To be a leader is to inspire others to follow. When working in the big end of town that mythical person never materialised in my awareness. Doing four years of debt collection during the ‘recession we had to have’, just to keep a roof over my head and food upon the table, meant unwisely jumping ship at the first available job in the profession. The boss at that job was an angry person, and the year and a half spent there was a miserable experience which sadly had to be endured so as to be able to venture into greener pastures. He understood the inherent power imbalance.
Alas few people nowadays recall the ignominy which 10% unemployment brings. It’s not nice to be grateful to be kicked around, but those sure were the days. Revenge they tell me is a dish best served cold, so I used to regularly turn the stereo right up to full volume on the bosses car, and he never said a word about it. He was too busy whingeing that a few days were taken as leave after Sandra’s mother unexpectedly passed away. Hearing that diatribe resulted in resignation, there’s only so much a bloke can take. People wearing suits and ties have said things to me over the years that they’d never dare on a Tatami mat.
Sandra has been taking the Kelpie, Ruby, to dog obedience school for over a year now. They’re both learning a lot in the process, and the worst aspects of the dog have now been rounded off. Dogs hold a mirror up to their humans. Dogs need their humans to be pack leaders, and the training is as much for Sandra as it is for the dog. Everyone who goes to dog training gets to learn that lesson. Dame Plum the Kelpie is now also going to training, and blitzing it.
Not everyone gets the memo: If you want to be a leader, you have to actually be the leader. In the big end of town years, a dude gets to see some strange things. Not all bosses were bad, however, another notable negative experience was the guy who was up to some serious mischief, on an awful scale! He had an air of the duplicitous about him, and used to claim that certain complicated processes were impossible to make sense of. It was probably a source of discomfit to the guy that despite the thousands of transactions, my suggestion was that meaning could indeed be derived.
A lot of mature systems, like accounting, well, they’re pretty tight. Smarter brains than ours developed the basic principles, and time has put the whole thing to the test and smoothed off the rough edges. By the way, the boss’s claim was false, the systems there just weren’t in great order and information was withheld so the analysis could never take place. Walking away at that point is an option, so resignation was the choice du jour!
It only took a few days before the wealthy bloke who owned the businesses actually phoned me up to ask what was going on. That intuitive leap impressed me, so going out on a limb some choice suggestions were made for the external accountants to investigate. Anyway, nobody was really prepared for the scale of mischief the boss had been up to, and it was nice to be asked to come back to work and set things to right.
After a couple of years of that work I finally had enough of the big end of town. The constant emotional stimulation was unsustainable, it didn’t seem to be for any good reason. But then, it was probably a weird desire of mine to work towards keeping the system merrily chugging along. Most troubles appeared to be people looking for an advantage. Nowadays small business suits me better, and the people are more focused on the job at hand and less game playing.
That’s really a larger problem in a society in decline. People are actually looking for an angle even when that advantage comes at someone else’s expense. It’s what I’ve named, the five banana economic theory, and it works something like this: Say you’ve become accustomed to consuming seven bananas per week, yet suddenly you can now only have five. How do you react to that loss?
Five bananas is not so bad an outcome, and certainly it is better than none. Our leaders have other ideas though and continue to promise the seven bananas, even when the things can’t be paid for other than by massive amounts of debt. It’s possible that they just don’t know history. Heck, they might not even comprehend the systems being played around with to achieve that seven banana massive debt result. I tell you what though, if I had them all at dog training, they’d hear the command: No! Leave it! Like a poorly behaved dog that thinks it knows better, they probably won’t listen to the command, but I suspect that the future events when the bills come due, will be the harsher master.
As I type away at this blog entry it’s still 20’C / 68’F outside even though we’re officially into autumn. It’s been a hot and dry week, and will continue that way. Still the signs of autumn are there and one early morning fog filled the valley below the mountain range.
Due to the dry conditions, the air is full of dust. The particles produce the most amazing sunsets.
The land here was cheap because there are no services such as town water. If we use up all of our stored water, there is no more water to be had and we simply run out. Due to the ongoing hot weather, the house water system had been getting low and the weather was showing no sign of decent rain any time soon.
We have three different water systems collecting and storing rainfall. They are all independent of each other and at various times of the year we need to move water from the one system to another.
The last of the large water reserves is stored in the long line of water tanks attached to the machinery shed. There is about 25,000L / 6,500 gallons of water available for use. During the week, we installed a powerful water pump to lift some of that water back up the hill so that it can be used in the house water tanks.
Before digging a long trench to bury all the water pipes, it’s not a bad idea to see whether the pump can lift the water back up the hill. The pump was installed, the pipes were laid on the ground and the system tested. It works brilliantly.
The 1″ water pipe ends at a garden tap where an 18mm / 0.7 inch flexible hose takes the water to the inlet filter for the house water tanks.
Earlier today I began the task of burying the water pipes. The trench is 60m / 200ft long and in a few hours I dug about a third of the trench. An electric jackhammer is used to break up the soil.
A mattock is then used to dig the soil from the trenches. Both jobs are hard work and the temperature was 34’C / 93’F in the shade. In the direct sun it is apparently 15’C hotter again.
Two thirds of that trench job is yet to be done.
There’ll be a couple of side branches of water pipes with this project, one of which will supply water to the sapling fenced enclosure. Another branch will connect up the large house overflow reserve tank in a way so that only a single water pipe will run up hill. It also means that if there is excess water anywhere within the entire system, it can be relocated to best advantage.
And because clearly we don’t have enough water storage, another two 5,500L / 1,500 gallon water tanks were ordered.
This week’s video is of the work on the water systems:
In breaking produce news:
The pumpkins are growing fast. Those plants require fertile soil, hot weather and daily watering for about ten minutes. The sapling fenced enclosure has enough pumpkin production to get us through winter and spring easily.
The Pomegranate has received no watering this growing season, yet still looks lush and has produced many fruit.
It must be dry this year, the beans have dried on the vine. We should harvest them over the next few days.
Every day for the past two weeks, a small cluster of grapes have been added to breakfast. They’re very tasty. And I’m a bit surprised that they are ready to pick and eat this early.
One of the plants which receives regular watering (only a few minutes each day) is the tall tree fern in the drainage basin near to the shady orchard. Some of the fronds have died back and will fall around the sides of the trunk. This is entirely normal for these plants. The dead fronds can be removed, but I believe they provide additional weather protection in very cold conditions.
The regular watering has produced an interesting outcome in the drainage basin. Looking closely a few days ago I spotted several self seeded ferns. At this stage, the plants are small so I’m uncertain of the variety, but regardless, it is an interesting development.
A Chinese pistachio tree has clearly enjoyed the conditions this year and despite no attention, the tree has grown a lot.
Leaf change will be short and brief this year (hopefully). Most of the fruit and other trees are doing fine, but the continuing hot and dry weather means the process to turn deciduous will be rapid.
The bees and other insects are continuing their hard work about the property. The warm nights encourage the cicadas and crickets to sing their night songs.
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 9am is 20’C (68’F). So far for last year there has been 96.6mm (3.8 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 96.0mm (3.8 inches)
water and gravity- Because of winter temps here, and the fact that our house has well water, I have to drain the tanks and hoses each fall, since that water is just used for watering garden and trees. Awful nice when you can get gravity to do the moving. I’m assuming you wait till a sunny day and topped up batteries to do major water shuffling. With enough volume cushion, should be easy enough.
I reconnected the house downspout to the IBCs that will water our greenhouse today. Average high temp. is ~43F/6C for this week in March. High of 74F/23C forecast for later this week so winter is waning quickly. ( and yes, I cover the IBCs to prevent sun degradation). I expect to finish building the raised beds this week, and start filling with dirt and compost. Onion seeds have nearly all sprouted now.
Water lines here need to be buried at least 4 feet/1.2 meters to avoid freeze, 5 is safer.
Leadership- yes, when big changes occur, the leadership style that rises to the top changes too. Unfortunately, the financial/ hierarchical system we have right now often doesn’t float folks I would want to work with. I was actually pretty lucky during my days in the shiny office buildings, but there are some predatory climbers out there.
momentous occasions- I don’t make it here every week, but have been following along for quite little while. Am I wrong that that is the first photo of the editor ever to grace your blog pages?
G’day Chris,
It has been really dry. Off-grid properties near Adelaide are running out of water in droves — worst in at least 40 years apparently (there are houses that have never before run out of water). The Water Carters are run off their feet, and there are big delays for deliveries.
We’re down to 25% or so in our tanks, though I think there’s about 5% unusable, but we water the trees with town water – for which I’m very grateful. It’d be great to have the space for another 40 kL tank!
The wicking beds have done well though – we’ve had lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicums, leafy greens and they haven’t used a lot of water even though it hasn’t really rained since about December (I can’t actually remember when — according to the BOM we’ve had 6mm so far this year but I’m skeptical)
Adelaide has been running the desal plant at full capacity for a while – I think if we didn’t have that we’d be on water restrictions. It’s interesting to think about the long term climate changes for Adelaide, I think the city might come to rely more and more on desal.
I liked your video — I haven’t watched one before and it was interesting to put a face and voice to your writings 🙂
Enjoy the hot weather — soon it’ll be cold and dark! (We’re at the end of 5 or so days of mid/high 30s, so I’m repeating this to myself too! 😉
Cheers, Gus
Yo, Chris – “Lead, so that others may follow.” Or, something. Your stories reminded me, of a few of my stories. I don’t know if I was a good leader, or not. But, I took my turn, right along with the rest of the staff, to clean the bog. Being a manager, one is usually on a salary. I think my hourly rate would have figured out to less than my sales clerks. They were aware. Occasionally, I’d come back from grabbing a quick dinner in the mall food court, to discover my entire staff, out front of the store with my briefcase, telling me to “Go home!” Shades of Tracy Uhlman.
Duplicitous Boss? Had one of those, too. Two other employees and me knew something was up. We talked about giving the district manager a call … but decided against it. a.) Give the guy enough rope to hang himself and b.) not sound like a bunch of whiners, involved in some sort of coup. So .. one day the district manager showed up, and we headed for the back room. I thought it was just another store visit. Now, I had never heard this woman swear. When we got in the back room, she turned around and said, “What the (insert F bomb here) is going on in this store?” I told her I wanted her to get the other two clerks in, and all would be revealed. After hearing us out, she said something would be done, but that we should not mention her visit and carry on, as usual. About a week later, she showed up unannounced, again. With the company head of security, the appropriately named Mr. Lynch. Along with the manager, they headed for the back room. An hour and a half later, he left, briefcase in hand, never to be seen again.
The seven banana problem. Hmmm. I’m pretty much a creature of habit, so some things get eaten, day in, and day out. Much to my pleasure. But often I think, “What if I couldn’t get … (whatever. bananas, chocolate, walnuts, almond milk, etc. etc..). One would hope I’d be happy with the remaining five bananas. Or, substitute something else. But, I at least think about the possibility, so it won’t be such a shock. Change is constant.
The valley and sunset pictures are real knockouts. You do have the views.
Your 33 1/3% done with the water pipe trenching and only have 66 2/3% left to go! When I have long, hard tasks like that, to do, I developed a mantra, years ago. “You only have to do it once. There is an end.” It’s served me well.
I’m glad your water project is going so well. The video was very informative, and about the smoothest performance you’ve given, so far.
The pumpkins look really promising. They’re such interesting plants. I’ve never seen a pomegranate plant, before. The flowers are really pretty. The grapes look good enough to eat. 🙂
I do hope some of your fern volunteers turn out to be tree ferns. But I did notice some more common ferns, off to the right in the long shot of the tree fern. Ferns are also interesting plants. Any variety is welcome.
Beez-us! Funny how different species and bump along together, and not exactly cooperate, but have struck a kind of detente.
The flowers are lovely, especially the roses. But then, I’m not exactly an impartial observer. :-). Lew
G’day Gus,
Oh man, it’s been dry here the past six weeks, but that’s peanuts compared to what you’re experiencing. I’d been wondering how you were going, so appreciate hearing from you. And those off grid folks in the Adelaide hills and surrounds are doing it super tough, and I’d been reading about them in the news. The thing with rainwater tanks is that if it doesn’t rain, then how much capacity you have installed is a meaningless number.
That’s the case down here with the water carriers. There’s just not that many of the businesses and the ups and downs of that industry make it a tough economic proposition. Plus did you see how much a truck load of water costs?
The household here is at about 30%. I’d not hesitate using that last 5% on the garden, although it’s always advisable to leave some water in a tank lest the big plastic thing moves around – the water weighs the thing down. Might not be too much of a risk in your part of the world though, maybe. Town water is a beautiful thing, yup!
An extra 40kL of storage would be awesome, but require way too much space here as well. Bummer. The two tanks on order total 11kL, which is a pretty useful amount.
Never used wicking beds, but your experience matches what I’ve heard about them from other people. And that’s the joke about this sort of growing season – if you’ve got the water, the harvest will be excellent. That’s what I reckon too, most plants can be grown with minimal water, it just takes a bit of care and attention. Dunno about you, but I’m having a lot of problems with predation this year just because the usual feed for the forest critters is not there.
Yeah, desalination is very much becoming a part of the landscape with many cities, and Melbourne has one too. Perth I believe is almost entirely on desal now. Hmm. Did you notice that February and March last year were also both hot and dry? The rain here is coming more and more in big splats, then not much.
Thanks! 🙂 The videos are going to track the work we’re doing and it’s a different format from still photos. It’s been an intriguing and fun experience making them. They’re actually quicker to prepare than the blog.
Yeah, I dunno about that man. 🙂 With the exception of Thursday, the rest of the week looks set to be around 32’C to 35’C with warm over night temperatures. Crazy stuff, but agreed soon it will be winter. Hey, the words are worth repeating!
And fingers crossed you get some rain soon (and here).
Cheers
Chris
Hi Steve,
Yeah, I’d been watching the utoob channel of a bloke out in Michigan, and his various water tanks and reservoirs froze solid this winter. Observing a person use a hammer drill to smash up ice is a totally new concept to my brain. Out of curiosity, has your well supply ever come close to freezing?
I hear you about draining those IBCs and pipes – the freezing process with the expansion would be hard on the materials and hoses. That’s sure is some cold weather, but your one hot day is equal to the one cold day here this week (Thursday). The rest of the week here is up around 32’C to 35’C – what’s going on? Shade is a wonderful thing in hot weather and the plastic used on the IBCs will appreciate that, although UV here may be stronger than what you experience during the summer months due to the Earth’s orbit taking you further away from that big fireball? Dunno.
Hey, spring is my favourite time of the year. The plants begin to grow and the land wakes up from its winter slumber. The talk of onion starts is impressive, I’m yet to get my brain around those complicated plants. Respect. The raised beds are always hungry for more soil and compost etc. 🙂 I’m forever topping them up, but that need slows as the years go on. Not sure whether that is compaction, less leaching, or what. A mystery. Are you observing that with your raised beds?
Far out! Digging a four or five foot deep pipe trench is no small thing and is a job which requires a trenching machine. You can hire ones that look like huge self propelled long chainsaws (but with much larger cutting teeth). I’ll stick to shallower trenches for the pipes thanks very much! 🙂 The uPVC rural water pipes I use are a lot stronger and thicker than the more usual and cheaper thin walled black poly pipe with barb connectors. The rural stuff is very sturdy and made to last.
Exactly, and that was my experience with them, and thus why the decision was made to work solely with small business. The folks there have a similar mindset to my own and can usually respond rapidly to changes. You were lucky, but also it’s worth mentioning that things slowly changed on that front during my employment years.
🙂 You’ve just won the coveted Elephant Stamp. Well done. After 11 years I popped in a photo of the Editor, and what went on in the background was that when as she was reviewing the blog she observed the photo and reached a point of acceptance. A momentous occasion! And respect for being an observant reader, always a pleasure chatting.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Thanks for the fascinating quote, and as you already know, it’s from a book penned by a pastor who promoted the novel idea of incorporating the practical aspects of sermons into his personal life. It’s good advice, and what a great idea. Our leaders are heavily invested in the idea of something for nothing, so it hardly surprises me that they radiate that concept and have done so since the morning in the land of the free back in 1980. Have to laugh, down under we were told in those days that we’re the clever country and the appeal to ego worked a treat. Didn’t seem so clever to me, but what do I know? And here is where we find ourselves today.
Oh my it was hot here today. Worked on the long line of water tanks. The largest of the water tanks in that line had begun slowly tilting downhill, like that tower in Pisa. Here the reason for the lean was soil compaction and a lack of rock wall support, dunno what is going on in Italy. Anyway, today we fixed that mess and some other minor issues with all those water tanks. Man, it was so hot, but the work has to be done, and now it has been.
The next job for that project is to construct a steel cover over the water pump so that it avoids the worst of the weather. And maybe install a pressure tank so that the water pump doesn’t have to cycle so much – that significantly increases the life span of the pump and controller.
When it is cooler, maybe on Thursday, the long trench will be continued. It’s nice to leave things in a better condition than when they were first encountered, and that thought always sticks in the back of my mind with such work.
Exactly, and that’s how I rolled as well. You muck in as a leader and do what needs doing when a show of support is required. Too many layers of hierarchy simply confuses most people, thus why the feudal system returns and is cheered on during every fall of a civilisation. And unpaid overtime just because it is expected, drives me nuts. Hmm.
Tracey Ullman has a notable work ethic, and did you notice that the lady is also very much a person who starts things rolling?
Your points a) and b) was my reasoning as well. Nothing ever good comes for the whistle blower in our culture, such characters are universally poorly treated. So yup, your path would have been what I’d have done too. It really is up to the people who get the big bucks to ensure that appropriate controls are in place, but you know what I saw following on from the incident suggested how things actually are. Ain’t my issue, I do the best I can when there and refuse to be more interested than they are. And that is a fascinating surname for someone who’d been given enough rope. 🙂
Those sorts of thoughts cross my mind too. What if something wasn’t available, what do you do next is as you suggest, the most important question. I doubt people have gotten that far in their thinking about the future yet. The fruit trees are getting larger and more resilient, but that’s no guarantee of anything. Bananas here (as in your part of the world) might take a touch more global warming. 😉
Thanks! The weather has been perfect for epic sun rises and sun sets. On the other hand, I’m now looking forward to the arrival of winter.
And your mantra is absolutely it. Over the years here, we’ve tested what systems work and last, and then replicate those. The recent work with the water pump and pipes falls very much into that category. A person is served well by such thoughts.
With the dry weather there’s a bit of a lack of feed at the moment for the forest critters and they’ve taken a raid on the squashes but we’ve harvested what we can. The pumpkins seem unharmed, but time will tell. Pomegranates are super hardy plants and the flowers are really brightly coloured – they just shrug off the hottest and driest weather.
Can’t wait to see what kind of ferns the self seeded plants all turn out to be. My best guess for now is that two of them are rough tree ferns (Cyathea australis), but we’ll see. The other one may be a maiden hair fern which grows wild in the forest here. They are all interesting plants yeah, positively ancient looking.
🙂 Thanks! We love the flowers too.
Bizarrely the people up on the road the other late night weren’t carrying torches and didn’t call out in greeting, as you’d expect of more normal behaviour. Fortunately the Editor was carrying a super powerful night into daylight work area torch – a very useful item. Such powerful LED’s have not be available for all that long.
Interestingly, and this is not a statistically valid sample, but the people I’ve known with dementia of one form or another, were a bit mentally sluggish in the first place. Dunno. I reckon the brain is a bit like a muscle and inevitably whilst we all lose the story, use it or lose it is as good a guide as any.
The Victorian painting from Ford Maddox Brown was astounding. The more you look at it in detail, the more can be seen. The faces in particular are expressive to a degree which portrays a complex depth of emotions. I’m in a bit of awe really. The young mum clipping the kids ear (as they used to say) was quite instructive as to the general character, but they’re all like that. Far out.
On lookers would send me loopy, and may irritate me with useless but continual helpful suggestions! 🙂 Best if they were elsewhere!
Spring has clearly sprung for you, and daffodils are a cheery sight on a cold morning.
Agreed, this silly temporal jump business has to stop. 😉 Will anyone listen to us? Probably not.
Here’s a good update on the ex-tropical storm: Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred brings highest rainfall in decades to south-east Queensland. The lead photo, well we’re of one mind there, nuff said. The seven day rainfall total at Upper Springbrook (the name is a dead giveaway) is 1146mm / 45.1 inches. We were talking about what that might look like here, and hoped never to see so much rainfall in a week.
I hear you about that, and potato salad can be a mixed bag. When we make the stuff for ourselves, the recipe is a bit loose and you chuck in what you have to hand, but when we make it for other people to consume, we absolutely stick to the traditional expected recipe. The approach seems to work based on feedback, so yeah it’ll be interesting to hear what the Club’s cooks do. Some people muck around with those sorts of traditional recipes, but the innovations might be an improvement. Hard to know.
Thanks and I’d wondered what the characters got from all that demon hunting work. There’d be no sureties in such an occupation. Make for a somewhat nervous existence.
That was the summary article I read on Sutton Hoo, and it’s enormously complex isn’t it? It interests me that the area was reserved as a sort of general cemetery. Both high and low seem to have met their end there.
Poor H, and hopefully the brief illness passes. Dogs can be undiscerning as to what they put into their mouths. When the rains return, so will the mushrooms and Dame Plum will be kept on a short leash during those weeks.
Hehe! Man, I’ve never understood crypto… That may be the entire point of the exercise. 😉
Actually it is a pretty good question. Is the gold actually there? In such cases it is perhaps unwise to rely upon soothing representations. If that was my responsibility, I’d physically go count the bars too. That guy seems to lead a charmed life when it comes to the courts, just sayin…
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Or, as General Patton said, “Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.” 🙂 Does Sun Tau have anything to say about leadership?
Yes, it’s been pretty much all downhill (in a lot of ways) since 1980. We may be at another one of those historic hinge points. I’ve read a few (some even short) outlines of general decline. Robert Reich wrote a goodie. Things such as the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933.
Yup. Best stabilize those water tanks, as best you can. If you get a good slosh going, due to an earthquake, things can go terribly wrong. Of course, you could put them on rollers 🙂 . Don’t laugh. Whole buildings have been constructed, in such a way.
Our high yesterday was 54F (12.22C). Our overnight low was 37F (2.77C). Forecast high for today is 50F. I was going to work in the garden, late afternoon, yesterday. It poured. So much for that. It was very wet, walking the dog. Then I went to fill up on gas, and got wet again. $4.10 a regular US gallon, by the way. This early evening looks more promising. Oh, well. I was picking up worms off the walkways and pitching them in the strawberry patch.
I noticed that bit, in the video, about protecting bit of infrastructure from wildfire and weather.
Tracy Ullman is genius. I wish she did more, but, I suppose she’s getting up there. Way back when, she had a weekly show for a couple of seasons. It was great!
A raid on the squash? I thought they were in an enclosure. Was it breached? Have you ever thought about putting in some solar hot wires? They’re pretty nifty units, and there were a few around the last place I lived. Although, I suppose, there could be a fire danger involved.
Before there were flowers (in time), there were ferns. They are prehistoric. Dinosaur tucker.
Yes, Ford Maddox Brown, was quit the artist. One of the Pre-Raphaelites. One of those 19th century artists groups, with a manifesto. Can’t have an art movement, or group, without a manifesto. 🙂 Some of those Victorian paintings, do stick in the mind. I still remember that “First Primrose in Melbourne.” Anytime I see a primrose, now, I think of the painting.
That was quit an article about the storm and aftermath. That first picture of people driving through the floodwaters? The wakes of those vehicles can cause even more damage. The last time we had serious flooding, with water in the streets, they started issuing citations for that kind of behavior.
My favorite kind of potato salad, which really doesn’t have much resemblance to classic potato salad, is hot German potato salad. I’ve made it a few times. Very vinegar-y.
Big news from Hollywood. I’m excited (and, given your occupation, you may be too). Ben Affleck is staring in “The Accountant 2.” Autistic savant accountant fights bad guys. I quit liked the first one, and, according to the one review I’ve seen, the second is better. There’s a trailer up. I checked my library, and they still have a few copies of the first one. I’ll have to put it on my hold list. Lew
Hi, Chris!
Bad job or bad boss – was the debt collection job the worst? Things seemed to have turned out pretty well with the other job you mentioned, with the wealthy owner. It was very smart of him to call on you for help.
I loved dog obedience school. I only ever took one of our dogs and that was my special dog, Mr. Jackson, who misbehaved every time as he wanted to beat up the other dogs, though he was the smallest in the class, a Jack Russell Terrier/Shetland Sheepdog. I didn’t care that much that he was bad because I trained him later at home and he learned to do things like pick up dirty laundry around the house and bring it to me, besides the usual sit and come here. And he herded a chipmunk once and also a fawn, because I told him to. He was a lot of fun, that dog.
Sandra is so lovely. I wish that we saw her more often.
One adjusts to five bananas or switches to a more available fruit. Simple, n’est pas?
Why is it that you don’t have a bore (well)? That is a fine new pump in the video and amazing that it has to be protected like that. What a long trench is needed; it’s impressive that you have done that much. That’s something we don’t have – a jack hammer. Or a power wheel barrow. Or what’s the other thing? I can’t remember, so I guess I don’t need it. Our summer last year was like that, weeks of no real rain. Obviously you haven’t gotten any from the cyclone.
How delightful: Baby ferns @ Fernglade Farm.
I am surprised that rats ate your kale seedlings. Nothing seems to bother mine, even the rabbits. However, I have just remembered that our rats ate the baby fig trees. I’ll assume that they just haven’t made it to the upper garden. Oh, goody.
Wish I had some of your nachos from last week, and the cider. And how charming the wedding must have been.
I was behind a big, heavy dump truck today. We were driving through the countryside on our winding roads and I kept wondering why the truck was full of boulders, not the usual gravel. Possibly someone around here has run into peak rocks and had to order some?
The geraniums peeking out of the wormwood is a striking contrast. And so beautiful is the Yellow Rose of Texas, where I grew up. Thanks for both.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xe6TrWp0kc
Pam
Hello Sandra,
Thanks for popping up.
You do a great job of leading the Chris-and-dogs menagerie. 😉
Good to invest in a beefy pump to be able to move water to the highest point. I think that a pressure tank is only needed if you want to be able to open and close the water spigot at the other end to control the water flow. If you have an open hose, just to lift water, you will not need a pressure tank, since the counter pressure will be quite constant.
Spring is coming here in Scandinavia and yesterday we seeded the tomatoes for the season. We have been struggling with finding a good seed mix and last year was a disaster when half of all seeds rotted in a too fertile and too sticky mess of a mix. This year we trial to mix our own sandy soil with biochar to have a non-sticky seed-starting soil. Let’s see how it works out.
Tree sales are going well. We grow at the right pace, we have just ran out of chestnut trees and something like 80% of the hazels are gone for the season. Still a bunch of good walnut trees left. We have the farm store open in the weekends until early April, and I think we will just keep a few trees to next season. (In addition to the new trees we will graft and layer.)
Next year we will probably trial almonds. But I don’t want to increase complexity too fast…
Mundane tasks like weeding quack grass also take time.
The talk about “desal” sounds strange and non-robust to me.
On the other hand, the third largest city of Sweden, Malmö, is supplied with drinking water from a lake 175 km away, through a 4-meter-diameter tunnel bored through the rock all the way.
Technology solves all problems, right?
Regarding the five-banana story, I was thinking back to my time in Moscow in the 1990s. Food supply to the big town was erratic and there was no supermarket in my part of town, just lots of shops with varying inventory. Every week I went shopping with a large rucksack and got what was available. Some weeks there was yogurt (kefir), other weeks cheese. Sometimes sausage, sometimes beans. Sometimes I would come home with a gallon bucket of chantarells or blueberries or dried fish. Every shopping trip was an adventure, and it was very good for my cooking skills, to improvise with what was there.
It helped me to let go of many assumptions of being in control and who really decides what I eat.
For many people around the world, this is of course an everyday experience, but it has not been for us in the rich world lately.
Some people will adapt, some will not.
You lead.
In our small town, people have been living permanently for at least six thousand years, and for most of this time, the only thing they imported was salt. The rest was available around here. Of course, population was smaller and the river was full of fish in those days.
I think those times will return.
Since you have a quarry nearby, I guess your place was also hospitable to humans for a long, long time.
Were there permanent settlements in your area?
Peace,
Göran
Hi Pam,
Truth to tell, the corporate debt collection work was a fun introduction to private enterprise, and the work allowed me to plumb the depths of the human condition. Every excuse under the sun was recounted and it was such a wonderful training ground for I have absolutely no idea what, but a person learns deep things which are just out of plain sight doing such work. Plus the really interesting part of the job was that it was considered to be so repellent and distasteful, that as long as the mad cash flowed in, the bosses left me alone.
There is a story there about the wealthy bloke. A lovely lady who eventually worked as my side kick, encouraged him to call me. I’ve always been very protective of the ladies who reported to me, whereas the duplicitous person sowed the seeds of drama and dissension. It was an interesting mess to clean up.
Oooo, Jack Russell’s have such strong and delightful personalities, and clearly like Mr Jackson, punch above their weight. Dogs like to be involved and provide useful service, and I’m sure the dog recognised you as pack boss. For a second there, I’d thought you’d typed the word faun! Imagine a dog rounding up one from the realm of faery! Deer… Jack Russell’s would be excellent at such tasks.
Thank you and I shall convey your lovely words.
Absolutely, it is simple as long as one’s disposition is of a flexible sort. A lovely French phrase too. Hey, harvested some ripe Golden Queen peaches the other day. Yum!
Wells (we call them water bores) down under tend to run dry when that outcome is sub fluffy optimal, so water tanks are the better option to manage a scarce resource. You’d be amazed at how far down wells have to be drilled in order to access reliable supplies of water, and even then you can run them dry. A neighbour has a well which runs dry in apparently seven minutes. Not all that useful.
To answer your question, any well dug here would steal water from the tall forest trees and put them under stress. Already you can see that the under-story trees here are water stressed this season. And a person down here can’t really get an idea as to how much water is left to use underground. We don’t know, better not to mess with it due to the fragile state of affairs.
The water pump is a ripper of a machine, super powerful. The plan tomorrow is to construct a cover over the machine so as to protect it from the sun, wind and rain.
Electric jack hammers are very useful items for digging small areas, although you have Mr Diggy so the need may not be there. Now a power wheelbarrow is a wonderful machine and I have three of the things… Is that a bit much? Actually they all serve different purposes and one I’d repaired back to working order from a very damaged state.
Hehe! Hopefully the baby ferns are tree ferns.
Pam, the rats never stop, and the stories of your fig trees gave me an attack of the vapours! What the rats did not eat with the early kale, the cabbage moth larvae got. I want to put out the winter seeds so they start growing whilst the soil is warm, but without rain…
Both nachos and cider were good, your senses do you well. 🙂 The wedding set up (none of the guests had arrived) looked interesting (although I was ushered out of the marquee) and it had some word in LED lighting that I didn’t understand. A mystery!
Fortunately the rock stayed in the truck! And yes, Peak Rocks is real.
🙂 We love the flowers too.
The Yellow Rose of Texas is a song of loss and longing. I see your Texan song and raise you: Future Islands – Seasons. Very evocative imagery, and in many ways, as beautiful as a Texan yellow rose.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Göran,
I’ve conveyed your lovely words, and thanks!
Thanks, and the dogs really do lift the average of team fluffy! Us humans are left to be do our best. 🙂
It’s an interesting water pump and can move 80L/min and lift water (although not at such high flows) to a height of 50m. Not bad at all for 1.1kW of electricity. Interestingly the controller and pump are two separate components, and there’s also a box attached to the motor presumably with a large motor start and/or run capacitor. Peering into the far distance, I see buckets as being useful items!
And that’s exactly how it works with the pressure tank. If all you’re doing is transfer of water, then the tank is not required, but there are plans to run another water line into the sapling fenced pumpkin enclosure and that requires variable water pressure.
Like your style with the soil mixture for the tomato seeds. Nice one, and hope you have better success this year (which I reckon you will). I’ve likewise had damping-off problems with too fertile a seed raising mixture. It’s only when the plants have their first adult leaves that they need feeding (I believe).
Whoa! Your nut tree nursery is going from strength to strength. Respect. I can sort of understand why the chestnuts and hazelnuts sold before the walnuts – they’re easier to grow, at least that is the case down here. What’s your take on that difference? For your interest, the walnut tree here is valiantly struggling on through the hot and dry weather, but is still alive. The other nut trees have shrugged off the conditions.
Göran, I can’t believe that you can grow almonds in your part of the world, it’s amazing! 🙂 Have you tried locally grown almonds before? They are so much tastier than the dried ones you can buy. I’ve got four trees here, although they prefer a regular watering unlike other peach trees.
Please do keep the quack grass to your part of the world. I’ve seen the stuff and am uncomfortable with the thought of grass spearing the potato crop.
Yes, desal, the most expensive fresh water that money can buy. A lot of electricity, but some cities down under (and there aren’t many) would be toast without the big machines. Makes me wonder why the politicians aren’t more serious about making the electricity grid more resilient, but what do I know…
🙂 Tunnel boring machines are wonderful technologies, but yes, cities consume resources from a long way away, and the system is so fantastic, that nobody notices the effort to keep up the supply. Oh man, when people say that technology will save us, I begin to get nervous.
Thanks for sharing your on the ground experience during a time of great economic and social upheaval. Such stories need to be recounted, there is power in them. Hey, if you wrote a cook book it may have the title: The resourceful cook during hard times!
That’s my view of the world too. There’s an old fairy tale about a step mother casting the daughter in law out into the snow to look for strawberries. Hmm. Necessity will cause people to adapt, and people such as ourselves during such times can only ever help those in our network, and elsewhere, provide useful advice.
You know, I wonder about the salt issue too and have never heard of a decent reply, however trading was a thing, and the stone tools from the nearby quarry have been found a long way away. Humans have been on this continent for about 60,000 years they tell me, and I see no reason to doubt that. It may have been longer. Most definitely the indigenous folks were in this very area, there are echoes and to briefly delve into the world of mysticism, spirits. Some of the oldest trees predate European settlement. Hard to imagine the things those trees have witnessed.
My understanding is that yes, settlements were a thing and huts were a part of the landscape. I get the impression from scant historical accounts that the huts were destroyed, but then is such activity any different from say the highland clearings which sent my lot down under? History is full of such actions.
Any ancient historical sites in your part of the world?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Ah, General Patton had such a fine grasp of humanity at war and could wield the language in a way his troops comprehended. I get the impression that outside of war, his other skills were less, how do I put it politely, not all that appropriate. Didn’t he charge the troops against the union folks? That seemed a bit extreme given the circumstances, although it ended the impasse. Maybe he was very goal orientated and focused? Dunno. It’s a great quote though, and he’s absolutely spot on.
The entire ancient treatise ‘The Art of War’ reflects upon leadership but also provides good advice as to how to run a kingdom and what not to mess up. The good advice doesn’t stop the mess ups though, that’s all very much a part of the human condition don’t you reckon? Have you read the book, it’s quite a quick and easy read?
Repealing that act was probably a bad idea. Such acts of separation were never in place down under, and a few years ago we had a Banking Royal Commission. Lot’s of dirty laundry was aired, and it’s probably not a bad idea to let off a bit of cathartic steam. Still, I’m of the opinion that in order to paper over decline, that requires a lot of paper – I now rest my case! 🙂
Hey, we could hear munching noises outside in the shady orchard. Managed to take the bright LED torch out and shine it in amongst the trees and spotted – the fat possum. It’s epic, and I took some photos. Hope they work out, the marsupial is living in a good paddock. Sharp claws.
Ooooo, I’d never thought of the earthquake risk. Well that’s sleep gone for the night! 😉 But rollers, they’d disappear down the hill super quick. Are you being serious? Whoa, what a rabbit hole. Not technically rollers, but more flexible joins which can bounce. Exciting stuff. Some of the devices used in tall buildings sounded a lot like the same principle as the weights used in anti water hammer devices.
Bummer you got caught in the rain out in the garden. It happens. Your weather sounds nice to my overheated brain. It was 32’C / 90’F today and should be the same-ish tomorrow. There was some loose talk in the forecast about a thunderstorm late afternoon tomorrow. We’ll see. Might have to construct a steel cover for the water pump early in the day. Oh well.
Hey, petrol here was $1.80 a litre or $6.84 a gallon. I consider that quite cheap nowadays. Have to laugh, and this is weird. So the other day I filled up the car’s small petrol tank (it’s under 10 gallons) and the cost was less than the spray can of lanolin machinery lube and acetone machinery heavy duty cleaner. They weren’t big spray cans either. I was trying to work it out in my brain, is petrol cheap, or those two spray cans expensive. No clear answer was formed.
A neighbour loaned me a pipe bender so as to make that fire protection cover. It’s a good idea and during such incidents, it’s the things you didn’t expect that will cause you to come unstuck. Makes me wonder how the rebuild in LA is going? Probably not well.
Thanks for the recommendation and I’ll have a look on utoob.
The squash grows in the sapling fenced enclosure, but rabbits and rats can be sneaky. You guessed it absolutely correct – the fire risk with electric hot wires is real.
Many ferns are edible, although I have it on good authority that the pitch is starchy and bitter. Some cultures actually cultivate a taste for bitter food, but that’s not a strong suit of the west.
Hehe! I’ve got a friend who put himself forward for council elections recently and he had what he called a manifesto. Surprisingly, he was limited to 500 words. You can say a lot with that limit, and he scored something like 7% of the vote. Very impressive. We discussed how it is amazing what people living around you can think, and that’s one in fifteen people.
I thought you’d like that photo, and it annoyed me too. It’s one of those situations were things are OK, until they’re not OK, and then it’s suddenly life or death.
Has the hot German potato salad got bacon in it? I have a vague notion that I have tasted this delight.
Ben Affleck is definitely doing good things for team accountant! 🙂 I’ll check out the trailer. Should be fine, and what’s not to like about such a character, he’d have focus and be able to problem solve in unexpected ways! 😉
Worked in the big smoke today and got home late. Me tired, going to bed now. I noticed a bot produced comment got posted at Mr Greer’s. I knew the tricksy thing for what it was, because that sort of rubbish turns up every day. If bots knew how to write, an instruction manual – hey, we could make our fortunes here telling bots how to construct a proper like sentence which oozes style? What do you think about the idea?
Cheers
Chris
Hello Chris,
Indeed, cooking as improvisational theater will maybe be the next book. Or a utoob channel? There was a TV show a few years back, when a chef came to celebrities’ homes and cooked with what they happened to have in their fridges. That is a similar challenge.
Your continent is old, as are your indigenous cultures.
We live on a peninsula that was covered in ice, just some 10,000 years ago. Nothing remains of those who were here before those cold times. In another 10,000 years or so it may be covered in ice yet again. We are temporarily here, on the edge of livable lands.
The road next to our house was the main road from South to North along the West coast for at least 3000 years, until the new highway was built (closer to the sea, in reclaimed marshland) in the 1960s.
Our landscape is dotted with burial mounds.
One mound was excavated and they put a concrete dome over the grave-ship in 1926, and it is possible to visit and look inside. Quite clever and it is an impressive experience. (Some pictures and Swedish language lesson here: https://visitlaholm.se/uppleva-och-gora/guider/vagar-du-ga-in-i-en-bronsaldersgrav) The couple who was buried there lived some 2500 years ago.
However, it was too northernly to grow grapes and make wine up here, so the Romans were never interested in bringing their civilization here. The Romans never did anything for us… 😉
Today I seeded a few hundred chestnut seeds and I placed half a dozen mouse-traps. There are lots of critters who like to eat sprouting nuts.
I hope the night-photos of the possum turn out well, for next weeks’ installment.
Peace,
Göran
Yo, Chris – If I read “The Art of War,” or, Machiavelli for that matter, it was so long ago I don’t remember.
Fat Possum may be added to the cast of characters at Fern Glade Farm. Or, maybe, he’ll just be a “reoccurring character.” Often, when I read about characters in a TV series, it’s mentioned that some actor or part was meant to be a minor sort of walk-on. But ended up being the fulcrum of the show. Tip of the hat to an actor who can latch on to not much material, expand it and make it their own. I often think that with some of the series I watch, it’s the secondary characters who really make the show. I thought of another movie that’s a bit obscure. “Donnie Darko.”
The taller the building or structure, the more sway in an earthquake. I’ve heard of people in high rises being quit bashed about.
Our high temperature yesterday was 50F (10C). The overnight low was 37F (2.77C). Forecast high for today is 51F.
Interesting this and that, on the garden front. Well, we had our garden meeting, yesterday. It’s on the big calendar, downstairs, and on the paper calendar that comes out, every month. Also, mentioned in the monthly newsletter. Four people showed up. Including me. And one of the other ones was just there to surrender her space. And, a great number had not contacted our building manager, Little Mary Sunshine, to let her know if they still wanted to garden. I don’t know about these people. So, anyway, I still have all my spaces.
We are moving the rhubarb into a tub, just to free up a space “just in case.” No big deal. The strawberry bed will be slightly reduced in size, but that’s OK. I dumped four bags of coffee grounds, in that bed, last night. The filters and grounds are dumped in a five gallon, plastic bag lined bucket … along with a lot of other carp. Not that they’re full when I nab them. 1/3 to 1/2 is usual. So, I dump one out in the bed, shake out the coffee filters and toss them (they don’t break down very well), sift out all the cans and cups, etc.. I’m left with a fairly respectable pile of grounds. Which I scatter around with a trowel. With luck, I’ll add some more good soil and composted chicken poop, tonight. Several plants need to be moved around, and, I think there will be some runner plants I can pot up for the Master Gardener’s sale.
In one of the tubs that I had pumpkins in, last year, a volunteer plant showed up. I thought it might be a fern. Quit pretty. All lacy and stuff. Well, it’s got enough growth on it that it was identified. Poison Hemlock. I’ve been instructed to remove it, and wear gloves! Hmmm. Might want to put a bit aside. For a “special” occasion. 🙂 We talked a bit about poison gardens, Shakespeare gardens and bible gardens. Over half a century ago, I visited the Huntington Museum and gardens, down in LA. I don’t remember much, but they had themed gardens. Ah, I see there’s even an Australian garden.
https://huntington.org/botanical-gardens
There’s been a lot of chatter here, about the “R” word. (Shhh! Recession.) It’s even passed the lips of Fearless Leader.
Yes, often price makes not much sense. Printer cartridges that cost more than a printer? Although that makes some kind of sick sense. Lure you in and than lower the boom.
The LA fires and aftermath have pretty much dropped out of the news. Just an odd article, here and there, about the difficulty of rebuilding. Or, that there are some predatory folks out there, snapping up properties at fire-sale prices.
We get a voter’s pamphlet, for most elections. People running for office get to make a statement, as to what they’re all about. I don’t know if there’s a word limit. Some file to run, and then submit nothing. Those, I ignore. Often, I’m reading between the lines to get a sense of who these people are.
Yes, hot German potato salad has bacon in it, usually. Or, any other pork product. I should really whip up a batch.
Well, speaking of bots, my e-mail has been “upgraded.” There’s now a box that apparently is supposed to give a synopsis of the e-mail. which are often as long as the e-mail. And, there are some real howlers. They asked my opinion of this new “feature.” They got an earful. Lew
Yo, Chris – You can ditch all that solar nonsense … 🙂
https://www.wesa.fm/environment-energy/2025-03-10/westinghouse-miniture-transportable-nuclear-reactor-evinci-pittsburgh
Seems like a good idea. Lew
Hi Göran,
Our fortunes may be made with that suggestion of yours? 🙂 Truth to tell, the recipe videos are the most time consuming to make. It’s actually a really good idea, although people could stock up the refrigerator and pantry with all manner of interesting items. Hey, we prepare food mostly from raw materials, and as an amusing side story: years ago a friend decided to look into the kitchen cupboards and had no idea what most of the items were. Preparing food is a very seriously valuable skill.
Long ago I read an observation from the indigenous folks that some of the early explorers died of starvation whilst in the land of plenty. Hmm. Some of them prepared local food incorrectly and died. It reminds me of the SCOBY’s we’re growing and feeding to the chickens. The birds can extract mid-teen percentage protein from the slimy mass, but us humans would extract nothing but cellulose.
You’d imagine that before the ice sheets humans (or their equivalents) roamed the northerly stretches of Europe, but who is ever to know the truth of it all when glaciers scour the very mountains to rock dust. On the other hand, all that ground up rock dust makes for excellent soil minerals.
Drained marshlands down here are used for high demand vegetable crops like asparagus. Oh well, a highway is a useful chunk of infrastructure and at least the vehicles are now further away from your farm.
Our ancestors left many earthworks: Sunbury earth rings. When the rains return and the land greens up a bit, I’ll go and have a look and see what is to be seen.
On that note, a big thunderstorm rolled overhead tonight but only a little bit of rain fell. There’s a link to an mp3 file on the left hand side where you can hear the storm. I love a good thunderstorm. Some of the lightning strikes were quite close.
Thanks for the link, and the mounds are quite large. Makes me wonder where the soil came from so as to create the mound. It’d be fascinating to see first hand. And yes, development is always an issue.
Ha! Very funny, and what a film. 🙂 Yes, what have the Roman’s ever done for us? The Latin grammar rough education scene with the centurion is a stand out. To be honest, the Romans may not have been tough enough to travel that far north, although people from your country sure did travel south in those days.
Best wishes for the chestnut starts and rodent hunt. Have you considered obtaining a terrier breed of dog? They’d enjoy hunting rodents all day long.
Hope so too. The brush tail possum is massive. Kuato Lives! 😉
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
To the respect of the journalist who wrote the article, the issues of cost and waste was actually raised. Look, I’d be deeply uncomfortable using such a machine which would only last for what was it again, eight years before refuelling, if that process is even possible. You know, this is the second time today that I’ve had to say to someone, that I’m deeply uncomfortable about the proposed process.
So as I’ve mentioned there’s an election coming up, and me being the pleasant and responsible person that I am, I put my hand up to work that day. It’s a minimum wage job for one long day, 16 hours the last time I did the thing. I don’t usually work that hard for myself.
Anyhoo, in the past the employment process has been quite simple, but no longer. So in order to apply for the role I have to upload enormous quantities of personal identification (all certified by another recognised outstanding member of the community such as myself – I can do that legally recognised work) all to do a cop check on my background. And the company isn’t even local, it’s a US mob which I’ll mispell as equifux.
The goobermint folks called me up today to ask why I hadn’t done that process, and all I could say was the truth – I’m deeply uncomfortable with their process. After all, if equifux was hacked, my entire life could be stolen for a measly one long day of minimum pay work. I was assured that the hack would be impossible… The process is bizarre and over the top. Just say no was the answer. And the lady was not happy with me at all, it appeared to be a bit all care and no responsibility.
Such texts may only need to be read once to ascertain the overall flavour of the ideas.
Hopefully fat brush tail possum is not a special guest owl death, but he’s pretty big. Sharp claws too. The little possum the Editor handed onto the wildlife folks was a different and smaller breed, a ring tailed possum.
Hehe! It’s like when Simon Pegg is on the Enterprise, he steals every scene he’s in. Man, I had to read the plot summary for Donnie Darko so as to make sense of the narrative in the film, otherwise it was a bit mysterious – and what was with the large rabbit wearing the onesey?
Speaking of leaning, who can forget that tall building in San Fran?
It was hot here again today, but I worked inside on paid work and kept out of the sun. 50’F is a bit cold. 🙂 Hey, a thunderstorm ripped over head early evening and dumped about a tenth of an inch. I hooked up the microphone and recorded the sound and uploaded it. It’s a little mp3 play button on the left hand side above all of the other external blog links.
I’d describe only four people turning up as a lack of interest. Still that secures your garden plots, although I’d imagine that there will be whingeing from the situation. Hmm. Gotta be in it to win it, they tell me.
Rhubarb can get quite large so being in a tub is a fine idea I reckon as well. I think that because strawberry plants have forest origins, they might appreciate some woody compost, but dunno really, much depends. Strawberry runners are my personal nightmare.
Hehe! The grounds sure do add up quickly. You should see how much a busy café can produce! 🙂 Have you noticed that the stuff disappears into the soil quite quickly?
Holy carp! Stay away from that plant Mr Socrates! 🙂 One can’t be too careful, or conscientious and mindful of the future.
With 80 years of growth, the photos of the eucalyptus trees in the Huntingon gardens are quite impressive. The trees can live for centuries if they’re not burnt out. A lovely garden, did you get the chance to visit it when you were in that part of the country?
The word is known to me, and perhaps to you as well. It’s not pleasant, but kicking the can down the road can only make things worse than they will be.
That’s a classic example. Yup, printer cartridges which cost more than the printer is a bait and switch trick, although you can often buy generic cartridges which are heaps cheaper. I’m yet to have a bad experience with them either. I use a colour inkjet printer (and a black and white laser) and the machine has refillable ink tanks – that’s the cheapest printer when it comes to ongoing costs that I’ve ever owned.
The property sharks circle disaster areas down here too. Can you imagine the bureaucratic nightmare rebuilding in that fire affected area would be? It gives me an attack of the vapours thinking about the difficulties.
Ah, they don’t provide such pamphlets down here, but the various manifestos are available online in a central place. It interests me with council elections that the political party leanings are not usually listed. I voted for someone in the recent council election who might stir the pot up a bit – and he got in too.
Hehe! We are of one mind here. The tech bros have gone too far. I bought some tickets for a gig tonight, and the dramas I’m having are a pain in the err, ear. Oh well, they’re paid for and reserved, I just have to work out why they’re not showing on the phone – which you need to get into the gig. Ook! Ugg! Grumble! How much time do we waste on all this stuff? Far out!
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – I’m not comfortable, either, with having a mini nuclear reactor in the cellar. But do they take our disquiet into account? Of course not. When I lived in S. California, I used to go to the San Onofre state park beach. To get to the parking lot, you drove right past the nuclear reactor. But for the fence, you could practically reach out and touch the thing. I always thought, “Well, I didn’t plan on having any children, anyway.” 🙂 After reading that book on possible apocalypses, I can see why some scientists have picked up the moniker, “mad.”
That company had a data breach in 2017 that exposed 147 million people’s personal information. They are one of three companies that do credit reports, on people. There are several things you can’t do, without the credit report. Or, what you pay is based on your “credit score.” There is a consumer protection agency, that was given some teeth, to ride herd on those outfits, and several other financial institutions. Banks. Payday loan companies. It’s currently in the process of being dismantled …
Nobody seems to know what the big rabbit in Donnie Darko was all about. There are theories. Lots and lots of theories. There was another giant rabbit, in the 1950 film (from a 1944 play), titled “Harvey.” Starring Jimmy Stewart. That rabbit made more sense. That play (along with “Arsenic and Old Lace), are beloved, and much performed, by community theatre groups, everywhere.
Our high yesterday was 52F (11.11C). Overnight low was 45F (7.22C). Forecast high for today is 52F. Rain on and off. And Prof. Mass predicts an atmospheric river, coming in Sunday night. There’s also a lunar eclipse, tomorrow night. He doesn’t think we’ll see it. No news there.
In further climate news, you may find this article, maddening.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/amazon-forest-felled-build-road-060236163.html
I had picked up a bag of small apples. It either came in our food box, or, from the hipster warehouse-like discount grocery. I just noticed last night that it’s from … New Zealand. Why? I mean, we’re the major apple producing state. It’s not like we don’t have apples of our own.
The recording of the storm was really great. Very clear. I cranked it up. The inmates might think I’m bowling, in here. 🙂 I could even hear the rain. And, in a couple of spots something that sounded very familiar. Dog claws on a wooden floor? By the way, I think H is back to normal. Two days of normal, so far.
It was a long time ago, when I visited the Huntington. Besides the gardens, there were two, large Neo-classical buildings. The residence, and the library. For some reason, I didn’t visit the library. Jewel in the crown are several Shakespeare first folios. Separate expensive ticketing? Time? I did take the tour of the manse. All velvet ropes and plastic runners. I asked the tour guide, if the old fellow ever came downstairs, at night, and just touched things. Boy, did I get a look. 🙂 Someone jogged my memory, yesterday. There’s also an art gallery. A lot of Gainsboroughs, including “Blue Boy,” and “Pinkey.” My favorite was “Mrs. Siddons as the Tragic Muse.” Some old time famous actress. It was really large.
I donned disposable gloves, and did away with the Poison Hemlock, yesterday. Keeping it well away from my clothes, until I could bin it. Also, at the Master Gardeners request, I cut the leaves off some weird plant, but left the blossoms. Then I got rained out.
I got to thinking, about how you store your dried tomatoes in olive oil. Just as a refresher, tomatoes have a substance called lycopene. It’s a carotenoid that is good for the heart, fights cancers, and (special note to you) has something to do with sun on skin. Olive oil makes it easier for the body to absorb. My brown rice has some olive oil in it, but, I got to thinking how I could maximize absorption. So, now I’m putting the dried tomatoes in a small bowl, drizzling olive oil over the top, and heating it up a bit, before adding it to whatever I’m having for dinner. I noticed that while it is being nuked, it releases a really appealing odor. Something chemical is happening there. Something good, I think.
While looking in the library catalog for the first “Accountant” movie (I put it on hold,) I ran across an interesting title. “The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant.” 🙂 (Author, Hayes.) Unfortunately, the library doesn’t have a hard copy. Just e-book and audio. Neither of which I “do.”
We also have several positions that are stated to be “nonpartisan.” Yeah, sure. I carefully read between the lines of their statement and bio. If it’s not provided, I have even gone to their websites, to try and get a sense of what this person is all about. Twelve homeschooled kid? Graduate of some weird, obscure religious college? One can paint a picture.
Well, I hope your gig tickets are legitimate. There’s been a lot of bogus ticketing, lately. Or, worse, that the gig could be canceled, due to a fat berg. 🙂
Oh, great. I saw an article last night, that the Fruit Company is planning the biggest overhaul of their software, in history. To be officially announced in June or July. Implemented in the fall. Something about standardizing the functions, and icons, across all their devices. You think they would have thought about that, in the first place. Lew
Chris:
As for faeries, Mr. J would have been quite on their level; he was a small dog. I am glad I have not seen any fauns, though. They are always trouble.
I love peaches – lucky you! They used to grow peaches here commercially up near the mountains, but not for a long time. They still grow quite a lot of apples commercially.
Mr. Diggy can’t get through some of the wooded areas because he’s so big, though quite a lot has been cleared. Um – three power wheelbarrows does seem a bit much.
Gee, Seasons is pretty sad.
Today I was thinking about how you have mentioned the recession you “had to have”. I have an uncomfortable feeling that that same event is soon to happen here.
I have been playing musical signs in the garden. I make up a bunch of signs with various vegetables written on each one and then place them in the beds where I might want to grow them. This gives me a tentative idea of where things might all fit and it helps some with crop rotation. When I can remember what grew where last year . . .
I saw this on a Youtube channel that I like. It is an Indian fellow and his family who have a farm in California. He seems to have a lot of good advice. I had certainly never heard of this problem. Since the Editor and I love persimmons – Persimmons Can Be Deadly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M28nZtEeB4
Pam
Chris,
Hmmmm, so I remember a few photos that had maybe an arm or part of a leg belonging to Sandra in the photo. You know, with most of her working behind a water tank or a tree or something. And maybe one photo of her from a very long distance. But now? A real photo of Sandra. The first thing the Princess said was, “Oh, she’s pretty!” I wholeheartedly agree. And now we know what the Editor looks like.
“Say you’ve become accustomed to consuming seven bananas per week, yet suddenly you can now only have five. How do you react to that loss?” Is this an essay quiz question or something? I mean, one answer is to adapt and find something else to eat to replace the now nonexistent bananas. Or one could spend more in order to continue having the customary 7 bananas. Or swap some zucchini or chokecherries or kiwi fruit for some else’s bananas. Or just plain steal bananas from others. Or perhaps take control of the banana growing operations so that you could have as many as you want. I tend to the idea that 5 bananas is better than none, add some diversity to my diet to make up for the loss of 2 bananas.
Ohhh, nice fog picture. You have fog. My brain feels foggy this week. Allergies, probably. Hope it’s nothing more sinister. My cousin sent me a link to Mark Zuckerburg doing some weird dance thing for his wife’s birthday. I can’t unsee it; it has turned into an “eye worm”. I understand ear worms. I now can sort of understand eye worms. I can do without both. I will NOT add the link to the Zuckerburg dance. Eye worms do not need to be shared. 😉
For some reason, I am reminded of an incident from my graduate school days in Las Cruces. I shared an office with another grad student, Maurice. One afternoon I walked into our office. There was one of those 7cm long cockroaches in our office. As I attempted to do the proper thing, stomp on the thing, Maurice got in my way and said that the cockroach was his pet and our office mascot. Yes, an argument ensued. Student from 2 offices away, David, entered our office, gave Maurice a cynical grin, stepped behind Maurice and stomped on the cockroach. “No pets allowed in campus buildings”, muttered David as he exited our office.
I’m glad your pump worked and replenished the house tanks. But digging the trenches for the water lines in that heat cannot be fun. Not at all. Hopefully you’ll get some rain soon. We’ve gotten about 9mm today so far, with rain expected through Sunday night. Snowing in the mountains. We need it. Methinks you need the rain more than we do.
Cool! Your ferns are spreading. That drainage basin will appreciate having more ferns.
Wow, leaves changing already. I think your prediction sounds correct: the full color season will likely be short. At least, that’s what I’ve experienced here in overly dry years.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Dogs know things, and see things, not to mention hear things like the creepy folks up on the road without a torch well past 11pm the other night. A very unwise decision for those folks, but that is another story. The Elder folks, our canine (and feline friends would also know to avoid, Mr Baby nonchalantly avoids such risks by default) friends know all about and studiously avoid, fauns being – as everyone knows – bad news.
The variety of peach is Golden Queen, and the tree produces bright yellow fruit with a touch of red. The taste is excellent and the stone slips from the flesh. Unfortunately due to all sorts of reasons, that particular peach tree has to be moved, but it will end up in an area where it receives lots of care and attention.
Peach trees require a decent feed and can be fickle in their output, whereas apple trees are more commercially reliable. Nobody grows peaches around here either other than myself. I’ve no idea why. A mystery? You know what though, the sort of peach fruit that people purchase has little to no flavour (think cardboard), so I do sometimes wonder if that is why the trees have fallen out of favour? Dunno. Sun ripened peaches are amazing tasting.
Of course, Mr Diggy is big, and biggerer than any of the machines we use which have navigate choked up forests. I see, and yes that would be an issue.
Hehe! It is a bit much having three of the machines. Well there’s a little story to that. One of the machines has a manual gearbox which is quite finicky and perhaps also occasionally surprisingly dangerous. I use that machine. The other has an automatic gearbox with delightful go, reverse and stop levers – this is Sandra’s preferred machine. And the third was the very first machine we trialled, and it died of way too much work. However, many hours of care and attention was lavished upon the dead machine and it now works perfectly again. So there are three of the things, all working nicely.
You may wonder why I do all of the servicing and repairs, but the other week I took the most complicated ride on machine down to get serviced. The charge was around $500 for work I could have done myself, so now I’ll service and repair that one too. Hmm.
🙂 Music is a format open to interpretation, but I absolutely see what what you mean. I tend to see the video as an insight into a world vastly different from say, fluffy land, but the melody was written to tug at the heart strings – or as the kids say, get you in the feels. The yellow rose of Texas was of a similar vibe, but here again we may differ in how our brains take in the words and melody.
Unfortunately, I’m thinking similar thoughts in that regard, but maybe it is just me but I’ve known this day was coming since way back in 1997. What’s truly amazing is how long things have gone on for.
🙂 Pam, what a great idea. It’s hard isn’t it remembering from one year to the next. Experts suggest using detailed plans, but alas expertise is far from my grasp in this matter. And poop, the rats have begun gnawing on the pumpkin crop. Can’t wait for winter when I can do something about that… I was very foolish to plant woody shrubs too close to the vegetable beds and have been slowly correcting this error. Oh well.
Hmm. I’ll check out the utoob clip after replying later tonight.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Actually, your good example inspired me to chuck the photo in. I was mildly surprised the photo got across the line, Sandra is very different to me and as an INTJ personality type, values her privacy. And thank you, and especially your fine lady so much for the lovely words. 🙂
Oh! I’d not considered the essay from that perspective, the question being purely a rhetorical exercise, which you knew – cheeky! Respect. 🙂 So what’s your answer then? Ah, acceptance and adaption – I’d do no less. It’s all very stoic. The economic ‘r’ word is being mentioned and heard more and more, and such pragmatic responses to real world issues can only but put a person in good stead whilst others may flounder. Of course flounder is a tasty fish so perhaps the folks are onto something there, but probably not.
Out of curiosity, has the grass began to grow and seed in your part of the world, or where ever the winds blow in from? Man, the dust due to the prolonged dry weather here is phenomenal and challenging to the sinuses. Hope the brain fog dissipates. Oh my goodness! I’ve known of a few rock bands which had only one or two hits, and the lead singers made up for that lack with notably silly dance moves. It’s an option, and perhaps Mr faceplant is reaching for that performance space? I don’t need to see such things.
Made a video of the thunderstorm last night, and will upload it shortly, but who knows if anyone will watch it. The soundtrack is good, lots of thunder peals.
Oh that’s a great story, and a neat solution to avoid the emotional content. Sometimes actions have to be taken. You know, I’ve never met anyone with a pet cockroach, although did once go to a comedy show where the lady was an animal trainer and had a pet stick insect. A fun show that one. Hey, I’ve known of people with pet rats, and I’m just not into that story. The little blighters are munching holes in the pumpkins. Guess feed is scarce this year. They’re all hiding in an area with thick woody plants (which I foolishly planted many years ago) and well, that area will get a cottage garden instead. I see one of the benefits of such arrangements of plants…
3mm of rain fell yesterday and that was much appreciated, but the water situation is a bit awkward. We’ll be fine, maybe… Two x 5,500L water tanks are on order but they do need rainfall to fill up.
9mm is a decent amount of rain in that it’s a lot, but not too much if you know what I mean. The news reports down here suggested that your country is in for some wide spread rainfall very soon. Always good to see the reservoirs filling up.
The drainage basin is an almost perfect location for growing ferns, and some varieties here do spread around by all sorts of unusual methods. They’re an interesting plant.
Here’s hoping that leaf change is short and sharp, and your words are music to my ears!
It started cool here today, but warmed up and we dug another quarter of the trench for the water pipe and installed a side branch with a tap in the sapling fenced enclosure where all the pumpkins grow. It’s nice to backfill the lower trenches.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Some tourists can’t help themselves: US influencer who snatched a baby wombat and posted the video online has visa reviewed. Fortunately most tourists are lovely people who avoid trouble as a lifestyle choice. I do rather hope that the mother wombat takes the joey back who may now have unfamiliar smells. Wombats have an excellent sense of smell, so I don’t know how that one will turn out. Hmm. The highest levels of power are weighing in on the matter.
I know! What could possibly go wrong if say a minor component of the nuclear reactor was faulty? Ook! But yeah, it’s all good, until it’s not good – and the consequences may be rather extreme. Do we really need such excitement in our lives? The mad scientist cliché is definitely a thing. Makes you wonder if the moral and ethical dimensions are ignored as inconvenient side issues?
Anyway, I recall that in the Back to the Future film franchise, which really was quite good, a Mr Fusion domestic reactor had been installed on the DeLorean as a power unit. It sure didn’t look like the large thing in the article you linked to. Isn’t it funny where ideas from sci-fi can work there way into the collective imagination?
The Editor is re-reading Jack Vance’s most excellent series of five books in the Demon Princes series. A great read, and she’s amazed at how many ideas from a series which commenced sixty years ago, have come to fruition. And the author rarely focuses on technology, it’s a minor side issue really, but the ideas have also filtered into the social realms as well. Hmm, yup, they sure did.
Holy carp! Man, thanks for looking that up and I’d wondered about my reticence, and was treated very poorly for holding back. It interested me that the bureaucrat fixated on me not wanting to do the police check – which that mob was doing as well, hmm – when my issue was handing over so much personal data which could have been hacked. The thing is, if a hack was done, the goobermint folks would point at the mob and blame would go everywhere, whilst restitution would probably never have been made. Do they call that plausible deniability? The risk for a days work was not worth taking on.
Glad to hear that about the strange rabbit in that film. It made no sense to me. Whoa! Spare me from encountering a púca! What a mixed bag outcome with equals parts good and bad. Makes for a nervous existence if I may say so. Who hasn’t seen Arsenic and Old Lace? Those naughty ladies… 🙂
When your weather news, makes our news, you know it’s not good! ‘Bomb cyclone’ to spread severe weather through US later this week. As Professor Mass noted, rain at this time of year is a good thing. I agree with such sentiments.
Oh my! You know, there’s something deeply weird about big conferences in far distant corners of the globe where much hand wringing goes on about global warming. Did I tell you about the tourist I met the other week? So, he asks my opinion about a small country town in the far south west of the state. I gave a candid answer. Then he says: I don’t want to go where there are lots of tourists. Now of course I could have left the conversation then and there but felt the need to point out the obvious: Mate, that’s hypocritical, you’re a tourist yourself He had a cheeky air about him, so looked surprised that he’d been caught out.
Ah well, I once read that New Zealand apples can sometimes be relabelled land of stuff apples. Yeah, who knew? They import them here due to some world trade org ruling or something like that. The locals were upset, and I heard about because you know, living not all that far from one of the largest apple growing areas on the continent. Hmm. Undercutting.
Hehe! Hope you hit all the pins. 🙂 It was fun to record that sound and it beat hanging out in the weather. The video is up now as well, so you can see the storm.
Australian hot and dry summer thunderstorm sped up footage ep 42
Might not be as popular as last weeks video which seems to have hit a nerve if the stats are anything to go by. Sometimes a person is occasionally running hot! 🙂 It was dog claws on the timber floors. Good pick up.
Go H and lovely to hear that she is feeling better.
Had the dogs running around in the sun all day today. We dug another section of trenches for the water pipes as well as a side trench to a tap in the sapling fenced enclosure. Hot work because although the air was cooler today, the humidity was way up. It may take another two days of digging to get the water pipe all the way back up close to the house water tanks. Oh well.
It’s a fair question, the old dead bloke might have been taking some time out from haunting duties to admire the artwork his second wife seems to have amassed. Pah! Such guides should expect those sorts of questions. There was a vague mention that after WWI art was very much a buyers market. A clever lady to have bought at the right time.
That plant doesn’t grow down under, so I have no experience with it. Given the rest of the fauna and flora though, it’d fit right in. Plenty of plants do that trick I guess.
Ah, lycopene is apparently an antioxidant. Hmm, very interesting and thanks for that. Did you know I read somewhere that fish oil can sometimes assist with taking up of medicines? The olive oil does smell nice, and we use all of it in cooking. Yup, something good is happening for sure.
I watched that Accountant film many years ago, but the plot has faded from memory. I’ll be curious to hear what you have to say about the film. Yeah, such mediums are not for me either. I prefer to read the authors words as penned so that my mind can feel the flavour which was hopefully intended. Someone speaking the same words can add their own emphasis.
Run Lewis, run! 🙂 I too read the fine details for such choices.
I think the tickets are legitimate, maybe… If not, I’ve done my dough. Getting derailed by a fatberg is not very rock and roll. The punk movement just for one random example would never stand for such things, and the show must go on!
Yeah, not being in the land of fruit, I’d not heard of that lack of standardisation. The dork company is very good at that side of things, they’re just shutting off support for my computer later this year. Hey, same, same, but different! Maybe they’ve run out of ideas?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Chris,
Argh, you mentioned the upcoming cyclone that is all set to provide us with “fun” weather on Friday evening, if by “fun” you mean severe thunderstorms with high winds and maybe strong tornadoes. We are in the middle of the Level 4 (out of 5) risk zone for severe weather. Will the electricity stay on? Knowing our electricity provider as I do, I’m not betting on it. I’ll check in after the storms when I have electricity again.
In the meantime, warm spring weather, high around 80F yesterday, supposed to be that today and Friday as well. Daffodils are blooming!
Claire
Yo, Chris – In the tat trade, we had a saying that three of any like item is a collection. So, you have a collection of power wheelbarrows. 🙂
I’ve made an executive decision. Death by selfie, is no longer a criteria, for being considered for a yearly Darwin Award. There’s just too many of them. And, they show a decided lack of creativity and innovation.
I hadn’t commented on The Editor, making an appearance. Sitting back there in the shadows, I wouldn’t be able to pick her out of a crowd. Kudos, for picking her own time, at her own speed. Lord knows, I’m certainly adverse to photos.
The wombat story is getting a lot of play, over here. The woman should be flogged out of the country. Another internet influencer, according to reports. I’m beginning to think those people are as bad as paparazzi.
It’s often been commented that some tech from early Star Trek series, is now common kit. Or, even further back. Dick Tracy’s watch communicator.
There are settlements, just now, being paid out over that data breach. I found it interesting that it includes actual losses and TIME involved. But, what, it’s taken 7 years to work its way through the courts? Delay, deny, defend.
The current complexity of volunteering for the vote, reminds me of your story of the complexity of dog adoption. I took H down to the Club, last night. There’s a fellow down from Alaska, as his mother’s on her way out. He’s been working some shifts on the counter. Interesting fellow. Even has a book, that’s about to be re-issued. “Alaskan Adventure: Tales of a Musher.” I took H in, because she wants to move to Alaska. And wanted to put her application in, for sled dog. 🙂
The plum role in “Arsenic and Old Lace,” is the mad brother. Who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt, charging up San Juan Hill.
Our high yesterday was 52F (11.11C). The overnight low was 39F (3.88C). Forecast high for today is 46F. I really liked your thunder video. About minute 4, I could see great localized dumps of rain, off in the distance. Eclipse tonight, just about the time I take H out for her walk. Might see a bit, if the moon plays peek-a-boo through the clouds. Frankly, watching an eclipse is like watching paint dry. Flaming space junk is much more exciting. 🙂 Although, I suppose even that will eventually be old hat.
Your last video is probably popular, because a certain amount of the population takes great pleasure, in watching other people sweat. In a weird bit of coincidence, my Idaho friends and son-in-law are off to make a 200+ mile trip, to pick up a used excavator. Maybe you could borrow it? 🙂 Although from what other people have said, here, you realize that our trenches have to be a lot deeper.
Your thunder vid reminded me of the “Tale of Rip Van Winkle.” Thunder in our Catskill Mountains, was thought to be giants or trolls, playing bowls.
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ny-ripvanwinkle/
That is a funny story about your run in with the tourist. Good for you. Some things must be said, out loud.
At different times, Europe was a treasure house, ripe for the looting. Although, in a lot of cases, sellers really didn’t value what they had. Some of the rich (or, their agents. See: Lord Duveen. Oh, heck, I’ll do the hard work, for you 🙂 .
https://w.wiki/DQxF
Some people stuck with the tried and true artists of the day. That no one is much interested in, any more. It was the folks who took a chance on emerging artists, that later became valuable. But, it took a bit of fortitude, to swim against the stream.
When I lived in Seattle, I was across the street from The Frye Art Museum. The Fryes were a German couple, who made it big in meat packing, back around 1900. They bought a lot of German and Austrian art, that was popular at the time. That part of the collection is pretty awful, to my eye. Luckily, after they shuffled off their mortal coils, the museum struck out in new directions. They have a lot of Wyeth’s. Unfortunately, in storage :-(. They do get some interesting traveling exhibitions.
The Kress Collections, were a different ball game. Kress made his money in five and dime stores. He, or his agents, bought pretty wonderful stuff. The Portland Art Museum, got a chunk of the collection. But, being a second string museum, they got second string art. Lots of “attributed to” or “school of.” But, it’s interesting art, and was worth looking at. I think I’ve mentioned, Portland also has a great collection of Impressionist paintings. Just about everyone is represented …. except, Van Gough. I think most of those were individual gifts, or, long term loans. Rich Portland folks who were a bit more daring, in their choices of art, way back when. Lew
Chris:
That’s why we have too many machines: Because one seemed dead and a new one was bought and then the “dead” one was eventually brought back to life, or in other cases because one was bought to fit a certain person’s requirements (usually for those of us smaller and weaker). I know why you work on them yourself, as my son does, and now just try to get one repaired promptly. I hope there will be a big, new crop of people going to mechanic’s school. There should be a lot of call for those folks, especially with the new “right to repair” laws.
I do draw a detailed plan of my garden, but I quickly get frustrated with it and want to see something tangible in each bed like the signs I mentioned, and they are a lot easier to move around and try in different places than doing that over and over on paper.
Pam
Chris,
Yeah, some of us would prefer to be mostly unseen and out of the spotlight. Of course, I brought up to some of the carving group recently that I am very introverted and take a lot of time to “recuperate” from running the club meetings. Someone quickly quipped, “Well, you sure talk a lot for an introvert!” I replied, Well, I’m a good actor, but I pay the price.” I’d rather sit in the corner and work on projects at the meetings, but the president needs to traipse around and be chatty. Which sometimes makes my brain hurt. So I guess I understand where Sandra is coming from on the privacy front.
Flounder is a tasty fish. Floundering is not enjoyable. However, one must ask if eating flounder could be called floundering?
Along those lines, Killian’s human mentioned that the contractors still have a deep trench in her yard for the replacement sewer lines. I suggested that she not fall in the trench and hurt her foot, because then we’d call the foot “trench foot”. Naturally, she rapidly called me a “trench arse” instead of the normal “smart arse” she calls me. The Princess thought that was funny, although she typically thinks my puns are worthy of getting me sent into “time out”.
Funny you should ask about the grass. I was noticing yesterday that the grass had just started greening in places other than sheltered areas. Today it was even more pronounced. Of course, that means that it was rather cooler today with high winds, mixed rain and snow occurring over parts of town right now (nothing here yet), and snow expected Friday night until noon Saturday. But yes, things are greening up. I expect to see tulips nudging above the ground shortly.
Due to the high winds drying out the hard surfaces, I remained indoors today. High winds this time of year do me no good. The high winds earlier in the week probably caused my brain fog, which was much better today, thanks. Limitations, a man has got to know his.
I can listen to thunder all the time. Reminds me of Nicola Tesla and his lightning machine, aka Tesla coil. Or of Thor throwing lightning bolts at the giants. I’ve always enjoyed thunderstorms.
I always appreciated David for that episode and his solution. That was one of the funniest things that happened that year. His cynicism could be quite entertaining.
Rats and pumpkins. I’ve had similar issues with zucchini and squirrels. They can sure chew them up, but never really eat them.
3mm of rain is better than nothing, that’s for sure. Our storm system dropped a total of about 15mm, which includes the 9mm I had mentioned yesterday. We should get at least another 15mm between Friday night and Monday. It should be building more snowpack in the higher elevations, which will be good later in the spring.
One of the hawks was in charge of the yard while Dame Avalanche was indoors this afternoon. It was intently looking through the fence to a neighbor’s yard, eventually flying to the top of a small shed, the same shed that is missing part of its roof. I think it had its eyes on a mouse or a squirrel.
DJSpo
Hi Claire,
Fingers crossed that the err, exciting overdrive 5000 weather is not as bad as the dire predictions are suggesting. However, it is rare for your country’s weather to be mentioned in the media down here, so ook! Stay safe and hope that your electricity supply continues.
There’s a young bloke I follow on utoob, and he’s clever and like me checks out how things actually work. Anyway, the dude has made a pretty decent alternative battery power supply on wheels just for your sort of weather: Solar Kart Version 5!
Cheers
Chris
Hi Pam,
🙂 It’s a common problem. Actually, I’ve thought about this very subject recently and came up with the idea that: Sometimes you need a second machine so as to feel confident enough to dismantle and/or repair the original thing, whilst still retaining some sort of operational capability. It’s quite a conservative approach which in down under speak might sound like: “Yeah mate. I’ll give it a bash. Look, what’s the worst that can happen? Sure, the repairs might never work. But you’ve got another machine haven’t ‘cha?. If the repairs work, everything will be sweet and you’ll have two machines.” And so it goes…
Sometimes I’m super uncomfortable dismantling a necessary and needful machine on the off-chance that I stuff the job up. More often than not, the machine gets repaired and you end up with a machine and a spare, but then so what? Better to have two than none is a workable philosophy, as long as there is somewhere to put them both.
The really interesting side effect of this practice is that you become very good at knowing when to stop using machines and give them some care and attention. And if the job is urgent, well, grab the replacement machine and just keep going.
If there were another way of learning whilst doing, I’d be more than happy to hear about it! 🙂
That’s my hope for the future as well, and in fact what the ‘r’ word being used lately will produce, is exactly that. As a society, we need to start looking after what we’ve already produced. And that’s an awesome outcome and more green than any recycling or dumping all the stuff will achieve.
The old timers used to say: repair, re-use and only then re-cycle. Everyone reaches for the third option firstly nowadays and that reflects poorly upon all of us. Noting that plenty of us here don’t indulge in such bad habits! 🙂
My brain is more closely aligned to your approach when it comes to planning out a garden. Pam, I’m embarrassed to mention this, but I’m the next level down and simply say next year we’ll plant that crop over there – then do it. But it would be nice to have a second greenhouse (a project for the future).
Took today off work and visited a different nearby cidery. Had a tasting paddle of their ciders and enjoyed a pizza. It’s hard work, but someone has to do it. Tomorrow will be 95’F and there’s welding which needs doing to fabricate a cover over the new water pump before the rain on Sunday. Ook!
Is that weather system in danger of reaching your area?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
It wasn’t really the plan to own three power wheelbarrows, but after carefully considering your sage advice, the collector trap can no long be papered over with soothing words which mean very little. I’m embarrassed to admit that you’re right and my awful secret is now known to all! 🙂 You did plaster it all over the interweb. Anywhoo, at least with the collector truth being ‘out there’ my immediate worries are over. What next is the real issue here? 🙂
Absolutely agreed with you there, the unfortunate demise has indeed become too common place. Hey, we need one of those body counters like what was used in the film: Starship Troopers. Perhaps there will be the occasional honourable mention when an entirely unique episode comes to light. Otherwise, it’s all cold statistics. So yes, the lack of creativity and innovation is surely a problem.
Man, it’s taken me almost eleven years to get to that photo, still the old timers used to say that good things should not be rushed. And who can argue with such wisdom? Actually, I do relate to the reticence because talking to a camera is a very raw experience and has taken me a while to get used to. Dame Plum photo bombed this weeks video by taking a dump in the background. You never have to wonder about what dogs are thinking, they’ll tell you!
Took the day off any and all work today. Headed to a different cidery not far from where the guys of the big shed fame live. Had a tasting paddle of ciders made from their orchard and shared a very tasty pepperoni pizza. The small goods on the pizza came from a nearby producer and abattoir, and oh my it was good. There was even a light touch of fennel in the pepperoni which was a subtle addition. That herb can be a knock out if poorly used in the kitchen.
Tomorrow will be 95’F and more conducive to working. I’ve got to weld up a metal frame for the new water pump cover. It’s going to be hot, and there may be a well deserved ice cream. I heard from the water tank production people that they’re ready to deliver the two new tanks! Yikes! Not prepared for that, but will do our best. Hmm. Should be intriguing.
The baby wombat story has given full scope to our politicians to supply some witty quips. Who knew that they could be amusing? And the person in question has now left the country. As she should.
Exactly, Dick Tracey’s watch communicator is now a thing, although I’d never wear such a machine. It may be selfish, but sometimes I do not wish to be found whilst appreciating the quiet moments of life.
And double exactly. Do I want to suffer harm from something stupid and unnecessary and then wait for seven years for restitution? Easier to just say no. I do wonder how many other people are saying that? Very funny, and yes such activities are in H’s DNA and hard wired memory, she just might not be able to certify documents and sign statutory declarations. 😉 Hope his mother gently slides away into the long night without too much pain. Are you going to get a chance to read the book?
Arsenic and Old Lace was a fun story of romance and family silliness. Best not to be involved with such bloodlines. Yeah, the brother would have had fun acting that part, and they all dodged the consequences, mostly.
Thanks and the storm was a goodie! And did you and H get to see the eclipse? Oh yeah, when the Kessler effect kicks off, it’ll be an awesome show. Look, I might not be able to enjoy the show – John Wyndham’s book The day of the Triffids just left a bad feeling in my guts about that sort of thing. Is there any help for this? But yeah it would be an exciting spectacle.
Do they? Man, on a serious note I can’t really figure out what will resonate with the reading and viewing population, and so cut the proverbial Gordian Knot, and simply do whatever is on my mind that week. It’s easier in some ways…
A free loaner excavator is not free, but I’m willing to be surprised. 🙂 The machine probably needs repairs and ongoing maintenance. Too much for my brain, and it is easier to dig with small tools and machines. Hope the purchase works out well for them. And yeah, I’d not really appreciated the effects of pipes freezing when in the ground. Not good.
Oh my! Rip’s dog looks like a hairy Ollie, what the heck? Mr Rip got involved with the Elder folks business, nuff said.
The tourist had the comment coming, he was of a cheeky troublesome sort, and lapped up the attention.
Ha! Thanks for the introduction to the ever pragmatic The Lord Duveen, and his comment about wealth: “Europe has a great deal of art, and America has a great deal of money.” is a hoot. Whoa! He was shrewd too and didn’t let his title stop him from communicating with all and sundry. A clever bloke.
Always is a little fortitude required, to swim against the stream. You can quote me here: When faced with a strong tide, remember it could well be wrong. There’s been an interesting revelation down here today in relation to your goobermints funding of our university sector. What ever could possibly go wrong?
Collecting art inevitably involves one part sentimentality, and three parts chance. You’re lucky to have such collections open to the public, even if only some of the works are aired every now and then. Such things are the preserve of the goobermint down here. Once long ago I applied for a job with that lot, and believe that I scared them. What do you mean you implement change? 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Due to foreseen technical difficulties, it being a day of celebration here, my interweb time is err, totally squooshed this evening. That’s the highly scientific description for having very little free time today. On the other hand, rest assured that a nearby cidery was visited. Products were tested. A pizza was consumed. There may have even been a small shared cake and coffee in that picture. One must be attentive to these things, although I ended up doing all the various household chores today (willingly). A fun day, but sorry, not much free time at all.
Will speak tomorrow, but until then, me sleepy.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Not only did I plaster it all over the internet, I also wrote it on some of the best public bathroom walls, in town. 🙂 It was a multi-media event. What next? I’m sure you’ll come up with something.
Ohhh! I missed Dame Plum’s photo bomb. I’ll have to go back and give it a look. Not that I don’t see that sort of thing, several times a day. Sometimes, right in my own bathroom! Luckily, not recently.
No worries. As they used to say in Hollywood, the camera loves you. I think you’re wise to run with whatever interests you and catches your interest. No sense trying to cater to a fickle public. That way lies madness. You might start running off with baby wombats. 🙂 The way the media put it here, the perp has “fled the country.”
It sounds like you had a nice day out, with some good tucker. Fennel. You know, every year, I harvest the seed, put it in a canister, and end up doing nothing with it. I need to remedy that. So far, it’s just decor.
Our high yesterday was 46F (7.77C). The overnight low was 34F (1.11C). Forecast high for today is 52F. For the past couple of days, the forecast has been for snow flurries, this morning. Not seeing it. H and I did see a bit of the eclipse, last night. There was a thin scrim of clouds, but it was quit clear. Red in hue.
I probably won’t read the book. I don’t know why, but even though the author is quit personable, it feels more like a duty, than a pleasure.
Europe also had a lot of broke Lords, and America had a lot of rich heiresses. 🙂 When I was a wee small lad, I actually read a biography, of Duveen. Another interesting character from that time period, was Belle da Costa Greene. An interesting story, and I recently read a novel, based on her life. “The Personal Librarian.” She didn’t go for European paintings so much. Her specialty was books and manuscripts. She was the librarian for J. P. Morgan, but also his agent, for purchases.
https://w.wiki/DRS2
What’s our gov doing messing about in your universities? I’ll have to keep my eye out, for an article.
Art Museums may be open to the public, but sometimes their admission fees are eye watering. But, often, they have “free” days, or evenings. Maybe they were thinking, “We implement change, not you.” 🙂
I saw an interesting take on our general economy, yesterday. This company is one of two or three of these types of chains. Although there’s been some gobbling up, by one of some of the others.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/13/business/dollar-general-shoppers-inflation
The dollar + store I usually shop at, has been really falling down as far as stocking tinned food. Which is where I stock up, for the Club pantry. That section has been getting thinner and thinner. We have about five of the stores mentioned in the article, in our county. I’ve been to one of them, and it was ok. I did like that they had clear, large tags on the shelves, with the price. It’s also a store that had to retreat from “everything for a dollar.” I can scan pretty quickly for lowest price. But, they’re off my usual beaten path. But, needs must. I’ve been getting petrol, up that way, so, might have to adjust my routes. Lew
Chris:
That is our philosophy about the machines: Two is better than one. Or maybe even three. Now, if only we could get past the one car . . . My son went to look at a used truck today, I think the fifth one, since the three of us really do need something else to drive, and something that is 4-wheel drive since Mr. Musty is not town-worthy. He texted me that it was a no-go and came home and climbed back up on the roof and I haven’t had a chance to ask him what was wrong with this one since he’s still up there.
Speaking of greenhouses, and weather, I saw what Claire mentioned about her storm and I think ours might be the same one. It looks like it might be one rather nasty day, rain and very high winds. That’s where the greenhouses come in – I hope they don’t blow away! We very much need the rain.
You and your cideries – hoping to join in the next wedding party, eh? Sounds delightful and it seems like it is awfully hot weather for this time of the year.
Pam
Hi everyone,
Hope the predicted storms weren’t too bad.
Yesterday was hot, but today is hotterer (if that is at all possible): Gusty thundery change to follow near-record autumn heat across south-east states.
The cool change is meant to sweep through here tomorrow morning. That’ll be nice, but until then (near record breaking autumn heat)…
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – We were wondering about real estate, in the LA fire zone.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/cash-offers-only-l-fires-141913779.html
This is the first extensive article, that I have seen. Disaster capitalism at work. Lew
Hi DJ,
Man, I also need my quiet time out, but like your most excellent example, can step up to the podium and do what needs doing. What did the old timers call such working of the room activities, was it: Pressing the flesh? Sounds a bit pervy doesn’t it? But it’s a real thing and in groups you have do that activity, people expect it.
When I got into accounting, the appeal was the idea of sitting in a back room plugging away at numbers, information and systems. The truth is so far from that, and I’ve had to learn how to manage groups, convey bad news and sometimes pull people up sharp when they’re doing the wrong thing. It’s the fight and activity you avoid which causes the most dramas.
It’s an interesting question about the fish, but also a sneaky totally related to nothing, but still worthwhile mentioning reference to the character Flounder in the National Lampoon Animal House film. See, this is why our senses of humour are so warped!
You know I thought you were mucking around with the Trench Foot reference, but no, it’s a thing. As someone who lives on the driest inhabited continent, it’s probably happened somewhere, but it’s rare! 🙂 But your advice was sage, and Killian’s owner’s reply, well equally sagacious! 🙂 Your lady clearly knows your character and foibles.
Did any snow fall in your part of town, and is this big storm meant to fall like a hammer in your part of the country? Looking at the forecast maps it kind of looked like that to me, but things may appear different at ground level.
Did the Tesla coil make noise? They’re fun looking machines, although probably quite dangerous given the high voltages. Dude, I’ve had some DC high current rated circuit breakers produce that trick, not good, but an instructive experience. Nowadays only quality fuses are used in the power system.
Hang on a second? Which show and episode are you referring to? Anyway, I am deeply displeased with the rats and rabbits, but have created an area of the garden where they are safe, for now. Things will have to change.
Good to hear that you’re getting some decent rainfall. It’s 10pm here and 28’C outside… Crazy stuff for this time of year. And I worked outside in the shade all day today, but it was hotter. Me tired, but I fabricated a water pump cover. It was a good excuse to get the welder out.
Wish success to the hawk! Kuato the fat possum is possibly too big for all but the Powerful Owls. Got a great photo of him last night up an apple tree. I’d wondered where the apples had gone…
Cheers
Chris
Hi Pam,
Yeah, exactly. The bench top induction cooker machine was playing up a few weeks ago and you know, I’ll give it a go at fixing the thing because they’re quite simple devices. However, I didn’t want the pressure of having to get the machine working again with no plan b and waiting weeks for spare parts to arrive in the mail. So we bought a replacement machine, then I managed to fix up the original induction cooker. So now there’s a machine and a spare, and I didn’t have to stress out about having no other option than getting the thing working again. I’m 100% with you, two is better than one. Three is good too! 🙂
Interestingly, the spare machine was on sale, and it was the last of them too in the store. Natural gas supplies have peaked in this part of the country, and gas is getting super expensive.
Hope you manage to secure another vehicle. The second hand market is perhaps artificially inflated for these machines, sorry to say and the same is true down here. On the other hand, the roof is being repaired at a decent speed.
How’s the storm going? And fingers crossed that your greenhouse survives unscathed. Hope that the storm delivers some decent rainfall.
Rain is finally in the forecast here tomorrow, although it may be an intense thunderstorm. It was really hot here today and is still 81’F outside. My brain hurts a bit. Spent all day in the shed fabricating a steel pump cover out of scrap metal for the new water pump. Headed to a nearby town at about 6pm for a much needed ice cream.
Wedding crashing is an art form I’d not be good at. 🙂 Yeah, it’s not quite record breaking heat, but very close to that.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Oh no! Well I’m done for then and may have to change my name and go into hiding. I’d wondered where those strange phone calls had originated from. 🙂 Some graffiti in those sorts of public spaces is really quite amusing. As a general societal observation, it’s a hobby which is in decline. Tagging is what the kids call it nowadays and instead of amusement, it’s all about self promotion and point scoring.
What next is a fine question, which really doesn’t get asked enough these days. Hmm. It was super hot here today. 95’F earlier but at least it was cloudy. It’ll be a hot night tonight too at 81’F outside and about the same inside now. Still, the caveman does what is required and gives not a fig for the weather. 🙂 Grabbed a whole bunch of scrap metal and welded up a steel cover for the new water pump. By the time 5pm rolled around and the job was done, caveboy (no longer caveman!) retreated indoors to grab a rehydration solution. A bit of a headache… Undaunted, we jumped into the car, cranked the air conditioning to the maximum setting, and went to the nearby town to club someone over the head for an icecream. Had a lovely waffle cone with mint choc chip and also a scoop of rum and raisin. The shop was pumping with locals and their families.
By the time I got home again, the decision was made to crash out on the couch for about 40 minutes. Felt a bit woozy really walking the dogs afterwards, but the brain has slowly recovered as the evening went on.
The Editor was meant to put the Dame Plum photo bomb in as an out take, but a lot of things went wrong with that video – and it was posted two days early as well. Oh well, the show must go on! Over the years speaking to musicians who get paid to perform, it was always enlightening to hear that if they drop a note or stuff something up, they’ve just learned to keep on going. Surprisingly, few people seem to notice. Maybe it doesn’t matter?
Oh H, it’s awful when things aren’t working properly, but girl, that’s what the lino is for. Lewis, hopefully our discussion has not tempted the hubris watchers?
Thanks for saying that, and it’s simply too hard to work out what people are going to like and/or dislike and I don’t have the energy or resources to do that. Exactly, that way lies madness. Early on I used to worry about such things, but then it gets in the way of simply recounting a good story and having fun with the words.
Hmm. The perp has attempted a mea culpa, but will probably never be allowed back.
The food was pretty good, and I don’t really add fennel to food either (seeds, bulbs or leaves) mostly because the flavour is too over powering. You can’t taste anything else it goes with. The pizza was an exception, and the fennel had been added into the pepperoni at the small goods producer (which was a local business). They used a gentle hand. Also the plants are big and take up a lot of space. A survival food, yes, if there are better options, take them.
Photos of the eclipse were in the media down here as well. Quite red like what you spotted. Did you get any snow, or is it too warm now?
Reading time is finite here too, I get where you are at. I tell ya what it’s rare, but some books I’ve just closed the cover and not gone back for seconds.
What a plum job Belle da Costa Greene had, and deserved. Very clever and can you imagine doing that work? Wow!
We might never know what was going on there, but whatever it was looks like things are coming to a halt. There’s been some odd things happening with that university lot.
Yeah, the last exhibition we went to was quite pricey from memory. Still, it was interesting. The Editor took me to see the Mary Quant exhibition as a tag along. I’d had no idea about any of the story, but it was fascinating to see the rise and arc of decline writ large. It happens. Kind of reminded me of the earlier tech days when software was cheap but valued, then those days morphed.
We never had dollar shops, they were two dollar shops! 🙂 Very little in those places are two bucks now. Ooo, that article is an interesting real world statistic. People are getting hammered, you just don’t hear about it much. And fascinating to read that the new customers are from formerly higher social echelons. Hmm. What a surprise he says sarcastically.
Wonder why the tinned good supply would be thinner on the ground? That stuff is easier to produce than ready frozen meals due to long lead times and longer shelf life. Maybe the supply is constrained as people are cooking at home more? It would be hard to get an idea as to whether that is going on.
It is disaster capitalism, yup. Still, the cost of rebuilding surely will be astronomical, not to mention the paperwork difficulties? Makes the cynic in me wonder if there will be buyers? But if people need the cash… The same thing happens down here too after a fire. Some people want to not have to live with the constant reminders.
Cheers
Chris
Hi all,
We had severe thunderstorms roll through the St. Louis metro area yesterday, with tornado warnings coming thick and fast for an hour or so. Mike and I spent that time in the basement. For all the wind that we had – it was very windy all day, more so when the thunderstorm came through – we never lost electricity for more than about 30 seconds.
Unfortunately, there were some tornadoes in Missouri, at least two of them in the larger metro area, with some deaths associated with tornadoes outside of the metro area. The tornadoes that are expected today across the southeastern US are likely to be worse.
Cooler today, around 60F, after a high of 84F yesterday, 2F below the record for the day.
Claire
Yo, Chris – If you’re going to crash a wedding, you need to dress for it. Camouflage. “And what do you do for a living?” “Oh, I’m a professional wedding crasher. Usually, good tucker.” 🙂
Our high yesterday was 50F (10C.) The overnight low was 41F (5C.) Forecast for today’s high is 49F. The radar looked like a two hour break in the rain, late yesterday afternoon. So, out I went to tackle the strawberry bed. I dug out a lot of runner plants (Master Gardener’s sale), and dumped some coffee grounds, in that area. Moved around the plants, in anticipation of dividing that bed. Spread two bags of good garden soil (heavy!) and two bags of super garden soil, around the plants. Scattered a bag of composted chicken poop. As someone had the opinion that the bed lacked phosphorus, I side dressed the plants with bone meal. Whew! If that doesn’t kick the strawberries into overdrive, I give up. 🙂 We got a good rain, last night, so, that ought to help everything perk around.
Good on ya, for getting that water pump cover done. I’m sure it’s utilitarian, but stylish. 🙂
Those are two of my go-to ice cream flavors, in a pinch. Superseded only by pumpkin spice or chocolate / peanut butter.
“The show must go on.” Once upon a time, I did a turn in Wilde’s “Lady Windermere’s Fan.” Not a lead, but an important role. We were doing it, in the round. I could have reached out and touched the noses, of the people in the first row. So, at a pivotal moment, I tear around the end of a sofa, see the fan, register that I’ve seen the fan, and the game is afoot. The first night, a woman in the front row gave a great gasp. The second night, I tear around the end of the sofa, register the fan. A woman in the front row leaps to her feet, smacks hands to head, and shrieks, “Oh my god, he’s found the fan.” I did hesitate, for a beat. But … the show must go on 🙂 .
I saw the perps mea culpa. Sorry. Still a s–t.
We have volunteer fennel, that pops up every year. In the oddest places. Some Master Gardeners want to pull it up, but, I campaign to leave some of it, in out of the way places. It draws pollinators. Lots and lots of pollinators. And, it’s kind of pretty, too.
Our night manager insists that the eclipse wasn’t red. I asked him, if besides being allergic to bees, he was color blind. There’s a young man (to me), who is always so sure of himself. I tell him it’s one of his few character defects. 🙂
I have no problems tossing a book back, if it doesn’t … engage. I’m quit enjoying “The Peanuts Files.” I never realized the comic strip was quit so … dark. The other day I picked up a collection of Stephen King’s short stories. “Just After Sunset.” The library only ordered three copies as … it came out in 2008. I was looking at a description of the stories, and thought, “Wait a minute. I haven’t read these.” I don’t know what I was doing in 2008, but, apparently, I was distracted enough to miss its release.
Mary Quant has been in the news, a bit, recently. All part of a movement to reexamine the fashions of the 1960s. “Funny Woman” and that movie, “Last Night in Soho” (among many other recent media), has reignited an interest in the fashions of that time.
Our Fearless Leader said the other day, that he’s tired of hearing about eggs. Here’s another article about the dollar store wars. The dollar store I go to (Let’s call it Dollar Forest), made some missteps. They bought another dollar chain, that turned out to be in worse shape than they expected. As far as physical condition of stores, and inventory. And, they invested in a lot of party supplies. As the economy contacted, there was less interested in that product line, and a lot of it had to be sold off at a loss. But, why this impacts their tinned goods, I don’t know. I’d guess, maybe, that the wholesale price of tinned goods has risen, so high, they can’t make a profit on it. Because there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of tinned goods available.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/08/business/dollar-tree-1-dollar-price-dollar-stores
There’s even been a couple of books written, about disaster capitalism. It kind of became a topic, after Hurricane Katrina.
I made a lot of popcorn, and watched “Gladiator II,” last night. It’s brutal. It’s bloody. It’s a spectacle. It’s a brutal bloody spectacle. 🙂 There are lavish set pieces. A flooded Coliseum for a naval battle. An enormous rhino. A pack of rabid baboons. Political skullduggery. Mad emperors (there are two of them.) The movie opens with the siege of a city. Lots of those flaming jars of oil, catapulted against invading ships and city walls. Used to great effect in the opening scenes of another movie. All and all, worth a look. Although it fiddled history, a bit. But, as the director said, after the first movie, people who nit-pick about historical accuracy, need to get a life. :-). Lew
Hi Claire,
Glad to hear that you dodged the worst of the weather and remain unscathed. And given the winds and what we’re seeing in the news, it’s amazing that the power was lost for less than a minute.
Here’s what the news down here is saying about the storm: At least 32 killed by storms and tornadoes in US as extreme weather threatens millions.
Fingers crossed that the extreme weather calms. A bit of rain is always nice to receive, but too much with crazy winds is probably a bad thing.
Woke up this morning to warm air, but amazingly it was raining and continued to do so on and off for the remainder of the day. The plants really need the water, not to mention the water tanks could use a top up. Storages are a bit low for my comfort levels.
No wonder you had such extreme weather with that sudden shift from almost record breaking heat to err, a strong cold wet blast. Hmm, the same thing has occurred here without the tornado’s.
Stay safe.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Decent deportment never goes out of style, and hey, as a well dressed wedding crasher (like your advice!), the claim could well be made that in crashing, the average was lifted. A person doing that activity would well be advise to do as the old timers used to say: Sing for their supper. Simpler times when a skilled person could wheedle their way into polite society, such gifts are ignored these days don’t you reckon? 🙂
With all that rain, watch out for the moss sticking to yours and H’s extremities. Mind you, it finally rained all day long here today. That’s a relief, some plants here and in the surrounding forest are displaying signs of water stress. You may wonder why we ordered more water tanks. I’m impressed with your soil additions, and yeah those bags are heavy, even with the assistance of a power wheelbarrow – there are smaller electric ones which are quite good. On a small scale garden I reckon it would be very hard to over do phosphates, and even bone meal only has a small percentage of the stuff. You know, I reckon the store bought compost usually has so much woody material in it that it’s probably pretty good for strawberries, but I’m only guessing. But if you figure out the correct soil mix for those finicky plants, please do let me know? I’m still sticking with the alpine strawberry varieties because they’re easier. The rain you received will get a lot of that material into where the plants can access it. Happy days!
The rain today was a good opportunity to see how the pump cover worked and I’ll make a small change to the design, but other than the results were good.
🙂 The flavours are tasty, as are your local ones of the pumpkin spice and peanut butter. Yum!
The Lord and Lady Windermere in that tale are hard work, and full of many secrets, which they seem to have retained to the conclusion of the play. What kind of person would troll a theatre production at a pivotal moment? Lesser incidents have had audience members evicted. In fact there was a major incident recently with a troll at a big name concert – I’d have been very grumpy with the individual, who was escorted from the premises. You’d know from your role that entertainers work hard to produce a vibe. But well done you for ignoring the lady and moving on, it’d make me hesitate too. Best not to feed the trolls.
Yeah, it appeared to be a sorry but, style of mea culpa… I must say it impresses me that the young lady then went on the attack and used obfuscation to muddy her motives, which seemed pretty clear in the video. Hmm, not a good look. Agreed with your analysis.
The flowers of the fennel plant enjoy the hottest and driest of weather, and pollinating insects need such plants. Man, I’ll put up a photo of the bees in their water bowl…
Oh! Everyone has their kryptonite, 🙂 and the photos of the lunar eclipse looked pretty red to me too.
Some books are hard work, but I still feel a bit of guilt for having tested those literary waters and found them not to my liking. Was Peanuts dark? Hmm, yeah I can sort of see that, but the characters were perhaps themselves, and I quite enjoyed that aspect of the cartoon. Does the book touch on that particular subject?
Ooo! The title of Mr King’s collection of short stories (from all those years ago – where has the time gone? I won’t mention the ongoing behind the couch gag, but know that it’s on my mind!) – is a sorry also for the pun, a dead (!) giveaway. I like Mr King’s short stories and often think of the hard crime trio of novellas. ‘Later’ really spooked me. Anyway, we all get busy. Have you begun delving into the book?
Poop, I thought that she was dead. Ook! Hey, what was interesting about the early days of that clothing behemoth was that you could buy the stuff off the rack for a small fortune, or buy the plans. I’m old enough to recall adults making their own clothes from patterns. There’s probably a business in doing that nowadays, and certainly there will be if the ‘r’ economic word gets worse. You may forget that during you-know-what people were getting their knit on.
It ain’t just him, I’m tired of hearing about eggs too. This is what you get, I’m guessing, when society tries to ban the cheapest form of egg production whilst feed, labour and energy costs rise. What did everyone expect? Sheez… 😉 Hey, got three eggs today, and the chickens are enjoying the SCOBY’s.
Nobody is insulated from poor business purchasing decisions, and scale here is no exception. The big wigs want lots of pay, they have to earn it by turning the ship around. Otherwise what do they get paid for?
Go the popcorn movie night! The film sounds epic, but alas my education is so poor that I’ve not yet watched the original. If I had more free time… The director is quite correct, people need to get a grip. Oh! And I fixed the chainsaw today. Yay! But truly, it’s nice to see a lot of rain.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – I’m glad you got a bit of rain. Was it the tail end of Cyclone / Tropical storm Alfred? Our high yesterday was 46F (7.77C). The overnight low was 39F (3.88C). Forecast high for today is 50F. I don’t know what became of the atmospheric river, that’s supposed to hit, tonight. According to Prof. Mass, a couple of days ago. I’m not seeing it, in the local forecast. Rain, yes, but not in river amounts. Maybe it’s hitting to the north of us.
About 11:30 am, yesterday, some weather really slammed into the side of the building. It was so noisy, I thought it was hail. Nope. Just a deluge. Only lasted about 15 minutes. I had let the Master Gardeners in, for their blueberry seminar, much earlier. I also helped them haul some stuff in. I’ll hear tomorrow, how it went. But most of the rain, yesterday, was on and off drizzle. It may be my imagination, but I think the strawberries already look perkier.
Chocolate, with a swirl of peanut butter through it, is a pretty common flavor, here. Most ice cream companies have it, all the time, in their line ups.
The Windermere play was way back in 1967-68. My first year at what used to be called “community colleges.” Back then, trollish behavior, in public, was pretty rare. People knew how to deport themselves, in public. And dress appropriately, too. It was more a case of being so caught up in the play, so convinced of the reality, that they were momentarily carried away. Not a bad thing for an actor to pull off.
I finished the “Peanuts” book, last night. A collection of artists and writers on their take on “Peanuts.” General consensus was, it taught life lessons to pretty young children and young adults. Charlie Brown never gets what he wants. Never. And neither do many of the other characters. About the two most blissful characters in the whole long history of the strip, were Pig Pen … and Snoopy.
I picked up the King book … and, the novel “The Dig,” yesterday. They’ll have to wait, as there’s a couple other books I need to knock off, as the due dates are approaching, and other people are waiting for them. No worries. the only DVD in the way, is “All Creatures Great and Small”, season five. And I’m well into it.
Oh, I remember clothing patterns. They usually came in colorful envelops. There are people who collect them. 🙂 I suppose you saw a lot of comment, over on Mr. Greer’s blog, about the demise of the JoAnn fabric chain. We didn’t have one, here, but did have another regional chain, “House of Fabrics.” Which also seems to have disappeared. I think there’s enough back log of clothes, in op-shops to keep us going for quit awhile. Let alone what people have in their closets and storage units.
LOL. Shouldn’t you be writing? That’s what you say, just about this time, every week. Maybe it’s already “in the can.” As they say, in Hollywood. Lew