump run, this morning. Stopped by the Club for a cuppa, and gassed with some of my peeps. Veg store, for some backup Roma tomatoes. I’ve got 9 quarts, in bags in my pantry. Three more to go.
You’ve got the canvas primed, for your new woodshed. Peak dirt? 🙂
Well, malls were a new phenomenon. Climate controlled shopping. And, out in the suburbs, they became social spaces, where there weren’t many. Especially for teenagers. See the movie, “Mall Rats.” They also provided indoor space, for old duffers to walk. Mall Walkers. Usually followed by socializing, at a coffee stand. Just out of curiosity, I checked out what’s going on with a couple of the malls, I worked in, in California. Westminster and Huntington Beach. They’re not quit ghost malls, but a shadow of their former selves. And, there are plans to demolish parts of them, and build housing. Some of it “affordable.”
Speaking of scary movies, first we had “Cocaine Bear.” Now we have “Crackcoon.” As in raccoon. I watched the trailer. Low, low production values … even lower than “Cocaine Bear.” But, buckets of blood. If our library gets it, popcorn will be had. 🙂
By the way, when I dropped off the “I Survived” book, I asked the clerk if the series was popular. It is. Very.
Most of the stuff on the food list, I found quit palatable. As I don’t each much meat, barbecue doesn’t really appeal, though I’ve been to some barbecues and the food, was tasty. One thing foreign folks noticed about America, was the availability of cheap meats. Which inspired a lot of cuisine, and adaptations of their homeland cuisine.
The Eggs Benedict did not appeal. No runny eggs! Cobb Salad, Poke and Mission Burrito just seemed to… fusion. And overworked. Years ago, I did have homemade Gumbo, by a black lady from New Orleans. It was really good.
I read some of the comments, and there were several complaints, about items left off the list. And, I discovered there’s a third kind of clam chowder. More a clear broth chowder, made with the clam juice, probably from the liquid in the tins. I’ll stick with New England.
That’s a very pretty tomato, that you grow. Interesting little dimple, on the end. The red cherry tomatoes I grow are Sweet One Hundred. The yellow cherry tomato I grow, is Sugar Sun Sweet.
Oh, the food book is a good pick up and browse, if I have a few spare minutes. If one didn’t know much about food, it would be an engrossing and informative read. I finished the history of American bookstores. And started reading the new bio of the artist Monet. What a doorstop! Lew