There’s always a sad moment in a person’s life when a vehicle they’ve had long association with is disposed of. Look, I’m probably anthropomorphising such machines a tad, but candidly speaking, if they’d been a lot of hassle during the term of the relationship, well it’d be no hardship to see the thing being hauled away, would it? Nowadays, cars as a technology are actually mostly reliable, so there is a touch of regret attached to the passing on.
Worry not dear reader, the two Suzuki small cars in this household continue to do their regular duties, although one had it’s small vehicle battery replaced a few weeks ago. During the change over, I was surprised to discover that the battery terminals were far smaller than anticipated. Back in the day, the battery terminals were all the same size, but no longer. Presumably the reduced size made for a cheaper and lighter car battery? Probably saved plenty of fuel too, given the thing would weigh less. Unfortunately the size difference was only discovered once I’d returned home again to perform the swap over. Oh well, back to the shop.
Speaking of batteries and cars, we’ve been ferrying the old massive lead acid house batteries to the scrap metal recycler, four at a time. Originally there were twenty four of those beasts, each weighing about 50kg / 110 pounds. They were, and still are heavy. But alas they’re now all at the end of their lifespan, and no longer hold much of a charge. As mentioned in last weeks blog, more than 95% of those materials will be recycled into new products. Not a bad effort, and the metal dealer pays about $0.70/kg for the lead. With 1,200kg of the things to dispose of, the drive is economically worth the time.
It’s at such moments though, you discover the downsides of small Suzuki vehicles. Add in two adults and four batteries, and the car is at it’s maximum allowable load limit. You can feel that it would be an unwise decision to add in more of those heavy batteries to that weight. There’s no room for them anyway!
An excursion to the waste business is an enjoyable activity in and of itself. The pace of place is quite mind-bendingly hectic, yet it all seems to work. There was even some guy riding around on an old bicycle wearing an orange vest and co-ordinating activities, whilst probably picking up the slack – if there was any. Large yellow machines with grappling hooks whiz around doing whatever it is that they do. Bright green silent forklifts denote eco-friendly electric propulsion. As a caveman, the eerily quiet forklifts remind me of nothing more than stealthy Sabre Tooth tigers lurking in the bushes waiting to take a bite of the dark green forest blending Suzuki Dirt Rat Jimny! Fortunately the decent feed of quality lead batteries pacified the hungry forklifts for their potency is not to be questioned. Always fun and interesting to see how a society deals with its wastes.
However, it’s a truth universally acknowledged that in the wealthier end of town, no scrap metal dealer businesses are ever to be found. The business is located in an area of the big smoke which clearly has low social and economic status. No trip should ever be wasted though, and in a nearby suburb with the highest crime rate in the city, is a delightful fresh food market. It’s probably confronting to some folks to see a lady of dubious chemical habits and sunken cheeks casting furtive glances whilst talking to some well fed, yet scruffy looking bloke on a bicycle. Whatever.
The fresh food is pretty decent and well priced, and the place rocks. Ignore the occasional punch up. It’s easy to navigate the market conditions, you just have to keep your wits about you. Diminutive tiger-moms will absolutely cut in front of you in the queue to the checkout. I was very distressed the first time it happened, it’s just not cricket you know! Nowadays, the tall and large barbarian card gets wheeled out at such social outrages, and an indiscernible noise and a quick tilt of the head indicating to stand aside is enough to suggest that I mean business.
Yeah, it’s also a fun place that market, just avoid the need to go to the nearby public toilets. You only make that mistake once.
As a professional person who deals with both people in the real world, and bureaucratic processes, I do wonder how such small businesses such as those stallholders in the market, cope with the ever increasing layers of official red-tape? A bit of a mystery.
All the same, the cogitation effort started the old brain wondering about how that looks with my own business. Ignoring complicated administrative processes of dubious worth, there are a lot of mandated and other regular charges.
- Federal Income Taxes on wages
- 2% of wage contribution into Medicare (Public Health)
- 25% Taxes on Company Profits
- 12% of wage is directed to superannuation (retirement funds shifted into the financial services industry)
- 10% Goods and Services Taxes on all purchases
- A week per year of unpaid time spent on mandatory professional development activities
- Two different professional body subscriptions
- Three types of insurances
- Five types of software subscriptions
- Plus equipment like phones, computers, internet, office space, stationery etc.
And that’s just my small business. With all those charges, for which there is no longer any option to avoid, it’s a wonder that anyone in these enlightened days makes any spare mad cash. History suggests that barbarians will eventually put an end to this mischief! But until then, I wonder when all these ever increasing demands become so great a burden upon the productive activities in society, that the average person has no discretionary income left over at all, like you know, enough mad cash to buy important things such as, food and stuff.
For much of this year so far, the weather has been on the warmer and drier side of things. However, the climate outlook has recently shifted, and there has been some loose talk in hallowed weather forecasting circles that, maybe the rains will return. Friday afternoon, the rain began, and now by Sunday evening it has at least become intermittent. Things sure are rather damp outside now, and the water tanks are fast filling back up again.
Earlier in the week it was drier, and sunnier. Work on the old loggers mess continued. We took the opportunity to attempt to cut up and burn off the large tree stump discovered hiding in the disaster zone last week. Frankly speaking, it’s a big tree stump.
Early in the day I looked sort of clean and confident. However, as I soon discovered, the stump has some of the hardest and densest timbers I’ve ever come across. The chainsaw is no light weight at 72cc (5.3 horsepower), but it struggled with the job. And by close association, I too struggled.
The tree species is Eucalyptus Obliqua with an average density of 750kg/m3, but being a root ball of a very old tree, the reality would have far exceeded those numbers. Not only was the hardwood excessively dense, it also contained pockets of compacted clay. Nothing will blunt a chainsaw chain faster than dirt. Seconds is all it takes, even with the semi-chisel chains which are standard fare in this country replete with hardwood trees. A full-chisel style chain as used in say, the US, would have blunted even faster. That day at least ten chains were blunted, all of which now require sharpening. Confidence was destroyed!
The six foot steel house wrecking bar was used to remove some of the dirt from the stump so as to keep the saw chain cutting teeth sharper for longer. After lunch a bunch of chains were sharpened, then I got back into the work. Confidence returned, briefly.
By the end of the long workday, the monster Meg tree stump had been reduced in size by about two thirds.
If I could have rolled what was left of the tree stump into the fire and burnt it off, I would have. The next step in the process will be to use the jackhammer to remove the remaining compacted clay from the rear of the stump, and then continue the cutting process. However, that’s a job for another week.
This week’s video is on that activity:
Whilst the burn off fire was roaring hot, we began the slow process of removing the last of the Echium plants from the garden beds. They’re great plants, but produce dense thick and woody branches which make great coverage for rats and rabbits.
No Kelpie dog is tough enough to break their way into the tangled mess, and who wants to give rats and rabbits a secure protected home?
It’s been great to watch all the storms roll in from the cold south-west over to the warmer north-west.
The plants have appreciated the serious drink of water. And despite the cold wintry growing conditions, one of the dry stressed tree ferns has slowly began to show signs of recovery.
Other plants have had a bit too much water, like this small Ficus in a pot.
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 11am is 6’C (43’F). So far for this year there has been 455.6mm (17.9 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 383.2mm (15.1 inches)
Comments
49 responses to “A social contract I used to know”
@ Pam – Betty MacDonald was in the TB sanatorium, 1937-38. It was about ten years later when she came to write the book. A lot had changed, in that time. Antibiotics were on the rise.
As a side note, two of the characters from “The Egg and I,” had a cinematic life of their own. Ma and Pa Kettle. They were so popular, that twelve movies were made with them as the focus, from 1947-1959. Lew
Yo, Chris – It used to be pretty easy to anthropomorphize vehicles. They had character. Soul? But, once they started computerizing the heck out of them, they lost their personalities. Even though the two Rangers I have had, are old enough to be lightly computerized, they really didn’t present the kind of vibe, to be named.
The recycling center sounds like a lot of fun. Especially, when they’re paying you. Sounds like solid dude territory. Men’s business.
The fresh food market and surrounding neighborhood, also sounds like a lot of fun. But, a place to move your wallet from your back pocket, to the front pocket. Makes it harder for pickpockets. As I readily admit I need a certain amount of “grunge and grit” in my life, I’d find that venue quit appealing.
Your cost of doing business, is horrendous. It’s not much better, here. I’d guess the market vendors are quit adept at working as much as possible, in the gray (I see they spell it “grey” in the UK) market. With small businesses, I usually pay cash. Occasionally, I inquire as if there’s a discount for cash. Occasionally, I even off handedly remark that I won’t be needing a receipt. I know how things roll in the world of small, small business. The more you can do off the “official” books, the better.
That was quit a good video. Wow. What a stump. You mentioned the job is 2/3 done. Hold that thought.
Go! the tree fern. I thought there might be a spark of life, lingering in there. That poor ficus needs drain holes.
The flowers, as always, are lovely. The Dieties, especially. They look like a cross between an orchid and an iris. I took a brief look down the rabbit hole, to see if there was more information about them. Lots of articles about indigenous Australian gods. 🙁 I’ll need to tweak my search, a bit. Lew
Hi Lewis,
Aerodynamics and tastes have meant that most vehicles nowadays look very much the same and are hard to tell apart one from the other. One of the things I like about the Dirt Rat Suzuki Jimny is that it looks like nothing else on the roads, and candidly is not all that dissimilar aesthetically to the older 1982 version I owned back in the early 1990’s. Back then it was a cheap and fun car to own and run, and the formula hasn’t changed much since those days. It’s a Kei car, just with a wider wheel base for Aussie roads.
It’s funny you mention that about the computers and vehicles, but I get where you are at. They sell a Lite version of the Jimny which has all the fundamentals, but none of the stuff you really don’t need, and I would have purchased that one if there was any stock available at the time. It was a six month wait. Who needs automatic headlights? Is it really that hard to manipulate a switch? Yeah, it is very much a vibe.
Ha! You’d be surprised. The young lady who works the weighing in machine, is I believe of Indian decent, and she had no dramas picking up the 50kg / 110 pound batteries. Respect. Dropped off another four batteries today.
The fresh food market is fun, and I reckon would be a confronting experience for many of my peers. 🙂 And I see you’ve known of such places too, as we’ve discussed in the past. 😉 The only time we were ripped off, was when the Editor was working towards efficiency, and took her eye off the prize and end goal. The sleight of hand was impressive for me to observe, and for $5, the enjoyment of the moment was worth every cent (for me at least 🙂 ). We had a long discussion afterwards about how to avoid such incidents in the future. She was annoyed, but only has herself to blame. There are times when it costs to be efficient.
Ah, the move away from using cash down here, generally means that all transactions are recorded. Long ago I worked for a mob that took in vast amounts of cash, every single day. I never want to see so much cash ever again. 🙂 Truly! What a nightmare that was. These days I don’t deal with any businesses which have a large cash component to their books. It just doesn’t happen much any more down here. However, on the other hand, it would be nice to shake off a lot of parasites, but bits of paper get waved at me saying it ain’t to be. One day they may put me out of business, which will put them out of business. How can they not realise this?
The tree stump was very impressive, and by the end of that day, well, my facial expression says it all. It was hard work. I’ve put on order some Japanese made chainsaw bars, which are cut from a single ingot and so have less flexing and deflection than the cheaper bars I’ve been using lately. They’re made from riveted sheet steel which can flex. It reminds me of the old saying about: Good; Fast; and Cheap, pick any two. Still, a job for another day to finish the monster.
For your interest, the kitchen videos are so much harder to make, and get lower viewer numbers and generally are a buzzkill for the statistics and momentum. Go figure? Utoob is a very strange environment.
You were right about the tree ferns, and believe it or not, the Ficus has drainage holes. However, the root systems have escaped through them and blocked up the channel. I’m uncomfortable about growing those plants too close to a building having seen elsewhere at the mayhem they can cause.
The flowers may not be a Dietes upon reflection. Hmm. Probably some sort of iris, maybe?
Go the pizza! Hmm, you know I always let the dough rise, then push it down and then outwards onto the pizza tray. Doesn’t seem to hurt, does it? And respect for challenging orthodoxy and using the pineapple. A person of discerning tastes, must also abide my the dictates of the palate, and pineapple is very tasty. Interesting to hear that the cheese situation worked out. I didn’t quite get the last bit of that paragraph though. Oh well, moving on! 😉 Nice try, I’m not sold on the idea you know. 😉
Really? I’d not been aware of the dead zones. And used to swim at the beach near to the outlet of the Yarra River in a suburb known as ‘Garden City’. Once found myself in the middle of a pod of jellyfish there – that was not fun and I ended up with a nasty rash. Is it a pod? Dunno. Anyway, it was an odd suburb as the entire place looked as if it were constructed of depression era ‘bank houses’ and then smaller duplex ‘social housing’. All were sold off onto private concerns in the 1980’s, or was it 1990’s? And are now worth heaps. Anyway, the suburb aesthetically appeared odd to my eyes, but was right on the beach near to the CBD – walking distance. Garden City, Victoria. Something to do with the early 20th century British Garden City movement.
Back in the day, the REM song was probably their first which got at least some minor airplay and I remember it from the punk scene long, long ago. Yup, they eventually cranked out the hits, and I enjoy their music.
Hitting the yoghurt and getting some less troublesome bacteria back into your gut is a good idea, and resetting the balance a tad. And glad to hear that your brain is doing a decent work around for the incident. Our bodies are pretty amazing. The Editor was telling me a similar story from the dog club where someone’s dog had hip dysplasia in a rear leg and was offered a remarkably expensive surgical option. By sheer chance the same dog had to regularly navigate stairs, and the physical therapy apparently alleviated the need for the knife. I’m of the opinion that all other avenues should be tested first, but that’s just my perspective.
Your summer weather sounds much cooler than I’d have anticipated. It will be interesting to see how the next few months go for you.
Turn your back for but a minute, and those baby zucchini will soon morph into marrows of the most gigantic sort. Good luck! 🙂
Far out? Are the wasps, the dreaded yellow jackets? And 18 times is rather a lot to be stung. Hope the landscaping person is doing OK? Once you find the entrance to the underground hive – there are sprays. I’m no fan of those insects, and they serve little useful purpose here.
Good enough is sometimes the best result. Does it really matter if the solution is not perfect? When I was younger, well, idealistic. What can I say, time has changed and morphed my world-view. As probably you also took such a journey?
Interesting. The filter is probably a carbon filter, but how does the thing change colour when it’s all used up? A mystery. Usually they simply clog up or just stop working. The plants will probably appreciate the filtered water, and have to laugh, but I’m uncertain that anyone would have studied that impact.
Man, dogs love cheese, although like you suggest, overdoing that would be a problem for their digestion (as it probably also is for their humans). Nice dinner tonight. Potato salad, boiled eggs, corn and some radish and pesto. Yum!
Ha! I’ve known dogs who’d just eat and eat and eat. Dame Plum on the other hand tells me when she’s had enough, and I use her as a guide as to what to feed Ruby. H is clearly in good hands. 🙂 And it’s a very long time since I’ve done any kind of drive through, but the thought that they’d freely distribute dog treats is a total unknown concept. You’ve blown my mind with that one. Never heard of it before. Wow! On the other hand, tablescaping as a competitive sport is the whole next level. I’d just appreciate it if the crockery and cutlery were clean and roughly put in the traditional place. 🙂 Clean is not too much to ask for is it?
Edward Gorey had his own unique style, and it was pretty cool.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Being out in the hinterlands, cash seems to be more common. I can only think of one business (a new carwash), that does not take cash. You can also get a “subscription” to get your vehicle washed weekly. I know this because our night manager has availed himself to the service.
Well, I certainly balanced a lot of tills, in my time. And the bookstores I worked in sometimes had enormous cash deposits. Especially at the holiday season. I seem to remember $23,000 dollars. “My” chair at the Club is next to the register. I think I mentioned that occasionally, watching someone count down a till is … painful. 🙂
I think that’s odd, about the lack of interest in your kitchen videos. Not enough glitz? 🙂 Or, it may just be a case of the market being oversaturated. Anytime I go looking for a recipe, on the net, there sure is a lot to choose from.
Thanks for the link to the Dietes. Mostly, orchid like, I think. Very pretty flowers.
The collective noun for jellyfish is a smack. Also, a fluther or bloom.
That was an interesting article on Garden City. Planned cities are pretty interesting. They can run all the way from company towns, to City Beautiful projects. You might find this article about Ladd’s Addition, in Portland, interesting. Although its residents weren’t the richest (those folks lived in the West Hills), it had a certain … cachet.
https://w.wiki/EsXs
H’s vet always comments on her back legs. I guess she has a bit of a trick knee. Not that it’s ever manifested itself. Your comment about the stairs made me wonder if our thrice daily (or more) jaunts up and down keeps her ticking along. She sort of jackrabbits up the stairs.
Our high yesterday was 75F (23.88C). Our overnight low was 48F (8.88C). The forecast high for today is 82F. We’re due for three days in the low 80s, and then back down into the 70s, again.
Wasps, hornets, Yellowjackets. There’s always some confusion about naming these stinging insects. These are black and yellow, and live in the ground. I asked the night manager who and when the nest might be taken care of. He didn’t know. I’ll probably go to hell, but the thought did cross my mind that whichever landscaper was stung, was maybe the one who butchered our blueberries. A fit punishment, I think.
Luckily, H is pretty self regulating when it comes to food. I do pull her bowl for a few hours, after she gets her dental chew. Doesn’t seem to phase her. About the only extras she gets with her kibble (every other night) is mixed veg and rice (except for the green beans), reconstituted cranberries, and peanut butter. I occasionally try other things, but so far, haven’t hit on anything she likes and will eat. Bananas? No.
I’m almost done with the Bryson book, and have found it fascinating enough to put in too many late nights, reading. 🙂 He often goes on interesting tangents. A chapter on Hollywood and the movies. The development of radio. The development of TV. The book really is a pretty good portrait of life and society in the US, in the 1920s. He had a chapter on authors and the publishing industry. There were some really popular authors, back then, who sold millions of copies of books … who are little known, today. Broadway, and the impact of talkies. A lot of Broadway stars, headed west. Depleting the available actors to keep a lot of theaters running. Lew
Hi, Chris!
That was the thing with my son searching for 7 months to find a car as close as he could to the one that someone had totaled last December. He just loved that old 2006 Chevy Malibu and it is amazing that he found almost exactly the same thing, except for it being 2007.
I was wondering about how much weight a small Suzuki could carry. Once I put way too much weight (actually, the store employee put it in) in the back of our tiny Nissan pickup truck. I was nervous all the way home.
Our salvage yard is in the middle of town. Something tells me that it wasn’t the middle when the place started up in business. It’s exciting, but not as exciting as cavemen and Sabre Tooth Tigers.
A favorite chain supermarket of mine is closing. It is going to be hard on the poorer folks in some of the area around it. I was in there today, myself and two other customers and 3 or 4 employees. It’s a huge store and it felt really eerie, especially with the shelves half empty. But I got some deals, though I saw no barbarians. For once, there was no waiting in line . . .
Hey, Chris – are you sure it’s worth being in business?
I am really, really glad that the water tanks are filling up again.
That is the biggest tree stump I have ever seen. And it was also a big, UGLY tree stump. On video, it looked even bigger than in the photos. Notice how it fought back. It feared no chainsaws! At least you can sharpen the chains in all that spare time you have (ook). I was afraid that you would have to throw them away. I like all that protective gear that you had on. That was so smart. Your blue hat looks a bit worse for wear, though. But, bollocks, there’s still more work.
The echium mess is impressive. I think (I think . . . ?) I am glad that I don’t have any. I am pleased to see the tree fern coming back, though. All the flowers are beautiful, but the succulents still outdo them all right now. They are amazingly showy. Thanks!
As for last week: I hope that you enjoyed the Triple J parade of songs. In fact, I know you did.
Pam
@ Lew:
I had remembered that you had Finnish blood, but never got back to commenting. I did not know that you have Lapp blood, also. They are fascinating people. I have been reading my Scandinavian books, mostly on Norway (only have one on Finland), to try and keep cool this summer, it actually works for me. So, I have read quite a few things about Lapland and have another book (maybe 2, I forget) coming just on Lapland. It’s going to be exciting!
Pam
Hi Pam,
Hope the replacement steed is as reliable and hardy as the earlier incarnation. Such machines were constructed around the peak of manufacturing quality, and so hopefully they provide a long and useful life span. Sometimes the universe does a person a solid. Always nice to be grateful at such fortunate moments.
🙂 About 360kg / 800 pounds. Two adults plus those batteries and you’re not far off the limit. The machine can tow a heavier load in a trailer. And that’s what I notice as well, throw in too much extra weight into a vehicle, and the way it drives completely alters. With those pickup trucks, putting all of the weight towards the rear of the tray is a nightmare proposition. Easier for the employee though. You can feel the front wheels no longer have the grip they only once did. Ook!
When materials are being paid for with hard cash, then you know that recycling is actually taking place. 😉 The tip works on a different basis, a person has to pay to dispose of materials at that location. Tells a person everything they need to know.
People and other critters would do well to avoid sneaking up upon a caveman. A reaction from the somewhat nervous and alert disposition may cause some consternation – and not with me, but with anyone foolish enough to do so. Did I mention the possum? No? Oh well, speaking of sneaking up upon, a Powerful Owl took out one of the final possums early this morning. Dame Plum discovered the headless carcass, and decided to retrieve the body. She was proud as, that dog. The body was then relocated into the worm farm. Dogs…
Sorry to hear of the loss of your local amenities. These are difficult times, that’s for sure. Hey, the mostly empty large shop would have felt like a zombie film to me. Cavemen probably dispatch the undead without a seconds thought. All in a days work! But yeah, it’s a loss in your local area which many will feel. What do you do?
🙂 Pam, there are a lot of parasites feeding off my work. Oh well. I do wonder at what point people simply throw their hands up in the air and retire from field of battle, sorry I meant to say business world. I’m hearing of an exodus from my industry.
A few more weeks of this sort of rain, and the water tanks really will be filled.
In the flesh, the tree stump is truly massive (or is now less so). Quality chainsaws are remarkable machines in that they’re designed from the ground up to be repairable, with consumables that can be restored to better than factory condition. However, my saw is now 14 years old, and maybe an exception to how things roll these days? Hard to say really. Dunno.
Sadly the blue hat is looking a tad worse for wear, and I agree with you. Maybe there is a need for a spare, and a hat friend for the spare? I like where this topic is going!
I believe (I think too! 🙂 ) Echium’s are probably not a wise garden plant, unless regularly pruned and kept in tip top shape. The poor Kelpies are frustrated in their continuing efforts to deal with the varmints hiding in the mess.
The succulents are lovely. Hey, do you grow any at your place? And do they have to be dragged inside out of the winter weather?
The countdown was fun! And now you know the title is a nod.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Car washes down here used to take cash, but are now mostly credit card only. Subscriptions like that one you mentioned, help businesses keep the proverbial lights on, although that’s not a subscription service I’d ever heard about until you mentioned it. The car washes down here are generally pretty busy, and $5 will get you a few minutes with the pressure washer / soap and you do all the work yourself.
There’s not much point washing the cars. In summer there is dust from the dirt roads. In winter there’s mud from the dirt roads. My best guess is that there are about four weeks in every year when conditions are perfect in that there is no mud or dust from the dirt roads. That’s the time to get a car washed.
Say, that’s a lot of mad cash, and is an absolute nightmare to bank after the close of usual business days. In the old days they had night time safety deposit chutes, but those have gone the way of the dinosaurs. And the volume of cash I’m talking about involved armoured guards and get away trucks – and you’d never know in advance when they’d turn up – for obvious reasons. Never again do I want to see such high business drama, way too much continual excitement for the likes of I. The trucks were interesting in that they could be driven away by the person locked inside the van section. And you’d just have to trust the company that they eventually counted the quantity correctly.
Has the Club still got that baffling till machine? Those things work well for a business which collects data about inventory flows and uses that for re-ordering. But nobody else requires such excessive detail. Man, I’d be pained too, but not pained enough to get involved. 😉 The old timers used to have a saying about ‘enough rope to hang’. Eventually the till will cease to function.
The market for the kitchen videos is like you suggested – over saturated. And we just can’t provide the slick production that many folks do. Our motto with the utoob stuff is: Keep it simple.
The plants look mostly orchid like to me as well, and tough as old boots. And they’re blue!
The word ‘smack’ is of course correct for jellyfish (thanks for alerting me to this – the education continues! 🙂 ), but it conveys no meaningful information whatsoever. The word smack is what may be applied to a naughty Kelpie who indulged her desires to hang out with a dead headless possum (a powerful owl kill), instead of following her humans instructions. Clearly I have less appeal than the decapitated marsupial carcass, which now resides in the worm farm.
Fluther sounds like the name of a medieval wind instrument which was so extraordinarily difficult to master, that only a handful had ever done so. The resulting err, music, was once long ago described by a long dead cleric as the cross between full moon dazed howling wolves, and finger nails inadvertently scraping down a blackboard.
Bloom is of course what happens to your ears when you are subjected to the music! 😉 Chunks and brain sludge ooze out the ear canal, thus the bloom description. One late middle ages scholar suggested it was bloomin’ ‘orrid to observe from a safe distance.
Planned cities are interesting places, and the national capital down here falls very much into that category as well. They often test out innovative ideas in that territory, prior to implementing them in other parts of the country. Roundabouts were first tested there I believe. Dude, it boggles my mind that the average cost of what was once social housing in that planned suburb are so expensive nowadays. Oh well.
Ladd’s Addition looks delightfully quirky and pleasant. The images ooze quiet money. Mature shade trees really add something to an urban street scape. An the communal rose gardens sound nice to me.
If H isn’t bothered, is it that much of a problem? I’d suggest that you and H taking the stairs is a clever move, for both of you. Some dogs can’t seem to slow down on stairs, and Sir Poopy had that failing, but I’ve also seen that bounding move you mentioned with H.
Oooo! Well, it happens, and nature sure can be a trickster. 🙂 The wasps will be dealt to pretty quickly I reckon. Maybe. Not a fan of yellowjackets. Have the decimated blueberries produced anything this year? You never know, by next summer they maybe out-performing their less damaged peers.
H is a lady. Exhibit A) Does H look proud to have a dead possum between her jaws? Coconut oil is much loved by the dogs here. Looks like ghee, but smells and tastes far nicer.
Late night reading is the sign of a truly fine book. 🙂 Somerset Maugham for a start! I’d never heard of the author until I believe Inge may have mentioned the name many long moons ago now. Or was it you? The book was: ‘The Summing up’, a very succinct and concise title if I may add. Interestingly the author spent a while name dropping obscure personages, but fortunately this habit was barely indulged.
Follow the money, and in those days, it lead west. The Grapes of Wrath suggested as much, although the folks in that story were pursuing slightly different employment options.
Cheers
Chris
@ Pam – Right now I’m reading “The Palace of the Snow Queen: Winter Travels in Lapland and Sapmi” (Sjoholm, 2023). I’m just getting into it. I’m reading about the hotel of ice they build, every winter, above the Arctic Circle.
My Lap blood may come from the Norwegian branch of the family. According to the author, Lapland sort of floats around the northern reaches of Finland, Norway and Sweden. Oh, sure, there are “official” boundaries, but it’s more a state of mind. 🙂
Any psychic abilities I have, probably come from that branch of the family. Lew
Yo, Chris – Hats. I have my gardening hat, which is in truly appalling condition. 🙂 Then I have my “town” hat. That I sometimes refer to as my “Sunday go-to-meeting hat.” 🙂
The first store I managed, had a very convenient bank, right up the escalator outside my store. Did corporate avail themselves of that bank? No, I had to drive 5 miles to make a night deposit. Which was surrounded by dense tropical foliage and had a flickering lightbulb above it. It took a lot of whinging, but I finally go them to change banks. I think the district manager had to take a picture of the overgrown deposit slot.
Well, that’s the thing about the Club’s register. I often make the observation (loudly) that it’s not as if we’re a convenience store, with thousands of items to keep track of.
“Smack” is also the slang term for Heroin.
Old Beau the dog, from my previous home, used to kill possums in his yard. Anytime I’d attempt to remove them, he seemed to think they were a doggie keep-away toy. I finally wised up, and would fence him on the deck, before removing said toy. He’d whine as if I was taking away his first born pup. He got over it.
H’s leash is long enough, that she can charge up a flight of stairs, and wait for me at the top as I trail behind. I often say that we take the stairs, instead of the elevator, to keep she, and me, in shape. All bets were off, when I was sick. We took the elevator.
News on the wasps. They were supposed to be taken care of, yesterday, Monday. The guy was sick. (Monday bottle flu?). Thursday is the next scheduled time. I watered later, last night. As earlier, there were wasps around.
Even in my lifetime, I’ve seen very popular authors pass away, and fall out of favor. James Michener, comes to mind. Leon Uris.
Our high yesterday was 82F (27.77C). Our overnight low was 50F (10C). The forecast high for today (and tomorrow) is 87F. Then it will get cooler.
I’m headed down to the Farmer’s Market this morning. See if I can pick up a couple of flats of blueberries. I thought maybe I could meet up with Scott, as we did last year, for breakfast. He’s got out-of-town visitors coming. He also told me he’s been diagnosed with COPD. Mild enough it can be treated with an inhaler. Lew
Chris:
With that little Nissan pickup, we used to always put logs in the forepart of the bed in the winter, to give it a bit more traction (it was not 4-wheel drive).
I found a possum skeleton not long ago. Now I am wondering if an owl took it out. I often hear them at night. You mentioned your worm farm. Does that take the place of a septic tank like we have?
As for the closing supermarket: I am lucky, I have wheels (two sets now!), but a lot of the people in that area will have to take a bus now to another store instead of walking. Luckily, within town, we have a pretty good bus system, except that it does not run on Sundays.
My sister has a friend who is an accountant in New York state. He and his spouse are planning to move to Costa Rica. I hope they need accountants there, though I don’t think he speaks Spanish . . .
We have a grand total of two succulents, both in pots, and yes they have to come in for the winter.
We have a very aggressive small wasp here called the “yellow jacket”. In the countryside, it is everyone’s fear to run into them. They nest in the ground and you often don’t know they are there until you step in it, then they come out and swarm and sting and chase you.
My son had the unfortunate luck to not realize that a large plastic crate in the fig area had a yellow jacket nest in and under it. He stuck the crate in the wooden trailer that he usually keeps hooked up to Mr. Musty and started to drive off. Those wasps got mad and flew in the open truck window and started stinging him (he’s fine now).
He leapt out and ran up to the house. They gave up the chase pretty quickly. Later, after we had fixed up his stung spots, he decided to hook the crate with a large hook on a literal 10-foot pole, tied to a long rope and pull it out of the trailer so he could burn it. This he did. It worked pretty well, but he did not realize till later that there was another crate in the truck with a few yellow jackets. He decided to drive the truck and trailer in circles for awhile to see if the wasps would leave and even drove up and down the neighborhood road. I told him he was crazy – but it worked! They are all gone.
Pam
@ Lew:
I was just going back and reading through the comments and, how strange, I see that you mentioned yellow jackets at #4. Or maybe not; they are a part of summer most places, I guess.
Pam
Chris,
I got to contemplating “the patterns aren’t right” some more. From things you’ve said, you have an awareness of your surroundings most of the time. Something from martial arts back in the day, perhaps? Anyhoo, I’ve tried to develop an awareness of my surroundings also. And we both read and think. I seem to remember reading that our gut actually has more nerve thingumies than does our brain. I reckon that when we sense that “the patterns aren’t right”, it’s really these nerve thingamies getting input from our awareness and observations and coming up to a conclusion in “gut feeling” form.
A new to this area company has been building its fiber optic infrastructure. Salesmen have been wandering around trying to drum up customers. I talked to a salesman on Thursday. Their package that is similar to what I’ve currently got for a landline phone, interweb and television costs a fair amount less than what I’m currently paying. Sounded good. By Sunday, I was getting a loud and clear “the patterns aren’t right” signal. I spent time thinking about it, figured out why. Then I called my current company, explained the competition and the price. They were able to nearly match the new company’s price. Still a bit more expensive, but I know what I’ve got. I’m not changing service providers. I reckon that my gut caught what I wouldn’t like about the new service before my brain had caught on.
Good to see that your tree ferns are responding to the rain. Twas a brutal summer for those tender plants.
Some of the thyme has begun a second bloom. The succulents are still blooming. Various veggies still have flowers. I’ll have to pick some chokecherries soon before the starlings eat them all.
I like that picture of you smiting the Mighty Meg Monster with the wrecking bar. The monster looks like it might be something out of a Lovecraft book or something. The first photo of a confident you leaning on the meg…it looked as if your hand was leaning on the meg’s mouth. By the time your destruction of the Mighty Meg Monster is complete, you’re probably going to feel like Sigurd Fafnirsbane or Beowulf or something.
Which of course would have you feeling rather a barbarian. And you just got done writing about the costs of doing business, and that it might take some barbarians to straighten out the mess. And if you’ve been destroying a Lovecraftian meg, well, is it possible that the Lovecraftian meg would put a curse on you to become self-destructive? Barbaric even? Be careful. Be very careful. 🙂
Crickets. It’s dusk. I was just in the back yard. Crickets are singing in one of the hedges. Most years we have a few crickets. This year there are a lot of crickets, sounding like a symphony orchestra playing something loud from Wagner. I enjoy listening to the crickets.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Back in the day, Nissan made some great little pickup trucks. Indestructible, and they could run (as the old timers used to say): on the smell of an oily rag. I’m of the opinion that vehicles are too big and heavy nowadays, but then those are expensive to run. I hear you about wanting to give the driven back wheels some traction.
You’ve got a number of critters which could do that, but generally I reckon those same would pull the carcass apart. A bird can only but pick the possum to the bone. I doubt any part of the unfortunate marsupial would have gone to waste.
Yeah, the worm farm is in the same place system wise as a septic tank, but works a bit different like. 🙂 Septic tanks use bacteria which require no (or little) oxygen and need semi-regular pumping out, whereas the worm farm is very aerated – and has little odour, other than a sort of earthy aroma, and has never filled up.
Go the two sets of wheels. A working model, and a spare, is generally my best case scenario take upon the world too. Hauling groceries onto a bus would be not an easy task to manage.
Well, they’ll pick up the language quickly enough, or starve. I’ve read the word ‘exodus’ being used for the profession in your country (and this one for that matter). And bizarrely I now have some first hand experience, and well, if your system seems a bit crazy, it may just be that.
Lovely that the succulents have found themselves in a good home.
Yes, sad to say it, but the “yellow jackets” (or what we call European wasps) are to be found over in the more fashionable western end of the mountain range during the summer months. Pam, I am no fan of those insects, and you may recall the willow tree I cut down a few years ago because those wasps were harvesting aphids for their sugars on the willow leaves?
Glad to hear that your son has recovered from the multiple stings. Those rotters, but that was an ingenious solution and I’d have burned the lot of them off too just because. They have no natural predators here, and so can be something of a nuisance. Heavy rains tend to put an end to their nests. But always a few seem to survive.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
You love snow 🙂 , apparently there is a chance that a: Rare prospect of snowfalls in seven Australian states this week. Looking at the forecast, it’s doubtful any will fall here this week, despite the elevation, but maybe later in August.
I’ve read that about the ‘gut’ too, and Chinese traditional medicine also suggests that the gut is the second brain. Probably because it is. 🙂
Being aware of your surroundings can be a remarkably useful skill, because all sorts of things are going on all around us, all of the time. Learning discernment is the err, well, the complicated part to the story. Best also not to overload one’s senses, so knowing what things to tune out is equally important. For your interest, I used my gut feeling yesterday evening, and decided to entirely up-end my work day today, but for a good cause. Have to catch up on more paid work tomorrow though what with being somewhat behind now. 🙂
And clearly you’ve used your deep seated intuition as well with the new connection folks. And that’s it too, you know what you’re getting, but at a more reasonable price. A friend was telling me the other day about how there are companies in your country which specialise in working out, and then putting an end to subscriptions of all things. Kind of like a hired gun against unwanted, but problematic and hard to kill bills! 🙂
Twas indeed! The low-to-the-ground rainforest plants did not do so well in the warm and dry summer months. It’s also pleasing to see the water tanks fast filling up.
Having enchiladas for dinner this evening. Nod of thanks for mentioning them all those months ago now. 🙂
Oh my! Save us all from the depredations of starlings. They can live here if the birds have access to an open shed where they’ll roost up on high in a protected spot. You’re in a nice time of year with the garden. Hope you and Dame Avalanche are enjoying your morning coffee watching the antics and considering the day ahead?
I know! The roots looked like a tentacled monster crouching in wait. 🙂 Hey, for all we know, it may have been the remains of a dragon? You never know. The job is waiting to have the electric jackhammer applied to the timber so as to remove the encrusted clay. Plus I splashed the mad cash on an expensive Japanese made chainsaw bar which won’t have the same amount of flex as the cheaper one made from riveted sheet metal did. There’s a time for cheap, then there is a time for gettin’ serious.
Thank you for suggesting that potential downfall, and yes, hubris is something to be feared. I was referring to other barbarians now that you mention it…
What? What’s with all the many references to Wagner this year? 🙂 Warner Brothers did the best version. Nuff said. Opera is not for I, my musical tastes are somewhat more base.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Did you know that there is a school of thought which suggests that a truly grotty gardening hat, is the distinguished mark of a serious gardener, oh, and a gentleman to boot? You heard it here first, just don’t wear the soiled hat (and I trust it has an ingrained sweat band as a potent symbol to declare to the world that work gets done ’round these ‘ere parts?) to inappropriate places, like say, the Club. You might not be allowed to forget that lapse of etiquette. And we are of one mind here, there are other hats for that purpose, such as your “town” model.
Oh hey, hope you can check this out. This is the lovely Fern Nursery folks being visited by the Gardening Australia crew the fortnight before we visited them a few weeks ago: Paradise Frond A very clever play on words too. Eddie is a lovely bloke, and we’ve been buying there for over a decade and a half.
Oh no! Nothing quite says massive security risk for that particular banking scenario. It’s not right, and you could have been mugged for the mad cash. Generally, I sent folks to do the banking when it came to lots of cash in pairs, and never alone. At least they finally developed some common sense and changed banks.
Your Club till situation baffles me, and that’s it exactly. The question: why?, is sometimes highly relevant. Oh well, eventually it will break. Out of curiosity, there’s sometimes intriguing insights to be gained upon understanding the question of origin with such stories. Was it donated to the Club?
Of course, silly me. And you’re correct. A horse of jellyfish would sound deeply weird. 😉 What an unusual rabbit hole that turned out to be delving into both etymology and euphemism’s, and discovering that a heroine is a female hero. Actually I recall a comedy film where a group of young lads hand painted a sign where the word was misspelled. Takes on an entirely different meaning!
Old Beau the dog was made tough-as. Yes, the lure of the dead possum proved too great for the best behaved dog in the collective. Potent stuff, apparently. Now in the worm farm though, covered in vacuum cleaner dust last I noticed.
How are you feeling today? Incidental exercise is some of the best to do, like climbing the stairs. Living on sloping land means that I’m always going up and down the hill. It’s common to see visitors losing their breath on the climb.
The bloke may have the same bug you got. Yikes! Those wasps are a bit aggressive for my liking, but will generally leave a person alone, unless they deem you to be a threat.
I recall both of those authors, who it should be remembered, wrote real door stoppers. But very popular.
It sure is cold outside tonight. Not far off freezing. Didn’t see much of the outdoors today, so anything could have happened and I’d have not noticed. Working hard is when you’re so busy that you fail to notice the mothership landing nearby. Or possibly the person is simply not very observant. Honestly, now I’m just confused as to which it may be? There may be a third explanation?
Your weather really sounds delightfully pleasant.
Ah, do they take that card thing at the market? And more importantly, do they have supply? What the heck is COPD? Hang on a second… … Oh my gawds, you don’t want that. Hope Scott is doing OK?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – I’ve absentmindedly worn my gardening hat, to the Club a few times. This being a rural area, it doesn’t draw any comment.
That was a really good video, about the fern nursery. Very knowledgeable folks, and nice to boot.
During the holidays, when the deposits were outrageously high, we’d travel to the bank, in pairs. Another part of that juggling around of money, was keeping an adequate change fund. Coin, small bills, and such. Seems like there was always the customer, who would buy a book for $2.95 … and pay with a $50 or $100 bill. I seem to have no problem asking for “small bills, please.” Other people seem constitutionally unable to do that.
Well, the whole till issue, evolved over several months at the Club. One woman got it in her head that we didn’t have enough “inventory control.” That there may have been “shrinkage.” Not so you’d notice. And, by constantly banging away at that, managed to round up a few more women, as allies. Eventually, one or two of them got into positions of power, and the inventory control / new till were implemented. It’s really all about power and control. The till wasn’t donated (as was the last one) and I guess there’s a monthly fee. I don’t know how much.
Oh, I’m feeling pretty good. I guess I’m back to as normal as I get. 🙂
Our high yesterday was 88F (31.11C). Our overnight low was 54F (12.22C). The forecast for today is 89F. Tomorrow is forecast to be 10 degrees cooler. I’ve seen a couple of articles, that nationwide, we’re in for a cooling trend. Temperatures well below normal average. Something about cooler air, coming in from Canada. All well and good, but where that cool air hits the southern warmer air, the weather could get pretty wild.
I suppose you heard about the earthquake up on the Kamchatka Peninsula. I see they’ve also had a volcanic eruption. The whole Pacific Rim was on alert for tsunami. So far, I’m not seeing too much reports of damage. Or, loss of life. In some ways, not a good thing. The next time it happens (as with hurricanes), some people won’t pay attention, because the last one was kind of a fizzle.
I went down to the Farmer’s Market, about 45 minutes before opening. Got a parking spot, on the level, about a block and a half away. They can’t sell anything, until the 11 o’clock bell. But, I chatted with the nice young man who had the blueberries. He was the only game in town. $52 a flat, this year. But, I had an $80 card, so, I bought two flats. The card is supplied by a Washington State program, “Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program. They’re distributed by our local senior center. They can only be used a farmer’s markets. He was nice enough to sprinkle another two cartons of berries, over both flats. I think I’ll go to Spooner’s fruit stand, tomorrow, and get another flat and a half. I can’t use the card, there, but it’s used up, anyway. Their berries will cost less … because they’re not organic. 🙂
This is what a flat of blueberries, looks like. 12 of these little cartons, to a flat. A flat weighs about 10 pounds.
https://www.mashed.com/422184/everything-you-need-to-know-about-blueberries/
I have the first batch, frozen in the bag. The second batch is freezing on trays, the third batch is cleaned and drying out in colanders. Moving right along … A batch fills a gallon freezer bag, a little over 2/3 full. I hope I can pick enough here at the Institution to plumb up the bags, to “well stuffed.”
I haven’t figured out how many bags I have left, from last year. So as to figure out how many bags I need to freeze up, this year. All in good time. Lew
@ Pam – I saw an article a couple of days ago, on rural grocery stores, closing.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/28/business/trump-big-beautiful-bill-snap-grocery
The reduction in benefits will hit the whole food chain, pretty hard. Lew
Chris:
Our septic tank was installed in 1991. It has never been pumped out. I don’t know if that is pure luck (no troubles with it) or whether the installer just happened to work some magic when putting it in. In any case, I am grateful.
I do remember the wasps and the willows. I don’t remember if anyone got stung.
I found 3 tomatoes that are beginning to ripen! They were in my “nursery” bed of potted plants that never got planted out into beds. It is a veritable jungle and I suspect that is why the squirrels didn’t find them. Tally of vegetables so far:
3 tomatoes
2 rotten bell peppers
1 eggplant
1 small, and one very small, yellow squashes
19 pounds of potatoes
105 large cucumbers, mostly from a variety called Early
Russian. They grow 1 to 2 inches a day.
Not to mention that we did get quite a lot of greens in the
spring, even after sharing with the Hunhog.
In reading some WWII British homefront anecdotes, I kept coming across that they used rechargeable batteries for their radios. If the technology was available then, why did it take so long to become common usage?
Pam
@ Lew:
I will be very interested to hear if you think the book worthwhile. I had always heard that my father’s side had some Norwegian blood, but never saw any proof. I think my psychic abilities come from my Scottish blood. And let us remember that there have been a good few Scandinavians in Scotland over the years.
I see that you have yellowjackets, too.
Pam
I’ve actually finally managed to get ripe figs from the tree at my parents house, I think the secret is thinning the number of figs on the tree, which pruning in spring achieved, and I have thinned the newer figs again in the hope the remaining ones will ripen before we run out of summer.
I’ve started picking greenhouse tomatoes, and outside, some runner beans and French beans are about to start cropping.
Chris,
Snow? Far out! I’d like to see some snow about now. Anything white that falls from the sky here is likely to be ash from one of the wildfires.
The Princess is on the Rez for a cousin’s funeral. A wildfire started late this afternoon a few miles south of where the official events will be held. A very recent update stated that a major power pole has been damaged by the fire, and that the power company is shutting off all power to that area. Indefinitely.
Meanwhile, the Princess and I drove out to the local farming area Tuesday. We bought 2 boxes of fresh peaches. She took one box with her for the funeral services and meals. I’m dehydrating most of the other box. I saved some in the refrigerator for personal consumption. They are tasty.
Naturally, while you’re talking snow and the Princess is near a wildfire, it is summer weather here. We hit 39C with 16% humidity today. It is a few degrees cooler where the Princess is, but just as dry. And windy. The wind picked up this afternoon throughout the region. From the north. North winds are not a good thing in the summer hereabouts.
Enchiladas are always a good idea. Glad that you’re enjoying them.
Oh, yes, Dame Avalanche and I still enjoy our morning cuppa. The day isn’t right for either of us without that event. You know dogs…they live for their rituals and known patterns.
Good idea. Apply the electric jackhammer to what is left of that petrified Lovecraftian dragon carcass. If stabbing it with the big metal pole didn’t do the job, bringing in the big guns is always a good alternative. Hope it works.
Oh, yes, I know you were referring to other barbarians. Mate, you describe yourself as a caveman. I call myself a Viking, and my dad called me a barbarian. The Princess calls me her “Viking Swine”. As in the Feb. 3, 2014 cartoon here:
https://comicskingdom.com/hagar-the-horrible/2014-02-03
I hear you about opera. It’s difficult stuff to listen to. (I typically prefer listening to a dentist’s drill.) However, a few of the songs, if done right…and Warner Brothers used those few to good advantage indeed.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Oh! Well, it’s been a long while, and maybe your system doesn’t work like I believe it may. Being in a different country you may be describing an entirely different system to what I know of them. My neighbours septic tank was apparently replaced recently, and before that I could smell when they were doing their laundry at a certain location on this property where the underground water flowed. The plants in that area clearly had become used to the nutrient loads in the soil. After the tank was replaced, the soils suddenly dried up in that area and the plants went into shock. Hmm.
I’ve not been stung by a yellow jacket wasp, and by the way, how is your son doing after that incident? Sandra was once stung three times by a single wasp, and now we have a general rule of ensuring that those insects have no legitimate reason to be here. Basically that involves limiting opportunities for both housing and feed for the unpleasant critters. Oh! And I did the cutting and mulching of that willow tree – the wasps were all over it at the time.
Go the secret veg jungle bed! 🙂 You may have inadvertently discovered a method to thwart the incessant and unrelenting squirrels? Yours is a respectable haul from a small location. And 105 cucumbers sounds to me like an opportunity to create pickles, OR, make some super tasty bánh mì. Dunno about you, but I feel that the addition of cucumber slices cuts down the effect of the rich roast pork fat in those tasty rolls. Yum! Yum!
Any recent sightings of the hunhog? Are you planning out the fall garden yet?
🙂 The very early batteries were always rechargeable. Batteries are a very old technology, and the little disposable AA and AAA or 9V batteries are the exceptions being non rechargeable, rather than the general rule. The ones which annoy me the most, are those little tiny button batteries because they cause so much havoc, and people learn to be careful with them, usually after dire consequences.
Quite cloudy here today, but a nice day to spend indoors doing paid work.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Mawkernewek,
Respect! And good to hear of the results, as I too have been wondering about the benefits of thinning out the early Breba crop. Hmm. Any plans for the figs you harvested? The best tasting fruit here are the purple variety, which are very sweet.
It’s funny you mention fig trees, but there are plans to move one on Saturday. That should be the last fruit tree to be moved for a long while, but plenty of the trees now require pruning. Oh well, always plenty to do, isn’t there?
Have you tasted jam made from figs? It’s really very good.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Snow here seems to be absent as well, and I dunno how you’d feel about regular 1’C mornings this week? A bloke and his Husky can become summer soft! 🙂 Although being made of sterner stuff, your lady would probably shrug off such cold weather. Hopefully the fires keep well away from both your city and the Rez. Any rain in the immediate forecast? The next ten days here seem mostly dry too. Rain now appears to be arriving here in big splats, then not much.
Please accept my condolences for the loss of your lady’s cousin. It’s really weird isn’t it, how life goes on in the midst of disasters like the wildfire near to the funeral?
By the use of the word ‘indefinitely’, does that mean for the short term, or do you reckon the nice power co may disconnect the line in a more permanent fashion at some point in the future? Hmm. Might be time for some more local power systems in the Rez? Man, a small off grid power system can go a long way nowadays, but with a bit of quick thinking, there may be some arms to twist for the mad cash? People forget sometimes that the electricity system may reverse on a last-in-first-out basis. This area just for one example is at the end of a long line. The locals here may not appreciate the complexity of that story. And with the continual vegetation management the nice power co is paying for here, that would drive down the profitability. Hmm.
Nice score! Peaches would grow so well in your area. Yummo! It’s a very thoughtful gift to take, and I have no doubts would be much appreciated. Did the dehydrating aroma smell nice? Mostly we bottle (can) peaches, but that only works with the varieties that have firm flesh, otherwise the soft peaches turn into a splodge (that’s a technical term 😉 ).
Far out that’s hot, and recorded in the shade, but at least it’s not 40’C. 🙂 Out of curiosity what kind of humidity do the north winds bring? Presumably it is quite dry in central Canada at that time of year? The north-west winds here are hot, and fast, but can sometimes carry extraordinary moisture from the Indian Ocean which is very far away.
How do the winds from the south compare?
The enchiladas are a good dose of whatever vegetables we have hanging around at the time. 🙂 The trick is to make the mixture (and yoghurt addition for that matter) dry. I tried one on a visitor recently, and the yoghurt wasn’t quite fully drained of the whey, which gave it a tiny hint of an acidic taste where the whey was. Oh well, the rest was awesome. And corn is made for enchilada filling. Might have to grow some this summer.
Yes, the mornings are rarely in focus before a decent cuppa. 🙂 Dame Avalanche clearly comprehends this aspect of your temperament as well. Although the dogs here can be a bit high spirited in the wee early hours of the morning, the cheeky scamps. Ollie has been known to occasional yodel with the excitement for the new day. You don’t hear the word ‘yodel’ used much these days, do you? We need to reclaim the use of this sadly neglected word.
Exactly, dogs enjoy their patterns. 🙂
I’m planning to get that electric 3.2 horsepower jackhammer onto the tree stump over the next few days. Like Arnie in the Terminator, I said to the monster chunk of forest feral, “I’ll be back!” Whether the super dense timber heard me is another matter, I mean, it is super dense…
Thanks for the laughs, I love the Hägar the Horrible cartoons. Oh, is that new French weapon a toothpick? 🙂 Marshmallows indeed. And Hägar mentioned an eternal truth about hats in one of the other cartoons. So much fun, and perhaps Dame Avalanche has some Snert in her blood? You never know!
I know, there are the tub thumping sections of an opera, and then there are the long and overly intricate boring bits which appeal to the intellectuals. Then back to the Ride of the Valkyries. And so around and around it goes, and I went off and did something else with the limited number of hours available to me. Clearly the art form is not for the likes of myself. Oh well.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
It happens, and to be honest, I wear appropriate clothes to different venues. Like say, I’m going to the scrap metal recycler or tip, or even getting a quote for materials, I don’t dress up – those symbols send the wrong kind of message. A gardening hat though can be a bit more flexible, and you’re known at the Club so there’s a touch of social leeway there anyway. And that’s the thing too, there are different expectation out in the bush, than in the big smoke. Although general deportment is a subject which seems to be lost on many folks in these enlightened days.
Glad you could watch the video and that’s what the nursery looks like. It’s a delightful place. Even the areas where the ferns for sale are located are pleasing on the eye.
I was very much a stickler for employees heading to the bank in pairs – every time. Never had any troubles, and a quarter century ago, that cash business had a lot of junkies lurking around on the street. Never seemed to hassle the staff going to the bank, but then it paid to be careful. And oh my yes! Maintaining enough cash in the till is a little bit science, and a lot of art. As you mentioned, some folks are a bit timid when it comes to nuisance customers. Hmm, you know I always thought that the whole ‘customer is always right’ shtick was a tool to beat employees around the head. Experience suggests that just like the rest of us, customers are equally fallible.
Ah! A bold power move, and thanks for sharing the story. Hmm. It’s been my observation that such folks are very poor at the ‘follow-on’ from such err, pestering. Given they took control, if the situation bothered me (which in that case probably wouldn’t), I’d stir the pot randomly from time to time and ask how them about the effectiveness of the initiative and outcomes. 😉 Well, if the Club ever becomes in need of extra mad cash, there’s a simple solution in getting rid of the thing…
Hehe! That’s funny, yes, and glad to hear that you’re feeling better. It does raise the awful question doesn’t it: What is normal anyway? If you ever discover the answer to this question, please do let me know? 🙂
Makes the sensitive gardening person wonder if the harvest this year will be impacted by the larger cooling trend? And yup, low and high pressure weather systems do not play nice together upon contact.
I did read about the 8.8 earthquake. Trust me, I take such things very seriously, now. 🙂 And it’s an exponential grading, so such numbers trouble me deeply. Hadn’t heard much about the tsunami, but yes, people do tend to erroneously figure that one event is much pretty the same as another. Not a wise way of thinking about the world. Did you see that the world’s biggest stick insect was discovered recently?
Interesting, $52 a flat is about what you’d pay down here for blueberries too. 20 pounds is a pretty good quantity in anyone’s language. And a nice chat mostly produces good outcomes – like the extra couple of cartons sprinkled on top. Not everyone is up for such things though depending on the day and their general demeanour. At such moments, I don’t push things and just stick to the basics of the interaction. We’ve spoken many times over the years about observing interactions between people, and what they suggest about the core underlying personality – and it’s so true. Some folks make me feel very deeply uncomfortable, but there are heaps of different types of personalities in our society.
Blue batter from frozen blueberries would look slightly deranged. The link covered a lot of extensive ground and knowledge.
Fingers crossed that the bushes in your garden produce enough berries.
Fair enough. Do you normally get to a time in the year when the contents of the chest freezer get unceremoniously gone through? One has to be ruthless at such times. 🙂
Finished paid work really late tonight. What a week it’s been, but mostly enjoyable, and I’ve learned about quite a number of new areas of knowledge. Had a basic pasta meal for dinner. Nothing too fancy, just a peanut, chilli and parmesan topping. Oh, with linguine. I could make the pasta, and fresh pasta is so much nicer tasting than the dry store bought stuff, but a dude has to work to keep the lights on.
Hey, we’re in for a run of dry and mild weather according to the forecast. Looks like the first of the Medium UV rated days will soon arrive. The year rolls on.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – I swear, some people don’t look in a mirror, before leaving the house. Though some wouldn’t wee anything “wrong,” anyway.
Well, as I’ve said before, 5% of the customers of any business, aren’t worth dealing with. The customer isn’t always right. And the idea of having it “your way,” all the time, is just demented.
Oh, yes. I drop the succinct, well thought out comments, in all the right places. With an edge. Short, sweet and memorable. 🙂
Oh, my gosh, that is some stick insect. And a new species, to boot. And it flies? It probably lives in the same part of Australia, as the drop bears. 🙂
H and I went out to the fruit stand, this morning, and I picked up two more flats of blueberries. $32 per flat. The flats are a little smaller, and, of course, not organic. I was only going to buy a flat and a half, but what with the “iffy” state of our blueberry bushes, decided to splurge. 3 1/2 flats last year = eleven light gallons of berries.
I did a chest freezer clean out, this morning. Not much got trashed. I wanted to see how many gallons of blueberries were left from last year. I have five gallons left. Last year, I had 15 gallons, including three from the previous year.
Our high yesterday was 86F (30C). Our overnight low was 59F (15C). Didn’t cool off much. Our forecast for today is 82F.
And, just for word fun, a history of the word “dude.” 🙂
https://www.npr.org/2025/07/30/nx-s1-5482984/dude-big-lebowski-surfer-origin-etymology
Down toward the bottom of the article is a link to another article, discussing the word “Bro.” Which I hear a lot, these days. Both in conversation and on the net. Lew
Chris:
You are lucky to have missed out on that stinging experience. Sandra can tell you all about it. Perhaps she did.
Oh, boy – have I been making pickles, both a sweet relish and dill pickles. I love them both. And I make Cool Cucumber Soup most days.
No sight of the Hunhog again so far, but I had planted about 18 feet (5.5m) of bush beans last week, they were 6 in (15cm) tall, and something has eaten them all, though not Attila or he would have eaten all the sweet potato leaves again. I am trying to get the beds ready for fall planting, but I have run into an obstacle. Thirty-five years ago I developed a hernia, it has rarely bothered me since (occasionally, anyway) and it has become rather an issue for some reason. Practicing good posture and some exercises are helping, but it is tricky doing a lot of bending and heavy lifting, digging, too. Don’t know how this is going to turn out.
I was down by the garden this morning when I heard Mr. Baby crying upslope near the house. I ran up there (ouch), only to find him happily lounging on the cool concrete slab under the tap on the side of the house. The noise turned out to be a catbird which has just moved in (I saw him eating blackberries). Joke’s on me.
There is other Mr. Baby news. Mr. B’s mother decided that he is too bored in his fenced nature preserve on the front and side of the house (remember his bad heart). So today she built him a tunnel out of chicken wire that runs 50 feet (15m) from the fenced area up the slope down to the garden, with a hole going into the garden. This is especially to be his night playground and I hope he has a lot of fun with certain rats, mice, and whatever. Especially bean eaters.
You aren’t just kidding about those button batteries.
Pam
@ Lew:
It is concerning. We shall see what happens with SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). I know an awful lot of people on it, way more since that which must not be mentioned. I don’t know if they all need it or not. I see them buying a lot of junk with it; that loophole needs to be closed and only nutritious stuff allowed to be bought.
This particular store is in the city and there is another of the same name very close by car. That may be one reason it is closing. They also lost a lot of business when all but one road to them was cut-off when the roundabout was being built for 8 months last year. Whenever I went there to shop, there was hardly anyone there. Trade mostly picked up again, though, after we all got used to whirling around that wretched thing, 2 lanes wide and near 2 busy intersections so there is always a lot of traffic. A boondoggle if I ever saw one.
Pam
Chris,
Summer soft? Probably. Getting acclimated to the weather is a good thing, but it softens one for the opposite extreme. Somehow, I acclimate to the cold better. Must be the Viking ancestry or something. 😉
The fire on the Rez burned 500 acres in a matter of hours Wednesday night before getting stopped and contained. The series of thunderstorms that ripped through Spokane County started several small fires, all of which were rapidly put out. Whew! And the power was supposed to be switched back on overnight near the Rez fire.
The Princess just called. Due to the fire and the resulting power outage, the funeral services got moved from Nespelem to Omak. So they packed up everything and moved 36 miles and unpacked everything and started over. Because that’s what you do.
Oh yes, the house smelled good when the peaches were dehydrating. The first batch is done. Maybe another small batch to do. And of course eating some of them fresh.
These were soft peaches. Slicing them up caused some splodging to occur. The splodged parts somehow made it into my breakfast. Somebody had to eat it and I was up to the challenge.
There’s just something about 40C that makes it feel unbearably hot. I’m so glad that it was only 39C so I wouldn’t feel that extra bit of hot. 😉 Today was a mere 38C. But it got cloudy and breezy again. It was rather nasty.
The winds. Our prevailing is from the southwest. The secondary is northeast. North winds in winter bring in Arctic fronts. North winds in summer usually bring in rather dry thunderstorms. Which is precisely what happened Wednesday evening: thunder, north winds, lightning, no rain. What I call a four forty. Four drops of rain and forty mph winds. South winds in the summer often bring in epic thunderstorms from the Wala Walla. For some reason large thunderstorms develop near where the large Snake River flows into the huge Columbia River, then flow north.
I tried growing corn here. It did well down the hill at my dad’s. Here? The plants grew well. Ears of corn were produced. Ears of corn were feasted upon by wandering hordes of marauding earwigs. The earwigs even ruined the corn husks. The Princess wanted the husks for making corn husk bags.
Ollie yodels? Now, I like some yodeling in old songs. And you’re right. The word is rarely heard nowadays. But there should be an ordinance or something that says no yodeling allowed until after my first cuppa. And that includes dogs. Although Dame Avalanche was so excited that we got outside early with it cool that she was whining and, dare I say it, came near a yodel when I brought out her harness and leash? I don’t have my first cuppa until AFTER our walk.
Yodel. You might enjoy these.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wLEhY2hsvA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxCMlB4uAHA
That quote from Terminator should’ve struck fear into even the densest of the dense.
Hagar has long been one of my favorite comics. The hat comment was spot on, wasn’t it?
Ride of the Valkyries. Looney Tunes. https://vimeo.com/444002896
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Sandra’s arm swelled up after the three stings, and well, anti-histamines are a wonderful drug to have handy for such occasions. It was pretty nasty, and I was a bit worried for your son who was stung way more times. He’s notably stoic. Pam, if it was me, there’d be a lot of whingeing! Have you ever been stung by those wasps?
Oh, in breaking tree stump news… The Meg was dealt to today and is now waiting in a fire pit ready to ignite (in several chunks). That was a very hard job, and I got the jackhammer onto the compacted clay, then used a blower to clean the timber up, which all made the chainsaw cutting job err, I’m not sure easy is the correct word. Hmm. Oh well.
Yum! Yum! Pickles are awesome tasting, and I love dill cucumbers. So nice. Hang on, what the heck is cool cucumber soup? Never seen that before, and will definitely try it during the summer months. Thanks for mentioning the recipe.
Oh my! That’s all rather discouraging, but at least your local wildlife has enjoyed a decent feed. The beans would have been good though.
Oh Pam, that’s awful about the hernia. Yikes! Good posture and exercises are what’s recommended, but still, that’s a tough break for you. Alarmingly I read that the likelihood of them occurring increases with age… Ook! Yup, the future is an uncertain country, please do look after yourself – which you’re already doing anyway. Pam, you’ve had a lot of stress the past couple of years, it takes a toll on a person, and dunno about you, but with me there are times for some self care.
No way, the Gray catbird is awesome sounding. And no doubts would confuse Mr Baby in his daily activities. I see the mockingbird is part of that family and no doubts they’re all great performers. Hehe! Is that a new bird species at your place? I’ve got a grey medium sized bird which hunts insects on the side of trees – and I’ve no idea what it is. It’s got a pretty call though.
Nice work, and hopefully Mr Baby is grateful for your tunnel building efforts? I’d not let him stray out of sight either, given the heart condition. The things we do for our fellow furry travelling companions. A lot of the clean up of the loggers mess began because of Dame Plum’s seizures and the casual relationship to the native mushrooms.
You called it correct, and I ain’t kidding about those things. A nasty business.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
That’s me to a tee as well. It takes months of winter weather before the brain begins hankering for some warmer days, but one day of 40’C+, and I’m over that gear for sure.
This morning began at 2’C and peaked very briefly at 9’C, but was sunny and still. A nice day to finish off work on the Meg tree stump. It’s now been turned into smaller chunks and is waiting to be ignited tomorrow. It was an interesting and challenging project that one. Hopefully there are no more of them waiting to be discovered…
It’s good work that the fire on the Rez was contained and extinguished in the weather your having. Respect. Do they have their own crews for such work? And I’m curious if they’re taking preventative vegetation management actions in the cooler months of the year?
Good to hear that the funeral service was relocated without undue incident. I hear you about that, and it’s true, you do what you’ve gotta do, and the service is important. An old mate was buried during that which shall not be named, and not being allowed to go – even when healthy – was a cruel blow.
🙂 Thought so, dehydrating fruit smells awesome. The process really concentrates the aroma doesn’t it? That sounds very Viking, and clearly you won the day against the dreaded splodge.
Agreed, it is very hot feeling at that temperature. I reckon once you’re past body temperature, it’s time to slow down and just take it easy. At least the nights and mornings are cooler.
Walla Walla! There’s a town down under with that name too. A tough climate, and it’s right up on the border. A sad history.
Earwigs? Yikes! Never knew they get into corn tassles, or the developing cobs. What, they even got the husks as well? That’s brutal. The fibres are tough and stringy, and would make for a strong bag. Hmm. A good idea.
One’s day has to come into focus before encountering the first yodel, yes, a wise precaution for who knows what may happen otherwise. Whoa! Wylie has one heck of a natural vocal range. Astounding. And he wears his hat indoors.
Thought you might be interested, but the northern arid lands of the State of South Australia turned white: Hail creates snow-like scenes in outback towns of South Australia’s far north
Haha! Done as only Bugs Bunny and the Warner Brothers crew could do.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Meg. Done. Winning. Decided yesterday to get the electric jackhammer onto the clay compacted onto the massive tree stump. And that got rid of most of the stuff. Then used an electric blower to remove all the finer dirt. Chopped up the stump into smaller chunks before it got light enough (that’s a joke!) and I could roll the remains of the monster into a fire pit.
A bit of care with clothes, some basic manners and good deportment, and a person is so far ahead of the average these days. Thanks for the article on the origins of the word ‘dude’, and it’s a fun journey. The zoot suits in particular looked very dapper and could probably not be too out of place today. I like using the word ‘dude’, but it’s not commonly heard these days. You’re right about ‘bro’ becoming more used, but people down here do fall back on the word ‘mate’. As in: Hey mate! How you doin’? Succinct and friendly. For groups of people, male or female, there’s the very casual: You guys … The word is slowly losing its gender identifier, although some ladies do protest at the usage. We tend to live in an age where people are easily offended, and I’ve done my fair share of that recently without thinking about the consequences. 🙂
Exactly! 5% are a lot of hassles, and will probably eat up any margins made on the sales. I used to know someone who’d endlessly complain about every single transaction they entered into. They’d negotiate hard on quotes for work, and then just whinge about the job. What did the person expect? Trust me, I kept them at arms length, but it could get awkward in public places like restaurants or pubs. Deeply uncomfortable for me. Towards the end of the acquaintance, the person made such a fuss about a dessert, that I put an end to the mischief and paid for the thing. But never put myself in that situation again.
I reckon the whole ‘customer is right’ business is simply a hurdle which is too high to jump and makes for a difficult employment arrangement. We’ve all be wrong, that fact has to somehow re-enter the business space.
Short, sweet, memorable – and effective! Often with ideas in the business world, I simply plant the seed of an idea, and then hope for the best, but accept reality. It’s been my observation that wealthy people are happy to pay for advice, and then act upon it even if it runs contrary to their thought processes. Everyone is different though.
Strange things inhabit that rainforest up north in Queensland. Like how could anyone miss such a monster sized stick insect? 🙂 As well as drop bears, they have cassowary’s too. Quite aggressive birds apparently.
Whoa, that’s a fair bit cheaper for the flat of blueberries. Nice score, and go the splurge. I reckon your gut feeling is correct, and I believe that if you’re not seeing the berries on the bushes, it’s probably too late in the season. If the seasons were turned on its head then we’d be seeing berries on the blueberry bushes. Except it’s winter outside, although today was delightful. 36’F this morning and it peaked at 48’F, but has now dropped closer to fog, mizzle and generally cold winter night conditions. Brr!
Thanks as I was wondering if you were going to clean out the freezer before chucking in this years haul.
Did you know that in New Zealand, using the word ‘bro’, I believe is a reference to an individual or group of young male folks of Maori descent? I don’t actually know, but when it was used as a collective noun, I couldn’t quite tell if the word was used in a derogatory manner, but it may have been. Probably why the word isn’t used as much down here in this corner of the planet. Dunno. Regional differences. 🙂
Cheers
Chris
@ Pam – I looked into the SNAP program, here, awhile back. I think I would have got $13, a month 🙂 . And a lot of paperwork. Also, I think it’s part of our State Medicaid program, which I avoid having anything to do with. As there is “estate recovery.” After you kick the bucket, the State comes for any assets that are left over. I have other plans for my assets. 🙂
But, I get two food boxes a month, but they’re pretty uninvolving to sign up for. Ditto the $80 nutritional card I got, which could only be used at the Farmer’s Market.
Yes, to get to my credit union, I have to pass through the round-about-of-death. The Store of Walls feeds into it, as do a couple of fast food places. I avoid going down there, daytimes. It’s a two lane. Lew
Yo, Chris – You’ve conquered the mighty Meg. Take a victory lap. 🙂 With the theme from “Rocky” ringing in your ears. Or, “Chariots of Fire.” Well, you’ve picked up a few methods of dealing with the Megs, should you run into another. Jackhammer and blower.
Somewhere, I saw a picture of my dad in a zoot suit. Probably, from the 1930s. Then there were the zoot suit riots. which have played into a few movies I’ve seen.
https://w.wiki/EXfx
I had a roommate in a share house, who was like you described. I only went out to dinner with him, once. Once was enough. I think people like that work from a position, or have a view of the world that everyone is out to screw them over.
I guess the stick insects were unknown, as they pretty much stick to the high canopy of the forest. I’ve seen a few articles and documentaries (National Geographic?), exploring the ecosystems of forest canopies. It’s a whole different world, up there. I wouldn’t want to run into a cassowary in a dark alley. Or even a dark forest path. 🙂
I got the first two flats out of my refrigerator. The last of them are drying in colanders. That will give me 8 lite gallons, in the freezer. The other two flats from the fruit stand are smaller. Not as much depth. I really haven’t taken a bowl out and seen exactly what the blueberry situation is, here at the Institution. Since we have early, mid and late season bushes, some are still ripening up.
Good news / bad news. More or less. I got my truck insurance statement. A $20 increase, but that’s for six months. I also got a statement from the State retirement system, that I’m getting a $30 bump up, on my monthly check. Yup. It was there. Which I don’t really understand. I’m part of the oldest retirement plan, called Pers 1. Any cost of living bumps, have to be approved by the State legislature. Unlike all the other plans, which have automatic yearly COLAs. And, according to the lobbying group I belong to, that didn’t happen this year. So, ???. Gifts and horses mouths. 🙂
I guess a guy in a hazmat suit showed up, and the wasps have been dispatched. Things were a lot more pleasant, around the garden last night. I saw Sam the Snail.
An old dear managed to set off the fire alarms, yesterday. Cremated a bag of popcorn in the community room microwave. The same old babe that set off the alarms with the barbecue. Those alarms just about break your eardrums and drive every thought out of your head.
H was under the weather, day before yesterday. Didn’t eat or drink much and was pretty lethargic. I suppose she stuffed something in her mouth, that she shouldn’t. She’s like a little kid. Got to watch her like a hawk. Seems pretty much back to normal, today. There’s that word again. Normal. 🙂
I saw an interesting article, yesterday, on the ancestry of potatoes and tomatoes.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/31/science/potato-evolution-origins-tomato
Now that’s some interesting genetics work.
Our high yesterday was 81F (27.22C). The overnight low was 54F (12.22C). The forecast high for today is 82F. A scattering of high thin clouds. There was quit a nice cool breeze, around sunset, yesterday. I hope we get the same, today. Lew
Chris:
Oh, yes – I have been stung by yellowjackets – and everything else. With the yellowjackets I learned a technique that helps me around them. Sometimes they build a nest in the garden near where I have to work. No way am I going to try to run them out. So I pretend – that is, I become – a deer and just go on moving about fooling with the plants and stuff and they have never stung me under those conditions. It is when you accidentally alarm them that they turn so extra nasty.
I imagine those were pretty big Meg chunks. One thinks of ham smoked with Meg wood. I wonder . . . Do you mean a leaf blower?
The Cool Cucumber Soup I make is:
Peeled cucumbers
Lemon juice
Dill weed
Plain yoghurt
Either garlic powder or a bit of fresh garlic
Touch of salt
All thrown into the blender.
Thank you for your concern! I do believe the hernia is getting better, or maybe I am adapting (or, hopefully, my body is) to however it wishes to redesign itself to cope with the injury. It’s obviously partly my fault. I have no excuse for shlopping around like a wet noodle all these years. My 5th grade teacher warned me about wet noodles.
No, the catbird is not exactly new. Occasionally one makes a nest here, but it’s every few years and I forget about it in between and then think I am hearing cats in the woods.
Pam
Chris,
Today was a very pleasant break from the heat. It was cloudy most of the day. A few attempts at rain but not much. 23C much of the day until the sun appeared middle of the afternoon. 28C max today. It was an enjoyable day for Killian’s human and me to go to the small town of Post Falls, Idaho. A couple stores we wanted to see, then we had to stop for lunch. We found a tiny hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant. Killian’s human had pumpkin curry while I had green curry. Very tasty.
Temps between 2C and 9C are wonderful for very hard labor, such as removing the meg. Hmmm, that sounds like the title of a good horror novel or movie: “Removing the Meg”.
Yes, the Rez has its own firefighting crews. For larger fires, these get supplemented by surrounding fire districts, Washington State crews, and, if too huge, fire crews from all over the USA and sometimes Canada and even Australia. The lightning started several smaller fires in a concentrated area about 25km north of where the larger one was Wednesday. It sounds as if the Rez crews might be enough for this complex of small fires.
Our rules regarding funerals weren’t as strict as yours, so we did attend a few. Masks were supposed to be worn, but at one funeral about 50% of the people were maskless. We stayed far from them. Those were weird and scary days. Ugg
There’s always a way to combat Splodge the Dreadful. Eating him seemed to be the thing to do this time.
Yup, the hot days, I slow down the pace when outdoors, spend time indoors with Dame Avalanche, who sleeps through the heat in a quiet and cool corner of the house.
Hahaha! How remarkable. Walla Walla Washington has some dreadfully hot summer weather and is down near the Oregon border.
The earwigs didn’t eat the corn husks. They just left earwig poo and other debris stuck all over the husks. The husks were very polluted and pretty unusable as a result.
Thanks for the hail article. I’ve been in thick hail 3 times. Once a hailstorm hit just as I was getting home in the car. Got indoors and watched the hail accumulate. Another time I was home throughout the storm. One time, however, I got caught out in the thunderstorm while fishing. I was running through a field toward my car, felt the hairs on my arm doing weird things, threw my graphite pole uphill and dived into a depression. No lightning hit right there, but it hit close enough to make things exciting. I got to the car and the hail started, getting to similar depths as what fell in Australia recently. Driving in it was worse than driving in snow in my opinion.
DJSpo
Chris!
Be sure to scoop out the cucumber seeds before you mix the cukes in the blender. Seedy soup is no good.
But you are in winter . . .
Pam
Hi Pam,
An excellent point which I may have missed! 🙂 The guys from the big shed fame, one of which is an excellent cook, taught me the secret of reducing the bitterness of cucumbers by removing the seeds. Clever, and something I’d have not thought of doing, so yeah, I’m 100% with you.
It’s a universal truth that if a critter is in the garden and you’ve somehow annoyed it, well, things may turn out badly. 😉 It’s all rather unfortunate how the stinging ones, sting. Like what you’ve learned, I too have had to learn that the hard way with the bees. Act calm and move gracefully, and they leave you alone. Sometimes I see the dogs acting like idiots near to the hive entrance, and they’ve never been hassled. Now the bull-ants are an entirely different matter as they see everything as a threat. We all get stung and chemically sprayed by those rotters. You may wonder why I’m doing the forest clean-up now in winter, well, you probably don’t wonder.
Yes, exactly, act with grace and calm around the insects, even yellowjackets, and they generally leave a person alone.
Ignited the fire this morning, and just went out then and pushed it all together in the dark. There were lots of lumps and bumps in the soil there, so I got the scary old rototiller onto the mounds, and then used the heavy four wheel drive mower to flatten the lot out. It’s looking pretty nice now. I believe it may be 38’F outside, but I felt warm from all the hard work.
🙂 Even the chunks were big and heavy… Oh well. Yes, I was referring to a leaf blower! It’s a Stihl machine which runs on 240V and is very powerful, far more so than those noise two stroke machines.
Wet noodles are part of life. 🙂 Pam, we all do what we do at the time because it seems like a good idea. That’s life. Just between you and I, and don’t let anyone else know, but I’m hoping to complete all this really super hard work before I’m too old to attend to what needs being done. It’s a plan. From time to time, I do get injured doing this work, but attend to that, and hope that it’s never too bad.
The cat sounds coming from the woods, would freak me out. A neighbours cat used to visit here at night many years ago, and it was an excellent assistance with the rodent population, but alas, something may have happened to it a few years ago. Ook! I like cats, but fear for the bird life here of which I’m on mostly cordial relations.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
28’C is really a very nice temperature, especially after a cool morning. Does it get better? Maybe… It’ll be 16’C sunny and calm tomorrow, and that’s the warmest day forecast for the next ten days, but it’s going to be a ripper. 🙂
Post Falls is an odd name for a town, like the brain was considering: is the town after the falls? But then curiosity got the better of me, and the images were really nice. That’s a big body of water. Nice choice too with the green curry, and hope the heat lived up to the hype. I really enjoy coconut, and add a small chunk to both our breakfasts, and the dogs brekkie too. There’s something really tasty about the stuff.
Hehe! Yup, 9’C sunny and calm is the perfect winters day for a burn-off. I’ll probably have until say the end of August before all this forestry work has to be wound up, but it depends on the weather. Ignited the fire today, and it sure got hot. It may be 3’C outside, but all that activity today and yesterday has meant that inside the house is very much t-shirt weather, and it’s only 19’C last I checked. Ook!
Anyway, the clean up had lots of mounds of clay, so I got the scary old rototiller into the mess and flattened it out. The big heavy low centre of gravity mower did the final smoothing job. It’s good to be nearing the end of that loggers mess clean up work.
Nice one with having local crews on the Rez. Nobody will know the terrain and people better than those folks. Impressive. Out of curiosity, are they getting into clean up work during the winter months? For your interest, I don’t believe that there are indigenous crews down under, and that’s a shame. Although, after the most recent epic fires, at least there is the beginning of communication. It’s weird how the fire fighting people down here don’t push for a clean up beforehand, and then wonder why things get out of hand in the summer months. Truly it mystifies me.
Yeah, there are reciprocal arrangements in place down here as well and NZ, Canadian and US crews will help out here in the summer months. Often the aircraft are leased between Australian and the US in the alternate seasons.
It was a weird time, that’s for sure. Faceless bureaucracy can be extremely cruel. I was never in a risk category, and don’t ever recall getting it. Everyone had a very different risk profile.
Hey, splodge had it coming for things you didn’t notice, like random chunks staining the grout between the tiles in the kitchen. You never know what those peaches had been up to. Boggles the mind.
I slow down too on super hot days, and begin work early in the morning, then finish up by 2pm. Funnily enough, we get more work outside done in the summer months. I used to believe it was otherwise, but trust me in this: 2’C, misty and wet is no time to be working outdoors.
Oh, I thought that Walla Walla was higher in it’s northerly latitude, like right up on the border with Canada. Oh well, didn’t check properly either did I? 🙂 It’s apparently got a Mediterranean climate for plants. One of the most northerly towns for that.
DJ, if I were there, I’d assist you in smiting those earwigs who are being naughty in my sight. 😉
Hail is pretty common in this corner of the continent, although that was way up north at the top end of the state of South Australia. Man, I agree with you, the stuff is like ball bearings. Here, we only tend to get tiny sized hail, but closer to the big smoke there’ll be storms which produce golf ball sized hail chunks, and they’ll smash up cars, roofs etc. The cars look like the mob took a hit out of them. Not sure how my solar panels (electric or hot water) would cope with such chunks of ice. Probably not good.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Go Rocky Balboa! Now there’s a blast from the past, and who talks of grit, determination and just plain old gumption in these enlightened days? I loved that score, and it’s so 70’s it hurts, but in a good way. To be honest I was a fan of Survivors, Eye of the Tiger, which I think was in the third sequel. Very inspiring music. Anyway, stupidly, I think I may have done the victory jump with my hands in the air thing. Oh well, I’m a cliché! 🙂
Chariots of Fire was a lovely piece of music too. And hmm, the grammar school used to train us distance runners on beach sand as well. It’s a tough medium, put it that way.
Why would anyone want to riot after wearing a zoot suit? Right, well such things happen. Immediately after WWII, many of the football games were very bloody affairs, and I mean that literally. There were riots in many Australian cities during the war involving local and international servicemen. The thing is, if you train people to commit violent acts, it becomes very difficult to direct where those acts are committed.
I reckon you’re right about them working an angle. And the whole thing made me feel very deeply uncomfortable. Wise to have not repeated the incident. When things are wrong, a compliant is warranted, but doing that as a lifestyle choice in the vain hope to get more for less, is kind of toxic from my perspective.
Oh no, I missed that bit about the stick insects living way up in the tree canopy. Makes sense they’d be missed way up there. Candidly, I don’t spend much time at those sorts of heights above the ground. Hey, some people climb trees for a living, and hey, you know you’re just not cut out for some work… 🙂
Speaking of trees, the fire was set off today for the chunks of Meg. Feels good, and I went out in the dark a little while ago to push it all together. Anyway, there were soil lumps and bumps in that area, so I got the scary old rototiller onto the job and mostly lowered the height of the bumps and spread the soil around. The Editor on the big low centre of gravity mower, which has heavy Japanese made cutting blades, smoothed the soil out. It looks nice now, and in a few years will be full of life.
The Editor has been helping out with the work. She’s got a little DeWalt battery chainsaw, and is learning just how complicated those machines are. It’s a great little cutting machine, but can’t be forced, and must never hit the dirt. Hmm. Oh well, the best way to learn sometimes is by using stuff.
Tomorrow’s weather looks astoundingly good. This is no mere hyperbole either. 16’C / 61’F sunny skies and no wind. Feeling a bit tired though after all the forestry work, and may get stuck into sharpening all the chains and giving all of the machines a proper once-over, as they used to say.
And cassowary’s seem like bad news. 🙂 Don’t feed the birds, and definitely do not annoy them. If they want angry large ground birds in New Zealand, just take some of those lot over there. That’s a decision I reckon they’ll regret though! 🙂
Nice one, and very glad to hear that not all of the blueberry bushes were trashed. Your recent run of cooler weather might not assist the berries ripening though. Still, very wise to have plants with a wide variation in ripening dates – as things should be.
Go on, how much was your truck insurance? $20 is a pretty small increase in Aus-lish speak. Man, the dirt rat Suzuki insurance turned up in the mail the other day, and it was about $1,315 for the year. Good stuff that the monthly income has improved, albeit not as high as other systems. But that’s the thing, if it comes down to a vote, they may have decided: It’s them or us, and you were part of the ‘them’ story. It happens for sure. But yeah, horse mouths and gifts is a useful perspective. They put the pension age up down here a few years ago and there wasn’t a peep. I don’t know how folks who do manual labour all week for a living make it to that age. A mystery.
No, he didn’t really have a hazmat suit? Did he, or she, or whoever did the job? Last time I found the entrance to one of those wasp nests, I waited until evening, and then sprayed a can of really nasty stuff into the hole. Done. I’m not a fan of poisons, but with no predators other than humans, I can’t think of any other way to deal with those European wasps. Most of the time I give them no reason to be here, and that works, but over in the more fashionable end of the mountain range there are all sorts of food and housing opportunities for the pesky insects. They’ll get into bins and compost heaps and all sorts of things. You may wonder why we’re neat…
Hopefully the wasps did not upset Sam the Snail?
Oh far out! That is so not cool about the fire alarms, and is sort of suggestive of you know, perhaps carelessness. It’s not a word you hear used much these days, but well, if it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck and walks like a duck, it might be a duck. Oh well.
Hehe! I used that word ‘normal’ casually once, and a truly lovely older lady never let me forget it. Sadly for all sorts of reasons – none of which involve either of us – we no longer are able to speak, and I do feel sad about that. Some people you just meet and click with, and we had many great chats over the years. Oh well. As you’ve noted, sadly people come and go, and I reckon you’re right.
Your weather continues to sound delightful.
The potato from tomato and Etuberosums was fascinating, and makes a great deal of sense. The humble bee (bumble bees I believe, maybe?) are important insects doing great work.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – I wasn’t interested in any of the Rocky films, but for a couple of years, the theme music was inescapable. Some music can be done to death.
Our high yesterday was 79F (26.11C). Our overnight low was 57F (13.88C). Our forecast high for today is 77F. Much to my surprise, when I took out H for her walk this morning, it was pretty obvious we’d had a light rain! Wasn’t in the forecast. I’ll still have to water, tonight. According to Prof. Mass, next Wed / Thur. we’ll get our first autumn rain.And then another warming period.
Batch nine of the blueberries is bagged and in the freezer. Batch ten is drying in the colanders. I can’t get as many batches out of the last two flats I bought, as the individual containers are shallower. It takes four individual containers to make a batch, instead of three, as with the first two flats. I’ll end up with 14 bags which will need to be topped up. If I can’t get enough out of our bushes, here, I understand that the new discount grocer has some nice berries, at not to unreasonable a price.
My truck insurance is $357.07, per six months. I get quit a few discounts. For being a safe driver (no claims), I also have my rental insurance with the same company. I don’t put much mileage on the truck. I’ve been with the same company, forever.
One of the fellows at the Club, also had a bump up on his Washington State Retirement. As did my friend in Idaho. they both must be pretty flush, as they hadn’t noticed it, until I mentioned it. 🙂 I swung by the credit union, last night, to get my walking around money. Booooo! Both ATMs were out of cash. Oh, well. Adjust my shopping plans. Maybe I’ll try again, on Tuesday, and continue on out to the new discount store. I’d better start a list …
I didn’t actually see the guy that came to take care of the wasps, but one of the caregivers said he or she was in a hazmat suit. I notice a lot of wasps, around the garden, yesterday at five. Either the poison hasn’t become effective yet, or, there’s another nest around.
Sam the Snail and the wasps don’t cross paths. He works the night shift, they work the day shift. 🙂 I think I mentioned I saved Sam from a marauding slug, a few weeks ago. The snail sanctuary is on one side of a path, and the slugs had been sending raiding parties, across from the other side. After squishing quit a few, I finally resorted to a liberal application of slug poison, to their side. I haven’t seen one since. But I saw Sam, last night.
The woman who started the fire in the microwave has a serious case of CSTFU. (Can’t shut the … well, you can figure out the rest). She was probably running off at the mouth, and neglected to ride heard on what she was cooking. When she moved in, I observed, and came to the conclusion that she has a bad case of diarrhea of the mouth. So, anytime she’s tried to talk to me, best she gets is a grunt. Or just total silence. She’s not the only one around here, with that condition.
Potato, potatoe, tomato, tomatoe …. reminded me of an old ear worm. Which really says a lot about words and pronunciation, in a fun way.
https://youtu.be/LOILZ_D3aRg?si=jOh5uifPygVeu8-B
I wonder if the Seed Detective took note of the new genetic research. Seems right up his alley.
Speaking of food, I saw this article, yesterday, on the 20 greatest American foods.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/american-food-best-dishes-cuisine
What? No pizza? I’m familiar with most of these dishes.
Speaking of food, it was a popcorn and cheese night. I finally got around to watching “Cemetery Man.” Zombies! It’s an older film, and was an Italian production. In a voice over, our hero, early on, states that he didn’t know what caused the outbreak, or if it was peculiar to just his cemetery, or if it was infecting other cemeteries. But, he didn’t want to report it, as, the cemetery would be closed and he’d lose his position, house, etc.. It was well worth a bowl of popcorn, but, had one of those endings where the director decided to leave interpretation up to the viewer. Cop out! Lew
@ Kew:
I have heard about the “estate recovery” and Medicaid.
I enjoy reading about your food boxes. Rather a game of roulette.
Pam
Chris:
Also, cut off the blossom ends of the cucumbers to prevent bitterness.
You put in a lot of work early in the morning, ye who does not relish early rising. It is to be 57F (14C) the next couple of nights and then still cool after that for a bit. Days in the 70sF. It’s like early fall.
Pam
Hi Pam,
Thanks for the tip, and had not known of that preventative measure. Interesting. We’ve never pickled cucumbers before. Out of curiosity, what sort of vinegar do you use for the process? Or is it some other liquid?
Ha! You’ve busted me for sure. Yeah, I’m no fan, but truthfully I’m more of a fan of getting up early than cooking my head in the late summer hot afternoon sunshine. How have you been going on that front in the heat?
Sure sounds like an early fall. I know where the heat has gone though. 🙂 It was 16’C / 61’F today with beautiful blue skies and not a hint of a breeze. Just stunning. I had the dogs running around all day in the early spring sunshine. They’re fast asleep now. Moved a couple of fruit trees, one of which was an avocado. Look, that particular tree is a very long shot here, but would be OK in the warmer big smoke… There was frost this morning, and a risk of frost tomorrow.
Cheers and better get writing!
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Can’t say I’ve ever watched a Rocky film either, but the music was anthemic. But as you’ve noted, over familiarity can blunt the emotional energy of such musical scores. Always a risk. Still, considering the recent 50 years Australian music countdown on the youth national music broadcaster, it’s hard to ignore that there is a huge call to nostalgia. And what does that suggest?
Another lovely day for you weather wise. 🙂 It was 16’C / 61’F today and just brilliant. Blue skies and the sun even felt slightly warm. At one point this afternoon I heard the solar hot water system kick off. Not a bad effort for August.
Moved a couple of fruit trees today, one of which was an avocado. It’d been in the ground for over a decade and had done nothing, and yet refused to throw in the towel. So I moved it to a better location, and we’ll see. Didn’t have much of a tap root. Other than that, it was a reasonably relaxed day. Part of a lamington was consumed, and the rest was shared with the dogs. Didn’t notice any complaints. Sometimes a person needs some rest and relaxation. The dogs are knocked out tonight after having run around like crazy in the early spring weather.
Hmm. Your weather sounds intriguing. What happened down here during summer, was relatively cool-ish. Except, then towards fall, whatever that means, the weather just didn’t get any cooler, but it sure got a lot drier. Hmm. Thus the new water tanks installed a few months ago.
Further up the north east coast of the continent, things got strange weather wise: Wild weather in NSW damages buildings, isolates residents and cuts power. By contrast, it was absolutely calm and nice here.
Nice work, and you did mention that the cheaper blueberry flats were shallower. Some back of the envelope calculations suggests the non-organic stuff was still cheaper by volume. What do you reckon about that thought?
Hang on, is the new discount grocer, the winco folks?
Converted to the Aus dollar, your insurance costs aren’t too far off what I’m paying. Hey, I’m not exactly convinced that those mobs reward loyalty, although the discounts provided do suggest some attempt at that.
Hehe! You might be right there, but I’d have to suggest that many a person takes their eye off the ball when it comes to personal finances. 😉 No way, out of cash sends a strong message, but then there was that time the teller told me that the branch had run out of cash. What did you just say? It’s not a good look because they do have one primary job. One would have to suggest that there is never enough liquidity to satisfy deposit holders demands. How could there be in that system?
That wasp poison seemed pretty effective to me, and fast acting. Hmm. I’d take a wait and see approach, but your gut feeling says it all. Probably another nest nearby. The interesting problem will be if the wasps are visiting the garden from a nest which is not on the grounds. Hmm.
🙂 Good to hear that Sam the Snail is safe from that wasp lot. Well, sometimes insect populations get out of hand, and then you have to act. I always prefer reducing opportunities for such things to be there in the first place. Makes life easier, but you are dealing with many different people, all who’ll have their own take on gardening.
Speaking of culling things, a couple of young blokes who I’ve never seen before politely asked for permission to hunt on the property. I’m a big believer in reciprocal arrangements, and what they wanted really had no up-side for me. To put it bluntly, there was no benefit to me from granting permission, and they didn’t think to offer any. We had a nice chat though, but it’s a common problem in this day.
Oh! Hehe! Dude, there’s a middle ground between giving people nothing conversation wise, and being unable to stay quiet for any length of period. 🙂 We all must find our own path through this social maze, and I interact with people of all stripes on that front. There’s an element of good grace to allow for a conversation, and generally that has to be two-way, and then as you correctly pointed out, it’s good grace to know when to shut up. Out of sheer curiosity, does the lady talk with you, or at you? There being a big difference in my books.
Roller skates! Far out. Ginger looked out of sorts, put it that way. We’ve all been exposed to such withering expressions, whether deserved or not. But truly, I lack the competence with roller skates to win the lady over! 🙂 Candidly, the expression high maintenance came to mind, but then the same could be true for ol’ Fred. In conclusion, roller skates and natty dance routines are probably not enough to resolve their relationship issues. 😉
Yeah, that was what I was wondering as well about the discovery. I’ve a new appreciation for the skills of the Neolithic plant breeders.
About half to two thirds of the food items in the article looked really good, and many of them are pretty basic fare. Except when they’re done well, so tasty. Years ago I had the opportunity to have a very decent gumbo, and that was so good. Hehe! And did you notice the lack of breakfast pizza? 🙂
What a fun film, and such a strange story line. Like Repo Man, I guess it’s intense being a Cemetery Man. Hardly a stressful job, if you can ignore the un-dead!
Cheers and better get writing,
Chris
Hi Lewis cont…
Almost forgot to mention, but the video clip to the Rocky theme was fascinating. Some of the 1970’s market street scenes look like Asian equivalents to me. People everywhere and stalls on the street. I doubt there’d be areas like that nowadays.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – “…huge call to nostalgia.” I think there’s a lot of viewing the past through rose colored glasses. Ignoring the bits that weren’t so nice.
Our high yesterday was 75F (23.88C). Our overnight low was 50F (10C). The forecast high for today is 73F. It’s overcast this morning. That was quit an article about the storm up in your NE. Now, that’s a proper snow fall. 🙂 It was stellar that the good folks of Uralla pulled together, and made sure all the stranded motorists were taken in and kept warm and fed. Wind damage, possible flooding. They’re doing the hard yards, up there.
The avocado ought to be happier with the relocation. Although isn’t it a bit of a minimal crop, for your climate? I added some more good soil, to the asparagus bed, last night. I also picked a bunch of basil leaves, and have them drying on plates. Time to refill the canister.
Yes, I’d say, overall, the blueberries from the fruit stand were cheaper. I could have got all my blueberries, there, if they hadn’t switched from paper coupons, to electronic cards. 🙁 If it weren’t for the offset of the cards, I wouldn’t have bought any at the farmer’s market.
Oh, I know the insurance company is “not my friend.” When I first signed on to that company, it was run by a nice local older gent, who had an office, here in town. He sold the business, and the new owner immediately moved it to Olympia. I saw that a lot, in insurance, and in banking. Also, I’ve groused before about businesses (and, the library), where management doesn’t live here.
Oh, I think the credit union running out of cash was pretty situational . A Friday, the first of the month. I went late in the day. If it weren’t for the traffic congestion, down around the credit union, things would be different. But, one deals with things as they are.
I’m sure there are more ground wasp nests, up in the woods behind the Institution. That’s where this lot probably came from.
Probably wise to not give permission to hunt on your property. Who knows, what with all the late night prowling around your place, they might have been “casing the joint.” Any further developments on that front?
I don’t know if the lady in question talks with you, or at you. I’ve never given her the opportunity to find out. 🙂 I just know that any time she’s around, it’s a constant buzz of conversation. I block out as much as I can.
Ol’ Fred was a pretty natty dresser. I’d guess a lot of young fellows took in his movies (purely for research purposes), to pick up sartorial tips. 🙂
Years ago, I had the opportunity to sample some gumbo, made by a black lady who hailed from New Orleans. The capital of gumbo making. It was one of those meals that stand out in memory, even after 50+ years.
Cemetery Man was pretty handy with a gun. The flying zombie head was a bit much. As was the young bloke buried with his motorcycle, that came flying out of his grave.
Our farmer’s market is a bit like those scenes out of days of old. They block off a street, and it’s a twice weekly event. At least through the growing season.
I do wonder how much is eventually going to get ripe before winter moves in. My green beans are just beginning to develop. I don’t see any pods on the Scarlet runner beans, yet. I’ll get at least two zucchini, but, for four plants, that’s a pretty poor showing. There doesn’t seem to be near as many tomatoes, this year. Oh, well, time will tell. The blueberries are beckoning, and I must go 🙂 . Lew
Yo, Chris – Addendum 🙂 . More bee species in them thar hills then suspected.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/rare-bees-found-wa-statewide-004638598.html
Not many European honey bees, around our gardens, but I sure to see a lot of other pollinators. Lew