Meant to be

46 thoughts on “Meant to be”

1. Yo, Chris – I thought your response to the trolls, was rather cherry and upbeat. And nothing drives them crazier than not responding with snark, for snark.

   That was really a nice riff, on planting, seasons, and all. Very lyrical.

   Looks like you got the plumbing and wiring nailed down, for the water pumps. I’m always amazed, by how beautiful the gabion cages are. The stairway is moving, up, up and away! You probably have a good handle on how long it takes, to do one step. Odd block of free time? Throw in another step.

   I can’t say I’ve ever been partial, to marmalade. Odd that, as I generally like citrus flavors. Where did you get the idea for lemon marmalade? Not something I’ve heard of, before. Can grapefruit marmalade be far behind? 🙂

   The nature reserve looks very interesting, and beautiful. I wonder if there are tours, where they’d identify the plants. Or, there must be a good field guide, or two, for your part of the country? So I take it, the cherry tree is a native of Australia? Another plant that has its roots, so to speak, in the ancient past? When continents were connected up. It has a very pleasing shape. But unlike any cherry tree I have seen.

   I think I see the wombat, in the open grassy area, to the right? Looks darker, than the granite.

   That’s some pumpkin. I harvested mine, today. More on that, tomorrow.

   I thought the video was very good. One wonders what people ate, in Australia, during the lean times, back in the “good ol’ days?” Sometimes, I get the feeling that they stuck with the “tried and true,” and went without, rather than indulging in a bit of culinary adventure.

   Artichokes, pears. The apricots look like they’re nicely coloring up. And, figs. We have a fig here. Poor thing is stuck in a big pot, and I can’t say I’ve ever seen it produce. I asked the Master Gardeners, about it. And, they pointed out two figs on the bush. A few days later, I noticed one on the ground. I’d say it didn’t get pollinated. Maybe.

   Go, chestnut!

   The flowers, as always, are lovely. Lew

2. Hi Lewis,

   🙂 Yeah, trolls. Thanks, and yes, a gentlemanly firm smack down was exactly what I was aiming for. Pesky critters. I tell ya what, you get plenty of practice dealing with the likes of those over the long years of forums with unmoderated comment sections. I do plan to come back around repeatedly in the future to the subject of limits on that forum, so no doubts they’ll be incensed all over again.

   Hmm. You’ll have seen it too in your garden I’d have thought, the seasons, flows and order to it all? 😉 Writing is a funny business and sometimes I can almost feel a cadence forming to the words that does just what you say: brings a lyrical element to the flow of the story. There’s usually four or five edits each week, and with the final edit on the following morning, I stand back from the typed text and ask myself the hard question: Does this story flow?

   That line of gabion cages is particularly nicely lined up with crisp sharp edges. Used a string line for that purpose and it took a while to get the soil underneath each cage just right. For utilitarian constructions that are used to hold back soil, they really are quite aesthetic, yeah! There’s no reason at all that the built environment needn’t have both form and function, it just takes that extra bit of effort to achieve.

   That’s how the staircases get built, slowly as the time becomes available. Might pour another one tomorrow, it being a public holiday and all. But there is also a trailer load of compost to distribute.

   Spent most of the day splitting, hauling and stacking firewood. Me pooped, but in good spirits. The old firewood shed is rapidly filling up. The plan is to fill that old shed, then begin constructing the replacement much larger shed. The old shed will work as a back up plan, lest the newer shed not be completed prior to winter next year.

   Lewis, the marmalade was dreadful. It tasted like lemon tea, which I’m quite partial to, but would you want that flavour on freshly baked bread? The stuff will all get converted into lemon wine over the next few days – it being mostly the same ingredients.

   Other than locals, I doubt many folks know about either of the nature reserves. Probably the way the ‘friends of groups’ and the local council want the situation to be. There were few if any amenities. On the other hand, it sure was quiet and peaceful. You’d be amazed how few, if any, people around here know anything at all about the local bush tucker plants. I see no reason to teach them. Truly, I’m not sure that I’ve ever come across a good field guide, although I’d imagine that the local indigenous folks probably have a good handle on what’s there, but why would they share that information? I ran a stall at a local sustainability festival years ago and had a lot of great chats with all sorts of people, and then there was the young couple who without offering anything in return, demanded that I tell them all the places in the area which they could glean wild foods. Candidly, they made a poor impression.

   Oops! It’s a native cherry tree in the same way that the English named so many exotic plant species they encountered in distant parts of the planet with the common name ‘apple’. So it is of no relation to the Prunus species of trees. I tell you an interesting fun fact about the tree: the indigenous folks somehow allegedly used the sap to treat snakebite. Hmm. A very interesting plant, and one which nobody seems to have worked out how to reproduce.

   Interesting! And I detect a pumpkin story there. So what happened with your harvest?

   The historical record suggests that during the lean time, the early settlers went hungry. Ook! One of the early acts the First Fleet of 1788 – which was a whole bunch of convicts and ner’ do wells of the British establishment, was to send forth the ships to nearby colonies for additional supplies. It astounds me that they all did in fact survive the ordeal. Thanks for watching the video, and we’re trialling all sorts of plants to see what works. We won’t go hungry now after so many years at this work, but at some times of the year, the diet sure could become challenging. 🙂

   I reckon figs would do OK in your part of the world. They happily go deciduous here during the winter months. You already know the answer though, the trees need more soil and growing space! 🙂

   The sad little chestnut is getting better every day. It was your mention of adding worm juice to the soil which began me pouring the daily bucket of seaweed solution onto the tree. Thanks!

   Oh yeah, go to Mars and get very ill seems to be the way of things. You’re probably right there with the observation. Civilisations can chase the winds in their quest for eternal glory, it need not make economic sense.

   Hehe! You’ve got a sharp eye noticing those two articles. The 3G cell phone network was switched off very recently across the continent, and some folks are screaming. We ended up handing over $500 for two replacement 4G phones many months ago. Yup, someone is making mad cash, somewhere and it ain’t us. Surprisingly, some folks decided to ignore the well advertised shut-down and/or attempt el-cheapo work arounds. The nice telco’s seem to be accommodating none of that. And yes, we are very bad down here at managing population. Only a quarter century ago, during an epic drought, the reservoirs in the big smoke got down to the low teen percentages. The words, ‘pray for rain’ were uttered in high places in those days. And yet, despite that recent history, well more than a million extra souls have been added to that big smoke population. Also, a few years ago in another epic drought, the grain export terminals were converted into grain import terminals. Are we good at managing our demands and expectations of limitlessness, I don’t think so.

   Thanks, as I was curious as to how you navigated the auction process. Truthfully, it’s a mystery as to how free shipping can be offered, yet I received an unsolicited email today suggesting to include the cost of shipping in the price of the items being sold thus driving the returns down lower. Hmm.

   Nice score with the books. Did you get any titles of note?

   🙂 I noticed that too about the stuffed zombie kangaroo, but doesn’t that add to the effort the actors have to make to convey the sense of horror when faced with such a creation? Surprised a large ‘roo this evening whilst on a dog walk. Fortunately Ollie exuded enough mojo for the marsupial to take us all as a serious threat.

   Man, I’ve never done that with a power nap between jobs. But yeah, I could comprehend how your body adapted to the need for deep sleep at such times. Everyone is different with regards to sleep .

   🙂 H just wants to head out for a walk with the boss.

   Night sure is arriving earlier for you now. Do you tend to get a sort of twilight period before the sun goes down? That doesn’t happen here, but I’ve experienced that in the more southerly island state of Tasmania. I hear you about that, the days are shorter. Soon the mornings will get cold enough for you that there’ll be no point even starting earlier. It’s well past 8pm here and still light, although it is cold outside now. Today was not warm, but tomorrow and Wednesday look set to heat up.

   I’d be nervous too, but that’s kind of what happens when emotions get stirred up to fever pitch. I tend to believe such options are taken when either party has little to offer the voting public. Well, the circus should be over soon, and that’s a good thing. It’ll be interesting to see how either incumbent deals with the underlying issues of decline. I mean, look at the reaction I get from some unhappy trolls when I talk about limits and maybe chucking on a sweater when they’re cold… I dunno man.

   Cheers

   Chris

3. Hello Chris
   I am still here, just old and tired. My elder daughter has been here for nearly a month. This took up a lot of my time. However she did a large amount of work for me which was much appreciated.

   An unknown animal arrives at night and eats the leaves and stalks of my vegetables. Son and I have no idea what it can be!

   Ingeborg

4. Yo, Chris – I think a lot of trollish behavior boils down to simple envy and jealously. Just a thought.

   The gabion cages sure do look a lot better than, say, a concrete wall. Though the one’s with the grain left in, from the forms, can be quit nice. Our local library drive-through has a huge concrete retaining wall, on the upslope side. They’ve recently painted a mural on it. It’s done with all native plants, and, there are hidden animals in the design.

   https://experiencechehalis.com/experience-chehalis-unveils-new-wildflower-mural-at-vernetta-smith-chehalis-timberland-library/

   Firewood sheds: You’re the man, with the plan. 🙂

   Just for poops and giggles, I took a look down the rabbit hole, and there seems to be lots of recipes, for lemon marmalade. I even saw one that was a lemon / grapefruit combo.

   I also took a look for “Field Guides for SE Australia.” Plenty, came up. But you’d probably have to find a good bookstore (which might have a whole shelf of them), and see which are better. I even saw one that was Australian medicinal plants. So does the “cherry” have edible fruit?

   I got six small pumpkins. There were seven, but I think a squirrel had sampled one. Apparently, didn’t like the taste. But it was ruined, anyway. Size? If you take your fingers, and make a circle, thumb to thumb, index finger to index finger, that’s about the size of the pumpkins. More than enough, for me. But next year, I’ll plant a slightly larger variety, and plant earlier!!! I cleaned out the two barrels, so they’re ready to go, next year. There was an odd plant, that I thought might be a fern. Had the Master Gardeners take a look at it. Might be a carrot … Now how a carrot seed, got from the front gardens, all the way in the back, I’ll never know.

   Well, what can I say. Technology. Last night, I sat down to do my monthly banking. It’s a duel authentication. So, I have to go to my e-mail account, to get a code. Well … I couldn’t get into that account, as they needed another authentication from another e-mail account. So, I had a duel, duel authentication. Pain in the … ear. I have nightmares, that some day, the second e-mail will be blocked … until a get a code, from the first e-mail account. Which is blocked, until I get a code from the second e-mail account …

   Most of the free shipping people, seem to add on the costs, to the cost of the merchandise. It’s easy to see, when identical items … the difference in the price, is about equal to the shipping costs. Although, not always. I bit the bullet, and ordered a portable DVD player, last night. The costs have really come down. 1/4 of what I paid, last time. I wonder if they’re going away? DVDs look pretty healthy, as a media. But, I suppose, most people are hooking up players, to their TV screens. Which I don’t have, or want.

   Yesterday’s high was 55F. The overnight low was 48F. Forecast for today is 55F. Two nice days coming up, later in the week. Overnight lows, those days, are quit low. But not freezing. Close, though. It was very windy, this morning. Gusts of 30+ mph. It’s died down now, and, it’s supposed to clear off. Even though it was pretty nasty, the Master Gardeners did show up, this morning. They’re cleaning up stuff, and have to do an inventory of all their tools. I helped with this and that. We all got very wet. Rain gear was much in evidence. 🙂

   Last night, I started cleaning my beans, off the trellis. And did a bit of the tomatoes. There was room in the dumpster, and, they picked up, this morning. Didn’t finish the beans, as I’d lost the light. Usually, there’s about an hour of light, after sunset. But, due to low clouds on the horizon, it got dark, pretty fast. Don’t ask me to explain it, but there’s civil twilight and astronomical twilight. There’s even a nautical twilight. 🙂

   I got four books, from the used bookstore. One on the 1918 flu. Just for fun, something called “Sorry! The English and Their Manners.” And, two food books. “Wagon Wheel Kitchens: Food on the Oregon Trail” (Williams, 1993), and “Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal.” (Bittman, 2021). Bittman has written a lot of books, on food. He’s usually very good.

   Yes, Election Day, tomorrow. Let the games, begin! Lew

5. Hi Inge,

   Always a pleasure to have your company, and may I add that the reports of your demise were greatly exaggerated! 🙂 As you’d be aware Mark Twain is a most quotable author, although it turns out that even that famous quote was a misquote due to the works of a later biographer. Still a good story, I reckon.

   To be fair, the lovely people here were concerned for your welfare due to your prolonged absence. Inge, it’s really lovely you were able to spend a month with your daughter, and trust me in this, guests of over a few days duration would be put to work here too! But I’m absolutely with you, there is always a lot to do.

   Today was quite hot, and a trailer load of loamy, composty, sandy, some sort of material was moved down to the potato beds. The organic matter is being used to hill up the potatoes, of which there are now three healthy, and one only sort-of-average-looking rows of the tubers growing. Cleaned up a bed in the greenhouse and planted out some seedling tomatoes which we’d raised from saved seed. Then in the later afternoon, I mixed up the coffee grounds with all the other soil mineral additives and spread that lot around the orchards. Plus, we poured another cement step in a new concrete staircase. Candidly I feel a touch tired this evening. If your daughter hasn’t worked enough at your place, well there’s plenty to do here, just sayin! 😉

   It’s really lovely to have you back.

   Mystery animals can be discovered through the use of trail cameras. They’re surprisingly cheap, and I recommend installing one in your circumstance. I’ve been watching a series from your part of the world, Clarkson’s Farm, and not appreciated that badgers are vectors for tuberculosis, yet they are highly protected. Well, it’s been remarked upon elsewhere that society employs the morals and ethics which it can afford. Farming will get respect when city folks go hungry.

   The deer have been a nuisance here of late and are discovering stronger responses.

   Cheers

   Chris

6. Hi Lewis,

   Makes the curious mind wonder whether anyone has ever studied the dark arts and activities of trolls? I agree with your observation though, and would add that it is far easier to demolish something, than build something up. Demolition involves very little energy.

   Those sorts of concrete walls were how things used to be done back in the 1980’s and 90’s before the concrete slabs were made off site, then trucked and lifted into place. What interests me about the recent process is that you can see cracks in the slabs after not all that much time has passed, and this allows water and air to get to the reinforcing steel. The steel worm never sleeps… 😉 Those older concrete walls poured in place used to have some dude during the pour who had to plunge an agitator down into the wet cement so as to ensure that the edges were not pocked marked. That would have been hard work, despite a small engine turning the rotator. And yeah, the timber form work actually created nice patterns in the finished walls.

   I quite enjoy such art, and in some outback towns the monster grain silos are spray painted with truly huge murals. Benalla artist takes isolation creativity to new heights painting six silos during that which should not be named pandemic

   Dude, plans are one thing, who knows how it will all end up though? The impetus for the new firewood shed, is that being here more during the winter months in recent times, means that rather than businesses shelling out for heating costs, we have to, and sadly we ran short of firewood this year, yet again. It was a system which used to work before, you-know-what. Costs were shifted downwards. But yeah, plans, err, happen! 😉

   Hehe! I’m sure someone makes a tasty lemon marmalade, the average of the recipes we tried produced a very unpalatable outcome, which will become a far tastier country lemon wine. Marmalade is like the lesser cousin to jam.

   Yeah, the fruits of the native cherry are actually edible, and I thought they were OK tasting. Mileage may vary in that regard. Getting the fruit before the local birds do, is a very challenging experience.

   A good haul, and you’ll enjoy the pumpkins. Not sure how you cook them up, but I tend to have a preference towards baking them in Pyrex dishes in the oven. Had the last of that pumpkin over lunch today, in the pumpkin and potato casserole, which is very tasty. Lot’s of fibre though, if you know what I mean. Yeah, getting the seedlings in the ground earlier would have lifted your production of fruits. It’s hard to be over everything. Hmm, that’s also hard to know, but what did the master gardeners have to say? Carrots can be a bit weedy, but there is also the Queen Anne’s lace herb, Daucus carota which look pretty much the same. Far out, you’d hope it wasn’t Conium maculatum, also known as poison hemlock. Ook!

   Oh no, circular problems are the worst to be trapped inside, and that’s a total nightmare scenario you described. I tend to prefer the weird 24 digit keycode which you can feed into a program and have it spit out the answer. With that, there’s not just one point of contact, so if your phone fails, or there’s some drama at the issuer end, the problems you mentioned are avoided. Many things down here are now duel (!) authenticators. Oh well, the interweb is hardly a safe place so the extra steps can’t hurt. Man, the stories I read about people getting ripped off are horrifying, and alarmingly regular. Do you see such stories in your media?

   It being a public holiday and stuff, we poured another step this morning. The day was glorious, but the sun felt hot. Moved a trailer load of the compost / loam / sand concoction that I purchased yesterday. The stuff was moved to one edge of the four rows of potatoes where I’m using it to hill up individual plants. That was all finished by lunchtime, and the sun felt very hot. Decided not to head out after a late lunch, then some clouds came over, and so then went back out and mixed up and spread around the coffee ground soil feed stuff. A lot of work, and I feel a bit squooshed from the sun this evening, oh well, get up earlier next time. Not a fan of early mornings, but hot weather does make up your mind for you. 🙂

   Have you managed to track down a copy of the Clarkson’s Farm series? Oh my, it’s good.

   And that was my point – the difference in cost is sometimes not always the shipping costs. I suspect that when it comes to paying for shipping and deliveries, not all pigs are equal. Cool, you were a bit dodge on the DVD player you had. Just had a look to see what’s available, and there are some really good small all in one machines. Hard to know how such complicated machines, can be so cheap. Hopefully the machine turns up quickly.

   Things are rapidly descending into winter in your part of the world. Professor Mass had two essays on snowfall which is very much above average. Dude, that’s awful weather to get out into the garden, but sometimes the needful has to be done. It’s going to be 91’F tomorrow, then the remainder of the week will be cooler.

   Bean and tomato vines sure do look sad by now, and don’t really offer much compost feed goodies. My brain is now spinning at the thought of three different twilights. Hey, wasn’t that the sparkly vampire story off to the east of you? Heard it’s rather wet and gloomy there.

   Oh my! Am I correct in recalling that one therapy for the 1918 flu was getting patients out into the sun and fresh air? Did they still believe in miasmas in those days, or were viruses even known about? The sanatorium folks were kept at very high altitudes where the air was presumably fresher. The way that the word ‘sorry’ is used in that context is quite charming, because I’m not entirely certain that sincerity backs up the words. Dunno. Wagon wheels are a confectionery item down here, quite tasty, although it has been many long decades since I’ve tried one. The junk food book title kind of suggests where the narrative may be headed… Good luck!

   Oh yeah, that thing. Well, it’ll all be over soon, except for the shouting. 😉

   Cheers

   Chris

7. Yo, Chris – I’m sure there’s many a dissertation on the habits of trolls. I think the magazine “Psychology Today,” has had several articles.

   Those silo murals are so cool. Centralia has a lot of murals. It’s kind of a tourist draw kind of thing. Especially nice, is the mural of Buffalo Bill, on the side of an old theatre. Which has been undergoing renovation, forever. Well, mostly volunteer labor, and the odd grant money.

   https://www.lewistalk.com/2016/10/07/centralias-murals-art-installations-history/

   Hmmm. A bit of poison Hemlock, might come in handy 🙂 . I’ll just let it grow, until it reveals its identity. I usually cut the pumpkins in half, clean them out, bake them and then pull off the skin. Pulverize the meat, and put it up in one or two cup amounts to freeze. Might try one “fresh” as you do.

   There are cautionary rip-off stories, all the time, in the news. Also, the AARP (American Association of Retired People) magazines, have constant warnings about scams. When I’m done with my copies, I always put them down in the library. I just watched a good movie, with that theme. A little old lady, in LA, falls for the “Grandma, I’m in jail!” scam. She decides to get her money back. So, with a sidekick (Richard Roundtree, “Shaft!”), and a gun, on his electric scooter, they cross LA, tracking down the bad guys.

   Last time I checked, “Clarkson’s Farm,” was not yet available, in the US, on DVD. My DVD player, should arrive in a day or two. Good thing. As tomorrow, I’ll probably pick up the new Wolverine / Dead Pool movie, and also, the new Twisters movie. Popcorn and melted cheese, in my future. 🙂

   The high yesterday was 55F (12.77C). The overnight low was 48F. Forecast for today is 53F. We’re coming up on a couple of nice days, and the overnight lows will be close to freezing. I think Prof. Mass is a skier, and so are a lot of his readers. So, he always bangs on about snow amounts. Ski reports, are part of the local news.

   The location of the sparkly vampire saga, is a town called Forks, up on the Olympic Peninsula. That’s NW of us. The author of that series, had never been there. Just picked out the town, with the most overcast days, per year, in the U.S..

   The westward migration was done in, mostly, Conestoga wagons .. which had big wheels. Hence, wagon wheels. Often used as decor, these days. 🙂 When I was a kid, we often visited Scott’s Bluff, which was a major transit point, for wagon trains. You could still see where they had actually worn a deep grove, in the prairie.

   I just finished an interesting book, last night. “The Witch’s Door: Oddities & Tales from the Esoteric to the Extreme.” (Cohn and Rossi, 2024.) It’s about a couple who make a good living, buying and selling really weird and macabre stuff. Here’s a two minute tour, of the apartment they lived in, in New York.

   https://youtu.be/EqAhPPni9IA?si=2SnTTmhK583DYc82

   And if you hang in there, there’s a six minute video, of the house they bought in New England, a few years later.

   What I found interesting, in the book, was what he said about collecting. A point I was trying to get across. “Or we’ll keep trading up, selling several lesser items to buy one excellent piece. Then, instead of a thousand pieces, we would have ten. That would make Regina happy.” They were also involved in a couple of reality shows (“Oddities), that really helped their business.

   I went down to the credit union, this morning, to clean out H’s savings account. For a trip to the vet, tomorrow morning. I needed two signatures, her’s and mine, to access the money. She was a little hesitant when I told her what it was for … :-). Lew

8. Hi Chris,

   Well, that was interesting – after a month with no more than 0.6 inches of rain total, we have received at least 8.5 inches in a little less than 48 hours. Good thing I live near the top of a hill of silt loam soil. The ground isn’t even squishy! We were abnormally dry on the US Drought Monitor, about to click over to moderate drought, before this inundation. At least the soil is now fully recharged with water, and since we are getting later into autumn and the trees are dropping their leaves, most of it will stay in the ground and help the tree roots grow until the ground freezes (if it freezes; I don’t think the ground ever froze last winter, it was so warm).

   There was flash flooding in the usual parts of the metro area, and at least one of the smaller rivers in the area, whose watershed is the best aligned with the axis of heaviest rainfall, will go into major flood over the next few days. But compared with what Hurricane Helene’s flooding did, and the flooding in Valencia, we are getting off very easy. If you haven’t heard of our heavy rains except from me, it’s because there are no scenes dramatic enough for the news vultures. That’s a good thing.

   Pah, trolls. They should stay under their bridges and leave us adults alone. However, I was incorrect about the weights of the bags of amendments that I buy; they are 50 pound bags rather than 25 pound bags, for the prices I gave you, so my actual cost per square foot or square meter is half of what you calculated.

   We had a striking yellowish sunset this evening. The clouds from the rain are clearing from the west but still present in the east, and we are around peak autumn color, with lots of yellow leaves. It was like seeing the sunset through a yellow-leaf-colored filter.

   @ Inge – glad you dropped in to say hello!

   Claire

9. Hi, Uncle Chris!

   Well, if you have a gardening second nature, what has happened to mine? If it is not behind the couch, perhaps you are borrowing it? Because I agonize every planting season about what to plant, and when, and where things should go and I’ve been working at it on this same property for 32 years.

   I don’t know if tomato leaves are toxic to rabbits, but I have often seen deer eat them. Of course, deer are not rabbits. I don’t know which is worse. Deer, I guess – they can reach higher. Speaking of deer, my son saw an albino one yesterday; I guarantee that its days are numbered because hunting season has already begun and no matter how small, someone always has to shoot a white one. Thank goodness, no-one ever went after Charlene or her son Junior. Junior spends half his time on my neighbors’ property these days. I suspect bigamy.

   You are right to feel sorry for the trolls. Someone needs to hold their little hands and guide them. You are guiding them, but do they listen? Actually, some of them are scared.

   What a nice little house for the water pump. We’ve had O rings on various projects fail several times. Tractorzilla comes to mind. Those are prime rocks in the cages. I just found out that we do not have peak rocks here. I never used to have time to spend in the back of the property where it has been cleared, where the greenhouses and figs are. I hadn’t realized how many – I mean a lot! – of rocks have been brought to the surface with all the trees cut and banks cut into and ground leveling.

   Why is Bald Hill bald? I mean, is that natural? What a wonderful discovery is that nature preserve. I’m pretty sure I see the wallaby. Some years ago, I hit some button on my laptop by accident when reading this blog and the whole site blew up. It didn’t explode, mind you, but the print and all the photos were greatly enlarged. I couldn’t figure out how to shrink it back and it has been so wonderful to see things so clearly and up close. It always still comes up that way and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

   Lemons here are 79 to 99 cents each, and I use quite a lot of them, so you are indeed doing well with your lemon crops.
   Did you say that the bbo (that’s what the subtitles said . . .) was a vegetable? A tree vegetable? Yay – only another month or two until the hungry time is over! If I didn’t have a grocery store, it would be hungry time here every day of the year, sad to say. Well, almost every day. Is the globe artichoke the one that is related to a sunflower? Yeah – I heard that wind.

   Oh, boy! Figs!

   The chestnut tree looks very hopeful. I see that Goran has recently posted about chestnuts.

   I just watched a baby squirrel eating the sacks that spiders put their eggs in (or do they wrap it around the eggs?). I’d never seen that before. He grabbed each one with his hand and shoved it in his mouth; he really seemed to relish them. He was hanging on a window, but eventually he reached too far and fell off.

   Gracious! That lavender is a true hedge – and so very beautiful. Do you dry some to put in your drawers? I mean in your dresser. Wow! What an exciting white rhodie with the purple markings. All sorts of rhodies.Thanks for all the flowers!

   Pam

10. @ Inge:

    I am so glad that you are back! And I’m glad that you had all that time to spend with your daughter. Do take care of yourself, and try to get more rest.

    Pam

11. Chris,

    We had rain. Lots of rain. Over 30mm Friday through Sunday. The mountain passes have snow. Sherman Pass up north near Republic, Washington, got buried. Two passes, one of which the Princess recently travelled across, have been closed for the season, Chinook and Cayuse passes. Winter is coming.

    Dream suggestions cancel out earworm suggestions. We are, indeed, back to a blank slate.

    Oh no. No way would I slime the face of an unsuspecting female in the dark bowels of a cave. I DO have appropriate boundaries, you know! Nor would I suggest such a thing to someone else. Think about it and be amused at the idea? Well, yes, the thought possibly crossed my mind at the time.

    Today is election day. Finally. That means no more political commercials for a while. They were getting well beyond annoying. Time out during a sporting event? Wall to wall political commercials for 5 minutes. ugh. I mean, there are only so many ways that anyone can say “Vote for me! I’ll set you free!”

    The second thing I saw in that one photo was the evidence of the water leak. The first thing? Dame Plum the Supervisor. Front and center. I’m glad she was there to give you proper guidance. I was similarly supervised when on a stepladder to change a light bulb. Dame Avalanche was watching me intently.

    Trolls? I often referred to the Bridge Engineer and his staff as the County Trolls. They were a good-natured bunch, so my quip always started a round of joking. But you know what to do about trolls, don’t you? Make sure some sunlight hits them. Then they will turn to stone and be stopped in their tracks. I know that is true because I read it in The Hobbit. 😉

    Yes, you can believe whatever you want. AS you said, how those beliefs actually work out? Well, that gets us back to my friend’s truism, mentioned here before: “In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they’re not.”

    Ollie’s supervisory style looks to be similar to mine. It looks like feigned indifference when in reality he is probably intensely at the top of his game. I found that it always helped relax staff when they realized I was looking relaxed or even comatose.

    We had a weird start to the day, had a late breakfast at our favorite breakfast eatery. Alas! They didn’t have lemon marmalade, so I had to settle for orange marmalade. I was really hoping to see some tiny packets of Cherokee Farms Lemon Marmalade. 😉

    Your day on Bald Hill reminded me of the song Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLCuL-K39eQ

    Perhaps spending a night on Bald Hill would be somewhat less harrowing. Maybe minor imps to do the scary bits?

    Ok, we’ve had the Where’s Waldo discussion thing here several times. Then you go and grow Waldo grapes and there’s a carving club member here named Waldo. So we know where Waldo is. Maybe, however, you can take a lot of distant pictures of wallabies in magnificent settings, put together a series of picture books entitled “Where’s Wallaby”. And yes, I did find the wallaby within a few seconds.

    The scenery and views from both Bald Hill and Granite Hill were wonderful, by the way.

    Thanks for the flowers. It is our gray season now. Those Rhodies look great.

    DJSpo

12. Hi Claire,

    Well, that’s a monster change with your weather. For your interest, I’m also noticing down here that the rain is being delivered less often, but in greater quantity. Managing water flows is something I’ve given a lot of thought and energy to over the years. Always wise to get such rainfall into the soil as rapidly as possible. Dunno about your part of the world, but here the water moves through the subsoil rather slowly. There is a creek at the bottom of the property (600m away, all downhill!) and it takes a very hot and dry year for the water to dry up nowadays. Wow! It may well be that your soil ends up only freezing for only a short period of time from here onwards, like during a run of particularly cold days. The trees might appreciate that change!

    Yeah, rain does not fall evenly, that’s for sure. It may surprise you, but the news down here did report on the 3,000km rain band, but the hopes were expressed that the election turnout may have been hindered. I can’t make this stuff up: The US presidential election turnout could be affected by a 3,000km band of rainy and stormy weather. To be candid, for the pollsters to be so consistently wrong over the years, including the 2016 election, Brexit, the Voice referendum and now this election, they probably need to be replaced with pundits who have more accurate world views. If I were consistently that wrong, when the call came to: ‘don’t bother coming in on Monday’, I’d hardly be surprised, would you? 😉

    Thanks for the correction, and yes, stuff is notably far cheaper in your country, but then I am at the bottom of the planet in a remote locale… Brought that poop down on my own head! 🙂 Your country has a far higher base point when it comes to soil fertility than down here. Also more reliable watersheds which traverse an awful lot of the landmass. It genuinely surprises me that few people in this country here are alert to the serious soil problem. Oh well. Incidentally, I may well continue to poke the trolls just for the fun of it – why not?

    Lovely! And thanks for the description. It’s a good metaphor for wider events. The sunset here this evening was a deep red caused by a mixture of smoke particles from fires near and far, and also dust. Nature always has such wonderful things to say.

    Cheers

    Chris

13. Hi Pam,

    He says, putting on the ‘bad ol’ uncle Chris hat’, which I may point out is made from rabbit pelts. Hope they didn’t mind providing them.

    Actually the rabbits annoy the daylights out of me, and cause me to question the overall management and balance of forest critters. Oh well. Hey, went to visit some lovely open gardens today and had such lovely chats with the owners. Such delightful people and I reckon they were part of the back to the land movement of the 1970’s and yet hung on and prospered. The gardens looked amazing too despite the dry country up north they were located in.

    Hehe! Pam, sorry to correct you, whilst at the same time I respect your gentle earth focused heart. However, R is for ruthless. No true. In the greenhouse the beetroot plants began producing seeds, and we knew, or at least I did, that the tasty bulbs had turned woody-ish. Pulled them all out. Fed the leaves to the chickens. Awful. Fed the soil with the coffee ground mixture yesterday, then replanted the bed out to tomato seedlings. Pam, Sandra is likewise coming to grips with plant spacing, and each year they get a little bit further apart. I tell you, the intensive folks took things too far, but such ideas happen. Anywhoo, it’s a journey we’re all on, and there’s no right way, but hopefully next spring you’ll hear an echo of: r is for ruthless, and think no more of agony, and begin producing more from less. 😉 That’s the plan anyway!

    What? Now I’m totally freaking out. Rabbits are bad, deer are worse and that’s what I’m guessing too. Not a fan. I believe the ever cheeky Lewis may have said something about Bambi being a very successful marketing campaign, and who now knows the truth of the matter, although there is no season on the herbivores down here, it’s all year around. As a mostly vegetarian I’d wonder what to do with the venison steaks. That’s what I’m left thinking about, and the food option just messes up the overall composition of my morals and ethics. What’s a person to do here? 🙂

    Absolutely, an albino deer would have special significance and probably should be left alone as a sacred forest critter. Charlene lead a charmed life in a most excellent garden, and Junior well, I’m blushing at the thought, but can only suggest that he liked families so well, that he got another one… The cheeky rascal.

    I agree, it is fear with trolls, and I’ll poke them again soon. Sometimes the fear of a loss of comfort is actually far worse than the reality of getting out into nature and living a life with purpose.

    Go Tractorzilla, and may the machine continue to provide sterling service with replaced o-rings. We’d call that machine a backhoe and I only have envy at the thought of things that such a noble steed could achieve.

    🙂 Rocks are very useful items in the garden. Well done, and that’s a great find.

    I have no idea. The trees in the forest surrounding Bald hill were actually harvested to feed the furnace at the Kyneton hospital way back in the day (i.e. a long time ago). It’s a bluestone building, now abandoned (last I checked) and I’m guessing the location of the quarry where the granite blocks came from. 😉 The trees were coppice harvested and you can see them regrowing from the stumps all these years later. I suspect most of the trees are many hundreds of years old.

    🙂 Some computer issues are on our sides.

    Lemons used to be very commonly grown in household gardens in the big smoke, but not so much in these enlightened days. Every year one of my problems is working out what to do with hundreds of them. It’s a nice problem to have. And you’ve given me an idea.

    The bbo plant is in fact a Babaco, otherwise known as a champagne fruit. A stupid name given the fruit tastes more like lemon sorbet to me. It’s a real highlight of the annual breakfast fruit mix. It’s taken eighteen years of continual effort to get to this point, thus I do worry about such things. Hmm. There’s a rapper with the name bbno$ (an acronym for baby no money – an unfortunate state of economics)

    No, I don’t think so, a globe artichoke is a very fancy high end, thistle plant. 😉 I’m being serious too.

    Hehe! Yeah, I was wondering if Goran would have any thoughts in relation to the chestnut. I’m always amazed at the connections and interest people in his part of the world people have. I just don’t see that down here, but may have to head off one day and chat to the local sustainability group – hope I don’t offend them…

    Yum! Protein, is what the squirrel probably thought. Don’t acorns have a good amount of protein in them? I did note that Goran went to a class on how to prepare acorns for human consumption. Oh no! Oh well, squirrels know their business well enough, maybe.

    Thanks! The bees were all over the lavender. That’s a good idea with the scent sachets. A very English comment there, which we’ll pass on – cheeky!!! 🙂 I grew up watching those amusing English shows like: Are you being served, and no doubts my sense of humour is way off as a result. Pam, all I can say here is that we can only but blame society!

    Cheers

    Chris

14. Hi Lewis,

    Truthfully, when I first came across the pesky commenters decades ago, they really threw me. Who would say such things? Turns out, there are plenty of people who’d do so. After a short while, I learned to deal with them. I don’t know whether I’m entirely comfortable with a forum that has unmoderated comments and anonymous reporting by any user. Seems not quite right to me.

    How the artists do those murals over such huge spaces is a real mystery to me. Oh my, your area has some murals, but far out it had some characters that’s for sure. Must be something in the water…

    Didn’t a famous old Greek philosopher choose that opting out of life method? Funnily enough I was speaking with someone today about such a plant, and made the joke that you’d hope it was the Queen Anne’s Lace plant. Look, sometimes my joke fall flat, and that was one occasion. Can’t please everyone. Anyway, we headed north to check out some open gardens. Castlemaine and district festival of gardens. There’s nothing like that in this mountain range, which is a real shame because there are people who could get such things going. Hmm. Visited two gardens and they were really delightful. Had some good chats with the owners, and of course good nosh. Had an apple cake too, which is not at all like what you’d expect by those words. An intriguing shortbread concoction.

    Had to then come home and work. Hours and hours. And also hadn’t yet sent out last months bills due to the public holiday long weekend, and it is a true observation that if one does not invoice, they shan’t be paid. Probably done something very bad in a past life.

    Yeah, that’s pretty much how we bake the pumpkin, but without the freezing. We’ve got more space to store such quantities of root vegetables. One day I might have to construct a proper root cellar, but at least I recall how such things were used in my youth. It’s funny to think of how life used to be, not all that long ago. I’ll be interested to hear what you have to say about roasting and consuming the pumpkins fresh?

    What? That’s some tricksy stories to dump on poor old unsuspecting, but maybe super mad cashed up grandma, but possibly not for long. The Thelma film looked pretty good, and the dude from Shaft! Cool.

    Oh no, man, you’re missing out, it’s good. Hope the DVD player works better than the last one. I remember when you got the thing. That film came and went, but I watched the trailer and it looked good. Deadpool is err, mouthy. 🙂 Hope the sequel to the Twisters movie lives up to the original, and exceeds it. Hehe! Had a tasty lunch today, but back to rabbit food for dinner – rice, eggs and vegetables. I quite like it and I do wonder how people can get more leafy greens in their diets without growing the plants. Dunno.

    Winter is coming to your part of the world. It was 90’F here today, and the first hot day. Ugg, not used to such weather, yet. Skiing is expensive down under, mostly due to the economics of the short season, so it’s not for the average person. Although way back in the day it used to be a club activity and not that financially onerous.

    Is it really? Oooo. Not sure I’d be comfortable living there. Far out, Forks gets something crazy like ten foot of rain per year. Wow. My mind is struggling with such conditions, although there are some parts of the west coast of Tasmania that are equally as damp. Hmm. Tough conditions. No, I wouldn’t want to live in such a place, you’d need webbing on your feet, or something like that. Hope the author rectified the lack of knowledge and eventually visited the damp town?

    Yeah, it’s kind of weird how people use horse drawn carts and farm equipment as a form of decremental yard art these days. It doesn’t make much sense, but to my eye it looks as though someone has dumped some rubbish in the front yard. Maybe it is a statement of wealth? Hey, we’re so wealthy we don’t need such things and can afford to waste them? Dunno. A real mystery to my way of thinking.

    The apartment looks very cool, like in the way an old school museum kind of presented itself to visitors. Oh man, it’s almost 11pm, and me getting tired. Been a long day.

    I appreciate your point about the collector wanting to trade up, thus improving the err, quality of the collection. Not sure quality is the correct word to use there. What’s your take on that word in that context? You’d hope Regina didn’t crack the sads with all of the astounding items on display, it’s an intriguing collection.

    🙂 Thanks for the laughs, and hope H has now forgiven you and come to terms with her newfound look and impoverished accounts?

    Cheers

    Chris

15. Hi DJ,

    I’m really sorry. I did want to reply to your comment this evening, and sadly had to work very late this evening, and so ran out of time with which to do so. Of course, we had headed north earlier in the day to see some open gardens and in this case, that is behind the late work day. Alas, a dude cannot do all that he wants, and must settle for less than fluffy optimal. e.g. the dire state of sub fluffy optimal. Never good. Probably doesn’t equal 42, does it?

    Speak tomorrow.

    Cheers

    Chris

16. Chris:

    Ah – there’s a use for wabbits.

    Hopefully we will get to see some pictures of the garden? You and Sandra, and my husband and I, moved back to the land in the early 90s (well, 1989 for us). I wonder if that was another back-to-the-land movement, or just our personal inclination.

    I am more Ruthless than I used to be, also. Hey – who was Ruth?

    Dogs love venison steaks. So do friends and neighbors. And you’d have deer hides to go with your rabbit hat.

    Bbno$ – that’s very funny, unless it’s true.

    It is possible that you may offend the local sustainability group. Possibly some such sort of thing may have happened before . . .

    We have made acorn flour. It’s not that hard, just time consuming. The taste was fine and we added it to wheat flour breads – I wasn’t gluten free then – as extra protein.

    I grew up reading English novels, then when we got British TV shows (PBS) I avidly watched them. Sometimes people look at me strangely when I use British humor, without thinking about it.

    Pam

17. Yo, Chris – Our local newspaper had an article about the Columbia River Pumpkin Paddler. 🙂 Quit a bit more detail, than the other articles I’ve read. Yikes!

    https://chronline.com/stories/46-miles-on-the-columbia-river-in-a-1000-pound-pumpkin-lands-oregon-paddler-a-world-record,365082

    Well, early on, I took on board the sentiment, “Do Not Feed the Trolls.” One time I needed some information, on a comic book I had. Posted to the appropriate board, on E-Buy. Got a snarky reply from some little troll. I did not respond. A few days later, he was back and coughed up the information, I needed. 🙂

    There’s something that looks like Queen Anne’s Lace, that is a wild carrot. Though from reports, it’s … starvation food. You’d have to be starving, to eat it. And, you better know what you’re doing, because other similar plants, are poisonous.

    The Festival of Gardens looks very interesting. What!? You didn’t visit them all? 🙂 It looked like a wide variety of different types of gardens. I suppose, they reflect the gardener. The “Iron Garden,” looked interesting. And, “The Stolen Garden?” All the plants were “borrowed” from somewhere else. Sounds like good tucker. Pastry and apples go well together. In many forms. There are people called archaeobotanists. There’s a couple of books, about the work they’ve done at Pompeii. And, some of the gardens have been replanted.

    Actually, the old DVD player gave pretty good use. Given the amount of DVDs I watch. But why I’d lose the brightness and contrast, I know not.

    Dinner last night, was an easy fix. Rice, mixed frozen veg, and added frozen peas and corn. Garlic. Etc.. H got some mixed veg, and was having one of her nights where she was “off” the green beans. Very carefully picked them out, and set them aside. Makes no sense. They come out of the same package, that she scarfed down, the last time. I think she’s screwing with my head. 🙂

    The high yesterday was 54F (12.22C). The overnight low was 37F. Forecast for today is 57F. We took a drive in the country, this morning. Out to the vet. Glorious sunshine, and spectacular leaf change. Wellness check, distemper snort, two 3 month flea pills (so I don’t have to drive back out there, in February) … $235. She got a clean bill of health, except there is some concerns about her teeth. But, Dr. Amanda didn’t push it. Doggie dental work is $7-800. Also, stopped for gas. $4.10 a US gallon, for regular.

    The University of Oregon football team, is called “The Ducks.” Officially. Unofficially, they’re called the “Webfeet.” Oh, I’m sure the author has visited Forks, given the popularity of the book series, and movies. There are tours. A vampire festival?

    When selling weird stuff, presentation is important. The fellow visited a lot of museums, all his life, just to see how they set up displays, and presented things. What worked, and what didn’t. His wife Regina, seems to be just as into it, as he is. But has a better business sense, and reins him in, from time to time. A cool head. The voice of reason. 🙂

    Just for fun, what do you do with raccoons, besides making them into hats?

    https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/31/travel/raccoon-meat-products-germany-scli-intl

    We got the commodities food box, this afternoon. One box, instead of the usual two. And no produce, at all. I wonder if their big truck broke down? They brought it in a van. I’ve just taken a quick look. A pound of frozen ground beef. A tin of “beef in juices.” A two pound brick of cheese product. Two boxes of puffed rice cereal and two quarts of shell stable milk. A two pound bag of almonds. A gallon of some kind of grape drink. The rest of it was tins of fruit or veg. Nothing screams Thanksgiving. Lew

18. @ Inge – Good to hear from you! You were missed. Lew

19. Hi Pam,

    A rabbit felt hat has true Aussie bush style. And that particular hat has a great deal of sentimental attachment – you’d surely have an item or two of clothing which retains significant meaning, maybe? 🙂 I got that rabbit hat, and it is technically described down under as an Akubra hat which apparently have been in production for 150 years, by way of a swap.

    Long ago I wrote a story about the blue hat which I loved, but was too cool for me to wear. An impostor was my first thought when donning the hat, and it didn’t fit quite right as well, one of the downsides of having an overly large head. 🙂 So I took it back to the hat specialist dude for a minor adjustment. The dude there was even cooler than myself and the hat combined, and he made the remark that some bloke in the UK was looking for the blue hat. So we did a trade, the blue hat for a more appropriate proper bushie rabbit pelt hat. And all is now good with the world. 🙂

    Oh my, and I won’t mention the vintage sheepskin bomber jacket I picked up on ebuy for $80 which is irreplaceable. Pam, not only is it warm, it’s also as a conundrum totally cool. I feel like that dude in the 1970 film Love Story when wearing it, but a whole lot more sober.

    Yes, I agree, the economic ructions of the early 1990’s left a marked impression. And it seemed only wisdom to walk away whilst the going was good. It’s been a wonderful journey, despite the many hardships, don’t you reckon? That’s living.

    And that’s another journey, yeah. A few years ago in the hippy press I read an essay written by a more or less local lady describing how difficult it was becoming ruthless in her annual vegetable garden, and resolved to do better. Of course, doing better is a slow slog as you’d no doubts also know…

    Pam, I’m soft and have never had to process an animal. Ook! But yes, both the dogs and neighbours would appreciate the effort. But look at the vegetables, aren’t they lovely too? 🙂 I have nothing but respect for anyone who can process a carcass.

    Except it is true… That is actually the rappers moniker and explanation as to the acronym.

    Oh my, I do my best, but can’t anticipate every particular avenue of delicate conversation. Like, how was I meant to know that people would get totally upset about the subject of compost? Truly, I can’t even say for sure exactly what the term ‘compost’ means, because it differs from one location on the planet to another. Except on the way back home from doing work in the big smoke I dropped off in the big box store hardware, which is a place I quite like (don’t tell anyone!) Blood and bone meal was cheap and so I sorted through the bags and read the descriptions of the contents and grabbed the bag with the highest percentage of phosphates. It was weird they were all priced more or less the same, but with different contents.

    Interesting about the acorn flour meal addition. Thanks for that. Hmm.

    🙂 Pam, I knew exactly what you meant! Oh, they were fun in a way that people can’t seem to allow themselves to enjoy these days. Oh well, we must all bend to the current paradigm, whilst enjoying a laugh at its expense.

    Cheers

    Chris

20. Hi DJ,

    Ah, another late work evening, but a bloke mustn’t grumble, although a little bit of grumbling is good for the soul, don’t you reckon? 🙂

    Oh man, 30mm of rain is awesome, and would really recharge the sub soil with moisture. How’s the garden looking, have those dryland grasses greened up nicely? I suspect they will. Hopefully your lady was on the correct side of the mountain pass at the time, and not stuck further north? Out of curiosity, have you ever been snowed in somewhere? How did you cope?

    Hmm, did I mention that the past two nights I’ve had some seriously vivid dreams? Last night in dreamland I was talking to some dude about singing lessons. Like what the… So perhaps your ear-worm suggestions crossed over into my over worked brain which was maybe trying to work out how to dream the impossible dream? Like that scene in the Monty Python Holy Grail film where the castle denizens were about to break out into song. Stop that!

    Respect. I may think such an act, but wouldn’t never dare do such a dark cave thing either, although for some folks that’s part of the ritual flirting process. The golden rule of ‘do unto others’ applies here, and you’d have to imagine that the couples later life held inexplicable muddy dark scary events until the karma debt was balanced? That’s the theory anyway, the reality may have been even more problematic.

    It’s all over, including the shouting. Ha! I now note that a few of our mob who’d penned what can only be described as ‘mean tweets’ are in fear of their jobs, as well they should be. The rule of ‘do unto others’ applies here as well. Gag Halfrunt (a fun name) had it correctly, and I’ve never understood any of the collective meltdowns. Such advertising would cause me to switch off and/or switch on the ad-blocker software. One of the upsides of compulsory voting (at risk of a fine) is that the population can become annoyed so the election campaigns are usually brief and perfunctory.

    Ah, here’s a question for you. Did Dame Avalanche follow the rule: Whoever is up a ladder must not be distracted. I fell off once long ago due to incessant chatter, and fortunately the years of martial arts training proved their worth (and possibly far younger bones). Bruised but nothing broken. Hmm.

    That’s funny and glad the bridge crew had a good sense of humour. Good advice there, and now you mention it, the bridge engineers I’d worked with were also a bit pasty. What’s going on there? 😉

    Such a lovely and useful phrase. Sums up the situation perfectly. Yes, there is book knowledge, then there is the fixing of the laboratory leak! 🙂 Hehe!

    Ollie is always super chill, except when he’s staring intently off into the forest. That behaviour bothers me so I gently bring him back to more local events, concerns and circumstances. And I absolutely agree with you, a leader should remain calm. Dogs will never follow an agitated leader, and they can read us humans far better than most humans can read a canine. Oh yeah. The thing about that for me was that whilst I outwardly appeared and acted cool and relaxed for staff at the top end of town, the folks higher up the food chain were busy trying to perturb me for their own purposes. Not a fan of the environment, and went off and did something different with my life. I can only but doff my hat to you good sir for you endurance.

    🙂 Orange marmalade is pretty tasty, yup. Hope the bread was thickly sliced and perfectly toasted. Yum!

    When I was a kid, my mum took me to the drive in theatre to watch Fantasia, and it scared the daylights out of me, although I was very young. Of course the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack sort of redeemed that piece of music with the classic: David Shire – Night On Disco Mountain. It’s actually not that different really. They may have needed an album filler?

    There’ll be no imps here me mateys! 🙂

    Yeah, just to put some scale to the quarry scene, that wallaby is about five foot tall. Quarrying would have been hard work back in those days. Thanks, and you can see that the mountain range here seen off in the distance rises out of elevated plains. The nature reserve is quite a special place and hopefully the folks in charge understand what they’re doing.

    Lot’s more flowers to come, but yup the seasons wheel turns for all of us. A bit too rapidly for my tastes, but there you go, a dude’s gotta deal!

    Cheers

    Chris

21. Hi Lewis,

    Thanks for the link to the pumpkin dude article. That was a much more detailed account of the harrowing journey, and you did mention waves and currents. Imagine having to rapidly bail a pumpkin full of soupy water – and what effect that water may have had on the integrity of the skin. Then there was the electrical fire. An impressive effort, which the bloke might beat next year.

    Good advice, and you’ve got me thinking. Had a new comment today, and you may have given me an idea. It’s funny how going quiet can actually be a very strong response. The other day I was hearing some unsolicited local gossip and remarked that the person was ruining the magic. It was a nice assertive, but not aggressive way to end the conversation. But yeah some folks constantly test boundaries and that’s hard work fending them off.

    My understanding was that modern carrots were developed from the Queen Anne’s Lace herb, so what you wrote doesn’t surprise me at all. Of course the herb would be far hardier and more likely to self seed than the well bred, but tastier root vegetables. 🙂 And yup, there are a lot of ways to go wrong with wild food harvesting. It takes a lot of experience before you can say you know what you’re doing.

    Look it’d be a challenge to visit all of the gardens, but sadly a dude has to earn a living too, mostly because them bills keep on rollin’ on in. Pesky critters, although I do my utmost to dodge them. Interesting, and there are a few sculpture gardens in the wider area, although I’m a sucker for a cottage / edible garden. The stolen garden has some really good rock retaining walls – there’s a sense of envy when properties have access to square edged rocks – they’re all rounded here! 🙂 Went to see ‘Mossbank’ and ‘Forest Edge’, both delightful gardens.

    Yeah, that’s what I recalled was wrong with the old unit, the brightness and contrast. Dude, there are some really amazing all in one DVD machines for not much coin. I was actually impressed with the design of a few of them.

    Got home late today from work in the big smoke. Stopped off at the big box hardware on the way home and picked up some more fertiliser products. It interested me that not all bags of blood and bone meal quoted the same percentage of phosphorous. It varied from 1% through to over 5% weight for weight. It was odd that the price didn’t vary with the extra oomph. Dunno. Anyway, got home very late and we had rice, veg and eggs for dinner again. Tasty, and good to see your also on the rabbit food express train as well. 😉 Dogs are picky creatures. Ruby has slightly injured her back leg, mostly by being a high speed idiot, and we’re now adding ginger powder and turmeric to her breakfast. Fortunately the dog is hungry enough that she eats the stuff, and she seems to be on the mend. Yup, H may well be messing with you there? Don’t see why dogs wouldn’t enjoy green beans.

    Oh, whilst I was in the big smoke I stopped off at the industrial cable supplier place to pick up some odds and ends supplies for the solar power system and there was a big ‘for sale’ sign out the front of the business. I couldn’t work out whether it was for the business or the premises? Dunno.

    Go H! And good to hear that the lady is in fine form, and fighting fit. I had the impression down here that they do doggie dental work under general, which I dunno about for older dogs given the risks. Of course H is not that old. Petrol is creeping up in price again, but that may be due to the declining value of the Aus dollar. $2/litre today, which is $7.60 gallon.

    🙂 That’s funny, and probably occasionally deserved! The sparkly vampire series never held any appeal, but then there was some sort of very wrong fictional baby born into the final, and I heard a review which suggested that that should never have been. A bit like the fictional Rosemary’s Baby, which I read way back in the day. Nice neighbours… Anyway, the review was made humorously just to put the comment into some context.

    Hmm, of course. The apartment really did ooze old school museum vibes, and it looked great in a very gothic kind of way. And he’s a lucky bloke to have a lady who handles the business end of the arrangements.

    Well that’s an innovative use of game meats. I’d imagine that the remains would also liven up compost nicely! Shame they just get chucked out. We have a worm farm for such tasty soil treats. Did you see in the article that there are now two million raccoons? It’s quite astounding really. What they need is something which will eat the raccoons, and the butcher is onto the right path there. Strangely though, I’ve heard stories of rabid raccoons? A frightful occasion to encounter one of those…

    What no raccoon sausages in the food box? 🙂 Is beef in juices otherwise known as spam?

    Cheers

    Chris

22. meant to be- fate? the inevitable cycles of life playing out even when we don’t understand them?

    I’ll just briefly mention American politics as it is subject to natural cycles as is anything else in our world. Tainter and Spengler come to mind.

    We had two ways of ignoring descent on the menu, and we collectively chose the more maladaptive of the two. Collapse will thus be faster and steeper, but then, that may end up being better for the natural world. Ripple effects may well even reach your quiet glade in the woods. So it goes.

    greenhouse- this year, our year to do small experiments, we grew things in buckets. Mixed results, and still learning, but not a long term scheme, to my mind. This week I bought the rot resistant wood to build raised beds. Proper nutrient rich soil will be the next step to get ready for next spring.

    firewood- a friend I hadn’t seen in quite a while called out of the blue offering firewood for the ages. many years worth, as he had done a major logging project on his land. Loggers only take the best straight trunks, leaving much behind. Anyway, I’ve started cutting up and hauling, but my dilemma now is how to store? Reluctantl to build another wood shed, but hate to pass up the wood, free for the work to cut it up.

    Finally got rain, so dug up the very last thing in the garden, the parsnips. They did quite well this year. They were monsters, and are quite difficult to dig up, as the roots extend well over a foot (300mm) deep. No way I could have got them out of the dry hard ground before the rain.

    patterns- some we see, and some we don’t. The arrow of causality writ large. We are regular pattern searching machines, and sometimes see patterns where they are not, or ignore patterns that don’t match our mental model of our world. Overall though, best to be watching for patterns. A key step in planning our path forward.

23. @ all
    Thanks for kind comments. I am in astonishing good health for my age.
    Son says that only deer would eat the veg, leaves and stalks that I have lost. There are a few escapee deer on the Island but not around here and we can find no trace of one.
    Nothing to do with the above but 4 racoons have escaped from a local zoo. Fortunately they have all been caught.
    Weather forecasts say mild, mist and murk. How true! I haven’t seen a trace of blue for ages. It is absolutely ghastly and I have never before seen such steady endless gloom.

    Inge

24. Yo, Chris – Soon to be a major motion picture! “The Saga of the Pumpkin Paddler!” Cast of thousands! All singing, all dancing! Water ballet! In Cinemascope! Technicolor! Dolby sound! (Brought to you by a wholly owned subsidiary of Gulf & Western.) 🙂

    Poking the trolls can be fun, if you keep your sense of humor. I keep waiting to use “There he goes, again,” as a recommended shut-down for people verbally beating a dead horse. Might work. Worth a try.

    Well, if you want square rocks, you need to find a nearby Roman ruin …

    The new DVD player is “out for delivery,” so, it should show up today.

    Yesterday was so busy, I didn’t even get my nap. Dinner? Broke up some tostadas into chips and had them with mustard, yoghurt and cheese. Called it dinner.

    That’s another reason why the vet might not have pushed dental, on H. She’s getting up there. Coming up on 11, and her breed’s expected life span is 15 or 16 years.

    I never read the sparkly vampire books. I did watch the first movie, and it was ok. Scenery was nice.

    Europe mostly stamped out their predators, a long time ago. That might have kept the raccoons in check.

    I’m reading two books, right now, that are sort of similar. “Bone of the Bone: Essays on America by a Daughter of the Working Class.” (Smarsh, 2024.) Dirt poor Kansas farm girl claws her way up the ladder to a tenured professorship, big house on the hill, and “ideal” marriage. Walks away from it all, to do what she loves best. Writing and journalism. When she graduated from journalism school, it was about the last of the classic reporters. Out of her entire graduating class, she’s about the only one sort of making a living off of writing.

    The other book is “Uneducated: A Memoir of Flunking Out, Falling Apart, and Finding My Worth.” (Zara, 2023). You remember that paper ceiling I mentioned? Well, that’s what this is about. Zara had little formal education, at least, on paper. Barely graduated high school. He’s managed to claw his way into some pretty good positions. But, because of the certificate and diploma gate keepers, he often feels, “I don’t belong here.” And is pretty low key and deflective about his background. In a way, he’s telling a bit of my story. On paper, a high school diploma is all I have. But, by staying nimble and working some angles, I’ve done OK. But, I admit I’ve had a few moments where I’ve thought it would be nice to have those pieces of paper. At least something to show for those 3 1/2 years of college level work. Oh, well. Next time 🙂

    Close, but no cigar. Yesterday’s high was 57F (13.88C) The overnight low was 34F. (Freezing is 32F). The forecast for today is 60F. Today and tomorrow will be nice. Which usually means cold, clear nights. But, I guess there’s going to be cloud cover (but no rain), which will hold in the heat. Forecast for nighttime temps are in the 40sF. We are going to set a record, at least by my calculations, for late first frost. Frankly, it’s weird and makes me a little twitchy.

    I’ve never had the guts to open up a can of “beef in juices.” Spam, is pork. I’ve held onto a can of the beef, in my pantry (and, a can of Spam, for that matter). Sooner or later, I’ll make some Toad in the Hole, and beef drippings makes the best dish.

    I bit the bullet, and walked the couple of blocks, down the hill to the local chemist. To get a You Know What shot, and a flu shot. Turns out, I forgot my wallet. So, it was back up the hill, and down again. 🙁 . There are four other vaccinations, that I would like to get. But, they aren’t covered by my Medicare A or B. There is a Medicare part D, that covers medications. But those are administered by private insurance companies. And the deductibles are about equal to the cost of the vaccinations. Clear?

    I’ll be meeting my buddy Scott, down at the Club, tomorrow afternoon. It’s his AA birthday. We swap the occasional e-mail, but I don’t see him near enough, as he sticks close to home. Due to a sick wife. But, now I’ve got my vaccinations, I feel a bit more comfortable about being out in public, and will nudge him to maybe go out to lunch, one day. Where? LOL. We’re both a bit of a people-pleaser. So settling on a place is always an ordeal. Chinese? Mexican? Plane old American? There’s a new bagel place, but I don’t think it’s sit down. There’s also a new-ish British eatery. Although, looking at the menu, it really doesn’t scream “British”, to me. Although they do have potato and leek soup. And, lots of pastries. Any-who. We’ll get it sorted. Lew

25. Chris:

    So, you really do have a rabbit hat. An overly large head comes from having such stupendous intelligence that what else could one’s head do but expand whenever such a brain is exercised? I think I remember the blue hat. Or was that before my time? The sheepskin jacket I do remember. Some years ago I practiced on roadkill, squirrels and a snake. That’s hard work.

    Of course vegetables are lovely, and fruit, too. And grain, though we’ve only done tiny trials of those, years ago – teff, wheat, oats – and maybe millet? Or was it amaranth? One needs a whole lot of room to grow grains.

    Oh – I love hardware stores. We have one here of the real, old-timey kind. They invariably have someone stationed on every aisle. Their prices are not that bad either, compared to a big box store. I can’t imagine how they do it. It’s locally owned, too.

    These poor little things:

    https://www.wyff4.com/article/south-carolina-40-monkeys-escape-research-center/62838231

    Pam

26. Hi Steve,

    All very true, and fate is a tough-as school because we can push a little here and there, but the winds flow where they will. Control of a narrative is as ephemeral as trying to grab smoke from a fire with both of your hands, but try telling the media that!

    To be honest, I’m glad the circus is over, our news was, and still is full of a lot of emotional heat, and perhaps not enough soul searching, although they’re slowly getting there. The result hardly surprises me. And absolutely, those two authors nailed it. I learned recently that my favourite author, Jack Vance, was actually a fan of the Spengler world view and wove that narrative all through his many books.

    The ripple effect will be felt here for sure. You know, way back a few decades I thought long and hard about how to build some distance. It’s just not possible to get too far, the reach is strong with that lot! Steve, the choices made in around 1997 and then stuck too since then, bothered me greatly. Not fan, and like you suggest, there were better ways which are candidly a hard sell. Yup, and so it goes.

    Respect for conducting the experiments. A bucket is a great idea, although the drainage could be an issue. You’d have noticed the permanent raised beds in the greenhouse here? Those were the result of much experimentation as well. I like where you’re going with your greenhouse, although I have no idea what a deep winter soil freeze might do inside your greenhouse. It might be a good thing with insect populations though? Dunno. It would take a lot of firewood and continual effort to heat a greenhouse, but in the older and more fashionable end of the mountain range, that’s exactly what the old timers did. Labour and everything else, being cheaper in those days.

    An interesting, and if I may say so, a good problem to have. If the firewood were a hard wood species, they’ll be fine out in the winter weather in a big pile. No big deal. Softwoods are outside my experience, but maybe a weighted down tarp might be the way to go? Dunno. Sometimes the universe chucks you an opportunity and it turns up at your front door wearing overalls and looks a lot like hard work!

    Glad to hear that the rains returned, and that’s an interesting observation. I’d read somewhere years ago that parsnips had an unusual ability to break open sticky soils. Hope they taste sweet? I’ve never grown them mostly because as a kid the preparation of the root vegetable put me off them for life – they were inevitably boiled, but probably should have been roasted. Dunno.

    Patterns can discern underlying realities. Sandra heard the newly installed water pump cycling this morning and brought the matter to my attention. Turns out, I’d left one of the hoses on, but with the nozzle shut for a couple of days. Hmm. That part of the garden enjoyed a slow watering during that time, and the plants sure were happy. 🙂 Yup, monkey see, monkey do!

    Have you shelled all those hazelnuts yet? I’m envious of your nut harvest and would swap peanut butter for hazelnut butter in an instant! 🙂

    Cheers

    Chris

27. Hi Inge,

    Respect. There’s a lot to be said about spending time outdoors in nature.

    It’s an intriguing mystery, and of course the matter of which forest critter did that, is of considerable interest to myself. Each morning, Ollie and I walk the property examining the ground for scats, and you’d be amazed the stories which poop reveal. However, I’m of a similar opinion to your son in that deer would most certainly leave piles of their err, calling cards.

    Pesky critters deer, and if you can’t find their piles of poop, and the dung beetles are too cold to be super active, then I believe you have a true mystery on your hands. Has that pheasant ever returned? They’re stunning looking birds which could cause such havoc, maybe.

    Sandra and I have a minor disagreement about the deer here. I’m happy enough to fire off a few shots so as to scare them away to less troublesome pastures. The problem is that they arrive in the late dark hours and my actions may freak the neighbours out. If there were an easier way… You’re very fortunate to avoid the depredations of those particular herbivores, not to mention the escapee raccoons. What a nightmare situation. I’ve no doubts that in several centuries time, the escaped domestic cats will have grown in size. And so the wheel of nature turns.

    Inge, some winter weeks are like that here too, with deep mists, low clouds and short days. Such weather can try the patience of even the most fervent of believers in solar power. At such times I’m grateful for a small supply of fossil fuels and firewood. Hope the murk lifts soon for you, although that could lead to colder conditions. The moisture probably acts like a giant blanket over your island. That happens here sometimes with forest generated clouds over cold winter nights.

    Has you summer garden finally stopped producing?

    Cheers

    Chris

28. Hi Pam,

    Absolutely! It really is rabbit felt, and is a very lovely hat. Rabbits were introduced down under, and as sometimes happens with these matters, they went completely feral having few natural predators. To think that long ago they even released grey squirrels…

    Pam, I’ve also heard it said that perhaps there is a thick skull involved in the story, and so the truth would hopefully in this instance sit somewhere between the two? 🙂 Alas excessive brain exercise can have its downsides, let me assure you – although with all the situations you’ve juggled over the past few years, you probably know what I mean there for sure. Far out! Speaking of such things, I’d intended to take today off paid work, and not to sound ungrateful, but a huge volume of work just lobbed up out of the blue, so I ended up working all day today instead. Oh well, that’s how things roll sometimes and it’s usually a very busy time of the year here. Thinking about things for a bit, I usually get to this time of year in the past and have made the decision to stop all of the infrastructure works. Believe it or not, things are more balanced this year. That’s a good thing.

    Hmm, the blue hat story was recounted in September 2019, so yes, we were definitely regularly saying g’day in those days. It’s always a pleasure to have your company and a nice chat. 🙂

    Respect. I’ve never done such work, and have nothing but admiration for those who have done so. A snake would be the whole next level of difficulty. It’s amazing how soft snake skin is, a lovely material. Did you end up making anything from the skin?

    Sadly, grain requires far more direct sunlight than conditions can provide here. Do you reckon maybe the extra sunlight now at your place would make a difference? The wheat I grew years ago looked a bit you know, not all that great. Probably very low in protein at a wild guess, although who knows how it would play out nowadays, but absolutely, those plants need a lot of land.

    What a lovely hardware store, and it sounds quite old timey and pleasant to me. You’d be amazed, but I reckon the staffing levels in the big box hardware stores are lower nowadays. The other evening I noticed that only one register was open, although it was later and so fair enough. Interestingly the store also had a security guard standing next to the store greeter, so I wonder if there had been some sort of trouble? Dunno.

    I tended to avoid the super macho hardware stores back in the day, mostly because the staff were condescending, which is a red flag to me. Things have changed since those days, yeah.

    That’d be some fun monkey business, and hope the clever creatures make good their escape despite the ensuing mayhem. I doubt the monkeys were in the facility for good reasons. Long ago I once spotted a ferret who’d clearly escaped from a nearby research facility. Go the ferret.

    Cheers

    Chris

29. Hi Lewis,

    It’s a good story that one, yeah. Although you’d imagine that there’d be long stretches of the film without much in the way of dialogue? Tom Hanks did a great film where that happened, the 2000 film Cast Away. A good story too, but not all that much in the way of dialogue. Noooo! Save us the singing and dancing interludes. Please! It’s not too much to ask is it?

    I agree, the trolls do require some poking, but maintaining a sense of fun and graceful manners can unsettle them greatly.

    Oh, I like where you are going with the square rock idea. Nice one. All I have to do now is wait for a civilisation to collapse so as to access the otherwise unused square edged rocks. An idea for the future to keep in mind. I’d imagine all the bricks littering the land from these enlightened days will be a boon to future folks.

    Good stuff, and so did the DVD player turn up today? Hopefully it exceeds your expectations?

    You’re so lucky to know a local veterinarian. And your words match my experience with older dogs. It can be pretty hard on older dogs putting them under. And that lifespan is about what I’m guessing too based on my experience with the breed, although individuals can vary widely. Dame Scritchy made it to 19 years. She was an old battle-axe that dog.

    A pack of wolves would carve up raccoons I’d imagine? Highly civilised can also be another way to describe a lack of nature.

    Fascinating and thanks very much for the book recommendation. Hmm, the managerial class are now very much upon the road to descent, so such voices as those who’ve traversed in both worlds can provide interesting insights, and mirrors. Any serious highlights with the essays?

    Yeah, I recall you mentioning the paper ceiling. You know, over the years I’ve trained some very clever folks by way of the old school approach of apprenticeship. I didn’t mention it before, but coming up to my first work break for at least seven years over this summer it’s been on my mind because the last dude I did that training with surprised me. It was all part of the mob that did the dirty on me earlier in the year, and whilst we had a good chat afterwards, I did point out to the bloke – you should have trusted me. I expected the result from the others, but he was the surprise. Oh well, he’s got a mortgage etc… Mad cash makes people do strange things.

    Hehe! You’ve had a pretty good run, and I have nothing but respect – you played the system nicely there. It’s a funny old world, and truthfully other than establishing an expensive barrier to entry, I’m not entirely convinced that the education provided was all that relevant. Maybe next time… 🙂

    That happens here as well with cold blue sunny skies leading to freezing nights. Brr! It wasn’t all that exciting here today, with a touch of drizzle and mostly cloudy skies. Had to run the wood heater tonight for a little bit.

    Woke up this morning at first light realising that the plans for today had to be scrapped. Did paid work all day instead, and a dude has to do the needful, yeah. It’s a busy time of year here, and in previous years we get to this point and have a minor, or major, freak out. Infrastructure has to come to a halt so as to provide time for all the various activities which need doing, plus it is a busy time of year work wise regardless. I believe that this year we’re doing better.

    Such wisdom is how you’ve survived the various random challenges life throws at us all. A lesser person could come unstuck don’t you reckon! I’ve never consumed beef in juices from a can either. Sounds a bit scary… Such products can be tested on err, dogs, who are notably less troubled by the origins of foodstuffs. For all we know, the can might be 50% cereal product?

    Are you feeling OK today? There can be lingering after effects for sure.

    A notable celebration for your buddy Scott. Hope he’s doing well, and that’s not good about his lady’s health. Hmm. What a decision you have to make there, but I’m leaning towards your way of thinking, the place has to be a sit down meal, otherwise the catch up will be over before you know it. Did you come to any clearer decision there?

    Cheers

    Chris

30. greenhouses- Our greenhouse will be primarily to extend the growing season, and reduce (maybe) disease. Won’t be heating it, but doing manual climate control with roll up sides and vents. If we’re careful, we might also grow some winter greens that can handle light freezing.

    The buckets came with the used greenhouse kit, and have holes drilled in the bottoms, so drainage is ok. Raised beds take advantage of the earth’s thermal mass to hold warmth better than buckets, also more chance for good soil biota to do its thing.

    Jack Vance- you’ve lauded him more than once, it might be time from to add one of his books to my tottering stack of books to read.

    parsnips- We do a thing we call “roasted roots”. Dice up potatoes, beets, parsnips, onions, maybe a bit of rutabaga or sweet potatoes, then toss with a light oil coating and salt and pepper, spread a thin layer on a cookie sheet, and roast. Quite yummy. Maillard reactions all around, tender on the inside, crisp on the outside- yum. Parsnips are better roasted than boiled, IMHO.

31. Yo, Chris – After the three deer visited our grapes and butterfly garden, I took a look around for scat. To dig into the garden. No joy. Deer must have been constipated. 🙂

    Well, I might as well fess up. I was just dumb(er) than a box of rocks. The DVD player arrived … and why was it so cheap? Because it does not have the Blu Ray function. 🙁 . So, I sat down last night, and ordered the right machine. Also, when I went down to the chemist, to get my vaccines, I forgot my wallet, at home. With my Medicare card in it. Back up the hill, back down the hill. Toward the end, I was taking the elevator, instead of the stairs.

    Oh, just the usual sore arm. I’ve been taking 2 or 3 aspirin, a day. I woke up a bit chilled, a couple of times last night. No chattering teeth. Just … cold. I’m sure some people have reactions, to vaccines, but I suspect a good portion of them are drama queens. “Aren’t I special.” If you sit around magnifying, every little quirk of the body, you can convince yourself of all kinds of things. The chemist (nice folks) pointed out that I really should have four more vaccines. But, they are not covered by my Medicare A & B. There is a Medicare D, for drugs. From private insurance companies. But, it’s got deductibles, about equal to the cost of the vaccinations. After the first of the year, I’ll go back to the Poor People’s Clinic, get a new primary care physician, and start working through those vaccinations, one at a time. You might find this article interesting … or, appalling.

    https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/07/health/evi-care-insurance-company-denials-propublica

    Add an “L”, and it would be “Evil Care.”

    The essays are interesting, and, I think one take away is that red or blue are not monolithic. Reporting often misses nuances.

    Well, I can’t say my life has been all that successful. But, looking back, I do have a habit of falling face down in good fortune. Sometimes, not apparent, until later.

    The high yesterday was 63F. (17.22C). The overnight low was 41F. Forecast for today is 61F. Looks like rain will be coming back, tomorrow morning. I see Mt. Fuji finally got snow.

    I worked out in the garden, a bit, last night. I finished cleaning off the bean trellis. Cut down the tomatillos, and uprooted the sweet basil. I was going to plant the last two varieties of garlic, today. But I don’t think it’s going to happen.

    I’ll see Scott, this afternoon. I doubt anything, as far as restaurant selection, will be settled. :-). Lew

32. Chris:

    You know well as a business owner that you are never really off duty.

    I mounted the snakeskin (a Copperhead) and also mounted a squirrel skin. Eventually, after a couple of years, I asked myself: “Why?” and threw them away.

    There’s still not that much sun in the garden up near the house, but way back in the clearing, where the greenhouses and larger potted figs are, there is more sun – and more room. Maybe we’ll try grain back there someday.

    If those monkeys can avoid capture, South Carolina would be a pretty good climate for them, though some fruit farmer will be sorry.

    Pam

33. Chris,

    What, me grumble? 😉

    All of the grasses have turned green. That won’t last too long, as we’ve had a few nights near -4C with thick frost. But for now, the grasses are as green as green can be. Everything else has settled into winter stasis.

    No snow here yet, and the Princess was home during the last round that hit the passes. We had smoke from smoldering fires seep into the region the past few days. My cousins are a different story, however. Most live in Albuquerque, one in Los Alamos, New Mexico. They had a very large snow system blow through this week. Over a foot of snow in Los Alamos. 90 minutes east of Los Alamos had blizzard conditions. In an unrelated storm, the desert in Saudi Arabia had snow for the first time in like millennia. Literally.

    The Princess and I were walking into a store Thursday. Two young men, about 13 years old, approached us and asked, “How long have you two been dating?” I immediately quipped, “Dating? We’ve been married for a billion years.” The other youngster replied, “A trillion?” to which I responded, “It feels like a trillion years when she is mad at me.”

    Dame Avalanche ignores me when I’m on the ladder. That was a lesson that she quickly perfected the first time I was on a ladder with her nearby. Didn’t take very long to train her about ladders. That may have something to do with a large wad of wet leaves that got dropped on her head the only time she was trying to distract me.

    The Princess grew up around horses. Like dogs, horses can sense every emotion of their rider. Being too agitated while on a horse apparently can have severe drawbacks. Her youngest brother trains horses and is one of the horse handlers in the extreme sport of Indian Relay Racing. Here’s what a national news program had on this sport a few months ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FNYWcPpN6c The 17-year-old girl in the orange shirt near the end of the video? She is from the Princess’s reservation. We don’t know her but know some members of her extended family.

    Ok, now you’ve done it. Disco. There are very few disco songs that I either like or can tolerate. Fortunately, Night on Disco Mountain is one of the few. I ‘ve always liked it.

    I like nature preserves. Been through or near several over the years. The highlights were driving next to a reserve that had several hundred elk in a field near the road. The other highlight was seeing a herd of bison down the hill from the highway. Fun stuff, and I’m grateful to have been at the right places at the right times.

    DJSpo

34. Hi Steve,

    That’s how we use our greenhouse as well, although there are two marginal crops which just eek out an existence inside the protected space. One is the Babaco, and that’s a pawpaw which has zero chance of surviving winter outdoors here (don’t believe the hype, I tested it). The other are chilli’s (peppers) and by early spring they look very sad indeed and almost, but not quite dead. Turns out the plants can live for six years, and they get off to a super early start to the next growing season. Hmm. A worthwhile endeavour to extend the season, yup. I’ll be interested to hear how it goes at your end.

    I reckon Russian kale and green mustards would be worthwhile trying out in your greenhouse based on what I’ve seen here. Those are some super cold hardy plants and shrug off the occasional snowfall and frost here – outside. But please experiment away! Fresh greens during the winter are a very special delight in the kitchen. And I believe the starches in each turn to sugars so as to reduce the freezing point in the leaves, so they taste even better with exposure to super cold weather.

    Ah, sorry to say, but plant disease is always an issue. In order to practice crop rotation, the plan has become to construct a second greenhouse. If there were another way… 🙂

    Well done you! A second hand greenhouse is a top purchase and something I’d never thought of doing. Hmm. But yeah, we use raised beds inside the greenhouse for that very reason. Oh man, weeded the greenhouse this morning and removed all of the excess self seeded plants. I really wanted to avoid crop rotation by simply bringing in lots of new soil minerals every year and trialled that for years, but nope, the old timers had it right.

    May I humbly suggest the authors short series of five books of the Demon Princes series? It is also available in a two volume edition. A ripping good yarn of revenge. The first two books were written in the 1960’s, then there was a twenty year break before the series was concluded. No heavy tech, just pure good story telling.

    Yum! A fine meal, or used as an addition to other meals. Go the Maillard reactions!

    Cheers

    Chris

35. Hi Pam,

    Well there are good and bad sides to everything, and as a business owner, flexibility was the option sought after. Pam, truthfully, if I could get up early every workday-a-morning, then head back to the big end of town, I could easily pay other people to do all the work which needs doing around here. 🙂 There’s a dilemma in there, somewhere! Hehe! Far out, those early mornings though… A bloke has to know his limitations.

    Now your son is running his own business, and there’s no need to go into details, but is he enjoying the many challenges he’d be facing? Any grandkids on the way? I had an eerie vibe there, dunno why.

    That’s an interesting journey you travelled there, and one I’ve also been on. You try stuff because things are meant to look a certain way with back to the land lifestyles, then you let go and forge your own path. Oooo, a copperhead snake, well to be honest looking at the skin would have been way too much of a reminder of what occasionally lurks around waiting to trap the unwary. Snake skin makes a good leather though.

    Actually, am I correct, but did you use the plural to describe the greenhouse? An enviable achievement if I may say so, but yeah the sunlight here works similarly, some parts of the property are in shade, others enjoy more sunlight. Like you, I wonder about grains, but they are definitely in that ‘maybe again one day category’. The scale and fencing would be problematic here I reckon, and maybe that would be the same in your part of the world?

    Hehe! Makes a curious mind wonder how monkeys in a research facility could escape in the first place? I’ve heard it said before, and it maybe true in this instance, but for the people managing the monkeys: They’ve got just one job. How hard could it be?

    Headed north to visit some more of the open gardens today, and had a blast. It’s really lovely to see the energy and resources which people invest into the land. And there were century old almond trees full of produce at one of the gardens. Victorian gold rush era buildings at another. Lovely stuff. Do folks open their gardens in your part of the world?

    Cheers

    Chris

36. Hi DJ,

    A little grumble never hurts. 🙂 Part of the human condition I’d have to suggest.

    Hey, a mate of mine entered into his local council election on a degrowth platform and scored 6.12% of the primary vote. Not enough to win, although it was a preferential voting system, so who knows, but it’s a solid result all the same. I’m hanging out with movers and shakers. 🙂

    Good to hear about the grasses, and when they’re all green and luscious looking, the colours are easy on the eye. Any plans to extend the native grasses? The past few weeks have sort of been dry here, and ever so slowly the grasses have produced seed and are turning to their summer yellow. But far out at your place, -4’C is ice producing cold over night temperatures. 🙂 You, your lady and Dame Avalanche are more resilient to such weather than the summer softie collection here! Actually, last night was a low of 4’C, but there was a minor section of frosty grass this morning. Not sure how that works. Brr! Maybe it was warmer closer to the house where the thermometer sits?

    Not good, and that’s a bummer. Some of those more northerly fires continue to smoulder under the snow and ice from memory, which would worry me deeply. Both Sandra and I recently purchased heat resistant work boots on the off chance that there is a fire here. Even though the fire is long past, sub soil fires can linger for months and years afterwards. No point burning lesser shoes soles to your feet – as I’ve heard happen. Not good and beyond difficult to recover from. Of course the dogs would be a problem there as well, but maybe their noses would sniff out such trouble beforehand? Dunno. They do seem to be rather aware of fire, and I’ve heard stories of dogs surviving fires which took out the house they resided at.

    Hmm. Lot’s of mountains there where your cousins are. Looking at the satellite images of the area and terrain, it’s hard to say what the place would look like if the climate from further south extended north. It’s hard to ignore that the vast area to the far south west of there looks remarkably green. And believe it or not, the local news entirely missed that story on snow in that middle eastern desert. Nothing at all…

    Hehe! That’s funny, and it’s nice to be at the top of your game when responding to cheeky youngsters. And that’s excellent advice as well, we can’t expect to be perfect, but it’s a noble goal not to annoy our better halves a million, billion, trillion times! Actually on that note, yesterday we’d planned to head north to see some open gardens and I pulled the pin on that due to heavy work loads. Equanimity was the word of the day, and that’s life sometimes, but we headed north today to see the gardens today. It’s really good that people open their gardens to the public, and they’re often remarkable works. Do folks do that in your part of the world?

    Nice shot with Dame Avalanche! And I’m writing down your most excellent wet leaf suggestion for future use, although it probably won’t be required, maybe. However, if it is, I can say with an innocent looking expression: DJ said to do it! Hehe!

    Taleah was a sparky warrior, yup. Thanks for the link, and connection to culture in that physical arena is awesome to see. Who knew the sport came out of horse rustling? Thought you might be interested in this given your carving background. Trees are shaped down here to give meaning. There’s a scar tree here. Hmm. An old powerful presence. Culturally modified trees ‘a national treasure’ in outback NSW

    It’s a pretty cool rendition. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it, disco is so 70’s that it hurts!

    Nature is pretty amazing, and I agree, you never know we can see.

    Cheers

    Chris

37. Hi Lewis,

    That’s interesting with the deer at your place. The cheeky scamps leave their calling cards here, and I believe that just like wombats do, they’re marking their territory. Man, I’d hate to hear what the dogs have to say about the wildlife goings on in their territory. There are times I look into the canine faces and see utter annoyance at a forest critter act which displays a lack of proper respect.

    And that’s some good thinking. Free fertiliser. It’s true too, all the birds and forest critters here can produce a lot of manure whilst consuming the vegetation, and that’s the point of having few fences. There are some areas I don’t want the wallabies in, mostly because they lack discernment in their rush to destroy fruit trees and leave the forest understory open. Surely, after all these years the marsupials would trust me that I got that job, but no – the bouncy creatures have their own opinions and aren’t afraid to express them. But yeah, your deer could perhaps use some additional fibre in their diets… 🙂 Thanks for the laughs.

    Oh, total bummer. Can you return the machine and get a refund? I see, the blu-ray functionality does add some coin to the purchase price. These things happen, and like I’ve been wont to quip: Won’t make the same mistake again. I’ll make new and interesting ones instead!

    What an ordeal, but it is good exercise, there’s that I guess. Some days just don’t work out right though. No doubts you were distracted because you’re now missing all those recent political advertisements? 😉 Something has changed in the environment, hard to figure out! Hope you’re feeling better today.

    For some reason vaccines make me feel thirsty, but then so did donating blood way back in the day. I tend to believe that everyone is different with reactions, sometimes you just don’t know in advance how things will go. To be honest, I don’t really understand your medical system at all. Reading the article caused my brain to have something of a minor melt down, because I knew that lot would probably just say ‘no’ to any claims for costs. 🙂 I did notice the cheeky additional letter to the name.

    A little allegory popped into my head. The other day I mentioned to someone that, I don’t gamble. They asked me why, and I said that clearly the house wins, and the facts speak for themselves, because there is a house. Somehow that seemed appropriate to your discussion of the medical industry in your country.

    Anywhoo, a person can afford to see the doctor here, it’s just financially ruinous to purchase a house, you know, the thing which is meant to keep the rain off your head. Inflation seeps out of the cracks in all sorts of unexpected ways, but it’s impossible to contain. Although candidly, I could think of a few ways to resolve the matter, for a while at least.

    Yes, reporting is often nowadays presented as very one dimensional. The very notion that there are swing states, suggests that people are more than happy to change their colours – and that’s nuance to my mind. It always surprises me that anyone would think otherwise. I vote according to where I believe my interests will be best served, and last I checked, political parties don’t own my vote. There was a cheeky song years ago which went something along the lines of: What have you done for me lately? You mentioned that guys can sometimes forget their partners in all sorts of minor ways, but political parties can do the same with their constituents. Getting themselves into bubble land will have that sort of an outcome, don’t you reckon?

    Sometimes lady luck smiles upon the nimble and fleet of foot! 🙂

    The deserts of the middle east got some snow too! Far out… Crazy days.

    Sweet basil gets to the end of the season and looks sad. Have you decided where to put the last of the garlic cloves yet?

    Hope you had a good catch up with Scott. Actually, do you guys even discuss politics?

    Cheers

    Chris

38. @Inge

    So glad you’re back. You were missed.

    Margaret

39. Hi Chris,

    Been one of “those” weeks thanks to Marty. He fell last Sunday and broke his hip. On Monday he had hip replacement surgery. He seems to be doing OK. Yesterday he was moved to a nursing home for rehab. Problem is most of the nursing homes are understaffed and sub-par. Ones that were pretty good a few years ago got bought out by a large company and the care has diminished. On top of that his Medicare Advantage plan (aka Medicare Disadvantaged) limits where he can go. The place he went in June after that hospital stay was awful. Hopefully this place was better. The social worker (now known as a care coordinator) was helpful but also down to earth acknowledging the care is often not good. She thought the place we had picked was fairly good. Of course one doesn’t get much time to pick either. I’m off to check up on him shortly. He did provide a bit of humor though. He fell on an empty cookie wrapper but pointed out that he had eaten all the cookies.

    I heard on the radio that the person in charge of the monkeys left the gate open. All in all I find it quite amusing.

    Didn’t get the amount of rain forecast but at least some. It’s still above normal. Brussel sprouts, kale and perpetual spinach still in the garden.

    Your outing and the accompanying pictures are always interesting. Thanks!

    Margaret

40. Yo, Chris – And, from the wonderful world of archaeology, news from Pompeii.

    https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/08/science/pompeii-ancient-dna-body-casts

    Things are winding down on digs, in the northern hemisphere. Most new discoveries, will come from labs … indoors. 🙂

    Yes, deer and other critters are often a pain in the … ear. I always forget (mostly) to scatter around some blood meal, early enough in the season. Critters have their own agenda, which really doesn’t take our agenda, into consideration.

    Being a dude, and given the low initial cost, I will not return the DVD player. At first, I was tempted to chuck it in the dumpster. Cooler reflection, and I think I’ll take it to the Club, and find a home for it. I like that (I think.) New and interesting mistakes. Gives me something to look forward to.

    Well, after my vaccines, yesterday wasn’t too bad. Just felt a little bubble off plumb. A bit of nausea, after dinner (Spanish rice!). And, boy did I sleep. A three hour nap, yesterday afternoon. And I slept a solid 8 hours, last night. No trips to the bog. No weird dreams. I’m feeling pretty good, today. But, it’s early 🙂 . One thing I do, that I read about it, it’s advised not to take aspirin, before getting a vaccine. But after, is fine. I upped my aspirin dose, yesterday.

    Our medical system is a mess, and getting worse. I have the old standard Medicare. There has been a push, to get people on what’s called Medicare Advantage plans. Around 50% of people, are on that. Those are just health care plans, administered by insurance companies. They offer all kinds of goodies, initially, that aren’t covered by traditional Medicare. And, they’ve been around long enough now, that people are discovering those bait and switch goodies, are being withdrawn. And, once in a Medicare Advantage plan, it’s been made hard to go back to traditional Medicare. It’s all a giant plot, to privatize healthcare. And privatized healthcare is full of pits and traps, to deny you coverage.

    When offered a chance at some game of chance, my stock response is: “No thanks. One twelve step program, is enough.” “Know thyself.” Goes back to the Greeks. They even inscribed that, on some of their temples.

    Inflation. Big business, corporations, LLCs. Etc.. But maybe a bit of sanity, is being restored to the marketplace.

    https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/08/business/levis-dollar-general-product-choices

    Will the pen aisle at the big box office supply store shrink? Probably, not.

    I’ve run across a leach or two. I’ve occasionally said, “What have you done, for me?” LOL. There’s always a startled response, a backing off, and, usually, they’re no longer a problem. I’m sure visions of indentured servitude, dance in their heads. Probably would be more trouble, than they’re worth.

    The high, yesterday, was 56F. Overnight low was 41F. Forecast for today is 61F (16.11C). Prof. Mass has a post about our upcoming rain. It was supposed to start raining in the early AM, but didn’t. H and I had a nice, dry walk, this morning. Subject to change 🙁 . I had also not heard about snow in Saudi Arabia. Flooding in the Sahara. Yup. Things are getting weird, out there.

    I know where I’ll plant the last of the garlic. There will probably be a few breaks in the weather, where I can get out and do that.

    Scott and I are pretty much on the same political wavelength. So, we play a few rounds of “Ain’t it awful,” and then move on to other topics. We discussed lunch, but, didn’t settle on any place in particular. Chinese, Mexican or American? We’ll decide on the day. Depends on “what our mouths are set for,” at the time. Pizza was discussed, but, it’s just gotten too expensive, commercially.

    I do wonder about those monkeys, escaping. I don’t know how many apocalyptic movies, begin with monkeys escaping, or being freed from research labs. And, it happens in real life. There was that Ebola outbreak, in Reston, Virginia …

    https://w.wiki/BuP3

    We just keep tampering. Sooner or later … Lew

41. Chris:

    You wouldn’t be Chris if you didn’t do the work yourself.

    Many, many challenges for my son, being a farmer, but he meets them head on and enjoys them, I think. No grandkids that I know of . . .

    There are two greenhouses and they are passive solar. I think each is 40 feet (12m) long.

    I think the monkey escape was an inside job. Note: I just saw that Margaret said the the person in charge left the gate open. I think that proves it?

    I hope you enjoyed the garden visits; I feel sure that you did.
    Century old almond trees – that’s incredible. Around here we have “Garden Week” in mid-spring each year where the large estates (there are many of them) open up to the public.

    I’ll tell you what else is incredible: How my marigolds have done this year. They must like droughty weather, and with it still quite warm they are blooming gangbusters, them and the blue morning glories. I planted lots of both.

    Pam

42. @ Margaret:

    I am so sorry to hear about Marty’s broken hip; the poor guy. He seems to be a pretty good sport about things. I hope it heals well and quickly and I hope that you find time to rest somehow – you have so much to do.

    Thanks for the info about the monkeys. I hadn’t heard that.

    Pam

43. Hi Pam,

    Hehe! You’re probably right, even in the big end of town, I was very hands on and involved. There may be better ways to err, know how things actually work, but I’m yet to discover it.

    Yes, nothing is ever simple, and good to hear he’s up for the challenge and taking it on. I dunno about the other bit, somehow the idea popped into my head that the recent death of your mother may alter his priorities. Sometimes life works that way, but dunno really, it was a random unbidden thought. A secure environment is always a good place to be.

    Pam, now I’ve got greenhouse envy! Good stuff, and yup bigger is better when it comes to such spaces. Hope the figs are enjoying th conditions there.

    It’s all monkey business to me. The dude / dudette has just one job. It’s not hard, but here we are. It’s kind of exciting, unless they descended on your orchard and garden.

    Thanks and we very much enjoyed the garden visits. Both gardens appeared to be owned by folks of means, and they were a pleasure to spend time in. The first place we visited was originally an orchard, thus the few remaining very old trees. Mid spring is such a nice time of the year in the garden and a good time for people to welcome in the public.

    Never grown marigolds, but yeah some plants just love hot and dry weather. Have you had any rain to speak of recently? Hopefully things are cooling down for you now?

    Cheers and better get writing.

    Chris

44. Hi Margaret,

    That’s truly awful with Marty, and is he recovering from the break and surgery quickly? At least he’s got a sense of humour about the fall, although it’s hardly an amusing story. Hope the cookies were at least decent? Your medical system is beyond my understanding, but good to read that he’s at least being looked after, and fingers crossed the recovery place is OK. So just to get my head around Marty’s fall, did he break his hip, and then have it replaced, or was the situation the other way around?

    Margaret, there was a whole lot of monkey business going on there! It’s be a job to recover all of the cheeky scamps, especially if they were determined to remain hidden.

    Good to hear that those few plants are still going. Given the way the climate is headed, you might have a milder winter? Winters are getting milder here, although there are brief reminders of what things used to be like not all that long ago. Like the day it snowed lightly a few weeks ago. It’s been dry here the past few weeks, but that hasn’t mattered too much, but we’ll see how things go.

    Thanks! It’s an interesting part of the world around these parts, and mostly quiet.

    Cheers and better get writing!

    Chris

45. Hi Lewis,

    🙂 Who’d have thought that those cheeky early archaeologists working at the Pompeii digs put their own cultural values onto what they found. Roman culture was probably more complicated, and different from that of our own.

    Softies. How bad could the winters be in Southern Italy? Actually, at 40’N, they’d be about as cold as here and near to where you are. Oh yeah, that’d probably require some heavy winter clothing. Have you had to crack out the hat, glove and woollen jacket yet?

    Agreed, critters have their own minds and care not a fig for what us humans want. I like your blood and bone meal idea with the deer, but the dogs would be dirty for the stuff, and it’s not cheap. Interestingly I mentioned the other day about the differences in phosphate levels between the two or three brands of bags. That surprised me, but then there were differences in prices.

    It’s a dude thing, and I get that. Quite the charitable option, respect and you’ll have noted that occasional mentions of getting excess stuff which had been kicking around here unused, back into circulation.

    Deep sleep can cure a world of discomfiture. Good to hear that you are feeling better today, and weren’t troubled by unwelcome weird dreams. Alas, and here you point out an eternal truth, the day can turn to dog poop without warning and/or notice – e.g. For the unfortunate and slower moving residents of Pompeii on that day.

    Why ever would you want a disinterested and profit driven organisation to dictate your health outcomes. Dude, there’s a conflict of interest built into that story, but you know that already. 🙂 Hey, had a weird bill situation which I might write about this evening. One of the vehicle registration renewal bills didn’t turn up in the mail. It’s only that I’m super diligent that I noticed the absence. Hmm. It’s an annual $900-ish charge and here’s the kicker, if you don’t pay it, the vehicle becomes unregistered, insurance will likely to be denied, and the cops will hand you a $1,000 fine – and you’ll still have to pay the registration fee and late penalties as well. Man, some days you wake up and wonder whether the goobermint sees us citizens as walking ATM’s? The very people who earn mad cash from the renewal fee, earn extra for the fines. Looks like a hustle to me.

    Hehe! My thoughts exactly. Do I need to discover that gambling can become addictive? Here, other folks examples light the way forward, and provide some solid evidence. A dude’s gotta know his limitations and not start such things in the first place. The ancient Greeks probably suffered similar issues, maybe with philosophy though and it’s forced application upon some of the city states.

    Did you notice that not one mention was made of the new players in those markets which make a point of not offering such a wide variety of products? Some German brands come to mind. But yes, the same thing is occurring down under with brand consolidation and a reduction of choice. You can see it in action with your own eyes when confronted by the offerings on the shelves. It’s kind of like a reversal of only recent policies. That’s what travelling along an inverted bell shaped curved looks like when society is in the decline phase.

    You’ll have to head down to the shop and check out that aisle!

    So true, and many folks have that indentured servitude model in their heads. Look at the rise of the internship just for one example. What’s that other than free labour? There are more, how about what I have to deal with (and your good self back in the day) – a lack of job security.

    Looks like from what Professor Mass was writing about, DJ may also get some significant rain. Hope you’ve got your umbrella handy, and also the coat for H? Looks like some serious snow will fall up in the mountains too. Brr! Did it work out where you are? Yup, things are weird, and getting weirderer.

    Go the garlic. Were there enough breaks in the rain to plant out the remaining bulbs?

    🙂 Is it really that awful, or will it be another, nothing much that happened day? I’m not even sure what that means, although it sounds suspiciously like the dreaded spontaneity meal, which doesn’t work so well with my brain. How could pizza become expensive? Now my brain just hurts… And what exactly do you mean by an expensive pizza? They can cost up to $28 here for a very gourmet product.

    Cough, cough, the 28 days later film involved some sort of escape. Few diseases are 100% fatal, otherwise they’d disappear from the environment for a lack of hosts. But there are a number which are pushing right up hard against that number. Oh yeah. Best you’re not involved is how I view that world, but you can only be as good as the weakest link. And well the records of such labs can raise a few questions.

    Cheers and better get writing

    Chris

46. Yo, Chris – Pompeii: The gift that keeps on giving. 🙂 I suppose, someday, the whole place will be buried, again. Oh, well. At least the excavators will know where to dig. I’m sure the DNA tests, are fairly expensive. As time goes on, more family relationships could be revealed. Or, not.

    I’ve broke out my stocking cap, a few times. Nothing special. Black and some knit material, that I’m sure isn’t found in nature. But, it keeps my head and ears warm. I’ve been wearing my winter coat (aka: the sleeping bag). It’s also some industrial material, and stuffed with something or other. This time of the year, if it’s before sunset, I don’t need it (unless it’s raining). But I throw it in the truck, as, if I’m returning home after sunset, it’s cold! Gloves? Don’t own a pair, but occasionally think I should. But decisions, decisions. Full glove or the kind that keep the fingertips free?

    Bone meal doesn’t seem to repeal critters. But blood meal does. I think. I usually just scatter a bit, here and there, on the top post of the raised gardens. Given our rain, it has to be reapplied, from time to time. But, it usually lasts through a rainstorm or three. I have to watch H like a hawk. She’s filthy for the stuff. I do deploy some blood meal, in the gardens soil, if I think it needs a shot of nitrogen.

    Someone mentioned marigolds. They are pretty stinky, and do seem to repel some insects. The pollinators seem to like them. It was a good year for them. Some of the other inmates plant them in their gardens. What with the lack of frost, they’re still banging along. I occasionally pick up a tray, and scatter them about my garden plots. But they never seem to do very well.

    I was feeling pretty much back to normal, yesterday. Or, as normal as I get 🙂

    That does sound like a bit of a ripoff, as far as your car registrations go. Maybe the municipal coffers, were getting a bit low? 🙂 Did you inquire as to why it didn’t come, in the mail? Probably all on line now, and you need to sign up, to get an e-mail. Not that anyone tells you that. Speed traps were very much in evidence, yesterday, between our two towns. They come and go. There are a couple of straight stretches, where your speed can creep up. Someone also mentioned that it can happen, if there’s a good song on the radio.

    My mailbox is flooded, with offers of different “advantage” medical plans. I don’t bother to read them. But, they often offer vision and dental care … which the traditional medicare doesn’t offer. They’ll be the first thing cut, when the insurance companies have you trapped, and aren’t providing enough return to their shareholders.

    There’s also a lot of fraud and corruption, in the system.

    https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/27/us/health-care-fraud-crackdown

    It will be interesting to see if this brand reduction, takes off. It’s interesting what appears, disappears, and re-appears in the market.

    Yesterday’s high was 58F (14.44C). The overnight low was 41F. Forecast for today is 52F. So far, most of the rain has seemed to be north, and northwest of us. That’s where the flood watches and warnings are. H and I have been lucky, and so far, dry. H has a blue and black plaid coat, I put on her if it’s raining. And a handy towel, to dry her off. I’m a native. I don’t have an umbrella. If I sported an umbrella, people would think I was from California. 🙂

    I’ll probably plant the garlic, tomorrow, when the Master Gardeners show up. If they do. I like to be around when they are, in case an extra pair of hands is needed.

    It’s been so long since I ordered pizza, due to sticker shock, I don’t know where it’s at, now. But Scott mentioned a $38 pizza, that was nothing special. But, I do guess they have occasional on-line coupons, and such.

    I watched the “Deadpool and Wolverine” movie, last night. Popcorn was demolished. It was action packed, and pretty funny. They often broke the fourth wall, to comment unkindly about Marvel Comics, Fox, and Disney. And how the multiverse is getting entirely out of hand. It’s pretty meta.

    I picked up “The Best American Food and Travel Writing 2024.” I read a couple of the essay’s last night. I’m seeing plenty of food, but not much travel. One essay was about what to call American cooking, these days. Some contenders are: New American Cooking, Fusion (which is out of fashion) or chaos cooking. The problem is, the writer never knows what he’s walking into. Given chefs these days, are using ingredients and techniques, from all over the world. I’ll stick with the tried and true. The more traditional. No matter what world cuisine it is. Lew

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