The memory which remained is anger. The single adult household way back in childhood days, meant living in a house controlled by an angry person, prone to outbursts, and without warning. Hyper aware to that state was how it left me. Even today, the emotion emanates from some folks like a bad stink. It appears as an aura which hangs around them. Best avoided, it’ll possibly lead to a bad end.
Had my own brush with anger and it’s consequences as a young bloke. Moving from a state high school for disadvantaged children where it was a positive outcome if you just turned up, to a more English than the English grammar school, was one truly mind bending experience. My grandfather saw how the educational winds were blowing, and stepped in to help me out. It was an expensive option for him, but to me, the sudden change in an education dropped a young teenager into a comparatively more aggressive culture. Informally, a kid had to know how to fight, or the inference was that things would get worse.
The students organised after school fights you see. They were held in a nearby park. You’d be chosen by an unknown faceless cadre, and as one of the few new kids, my lucky numbers came up pretty early. The menacing message had come down from above. Be there, or else. Who knew that ‘Lord of the Flies’ could be interpreted as a how-to manual?
Being single, mum got me into school as early as possible, so other children were usually bigger. Luck was with me that day. The other kid was my age, but a bit smaller. His dad I believe, owned one of the local new car dealerships. Me being in the school distance running team suggests a slight build, stringy and wiry. It was a mostly fair match up. He got taken down by a choke hold until conceding the fight. The fortunate win took the immediate pressure off, and there were never hard feelings to the other student either. What shook me the most about the incident, was realising just how far out of my depth life had suddenly gotten. The desire to be left alone was naive at best, foolish maybe, seriously bruised at worst.
Being an ever resourceful and crafty bloke, even at that young age, meant heading to the nearest Dojo for some training. The master of the Dojo was Raoul Kent, one of the Australian greats, sadly nowadays long since passed away. Honesty is often the best policy, and my story helped bypass the waiting queue. He trained students hard a couple of nights per week, and as a natural healer, taught some good life lessons.
At the time, a friend who was something of a smooth talking extrovert, wanted to join the training. He’d come along to the nights, and entertained the Sensei with foolish talk. Nowadays I’m resistant to pester power, but back then my strength had yet to wax. My friend wanted to face off against me on the mat, as you do when you’ve had no training whatsoever. The Sensei was amenable to the concept, and he did no differently himself. Every Saturday morning was set aside for whomever, and from whatever fighting background, to face off against him in order to keep his skills sharp. A finely honed blade that bloke, yeah.
Pester. Pester. Pester. Pester. Relent. And that was when things went wrong. We faced off on the mat. Acknowledging the experience imbalance, the rules of engagement were agreed to: No head shots. Not a difficult limit to comprehend. Expecting a friendly and easy bout, the very first thing my friend did was swing his right fist at my face. Fortunately a quick side step and block stopped the nose from being squashed at an odd angle to the rest of the head. To my shame, anger flared right up. My cool departed, and in a flurry of blows, the contest was rapidly brought to a conclusion, without too much harm caused. Bowed to my distressed friend. Bowed to the portrait of the Elder on the wall. Bowed to the Sensei. Left the mat.
Fully expecting the master to tell off my friend for having broken the rules of engagement proved to be another loss of naivety. Instead, it was I who was told off. In front of the entire Dojo. Sensei provided a candid review of my many errors. Losing my temper made me look weak. Expecting your opponent to play by the rules should have been anticipated. And so on it went. It was an humiliating moment, but also a good series of lessons to learn, when it wasn’t a life or death encounter.
My friend and I, well, trust was broken that night, and he never returned to the Dojo. We weren’t friends for many more years afterwards. Slowly drifting apart, as people sometimes do when a wedge is suddenly thrust into a structural weakness. It’s a harsh way to lose a friend. But then, neither did he apologise nor act with any sign of contrition or remorse. I guess it’s people’s preference as to whether they’ll learn from a minor experience over here, or the rough lesson over there. Always hard to tell how they’ll react, but the results are enlightening. You know, my own origins are pretty humble, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t learn and do better. And that’s the knowledge the Sensei wanted to impart.
It continues to remain dry this week, and again it was warm here, even the over night minimum temperatures. The grass and ground cover plants in the sunny orchard, looked blasted.
The shady orchard has received the same amount of rainfall, yet the area looks marginally more resilient. Note to self, increase the tree canopy across the property.
It’s not correct to suggest that the area is in a drought. Far from it really, the rainfall has been more or less average for the year. What has been different this year, is that the rain is arriving in large bursts, then there’s little rain for many weeks. Then it will rain heavily again in a longer cycle. It’s an unusual pattern, but we’re sort of coping and adapting to conditions. Hopefully it does rain again soon. The stored water is now down to about 25,000L / 6,500 gallons. At least the weather is cooling so there is little need now to water the plants.
The fruit trees in both the sunny and shady orchard have received no additional watering all year. However, the many young fruit trees in the large citrus enclosure have had to be regularly watered. Their root systems just aren’t developed enough to be able to survive in this sort of climate. On hot days, the dogs and I spend a minute or two giving each tree some water. That works out to be around a watering can each. It’s not much, but will help them to survive.
Unfortunately, with the hand watering of those younger fruit trees, the grass has been growing near to them. Larger fruit trees are less bothered by competition from grasses, but young ones can be totally out-competed. Several times this year, I’ve removed the grass from around the trunks of those small fruit trees, and that’s helped their growth a lot. This week, another round of cleaning up was done using the brush-cutter machine.
Alas two fruit trees in that enclosure died during the summer, but that had more to do with the rabbits ring barking them, than a lack of water. Two peach trees were this week relocated into that enclosure.
The two trees were pruned back pretty hard. The soil was heavily fed, and the plants enjoyed buckets of water, which they hadn’t been getting in their previous locations. It was pretty scary to see how dry the soil was from where they were dug out.
Work on the water system upgrades was completed! Of course, the system has to be regularly inspected for leaks, but that is a requirement with all of the systems here. The upgrade allows us now to easily send water up or down the hill. This is important, because there are three sets of water tanks at different elevations, and it’s no good having water stored where you can’t use it (which is what necessitated the project). From highest elevation to lowest are: House tanks; Overflow tank; and Machinery shed tanks.
The work this week began at the middle level which is the overflow tank. A garden tap with a large diameter 18mm / 0.7 inch hose connector was installed, as well as a quick release connection for a water pump. If required, a pump can be connected up to that large overflow tank, with water sent up or down hill. Or water could be pumped into that tank from any direction.
The pipe and connectors are all sturdy UV stable items which should enjoy a very long life. Observant readers will note that the pipe sits in a trench about a foot under the soil surface. That’s good enough because despite sometimes heavy frosts, the ground simply doesn’t freeze here.
With the trenches backfilled, you’d never know that the pipe is there, except I keep detailed photos of such things because you never know when they’ll come in handy.
Then hours were spent laboriously digging the 45m / 150ft long trench up hill. That was a hard day of work.
The job was broken up into smaller tasks. A couple of metres of trench was dug and cleaned of loose soil. The 1″ rural pipe was laid in the ground. Photographed. Backfilled. Smoothed. And so it went for the entire distance.
Eventually, the trench and pipe made it to the flat ground near to the house water tanks.
Just as the sun was setting, a garden tap with a large diameter 18mm / 0.7″ connection was installed and then attached to a treated pine timber post.
The tools were put away in the twilight, and I headed inside to enjoy a rehydration solution, some Anzac biscuits, then I took the dogs for a long walk to stretch out the tired muscles. It was a pleasure to have completed that project.
This week’s video shows the fog moving in time-lapse:
In breaking produce news:
The birds were just showing the slightest of interest in the persimmon crop, so we picked the lot. The fruit needs to do what is technically known as ‘bletting’, but might as well be described as ‘fermenting’ or even impolitely as ‘rotting’, before they’re edible. It was quite the haul this year.
Observant readers will note that in the above photo, there is a small dish with what looks like carob pods, which are in fact carob pods. This week, I removed the seeds from the pods.
Thinking that the carob flour was produced from the seeds, I chucked the pods into the worm farm bin. Fortunately the bin was clean and empty, because it is the pods themselves which produce the flour (who knew?) In the above photo you can see that the edible pod has a lot of oils surrounding the seeds and skin.
The pods are blitzed up which produces a sort of pelletised mash which is meant to be dehydryated or baked in the oven on low temperature. I’m guessing by that, they mean 60’C / 140’F, but finding no explicit instructions I cooked the mash at 165’C / 330’F. Look, they did end up a bit burned, but are still tasty. As they say, there’s always next year, and I’m left with heaps of seeds to plant.
Some of the Eucalyptus species have completed flowering and are now sporting gum-nuts, which frankly speaking look like tiny little cement mixers.
The winter crops are gaining size rapidly.
The pumpkins are displaying serious signs of powdery mildew which suggests that the end of the season is near for these prolific producers. The nights have been very warm of late too, so I’m thinking that the reduced daylight hours is what is driving the change.
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 9am is 11’C (52’F). So far for last year there has been 151.0mm (5.9 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 150.2mm (5.9 inches)
Comments
39 responses to “A side note regarding pride”
Yo, Chris – Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. (HALT!). Let any of those get out of hand and life tends to run off the rails. You’re right about anger rolling off some people, like a bad stink. They travel in a dark cloud.
I know you’ve probably considered it, but how does increased tree canopy relate to wildfire risk? Any concerns there?
Your talk about your six seasons, and how that plays out as far as rain, or lack of it, and heat was interesting. Talked about in your text, and in the very fine video. Time lapse photography? My, we are moving up. Can CGI be far behind? 🙂
You’re probably glad the huge project of optimizing your water systems, is behind you. What’s that little structure in the background. Looks like a mini quonset hut or Anderson shelter.
So, what do you do with the persimmons? Those look like some tasty tomatoes, in the background. No worries about the carob. You were able to save the day. The slightly overdone pods will just add another interesting taste dimension. Probably, maybe, a bit of a Maillard Reaction, which adds depth to any food.
Just out of curiosity, any uses for the gum-nuts? They do look like little cement mixers.
I’m still envious of your lemons. Pumpkins, the gift that keeps on giving. Your roses are very beautiful, and almost look like some varieties of poppies. Lew
Hi Göran,
Hope that you and your family enjoyed a lovely Easter as well. 🙂
Mostly, down here the weather was warm, cloudy and dry so we worked about the property (like on that water pipe project – which I did on my own). Even today, we moved the last of the oak trees to a new sunnier location, planted out two of the self seeded Japanese maples, and moved some Penstemon and Vietnamese mint plants. It was a big day, and there was even a tiny bit of rain this morning at 1.5mm. One must be grateful for any of that wet stuff which is meant to fall from the sky! The upper layers of the soil is bone dry.
Thank you, and I appreciate your words. Yeah, catabolic collapse is very much a real thing, sorry to say. And yes, what infrastructure will get shed in the future is a serious problem with no easy answers. It’s already happening around here, the local roads are a mess of potholes which are being filled with patches.
On a smaller scale note, (and I’d be curious to hear of your perspective) but we’re still able to expand our infrastructure at the moment. However each project is consuming stored materials and utilising existing machines. Hmm. And that’s the important question, at what point does maintenance costs exceed the benefits?
When we lived in the big smoke in a fancy inner urban suburb, the next door neighbour was a pilot, and he was fond of recounting the story of a long standing down under airline which eventually failed. He told me that right before the end, the maintenance was allegedly skipped. Not a reassuring message. But that’s how things work.
🙂 They’re interesting places those ghost towns. And the message is inescapable. We’ve never travelled to the US, but it’d be an interesting journey for sure.
And again wishing you a happy Easter as well, and may your garden and nursery grow well this summer. And I was rather impressed at your potato harvest haul last year. We’re intending to swap the location of the potato plants next summer with the current pumpkin patch. Over the next few weeks however, we have to attend to the many nearby Echium plants which are hiding rabbit burrows and rat nests. Hard to imagine any animals which can consume Solanum plant family leaves, but there you go!
Never a dull moment! How are those voles going? 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Dunno about you, but it surprises me that plenty of people appear oblivious to the dark clouds emanating from angry folks. Agreed, it appears like a bad stink to me too. The root causes of anger is predominantly fear, but I have noted over the years that some people become addicted to that state of emotion and use it as a tool to control other people in their sphere of influence. Thus the concept of walking around on ‘egg shells’, as the old timers used to say. Not something you hear said much nowadays.
Working at the top end of town used to sometimes drop me into rather combative situations, and I was never comfortable with the ‘fight or flight’ feelings I’d be left with after those episodes. Takes a while to come down off such adrenalin hits, and I’m not into it. A person could develop a taste for that state of mind.
No concerns at all with the additional tree canopy. What I’ve observed is that oak trees, and the varieties planted here in particular, have an ability to resist fire. You’d be amazed that a well planted shelter belt of certain trees can have quite the beneficial outcome during a fire. In the aftermath of some epic fires down here, I’d see half an oak tree burned, whilst the other side survived (and that reduces the temperatures on the lee side of the tree), and those trees appear to have recovered. It’s complicated. I’d heard a few different theories over the years (but don’t really know why it may be) and they include: less volatile oils in the leaves; higher mineral content in the leaves; and more water in the tree canopy. If it works…
Thanks! 🙂 The videos are fun and easy to make, although CGI is an amusing proposition, it’s probably beyond our skills. I believe that is how the rainfall story is playing out, down here at least. What happens elsewhere is beyond my experience.
That’s a new one. Never before heard of a Quonset hut, or an Anderson shelter, although have seen both. Such structures are not common down here, are they used much in your part of the world? The Quonset hut looked like a Canadian thing. Dunno. The little structure, hmm, oh yeah, that thing. It’s a housing for an old water pump which is no longer working. 🙂 It’s one of those projects which needs attention, but is very low priority. I suspect that either the controller or the motor start/run capacitor are stuffed. Not enough hours in the day to fix it.
We eat the persimmons! There’s a little trick to them: Firstly they have to get very soft, then you pull the green hood off, and squeeze the fruit out of it’s skin like you’d do with a tube of toothpaste. 100% unappealing, but a decent addition to the breakfast fruit.
Yeah, the tomatoes are good, and keep well. There’s probably another month’s worth of fresh eating fruit. Yum! Had some today on freshly baked bread with tasty cheese for lunch. So good. Kitchen disasters on the other hand, we’ve all been there, and I appreciate your words. 🙂 Actually the plan is to add some to the next batch of Anzac biscuits, so we’re thinking similar thoughts. Have you ever burned something new you’ve been trialling?
Art projects for the gum-nuts? Hmm, you’ve got me wondering too… … Looks like horses can get some nutrition from the gum-nuts. Who knew?
Citrus is a truly great fruit tree because they are the only plant to supply fresh fruit during the winter months. You may wonder why I lavish so much care and attention on the trees in that large citrus enclosure. Man, if your area didn’t get that probably two weeks of extreme cold winter weather, citrus would do well there. Who knows what the future holds in store?
The roses are really special plants, and so super hardy. Other than heavy soil feed, they’ve received no additional watering than what fell from the sky. And still they produce heaps of wonderful flowers. Poppies are a bit weedy here. 😉
I’ll pass on the book reference to the Editor. You’d be amazed at how much good fabric gets disposed of these days. Very wasteful and there’s no shortage for those who are canny. Please do provide a review.
Brr! Hope H gets to sport her coat on walks during such cold weather? Thought it was meant to be warming up in your part of the world. 🙂 Oooo, I’ll check out Professor Mass’s essay. Always an intriguing topic. Presumably the waters on your side of the coast would have been warmer at that fateful time of year? Probably more sharks though…
A person can only but hope that’s the case with the owls. Maybe the possums will be easier to pick off by the owls once the fruit trees have lost their leaf cover? Makes me wonder what the herbivores all ate before I planted the hundreds of fruit trees. A mystery!
Haven’t had any chocolate this Easter, not for any good reason though. Man, I haven’t left the property for four days… Sounds like hermit life, but no, just been busy. They’re saying similar things about coffee too. Read an interesting article on the state of such items down under: Can Australia still afford… Possibly not…
Ah yes, madness always best avoided, as well as literal and figurative slippery slopes. 😉 Dandelions don’t bother me and the bees seem to appreciate the super hardy flowers. Hmm, possibly best viewed as a survival food? No need to go hungry is there?
Stove ash is a pretty decent source of minerals. Did similar work today, and spread around many bins of coffee grounds. Plus moved an oak tree, planted two Japanese maples, and dug up a couple of Penstemon’s and relocated them. Never a dull moment. Plus, we finally worked out where to place the materials storage racking. Lewis, there’s mess out there! 😉 Got the plans all mostly figured out.
Your slugs are mildly frightening, so please do keep them to your part of the world!
The mound of coffee grounds is like pure soil minerals of almost the perfect size. I dunno how they disappear, but I reckon at night the soil critters come to the surface and consume the fine particles. Hope they avoid caffeine withdrawal though – they might come and get us! The creature from the soil – has a nice ring to the title don’t you reckon?
It’s always hard to know what story’s will resonate. The Poseidon sequel needed a scene like the smashers that Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver had to brave in the Galaxy Quest film.
So, what’s your view on the Die Hard film?
I so hear you about the mushrooms, and used to know of a place where the mushroom soup was occasionally genius, and sometimes woeful. After being burned by the experience a few times, a dude stops trying with the soup. Dunno, I always had this vague notion that they were cleaning the fridges out of old stock sometimes… It wasn’t good, but sometimes it was awesome. Don’t you reckon consistency is an important aspect to reach for in the kitchen?
Had a home made pizza for dinner this evening. Should mention that it’s a veg pizza. Most visitors who’ve been put to the pizza test have not realised that it’s a veg pizza. It’s just too obvious making veg meals appear like non-veg meals. Don’t see the point.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – A lot of people seem pretty oblivious to what goes on around them. A lack of “situational awareness.” Or, street smarts 🙂 .
I think included in that, is taking the temperature of those around you. Their emotional temperature. Yes, “walking on eggs.” More in common usage, when I was a wee small lad.
I still see quonset huts, from time to time. But, back again, to when I was a wee small lad, there were a lot more of them around. WWII surplus. Being interested in the British WWII home front, I’m very familiar with Anderson shelters. They kept people pretty safe, bar a direct hit. In that U-Tub series I watched, “Wartime Kitchen and Garden,” in one episode, they constructed an Anderson shelter. And planted veg on the top. How comfortable they were, really depended on how much work you put into them.
I see Anzac Day is the 25th, this year. I might have to bake some biscuits. I haven’t in awhile. Been baking other stuff. Hmmm. Have I burnt anything? Oh, I’m sure I have. But I think it’s one of those memories you suppress, and move on. Maybe, more likely overdone, on occasion. Consistency in the kitchen? I think one even sees it in families. No one wants Mum experimenting with the tried and true. There will be an outcry. And, that’s what chain restaurants are all about. No matter which place you walk into, coast to coast, it’s the same. No surprises.
I got curious about Eucalyptus gum-nuts, and found this …
https://omos.substack.com/p/omos-digest-151-eucalyptus-gumnuts?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
And, as far as dandelions go, I was just talking to the Master Gardners about foraging, and such, this morning. General consensus is, might keep you alive, but, generally, tastes like ca-ca. 🙂 During the Depression, and at other lean times, people roasted dandelion root, and made a coffee out of it. Or, added it to ground coffee, to extend it.
I didn’t know if I could link to our library catalog. That you’d be able to see it. Good. I’ve got another one the Editor might be interested in. As I remember, she’s a bit of a Jane Austen fan. I’m currently reading “”Jane Austen’s Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector’s Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend.” (Romney, 2025). Not only is the author a collector, she’s also a rare book dealer. I’m really enjoying it. A “good read.” And, she’s amusing. Here’s the catalog page. Well worth a look if you’re an Austen fan.
https://timberland.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S214C1168751
Our high yesterday was 57F (13.88C). Our overnight low was 39F (3.88C). Forecast high for today is 57F. Although the clouds looked pretty promising, all day, we only had one brief shower. But, just enough I didn’t have to water. It used to be rare for us to get Great White Shark sightings along our coast. But, due to warmer oceans, we’re seeing more and more of them.
You may have heard, someone cut down a great number of trees, in the LA CBD. It’s CCTV heavy, so, I’m sure they’ll catch the perp. I wonder what sort of nonsense reasoning they’ll come up with?
That was a fascinating article, “Can Australia Still Afford …” Of course, some people will go on their merry way, just posting those “luxuries” to their credit cards. We’re seeing the same thing, here. I see it in myself. I used to buy a pizza, at least once a year. The cost got so high, I started limiting myself to only my birthday. Now the costs have gotten so high, I make my own. 🙂
The place I lived, before, had a lot of slugs. I used to do the same thing I do here. Patrol, and spray them with ammonia. In several areas, along the border, there was very tall grass. I used to have the occasional fantasy, that the giant slug queen would rear up out of the grass, and eat me! 🙂
I quit enjoyed “Die Hard.” Well worth a bowl of popcorn. You may have heard that Bruce Willis is suffering some pretty serious brain problems. I wondered if perhaps being tossed around and bumped on the head, in all those action movies, contributed to his condition.
Night before last, I watched a new-ish movie, “Companion.” Suppose people could buy, or rent, robot companions. Companions who didn’t know they were robots. A cleaver movie. Well worth a look.
https://youtu.be/Qr_kX0D3DNA?si=Hk7gO6coKN_OQvwD
Mushroom soup, at least cream of mushroom soup, doesn’t freeze very well. It gets grainy. But, I suppose you could make it up, with everything except the dairy, and then freeze it. Add in the milk or cream and butter, after thawing. Might be worth a try. Lew
Hi Chris,
I meant to comment on last week’s post but time slipped away …
About infrastructure: Mike and I need to repair one of the gutters on the garden shed that directs rainfall from the shed roof into a 500 gallon tank that provides water for the vegetable garden. Despite the heavy rain earlier this month, which should have filled the tank at least halfway, there was maybe 25 to 50 gallons of water in it.
Early last week, I cleaned last autumn’s leaves out of the gutters. I already knew the gutter on the north side of the shed had been damaged, apparently by a falling branch, but I needed to start by cleaning the leaves out of it so that any effects they contributed would be removed. We were set to get another 2 to 3 inches of rain over the weekend, which would be a good time to check on how the gutters on both sides of the roof performed.
On Saturday, during the rain, Mike and I looked at the gutters. The gutter on the south side was working well enough, but the gutter on the north side leaked out all of the water it collected due to the branch damage. Mike now knows he has to fix the gutter on that side.
I also had to re-settle a leaning 55 gallon plastic drum that collects water off of one of the house roofs. That and another barrel that collects water off the back porch roof need overflow pipes. Another job for Mike to do; he’s the one of us that knows how to do that sort of thing.
Also last week, I relocated six blueberry shrubs that I had planted in areas that were too shaded to sunnier locations where they should do better. Whether that efforts benefits us or the local birds … well, I know who I’ll make my bet on. 😉
From Friday through Sunday we received about 2.7 inches of rain. The soil is saturated again. I’ll wait till it drains before I start to prepare the garden bed for the tomatoes, peppers, and other heat-loving crops. Meanwhile, the lettuce, collard, and bok choy seedlings that I planted earlier in the month are doing well, and I’m beginning to see beet seedlings. So far, so good. Your seedlings look excellent!
Claire
After school fight club- Wow, I wonder how common that was, and is now? I have no idea if that happened at my school, as we were farm kids that were bussed to school. As the school day ended, we hopped on busses, and who knows what the town kids were up to?
Weird that it was the upscale school that had the pack of stinkers. I led a sheltered life in some ways.
Humans can be a sorry lot. As proved in recent news, with the U.S. becoming a real a$$h@le on the global stage. Sorry, not my fault.
It’s full on spring here now, with the apple tree buds popping, the green grass shoving up through the old, and finally got some decent spring rains.
I planted oats in the garden. They are hull-less oats, and we’ll see how they do. Finished freshening the mulch around the young trees, and did a bit of pruning on the big old apple trees, but not nearly enough. Much more to do!
Next will be the potatoes and peas. Still a ways off from frost free, so the other plants will stay in the sunroom for a while.
Hi Steve,
It’s not just you left in that state of mind, it was a super weird experience for me as well. However, the larger lesson could not be ignored, the existing social order was to be respected. A bit like ‘Lord of the Flies’. Hmm. In the role they placed me on that day, I was no more than a puppet for those kid’s machinations. Nowadays I can see many different paths out of that morass, but in those days I was a bit, as the old timers used to say: ‘fresh off the boat’. Incidentally, with the incident involving my friend, I could have backed off and acknowledged his disrespectful actions. That would have been the more assertive path, but alas, life is a long journey with many a snag to trip us upon, don’t you reckon?
I took the bus to get to that school as well, it was just the public bus, and then a wait for another interconnecting public bus. The yellow bus system in your country astounds me in its care.
A question for you. In a few years time, there’ll be a forty year get together of that cohort, and I’ve never known what to do in this regard. There are no ill feelings, but I’m left with the uncertainty as to what path to follow – go there, or not? Dunno. I’d be very interested to learn your opinion, if it’s not too much to ask?
Not to stress about that. Your country defended this one against the Japanese in WWII when our resources were down to vapour. The northern part of this continent was bombed, the Axis powers were on the high seas in the area, and for a long while in those years, it was complete mayhem. There’s credits for that rescue for sure. 🙂
I’m rather unfussed about the global events, not to dismiss them, but all these things were always bound to happen. To be honest, I’m amazed that things are as orderly as they appear to be. I’ve got an odd hunch that foreign powers unloading bonds onto the open market will hurt themselves as much as anyone. Right now, I reckon we’re all in pretend land, which is an unusual place to be – but things could be worse.
Spring is such a lovely time of year. And fingers crossed for an excellent harvest.
What do you mean hull-less oats? Hang on a second (this is news to me!) … … Avena nuda, how have I missed this? Please do let me know how your plantings work out?
Always more to do, it’s a cycle for sure! 🙂
They say down here for potatoes to get them in the ground two weeks before the last frost. Hard to know when that will be, but it’s not too hard to guess. The vines here last year coped with some light frosts.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Claire,
No worries, and it’s always a pleasure to chat with you.
Claire, what a total nightmare of a story. Forecasts which suggest heavy rain fill me with a sense of dread and foreboding (cue Friday Anzac day). Leaves and other unidentified organic matter are the nemesis for all correctly working gutters and pipes. And here I won’t mention the stainless steel mesh inlet filters for tanks which can rapidly block up during such heavy rain, and require immediate attention. Oops, broke my own rule there, and mentioned the unmentionable! 🙂 The old timey miners used to use some sort of hydraulic blasting machine, and concentrated water can be highly destructive from what I’ve observed of their mining efforts, yup. A whole lot of mess which happened once here very long ago during building. Not good.
Sorry to hear that both yourself and Mike had to venture out into a serious downfall to observe how the system was not working, but it is a good time to do that activity. I’ve got a sturdy umbrella ready at the front door for such occasions, which occur often enough to necessitate the ready access to the device. It hasn’t had much use of late though! 🙂
Again, sorry to say, but it’s also been my experience that large water collectors can end up weighing a lot, and then settle on the ground in all sorts of unexpected ways. Rock crusher dust under the tanks helps a lot with settling.
Whoa! Your water collection system is getting a massive testing and work-out. It happens. Not sure what Mike will come up with for an overflow arrangement, but here there is a long and fairly deep swale which fills in the very heaviest of rains. It works quite well at getting water back into the sub surface, where it belongs. At times I’ve used a large pile of mulch to break up the energy of the water, but there’s quite a few other practical things a person can do.
Moved an oak tree on Monday, and planted two of the volunteer self seeded Japanese maples which had grown quite tall in their pots. Have to work out what to do with the rest of those seedlings.
I don’t much like your chances with the birds, but things could be different in your part of the world? There’s a blueberry farm two properties up from here, and all the local birds know of the fruit. Even the Chilean guavas were picked clean this difficult year, and that never happens. Your mad cash is probably safe with that bet! 😉
Sounds like a lovely start to the growing season for you. What a fine gift to receive all that rain at exactly the time it’s needed. But yes, some seedlings do better in drier and warmer soils. Thanks, and we got a pretty decent germination rate for those seeds. Very happy about that.
7mm of rain fell overnight. Yay! It’s nice to see less dust. Headed about half an hours drive north of here to go on a nature walk which was really nice, and they had blue skies rather than the murky thick clouds here. Running the wood heater tonight. Brr!
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Exactly, street smarts and situational awareness. The Editor and I were chatting about that subject today. Hmm. Incidentally, on that note I spotted a new scam today. So I was at the petrol station and filled up the small dirt mouse Suzuki with $2/L petrol. It’s a small car and the pump said $30. Easy. Go into the store to pay, and it turned out the bloke on the other side of the pump driving a very large European SUV which uses the ‘spensive high octane fuel had told the attendant that he was on my pump, as you do, when you’re asked twice (as I later learned).
Anyway, I put my foot down and just said no, that ain’t my vehicle. All hell suddenly breaks loose. And the attendant leaves me in the shop mildly bewildered at the ongoing saga. He grabs the guy and gets him before he drives off. Turns out his bill at the pump was almost $140. A bit of a difference.
Dragged back into the store, he had the gall to say to me, ‘you could have paid for it’. Cool as a cucumber, I gave him my very best ‘f#$k off face number two’ and said ‘scr#w that’. Folded my arms and tried to look menacing, and to my utter surprise, he turned meek, apologised to me and paid the difference.
It was no accident on the guys part, he knew what he was doing and was just trying it on. It’s a dodgy scam too, because if caught (which he would be, they have number plate readers) he’d claim error. People always amaze me.
On that note, I was speaking to someone about dodgy practices that had been observed very recently. I guess some folks will do all manner of shifty behaviour so as to maintain appearances. All part of the cost of living crisis I guess.
It’s funny when old sayings which are still applicable, go out of circulation and everyday usage. The people you need to walk around lightly in that state, well, they’re still around from what I can tell. 🙂 Agreed, it was more something I heard as well as a kid.
Not much would stand up to a direct hit, and The Blitz was a very random affair. As is often the way with these things, the favour was returned. An Anderson shelter would probably work well in a bushfire, maybe. Now you mention it, there is a Quonset hut used as a shed which can be seen on the road to the cool store. Might try and get a photo of it. History is always interesting.
The biscuits always go down a treat, but I may bake them on Thursday morning (don’t tell anyone!) Have you tweaked the recipe? I leave the dried sultanas out of the canine version (them being toxic). Haven’t had a complaint yet. The weather forecast for Friday is err, bleak. We could get an inch of rain that day looking at the probabilities, maybe. Not good for all of the services.
Cooking is a bit art, and a bit science. And replicability falls between the two schools. Hey, I move on too from such disasters, and truthfully, I’ve learned far more from my mistakes, than the stuff I got right first time around.
That level of sameness is the whole next level, and I’d be curious to hear your thoughts, but in order to achieve that level of consistency, requires a dive to the lowest common denominator in terms of food outcomes. I’d prefer a touch more character, and can’t recall when I last ate in such an establishment. Life is perhaps too short for average meals. 🙂
Thank you so much, the ode to Eucalyptus Gumnuts was beautifully written. What a delightful story, and man, there are thousands of the trees here – you should smell the place on a hot summers day.
Hehe! Haven’t tasted roasted dandelion root, but have consumed the leaves as a leafy salad green. Look, they’re a bit furry and leathery, but were otherwise OK. I’ll take the taste on advisement. Wasn’t chicory root more commonly used as a coffee extender in the not so distant past?
Jane Austen recounts a delightful tale, I just preferred the Bronte sisters darker narratives. Jane Eyre is a fave, and it annoys me deeply that the one or two film productions I’ve watched painted Jane as a naughty kid. The book does not reflect that story, but perhaps the truth of the matter would have been unpalatable to the viewers? Dunno. A mystery. I’ll pass the book recommendation on to the Editor.
It rained slightly over a quarter of an inch last night, and that’s a serious relief. With a cold and cloudy day, everything is very damp outside, although I’d imagine if you were to scratch the surface, the soil would remain dry. Oh yeah, and burn-off restrictions were lifted at midnight. Yay! It was the same temperatures here today. Brr! Hope you dodged the small amount of rain which fell?
Great White Sharks are an issue around the coast down under, but then most sharks look alike to me, they’re just kind of different sized. All very toothy. Saw a reef shark once when snorkelling and almost soiled my armour (per Monthy Python and the Killer Rabbit scene)! People were later saying, it’s only a reef shark dude, get over it. The fish was massive. Nup, the open water is not for I. And that’s my guess too, there’ll be more sharks up north in your part of the world. The surviving Titanic folks were lucky it was too cold for sharks… The story of the survivors of that stricken aircraft carrier in WWII haunts me.
Hey, refer to story at the beginning of this reply! 😉 People sure do get inventive at such times. Incidentally, I noticed that the dudes car had more than a few dings in the panels. Hmm. We eat pizza made from scratch at home nowadays too. A few years ago we used to go to the local pub for a pizza and pint. An interesting point you’ve raised there.
🙂 Hehe! Thanks for the laughs, yes the giant slug queen would get you for sure. How about giant queen murder hornets? Scary stuff. I reckon a squash or even better, tennis racket would put those pests to a rapid end. The yellow jackets have been a problem in the more fashionable western end of the mountain range, but not here, although I’ve seen one or two about. Pesky things.
It’s a fun film Die Hard, and Alan Rickman was a great bad guy. Hard to believe that the film is nearing forty years. You’ve got a point there, and brain injuries are serious incidents.
Ooo, the film seems completely unhinged. Good stuff. Hmm.
I think that the mushroom soup thing was, I dunno, maybe I just wanted a bit more consistency with the outcome. When it was bad, the stuff tasted off, and at such moments one wonders what the repercussions may be. It is possible that the stuff was frozen, yeah. Not nice.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – I am gobsmacked at the nerve it takes to pull that sort of grift, at the pump. I wonder how often it works for him? There’s a scam going around here, currently. People get a text message that they’ve neglected to pay a traffic toll. So, clear it up by sending their credit card information … The other day I got a robo-call that I’d ordered a $1,000 + lap top, from the River. And if this was an error, please call … Of course, I check my account instead of following instructions. Never any activity. That’s twice in as many months. They just keep trying it on. I suppose the robo woman’s voice is meant to sound ominous. Actually, she just sounds cold as ice. The old people’s magazines I get, are always full of alerts on recent scams, and tips on how to spot a scam.
A lot of the military surplus stores started out in Quonset huts, after WWII.
I checked my Anzac biscuit recipe, and I’d made two tweaks. I don’t like coconut, so, I substitute plumped up dried cranberries. And, I add a teaspoon of nutmeg. Just because I like nutmeg. 🙂
Yes, a level of sameness. A lot of chain restaurants have central kitchens, where they put together servings of this and that. Portion control. Frozen and shipped to individual “stores.” It’s always bothered me that the chains refer to their outlets as “stores.” They’re restaurants, for gosh sakes! I think I mentioned that a friend of mine, Mike works in a chain restaurant, but also in an independent restaurant. At the chain, he more or less assembles stuff. In the other restaurant, there’s actual cooking involved.
Our high yesterday was 57F (13.88C). The overnight low was 30F (-1.11C). Forecast high for today is 62F. We didn’t get a frost in town, but I talked to one of the caregivers, this morning, and she had frost at her place, out of town. Looks like we’re in one of those cycles. Nice during the week, rainy on the weekend. There is much wailing and gnashing of teeth. 🙂
And then there’s dandelion wine. I’ve never had any, but a lot of people think it’s quit nice. Ray Bradbury wrote a book, “Dandelion Wine.” I’m sure I read it, but, that was more than half a century ago. I’ve had dandelion leaves. Also, a long time ago. As I remember, tasty lightly sautéed with a bit of vinegar and salt. One can get chicory coffee, in the gourmet coffee sections of some stores. It’s a real southern US specialty, especially in New Orleans.
Speaking of half centuries and Monty Python, I saw an article yesterday that “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” has just turned 50. Same age as you! 🙂 I see our library has a 40th anniversary special edition. I may put a hold on it, when my hold list loosens up.
One thing I liked about the Austen book is that the author doesn’t particularly care for them being called romance novels. She prefers the name, “courtship novels.” Which I also quit like.
Yes, the sinking of the WWII battle ship the Indianapolis is a terrible story. When I was a wee small lad, we made occasional trips to the local barber shop. There was always a pile of “men’s magazines.” True western stories, hunting and fishing mags, maybe popular science or mechanics. But also magazines with tales of WWII. Somewhere in there I ran across the story of the Indianapolis. And was horrified. Had nightmares, for weeks.
Hmm. Queen wasps? You got queen wasps …
https://youtu.be/yQyhpo8_oys?si=yA9rYvErVNf2-lYr
I just happened to watch this, a couple of months ago. What a hoot. Lew
Hi, Chris!
You did it hard growing up, unlike my very privileged lifestyle. One thing, though – you being a male might have been part of it: You had quite a lot of freedom, while I had none. I was always kept close to hand. I made sure that my sons could roam around the countryside at will, as long as they came home when they were supposed to. That’s one reason that we moved to the country when they were still quite small.
It’s funny how often pride comes along and bites one in the seat of the pants.
I hope that we are not going to have your summer of excessive heat and dryness. It seems to be headed that way, though. I have planted tomato plants out already and also planted cucumber seeds and all the cool weather stuff is going gangbusters except for what the goundhog and the etceteras are eating. We’ve been trying hard to catch the groundhog, but he has outwitted us so far. It’s kind of like a game of whac-a-mole, if you have ever seen that. By the way, I think I saw a mole, too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whac-A-Mole
Back to the heat . . . It has been so miserable – and it’s only mid spring – working in the garden when the sun is on it, that my son and I were talking today about changing one of our plans to cut down some more trees shading the garden and just leaving them. That way only one half of the garden is sunny at a time and I can work on the shaded side, except right in the middle of the day, when it’s mostly all sunny.
The young citrus trees look really good and so does the shady orchard.
Your water pipe trenches are a work of finesse; so nicely done. That’s a heck of a long distance – did you say uphill? – to have dig. We have to bury our pipes 18 in (46cm) to keep them below the frost line. That’s very clever to place them in paths.
Blet! Blet!
I didn’t know which part of carobs are used for flour. I like carob alot.
Your fog video was so peaceful. I enjoyed it a bunch.
From last week:
It has been my experience that hot peppers like heat, but not excessive heat, and they definitely like quite a bit of water.
Tractorzilla was not quite rehabilitated when we last spoke. His starter was, but he had been overheating and that could not be diagnosed until he was running again. After a couple of more fruitless days of work, and with me helping some, like letting my son use my best soup pot to test the thermostat on the stove and then I helping him align some valves, he finally figured out that the bolts that hold the headgasket on were very, very loose. This was not easy to figure out because they are in an unbelievably hard spot to get to. But he got them all tightened up and all seems to be running smoothly. I tell you what – that is one greasy old machine!
Your winter crops are my spring crops right now. And your lemon blossoms are my lemon blossoms now, too. Thank you for all the flowers!
Pam
Chris,
You were correct. The cherry blossoms were tougher than the frost. At least this round. Then we got rain, maybe 5mm over the weekend.
Thanks for the story about your “friend”, your reaction and Sensei’s lesson. You’ve mentioned Sensei in the past; he sounds as if he taught martial arts the correct way. Learn to master yourself, build character. You’re fortunate to have been his student! Sad that you lost a friend in that incident, though.
Learning. Sensei taught you a good lesson about learning. Learning is a mindset I’ve tried to retain throughout my life. You never know when a lesson can be learned or who you can learn from.
Smart. Pipes under the paths AFTER taking photos of where they are placed. That’s a lot of work, but a job worth doing. I rather enjoy digging sometimes. I think we’ve discussed how meditative it can be. But it is work.
Recent projects here, in addition to the grass seed project, include undoing some of the landscaping that we did many years ago. Too much grass getting into some flower beds, not enough energy to remove the grass. “I fought the lawn and the lawn won” is my revamped song lyric. Question, however. If I am undoing landscaping, could that be called unscaping?
Isn’t it amazing how much better the ground covers do under a little shade? I’ve observed that in my yard for years. No matter how hot and dry, there are always a few green patches in the most deeply shaded areas.
That work you’ve done with the water lines, the pumps, the new posts and water spigots, these should serve you well in the future. Useful improvements that will make things easier for you and, as you’ve mentioned, might come in useful in the event of a bushfire. Good job!
Bletting the persimmons. Never heard that word before. Bletting. Sounds like some medieval torture or misdirected medical procedure. Bletting. And blitzing the carob pods. Bletting and blitzing. Perhaps those could be the names of two of Santa’s reindeer?
In addition to the lupin, the Oregon grape is blooming, along with the cherry trees and the quince bushes. And dandelions. Oh, and the tulips. Spring is in full force.
DJSpo
class reunions- Well, that can be a real mixed bag, since for smaller schools here it is often organized by someone from the graduating class that still lives in the home town, and in my case, was not well executed.
I had decided that I’d go if some old school friends were going, but it was too hard to find out, and details were skimpy.
I’d had very few friends anyway. Everyone is different though, and some just like the idea of seeing how others have aged, or they really kept in touch, so there was a strong appeal for them. I decided not to go, but would have if it had played out differently.
frosts- Believe it or not, May 14 is our date of 50% chance of last frost. 10% chance is May 29! Two years ago we had a pretty late frost, and the potatoes got nipped, but they shook it off fine.
oats- This will be the second time we’ve done it. First time, we planted the year after tomatoes, so the plastic mulch we use with them had really suppressed weeds. This time will be trickier, as we planted in a plain garden row. As long as you get a good stand, they will get ahead of weeds, and aren’t too bad to harvest and thresh.
After winnowing, we actually used Patsy’s pasta roller to make our own rolled oats. Worked out fairly well. It was not a huge batch, which made me realize just how much acreage it would take if we grew all our own oats for our granola. At least now I know how to do it.
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the reply. I’m feeling pretty similar about the future event, and there is that voyeuristic element which is also a bit lost on me. I really appreciate and respect your perspective on the subject as I’m unsure which way to go. Friends are very thin on the ground from those days of yore, so I hear you about that and agreed, everyone is very different in this regard.
Hey, that frost possibility can occur here too up until early November. It’s complicated that issue, because the soil in early spring just isn’t warm enough to produce fast growth in plants, and so later plantings will catch up from what I’ve observed. But! Then there are some years which prove us all wrong and no late frost occurs and the early plantings excel. Hard to know until the season is done.
What worries me is that in recent years there has been an early warm spell, like in late August / early September where the plants respond to the extra energy by producing blossoms. Then a few weeks later, normality returns, and you face significant frost damage. In recent years I’ve been increasing the soil feed of the ruinously expensive ‘blood and bone’ meal, and the fruit trees are showing signs of increased resilience to such climate changeability. But dunno. It’s a mystery to me.
Please do let me know how the crop performs because Sandra and I consume a lot of oats. It’s a sobering moment to realise how good broadacre farming is at producing such vast monoculture products. Hmm. We’re learning this with all manner of crops, and it raises the question: How much does your household require relative to the growing space? Thanks for the idea of using a pasta roller to produce rolled oats. 🙂 Great thinking!
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Cherries are such beautiful trees, and would make for a very pretty and dense forest. They’d take over. 🙂 Glad to hear yours survived the frost. Such weather is not necessarily the end of the vulnerable crops like cherries and apricots. Apples are the clever fruit for they blossom late into the season when such frost risk is over. About half of the apricot trees here survived a super late minor snow fall earlier in this growing season, so fingers crossed that your trees deliver fruit.
It is sad that the incident put another nail in the coffin of that friendship, but then it’s been my observation that as we grow during life, sometimes a few of the earlier relationships don’t look all that great. Today, I’m not the same person I was at that young age, but everyone is different in this regard.
The smart move during that bout would have been to block the affront and back away immediately and call the fight to an end. That didn’t occur to me as an option in those days.
Absolutely! Who knows what moment or incident will teach us something, if we’re receptive to the message. And I’m with you there, none of us ever really know when or who it will be that confers a useful life lesson.
It’s the meditative aspects of such work which gets me through those long physical days as well. The work is kind of mentally relaxing as you slip the mind into neutral gear and just plug away at what needs doing. The photos make it easy to know where unseen infrastructure lays beneath the surface. Better than a map, which has an element of interpretation, but then, so do the photos as the plants grow. Hey, back in your work days, did the crews ever accidentally discover some hidden and previously unknown chunk of infrastructure?
How’s the grass growing now that spring is getting on? That’s funny, yes, the lawn will win in the end. Another ear-worm. 🙂 The old timers used to quip that you can’t fight city grass patch, err, sorry I meant to say, hall! Grass holds the monopoly on violence, and these things are known.
There’s no reason that the systems you have around you can’t be flexible and subject to change with your energy levels and resources. We re-do plenty of systems, but then doesn’t that get back to the learning we spoke of earlier?
It’s easier on the soil and ground cover plants not to be exposed to strong summer sunlight, but our cultural preference is for short neat grasses and sad to say, but I have to also factor in the fire risk of long dry grasses. Deep shade makes for an easier summer for such low growing plants and all of the critters which thrive in such an environment.
Thanks, the job was a lot of digging, and will be super useful. Throughout the year now, I’ll top up the house systems with water from the machinery shed tanks. Haven’t been able to do that easily in previous years. Looks like Friday, the Anzac day public holiday, the weather will be feral wet. It was lovely and sunny today, but a dude must also do paid work. Finished very late this evening around 8pm.
Bring out the leach! 🙂 Didn’t they used to use leaches in the middle ages for blood letting purposes? Pesky critters… Very funny, yes, that’s how Santa and the reindeer rolled.
🙂 Lovely to hear, and may the growing season produce well, and that Dame Avalanche doesn’t learn to remove low hanging apples from the tree.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Pam,
Guys and girls are definitely treated differently. There is middle ground in that upbringing you wrote of, and it’s very difficult to teach the concept of risk, without exposing another person to actual risk. My mother kept both of my older sisters close to home, but one eventually roamed far indeed – off the rails you might say. Her presence was felt as a sadness in the household, and she was not even there and probably had few thoughts in that direction. To be honest, the situation gave the adults something to focus upon, and it was probably no bad thing for me on a few fronts. Oh well.
Good for you, and the country is a lovely place to grow up and explore. And those were incidentally the rules I followed. In those days, there was a certain virtue in adhering to well understood agreements, like meeting someone at a certain time, or being home when you’re meant to. I’m not exactly comfortable with the sort of looseness which has crept into arrangements these days due to mobile phones.
🙂 Yeah, it is funny isn’t it? Pride does indeed indicate a future fall – this is known.
Pam, I’ve played the amusement game: whack a mole. You’ve gotta be fast. Please don’t go to the extent that Bill Murray in the Caddyshack film went to in the continuing gopher wars saga. Oh no, they’re different creatures to groundhogs. You wouldn’t want one of those either. Holy carp! And there are moles!!! Fingers crossed they don’t take all of the seedlings.
Not a bad idea at all leaving some of the trees. I’ve found that in hot and dry years, plants growing with morning sun and afternoon shade, do grow slower, but they’re more resilient to the conditions. I guess it all depends on how much water you have access to?
A few of the young citrus trees have some fruit on them. We’ve been harvesting the mandarins for breakfast fruit over the past few days. Yum!
🙂 Yes, the trench was dug in an uphill direction, and the pump has to lift the water upwards in elevation. It’s a neat system, and should be hardy. Frozen ground would be a nightmare problem, and I believe that many trenches down here are meant to be two foot deep, but only so that the pipes and/or electrical conduit is not punctured. Given that they’re agricultural pipes, things are a bit more relaxed. It would probably be three times the effort to dig twice as deep.
Hey, I didn’t know about the carob being from the pods either? The stuff smells nice, but is mildly over cooked. 🙂 Oh well, next season… Carob sure is a nice flavour.
Thanks! The videos are fun and relatively easy to make.
Really? I’ve never grown really hot peppers, but the zingy (mild-ish) peppers in the greenhouse require very little water, even on extreme summer days. That whole garden bed uses two watering cans (10L each 2.6 gallons) every day, during summer, and far less now. Watering cools the soil and slows plant growth.
🙂 Well done to your son for figuring that out with the loose head bolts. It’s pretty rare to have loose head bolts too, so it wouldn’t have been obvious. Top work with helping out, and sometimes the best soup pot has to be called in for assistance! And there’s always engine cleaner fluids. Yup. Great news that the machine is working. How’s the new car going?
I’ve got to get into giving all of the machines a once over in the next few days. And repair that digital tachometer, or at least try too with the replacement battery. Always plenty to do, isn’t there?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Before outrage, start wood heater! Ah, the fire is roaring away and I feel warmer now. It was a really delightful sunny day outside today, and I worked inside all day. Started at 10am and finished at 8pm. A long day, but I’m not grumbling as the work is quite interesting, well to my mind it is. Probably wasn’t brought up right, or something like that to enjoy such work! 😉 Hehe!
Gee, the guy had some nerve, which is why I spoke so bluntly to him. The attendant later apologised too for dumping me in the middle of this moment of utter weirdness, and he said he’d asked the guy twice for confirmation as to which pump he was at. I reckon the guy had pulled that scam before he appeared too casual. Now smarmy is a word you don’t hear used much these days, but he had that look. Wasn’t a local either. You know what the really funny bit was, and it was like one of those scenes from Jurassic Park where the dawdler puts everyone at risk of being eaten. He got caught because his younger girlfriend had to go to the toilet and so delayed the getaway. Thought you’d like that detail! 😉
Oh yeah, those phone scams are a nuisance down here too, and like you, I don’t click on such links, and also go back to the source. Interestingly, speaking of robots, I received the first almost literate AI comment yesterday. The thing was well written, but used a few grammatical errors such as using the Third Person – Present Tense which is not an endearing way to conclude the comment. Dump… (the AI generated comment that is)
Ah! I see. It’s funny, but nowadays, military surplus stores are a bit thin on the ground. When I was a kid, they were quite common. Some of the jackets were quite warm and toasty, and also socially acceptable to be seen in. The stores have an intriguing name down here: Aussie disposals… Who is this Aussie bloke they’re talking about? 🙂
Lovely tweaks to the recipe, and I use sultanas instead of cranberries – them being more readily available down under. Cranberries are rarely seen. And nutmeg, the two fat ladies would no doubt approve. The biscuits are a pretty adaptable food.
Hey, some of the fancier restaurants have err, what do they call them again, is it dark kitchens? A lot of home delivered stuff comes from those places. I don’t do home delivered food. Nobody would deliver here anyway!
Out of curiosity and no stress if you can’t say, but I’m curious, how does a person juggle two commercial kitchen jobs?
Hehe! That cycle happens here too, and I note that today (and tomorrow) are lovely sunny days, the weekend and public holiday, not so much. Exactly, wailing and gnashing of teeth, but that’s the weather for you.
I reckon dandelion wine falls into the same sort of category as ‘oak leaf’ wine in that there are better options. On a serious note as well, ageing a wine can mellow out some horrid flavour combinations. Never seen chicory coffee, but no doubt it’ll rear it’s head down here one day. Chicory literally grows like a weed around here, nice blue flowers too. We’ve remarked upon this before, but the future belongs to the adaptable.
It’s nice to be an old duffer, like that film. We’re all in good company here. 🙂 I personally feel that age has lent a certain gravitas to my writing, sort of like confronting a Killer Rabbit. Make of that what you will! I love that film, and Life of Brian was better again.
It’s an horrific story, which was sadly true. If a person survived that experience, they’d never go in the water again. No way. The Editor tells me that when her mum used to take her to the supermarket to do the shopping, she’d plonk her in front of the book stand (remember those) whilst shopping, and the Editor would read the book ‘Jaws’ cover to cover over many visits.
Oh no! I’m feeling candidly nervous after that film trailer. The search for eternal youth leads some folks in dark directions… I’ll say this quietly lest she comes to get me, is it just me who senses a touch of narcissism in that particular toothy femme fatale?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – It links back to that article. About people moving what used to be common spending practice, to the luxury or special occasion. I know you can’t say much about your clients, but I’m sure you see it playing out, in sales figures. I do know you have a coffee shop. 🙂 That series I watch, “My Life is Murder,” (New Zealand) with Lucy Lawless has an ongoing sort of subplot. As a kind of side gig / hobby / therapy, she bakes bread. And, sells it to a local coffee shop / cafe. She’s always taking the temperature, as to how it’s received. And the ups and downs of her German bread mixing machine.
“Smarmy” is a good term. Here, also, don’t hear it as much as in the past. One sees figures as to how people’s vocabularies have taken a plunge. I don’t think English is a rich as it used to be.
The e-mails I get from my Idaho friends still have the AI synopsis. Which are real howlers. When I feel like it, I rate it. Scathingly. And always ask how to turn the darned thing off. It disappears for a day or two, and then comes right back.
In this part of the world, good dependable chefs are not thick on the ground. So, I think, accommodations are made. At the chain restaurant, Mike has moved from assembling food, to management. He’s got five kids (!), and I don’t know how much he has to contribute to their support.
Our high yesterday was 61F (16.11C). The overnight low was again 30F (-1.11C). Once again, no frost in-town, but plenty out side of town. Forecast high for today is 68F. Rain forecast for the weekend, but I don’t think very much. Lots of “Chance of showers.”
It’s been a long time, but as I remember, chicory coffee could be quit bitter. Really needed to be cut with cream and sugar. And, it doesn’t have caffeine, so, why bother? 🙂
No two ways about it, Monty Python was genius. Speaking of humor, I just picked up a book about the origins of the satire magazine, The Onion magazine. They’re still around, at least on line.
We’ve talked about subtitles, before. I always turn them on, if they are available. Well, apparently, I’m not the Lone Ranger.
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/17/nx-s1-5346742/survey-movie-subtitles-audio-preply
I was watching some, the other night. The people were speaking Japanese. White subtitle type, on a very pale background. 🙁 . Another occasional problem is when they move too fast. I end up backing up, and freezing a frame. Minor irritation.
The Viorst book on aging, is either waiting for me, or on the way. I’m sure it will be full of pithy bon mots.
The business end of “Wasp Woman” was interesting. Some of her search for youth was narcissism, but it also had to do with business. She was “the face” of a very successful beauty empire, but sales were falling, and her board (talk about walking on eggshells) thought it was because she was beginning to show her age. Also, her boyfriend’s eye was beginning to wander. Then some whack job scientist shows up, with some concoction made from the royal jelly of queen wasps. Or, something. :-). Lew
Yo, Chris – I forgot to mention … “Jaws.” When I was living in S. California, and managing a bookstore, I was laying on the beach one day. Reading, “Jaws.”All of a sudden, someone starts yelling “Shark! Shark!” Surfers are piling out other the water.
Mothers are clutching children. People are running around with their trunks on fire (scratch that … it was a clothing optional beach). No worries. Dolphins. Lew
Chris:
“Always plenty to do” might be an understatement.
It’s odd, but our hot peppers always seem to do better with lots of water. Jalapenos are the main hot peppers we grow.
The new car (truck) had to be put on the back burner during all the work being done on the tractor and now my son has to finish fabricating a giant smoothing attachment – sort of a grader? – to be pulled over a cleared area at the back of the property to get it all smoothed out prior to seeding with grass and other ground covers. It is, as usual, a very steep area. Anyway, today he was using the plasma cutter (I think that’s what it was) and it started throwing out sparks and it looked like it would catch on fire. He checked it over and it seemed like a new part would be needed. I asked him if it was from The Land of Stuff and of course it was. But after a closer study he told me that it was not the part he had mentioned that needed to be replaced, but something else from The Land of Stuff – the outside outlet (power point?) that it was plugged into. In any case, another loss from the LOS.
Pam
Chris,
I lost track of the friends from my youth rather quickly. About 25 years ago, I ran into one of the bullies from my teen years. He explained why he had been such a jerk and bully in those days. Nothing he said made me want to change my mind about him and become best friends with him. I recently saw him in a grocery store. I ignored him, much as I would likely ignore anybody from that era. I’ve changed a lot from my teen years and really have no desire to engage with anybody I knew then.
It seems that in your brawl during training, you were learning how to defend yourself. You, for reasons with which I would have been empathetic at the time, were concentrating on using the physical part of martial arts as a physical defense. However, you had learned how to do that reasonably well, so Sensei determined that you needed to learn the other way to defend yourself physically. Your suggestion to block the blow, retreat and quit the engagement is great and one of the possible solutions Sensei probably wanted from you.
Yes, every project had some type of hidden infrastructure discovered in it or nearby. Usually nothing worth much, but occasionally very interesting. Nothing interesting was found on my projects, though. Sigh. Although there was an ancient house near one project, somehow still standing. It had witnessed an actual” Old West” style gunfight in about 1895.
There has been an optimum mix of warm weather and wet weather. The grass is growing well. One yard has been mowed. The other is in dire need of being mowed. That will get done in the next few days. Getting warm enough now that it’s almost time to get out the hoses and start watering the grass. Ugh. Too early in the spring for my taste.
Very good! Leaches are exactly what I was thinking of.
We have no apple trees for Avalanche to mess with. However, I do remember one September deer hunting venture. I was in an area with a mix of pine woods and wheat fields. There was also a small apple orchard and a few apple trees that had spread a kilometer from the main orchard. I was sitting in a large hole near a lone apple tree that was loaded with apples. There was some brush between me and the tree allowing me to see the tree without being seen. Hearing a weird noise, I slowly moved so I could see through the brush. A coyote was leaping up, grabbing an apple, then eating it. Then repeating the process.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
They tell me that it is a truth which is universally acknowledged that there is always a lot to do, but to my way of thinking it’s whether we get to all that stuff which is the real question here. Not sure about your household, but there are genuinely more things needing to be done here than hours in the day for doing. 🙂
However, again, dunno about you, but we just pick a task, and hope for the best. Although, like with the recent water system upgrades, sometimes necessity forces our hand.
Did more work today in the nice warm sunshine excavating the site for the two new water tanks. Have almost finished digging on one site, and I reckon that first half will be completed on the next work day. We’ll see. It’s meant to rain heavily tomorrow, but if for any reason the reality doesn’t meet up to the forecast, more digging may occur. The soil is being used to create a new chunk of flat land for a round raised garden bed. Can we ever have enough growing space?
Ah, jalapeño are the variety we grow as well, but cayenne peppers are part of that mix as well and more productive. Oh my! Cayenne are the hotter ones, but they’re mostly OK heat wise, mostly that is. 🙂 Honestly I can’t say for sure how they survive here in the greenhouse on water rations. With having only water tanks, we have to be so super careful with watering, so the plants and soil have probably adapted to that regime over many years. Dunno. Reducing water to plants and a garden is not something I’d want to go cold turkey on, put it that way. It’s taken a lot of years to get to this point. A mystery. It is possible that very fertile soil, equates to less watering, but I do not know whether that holds true.
Of course, and again, there are only so many hours in the day. I so hear you about that. Those attachments are described down here as ‘tennis court levellers’, but they are good for smoothing out crowns in driveways. So many wonderful things come from the land of stuff, oh well, we’ve had a good run, and I expect that to continue into the future. That lot have to do something with their over production, and you can’t sell stuff to folks as can’t pay for it all, and they discourage domestic consumption because it is akin to a snake eating its tail. We’ll see though, another mystery.
On that note, fixed the old digital tachometer today. The replacement battery worked a treat – again, LOS. 🙂 To be honest, a week or so ago I tuned the carburettor on the chainsaw by listening to the sound of the engine, and got it pretty close.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Whoa! That’s an intriguing encounter, and one I’ve not had (but could). I get where you’re at, and a person’s actions define who they are. You get to see inside their soul, and unless a bully was genuinely remorseful for their actions – and had something of note to offer in a potential friendship, I’d tell them to go and shove it. Dunno about you, but it is not my role to absolve others of their actions and guilt. That is for them to do. To my mind, contrition is something which requires payment in kind. Maybe I’m too harsh there.
The other side of that story is that a person can outgrow their roots, and I ask you? Who wants to be dragged back to earlier problematic times when so much energy has been expended on rising above the beginnings. There’s an old saying that the apple rarely falls far from the tree – yet, that half-truth presumes that we choose to remain as an apple.
Absolutely! There was that option. And in those early days my mind was not equipped properly enough to see that way out of the maze. My gut feeling was that my friend wanted to lift himself up, by dragging me down – and I took the bait hook, line and sinker. The Sensei was a formidable bloke who exerted a lot of ki, which cost him in the end, and yes, he was very much trying to get an important lesson into my thick skull that evening. I got there in the end, better late than never! 🙂 And we’ve all been there.
In the big smoke, when interesting finds are made during a construction dig, I believe that a short window is allowed for archaeologists to sift through the find. Never know what they may find. 1,000 teeth and opium lamps among items found during Melbourne Metro Tunnel dig. Did they still have gunfights in the late 19th century?
It is pretty early in the growing season. You’ve got months and months ahead of you, but all the same, it’s lovely to have a season which is just right. Such weather makes life easy. There was a fire over in the nearby mountain range to the north today. I was outside working and could hear the siren from the local brigade station going off. Seems to be under control now. Tomorrow’s heavy rain will smoosh it out – if it eventuates.
🙂 ‘ere, he says he’s not dead yet.
Coyote is the ultimate trickster and the dogs here also happily chew upon fallen apples… I better run, Sandra is threatening to cook the dinner I usually make. This has become a proper demarcation dispute! I’d let her make the food, but she constantly tweaks with my recipe, and that’s not right! 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Ah, the dreaded mistaken fin identity strikes again. You’ve gotta feel like the dolphins are doing it tough being confused for toothy sharks. Out in the water, looking into the depths whilst snorkelling, a reef shark looked seriously big and menacing, like a shark. 🙂 It’s interesting the reactions to shark attacks down under. It’s a very polarising issue, and you hear all sorts of reactions some of which are pragmatic (you’re in their turf), to outright fear and hostility. But if you’re taken by a shark, well, it happens and the creatures have a lot of teeth. I’ve got a hunch that sharks are closer to shore due to warmer waters and over fishing. And hey, they survived that dinosaur killing meteor, so what does that tell you about adaptability and ecological suitability?
There’s less clothing optional beaches as the years go on. There’s not many in this corner of the country, and interestingly it was Adelaide, the so called ‘city of churches’ in the state of South Australia who legalised the first nudy beach. They were onto the marihoochie bit first too. Here’s a brief history and how things roll today on that subject: Fifty years after Australia’s first legal nude beach opened, is baring all just for the boomers? Was that a photo of H on the sand half way down the article?
I can’t say anything about that, although it is not in my nature to be mysterious. But the coffee index is very interesting and provides real time data on expenditure, plus excellent feed for the orchard. What’s not to like about that? 🙂 On that note, we went to get a coffee this afternoon and pick up the mail, and it was feral busy over in the more fashionable western end of the mountain range due to leaf change tourism. I hope the tourists read the weather forecast for tomorrow. Heavy rain, maybe. And fingers crossed that the dawn services aren’t impacted by the storm.
🙂 That would be a hard gig providing the bread, and you’d have to listen to the feedback, whilst also making your own assessment of the situation. The business of course has a touch of conflict and self interest so as to keep costs down. On such matters, the local independent supermarket has switched milk brands, and reduced prices. I’m uncomfortable with the change, and may have to now stump the mad cash for more err, known quality brands (of which there aren’t that many around here). Just between you and I, I do wonder if the suddenly cheap milk is some sort of reconstituted milk powder which comes from who knows where? It’s hard to know such things but running a herd of dairy cows is not cheap.
Hey! I’ve got a bread mixing machine, it’s called my hand. But then, the most I prepare is three loaves at once. It’s a good way to save mad cash though.
You’d have to suggest that the simplification of the English language is something of a sought-after outcome? The process was described in George Orwell’s most excellent how-to manual, 1984. Quite prescient that book, and the fictional authoritas perpetrated all manner of weirdness upon the fictional language. It’s difficult to express oneself if the words and structure doesn’t readily fall to hand. I suspect the underlying emotions would still be there, but could they be verbally expressed without resorting to physical demonstrations, such as clubbing someone over the head?
What do you mean AI synopsis on an email? I’ve never heard of this function. Hmm… … Ah, I see. Interesting indeed. The Editor was speaking to someone of the Greek Orthodox faith the other day, and he was saying that confessional is part of the rituals. Don’t you reckon having AI read your emails is a bit like that? It bothers me that the pesky things are reading this blog, and that somehow I’m training the program. Had another comment from one today, and it was so impersonal as to be a joke. Nobody writes that way. Trashed the comment, and that’s a proper rating in my books. Do you really get to rate the efforts of the bots with those emails? And are they truly that insecure to ask for feedback?
I can see that about good dependable chefs being thin on the ground. You hear things over the years, and the job does tend to result in a bit of turnover. In a commercial kitchen, the chef is in a tough bind because often the owner is remote from the kitchen, and there are a lot of factors outside of anyone’s control. And yes, a complicated situation. Five kids would mean that a dude has to work super hard. Once long ago, someone I’d just met asked me if I had any kids, and feeling a bit cheeky replied: ‘F#$k no. What, have you heard something?’ before then cracking up laughing. I do try to entertain.
Almost forgot to mention that we continued to excavate the new water tank site. Brought all of the soil back up the hill so as to create some flat land closer to the house. The plan is to move the last round raised garden bed (which is now sticking into a path) to that new chunk of flat land. Plenty more days of that work to go before the job is completed.
The overnight was much warmer here, but the daytime temperature was about the same as your part of the world today. Quite nice really, although this talk of sub zero Celsius weather is unsettling. One of the benefits of the imperial measurement system is that there is more scope to avoid the sub zero. 😉
Ugg! Caffeine good.
Is the Onion still around? Just checked it out, and some of the headlines are brilliant. What a laugh. Have you had a chance to delve into the book?
Ook! That’s disturbing news about the subtitles, and clarity of emotions and story is fine and stuff, but what are the actors saying again? Far out.
Hope the read is excellent, and that the essays are both concise and amusing.
The wasp woman is a more complicated storyline than the trailer lead me to believe. Yes, the mad scientist trope. Did such loose talk and unwise reliance end well for protagonist of The Fly film? I don’t think so.
Oh yeah, whilst we were working today in the nice sunshine, I could hear the local fire brigade siren blaring (it’s on the edge of my hearing abilities, but noise travels strangely in forest environments). Anyway, there was a small fire in the mountain range immediately to the north of his one. Firefighters control bushfire near Benloch in Central Victoria. I could smell the smoke. The rain tomorrow will mop that fire up.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – A while back, I got an invite to my 50th high school reunion. How they managed to track me down, I don’t know. I’ve always been a bit miffed, that none of those folks bothered to look me up, in all these years. Especially, since my folks lived in the same place, and had the same phone number (in the phone book … remember those?), for decades. At first, I was going to shot off a scathing reply, but, on reflection, just let it go and moved on.
And, from the Wonderful World of Archaeology, a recent find in Britain. Possible remains of a gladiator, who was killed by a lion.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/23/science/gladiator-human-animal-combat-remains
Speaking of sharks, and their changed behavior, I spotted this article, a couple of days ago.
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-home/trashie-rewards-recycle-old-clothes-startup/
That was an interesting article about your “free beaches, Down Under. Is that a pun? 🙂 I loved the graphics on the sign. Really a nice bit of design. Might be H’s Australian branch of her family 🙂 . I’d have to see more of the doggie. But that’s definitely a Pomeranian tail. H has similar.
Oh, I understand client confidentiality. I’ve had a few jobs along the way, where that was stressed.
That’s a bummer about the change in your milk source. Powder? Probably not. Though it really depends on your food purity laws. You might search any fine print, on the carton.
I think, when you lose an expansive vocabulary, you lose nuance in language. Although in some cases, I suppose nuance is used to befuddle. See: user agreements. 🙂
Yes, the AI synopsis is in a boxed header, at the top of the email. By the way, my mention of Quonset huts, here, has lead to a plethora of ads for steel Quonset huts, that pop up in a lot of places I go on the internet. Odd that. 🙂
Oh, I like your response to the question of kids. My response when asked is “Kids? No. If I had any, I’d still be in jail.”
That’s a big job, emptying out, and moving a raised bed. I’m currently emptying out one of those wooden half barrels. I can’t use the dirt, anywhere else, as, it contained Jerusalem artichoke, which are very invasive. So, I’ve been smuggling it into the dumpster, a bag at a time. Due to the weight. I can almost see the bottom!
Our high yesterday was 68F (20C). The overnight low was 37F (2.77C). The forecast high for today is 74F. The local airport’s weather station temperature, is back! Maybe they were waiting on a part …
The book on the Onion Magazine, is a ways down the stack. Ditto the Viorst book. Although that looks very slight, and I may dip into it from time to time. For some reason, I haven’t been getting DVDs from the library, the last couple of weeks. Just books. I’d guess, whoever processes the DVDs, up at the Service Center, is either sick, or on vacation. I have three left, and have been rationing. 🙂 Oh, well. Plenty to read.
May the brush fire stay far, far away from your patch. Maybe it will run out some of those leaf peppers. Lew
Chris:
Of course we can’t ever have enough growing space. Any new cleared spot – no matter how small – is a candidate as a place for planting something.
“And they discourage domestic consumption because it is akin to a snake eating its tail”: I think someday they are going to have to eat their tail. It might not be so bad – look at the skinks.
Nice job, fixing the tachometer. And another nice job tuning the carburetor by ear. It is my understanding from having watched countless car repair shows that carburetors are hard to deal with.
Pam
Hi Pam,
Earlier today, the forecast heavy rain didn’t eventuate (it may arrive later tonight), so we headed outdoors and continued work on the area near to the front of the house where the raised garden will be relocated. Lots of rocks were installed which will retain the soil that is being dug out of the new water tank site. Flat, or cleared land is valuable growing space, yup. And I see no reason why we don’t get to choose what grows where, although people can get very weirded out by that concept. Areas with the highest diversity of plants are often the most resilient and chock full of life.
My opinions as to how this place and surrounds should look, are not fixed. Mostly, consideration is given to what works in the near to longer term.
True, and skinks are the ultimate survivors which can drop and then regrow their tails. 🙂 I reckon sharks would be satisfied if us humans (or bears etc.) could drop a limb for them to munch upon whilst we got to escape, live for another day, and regrow said limb. It’d hurt though. Ouch!
My best guess is that the snake is already eating its tail, and has been doing so for a couple of decades now – probably as long as I’ve lived since the oil crisis of the 70’s. Dunno about you, but I rarely worry about such matters. Having lived through a major recession, I saw upfront and personal that nothing physical is destroyed, all that happens is that things economically just get super weird. But I remember those days as being far more social than today. People forget that it is quite cheap and entertaining to talk rubbish with the folks they know – and I’m sure you used to recall long chats on the telephone to friends and family?
Ah ha! There’s a little bit of art and science to maintaining carburettors. 🙂 The big chainsaw is now 14 years old and running as good as ever, and the ear has long since become accustomed to how it is meant to sound. I’ll bet you use plenty of machines in your day to day life and become aware when they’re acting a bit off? Knowing what to do next, is the important bit don’t you reckon?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
It is a bit eerie how they tracked you down to send the invite for the 50th. That would make me uncomfortable for sure, and you can’t suggest that it’s a good basis to begin a reconnection? Moving on is how I’m coming around to feel about the future event. A person makes time for the things which are important to them, and not contacting with you for all those years leading up to the event does kind of send a strong message.
But then, that lot down here send me a regular newsletter (them having my postal address). The newsletter contains an obituary. We spoke you and I, earlier in the year about whether to contact them about the old school friend who I’d learned that had died. The whole incident was just right off the charts strange, from not thinking about him, to looking him up (the Editors suggestion), to discovering we’d missed the funeral by something like three days. Anyway, I decided that the fates had intervened and so let the folks running the newsletter the news. But here’s the thing, does a dude want to operate as a medium for the recently deceased? At the very least, you’d think that there’d be some sort of fee in the will for such services. It’s an outrageous thing to overlook this no fee for service thing. The entire incident was unsettling.
Ghosts are one thing, lions are the whole next level. Did you note that the remains suggested that the gladiator once suffered from malnutrition and had some sort of spinal issue. Hardly a fair fight, and the suggestion that the individual was a criminal was mooted. Interesting.
To be honest I didn’t really comprehend the business. Why would they pay for something which people do for free? I’m sure it must make some sort of sense, but I don’t get it. And wasn’t that the name of a character from Mr King’s book: The Stand? 😉
It is a bit of a pun, yeah. Not bad at all is it. The graphics on the sign do rather make the situation clear. Fun stuff, and good to see people out and about letting their hair down and enjoying themselves. Sorry about that too, a mistaken identity situation for sure with H. Probably a long lost cousin, or something like that! 🙂
It probably isn’t reconstituted milk powder, but it seems the liquid is subject to some industrial processes in order to produce a consistent product throughout the year. It’s a natural product, and will thus vary with the seasons. I mean, during spring, the protein levels in plants are low, and clearly the milk produced would also be low in protein… But it ain’t. This requires protein to be added somehow. I’m going to think about this issue a bit further, and here we’ve discussed a work around.
Man, who reads user agreements? 🙂 That option is great, when things are good… Agreed, nuance is a concept which appears to be lost on many folks. And to my mind, that can lead to some emotional outbursts. That’s what occurs when folks don’t have the ability to express themselves using abstract tools such as words, they fall fall back on an earlier state, which is the emotional level of expression.
The bots are watching and ever alert. Stay safe my friend! 😉
🙂 Your answer sends an ambiguous message, and would put an immediate stop to such talk. Oh man, sometimes it’s good to have a pithy (or deep) response ready to wheel out to put a halt on unwanted conversations.
Yeah, the work with relocating that raised garden bed continued today. The rain was nowhere near as heavy as the forecast suggested, although the rain occasionally did belt down. The last of the current store of large rocks were brought back up the hill and installed on the new flat spot where that garden bed will eventually end up. Moved a lot of rocks, and the project is now ready to take some more soil. Might have to break up some more boulders soon. Oh well.
🙂 I’ve never seen Jerusalem artichoke spread here, although the plant does have that reputation. Of all the things headed to landfill, that soil would be one of the best offerings! Are you hearing of battery fires in rubbish trucks in your part of the world? Those little batteries in things can pack a sizeable punch.
Hope the DVD situation resolves itself soon? They might call you back out of retirement to help out?
Looks like that fire is out now, thankfully. It’s raining outside now. Yay! Warm enough tonight that we haven’t needed to run the wood heater. The forecast is suggesting some warm weather next weekend too, which is unseasonable for early May. Oh well.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Chris,
We’ve had very little rain and not much forecast for the next two weeks. There’s been rain north and south of us but once again we’re in this dry band.
My pears trees that we planted 4-5 years ago have blossoms. They’re both Asian pears which we planted because they produce quite quickly. Asparagus is up too. Chicks are here and pigs arrive soon. Doug finally had one hive make it over the winter but will be getting a few more packages.
Marty is doing well except for all the dental work now – once again I’m on the road. He’s obsessed with going fishing – something no one thinks he should be doing on his own as he’s still not all that steady. We’ve been having quite a “discussion” about it. I have offered to take him but he’s balking at that.
I am getting over a 2nd cold this year which is unusual for me. Think I’m a bit run down. We had 20 over for Easter last Sunday but it was quite informal. We supplied ham and cornbread and everyone brought something. Unfortunately it was the coldest day recently and drizzling so we had to congregate inside. Marty came (well he was picked up). It was the first family gathering he was able to come to in over a year.
Anyway just wanted to check in. I’ve been spending a lot less time online so am behind with the goings on at Fernglade but hopefully will catch up soon.
Margaret
Yo, Chris – Oh, I don’t know. Being a medium for the recently deceased, can be quit lucrative 🙂 . And, the ghost, or whatever, didn’t set you an onerous task. Restless ghosts can be quit demanding. Finding lost treasures to restore family fortunes. Locating centuries old bodies, and giving them a good Christian burial. Bringing killers to justice (see: “Odd Thomas” book series.)
Once they complete the DNA analysis of the gladiator, it will be interesting to see where he hailed from. Early childhood malnutrition might indicate Roman conquest. That’s how “Gladiator 2” kicks off.
Might be time to get a cow 🙂 . Think of all that (very) fresh compost!
I emptied out more of the barrel, and smuggled another bag into the dumpster. I can almost see the bottom! Then I’ll have to fill it up again, and get it ready for Tomatillos. Good dirt. Never seem to have enough of it. I picked up a book from the library, the other day. “Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand.” (Chu, 2025). I don’t know much about it, but, it sounded interesting.
I see articles about a lot of battery fires, in a lot of places. Handle with care …
I sat down and re-watched “The Accountant,” last night. It was just as good as I remembered. Worth a bowl of popcorn. “The Accountant 2” hits our theaters, this weekend. Library ought to have it, in a couple of months. Due to the library DVD logjam, I put a couple of old movies, on hold. “Die Hard 2” and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Ought to get them, next week.
The rain that was forecast for this weekend, has been pushed off til Monday. Our high yesterday was 73F (22.77C). The overnight low was 45F (7.22C). Looks like we’re leaving 30F night, behind. Overnight lows are forecast in the 40sF, for at least the next week. The forecast high for today is 75F. Lew
Chris,
Apologies without improved actions aren’t worth anything in my book. An explanation of why bad behavior occurred without any semblance of being sorry about it is worse, but at least honest. I had also seen comments that the bully made online in recent years. It was obvious he was still, um, disturbed. Why even acknowledge someone like that? So, I am rather in agreement with your idea, which I find to be realistic rather than harsh.
Or what if you were always a peach tree in an apple grove? The few times I’ve run into other past mates, or seen their current attitudes online, well, I’ve not been impressed. Many still act as if they are teenagers. Others have let various biases control them. Or both. I have better things to do with my time than to get dragged back into periods of my youth for which I have bad memories.
Oh, cool! Teeth just discarded with wastewater! The descriptions of the teeth make me extra happy for modern dental preventative techniques. And the opium lamps and other interesting odds and ends. Wow. Imagine if that hadn’t been found for another 1,000 years. What kind of weird religious rituals would the future archaeologists suggest had been happening? Especially with 1,000 teeth found together.
I worked hard on Thursday. Removed mixed grass and thyme that had been growing onto the public sidewalk. Last week, as part of the project to simplify the front yard, I removed some decorative blocks, leaving two narrow trenches. Some of the plants I removed were in sorry shape and acted as fill in one trench. The healthier plants were transplanted with as much soil as could be moved with them, pretty much both filling and covering the second narrow trench. Those are getting soaked every day. Hope they like their new home! Oh, I’ve also found that a mix of thyme and grass requires less water than either one alone, so hopefully that trend continues with these plants after their move.
I live near two fire stations and multiple major arterials. I hear sirens here a lot. It’s when the sirens are nearly nonstop for 10 or 15 minutes that I try to find out what is happening. Usually traffic accidents, but occasionally a largish fire.
It was 26C today, the warmest yet this season. Light yard work transpired after yesterday’s hard work. Rehydrating solution is being downed regularly. After those cold snaps this winter, I’m rather enjoying this weather.
DJSpo
Hi Margaret,
My commiserations, it’s awful to see rain heading both north and south of you. Sometimes a person happens to find themselves in a rain avoidment area during some seasons. There are times when I watch storms roll along the valley completely missing here, and those lot usually only water the freeway which sits in that area. Such constructions don’t really need the rainfall in order to continue growing.
From my experience, the Asian pears are very reliable fruit trees, and being early in the season the taste is mild and the fruit is quite juicy. The local parrots are a bit of a nuisance though with those delectable fruits. I’ll be curious to learn your opinion of the fruit in two and a bit months time when they’re ready to pick?
Yum! Yum! Asparagus is very tasty and we sometimes grill the spears. Well done to Doug, and that’s the Holy Grail of bee-keeping in a varroa era – please extend my respects for his efforts. And you had one cold snap which would have made me quake in fright! The winter hardy bees will be off and racing. 🙂
As you’re both winding up into the growing season, we’re winding down into the quieter winter weather.
Go Marty! And may the dental dramas be navigated with ease and also be low of stress. Good luck with that. I’m no expert, but fishing is often a time for dudes (or dudettes) to spend alone time quietly in their own heads whilst ostensibly doing an activity – that’s my best guess. If he’s unsteady though, and fell into the drink, that would be a biggerer problem.
Sorry to hear that you’ve been struck low by the dreaded lurgy for the second time. That’s annoying. Just suggesting that someone also brought the lurgy… Oh well, it happens and we’ve all been there. It’s lovely that Marty was able to attend as well. Margaret, there’s been a lot of stress from all you’ve written, so things look on the up for both yourself and Marty, and a mild cold is pretty good because things could be worse.
Never a dull moment here! 😉 Things have suddenly turned cooler and wetter and about four-fifths of an inch of rain has fallen. That’s a serious relief.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
There’s gotta be something which changes with that sort of a relationship, or why even bother getting involved? And that’s sort of what I meant, if the words spoken are at odds to actions, well, there’s a problem right there. Interestingly, I knew someone long ago who was a good friend, but is also no longer around. He had some difficulties in his life, and Sandra pointed out to me quite bluntly that the dude had trouble looking after his own life, so why would I expect much from him? Couldn’t argue with the crisp logic, hmm.
Contrition and remorse are a real thing, but such folks are from my perspective to be kept on a short leash. They have to invest much effort so as to rebuild the social credits which were trashed. That’s my take, but I simply can’t afford to expend the energy otherwise.
We can grow in stature, although there are always those who want to heavy prune. Best avoided.
It’s been a lot of years of writing and reading, but I have this vague memory that the ‘rag and bone men’ used to scour battlefields for things like teeth. Who knew such items had a potential re-use? And you’d imagine the opium lamps were somehow used to lessen the pain of the 19th century dental procedures? There’s a lot of stories in that archaeological dig, and I’ve never heard of the follow up as to what else they discovered.
And absolutely, not all of the teeth were recovered, and so future civilisations will think their own strange thoughts, but I agree, weird religious sacrificial rites will be at the very top of the list. My, those ancients were strange us enlightened raccoons will never comprehend their ways! 😉
Oooo, the worms and other soil critters will surely enjoy the sorry looking plants you’ve buried in those new garden rows (sounds so much nicer than trenches – which brings to mind the idea of footings for building and/or err, places to bury things…) Did you know that thyme was once a symbol of courage and vitality, apparently? The local gardening club has a variety which you’re probably growing: Lawn Thyme, maybe? Those are some super hardy plants so they’d have much deeper root systems than the more usual grasses, so I’m unsurprised by what you’re seeing. Does Dame Avalanche munch upon the leafy greens? Ollie browses his way around the various herbs.
Oh my! Nobody ever wants a big fire in their area. But at least with all those klaxxons blaring, you’ll get more notice than other folks in your area. That fire was I believe, put out by the various brigades in the area. With all the recent rainfall, it might be time for a clean-up burn off here? Dunno.
That is getting warmer for sure, and an afternoon exposed to such temperatures would make for difficult working conditions. Glad to hear that you’re enjoying the warmth, and it may get that warm down here next weekend, which is also the day of the election.
And I discovered that the chainsaw has a fourth anti-vibration rubber buffer which requires replacing. Who knew? Maybe the third filter theory has morphed into the fourth anti-vibration mount theory? It doesn’t sound quite as normal as the original theory title. Oh well, back to the drawing board and I await on the replacement to arrive in the mail.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Ah well, I guess in my case, financial and social recompense for the good deeds done on behalf of the ghost of my old school mate may be somewhat remote and dare I say it, ephemeral? From what I recall, his family weren’t broke, and when I knew him, he lived in a big old Victorian mansion overlooking the bay, as you do. The house even had a name ‘Kerrera’ built 1890. It’s still there too on the Esplanade. Eighty Four is the street number (hope that all doesn’t trigger some algae-rythm, please forgive my mysteriousness), although that road in Brighton has no designation, just the single word. All very snooty. Thanks for the book series recommendation. I know, my education is appalling and sadly I’ve not read that particular authors works. This lack must be remedied!
But first, dinner! An old campaigner always ensures that their belly is full prior to embarking upon literary challenges. 😉 At least that’s my thinking in the matter.
Potato salad (our spuds of course). Devilled eggs (our eggs). A chunk of roast beetroot. Tasty cheese (which the dogs are currently pestering me about). And warm out of the oven focaccia. Yum!
The Romans used vast slave armies to produce the grain for the imperial cities, so there’d be some low returns on that work for the people who have to do the hard yards. Malnutrition would be a problem for sure. Hey, from what I’ve read of Pol Pot’s bit of craziness, that was also the case for city folks suddenly thrust into the countryside. Pretty brutal with a shocking body count. Just read the synopsis for the film, and it’s a complicated story for a very problematic historical time. The co-Emperor has an angry demeanour. Sir Ridley is awesome, and scared the daylights out of me with that 1979 sci-fi film. Nervously ate a lot of lollies during that matinee session as a youngster. 🙂 Felt ill in the guts, and sick from sheer terror. A commendable achievement for a Saturday outing.
Ha! Sadly a cow would cause a lot of damage here, and the dogs would be a total nuisance. No doubts all of the calcium I’d been getting back into the soils over the years, would soon be strip mined by the large herbivore. Someone needs to breed tiny little cows, like they had in that most excellent Kim Stanley Robinson book: ‘Aurora’.
Good stuff to hear that the dirt digging is almost complete, and well done you with the bit of pacing it out – no point overloading the dumpster and bringing attention to otherwise innocent parties? Hey, that’s true here as well. There is never enough left over garden matter to produce compost. You know, I probably could raid the surrounding forest for organic matter, but it would further throw out the mineral balance of the soils, before probably returning them to their long term average mix. I’m trying to do better than that outcome, but we’ll see. Incidentally, you adding in all that stuff such as your kitchen scraps produces a similar positive result, otherwise the soils would also return to the average (or worse).
Have you begun reading Mr Chu’s book on meditations in relation to soil, life and food? Please do let me know if you’re finding the book a worthy read?
Lewis, I’m always careful with these battery things, and have lots of fail safes in place. Still, things can go wrong. Gawd, I noticed that the oldest inverter which has been in continuous operation for 16 years, now emits a slight buzzing sound – which is suggesting it’s time for repairs. You know the thing is locally made, but they closed manufacturing, and so this is another job I’ll have to do myself. Oh well, never said things would be simple. I did contact them before the end to get a refurbishment for the machine, but they ceased that side of the business early from what I can gather…
Ooo, a fun film and such narratives work wonders for the profession which many people candidly believe attracts rather dull people. You of course now know this perspective to be abhorrent and frankly untrue. Anyway, the lead character dealt to the baddies handily… 🙂 Ah, so you are intending to delve into Die Hard 2. It was good, the same basic story, but bigger. Who doesn’t love a biggerer film? Monty Python will have you chuckling. A whole lot of wrongness. Yes, The Lady of the Lake… You know, years ago I naively started an interweb argument merely by pointing out the absurdity of an organised anarchist. They’re a touchy bunch, so stay safe! 😉 And enjoy the film when it arrives.
Your back to watering the garden presumably? It’s rained about four fifths of an inch, and outside is now 99% humidity (probably higher). It’s wet now. Had lunch in the city with friends today, and we had a blast. Fun stuff.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – That house is, as they used to say, “Quit a pile.” Reeks of old money. Although it looks like it has slipped out of family hands, and is now being flipped by a succession of nouveau riche. I had a bit of a time finding photos. It seems a lot of nose bleed real estate mavens, don’t post pictures. They’ll send them to the pre-vetted. But I finally found a clutch of photos. The Red Room is a bit much. Also, when doing searches, it didn’t help that there’s a real estate dealer whose first name, is the same as the house.
For dinner I had a can of garbanzo beans with garlic, dried tomatoes, some celery, broccoli and lettuce and parsley, out of the garden. Tasty. Enough left over that tonight I’ll mix in some eggs, and make patties.
During the Cultural Revolution, the Land of Stuff sent “intellectuals” out to the country side to turn the dirt for a few years. Nothing like what happened in Cambodia, but the idea was the same. Knock the stuffing out of the “elite” or political enemies. There were a few movies, that came out of that period. Usually, the plot was something like over-educated young man is sent out to the country, to get down and dirty with the peasants. Attains enlightenment, over the value of good hard work. Or, something. 🙂
“Gladiator II” was a pretty good movie. Worth a bowl of popcorn. Although it fiddled history, a bit. Yes, there were two co-emperors, who were brothers. And one did kill the other. But, beyond that, they played pretty fast and loose with history. But, there was enough spectacle, to distract from that.
There are tiny little cows. They’re called goats. 🙂
Well, I finally reached the bottom of the barrel. 🙂 There was broken crockery, down there. Probably, for drainage? Looks like the bottom is rotted out. But, with care, I think it could be used for my Tomatillo. I’ll see what the Master Gardeners have to say.
I decided to take a census of the pill bugs. Before applying the land sharks. No worries, they’re slumbering in my refrigerator. I split and hollowed out three potatoes, and will check them Monday morning, to see what the population is like.
I took a look at my pile of new books, last night. Usually I read the introduction. See if there’s any photos. I read the introduction to “Good Soil.” And then four or five chapters. Basically, the author has a mid-life crisis, when he’s pushing 40. Decides to leave the world of NY magazine publishing behind, and go to seminary. Princeton Theological, no less. They have a several acre working farm. The connections between theology and working the soil, get pretty philosophical. But, there are I guess what you’d call “moments of grace.” As when he is confronted with his first compost heap and has some kind of an epiphany. Which I couldn’t explain to you. You had to be there. 🙂
I’m sure “The Accountant” did a lot for your profession. Although maybe a lot of people came away from it thinking most accountants are autistic … with skills. 🙂
I saw a trailer for a movie, but I don’t know if I want to watch it, or not. “The Shrouds.” In the near future, people can tuck their loved one’s away, and observe the deterioration of the body, right on their dumb phones! Or, go to the cemetery, and the grave stones include a video feed. “Icky” is my first response. But the trailer does look … intriguing.
https://youtu.be/DmNVLFl5OyQ?si=rWsPVOr-0F8w3k58
Our high yesterday was 73F (22.77C). The overnight low was 45F (7.22C). Our forecast high for today is 66F. Yup. I’m watering the garden every evening. Lew
Chris:
More rocks is good, but I know that you could have used the rain. We had a nice rain yesterday, but it will be a good while till the deficit is made up.
I’d rather a shark had a part of me than all of me. It would be extra nice if it grew back.
That’s a venerable age for a chainsaw. The only machine whose rhythm I am attuned to is my washing machine. The reason I have to be attuned to it is that much of the time it has temper tantrums and I have to go down in the basement and coddle it, or it won’t work.
I had just gotten my driver’s license when the oil crisis happened. It was not quite the way I imagined how driving a car would be. I still never let my tank get below halfway because of that. And I got somewhat nervous recently when I went to buy gas at the last gas station before I head home through the rural area: I couldn’t do it because of a computer problem, so none of the pumps would work. I have also been unable to buy gas without having to drive a ways after a power outage caused by a big storm. None of those things even has anything to do with the Middle East.
Oh, yes – I used to have long chats on the phone, but mostly with my parents, who lived so far away. I used to call them every day. Personally, I don’t much like talking on the phone. I would way rather talk to someone in person, rubbish or not!
Pam
Hi Pam,
Nice to hear that you also received some rain. Always good. But the deficit is very real here too. It rained here most of the day again today, although not much rain fell overall, about a fifth of an inch. Lot’s of low thick murky cloud. Did paid work for the day, but no matter, with all of the public holidays this month, there’s still the usual work which needs doing, but with less business days. There’ll be more enjoyable days to spend outdoors than today.
That’s my thinking as well, you get to live for another day. And hopefully the sharks are satisfied. Growing back limbs would be a neat trick.
I feel very fondly towards that machine, because the old farm machine repair dude urged me towards that particular model when I was looking for an upgrade all those years ago. Funnily enough, it’s a design which has been around for almost three and a bit decades, although they don’t make them any more. Worthwhile repairing is my thoughts in the matter.
Hehe! Yeah, those washing machines have their limits, and call me cynical but I don’t reckon the specified ratings match with reality – i.e. don’t overload the machines because the spin cycle is the moment when things lose their cool. Hey, on a funny side story, the spin cycle was going the moment the 5.9 earthquake hit. When the washing machine was stopped and the serious shaking continued, that was a moment to exit the building. The dogs didn’t care at all…
Ouch, yes, some experiences leave us with jarring memories, and being made redundant during the recession of the early 90’s with 10% unemployment, left me with a similar feeling that the world we know can occasionally become seriously unhinged.
That’s not good to hear about the computer problem, but like you I tend to not push things too close to the edge. Truly, you and I are in the minority in that regard. Your experience reminded me of the day in the stock feed shed waiting in a queue to buy some chicken feed – the card terminal had failed, and I was the only person with enough cash to pay for the grains. Hmm.
Exactly, troubles can be local. Yup!
I’d prefer to talk in person too with people, but the world is as it is.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Glad you found that particular link with the inside photos. It’s not a residence for those who are living on the razors edge is it? It was hard leaving enough clues that you’d find it, without triggering stupid computer oversight stuff. 😉 When my old school friend’s family owned the place, it had a sort of rustic shabby chic to it, although the place was always grand, no getting around that. His dad used to smoke heavily, as did my friend – camels, no less. They all appear to have paid a high price for their habits, but my what a wonderful and entrancing place it was to visit. Like stepping into an entirely different otherly world like something out of Little, Big by the author John Crowley.
Ah, ’tis the evening for vegie patties then – same here as well. That’s become something of a traditional Sunday dinner experience.
The cultural revolution no doubt involved lots of sweat, uncertainty and aching muscles. Before enlightenment, work hard, sweat much, after enlightenment, work hard and sweat much. I’m being facetious, but truthfully, for a few folks, that change will work and produce a good outcome. But only for a few, the rest will resent every single moment of every single day they’re forced to such a life. What do you mean that the dream is dead, you’ll hear them bray. Was the dream ever alive is what I wonder. 🙂 History is the best guide here, and people make accommodations to circumstance.
Interestingly, my friend Simon had an fascinating discussion with me recently about how western civilisation tends to strike a dividing line between narrative and history. I hadn’t been aware of this, but apparently other cultures blur that line and don’t seek the distinction. So with that perspective, does it matter if the Gladiator II played a bit fast and loose with reality, if it captured the vibe of the times?
You got me there, yes, goats. Wonderful creatures, but the cost of the fencing would beggar the kingdom. Little cows might produce less goatey flavoured milk too. 😉
Man, everyone eventually hits rock bottom, or in your case, ceramic bottom. 😉 Find any ceramic treasures in there? I know you would have examined the finds, I would have. Did you put the barrel there long ago, or has it always been there? I’d re-use the barrel. What did the master gardeners have to say about it?
Oh my, did you have some extra land sharks left over? Clever thinking to keep them in the refrigerator all a slumber. Slaters / Pill Bugs / Rolly Polly’s are a nuisance but they are good at breaking down cellulose into insect poop. An interesting experiment, and may you get the upper hand with the critters.
Hmm, a dangerous time for blokes. Have you ever noticed that creative works from NYC are just a little bit more neurotic than pretty much anywhere else? There’s something a bit off about them, so I’d probably do as that author did too after long exposure. It’s an option. The English musician Peter Gabriel had a lovely song about such a transition phase: Solsbury Hill. 50 million views can’t be wrong, although it’s a trippy film clip in a very 70’s kind of way. Please don’t explain, everyone enjoys a different path back to nature. 🙂
Ha! Funny stuff, and if people want to think that about the profession, why not? 🙂 We get stuff done. As a funny side story, many long years ago I used to hang out with stoners and picked up a few of their mannerisms, and hid my personality behind those. It was all ok until people began hitting me up to buy, and then I had to drop the mannerisms.
It’s great to see that the film industry can tell new stories. I’m impressed, that is genuinely a truly weird concept. And Guy Pearce is from sort of down this way. The film Crash was intense, and the director clearly has a vision.
It was grey and cloudy with drizzle all day today. You’re ahead now. Go thee forth and may your garden produce. 🙂
It was a Sunday, but I ended up doing paid work all day because it was not nice to be out in that weather. Looks like another warm couple of days are arriving later in the week along with the election. Wonder what it all means?
Cheers and better get writing.
Chris
Yo, Chris – I see Valarie the miniature Dachshund was finally recovered, on Kangaroo Island. My. 500+ days of going bush. What an epic tale. Soon to be a major motion picture 🙂 .
I saw something interesting in the local newspaper, yesterday. A battery storage facility, to store up electricity.
https://www.chronline.com/stories/energy-storage-business-coming-to-south-thurston-county,379603
Do the folks listening to the “pitch” look a bit skeptical? 🙂
Well, that’s old money for you. Buy quality to begin with, and ride it into the ground. Clothes, houses, whatever. Uncle Larry was a heavy smoker. Any bit of tat from his place occasionally looked varnished. I’d dip glass or china in a solution of ammonia, water and soap. The nicotine would peel off. Gave one pause.
Yes, I had my veg patties, last night. Added some more rice and diced up half a small onion. Topped the patties with a can of diced tomatoes, a splash of hot sauce and dollops of plain yogurt. Tasty.
Hmm. Narrative vs history. I just finished a new book by Russell Shorto, “Taking Manhattan.” When I picked it up, I hadn’t realized that he’s also the author of “Island at the Center of the World.” about Dutch Manhattan. AKA New Amsterdam. Which I thoroughly enjoyed. “Taking Manhattan” continues the story. It’s when the English came waltzing in, and seized Manhattan from the Dutch. Without a shot being fired. There was a lot of brinksmanship, to pull that off. From both sides. But both books talk about the narrative that we’ve told ourselves, and then delves into the real history.
I’m also perusing a book about Joan Didion, “We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine.” (Wilkinson, 2025). Narrative … stories as opposed to reality / history.
LOL. I’m in one of my reading modes where I read a couple of chapters out of different books, late in the evening. I’m also still dipping into the book about Jane Austen’s bookshelf, and “Good Soil.”
I learned a new word, in “Good Soil.” “Hermeneutic.” Described as the lens one reads something through. A bit more complicated, than that. Once pretty much applied to biblical texts, and then the philosophers got into the game. Roots in the mythology of Hermes / Mercury.
https://w.wiki/DvkG
The ceramics in the bottom of the barrel, are pretty uninteresting. Just white stuff. No patterns. I don’t know the origins of the barrel. It’s always been there, and, as it was unused (I suppose the original owner moved on), I plopped Jerusalem artichoke in it. The Master Gardeners will be here, tomorrow morning, and I’ll see if I can get a final decision on placement, so I can get on with it.
I’ll take a pill bug census, tomorrow morning. And, probably apply the land sharks, tomorrow night. Before watering. Last night, I got the two barrels in back of the building, ready to plant asparagus and pumpkins. I dug out some of the old soil, and topped them both up with a bag of good garden soil, half a bag of mushroom compost and 1/4 bag of composted chicken manure. Crushed eggshell and a bit of stove ash. The future asparagus bed also got a sprinkling of sea salt. Per your instructions. I hope the deer don’t turn it into a salt lick. 🙂 I set the asparagus crowns, soaking this morning. I’ll plant them this evening.
“Solsbury Hill” is a nice piece of music. I loved the cabbage bride. 🙂 Yup. Leave the city for the “simpler” life. Sometimes, it works out. U-Tub is such a temptation, with those other links to bits of music down the right hand side. I did a foray into Talking Heads, “Burning Down the House.” I couldn’t resist! Then there was Jefferson Airplane …but I didn’t go there.
Re: Stoner mannerisms. “You’re known by the company you keep.” “Lay down with dogs, get up with fleas.” 🙂
Our high yesterday was 61F (16.11C). The overnight low was 39F (3.88C). Forecast high for today is 62F. I think we’ve got a pair of robins, nesting nearby. I haven’t seen any Jays, this year. Lot’s of LBBs (Little Brown Birds) around. The ravens seem to have disappeared.
Last night, I watched “Godzilla vs Biollante.” 1989. Part of the Criterion Collection, no less.
https://youtu.be/1tSl0A5oPz4?si=mNMbTu64DzVfHuAo
It was just mad. In a good way. Lew