Sometimes it amazes me to look back and think of how things used to be around here. One of the undocumented side effects of producing the recent YouTube videos, is that both Sandra and I are looking back at photos of the property from years ago. It’s quite surprising to see the photos, and then ask the hard question: Was it really like that? Well, the facts on the ground based on the photos, very much suggest that it was like that. Hmm.
Living up the bush, as they say, is a very different experience from that of city life. Sandra and I were both born and raised in the city. That was our jungle, and we could navigate our way around the urban spaces. We had the good jobs, lived in a nice house in the inner burbs, and so had absolutely no idea about living on the land. Yet, you know, we knew how to learn, and weren’t afraid of hard work, kept open minds, and so headed up into the forest and hills off on an adventure.
Years, and years later, we still don’t know heaps about plenty of things, but can at least make the claim that there’s some stuff we do know. It kind of all reminds me of a snoring incident from a year or two ago. The guilty person in this case will not be named. Turns out, despite doing years of martial arts training and long distance running as a young bloke, I didn’t have the slightest clue about the gentle art of breathing. Sandra err, knew even less about this subject, which candidly was about the same level as I. It’s something us humans do all the time too, so why didn’t either of us know anything about it?
In many ways, we’re both natural scholars, and so we decided to bone up on the subject of breathing. Who knew there were people out there walking among us, for whom the subject of breathing – is a special interest. Now, I have nothing but high regard for these folks, and as it’s their special interest, they’ll do all the hard yards and run the months and years of personal experimentation, saving us lesser mortals a lot of hard graft and guess work.
One of the most interesting sources of knowledge was a book by the author: James Nestor, titled: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. I can already sense that some readers here are thinking to themselves: Chris has gone woo-woo. Sure, yeah, everyone’s entitled to an opinion. Look I’m a deeply practical guy and focus on results: Does this here thing you’re talking about, work? After all, there’s only so many hours in a life, and I’m not wasting any of them. But admittedly it all does sound a little bit woo-woo, so please hang in with me here!
As I mentioned, the book is a journey, and last I checked, I don’t really need to know how monks perform some sort of unusual breathing exercise in order to survive long periods of time in deep meditation in super cold environments whilst wearing the minimal basic monks garb. Such esoteric knowledge, is a step too far. What I did take away from the deep dive of that time, is that it is probably a very good thing for a person to focus on breathing primarily through their nose. The benefits are quite interesting and rewarding.
As a child my nose had been broken, so I could only ever breathe through one side of my nose, unless I was doing sports. The adrenalin apparently opened up both sides of my nose, and so sport provided a pressure relief for my sinuses. As you’d imagine being the crafty and resourceful person I am, I did a lot of sports and other physical activities. But as a young adult working a full time job, I’d had enough of the problems, and used what little spare mad cash I had, to go to a surgeon and get my nose fixed, which he did. I was blithely unaware of the serious consequences if the the job was stuffed up, which fortunately is a relatively rare occurrence. Anyway, after going under the knife, plus a day or so of healing, the packs were removed from my nose. I never new so much blood could ooze out of my face. The nurse doing that work was characteristically unsympathetic to my distress and not shy about communicating her feelings in the matter. But a fortnight later, for the first time I could recall, I could regularly breathe through both sides of my nose at once. Relief.
Back to more recent events though. It was Sandra who took the initiative on this journey, and forced herself to breathe through her nose as much as possible all day and (most importantly) at night. At the time I was sceptical, but kept an open mind until the results were in. And it was hard to forget that the experiment produced a couple of really nasty blood clots. Horrid looking things, and admittedly I was a bit worried that a crime scene investigation team might get the wrong idea. So we’ve shone the black light on this pillow and found some unusual stains, do you mind coming down to the station to assist us with our enquiries sir? Not the sort of words you ever want to hear.
Turns out, Sandra had also been only able to breathe through one side of her nose. But since this very interesting experiment, she can now use both sides. You may say: So what? But let me tell you this little interesting side effect, breathing primarily through the nose at all times, has meant that we both sleep right through the night. And the snoring has gone. There are other changes as well. It’s been a fascinating journey this experiment, and I’m now left wondering: What else of practical use don’t I know anything about? Candidly, there’s probably more stuff than I have time on this planet for! A dude’s just gotta face one issue at a time, and go from there. If you, dear reader, have an interesting esoteric area of practical knowledge you’d like to share, please don’t keep it to yourself!
Speaking of having to work things out, regular readers will recall that Rabbit WarsTM have been going on here this past month or so. We’ve got a huge swath of Echium plants to remove. The dense woody vegetation is providing way too much shelter for the rabbit resistance to hide in, and so they have to go.
It’s a bit late in the season to be lighting a big burn off, and the Echium plants are so twisted and gnarled we can’t run them through the scary old wood chipper. What to do? We got creative and tested a theory on the woody wormwood shrubs which were removed a week or so ago for much the same reason. The gnarly plant material was dumped in a depression in the ground, then we ran it over with the powerful low centre of gravity mower. All the material got blitzed up nicely, so we’ll begin removing the Echium’s over the next few weeks using the same technique. I was amazed at how little material was left over after this week’s effort.
Observant readers will note that in the image above, the soil in this particular forest edge area is very poor, and so hopefully all of the organic material can only be of benefit, maybe.
You have to have systems for everything. A few weeks ago we dismantled an old rusting steel shed. The corrugated steel sheets were left in an area for us to sort out later. We of course hadn’t counted on a brief wind storm, and so the sheets decided they’d be better if they were spread around a bit. This time around, the sheets have been sorted by materials type and size – then weighted down.
The brief wind storm also somehow managed to split a fruit tree in half. As a note, we recovered a dozen pieces of firewood from the tree, and turned the rest of it into mulch using the scary old wood chipper. The mulch was then added back to the garden bed.
It’s been a weird old week of weather. One morning the outside air temperature was 0’C / 32’F.
You don’t really want to experience such weather when the fruit trees are in blossom, because it usually comes with frost. There was ice on the ground in some, but not all parts of the garden. Bizarrely, the orchards and forest were free of frost, except for the very edges. Didn’t expect that to happen. Somehow the trees must release heat at night during this time of year.
Other days, the weather has been glorious and sunny, but on the cooler side of things. The smoke from the many burn offs in the area are producing some stunning sunsets:
The state government has again been conducting large scale burn offs in the area. Quite sensible really, other than the sheer scale of the burns. It would perhaps be better if the burns were done on a smaller scale so as to allow time for the forest critters to escape and fight their way into new homes, if they can.
A few hours were spent shifting large rocks from the new firewood shed site. The rocks were moved downhill, and then placed in the new rock wall which retains soil along the line of the water tanks. The first layer of rocks is about two thirds done. Sadly, yet again, we’ve now run out of large rocks and will soon have to split some boulders.
It’s a busy time of year, and the large citrus and potato enclosure was mown. Also a half cubic metre (0.65 cubic yards) of purchased soil like product was dumped in there. Some of that stuff was placed at the end of each of the potato rows, and will be used to hill up the vines as they grow – which they are, despite the frost.
Most days I’ve simply grabbed some soil using a scoop and then hilled up the potato vines. The art is probably more complicated than that, but this is the first time I’ve taken this approach with the plants. Also of interest to me is that the saved potato seeds from previous years are much slower growing than the certified virus free spuds.
Another cement step was poured on the new concrete garden staircase.
The step dried rapidly in the warm days, and so we poured another.
In the above image, you can see that the wind damaged tree has been pruned and the mulch was placed back around it’s trunk as soil food.
In breaking produce news:
The almonds were unaffected by the frost, and are rapidly gaining in size. Hopefully, they’ll be ready to harvest once the green fuzzy outer coats begin to split open. That should be sometime around late January.
The apricots are showing signs of frost damage, but it’s possible it’ll only be superficial skin damage. Apricots grown in this part of the continent tend to always show spotty skin damage usually from this sort of weather which happens every year. A grower simply hopes that the conditions aren’t severe enough for the fruit to drop off the tree in shock.
One of the smaller peach trees appears to be producing quite a lot of fruit. I may have to thin the fruit on that tree, but we’ll see. I believe the variety is known as ‘Golden Queen’ and they’re very tasty.
Pears and apples are great trees because they simply shrug off cold snaps.
This weeks video is a new format… Just trying stuff to see what resonates.
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 11am is 16’C (61’F). So far for last year there has been 723.0mm (28.5 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 720.6mm (28.4 inches)
Yo, Chris – How do we know the photos aren’t photoshopped or AI constructed? 🙂
Yup. There’s nothing like blowing a big ol’ blood clot, out of your sinuses, to make you sit up and take notice.
Hmm. Interesting esoteric area of knowledge. Well, if I had bothered to read Mr. Greer’s recent posts, I could tell you all about Wagner’s Ring Cycle. But I didn’t, so I can’t 🙂 . Recently, I’ve taken a dive down the rabbit hole, to research sleep walking, for a friend.
The low center of gravity mower, probably isn’t near as much fun as the scary old wood chipper. But, it sounds (and looks) like it does the job.
The sunset picture is calendar worthy.
The water tanks and giant rocks, look monumental. You can probably see that set up, from space.
I can never figure out how much to mound up the dirt, around potatoes. How much is too much? How much is not enough? I’m glad the almonds, peaches and apricots look as though they’re going to make it into good weather. Have you ever made apricot juice? It’s pretty tasty stuff.
I don’t know how your video is going to be received. Like the hat. You were photo bombed by a chicken.
The succulent flowers are just weird and colorful. Who needs daffodils? Lew
Hi Lewis,
If someone hadn’t casually suggested all those years ago that the photos were artificially generated, would any of us nice folks here even have had such a thought? See, it turns out a bloke has to be careful who he hangs out with. You read that warning here first, although I can’t now really say for sure whether the thought was even my own, and upon consideration it may be good advice handed down from who knows where. Far out man! You see the deep philosophical waters we’re now wading in to? Dude, what is real?
Backing away slowly from such mental conundrums, just in case either of our brains explode – scanners style. The only upside of that situation is that the clean up work would be by necessity done by someone else.
Yup, so true. I have taken your earlier advice on board and have studiously avoided over the years discussing health matters, but a little trip into the land of woo-woo, could be seen as a certain type of counterpoint? Maybe… The blood clot was all to real, and let’s just say that it wasn’t mine. But yes, in life a person can have pivotal moments where nothing is quite the same afterwards. Incidentally, that can happen in the large societal sphere as well.
Lewis, you are like super-bad to say such things. 🙂 Man, I mentioned that the Strauss character was cursed, but even that got no traction, so aren’t you at least a little bit curious to see where things are headed? Mr Greer is of course the master of surprise, and I’m amazed that the cursed musical genius way in the past could see the end point of his beloved civilisation which he viewed as his own personal fast food take away outlet. Dude, it was just like every other one before it. It probably shocked ol’ Wagner the realisation that he’d have to take up a garden hoe and work for a living. 😉
Hmm! Interesting indeed. That is a very fascinating topic, and the Editor long ago used to sleep walk. At first it freaked me out, then I began wondering about what part of the brain had taken charge and so conducted a few experiments, but nothing finalised the matter like resolving the underlying issues. I tend to follow a live and let live approach with life, but waking me up in the middle of the night is bound to bring things to a suitable and speedy resolution. Let’s just say that I became motivated… 🙂 How’s your friend going with this? I’m actually quite curious about the matter as well.
The powerful low centre of gravity lacks the fun of the scary old wood chipper, because by and large the Editor monopolises the powerful machine and so I don’t get to use it. It’s notably hard to form opinions from a position of a lack of first-hand experience. But I tell ya, I see the smiles from afar! Hmm. I checked out the Japanese cutting blades after the rough usage we put that powerful machine too, and they looked as good as new. Best to keep one’s fingers and toes away from such might. And sadly the Echiums have to go. I’m not a fan of the rabbits. And interestingly the local farmer had the young blokes up again over the weekend hunting deer. They look quite capable, except their heavy duty canvas tent looks as though it would be better in a ren-fair.
Thanks, and you’d hope the powers that be have better things to do than admire the view from space? No doubt such folks lack hobbies.
Man, I have no idea about how much soil to mound up around the potato vines either, but it is very possible that there are limits like err, including how much soil like stuff I can afford to bring in here. 🙂 The experiment with the saved seed potatoes is quite enlightening, and I’m now wondering how the old-timers used to manage that issue. I doubt seed raising labs were around back in the day. Have you ever heard anything about that trick with saving potato seed?
As each day goes along, the chances of harvesting some of these sorts of marginal fruits, is increasing. For four years, some extreme weather event or another have wiped them all out here, so fingers crossed. I love sun ripened apricots and I’ve never had the juice, but I can imagine that it would be very good. They’re an aromatic fruit don’t you reckon, which we normally bottle and jam. Yum!
utub is a total mystery to me, but we’re just trying things until we hit our groove. From what I see, the game there is to hand over mad cash for what they call, err, boosting. We’re testing the algorithm to see whether there are any ways around that, otherwise the boozts (!) demands may beggar the kingdom. It is after all a business. The chickens are fun aren’t they? And have such cheeky personalities. Some things are good, some are way beyond good, and Michael the hat dude in the big smoke introduced me to: Hanna hats of Donegal
Thanks, and the flowers are a highlight! The succulent garden bed enjoyed it’s recent prune.
Oh my! Those houses are perhaps not for the likes of you and I! Spensive, so you’d hope that they rode out the hurricane and afterwards in comfort. There is certainly a bit of that going on, and they were right at sea level so yeah, what could possibly go wrong? I’d imagine if the outer islands went under, the water wouldn’t stop there.
Christopher Columbus has a miserable looking face with the eyes of a person that I wouldn’t trust. There’s some speculation going on about the bloke lately, but big deal, who cares? Are people so bored that they’d investigate such matters. I need to put them to work hauling rocks back up the hill. 😉
I must say that I’m sensing the distinct absence of sympathy from you here. 🙂 All these activists are changing things in such a way that it’s messing up my schedule. Do they even care? Now New Years day could work, but right now, that’s not an option. But yeah, buck up and stuff, and hopefully the rest of the year is not tarnished!
Thanks for taking the deep dive on our behalf. Peak World Fair perhaps? I wonder if the rise of television had anything to do with the decline and fall of the world fairs?
Ah, yes of course, I forgot, but you’ve mentioned the goats and blackberry clearing before. Makes a person wonder how goats can even consume such spiky canes. Hopefully no goats escaped during your watch, but given that you are still friends, I’d have to suggest the answer is no, maybe? Did they eventually do OK there with all of the fires in their area?
It was a bit cooler here today than where you are. Got up early and did a shandy day of paid work and work around here. We spent about four hours splitting and hauling firewood from the pile of rounds nearest to the forest edge – best to reduce snake risk with such piles, although there is always some of that gear to worry about. The weather forecast suggested more rain than actually fell, so whilst it was dry, that’s firewood time. The Cherokee Bank of Firewood is as you’d imagine, filling up.
Garlic is quite expensive here too, although a bit is brought in from the land of stuff, and the spray turns it slightly off the usually expected colour. Hmm. But I agree, savings are to be made in the garden and kitchen. That amount of cloves would be very good for your health.
Yeah, exactly you can get ambushed, and need I recall the Breaking Bad series? For best sleep, that show had to be avoided due to it making little sense to my brain. Funnily enough I didn’t get that disturbed sleep effect with Dexter, dunno why.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Chris,
Oh dear, yet another book to add to the list. No worries about the nature of the book. I’m into the woo a bit. I probably have mentioned it before but I attend an excellent yoga class once a week and our instructor includes pranayama breathing techniques at the end of each session. I used to be a mouth breather especially when stress with short shallow breaths but not anymore. I call the class “old lady yoga”. Our instructor just turned 65, the youngest member of the class is about the same age and the rest of us are 70 or older. It’s a small class so every post can be modified individually depending on what issue each person has. She has specifically centers on back issues and has been very helpful. I have a lot of back issues. When I had an MRI done 3 years ago my doctor immediately referred to me to a pain specialist to get steroid shots but I nixed that idea and in fact was rather surprised as I didn’t have that much pain. Anyway I’m still upright and walk at least 3 miles a day, do my yoga practice and work with weights and I attribute that to my instructor. Anyway, thanks for the book recommendation.
Still no rain but quite beautiful weather. We do have frost and freeze warnings for Tuesday and Wednesday but then it’s back to above normal temperatures.
I’ve taken the risk of posting your latest video on Facebook just to see people’s reaction. I think I put something on Facebook about once a year.
Margaret
@Pam
Don’t know if you’ll get a chance to see this but I wanted to express my sympathy for what you’re going through. It’s got to be so hard. I’m glad your son is able to help out some.
Margaret
Yo, Chris – Deep philosophical waters? This sucker is going down! Grab a life vest and hope for the best. 🙂 During WWII, military guys referred to their inflatable life vests as “Mae Wests.” The wags.
Oh, I’ve had a few of those “Nothing will be the same, moments.” 9/11, was one. When it became apparent, that the lockdowns for You Know What, were a real thing, that was another.
Super-bad to say such things? You don’t know the restraint, I manage to attain. I thought a few things, I decided not to say, after reading your blog post (a nose job? Cosmetic surgery? A nation of mouth breathers?), but thought better of it. 🙂
I have zero (_-0- ) interest in Wagner. Other than knowing the basics, to appear to be culturally literate.
I haven’t seen the friend (who has a friend) who sleep walks. I’ve done a bit of research. Causes? Stress, genetics, who knows what. There are supposed cures, sleep labs, drugs, therapy. Heck, there are so many opinions on what dreams are, and sleep walking falls in there, somewhere. The only thing that made any kind of sense was what to do if you had a sleepwalking child. Who was maybe on some kind of schedule. Wake them up 15 minutes before an episode, keep them up for a little while, and then put them back to bed. I guess sleepwalking is fairly common in children, but they tend to grow out of it, by adolescence.
Sad about the Echiums. They were blue, weren’t they? Maybe a small patch, somewhere? Or, even in a container? Take that, rascally rabbits! You won’t entirely deprive me of my Echiums!
I took a look down the rabbit hole, to see about saving potato seeds. Most of the articles were on saving seed potatoes. The old, look for the eyes, and plant chunks. But I did find one article about saving the actual seed, which looks pretty good. “Save Potato Seeds: A Step by Step Guide.” by Joel George. At a site called planthd. Although there’s a glitch, in the article. At the very end (well past the important parts), it lapses into saving pumpkin seeds.
Ohhh. Hanna hats are quit nice. I wonder how I’d look in one? Just yesterday, I tried on a black cowboy style hat, that I’ve had in the closet, for years. I look ridiculous. I’ll have to find a home for it. I couldn’t even convince myself to wear it out of the house, even though it is the Halloween season.
I don’t know about the Worlds Fairs demise, and TV. TV, at least here, was well ensconced by 1964. And there were plenty of TV ads for the fair.
My friends were raising the two goats for meat. They were doing everything “by the book,” and feedback from other goat owners. I always had the feeling that some of the hoops they had to jump through, were the lenocracy in full cry. And the hoops were expensive. Maybe your friends in The Big Shed have some insight into that.
Yesterday’s high was 75F (23.88C). The overnight low was 48F. Forecast for today is 66F. There’s quit a change in the weather, today. It’s pretty breezy out, and there are clouds moving in from the west. Rain and showers in the forecast, for the next week. The autumn rains are here. I won’t have to water, tonight.
Last night, I finished cleaning out my little guerrilla garden patch. Iris. Oh, my. A solid patch. But, I managed to use a fork, to get them all lifted. Replanted a few, and potted up 5 for the Master Gardeners sale, next year. They’re a blue and white miniature iris, called Captain Jack. Also gifted some to the Master Gardeners who come on Mondays. Then I planted another variety of garlic, from the sampler I bought.
Only three of the Master Gardeners, showed up, this morning. Basically kicked around ideas for next year. They haven’t settled on anything, yet. Usually, they have at least one big project, on the go. This year, it was taking out a few trees, and revitalizing a patch with lots of roses in it. Lew
Hi Margaret,
Oh no! The sneaky book recommendation has struck yet again. 🙂 Who doesn’t love such things? However, as you have access to a veritable treasure trove of books which are in the second hand world, I feel that it is my duty to say that that sooner or later, most things you were keeping a watch out for, turn up. The book is certainly worth reading for the discussion of the more practical matters presented in the text.
It’s really interesting that you mention the breathing exercises at the end of each yoga session, because in martial arts training, that’s exactly what we also did. Hmm. In through the nose, and out through the mouth, accompanied with a ritualistic arm movement which coincidentally expanded the muscles in the sternum. Yes, there is a lot to this art which we do at every step in our lives.
Margaret, what you described is the same breathing pattern that Sandra used when stressed. Respect for contemplating what those actions meant, then addressing the behaviours. I’m genuinely impressed.
What a truly delightful name for the class, and yes, it’s a journey, which we can all but choose to travel. 🙂 Truthfully, every single day of the year, even if we don’t feel like doing so, there’s a twenty minute stretch routine. Your class sounds lovely, and I’ll tell you a story about such things from down this way. The bloke who ran the local earthworks business years ago was rough as bags, but we got along very well and had some good chats. As a small business contractor, he’d be operating the 20 tonne excavator moving soil around to cut in the house site, not to mention all of the other machines used for putting in the driveway, rolling it down etc. Anyway, one day out of the blue, he tells me that he organised a local men’s yoga group for all the sorts of reasons which you’d probably appreciate. That was fifteen years ago, and I’d not really understood the why of it way back then, but now I very much comprehend the situation. You’re very lucky to have such a local group which is attentive to a persons particular needs.
That’s the thing isn’t it? There are invasive quick fixes, and then there are longer term and the much harder regular maintenance paths which are probably easier in the long run. I always choose the latter option.
Years and years ago I attended a workplace safety course where the trainer just casually dropped in the information about walking being an excellent exercise for a strengthening a persons back, and you’re doing all the right things from my perspective. Have you ever noticed that sometimes when there is a need, an instructor and guide sometimes materialises? I’ve had some excellent instruction over the years, like from the Sensei I mentioned long ago.
Sandra had the same food and orthodontics journey that the author of the book mentioned, and comprehending that information alone was interesting.
Hope the overnight frosts and freezing weather aren’t too bad, and that the autumn sunshine follows up with clear sunny days. Truly though, the weather batten is being handed over.
Is the bookshop in it’s new location proving to be popular?
Actually I very appreciate your advertising effort and am trying random videos in order to see what works. Thank you very much. 🙂 Over the past five years or so, I’ve come to the awful awareness that perhaps people aren’t reading nearly as much as they used to, although I am, and will always be, a dedicated bookworm, but that was one of the motivating forces behind branching out with the video format.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Well there is that of course, isn’t there? 🙂 Always a bit of a problem to view the future and take a dark perspective away with you, although I’m very much of your mindset here. Do the best you can, is about all any of us can do now, and of course luck will as always play its part. Mae West was a truly fascinating person, and I’d not previously known much about the lady, however, it impressed me greatly that she appeared to have equal parts: charm, wit and shock value. Not to mention a dislike of big crowds.
Yes, I can well understand how those moments were pivotal, and both rocked my world down here as well. And there are also the smaller more private moments when nothing is ever the same afterwards and your perspective suddenly shifts. I rarely speak of such moments, and the word ‘perspective’ has a great deal of meaning to me.
Lewis, I have nothing but respect for your self restraint, and candidly know of what you speak of. There being no such thing as free speech down here, and I’m unable to even click on a ‘like’ button for such things as said in your fine country. Dare I say it, but that is an amendment which needs exercising and protection, I’d just get the backside sued off me and be left with nothing to show for it all. It troubles me very deeply that goobermints are considering misinformation, disinformation and no-information laws, although I may have made up the last category. Makes a person nervous that they may come unstuck merely for making an error. Hmm. And word on the street is that the proposed law is not being equally applied. Someone smarter than I may have mentioned that not all pigs are equal! Insert squooshed sounding oink noise from this ‘ere corner of the interweb… 🙂
Hehe! Nah, man, the procedure was hardly done for aesthetic purposes. Thanks for the laughs as that was genuinely very funny. The surgeon said something about adnoids, whatever they are, but all I wanted was to be able to breathe properly. I’ve heard alarming stories over the years of kids who’d stuck plastic items like lego up their noses and it had become stuck. Horrific.
Always wise to keep up with what the cool kids are talking about! 😉 I have no interest in opera.
Interesting, and hope you get a chance to catch up and find out the latest update. The Editor used to sleepwalk when stressed out. That was a strange trigger, but consistent, and I tell ya what, the incidents used to stress me out – at first at least, then it was just intriguing. The situation causing the stress was tackled, and that worked to resolve the incidents, but who knows really how all this brain stuff works? I tend to hold the belief that there’s a lot more going on in the world than our brains can comprehend. Of course, I could be equally wrong. Not a bad idea at all to observe the patterns, then break them. Very clever really.
Yes, the Echiums are blue, and that just makes the work doubly hard. Your suggestion is most excellent, and what we may do is perhaps manage those plants a lot better than we have done so far. They readily volunteer so, starting again with them won’t be a difficulty. Should my penance be having to replant the area with blue flowering plants?
Ooo, many thanks for the potato seed saving suggestions, although I was unable to find the link you mentioned. However, there seems to be a lot of information on this process, and it is a subject which is worthy of a very deep dive.
Hanna Hats are awesome and other than stuffing up the sizing, what could possibly go wrong. 🙂 You’d probably look super cool in one of the hats, and truly the woollen ones do keep your head warm in the winter months. On an only marginally related hat story from earlier today… A lovely young lady I know mentioned the cool hat I was wearing as she was looking for a present to buy for someone. I don’t usually engage in such conversations for very long, but you know, it was about the hat, and what can I say, I’m an enthusiastic supporter of the makers, and oh well. Anyway, after a very short few sentences, I could sense discomfiture and then she started saying ‘my partner this, and that’. Sure. OK I hear you. Internally I was thinking to myself: ‘For f#$k sakes I’m just talking about a hat’. Anyway, I’ll just take myself outside… Oh well, that took a sudden awkward turn. Moving on. Most of the time I generally keep to pleasantries with such people because socially that’s what is required, but I guess dealing with the general public can make a person cynical as to peoples motives.
It’s an interesting thing though with the demise of the world fairs, but then it may be simply an idea which had been played out to its conclusion? Dunno. I’ve seen a few things in decline over my life, like the matinees / cinema.
You know what, next we catch up, I’m going to ask them about their experiences with that side of things. They do process their animals on site, but I’d reckon that there’s be some restrictions relating to the sale of the stuff. You do hear stories about really odd and arbitrary restrictions, and it’s always troubling to see such lenocracy in play. It’s a good word isn’t it?
The nights are getting a bit warmer here than where you are, but the daytime temperatures are around the same. Today was quite nice, but I did paid work all day long. Thursday night into Friday looks to be quite torrential with rain, but warm-ish too.
Hehe! The guerrilla garden patch – like it! Those irises will sell for sure at the plant sale. I’m yet to encounter a solid patch of irises, but know what you mean there. A gnarly mess of root systems. Ah, so that’s where you got some of the extra garlic cloves into the ground. Your timing is pretty good for planting.
That’s hard work, and the trees here need pruning and the roses need attending to as well. That stuff never stops. Did the revitalised area end up looking good? I don’t mind a good thinning of the vegetation when it needs to be done.
The frost the other day caused some of the roses to wilt. Better cut those bits off them. And I forget, did I mention that the other day a koala call could be heard from down below? That’s the first in a while.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Reading over your shoulder … It’s also highly beneficial to do a bit of walking backwards. Plenty about it, down the rabbit hole. Blokes, blokes, can be a bit funny when it comes to sharing interests that are not typically “masculine.” I think it showed a great amount of trust in you, that he told you about the yoga group. I knew a fellow at the Club, and his dirty little secret was … he collected miniature oil lamps. 🙂 He didn’t tell me about it, until he has gotten to know me.
Mae West was a fascinating, and entertaining woman. I’ve seen a few of her movies. “Klondike Annie” (1936) is a favorite. She had the courage of her convictions. She was arrested, a few times, by this or that League of Decency.
Free speech, is a delicate balance. I think it was a Supreme Court Case, where a judge declared there are limits. The example he used was, “You can’t yell fire (when there is none) in a crowded theatre.”
I thought adenoids were the same as tonsils. They’re not. Yup, let’s rip out nifty little germ catchers, that are part of the immune system. My brother had his tonsils out. I didn’t. Later, I read a science fiction story, where paranormal abilities were located in the tonsils. Glad I kept mine 🙂 . I can’t remember where I was. Hospital? Doctor’s office? Where a young child had managed to wedge a jar lid, in his mouth.
You probably don’t like opera, due to its resemblance to musicals. 🙂 At least musicals have occasional conversational breaks, to move the story along. I do like some light, or comic opera. And, the occasional bit of music from classic opera, can be quit … uplifting.
Thanks for sharing the details on sleep walking. It suggests a course of action, that I can pass along. Stress reduction.
I don’t mind garden volunteers so much, as long as they’re easy to pull up. Love in the Mist, Forget-me-nots. Lemon Balm? Not so much. It seems like we get pansies, popping up here and there, every year. If they’re in the way, they’re easy to move.
I noticed that, about women, years ago. If they’re not in the “market,” they mention a husband or boyfriend, in about the first 30 seconds of conversation. Even though you’re completely innocent, you’ve got to take a moment to see her point of view. She’s probably hit on, a lot. And some blokes just won’t take “not interested” for an answer. Of course, it works the other way, too. I’m no great catch, but I’ve had to deflect “interest”, several times. Some women are relentless. Hence, being downright rude, on some occasions.
Yes, there’s a decline in interest and hobby groups. Sad that. Especially, since being connected to some kind of social group, is good for health. See: “Bowling Alone.”
The high yesterday was 66F (18.88C). The overnight low was a steady 57F. Forecast for today is 62F. When I took H for her morning walk, it was lightly misting. Prof. Mass put up a post, that the autumn rains, are here. Did you see the Sahara is flooding? The pictures are really striking. Some areas got 8″ of rain. Not unheard of, but it hasn’t happened in decades. And, once upon a time, the Sahara, was green.
I’ve got to find places for four more garlic varieties. I’ve got some ideas …
A New Zealand story, has made the news, here. The guy on the run with his three young daughters.
I’m not the kind of dude, to weigh myself, every day. Or, even every week. But, I got on the scale yesterday, and I’m down to 190! Haven’t seen that, in years. Still can’t button my pants. I zip up, belt myself in, and wear long shirts. 🙂 It will take exercise, to take care of that. And, I do have a 20 minute routine, I can do, which has worked before. Slowly.
It’s pumpkin spice season, and I decided I could splurge, a bit. Picked up some pumpkin spice yogurt dipped pretzels. I’ll make one trip to the bread store outlet. They usually have pumpkin spice bagels (yes, yes, I know. You don’t like bagels.), bread with a swirl of spice in it, and pumpkin spice old fashioned donuts. Pumpkin spice ice cream is off the menu, this year, as I’m still boycotting that store.
I had hors d’oeuvres, for dinner, last night :-). I picked up some tostadas (haven’t had those, in months … they’re a highly processed food). Broke them into 1/4s. Put them on a dinner plate, with a square of Swiss cheese (Yes! the famine has ended. Store had one pound bricks) and half a cherry tomato on top. Then, into the microwave. Have to watch it like a hawk, so the cheese doesn’t run all over. Then, onto a pizza pan. Three dinner plates full = full pizza pan. About 24. Then a dollop of plane yogurt, on top. Tasty! Labor intensive? Yes. Worth the effort? Yes. Lew
Hi, Chris:
I am so happy about your breathing discovery! I knew this, but I didn’t mention it because: Doesn’t everybody but me already breathe through their nose? Apparently not, as I only discovered how important this is a few years back. My whole life I had breathed through my mouth. I, too, had had surgery for the problem of only being able to breath through one nostril. It was part of a broader surgery involving my sinuses. In my case, it did not succeed. In fact, there was some nerve damage in my face. Sometimes I can actually breathe through both nostrils, now that I have been practicing for so long. It doesn’t matter; one is enough.
It started a few years back when my son showed me a book called “The Science of Breath” by Yogi Ramacharaka. I did not read all of it, but it was enough to convince me that he had something there about breathing through one’s nose. And a little before that, we were by a neighbor’s house and she was laboriously walking up the steep hill and my husband said: “Why doesn’t she breath through her nose? It would be so much easier.” So I began realizing that there is a whole ‘nother world, a healthier world, out there, where you can feel better by breathing through your nose. Better also when you are anxious, as breathing slowly and deeply through one’s nose calms one. And the hairs in your nose catch at least some of the germs before they get into your system. And it’s free. What’s not to like?!
Not the Echiums! Damned rabbits. Please remove all children reading this post.
I think that tree sap is like blood. It runs through the tree after it has picked up heat during the day and that keeps the tree warmer – up to a point. After we have had a snow, the snow melts around the foot of the trees before other places, so they must retain a fair amount of heat.
Chris, you have enough water tanks to run a factory. I wonder what kind . . .
Thank goodness the fruit trees are doing so well, so far.
Old Uncle Chris – what a good start.
Thanks for the flowers! What amazing succulents.
Mother update: She will not be recovering from her recent afflictions. She has led a long (about to turn 87) and happy life and I have been with her every day for the last 3 1/2 years. What a blessing that has been for me.
Pam
@ Pam: I’m glad you have been able to spend so much time with your mother in the past few years, and I wish her an easy passage.
Claire
@ Pam,
Your “Mother Update” paragraph was beautiful. You have been there with her and for her these past several years. Having gone through something similar with my mother, including the not eating bit at the end, I can say that I was better for having been with mom through her final years and passing.
It ain’t fun to go through, but kudos for doing things the right way.
DJSpo
Chris,
I’ve watched chainsaw carvers. Several of them. The club has a mascot that was donated by a chainsaw carver. We set the mascot out for every show. That is an art that I will not try. Nope no sirree. It’s that “knowing limitations” thing.
Wood type. Linden aka basswood is a hardwood but is actually rather soft and forgiving. Evergreens like pine and fir are hard to carve, as they tend to splinter very easily, ruining the pattern. Evergreens are hard to burn, also. They are full of “pitch pockets”. Hit one of those with a hot burning tip and the pocket burns deep and hot pitch splatters onto other parts of the work, creating a random assortment of unwanted tiny black holes. The most recent woodburning was done on basswood. I’ve often used thin plywood made from Italian poplar for burning. I’ve got a chip carving project I want to do in acacia wood, which is supposed to be rather hard. I need to practice the desired patterns in basswood first. Several times.
Opera. Never could get into opera. Ever. While a few of the songs can be interesting on occasion, such as Flight of the Valkyries, I’ve found that much opera is pretentious, even the comedic operas. I have always enjoyed the treatment that Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry and even some early Disney cartoons gave to opera and other overly serious classical music. Yes, I like some classical music, but I have genuine tastes and limits to what I can enjoy.
The smoke never got as bad as forecast. We are supposed to get rain starting tonight, off and on for 48 hours. Maybe. Today was probably the last day this year anywhere near 20C. I’ve enjoyed sitting outside in the sun the past several days, doing my favorite thing – nothing. 😉
We’ve talked a bit about breathing here before. Those of us who have had noses broken really have to concentrate on nose breathing. Add in the allergies and hay fever, and it can get difficult. Yet it is very important for various reasons.
That’s heartbreaking, having to remove the echium plants. Necessary, but heartbreaking. And hard work. But the rabbits must go!
Good thought on using the mower on the echium That area looks good. The soil will appreciate the feed, I’m sure. Was any fun had riding the mower while cutting up the echium?
Our nut trees grow in such a manner that there is a large cave like area underneath them. It can be amazing how long heat is held in that “cave”. In both alpine and Nordic skiing, that same phenomena is very apparent. Sometimes the “tree well” created by melting snow underneath the tree can be very deep and very difficult to get out of. Every few years I hear about somebody who got stuck in one and had to be rescued.
Water tanks and rock wall. Looking good. You could add some weird designs painted or etched into some of the rocks, keep future generations of archaeologists mystified about what that area was used for. I’m sure they’d decide it was for some very specialized, mystical religious thing.
Ohhh, I just looked outside. High haze. Scattered clouds, moon nearly full. It looks sort of eerie. Not as eerie as when we were driving home from Othello during fire season, thick smoke and a full moon. This is a much tamer form of “eerie”.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Oooo! It’s remarkably common for people to breathe through their mouths. There’s a lot of depth to this area and I didn’t mention it, but Sandra had to work very hard indeed to change her behaviour with breathing, so I have a minor understanding of the challenges you faced. You know what though, after much consideration and thought, and also comprehension of the consequences, it’s probably better to use one’s nose for breathing – if a person can. Oh my, what a journey you’ve gone through in that regard. Good to hear that despite the outcome not being optimal, that you are content with the significant improvement.
🙂 Like you, I too skipped over some of the more esoteric dimensions of this subject – and just got right down to the goodies, as in why is this practice important, and what will the benefits be? Then put the words to the test and made my own mind up. Exactly, all those things too, and absolutely, what’s not to like about that?
Pam, I feel so guilty about cutting out vast swaths of the garden beds, but if there were another way, I do it. The woody material is so thick in those beds that the dogs can’t get in to do what needs doing, and the rabbits are thumbing their twitchy noses at the canines. The Kelpies are equally frustrated, obsessed and embarrassed about the rabbits. It’s not good.
The observations from the frost accord with your views. Yeah, the trees are warmer than say, the paddock. Some of the roses suffered, and will now have to be pruned back.
An Anzac biscuit factory, maybe? 🙂 Trust me, the water tanks don’t hold nearly enough water, and one dry summer we got as low as 25,000L (about 6,600 gallons).
It was pretty funny and I didn’t hesitate saying that bit about bad ol’ uncle Chris. I’m getting more relaxed working with the camera, and I think I’ll just tell stories in the future videos. It seems to have resonated, but between you and I, I’m recycling the stories here. I prefer reading, but clearly us bookworms are in the minority these days.
More flowers to come, and there is a really delightful pink crab apple – hope it brightens your day a bit.
Oh Pam, I’m so sorry for you. In many ways, our lives are very blessed when we have good relationships with other people, and despite where things are now headed, you’ve been so lucky to have had the past few years with your mum. I still recall the dash to Colorado to bring them both back home. Hope you’re looking after yourself during this time.
With sympathy,
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Ooo! Another area of knowledge I’d not known about. Thanks for mentioning it. 🙂 The claims made about the benefits of walking backwards, seem to stack up in my mind. Interestingly, this is an activity I do around here as part of using some of the machines, particularly the power wheelbarrows. When heavily loaded and going uphill, you have the machine out front and up hill of you, but when heavily loaded and going downhill, the machine has to be uphill of you, whilst you walk backwards. It’s safer to use the machine that way. I’d not want one of those things heavily loaded dropping onto me – probably a bad thing. Ook!
Yeah, and man that is so true about blokes not wanting to share their non-typical-masculine hobbies. 🙂 I think he sized me up first as being a fairly easy going live and let live kind of guy before he told me about the men’s yoga group. What’s always of interest to me is that err, blokes have to sometimes have a ‘health scare’, before they start taking routine health maintenance matters seriously. I’m sure you’ve seen that in action among your peers?
🙂 For all we know, there may be hobbyist publications and groups for miniature oil lamp collectors.
A very clever lady, and witty. Very quotable, and probably a person who enjoyed reading widely. I read about the arrests, mostly due to pressure from that lot. Have they nothing better to do? Probably not. And the actress actually went to jail, although there was some mention of dining with the governor and his wife, and being released early for good behaviour.
Hmm. That’s a good example of pure ‘free speech’ causing mayhem. I’m actually unsure where the balance lays, mostly because we’ve gone too far down the authoriatrian (!) direction, and during you-know-what, it was hard to ignore that people were being arrested for saying stupid things on the interweb. Hmm. Probably a step too far that, and it’s permanently altered my view of err, that lot. Sadly the league of indecency folks never really went away.
Well that was an interesting rabbit hole. Apparently by the time you’re an adult, the adenoids are meant to be gone. It’s possible that the surgeon told me something else and I now misremember – or mine were still there, dunno. But whatever the case may be, the passages up my snotter were enlarged. Hehe! You might be right there, and nowadays I believe they don’t tend to remove tonsils. Can we tap into this tonsular paranormal energy to make our fortunes? Probably not, drats, foiled again.
Oh my, imagine the strange and hard to explain incidents which would turn up in an emergency department…
Far out! You’re totally spot on there. Yeah, it’s a musical. Explains everything. What do you mean that there’s no dialogue in opera? What? Hehe! Man, I’m not against the art form, I just can’t sit still for that long. I may have mentioned the day years ago an old friend wanted to watch all three directors cuts of the Lord of the Rings films. Nine hours man, it was killing me. I was done and lacked all good grace, it was just way too much for my brain, and the day after I came down with a cold, probably due to stress. 🙂 It’s probably me, everyone else seemed to be having a really fun day of it. So, I would probably deeply struggle with those ring opera sessions. The music in small quantities is fine.
Yup! The sleepwalking incidents and stress were clearly related. At first I thought someone had broken into the house in the middle of the night. But no, it was the Editor. Went into full awake with an adrenalin hit and pounced out of bed ready for action. Intruder alert!!! What the… And amusingly the Editor talks gibberish in sleepwalk mode, so I used to amuse myself by trying to have a conversation with her. Oh well, glad that is in the past, I’d much prefer to sleep.
I agree, lemon balm is a bit woody and leaves a mess of dead stalks come winter. We’ve got an electric and also a two stroke hedge trimmer which can knock that stuff flat in minutes, so it’s easy to deal with. The wormwood and Echiums are sadly the whole next level. But yeah, lemon balm can take over too – you may have noticed that aspect of the plant?
And that’s what I intuited from the brief conversation and so abruptly ended it. Yeah, I get it and dealing with the public is probably very difficult when some err, charmless folks misunderstand their overall level of charm. I’m not all that charming either, and so just try to go with pleasant and distant instead, that being more easily wielded out when necessary. That’s an interesting point, because it’s true. I’ve observed at the local pub, a couple of middle aged ladies trying to chat up the young bloke working the bar. Hmm. It was awkward, but he did handle the situation with good grace, and kept them at arms length. People, be people, yup.
I agree, and that is one aspect of our society which really annoys me no end. Oh well, if people want to bowl alone, that’s their deal. And having connections is really good for peoples health and sense of well being. My grandfather used to be good at getting people into and involved with groups and clubs. He had a real knack for that.
Dude, we’re starting to overtake you with the weather. Today was quite warm and maybe 75’F, and I did a shandy day of paid work, and work around here. Actually I finished work very late tonight, almost past 9pm. Ook! Made two timber frames for water pump covers. They were a bit complicated for reasons relating to the pressure tanks, but the two pumps will attach to the big green water tank which was put into place a week or so ago. I have to get the garden watering system working, because I’m doing a bit of that work by hand now. Interestingly, I’m also continuing to hill up soil around the potato vines, and those things are growing super fast. I might run out soil there for that work and have to bring in some more… Double ook!
The images of the flood in the Sahara are astounding. Looks like the rain band zone there is headed north.
Due to quarantine risk, I won’t offer to take any of the garlic. Just thought that should be pointed out! 😉 Hope you get the cloves in the ground, although I reckon you’ve got plenty of time.
I haven’t been reading about the NZ story, it just sounds odd to me. You do hear of separated parents heading off with kids to difficult to extract countries, but I wouldn’t have thought NZ would be an easy place to hide. It just ain’t that big, but then perhaps that is why there are photos of the trio.
Nice one, and I’ve had the impression that your diet over the past few years has been good for you. Nice to have the occasional splurge, but you kind of do the same approach I take – eat like a rabbit the other times. Man, those daily routines, become, err, necessary. Truthfully, I thought for a moment or two about skipping the routine tonight, then reality kicked in.
Hang on, I forget this, why the boycott? And it’s not that I don’t like bagels, you just don’t ever regularly see them down here, so I’ve never developed an appreciation for the food.
Wow, tostadas look great. How have I missed one of these? It’s well past 11pm and I’m salivating… Yummo! Good to hear that the cheese famine is over, and supplies have resumed. Agreed, definitely worth the effort.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Oh man, I’m sorry but the dreaded mid-week hiatus has come into play. It’s past 11pm here, and I didn’t finish work today until past 9pm, me tired… Thanks for the lovely comment and we’ll speak tomorrow.
Cheers and yawn… Sleep…
Chris
Chris:
Wht am I not surprised it would be an Anzac Buscuits factory – with the Fernglad label.
Thanks so much for the kind thoughts.
Pam
@ Pam – I’m glad you had time with your mother, and my thoughts are with you, during this season of winding down. What’s going on outside in nature, is reflected in what’s going on in your life, right now. “To everything there is a season…” Lew
Yo, Chris – All this talk about noses and breathing. Jimmy Durante (actor and comedian), probably had a thing or two, to say about noses 🙂 . When I sometimes lay down, I get this whistle in my sinuses. On the exhale. Keeps me awake. Usually, a good snort and blow dislodges whatever little piece of flem is causing my head to make weird noises. Then there’s my chronic post nasal drip. There are little piles of paper towels, in strategic locations, all over my apartment. I occasionally resort to salt spray. Which works a charm. I use the children’s salt spray, as the spray for adults tastes like ca-ca.
Yes, if men survive a health scare, they may … or may not … clean up their acts. But, it seems most of them just resort to drugs, instead of getting to underlying causes. I have a little (very little) sympathy, as, change is hard.
A quick look down the rabbit hole, and … “Night Light: A Collectors’ Club for Miniature Oil Lamp Enthusiasts.” There are also a handful of books on collecting. When I was out and about, if I ran across a miniature oil lamp, for less than $3.50, I’d pick it up and pass it on to my friend. More than that, and I’d tell him where I’d seen one. Sometimes there were duplicates, but sometimes the duplicates were in better shape than the example he had. Collectors upgrade their collections. There are a lot of reproductions, coming in from the Land of Stuff. My friend died, and I often wonder what became of his collection.
West had a bon mot for every occasion. 🙂 “When I’m good, I’m very, very good. But when I’m bad, I’m better.”
Subjecting yourself to three director’s cuts of LOTR? I never took you for having a streak of masochism, but there it is. I can’t think of much that would be more boring. Except maybe watching paint dry. Occasionally, I’ll get a DVD with a choice of theatre version, or director’s cut. I don’t watch both, but usually go with the director’s cut. Sometimes, they’re a bit … spicier. 🙂
H talks and mutters in her sleep. I ought to try and mutter back at her. She’s … almost understandable.
Lemon balm is the (gardening) bane of my existence. There’s quit a bit of it, around my guerrilla garden patch, and, my two wood barrels. Now that it’s dying back, I’m have some landscape cloth I’m going to put down, plus, some bags of wood chips Maybe I can knock it back, a bit.
Yesterday’s high was 63F (17.22C). The overnight low was a steady 54F. Forecast for today is 60F. Drizzle. A word you don’t hear much, but it’s popping up in some of our forecasts. It drizzled this morning, but the day is fairly nice. Forecast is for drizzle to come back, after 5PM. The Institution’s irrigation system has been shut down, but not the spigots. I think Little Mary Sunshine shuts those down, too early. Might want to wash my hands. Or, clean a garden tool. So, I’ve been hand watering my pumpkins. Though they don’t need much.
Dinner last night was back to the rice, peas, tomatoes from the garden, garlic and broccoli. A little cheese on top. Some dollops of plane yoghurt. A splash of cider vinegar. For desert, I counted out 7 pumpkin spice pretzels, on a small plate. That way I don’t demolish the whole box. 🙂
I’m boycotting that grocery chain, as, they really screwed me around with their loyalty program, membership card, etc.. I’m pretty sure it was an effort to drive everyone to using I-phones, but they weren’t very honest or upfront about it. Plus, the night manager and his sidekick were kind of snarky. If I really want pumpkin pie ice cream, I can make it myself.
The tostadas I get, are rounds, stacked up in a plastic package. usually, about 16. Fragile. I use those, as they’re unsalted, and, sometimes baked, instead of fried. So, I started using those for nachos, etc.. But, I cut way back on them, as, they are highly processed food. Lew
@ Margaret:
What I am going through is nothing compared to what you had to deal with with your young parents and all those brothers. My son does help a lot. And my sister is a great emotional help from a distance.
Pam
@ Claire:
My mother is a very determined little lady and is doing her best to stay with us, but it is easy to tell that it isn’t meant to be. I, too, wish for her to have an easy passage. Thank you for your thoughts.
Pam
@ DJSpo:
I have been very fortunate. Thank you for the kind thoughts.
Pam
Hi DJ,
Out of curiosity, what exactly is the club mascot? Down here, I’ve seen chainsaw carved wombats, eagles and dolphins etc. But I’m intrigued to learn what the choice of mascot was in your part of the world. Incidentally, those folks generally use quite small chainsaws with pointy bars, and probably specialist chains – not the type I’d use here which is a semi-chisel chain.
Ah Linden trees, I see. Those pine and fir trees are rather fast growing with wide grains to match, so I can well understand your perspective with that variety of timber and how it would relate to your art. Most of the tree species down here are hardwood, and so when I get to occasionally tackle a softwood species, there is a special thanks to the forest spirits for the gift of an easy time of the work. Still, the flip-side to that arrangement is that the super dense hardwood species make for excellent firewood. And ooo, that has been my experience as well, eucalyptus is hard, but acacia species are that much harder again. I’ll be very interested to hear what you have to say about the wood. There are two main varieties here, the short life span Silver Wattles, and then there is the furniture grade species: Acacia Melanoxylon (Blackwood). Lovely trees, and they would have been the over story trees when the area was once long ago rainforest. Super hard timber and I encourage their growth. A guy on the west coast of the island state of Tasmania once mentioned to me that they made for the best firewood, then he laughed knowing full well what he was saying.
Lewis pointed out correctly that the art form of opera is essentially a musical, but as you additionally note, with the element of pretension. Both points kind of lost me, and yes, I quite enjoy the melody of Ride of the Valkyries, and have no beef with classical music, however the art form is closed because of it’s association with the top end of town. There are plenty of other art forms.
Glad to hear you dodged the smoke, and oh my, how quickly summer retreats to wherever it goes. If it means anything to you, the autumn weather here is becoming increasingly shorter as time goes on. It was quite warm here today and we took the day off work and had an enjoyable walk in a nearby bush reserve. Spotted a snake, probably very deadly. 🙂 Left said reptile well alone. We’re getting to the point of the year where walks have to be done earlier in the day due to the actions of the big fusion reactor thing in the sky. Tonight may be disturbed sleep due to the weather… Three days of severe thunderstorms hitting Australia. The forecast for tomorrow sounds feral.
Exactly, a person with such experiences has to concentrate on physically keeping their mouth shut. And I ain’t talking about saying stupid things, I mean breathing through the snotter.
First come the rabbits, then the snakes follow. Do I really need such issues? And it was fun using the super powerful mower with the Japanese blades to munch up the three dimensional wormwood plants. Next on the list, the Echiums. The soil improves in fertility right across the farm. That’s the entire point of the producing edible plants.
Skiing is not an activity I’m familiar with, so I didn’t quite understand what people would be doing near to those trees? Don’t people die hitting trees when skiing? But yes, the area would be marginally warmer than the surrounding environment.
What do you mean that you couldn’t see the mystical and religious purposes the rocks were put to? 😉
Eerie, and thanks for the view from your part of the world. Did the light from the moon have any discolouration from the smoke haze?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Pam,
Hehe! Sadly, a toasted muesli factory, or home made yoghurt factory didn’t quite have the same zing to it.
Mr Gangle Freckle chunks sends you sympathetic tail wags, and a massive drool. It’s impolite to mention it, but due to the two Kelpies hanging off his jowls when they were puppies, his face no longer fits together as well as it should, and that’s when the err, mouth juices leak. He loves those two cheeky dogs.
🙂 Employing fluffy distraction technique number four, hopefully if the forecast severe thunderstorms overnight and all day tomorrow, don’t damage the delightful flowers of the Paulownia kawakamii tree, there’ll be a photo of them. Apparently the tree is critically endangered in it’s natural range, but I tell you what, there are a few of them growing wild around these parts. Nature is amazing, huh?
Cheers
Chris
Noses- I wrestled in high school, and at one point, my nose got busted. My nasal septum is a bit skewed, and while I can breathe through both, it is reduced some. I also have frequent low grade allergy stuffiness.
It also doesn’t take as much exertion these days to get me breathing hard. So I breathe through my mouth a lot. Maybe I’ll try being more conscious of that, and try to keep my mouth shut more.
weather- brought wood in to the house this week, and built a fire for the first time two days ago. Getting down into the low 30s, high 20s (F) at night. I also typically cut firewood once the leaves are off the trees, and the bugs are gone, so I have my eye on four trees that are dead or dying and will start on them soon.
Planted the garlic, and harvested the last collards, just one stand of cold hardy kale and the parsnips left in the garden. It’s been quite dry, we are back in to official drought again. Some falls have been very wet, but not this one.
book club- We are up to six old farts in the book club now, picking an odd assortment of books. It has been a challenge for the librarian to find six copies of some of our obscure choices. Next one is a more recent, popular one, but rather dark and crude if the reviews are right. Sandman Slim. Will be starting it this week.
Just curious- have you calculated how many millimeters of rain is required to fill your tanks now based on the catchment area and ongoing usage? And how long- a year? a month? Inquiring minds want to know.
Hi Lewis,
I reckon Mr Durante aka the big schnozzola, would have had no difficulty whatsoever breathing through his nose. Some people are just born lucky with a nose for acting with a comedic streak. From all I’ve read this evening, he seems like he was a real genuine character.
Have you always had a post nasal drip? Outside my experience, unless the weather is very cold, then things tend to err, leak. The Editor occasionally uses a Neti Pot. Swears by it, although I’m steering clear of the contraption.
Took the day off any and all work today, well, as much as that is humanly possible. Made a batch of toasted muesli, some more yoghurt, watered the greenhouse plants, hilled up some soil around the potatoes, did other watering of the radishes plus beets, and maybe a little bit of paid work. But then! Headed off to do a new walk in the area. Unfortunately, we took a wrong turn, got to see some new parts of the area we’d not been to before, and ended up bizarrely near to a nature reserve where we’d walked before. A person has to accept their fate, maybe, but in this case that was how things rolled. Had lunch there of a roast beef and salad roll (yum), then went on a long walk. It was nice. Spotted the first snake we’d seen this season, possibly very deadly. Left it alone and it slithered off before we were anywhere near to the poisonous reptile. Got home and had a nap, and all up I’d say that was as good a day as a person can expect. A lamington was injured in the process, with the tasty treat being split five ways. The dogs rejoiced at the cake.
Absolute respect for calling that one out. Yes, change is hard, very hard. I couldn’t agree with you more. Still, if people can benefit from a crisis that’s good too. But as you noted, that is not always the case.
Well done those collectors to form a club. Totally unexpected of course, but nice one all the same. Those were remarkably thoughtful acts on your part. We’ve spoken before about how sometimes the small thoughtful gestures are better by far than the grand ones. Funny you mention this, but the Editor took her new hiking boots out for today’s walk, and let’s just say that the peasants rejoiced! 🙂 She’d been dithering about this matter for a while, whilst making noises about how the existing boots had come to the end of their life. I got this one… What? Collectors upgrade their stuff… Ook. Do you mean like say buying bigger and betterer farm machines? Lewis, lead me not into temptation, although you’ve raised a good point there. Maybe I should… 😉 Does this way lay madness?
Some of the stuff produced in the land of stuff, is actually pretty good. Reminds me of when I was a kid, Japanese vehicles were viewed with utter suspicion. Not so any these days as they’re all at the top of the sales charts.
Man, I wonder about such things too, and it’s always hard to lose a mate. Did I mention that after a respectable time of about half a year, I eventually just wrote to the old school magazine to inform them of the death of my old high school friend earlier in the year? You know, most of the time I have a vague idea as how to proceed, but not that time. We’ll see what comes of it. Dunno what the right thing to do was. So yeah, who knows what becomes of the dead.
Doesn’t the French language have such lovely descriptions which are ever so lacking in English? Probably something to do with repression of the culture.
Hey, I was talked into that movie marathon. Nowadays I’d just say no, but yes the entire incident was a bit masochistic. I wasn’t into it. Oh that’s good, yes watching paint dry is a worthy comparison, and dude, it was nine hours long. Way too much for my brain. I get that about the cuts being spicier, but sometimes material has to be removed. Think Inge’s advice of: Concision! 🙂
Dogs are understandable, yes. Exhibit A: If Dame Plum does something noteworthy, she’ll get a bit of beef jerky, a hug and a kiss on the head. That will elicit a growl, and my understanding of our dog – human boundaries are all that much clearer. But, the experiment is worthwhile, and hopefully H communicates something interesting.
A mower or hedge trimmer will work a treat with lemon balm, but I’ll be very interested to hear of the results of your work. What you’re doing, maybe it’s easier? In that plants case, I believe the word ‘weedy’ is somewhat appropriate.
The word ‘drizzle’ gets used in the forecasts down here. Paints a bleak picture of the days weather, doesn’t it? Except for you it was early in the morning and then much later in the afternoon. The forecast here is for severe thunderstorms overnight and into tomorrow. Yay for us! Ook… What, do you mean shut down the spigots for the winter months? I’d use such things all year around. In winter as you note, the garden taps are useful for cleaning tools.
Cough, cough, powdery mildew, cough, cough. Sorry, the growing season is nearing the end. How are the pumpkins looking? Did you get many?
Back to rabbit food. Wise, and we ate a salad for dinner this evening too. Lot’s of roast beetroot, fresh greens and boiled eggs at the moment. Yum! The pretzels sound very more-ish.
True, and it is complicated to know what is in such foodstuffs. They’d make a nice open taco I reckon.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Steve,
That’s a bummer about your nose getting busted, but then I heard what happened to the other guy. 🙂 Such injuries are always a risk with sport, and what do you do other than continue to compete, then eventually bow out. I gave up distance running at the first sign of knee troubles having known many older runners who kept pushing past that pivotal injury moment.
I’m loathed to offer unsolicited advice, but since you brought up the subject, err, there are many natural sources of antihistamine’s which may assist you with frequent low grade allergy stuffiness. That was something I encountered as well, but dealt to, and far out man, the pollen was off the charts last summer when all of the eucalyptus trees decided to flower all at once. Completely nuts, and the pollen went everywhere. In the drains the stuff ended up being a thick yellow mat of organic matter. Took a day of cleaning the roof. Bonkers, and that will teach me for feeding the soil too well.
The experiment will be worth it I’d imagine, although it takes a bit of adjustment especially with heavy exertion. If you give it a go, I’ll be very interested to hear what you have to say about the re-training. I believe that there is an element of the use it, or lose it with the art. Plus, a side benefit (especially down here) – a person is less likely to suck a fly into their mouth. A revolting experience I can assure you!
Good stuff, and it is the time to bring the firewood in. Feels good burning your own firewood, yeah. Those overnight temperatures are getting low, and did you get any frost? Hmm, I’m not at all sure I understand your reference to the bugs, however, my understanding is that there are more insects in your part of the world than down here. And yup, dead trees are already lower in moisture and sugars than ones that are alive.
Did I mention that we picked up a new firewood moisture meter a month or so ago? The results are interesting indeed, and I’m candidly nervous about damaging the wood heater – that would be a very expensive fix.
Ooo, the garlic is in at the perfect right time. I suppose that your winters are too cold for collards? They don’t grow here at such times, but they seem to be able to shrug off extreme cold weather, and kale is hardier (the purple variety does the best here). Will the kale last much longer?
Yikes! Hope you get some rain, soon. Severe thunderstorms are forecast for tonight and tomorrow, and I may have to get up in the middle of the night and attend to the drainage systems. Oh well.
To be honest, six is a manageable number for a group in my (please excuse the pun) books. Larger groups can be unwieldy. Ooo, a tale of revenge. I’d not heard of this book series before. Hope the book is good, and if you recommend it, please mention that.
A good question. There’s a 127kL of storage. At a wild guess, the roof capture area would be about 300m2 including house and sheds, so I work that out to be 423mm of rain from empty to full – assuming we don’t use any water. The thing is, it all comes down to timing. If no rain is received in the summer months, which has happened, the reserves dwindle and then you have to simply stop using the stuff so much. That’s an interesting and scary experience, because you have to retain enough stores to deal with a fire. One year we got down to 25kL before the rains returned. That year was challenging to say the least. And the stores cover the garden and orchards as well. Yup.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – I’ve always had problems with post nasal drip. So did my Dad. I sometimes wonder if it isn’t congenital. Or, something.
That sounds like a really nice walk, And, good tucker. We’ll keep our possums (and cougars, etc.), if you keep your very poisonous snakes. Although I’m sure there are some morons around, that keep your very poisonous Australian snakes, as pets. Stay tuned for a rat story.
Sorry, I don’t think collecting applies to farm machinery. 🙂 It’s not so much upgrades in size, as to upgrades to condition. And then there are completists. Wanting every color of something, or, all the different sizes of mixing bowls. Although there are guys, who seem to collect a lot of old John Deere tractors. Not necessarily bigger, but wanting every model. By upgrading, I mostly mean, finding something identical, that is in better condition. You might have a complete collection of action figures, but then start replacing them with MIB (mint in box) examples.
When I was at the chemist’s, the other night, I took a cruise through the Halloween candy aisle. Looking for anything of the pumpkin spice persuasion. No joy, other than the popcorn, which ended up being pretty bad. But this is also the season of the Mexican el Die de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Part of that, in Mexico, is elaborate sugar skulls. Well, there was a flat, skull shaped metal tin, decorated in a Mexican motif. With a skull shaped sugar biscuit, inside. I succumbed to the “ain’t it cool” factor, and bought one. When I was checking out, I commented to the clerk that is was cool, but probably made in the Land of Stuff. Sure enough. But when I got it home, and took a closer look, the tin is from the Land of Stuff. But the biscuit is baked in New Zealand! I guess we can’t bake our own sugar cookies, anymore. 🙂
The high, yesterday was 63F (17.22C). The overnight low was 45F. forecast for today is 58F. I see the overnight low for next Tuesday night, is 34F. Pretty close to freezing. I might have to cover a few things. Like the pumpkins. They’re going fine. Still putting on size, but very slowly. Turning oranger and oranger. More flocks of geese are flying overhead, heading south. There were a couple of short gully washers, last night. But today, the sun is shining.
They turn off the water to the spigots, so they don’t freeze and burst. This time of year, if people can’t shut off the water to their spigots, they give them a good wrap, with one kind of insulation, or another. We’ll also make sure the hoses are empty, and move them inside.
I was walking H this morning, around 10, and we saw a rat! H went nuts. Taking a stroll up the sidewalk, making a loop around the garden spaces, and then into some low evergreen ground cover. Little Mary Sunshine was in a meeting, and I needed to go get gas ($4.10 per US gallon, regular grade) and swung down past the Club for a cuppa. When I got back, she was out of her meeting, and we took a walk so I could show her where the rat was. Exterminator will be called, and traps deployed.
A reprieve from the governor! I asked her about the inspections. Her meeting was with the HUD administrator. When we do get a date for the inspection, he’s going to try and put it off, until the hot water boilers on the third floor, are replaced. You remember the problems with those. So I can breath easy, for awhile.
And, in local news, there was an article about the new Winco store, that’s being built. There were pictures. The roof is on, and even the parking lot has been finished and stripped. No opening date, yet.
Also, it’s the season of putting together budgets, for cities and counties. The county had a 5.5 million dollar deficit, which they managed to whittle down to 3 million. The city of Centralia has a 1.2 million dollar deficit. The county is looking hard at middle management positions, and eliminating some. The death of the lenocracy? Fewer BS jobs?
The BPA (Bonneville Power Administration), is the folks that do regional hydro power, solar and wind. They’re spending 3 billion dollars, on upgrades and expansion. They expect a 30% increase in electrical use, over the next 10 years.
The major chemist chains, are closing hundreds of stores. I also saw where one of the major convenience store chains is closing 400 stores.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/16/business/walgreens-cvs-store-closures
I had nachos, for dinner, last night. Covered a dinner plate with broken up tostadas. Tomatoes, garlic and dried basil from the garden. A small can of mushrooms. Some broccoli. Topped with cheddar cheese. A few dollops of plane yoghurt, on top. Tasty.
I picked some tomatoes, last night, and half of them were split. 🙁 . I started saving some seed, from the volunteer tomato. There are still plenty of green ones, but, there’s no where I can move them inside, and hang them upside down. Lew
@ Lew:
It was my mother’s season of winding down; she passed away this morning. And “To every thing there is a season.”
Thanks Lew.
Pam
Chris:
You may have noticed in my reply to Lew that my mother passed away this morning. The nurse called me as soon as they realized she was going, and I got over there really quickly, but was too late to be with her at the end. However, she looked incredibly peaceful and was even smiling, not a grimace, but a real smile like she always had. And there was something unusual, too – I guess. Most of the lines on her forehead were gone, and she looked 15-20 years younger. All of that was a great comfort to me, along with the fact that about 10 minutes before I was called, I was sending her the thought “I love you!”. I immediately heard her answer “I love you, too!” Not so strange since we had quite often read each others minds, all of my life.
Pam
Dear Pam,
Please accept my condolences for the loss of your mother.
The seasons do turn,
Time goes where it may.
The sun rises,
Warms,
Then sets again.
Leaves dance in the glow,
The wind pushes this way and that,
Basking in the sun’s warmth.
Eventually the dance fades,
The leaves return to the Earth.
So soon,
Another cycle begins anew.
With sympathy,
Chris
Chris:
“Employing fluffy distraction technique number four” – it never fails. Thanks. Though I’m sorry, for your sake, that Mr. Gangle Freckle has drooping jowls; not so pleasant for yourself and the furniture, though I expect it doesn’t bother him in the least.
We have wild paulownias. I don’t know if they are the same variety. The have the strongest smelling flowers of any that I have ever smelled and they are the last trees to lose their leaves in the fall. Or is it the first? Our last one got chopped down last year.
Pam
Hi Pam,
Fluffy distraction techniques have their uses, and are always entertaining. The mischief those dogs get up to… Have you ever thought about getting another dog? Although Mr Baby may something to say about that, and not be afraid to express his opinions in a most forthright, feline way.
Drooly sludges of inexplicable gooey protein accompanies Mr Gangle Freckles whenever food is involved. And yes, he cares not a whit! 🙂 It’s rained an inch this morning, and is quite tropical feeling outside. Said dog is curled up in a ball on the couch behind me. He looked all tough and stuff earlier when a couple of kangaroos and their joeys refused to comply with clause 16.2.1 – depart the pasture when the sun is in the sky. They looked bedraggled too because of the heavy rain, and once the marsupials departed (Ollie was on a lead so no harm was done to anything, other than my restraining arm) he gratefully returned to the couch.
Ooo, sounds like a lovely tree. One of the local trees (it being very wet forest here – you may have noticed that dampness?) is Pittosporum undulatum, gets people all riled up for no good reason that I can see, but has some of the loveliest smelling flowers. It’s common name is native Daphne, and it would make a wonderful scent. The fruits provide food for the birds, bats and sugar gliders. What’s not to like about that?
Sometimes trees aren’t in the right place, and not all of the fruit trees we’ve planted have survived. It happens.
You may have missed the poem further down the list.
Hope you’re doing OK.
Chris
@ Pam,
Sorry to see that your mother passed. Sympathies and positive thoughts sent your way. However, the connection you and she had was intact until the end, wasn’t it? And the accompanying communication and love sent to one another. That is something to treasure forever.
DJSpo
Chris,
After reading Pam’s news and your poem, I find that I cannot write tonight. Tomorrow, I hope.
DJSpo
Hi DJ,
Totally understand. Tragedy stalks among us, and is our constant shadowy travelling companion. I wish it were not thus, but also the cogent concluding quote from last weeks blog guides my thinking here.
“While we are alive we should sit among coloured lights and taste good wines, and discuss our adventures in far places; when we are dead, the opportunity is past.”
Your heart may indeed be full, and I too have known vast tragedy, yet those coloured lights and good wines beckon a person into the comradely warmth. By contrast, the soil is cold, and the worms are relentless.
In between paid work, I also managed to get the plumbing and first stages of wiring done for the two water pumps. Yay! It was a fun and interesting task – here’s all these parts, let’s make this work. A bit Apollo 13, without any lives on the line.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Bummer about the nose and the post nasal drip. If your dad had it too, well then there’s a likelihood that it’s an inherited condition. Out of curiosity, have you had any improvement since taking up the rabbit food TM diet?
Speaking of all things dripping. Two inches of rain fell here today. It’s feral out there, but apparently much worse in other parts of the state. There were some forecast risk of tornadoes. Way too much excitement for my tastes. The dogs are a bit grumpy from having been stuck inside the house all day, but when I take them out to do their business, they want to head back inside again. Dogs…
Did another shandy day of work, and got the plumbing sorted out on the two water pumps. I had a grab bag of parts and just worked out how to get them going with the available parts. All done now (although untested). One of the pump controllers had failed due to paper wasps taking over the insides of the device and making a total mess of everything. And that’s when unexpected trouble hit. One of the internal screws was loosened off and I thought to myself that I’d the guts of the thing with a rotating wire brush – as you do. It was a good idea up until the point where the screw loosened off enough that it zipped out of the controller. Couldn’t find it anywhere… And it was kind of important, so I made up another screw to fit using a tap and die set. That set cuts in the correct thread for the screw. A lot of drama, but now all that needs doing is cladding the frames, then hooking the water pumps up to the water and power. Yay! Found an unpleasant and possibly poisonous spider living in the switch, so I’ll seal that better this time around.
At times the rainfall hitting the steel sheet roofing on the shed was deafening.
It’s a good deal that, but candidly all of those critters should come with a warning. Imagine if there were indicator lights hovering above all these deadly critters – the place would no doubts glow, even in your part of the world. Cougars sound like pretty nasty customers. The stuff here will kill you just as dead, they just won’t rend you limb from limb like your lot do. 🙂
Yes, people do keep snakes as pets, and I’m in awe of that. The bloke at the agricultural expo earlier in the year demonstrating his collection of deadly snakes was sweating a bit by the end. Especially given one of the snakes was a bit feisty.
Phew! That’s a relief – thanks. I see, and thanks for the correction in thinking with collectors. Upgrades to condition, I can see that, and it would be the obvious next step after the set had been completed. Mint in box makes sense. Makes you wonder if the items had originally been purchased as a collectors item, or they were inadvertently neglected? Or maybe some other reasons. You would have heard some stories over the years in the tat trade about such mint finds?
What a journey that skull shaped tin and biscuit travelled to end up in your local supermarket. Dude, I’m not even sure what a sugar cookie is? Sounds like a meringue, maybe? A few weeks ago, the Editor ordered a slice of pavlova, which some kiwis claim originated in that country, although they’re wrong – the dessert origins are in dispute, but most likely originated on this much biggerer land. Anywhoo, what turned up was a meringue, and that’s not the same thing at all. A very dry dessert those things.
Yikes! Winter is fast approaching if you’re getting near to freezing. The tomatoes won’t like that at all. Do you get an Indian summer some years? That weather event happens here some years and lulls you into a false sense of security. Good to hear the pumpkins are continuing along with growing and ripening. The powdery mildew on their leaves is a sign that the end of the growing season is nigh. Not much you can do about it.
Ah, of course. That makes sense and I’d forgotten that the pipes, hoses and spigots could freeze and burst during the winter months. Expensive to fix I’d imagine?
Go H! A dog her size is perfect for rat hunting, although rats can be pretty scary and tough customers. I’ve had some leap through the air at me. Courageous creatures, and that produced a squeal, but best if they were elsewhere me thinks. And good to hear that the powers that be are onto the problem, and keep H away from the traps and/or baits. Petrol is sort of cheap here at the moment too, probably something to do with your elections. Last I checked it was $1.60/Litre which is $6.08/gallon.
That’s great news, as I reckon you’ve had more than your fair share of inspections recently. I forget though, what was going on with the hot water boilers again? But yeah, breathe easy and relax for a bit.
Hehe! Hope the store lives up to the hype, although from all you’ve told me about that lot, it’s on a good footing right from the start. It’s a co-operative isn’t it? Not much ensures that everyone is pulling in the same direction like that basis.
Strange question, how do they even have a deficit budget? Did they sell something off, use up reserves, or go into debt? Or do that lot even let you nice folks know what goes on in the background? It’s just been discovered that some of the local councils down under have ceo’s with enormous salaries. Who knew?
It’s a pea souper out there now. Cold, wet, misty and unpleasant. Gives me an idea about some ferns…
Oh yeah, electricity costs will only increase from here onwards. Renewable energy is simply not as cheap to provide as the fossil fuel stuff. That’s been known about for ages, it’s just people want to ignore the realities.
Holy carp. That’s not good about the chemist chain, and no doubts the previous main street businesses providing such commodities were driven out of town? I’m hearing economic woes news as well. Hmm.
That does sound tasty, and we did a home made pizza this evening – it’s vego, and quite good. Far out, the rains and cooler weather will do that to tomato skins. Doesn’t affect the taste, just makes them rot faster. Oops, we did that trick last year and the results weren’t as good as the previous year, so I dunno about that technique.
Cheers
Chris
Hello Chris,
Sounds like good advice, I will try to keep my mouth shut more often. Thanks,
Regarding potato seeds and seed potatoes, there is a whole world of potato science. My friend Andy develops new varieties of potato, and is therefore using the seeds that grow inside “potato fruits” that look like small tomatoes. Some pictures here: https://www.seedshepherd.com/home-en
He develops corn and tomatoes for outdoor organic growing.
(I met Andy ten years back when he was breeding new almond varieties.)
“Seed potatoes” is cloning by putting parts or whole potatoes back into the ground. Thermal treatment can also get germination going. (30C for two days, then cooler rest in full daylight for a few days before planting.)
But traditional pre-sprouting is still quite popular for the home-scale potato growers like us. Do you pre-sprout?
Linden tree/basswood has remarkably weak grains, and was traditionally used for the Dutch wooden clogs. Very carveable.
Up here, autumn is beautiful but unusually warm. The walnut trees start to drop their leaves, but hazel and chestnut pretend there will be no winter. We have much more pre-orders this year than last year, so it feels quite reassuring to go into sale season. Some varieties (2 out of 30) are sold out even before we start to dig trees out of the ground.
And regarding your comment from last week, indeed we are lucky to have found so many like-minded people around here. We help each other with all kinds of things, ranging from writing permit applications to the council to building trellises for kiwi vines. We have met several skilled growers who provide other fruits and vegetables and grains.
We even got to know an axe-man who was drafted to help rebuild the roofing of Notre Dame using oak tree trusses. He and his wife often join our monthly meet-ups.
I am quite impressed by your 127kL water tank system. Polyethylene is amazing. I hope you will never need to use them in bush-fire mode. We have a paltry 2kL setup here, and a small pond of approx 10kL more…
I am curious about the Araucaria/Bunya nuts. Did you ever get to eat some? Is it a commodity in your country? Do they grow near you?
I have eaten some of the South-American Araucaria nuts and they are quite similar to chestnut seeds, but a different, conical shape. We have planted four of those trees here, but it will take at least 50 years before they will flower, so I don’t think that I will taste those specific fruits of our labour… 😉
Peace,
Göran
@ Pam – I am so sorry for your loss. From what you said, it sounds like your mother had what used to be called, “a good death.” Something we all hope for. And she knew she was loved. Lew
@ Pam,
I’m so glad that you and your mother communicated before her passing – what a gift for both of you! And from your description, she had an easy passage. May her journey bring her blessings.
And for you and your family, my sympathies and thoughts are with you. Please take good care of yourselves and each other over the next days, weeks, and months.
Claire
Yo, Chris – Nope. Diet doesn’t seem to have any effect on my drip, drip, drip. Although, when I’m out and around, it’s not a problem. I got to thinking about my occasionally whistling sinuses. Given the current technology, I could probably record the different whistles. Arrange them into a scale. Write a symphony … 🙂
The high yesterday was 57F (13.88C). The overnight low was 41F. Forecast for today is 54F. The 7 day forecast has been revised, and now the overnight lows are in the upper 30sF and low 40s. So, still no frost on the horizon. You may find this article interesting, on how the global water cycle has been screwed up.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/16/climate/global-water-cycle-off-balance-food-production
Speaking of grumpy dogs … Last night I was watching season two of “Fire Country.” There will be a season three. It kicked off with a couple of earthquakes, that bring down power lines, and cause fires. Later on, there was another episode with fire tornados. Later, a fire in a chemical plant. But I digress … grumpy dog. While watching, I was sorting through a couple of mounds of paperwork. Getting stuff sorted and the important stuff, into files. So H could not sit in my lap, and was out of sorts, about that. A walk and a treat put things right, but sometimes she can be so … needy.
Good to get the water system, sorted. Any parts left over? 🙂 We have a few poisonous spiders, but nothing on your scale. You can keep those, too.
Yes, indicator lights on our carnivore, would be a good idea. Maybe on a collar, around the neck? Would be nice to know if said beasts are grumpy, or hungry. Not only do our beasties kill you, but also feast on your remains.
I think some collectors, collect purely with profit in mind. Those are the ones who collect Mint in Box multiples, of some items. Though that can be a risky game. We’ve talked about collectibles acquired with an idea that their value would increase, and, it didn’t. Beanie Babies, sports cards, comic books, collector’s plates. I think it’s the rare collector, who collects just for the joy they take in an object. And, there is also a strain of oneupmanship, among collectors. Some people make everything a competition.
Oh, I’m sure you have sugar biscuits, in Australia. You probably just call them something else. It’s an old, old, recipe. Tasty and easy to make. Butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour. Cookie cutters can be deployed, to make interesting shapes.
Yup. There’s a bit of powdery mildew, on my pumpkin leaves.
The two hot water boilers are on the third floor, and sprung a leak. There was water all the way down to the first floor. Luckily, confined to stairwells and hallways. There must have been a temporary fix.
Yes, the new Winco grocery is employee owned. I hear good things about them, from people who shop in them in other places. Great prices. Their stores usually carry a full line of Bob’s Red Mill products.
I believe the city and counties are dipping into their ever shrinking reserves. Sometimes called “prudent reserves,” or “rainy day accounts.”
I must say we’re lucky to have our Columbia River. The BPA owns 31 dams, here and there. And, the Columbia River gorge does have almost constant winds, to keep the blades spinning.
I had rice, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, broccoli, etc. for dinner last night. The signs, portents and omens lined up, and we got a food box, this morning. There was a frozen pound each, of ground sausage, and cheddar flavored franks. A pound of butter “product.” A plastic shell with a gooey piece of cake and a veg tray. Those last two will go down to the swap table. Two boxes of cereal, that would appeal to a small child. A jar of peanut butter. A bag of rice and a bag of dry pasta. A dozen eggs. A box of turkey stuffing mix. A box of a good grade of Mac and cheese. Tinned stuff I haven’t gone through, yet.
But that reminds me. Thanksgiving is coming up, and, I’m just not feeling it, this year. I don’t think I’ll do the traditional, as usual. Oh, I’ll probably make something out of the ordinary. But I haven’t settled on what. Subject to change. Lew
@Pam
My condolences. It sounds like she went peacefully which I’m sure is a comfort to you.
Margaret
Chris:
Oh, Chris – how do you write these beautiful things? I’m not sure I missed it at first. Maybe it wasn’t there yet? But – thank you so very much. I have your poem from another such occasion.
Mr. Baby certainly would have something to say about a dog. We haven’t gotten another yet because Mr. Baby is as much work as five cats (I know, I’ve had five cats at once). He has that bad heart, besides being a “Baby”. And if I can ever get my sister in New York to move down here, we’d have her dog.
Ollie is such a sweetheart. He’s actually the kind of dog Mr. Baby would like.
Pam
@ DJSpo:
The connection is still there, even now. Thank you so much for your thoughtful words.
Do write! I enjoy your comments so much.
Pam
@ Pam,
Glad the connection is still there. My mother and I had something similar. So last night got to reminiscing, which seemed more important than conversing with our host. At least for that moment.
DJSpo
Chris,
The club mascot is a guy, I think named Oly, who looks like some type of Nordic carver. If I find a photo, I’ll send it to you.
I hear you about classical music. I am very picky about what I listen to. Some stuff, allegedly great works, I find annoying. I was brought up listening to a lot of Grieg’s music – the Peer Gynt suites and his Piano Concerto in A Minor. The latter is somewhat serious, but I find it to be beautiful music. Not everyone would agree with me, but I played the piano and can appreciate this piece by Grieg. However, I recently heard a *muzak* version at a grocery store. It was performed much too swiftly and tried to give a joyful bounce to the song. THAT was horrid. Of course, most *muzak* is horrid.
Then there’s this one by Sibelius entitled “Finlandia”. I grew up with it also. In fact, this actual video was shown each year to our classes in elementary school – ages 6 through 12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5zg_af9b8c
Then again, a bit less serious, and one I learned how to play on the piano…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_THdzBnHy0
“Spotted a snake, probably very deadly. 🙂 Left said reptile well alone.” umm, yeah, snakes, ugg. And where you live, isn’t it more remarkable when a snake or a spider is NOT deadly? It’s like the plants in much of the southwestern USA. Not only the cacti are sharp. The leaves of many plants are stiff with bladed edges and pointy ends. If the rattlesnakes and scorpions don’t get you, the plants might.
So, the three days of thunderstorms. How did that go? Our “big” rain dropped maybe 3mm. Maybe a bit less. But we DID awake to frost Friday morning.
Oh darn! Here I was wondering which came first, the chicken or the egg. Then you go and change games and give the answer first: first come the rabbits, then come the snakes. Good that you’re getting rid of the rabbits. Otherwise, there would be too many snakes. Then you might have to purchase a mongoose or 3 or 5, thus introducing another possible invasive species. Best to get rid of the rabbits!
Yes, people can and do die hitting trees while skiing. Some of the fun areas to ski are in ungroomed areas, not too steep, weaving in and out amongst the trees. The unwary can get sucked into a tree well that way. So, too, can one get sucked into a tree well when skiing too rapidly and getting out of control and hopefully not smacking into the tree too hard. I was always able to avoid smacking into trees. Smacking into trees = painful. Pain hurts. ;0
Thanks for the quote. I have been enjoying things this evening. Got a lot of things done today. The main thing was to put 25 pounds of gluten free flour into bags and vacuum seal them. Our favorite flour, and I got the 25 pound bag locally at a lower cost than from Amazon! Anyhoo, the evening has been a mix of eating a good home-made stew, writing, and listening to music while writing.
DJSpo
Hi Göran,
Do you get flies in your part of the world? One of the undocumented benefits of keeping one’s mouth closed and breathing through the nose, is avoiding sucking those horrid insects into your mouth. 🙂 You don’t see that listed in any books, but it’s true! Of course a person has to talk, and with your business, that is a necessity, and far out, I’ve always got a lot to say, so keeping the mouth shut is not as easy to do as the books may suggest. On a serious note, there are benefits to be had in doing so.
Thanks for the link, and it took my brain a little while to comprehend that the lead image was an almost perfect looking cob of corn. Talk about a good friend to know, and for your interest, the little tomato-like potato seeds have dropped to the ground here and return reliably every year, although what the tubers look like now is a mystery. Can you grow corn and tomatoes outdoors in your area? Some years they can be a chancy proposition outdoors here.
You have some remarkable friends and contacts. Respect. I’m a bit in awe of your abilities to create and join networks of like minded people. Sandra has finally met someone in this area who also grows a very large edible garden, and we’re slowly negotiating the trading of produce and knowledge. Your writing and blog always reminds me that this is a very important area.
No, I do not pre-sprout potatoes as they’re very reliable in this corner of the planet. Before agriculture was largely abandoned in this part of the mountain range, the area used to produce a lot of potatoes and berries. Anyway, I’m currently trialling four rows of potatoes so as to determine whether the three types of virus-free seed potatoes outperform the varieties we’ve had in the ground for many years. Should know the answer in a couple of months. Interestingly, even the three different seed potatoes grow at varying rates, despite enjoying similar conditions.
Ah, I’d not known that about Linden trees – and for your information, they are a bit weedy in some parts of the mountain range (slightly higher elevation than here). Man, we have thousands of trees. No shortage of trees here. 😉
Interesting. I’m observing that the autumn season is becoming shorter with each passing year. That’s possibly due to the forces of thermal inertia interacting with global warming. Walnuts are sensible trees, and the one here broke dormancy about a fortnight ago. Hazelnuts and chestnuts are super tough trees, so your description does not surprise me. Annoyingly, the seedling chestnut (purchased bare rooted) planted out about two months ago has not yet broken dormancy. That’s a worry, and I’m tempted to further prune the tree. Do you have any advice for me with this?
The rain yesterday was positively tropical, and 52mm fell. It’s very wet outside today. Headed off to a nearby fern nursery and purchased a dozen ferns for one of the garden beds. They’re now all in the ground.
You’d be getting real-time feedback on such matters from your business. Out of curiosity, is there any reason those two varieties in particular were sold-out early?
With water here, there is no Plan B. The system has to be good enough in a worst case scenario, and also distributed with many layers of redundancy, just in case. If a household can guarantee regular summer rains, there’s no real reason to hold so much stored water, but here that is not a gamble I’d make.
The Bunya Bunya tree will probably also produce edible nuts after I’m long gone. 🙂 However, a nearby botanical garden has a mature example (planted in the late 19th century) and we’ve harvested some of the nuts, then roasted them. That’s the traditional method of preparation I believe, and they were tasty enough, but as you note, looked more like a section of a pine cone.
For your interest, I too have planted some of the South American varieties of that species (Australia and South America were once connected) years ago, and the local variety are by far the much hardier tree varieties. The Monkey Puzzle tree used to be a signature tree of the early Australian botanist (please excuse the long name and multiple titles): Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Pam,
It is hard to know where such lovely words come from. However, for you, they are a gift pure and simple. Hope they bring some light.
So many cats could only ever but introduce utterly random elements to a persons day. The felines would collectively keep us lesser species on our tippy toes. I once owned a cat with a very naughty streak. She jumped onto the kitchen bench, managed to hook a steak out of a fry pan, only to lose it to the hungry dogs waiting on the kitchen floor below. Clearly, the cat had the beginnings of a workable plan, which failed due to the canine machinations. See, with lots of cats and dogs, events can be totally unpredictable. Where did the steak go, and why are you lot looking so guilty, and yet somehow pleased with yourselves?
Thank you for saying that. Ollie has a very kind and gentle nature, although he looks like a total brawler. Just like Dame Scritchy used to try, I have no doubts Mr Baby would get away with whatever feline mischief he perpetrated upon the gentle Ollie.
I do rather hope that Mr Baby is on his very best behaviour today?
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Were Nordic wood carvers a thing? Saw some very interesting chainsaw carving today. It has an amusing name: Captain Carver Chainsaw Art. You can click on the photos and they’re pretty good.
Ah, Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian classical pianist, but more importantly his works were of the romantic movement. A contemporary of Franz Liszt if I may point out, and he was of the Liszt-o-mania movement. Such greats brought the art form to the wider population. Top work. I’ll have a listen later this evening, and thanks for the gentle prod in that direction. 🙂
Muzak is never good, under any circumstances. The noise is perhaps intended to move us on so that we do not loiter in such public spaces. Like those uncomfortable chairs which can be tolerated, but briefly.
There is actually a critter known as a legless lizard in this corner of the country. Truly, the lizard looks like a snake at first glance and forages for prey in long grass. It’s not deadly as far as I’m aware, but may suffer from a bit of fallout from its more deadly relatives. So your point stands, and yes, it is remarkable when said small critter doesn’t pose any serious risk to one’s continuing health.
Oh yeah, I hear you about those plants. Sandra grew a particularly thorny variety of cacti. Those thorns have had to be removed from all of the dogs, but it was only after the lady of the household had to have a thorn – the equivalent of a Black Locust spear – removed from her leg that I was able to get rid of the problem plant. Man, the thorns get buried very deeply, and took a bit of effort to pull out. Probably had really fine barbs. The plant is gone now, and good riddance if you ask me.
Oh no! That frost spells the end of the growing season for all but the hardiest of plants like Kale. To put it mildly, it’s a bit wet outside right now. 52mm of rain fell in just over 24 hours. Thus why work plans today were shelved and we headed off to pick up a dozen ferns at a specialist fern nursery in a different nearby mountain range. They supplied the six foot tree fern planted out two years ago now. Got all the plants in the ground, and they seem to be doing well. There’ll be a few dry days now, one of which will reach 29’C, then more rain. Jungle time…
Nooooo! Dude, the mongoose experiment would be like the lady who swallowed a spider to catch a fly. A good reason to breathe through your nose if you ask me. But yeah, the rabbits have to go.
I don’t really comprehend how an experienced skier could run into a tree – which in many cases is a rather fatal encounter. The sport is something of a mystery, but I gather from your words that speed is usually a complicating factor in such accidents?
There was a recent ruling about removing import tax breaks the river folks were enjoying. A lot of noise about the subject, then nothing. So I’m unsurprised that you found the same item cheaper than the river offerings. Down here, ebuy collects the 10% tax on all imports from what I can understand, and obviously has to hand it over to the goobermint. For your interest, I’ve found things cheaper on ebuy than the river.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Everyone’s taste in music is different, and for all we know, you might be onto a winner there with that recording? As a little cheeky side suggestion, try somehow working at-a-facial unintelligence into the background nasal whistling melody, and mate, you may hit the big time. It’s interesting that when you’re out and about the drip recedes into the background for you.
Good stuff, and you’ll dodge the frost risk for at least the next week or so. Your pumpkins will no doubt appreciate the reprieve, but sooner or later, the powdery mildew will win that battle. It always does. Today was 65’F, and despite the drier conditions today, it was too wet and murky to work outdoors.
Instead we headed off to another nearby mountain range to visit a fern specialist nursery. We’ve been buying plants from them for almost a quarter century. Lovely people, and they supplied the epic six foot tree fern we planted out under two years ago – which now has new fronds developing. Anyway, bought a dozen smaller ferns and planted them in a garden bed which runs below the low gradient path. They’re sourcing the tree ferns from this state now, and had a good supply, although they told me people in new housing developments are getting into ferns because the gardens are so small and any growing space is so heavily shaded by all of the adjacent houses – project houses are getting constructed on much smaller blocks of land nowadays. There’s always something interesting to learn in casual conversations.
Whilst we were in the area, we checked out a waterfall we’d never seen before. After yesterdays rain of over two inches, the falls were rocking. The track leading there was a goats track, and super muddy. Still, the walk was worth it. The falls had a funny name: Wombelano Falls. Makes me think of the Wombles of Wimbeldon Common…
Had a very late lunch at a nearby cidery (which was fortuitously on the way home). Shared a grazing box of nachos. Hardly rabbit food, but I don’t believe that any rabbits were harmed in the making of the lunch – that I am aware of. The nachos were tasty. Yum!
Yup, the water cycle is a massive problem, and conditions are shifting as the atmosphere warms, that’s for sure.
Just between you and I, I’d crap my dacks if I encountered a fire tornado. Not an experience which is on the bucket list, let’s put it that way. A fine and worthy digression – such things are always entertaining and informative. Well, dogs do like their patterns, and woe betide the human who fiddles with the generally accepted daily canine arrangements. You brought that poop down on your own head, and I can well appreciate H’s reaction! 🙂 The Editor did the same with Ruby a few days ago. There was a bit of cold shoulder given the next day, yeah.
Hehe! That’s a good point about parts being left over. Hmm. A better way to describe the work was a general and complete re-arrangement of the two water pumps. Hopefully the configuration is simpler, and I always keep a stock of parts for such things, although you never know what thing will go wrong that you have no replacement for. Always a problem.
The spiders are crazy too, and there are scorpions. One tried to attack me the other day. Fortunately I was wearing leather riggers gloves whilst working – ask me why I do wear such hand protection?
Oh, that’s a great idea – and our fortunes may be made here, although there are some technical difficulties to surmount, and probably insurance difficulties for the people who have to attach the collars in the first place – but yeah, imagine a visual indicator that there is a super deadly predator, but the colour coding could indicate the sheer level of deadliness. Think of it, like a traffic light system. You know if the cougar has a red light attached to it’s collar, that the big cat has had a bad day and is in a filthy mood. A green light could however indicate that the cat might consider accepting a gentle neck scratch, just prior to dining upon your flesh.
Collecting for future profit gains, is that a kind of speculative activity? Sort of sounds like that to me, although as you’ve previously noted, nothing is certain with collectors. Yes, I agree, there are always those who are competitive, just because.
Ah, I see, the name sugar cookie was unknown to me. But add in oats, and you’re not far off the ingredients for an Anzac biscuit. I recall the cookie cutters from when I was a kid. They were metal in those days, and I believe are now made of plastic, and sometimes formed silicone baking sheets. Hey, have you seen those silicone baking moulds? For a while many years ago I tried baking bread in those things, and eventually switched over to using metal baking trays instead.
Ook, oh well, powdery mildew starts slow…
Far out, I’d forgotten about that sort of a leak from the hot water boilers. Not good, and not easy to fix. The hot water tank in the roof here sits in a big tray so that if it leaks, a pipe in the tray lets the water run under the house.
All very unfortunate to use reserves to pay for day to day running activities, unless that is the plan. You’d hope that the trend is only short term?
Renewable energy is good, but does not play so well with calm weather and droughts. Such things have happened in this corner of the world, and massive diesel generators were used to make up the shortfall. Now that would be a monster energy bill. But yes, in more usually experienced circumstances, the conditions are mostly good.
Hehe! That’s funny, and glad to hear that the food boxes turned up. Did any produce work its way to the Club?
With everyone doing turkey, why not try some roast chicken instead? Although I’d lean towards a better quality bird for roasting. It would hardly be a thanksgiving meal with a scrawny looking thing to carve up, would it? I prefer roast chicken to turkey.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – How to you tell when a biker is happy? By the bugs on his teeth. 🙂
If I broke the internet, with my whistling melodies, I’d have to get a social media manager. And maybe, a social media agent. They’re a thing, now. Maybe you need one. 🙂 Talk about the lenocracy, in action.
I see King Charlie, is paying you a visit. Doesn’t seem to be getting down to your neck of the woods. Pity. I’d think he’d like a gander, at Fern Glade Farm. Seems right up his alley.
Our high yesterday, was 50F (10C). Oddly, the overnight low was 52F. Or, maybe, not so odd. Turns out we’re experiencing what Prof. Mass calls a “moderate” atmospheric river. Not so much rain, at least here, but wind? Oh, my. Gusts to 30mph, yesterday afternoon and all night. Still pretty breezy, today. Forecast for today is 65F.
You may find this article interesting, about leaf peppers up in our New England states.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/northeast-towns-are-getting-overrun-by-leaf-peepers-and-its-driving-the-locals-crazy-205254155.html?
There have been several earthquakes, off the Oregon and Washington coast. I hope it’s the subduction zone, releasing a bit of stress. Put off The Big One, for awhile longer.
The pumpkins are looking a little sad. I’m holding out for the first frost, to harvest them.
Ferns are so cool. Over the years, the Master Gardeners have planted a number of varieties, around our place. Waterfalls are also cool.
Nachos make a tasty lunch or dinner. Last night, I took a can of the okra / tomatoes / corn. Mixed it up with some garlic, more corn and peas. Tasty.
I wouldn’t mind seeing a fire tornado … from a good safe distance.
I’ve seen a few articles, over the years, that investing in art and antiques has a better return than the stock market. Although it’s probably just as risky as the stock market. I heard a comment, the other day, of one fellow saying another fellow had to buy his furniture. In other words, he was a bit lower class, as he didn’t inherit his furniture. :-).
There was no fresh produce, in the box we got. Plenty of tinned stuff, though. Corn, green beans, tomatoes, collard greens.
I did a nice plump chicken, last year. It was good. Froze some in bags, for later rice and veg dishes. Still not feeling it.
Well. I have 18 items to pick up, at the library, today. I’ve suspended all my DVD holds, until things clear out. I’m going to have to go through this lot, and turn some back, without watching. I’ll figure out which ones have a lot of copies, and not too many holds. The Banksy book is in the lot I’m picking up. I watched “Belgravia,” season two. It wasn’t renewed, for a third season. To take a break from the Victorians, I watched “Fire Country.” Renewed for a season three. Now it’s back to the Victorians, with “The Gilded Age.” It’s been renewed for a third season. Both Victorian series were written by Fellowes, who wrote the “Downton Abbey,” series. And he’s involved in production.
I got my ballot, yesterday. It feels a bit like those turning points we were talking about.
A paraglider took footage of a dog, running around on the top of Egypt’s second largest pyramid. He (or she) is like H. Always seeks the highest point to sit. Just to keep an eye on things, I guess. Lew
@ Lew:
Thank you for the sympathy. And what can be greater than knowing one is loved?
Pam
@ Claire:
Thank you so much for your very kind thoughts and for your concern for myself and my family. We certainly will take care of each other.
Pam
@ Margaret:
Yes, I am sure by my mother’s face that she left this world peacefully. It was indeed a comfort. Thank you for your sympathy.
Pam
@ DJSpo:
There’s nothing wrong with reminiscing, for the sake of love.
Pam
Chris:
And there could have been no blame on the dogs . . .
Mr. Baby has been in such a good mood lately. I am suspicious . . .
Pam
Chris:
I was just reading about cover crops and someone said to let your naturally occurring weeds be your cover crop. I remember mentioning to you last spring that my fall planted veg had done really well all winter and then picked up growing again very quickly in spring. I mentioned that weeds had been growing heavily among them and I wondered if the weeds had somehow protected my fall plantings.
Perhaps weeds are a good thing!
Pam
Hi Pam,
The possibly irascible Mr Baby is surely a loveable rogue? But yes, wise to be suspicious when the conditions suddenly change. Like when the two usually noisy and active Kelpies suddenly go quiet… The question: What’s going on here?, springs to mind.
Well that’s the thing isn’t it? Without the cat, the dogs would never have supped on steak. The cheeky mix of a feline most likely learned a good lesson, and the steak-from-frypan trick was never repeated. Although, like Mr Baby could achieve, other new and interesting tricks were brought into play, thus keeping us humans on their toes.
Presumably winters are warm enough at your place so that you can keep cover crops, like weeds, alive in the winter months? I know what the purists would say, but let’s ignore them for a moment, and I’ll whisper this… I let the weeds take over the pumpkin enclosure during the winter months as well. There, we can talk again at a more usual volume now. I don’t think it hurts, and old timey farmers used to let such plants take over vegetable beds, but for a few years whilst the soil and organic matter recovered from the stresses of growing high demand vegetables. Dunno, and hopefully someone else here chimes in and provides an opinion or different point of view.
I’m increasing the area available for growing vegetables so that we practice crop rotation, thus the need for a second greenhouse.
Yeah, to my mind weeds are simply early colonising plants in disturbed soils. Hopefully that makes sense? I’ve heard other people describing them as a ‘plant out of place’. I don’t lose sleep thinking about them, put it that way. 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
🙂 All too true, and I used to ride a motorcycle for near on a decade. Bug splats are all too real, although I preferred the full face helmet and leathers. The thing with motorbikes is that, only about a quarter to a fifth of the time, the weather made the experience pleasant. It didn’t help that plenty of other people used to describe the activity as being a ‘temporary Australian’ – yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence. Mind you, I gave up that mode of transport after using up all nine lives through close calls. Have you ever had the feeling that your run of good luck was about to reach its expiration date? That’s how I felt way back then, and decided to sell the machine. Wise to listen to such gut feelings.
It’s funny you say that, but such folks send me unsolicited offers all the time. Do I really need such assistance? Dunno. It’s possible that the lot of them are bots. However, I’m not dissing the idea, because if ever the business (the thing which keeps the lights on and bills paid) needs advertising, I might just try out such a mob and see whether there is any return on investment with new clients?
Yup, good King Charles is down under at the moment. He sounds alright, and did his schooling not too far from here. I’ve actually gone on competitive runs at that school grounds during high school. One of his known interests is organic gardening, and I’d enjoy a chat for sure. Candidly I always thought that Di was a seriously difficult personality, and for the life of me I could barely comprehend why she had such strong public support. Nobody knows for sure, but some author allegedly made the claim that borderline personality disorder may have been involved. Hmm. Not a fan.
My head is spinning: How is the low higher than the high? Chris, head, hurt, Ugg! 🙂 We’re overtaking you in weather. Today was 61’F and other than the usual house cleaning which always needs doing, we had a burn off. A lot of tree limbs had fallen onto the boundary and the neighbours seem reluctant to clean it up, so we took the initiative, as you do. In previous years, rabbits and rats had been hiding in such messes, so take no prisoners! All done now, and it looks a treat.
Lewis, I needed a trigger warning for that leaf peeper article! 🙂 I’d not known that there were payments allegedly involved. Hmm. Puts a whole new spin on the subject. Not a fan. And there is one road here which is simply shut at such times of the year. The whole thing is weird.
Always good to have ‘the big one’ postponed. It’s not much to ask for is it?
The pumpkins will tell you when they are ready to harvest. I tend to look for the attaching vines beginning to rot. In fact, last year we harvested them and kept a little bit of the vine attached – I can’t now recall where I came across that advice, but that’s how things are meant to roll.
Is okra a starchy root vegetable? I’ve never seen the stuff for sale, and there is no way it will grow here. That’s a fine meal, fit for royalty if you ask me.
Hehe! You go first with the fire tornado viewing, I’ll just bravely run away! 🙂
Such things happen with furniture, which I might point out, are also heirlooms. Dude, people do not comprehend what quality is. We’ve picked up some amazing second hand furniture items which would have beggared the kingdom if purchased brand new. As far as I can tell, all of it was made in the big smoke back in the day when such things occurred, and the quality of materials is the whole next level. And then, there are what less perceptive of quality bargain folks do – when travelling to pick up the ferns yesterday, it defies my imagination, but in rural areas, people unloaded piles of waste household goods by the side of the road. Clearly the tip fees were a step too far for those households.
The issues of class never really went away. I’ve enjoyed status, then went off and did something else with my life.
Hang on a sec, what are tinned collard greens exactly?
Oh yes, I forget such details as last years Thanksgiving roast chicken. Fair enough, hmm, I’m sensing home made pizza is on the menu that day next month?
I’ll be interested to hear what you have to say about the Banksy book, and really hope the author didn’t fall into the trap of over intellectualising the artist? Ah, you are of course back in the Victorian era, and hope you are enjoying the series?
Hehe! Your election is like a pivotal moment, but I’m agnostic about the entire episode because the underlying issues are well, are they being spoken of? Certainly down here such topics produce a reaction as if a person farted in church. We prepared the mail ballot for the local council elections. This year around I read the candidates err, manifestos and chose accordingly. A friend of mine is putting himself forward in his area.
The dog was amazing, and clearly hunting birds which were roosting way up there. A very clever canine.
Cheers
Chris
Hello Chris,
Up here, certain varieties of corn grows well in the field, and some people do outdoor tomatoes. We have the tomatoes in the hoop house and get much better yields.
I am curious to hear about your potato experiment.
The shape of your beds would not work here, since one of the main killers of our potatos is quack-grass (Elytrigia repens) roots. It is a rhizomatic grass that annoys all vegetable (and tree) growers, and it is especially problematic for potatoes. The roots shoot into the potato and pierces deep into the tuber.
Therefore, we need a buffer of at least 50cm between grass and tubers. Narrow beds don’t work.
Collaboration is almost always fun. I like most people. And we learn from each other. We have been lucky to tap into various networks to build a community here. I think you do too, but in a low-key, less visible way.
Peace,
Göran
Yo, Chris – Given our weather, I’d say our bikers have about 6 months of good riding weather. Although, listening to the riders, down at the Club, they invest heavily in rain gear. 🙂
Di and strong public support. Well, she was pretty. 🙂 And then, there was the whole trope of the fairy tale princess, who didn’t live happily ever after. She did put herself out there, for a lot of organizations that were doing “good works.”
Our high yesterday was 64F (17.77C). The overnight low was 52F. Forecast for today is 66F. When I took H out for a walk, just after midnight, it actually felt warm. Looking at the weather history, it was about 63F, at that time. And, there was no wind. The almost full moon revealed a lot of scattered, big white fluffy clouds. And there were stars. It’s sunny, this morning, but rain tomorrow. Then a few nice days. Overnight lows are heading into the upper 30s. That’s when we get frosts. Cold, clear nights.
Brush clearing. Sounds like you’re in the situation I frequently find myself in, here at the Institution. “If not me, who?”
I looked at the pumpkins, this morning. Some of the leaves look rather sad. Others, just fine. Same with the vines. I had to look up the growing habits of okra. What is harvested, is the seed pods that grow above the ground. I see there are 15 different varieties. Everything from hybrids to heirlooms. It’s mostly grown in our SE.
Collard greens are another crop from our SE. Tinned (or canned?). Besides fresh or frozen, some greens are tinned. Spinach is. See: Popeye. 🙂
Olympia, just to the north of us, is the state capitol. So, there’s a bit of money sloshing around there. There’s one auction house. Occasionally, I’ll check their auctions. There’s often well made, previously expensive modern furniture, that goes for a song.
I took a quick thumb through the Banksy book, last night. I hadn’t realized that Banksy had riffed off of, or parodied so many famous works of art. He said, in 2018, “Good artists copy. Great artists steal.” Which was also said by Steve Jobs, referencing Picasso. Who may have stole it from the composer Stravinsky. Or, the Poet T. S. Eliot. 🙂
Address the underlying issues? Not going to happen. Too much money involved. Lew