It was three in the afternoon, the hot Australian sun pounded down upon the head. Lunch had been delayed. Work on the new path project meant sweat. Dig soil. Move soil. Wrangle large heavy rocks. Sandra was advising on the positioning of a rock and helpfully suggested to: “Move the rock back”. Whilst grappling with a 50kg rock, my rather ungentlemanly reply sounded like: “What the f#$k does that mean?” Not our finest hour, and an ugly tone had descended out of the hot blue sunny skies. Possibly time to take a break.
When a person is tired, clarity of communication is one of the first things which disappears. It’s a good metaphor for the wider society, and may even explain a thing or three! Post lunch, out of the sun, and within the cooler confines of the house, a discussion was had. I’m the talkative one, views were aired, decisions were made. It was now the time of year to stop the days work activities by 2pm.
This big old world keeps on spinning, and time continues its march. Puts an old fella in a somewhat contemplative, maybe even reflective, mood. During the prolonged lock-downs for the health subject which dares not be named, I passed the major life milestone of my fiftieth birthday. It was a rotten experience. The city was under a strict 9pm curfew. Fortunately, things were a bit looser in rural areas. To celebrate the notable day we nabbed a take away pizza and illegally consumed it whilst sitting on a park bench. The beer was good. The drizzle, inescapable. The 1’C / 34’F air temperatures sure didn’t warm up the beverages, and every time a car went by we had to hide in case it was the cops. What a fun night that was, he recounts sarcastically.
Years on from that milestone, and I’m older again. Maybe not wiser, but I can still do the physical work required to make this place easier to live with. It’s slowly getting easier and simpler to live here, but more importantly, it’s also becoming increasingly productive. That’s our goals, and alert readers would long have since noticed that many of the systems are being continually tested, re-worked and upgraded. That story has been been the case since my late thirties actually. What other people are doing on that front, is something of a mystery to me. And whether I’ll be able to get everything we ever want done, well, that’s an issue for the future to worry about. Right now, I’ll just focus on the tasks set before me. Presently, there’s a lot of rock work to do.
Back to the future though, well, they do tell me that it’s an unknown country. Maybe so, and I’ve got my own ideas about that. Around these parts, it’s hard to ignore that suddenly there’s plenty of property for sale. My gut feeling suggests that the prices being asked, are simply too high for younger folks to be able to afford to move into the area. It would be nice to see some youthful energy put into the land. And who knows, if new people don’t come into the area, it may well depopulate. This actually happened following on from World War II. Apparently only a single person resided alone in the entire hamlet. Talk about quiet days! It’d be a strange experience to be the last person living in a once populated area (albeit sparsely), yeah. It may happen here.
So all the time, we’re making the place easier to live with. In something of a riddle, that outcome just takes a whole bunch of hard work. All fine by me. Admittedly at times, like the other hot work day, it can be challenging. I never had the expectation that somehow this state of affairs could be avoided. If either of us were born into better families, we may have received a nice inheritance with a fat wad of mad cash, but alas, fate pulled us in other directions. It’s not a bad thing to be put to the test and cast upon our own resources. Hones your pragmatism.
Life is hardly smooth sailing. During the past few years, despite my best efforts, at times I’ve been on the wrong end of a few betrayals. Never made much of a big deal about them, but some things I’d thought were solid, and reciprocated in kind, turned out to be otherwise. A bit of a kick in the guts really. Not once though did I have the luxury of falling in a heap. At such moments, I’d pick myself up. Got back into the fray. But quietly in the background, the individual situations stole many hours of my life. I meditated upon the incidents in the dark hours, and learned the harsh lessons, no matter how ugly. Sleep however, would have been the preferable option. Hones your gumption.
Would it have been preferable to have stayed living in the big smoke of Melbourne? Probably not. For one thing, after having physically restored and repaired the late Victorian era house, we’d both have been bored out of our minds. The city’s warmth and safety no longer feels like a harbour in the storm. Nope. However, I freely acknowledge that a lot of folks there would believe that we’re the mad ones. They’re staking their plans for retirement on the property, equities and bond markets. I’m not so sanguine about that choice. Having seen property prices fall 40% during the recession of the early 1990’s, let’s just say that meditation in the dark hours of the night on that incident, left us both with a deep sense of mistrust. Instead, the land is where our efforts will be spent. I could well be wrong with that and come unstuck. It’s a harsh mistress that choice and nothing is ever certain, but far out, I’d rather eat pizza in the drizzle, drink beer and give the authorities the middle finger, than have my spirit eaten.
This week the weather has been off the charts crazy. Sometimes it was hot. Some mornings were cold near freezing. And all the while the afternoon sun is packing a solid one-two punch. There’s even been rain.
As mentioned previously, work on the new path continued. Lot’s of rocks were placed on either side of the new path rock walls. The uphill rocks were dug back into the slope, so that the path width remains consistent.
Some of those rocks are heavy! Anyway, as mentioned, the path has rocks on either side. The downhill rock wall is now only a couple of metres away from completion. The line of rocks ends at the worm farm.
The uphill side rock wall of the path has a lot further to go before it catches up.
There are heaps of rocks available to choose from, and it’s nice avoiding the most awful of situations: Peak Rocks. Unfortunately, most of them aren’t suitable for use on the uphill side rock wall. Oh well, it’s not an insurmountable problem, and a day was spent splitting boulders into more usefully sized rocks for use on the uphill side wall.
Regular readers will recall that a new steel rock gabion cage was constructed last week. The gabion is rapidly filling up from our nice stores of rocks excavated during the winter months. You can’t see it in the next photo, but the area behind the gabions is also being filled up with rocks.
The video this week shows the various rock works around the place:
For many years we’ve grown two Ficus shrubs in large pots out the front of the house. Sadly, during the recent heavy rains, one of the two plants drowned. Turns out, the roots of the shrub had blocked up the pot drainage holes, and the ceramic container filled up with rainwater. Few plants enjoy that particular arrangement. A few days ago I removed both plants from their pots.
The Ficus which was still alive (because it had more drainage holes in the pot), was pruned heavily, and then relocated to the garden bed adjacent to the new path project. As can be seen in the above image, the hole for the plants had to be well over two feet deep. Excavating the hole provided almost a large yellow wheelbarrow worth of soil, which was used to shore up the downhill edges of the new path.
After the shrub was planted, the garden bed received an additional layer of fresh compost. Observant readers will also note that a rock spillway has now been constructed alongside the large grey water tank. If the water inlet filter ever blocks up during a storm, water will run over the rocks much in the way dam spillways work. It’s there to prevent serious soil erosion during a potential failure in the system.
Once the large plant pots at the front of the house were cleaned, I added a layer of finely woven strong stainless steel mesh over the drainage holes at the very bottom. Hopefully next time plant roots can’t break through the strong stainless steel mesh. On top of the black steel mesh, we placed a plastic water saucer. This should hold some water in the soil during the warmer months, and capillary action will keep the soil more moist than it would otherwise be. That’s the theory anyway…
Into the large ceramic pots went an inordinate quantity of compost into which was planted two of the local Mother Shield Ferns (Polystichum proliferum). Those delightful plants grow rampantly through some of the garden beds. It’s a much hardier fern than the Tree fern varieties. And eventually they grow quite large.
It’s been a busy week… The plants grow fast at this time of year. Weeding continues as always, and a couple of hours were spent cleaning up grass which had been growing too close to the trunks of the citrus trees.
The trees which were cleaned up, were also given a decent soil feed. Now that deer are unable to get into that enclosure (maybe, hopefully) I’m trialling removing some of the tree protection cages. We’ll see how that experiment works out. The risk there is that rabbits hungry for protein nibble the bark on the young trees, but we’ll see. Those critters have no place here, and may need an authoritative response.
The berry beds enjoyed their recent clean up of weeds, and many varieties are now sporting early berries. How good does this thornless blackberry cluster look?
Hopefully it is a good year for the black currant harvest, and those tasty berries make a delicious country wine. They should be ready to harvest in about two to three weeks.
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 10am is 17’C (63’F). So far for this year there has been 764.2mm (30.1 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 741.6mm (29.2 inches)
Comments
45 responses to “Out of time”
Chris
Always enjoy your Monday ramblings. Pre-hydrated water crystals work for me most of the time when I’m trying to get trees started. Maybe for you as well if you haven’t tried them. I’m generous with the amounts I use (Eden brand water crystals probably the best if you can get them) for my re-gen and fruit tree planting efforts and I follow the instructions detailed in the link below. (Might even be worth a try in your greenhouse – bananas seem to like them if used when transplanting pups).
Cheers and keep on keeping on
Kezza
(PS: It is just possible that I sent you this link some time ago. If so, mea culpa)
https://bigscrubrainforest.org/uncategorized/fact-or-fiction-do-water-crystals-work/
Yo, Chris – Mad dogs and Englishmen … err, Scotsmen … err, Australians. Etc. I think it’s a pretty proven fact, that heat makes people cranky. A lot more than cold. A 2PM curfew, for outside work sounds very wise.
Oh, give it a few years and you’ll look back and think your successfully dodging the cops while having a bit of a nosh was an adventure. You’ll dine out on the tale, for years.
“Tasks … before me.” An old cliche rattling around in my head. “Get up, show up, take the first indicated step.” As long as the “get up” part, isn’t too early. 🙂
Being the last two people on the mountain, would feel a bit apocalyptic. A premise that’s launched dozens of movies and books. Well, if the property values fall 40%, maybe you’ll get some new blood on the mountain.
Running tapes through the mind. Obsessions. There are tricks to head off or shut down those thoughts that reoccur over and over. Look around the internet. Something will click. I suffer from the same. Sometimes, it’s as simple as thinking of something pleasant. Or, writing the Great Australian Novel, in your head.
That weather photo is another calendar worthy entry. Too bad you don’t have a print shop, among your clients. Are there still print shops? A small fortune might be made. 🙂 Very small.
The pictures and video compliment each other nicely. It was nice to visit your own private quarry. And, the spillway. What is it about the word “spillway?” One of those words that just sounds appealing. At least, to me. It was a hoot that you used the altered sign, as the title card, to your video. When prehistoric kangaroos were carnivores. Soon to be an internet meme.
I’m sure the ficus and ferns will be a lot happier in their new homes. Our sage “brush” looks very different. But just as aromatic. Medicinal uses of sage: “Sage has several medicinal uses, including improving memory and cognitive function, lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and providing anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. It is also used to alleviate symptoms of menopause and support oral health.” Sage smoke can banish ghosts and demons. And also useful for stuffing birds and in sausages. Any medical side benefits is just frosting on the cake. Lew
Hi Kezza,
Thanks for the nice words! And last evening when the first keys were struck upon the mechanical keyboard (makes a tidy clicky-clacky sound) an introspective mood took over. Fun fact: Ruby Fields song Tacklebox, had somehow seeped into the mind, possibly because it was heard earlier in the day. Dunno, the whole thing is a mystery. See, more information than perhaps totally necessary. 🙂
Interesting stuff those pre-hydrated water crystals. Kind of work like the exact opposite process to those little Silica gel (crystals as well from my understanding) packets chucked into all sorts of products. Hmm. You know, I’ve never seen them used, but the link sounded highly encouraging.
And also, that remnant vegetation in that part of the continent is simply stunning. There’s no other words to describe those forests. Sandra and I visited them in the late 1990’s (along with a trip to Daley’s nursery) and I was blown away by the sheer beauty of the area.
This talk of bananas is very tempting to put to the test in the future greenhouse. I’ve seen bananas growing and fruiting in Melbourne, but up here in the mountains, it’d have to be the really cold tolerant variety the Diggers Club sells, and even then it’d be touch and go. Still, you’ve got to be in it to win it – think Steve Bradbury! 😉
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
So totally busted, but yeah, we’d both worked way too long and late that hot day. 🙂 Not good. The in-between seasons mess with our heads (and work schedule) because the mornings begin chilly, then heat up, and before you know it, the clock hits 3pm and the brain is cooked. Praise be to re-hydration solutions! What ever are we going to do in some distant future when that stuff isn’t available, or is too expensive? Siesta! 😉 That’s my plan, and hey, I’m sticking to it. Plus the 2pm curfew – complete sense and sensibility, if you ask me.
Hehe! I only mentioned the tale because the authoritas apparently had to let the fines go for such matters. Spare a thought for the homeless folks who got pounded during those days with serious additional economic hardship in the form of relentless fines. In an interesting turn of events, I’m beginning to notice that there are one or two homeless folks in these sorts of rural areas. A guy is living in a tent in a nearby town, and far out some of the nights have been cold of late.
I know about that early morning horror movie stuff, and imagine my dismay that the hapless Ruby is reacting to the early sunlight as we head towards the summer season, by waking the household up. She was swotted this morning for her soulful efforts – and take that for a lesson young lady. Who even knew that the sun was up in the sky already in the 6’s? Not happy. Thanks for the cliché, and it’s all very true. Turning up is the leading part of the story.
Being the last two people around these parts would feel a touch strange, but we’d manage, maybe. It’s possible some folks kids will take over their properties? But who knows, and hey, I never expected to be able to retire.
A massive thunderstorm is just about to hit here. When the first thunderclap was heard, Dame Plum was standing behind me and she yelped in fright, which made the muscles on my back suddenly tense up. Hardly a relaxing experience… I’m back, and a fifth of an inch of heavy rain fell in a few minutes. Welcome to the tropics… Far out. One drain failed, so I’ll get to cleaning that tomorrow from a ladder.
Yeah, exactly, the thoughts whirl around and around seeking for a corner to grapple, and I always have this idea that the process is like playing one of those old Rubik’s Cubes. Defeated the thing, by dismantling, then reassembling it. Probably wasn’t covered in the rules. And I’m so with you about creating a mental distraction in order to break the cycle. And hey, what would the Great Australian novel even look like?
Print shops are still around, and they do such work as poster printing and stuff. Sadly, probably very small indeed. Mind you, the last gig I went to a month or so back, I bought a signed A2 sized tour poster which is now framed and will soon hang on the wall of my office. Gives some street cred, don’t you reckon? 😉 My guess was that the margins were good on the sale, but bands have to make mad cash too, otherwise they stop touring. The churn rate in the music biz is pretty harsh.
The quarry has lots of nice boulders sticking up out of the ground. Possibly an ancient lava flow, long since broken up into boulders. The video format is baffling, merely because it is so difficult to work out how to play the algae-rythm. Now I just do the videos short, sharp, and sweet. I’ve learned a few things about the thing though, and it’s achieving one of the goals I’d set for myself at the beginning.
Man, the elderflower shrubs are in flower, you can smell the aroma, and that Monty Python and the Holy Grail skit keeps popping into my awareness (the French were taunting King Arthur and claiming that his father smelt of elderberries). All very silly, but fun 🙂
Sage is a little ripper of a plant to grow for all of those reasons, and I add it to salads etc. Although for visitors, I’d make a more expected salad and not try and startle people with strong flavours. I hadn’t known that about the ghosts and demons, and that could have been useful earlier in the year when my old school chum invaded my thoughts. Now I know.
Thanks for spotting the Forsythia ‘Lynwood Gold’. Looks like a great plant to grow here given the frosty conditions.
Exactly, making the place easier to live with as we age. That’s the concept I was reaching for. Last night, a mood of introspection took over. Fear not, today we swung into action and headed to the nearby town to nab the outdoor sun blinds mentioned a few weeks ago. Plus had a Bahn Mi lunch. Yes, a total hardship and your support for my continuing food adventures is very much appreciated! But, it was so hot and humid today. The big box hardware store, was stuffy in there, and everyone looked uncomfortable.
The Editor had delayed making a decision on the sun blinds, and didn’t get the colour she was after, thus proving that snoozers are losers. All good natured, and we decided to get slightly smaller versions in the black plastic mesh. They’ll work fine, except in a bushfire. Not good in those conditions. The plastic is meant to be UV stable, and we’ll test that claim over the years. Just holding them up between us and the late afternoon sun really dropped the heat. Amazing. I’ll install them over the next week or so. An analogue tech!
You know, I loved that Clarkson’s Farm series, and it just shows the sheer utter madness which is dealing with bureaucracy. Man, he really annoyed someone, or maybe a whole bunch of people, in the area and at the local council. To me it looks like they had it in for him, and wanted nothing whatsoever done. The joke is, the farmers in that area appeared hard pressed to turn a profit, and Mr Clarkson was genuinely attempting to turn that situation around. The town / country divide was quite alarming, and hope those urban people don’t one day want to be fed from the farm?
My thinking as well with such a massive pile.
Speaking of rules and stuff, it’s a bit of a shame the willow didn’t get started. People really have it in for that plant, so weird. Hey, maybe we need to start an in-joke: Don’t talk about the willows… 😉
Did you and H make it to the Club? And what was Carl’s opinion of the matter? The chilli seeds finally sprouted today in the heat. That’s a relief.
That poor lady having to deal with a dead, presumably big cat smooshed through the car windscreen. What a mess, and the eagles here also tend to drop animals they’d grabbed, mostly because they’re less problematic once they’d re-united with the ground. It’d be one heck of a story to tell your boss.
The new DVD player sounds pretty swisho. So, you’ve encountered the unnecessary function buttons on the remote? Who uses those things anyway?
The Editor really enjoys the Agatha Christie books, and has remarked in the past that they’re successful in some ways because the murderer is often of the fairer sex – which in itself does raise some questions, like who’d want to date a person who does such things? Could be fatal…
Oh! What do you mean that tuna and salmon aren’t in the same sized cans? They are down here, tiny little cans. I always ate the salmon bones, but made sure to crunch them up finely. Nuts are a good addition to the diet, although I eat a lot of peanuts, which are actually a dried pea. The nachos sound tasty. Did a leafy, and also a potato salad for dinner tonight. Plus a half cob of corn. Some tasty cheese (yellow, sorry!), two globe artichokes and two boiled eggs.
Thanks for the book review, and ah, the days when magazines paid freelance writers for their wares. Those were the days. Yup.
Oh far freakin out! You’ve got a point there about musicals. Hit me right in the economics side of the brain, that did. Ouch. Nice shot too. Hehe!
Cheers
Chris
Hi Chris,
All the recent talk about clearing leaves out of gutters got Mike and I to do the same. Most of the gutters we have are covered in a way that lets rain flow into them from the roof but blocks leaves, acorns, stray bits of meteorites, drop bears, and the like from entering. We’re too old to be getting up on extension ladders to clean out the gutters. The covers weren’t cheap, but they were cheaper than a stay in the hospital after falling off a ladder.
However, the design of the back porch roof precludes the use of that style of cover, so that gutter collects leaves. With most of the leaves down by now, it was time to clean it out. Luckily, we can access it from the ramp that goes around two sides of the porch to the porch door, so we only need a short stepladder to clean the gutter out. The gutters that Mike hung from the shed to collect water for the 500 gallon tank are even closer to the ground; I cleaned them from the bottom step of a step-stool.
None too soon to have clean gutters, either. It’s supposed to rain tonight, but it’ll be well above freezing, at least. By Saturday, the local National Weather Service office is suggesting the possibility of our first accumulating snowfall of the year.
There is a time when it becomes too hot outside to work in the heat. It’ll be months before that time arrives here, but arrive it will.
The sun blinds sound great. Can you put in a link so I can see what they look like? Not that I could get the exact same thing here, but I’d like to look for them.
Claire
Yo, Chris – Of course, you can make your own rehydration solution.
“Homemade rehydration drinks can be made using simple ingredients like water, salt, and sugar. A common recipe includes mixing 1 liter of water with 6 teaspoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to help replenish lost fluids and electrolytes.” I suppose you could flavor them, too. Squeeze in a lemon, or something.
Speaking of the homeless, a new overnight shelter opened here, a couple of weeks, ago. Run by Sally Ann (aka The Starvation Army.) Oddly, in the former home of my credit union. There was a big article in the paper. Pretty nice digs. Even an area for pets, if people have them. What I’ve noticed, since they opened, is when H and I are coming home in the evening from the Club, I don’t see near so many homeless folks on the street.
Must be the water. H woke me up this morning, five minutes before the alarm, with a sharp bark. I’ll never get back that five minutes! The EMTs were in the parking lot, and it sounded like they were hauling someone out, from the other end of my hall.
Our high yesterday was 52F (11.11C). Our overnight low was 34F (1.11C). Our forecast high for today is 49F. It was pretty cool in the apartment, this morning. Did I turn on the heat? Nope. Took H for her walk. The wind was biting. By the time we got back, the apartment felt toasty. 🙂 That’s a lot of rain, you got. Did the spillway get an inaugural work-out?
The Great Australian Novel? Set in the past, present, or future. Or, all three? I have my Roman epic, running in my head. I add characters and situations, all the time. It must be a boring story, as I pop right off to sleep. 🙂
Bands sell all kinds of paraphernalia, to make ends meet. Or, license other people to do it. LOL. Who are you trying to impress, with your A2 poster? Who’s going to see it? Of course, who’s going to see my Currier and Ives prints? 🙂
Urther Pendragon smelt of elderberries? Who knew? You think Igraine would have noticed, when he showed up disguised as her husband.
All about sage smudging. I’ve got the full kit. Never fired it up in here, due to the smoke detectors. 🙂
https://tribaltradeco.com/blogs/smudging/smudge-bowl-how-to-use-abalone-shell-for-smudging-with-sage
White blinds might have been a better choice, given they reflect light and heat. But, maybe that was the initial choice. I’m sure the black one’s will work just fine. Since there will be a good buffer (spell check thought I meant bugger. Naughty spell check!) zone, between them and the house.
I aksed Carl about the willow water. Turns out he’s got some redwood tree twigs, in a jar of water, in his kitchen window. Along with some willow twigs. I think it might be a first time experiment, for him. So far, no action from the redwoods. The Master Gardeners didn’t show up, this morning. But, they’ll be here next Monday to put up the Christmas tat, in the entry way of the Institution.
The Agatha Christie mystery is pretty engrossing. And, the class divides are on full view, in large and small ways.
Oh, I think you can get tuna and salmon in large or small tins. But what we see is tuna in small tins. And what we get in our boxes is salmon in 14.75 oz. (418g) tins. The small can of salmon was kind of a one off.
Susan Orlean is a ginger, by the way. And, she had this to say about that. “Being a redhead is more than a mere descriptor: It is a way of being in the world. You stand out. You’re noticed. You’re a minority of a minority, listed for extinction, identified as different, associated with fieriness, temper; obvious in a crowd.” 🙂
Last night I slaughtered three of my pie pumpkins, cleaned them out and baked them. I saved seed from two of the largest. The rest of the seed I’ve set aside to roast. But, the seeds are rather small, and I suppose I’ll end up eating them, shell on. Oddly, the seeds inside one of the pumpkins had begun to sprout. Just three or four. I’ll probably make my pie, tomorrow night. Get it out of the way. I must remember to take my turkey leg and thigh, out of the freezer, today, and move it to the refrigerator, to thaw. Is this a meal, or a campaign?
Well … theatre people. Best kept employed and off the streets. Lew
Hi, Chris!
Say it isn’t so! We can’t be out of time. That reminds me of what I was thinking of earlier today. I was musing on the old name for these Southwest Mountains that I live in. In the past they were called the Chestnut Mountains. Apparently wild chestnut trees were so abundant that it was a major industry for the inhabitants to gather the nuts to take into town to market. Bushels and bushels of them every year. Then the Chestnut Blight came along and wiped out 99% of the trees. A major income producing occupation and food for man and domestic beast was gone forever. The trees never came back. Kind of makes me think of petroleum . . .
That was a wretched time for a birthday celebration. My husband never celebrated special occasions, but on my 40th birthday I took my son and his friend to Richmond to see The Smashing Pumpkins. Best birthday ever!
There is plenty of property for sale in this county, too. All of it is way too high priced, though so far nothing has topped the $10 million of my next door neighbors’ property. The odd thing is that there are a lot of poor people in this county, leftover from early settlers, though most have sold their properties long ago.
We had to get out of the big smoke of Dallas, Texas before we went crazy. It wouldn’t have just been boredom that got us; big cities are nuts. We didn’t want our children to grow up in one. Properties, equities, and bond markets – ha! I’d like to see where those end up, and I guess I will.
Oooh – what a beautiful sky. So restful.
That new path is an enormous job. Where is the worm farm? I can’t see it in the photo. Or is it all underground? Yeah, Fred Flintstone, that’s some quarry.
I was expecting a Roosaurus video, but I’ll take making paths and digging up shrubs. I like those, too. That ficus is decorative, not a fig tree? The leaves are wrong.
The few thornless blackberries that I got last summer (1st year) weren’t very sweet. Are yours?
I enjoyed so much seeing the Big Shed at the end of last week. It was enchanting. That’s some kitchen, too. Or was there more than one kitchen? It seems to be a mostly flat spot; is that right? I see you mentioned a farm manager. That does help with all those animals.
What lovely California Poppies. A nice change from the usually orange that grow wild around here. I had an elderberry in the garden. He started from a twig. Then he took over a garden bed and he had to go, except I know he’s still lurking under there somewhere. Give those things an inch and they’ll take 10,000 miles. Can you mention what you have heard sage is good for? Oh my goodness – I’ve never seen such lavender!
Pam
Hi Pam,
Well, maybe out of time for some things, but there’s plenty of scope for other less resource intensive activities. Dunno, it’s just that most folks want a monster one-size-fits-all solution to what looks to me like 99 problems. People have to make their own choices.
Oh Pam, I’ve read about those old chestnut trees and the bounty they once delivered. A sad tale for sure. It was hot here today, despite the air temperature being sort of cool. Finished up the job of cleaning up the grass which had grown around trunks of the fruit trees in the other half of the citrus enclosure. The grass was so damp after last nights sudden deluge that I was a bit worried. Fungal diseases thrive in such an environment, but open forests, not so much. The sunlight and air dries out the under growth, and spare a thought for the poor old mushrooms struggling to take over. And repeated cool burnings produce a lot of ash which favours bacteria in the soil instead of fungi. Take away the thinning and cool burning, and an area goes back to a shady fungal dominated soil, and you get fungal diseases. Hardly surprising. It happens, but was sad for all those chestnuts and the people who relied upon them, and also the people who once grew those forests. Everyone lost in that story.
I’m super jealous, and would have loved to have seen The Smashing Pumpkins play live. What a fine gift. 🙂 I remember back in the day purchasing the Siamese Dream album, so good. Today is the greatest day, for we live and enjoy, but also respect the work which needs doing. 😉 On that note, did heaps of things today. Heavy rain is forecast for tomorrow, so I’ll be indoors. How’s the rain going in your part of the world?
Yeah, the old timers do eventually sell the land they once owned. It happens, especially given that it is hard to earn a living off the land, so selling chunks becomes an option. There’s some pricey property for sale over in the more fashionable western end of the mountain range.
🙂 Your son couldn’t have gone nuts, you took him to a Smashing Pumpkins gig – and that’s cool. But yeah, I hear you about the cities, and I’ve got this weird hunch that I saw them at their best, and got out before things deteriorated. My neighbour constructed an almost 25 foot brick wall on the northern boundary (your south) and plunged the backyard into shade for almost nine months of the year. Like, who does that? Nah, I’d had enough. And my gut feeling is the same in that we may get to find out.
We do big skies here. 🙂
The last low gradient path project took fourteen months, so this one is cracking along at a good pace. The worm farm is at the upper end of the path, and it’s a junction of sorts. I’ll try and get a photo in to show how it works. Everyone needs their own private quarry at one stage in their lives. 😉
The image was wonderful click-bait, and all the better for some cheeky wag of an artist altering the local road sign. Early on, someone unfriended me on utoob, possibly in annoyance because of that. Oops. I believe that the tree may be an Asian ficus plant, but am not entirely sure. Hang on… … Oh! It’s an indigenous ficus, of which there are a few different varieties. Here goes: Ficus microcarpa var. hillii. It’d probably grow feral along the coast to the east of you. Another Aussie ficus are the most impressive Moreton Bay Fig, and that produces edible fruit. It’s big. I’ll bet that one would also grow well along the southern coast.
Hmm. Are blackberries even sweet? Sorry, I’m not much help because to me, blackberries taste like, blackberries, but I do let them sun ripen. For sweetness, not much beats raspberries thus why I’ve got hundreds of those plants growing.
I’m yet to see a more comprehensive farm kitchen. It’s a pleasure to cook in, and be fed from. A few years ago they had a late cancellation for a cheese making class, and so enjoyed a free lesson. A delightful experience, and that’s where I learned to make the mascarpone cheese, and thus the returned the gift of the tiramisu. And yeah, the site there is fairly flat being at the top of an elevated plain. Yup, a farm manager would be an awesome addition, and I’m currently soliciting donations! 🙂
That variety of California Poppy does really well here, but there are other colours too – and thanks for the reminder about getting some additional seed. Ah yes, Elderberries are notoriously hardy, and I agree with every word of your experience, and am noticing the same thing here.
There’s no such thing as free speech in this country, but! I don’t believe that the same issues you have with mentioning herbals in your country apply, maybe (please someone correct me if I’m in error?) I use sage leaves to treat any occasional mouth sores, and have observed that that stuff works. At night before bed, chewed a single leaf and pressed that against the sore, the next morning, it’s gone, but based my opinion on personal experience and make no recommendations whatsoever.
Lavender leaves are edible, and can be used to flavour scones. Quite nice.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Claire,
Hope you are getting some rain now, or at least the promised snow by the weekend. The weather forecasts tantalise with such talk of impending rain and seriously hope it eventuates for you and your garden. It’ll be good to get the moisture into the soil in your part of the world before it freezes.
That’s a great idea with covering your guttering (presumably with a metallic / plastic mesh of some sort), and thus saving you the hassles of the systems becoming blocked up and then failing during the worst possible moment. Won’t mention that I was clambering around up on the roof today cleaning the gutters of gunk (which was fed to the ferns) before tomorrow’s forecast heavy rain arrives. Oops! Broke my own rule there. A gutter failed last night in the storm and water was overflowing everywhere where it shouldn’t have been. Unfortunately drop bears have been known to rip apart such protective gutter measures, so you were warned. Claire, I have it on very good authority that the dread creatures avoid ferns, so maybe a fernery is in your future? 😉 Think of it as cheap insurance! Thanks for the laughs, and the flash of light outside the other night from the maybe meteorite or nearby lightning strike, was quite bright (apparently). I slept through the whole thing, but sadly not the aftermath.
Isn’t it always the way about house designs, with some parts working well, and others, not so much. But it’s pretty good that you can clean up those other gutters with a short ladder, or even a step ladder. By contrast, I was probably 4m up in the air today on the ladder. Possibly not all that great an arrangement. Tell ya what though, if I had to rebuild this place, the design would be different in a few ways, and simpler.
The changing seasons are inescapable, yeah. And I enjoy the change as it provides a break, like the absence of insects over the winter months. Flies were annoying me today, but I strictly breathe through my nose when outdoors because of them.
The plan was to install the blinds today, but other activities took precedence. For your interest, the plastic is meant to be UV stable so it doesn’t do what plastic usually does when exposed to strong sunlight. You probably know more about that matter than I do, but I read somewhere that it involves mixing carbon into the plastic formulations. Anyway, digressions aside, here they are: HeatShield Crank Operated Outdoor Blinds . We purchased the 2.1m wide x 2.1m drop blinds, and nabbed four of them.
When they’re installed I’ll add in some photos. It’s the windows you know which let in the summer heat here. Even though we place the super strong and thick stainless steel woven mesh fire shutters over the double glazing (5mm + 5mm glass with argon separating gas), the blinds will work as another external heat resistant layer. That’s the plan anyway. Will it work, let’s find out! 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Thanks for the suggestion with the home made rehydration solution as I’d not considered that option. The recipe sounds pretty easy too, and would be a good use of the many lemons growing. Hmm.
Lewis, that’s seriously naughty, but kind of funny too, all at the same time. Yes, Starvation, or at least no asking for seconds… There’s some serious irony in the shelter being established in the former digs of a financial institution. Man, I doubt that there are any services for such folks around these parts, and far out the nights would be cold. Haven’t heard of anyone rough camping up in the forest though, but presumably that is only a matter of time (on a long enough time scale). I reckon cooking fires would draw some attention.
When Dame Plum gave a high pitched yelp from immediately behind me, possibly due to the distant rumble of thunder last night, it was a bit of a heart starter. Any news on the EMT? Dogs often skip to their own beat, and may not take into account civilised issues of timing in relation to early starts. Our canine friends are possibly considering thoughts of impending breakfast, and / or toileting opportunities – and here our interests may not quite align – thus Ruby’s swat the other morning. 6am, has never been my friend. 🙂
Respect for your stoicism with the heating, and hopefully you both rugged up for the walk? Man, I’m so summer soft now. It was 23’C / 73’F here today, but crazy hot in the direct sunshine. Had Ollie working with me for most of the day – and the big dog was enjoying himself immensely, and is now sound asleep. He’s a bit crunchy these days when the mornings are cold. Cleaned up the other half of the grass around the fruit trees in the citrus enclosure this morning. Dug a trench elsewhere and then buried an irrigation pipe (which had been in the process of being tested out). Got up on the roof and cleaned the gutters out (lot’s of nice organic matter for the ferns) and did some other stuff. Had to do the grocery shopping late this afternoon, and discovered that we’ve been consuming a couple of dollars of fresh asparagus every day for a while now. Now that there’s more to eat from the garden, the grocery bills are going down. Spent maybe $70 for the week. Because of all the chicken dramas a few months ago, we’re buying local eggs, which is a sad state of affairs. Oh well. We’ll pick up some more chooks in April.
Ha! I’d prefer not to see the spillway getting a work out. That would be a bad event, for sure. The gutter which did overflow was cleaned out this morning, from the roof.
Dude, to quote Monty Python: What have Roman’s ever done for us? Nice to have such handy tricks with which to speed on sleep.
Who’s going to see the poster? Me! I have no visual memory, so the poster is a reminder of the event. Think of it (as you may), like a list! Don’t knock it, that stuff works. But please do beware of the attempt to synthesise knowledge of events past, present and future, into the one list to rule them all. The Editor trialled that, and it wasn’t good for the household.
Just say that I’m slightly dubious of the Uther / Igraine mistaken coupling story. Maybe it’s just me, but it kind of sounds like an excuse thought up after the deed was done. I know it’s complicated being this cynical, and for that I do apologise. 😉
Hmm, a thought occurred to me about the abalone shell and sage smudging. I noticed in the concluding paragraph that it was mentioned that a metal bowl, and particularly cast iron was mentioned, would prove equally as efficacious. However, and please feel free to correct me, but wouldn’t the use of cast iron have implications for the faery folk and other elder ones of the forest? Just don’t want to bring additional troubles onto my head if you know what I mean.
The Editor had the belief that the white blinds (and there’s a link to the product in my reply to Claire) would show too much dirt. We’re sort of in a cycle between mud in winter, and reddish-brownish road dust in summer. On initial testing, just holding the blind between myself and the direct sun, yes, the significant temperature difference could be felt. If for any reason we had to rebuild the house, it would be a slightly different design and much simpler to construct, and incorporate more shading on the downhill side of the house, which gets the afternoon summer sun. We didn’t make the verandas deep enough on that side of the house. Always good to have a plan B, and if it’s not needed, that’s great.
Hope Carl’s experiment with the Redwoods works out. Do they grow as far north as where you are? There’s a lot of advice on the interweb about that activity, sounds like a slow process to me.
Oh yeah, Agatha Christie books certainly displayed the class distinctions in their full ugly glory. Things are different in that country. Class is still present here, and in your country also, it’s just that we make a bigger pretense about it being not the case.
You piqued my curiosity about the salmon cans here, and they are 95g / 3.35oz.
Respect to the gingers of the world, for all those reasons. Lovely, but oft maligned (for no apparent reasons that I can discern) people. 🙂
I rather hope that no pie pumpkins were harmed in that process you mentioned, but the facts do suggest this was the case. There may be an investigation with embarrassing disclosures. People’s feelings may be hurt, unless you share the pie of course. This is completely at your discretion! Yup, dudes need to consume pumpkin seeds, and I add pepitas to my toasted muesli mixture. Hmm. Pepitas are small pumpkin seeds too, so hopefully your lot work out? I’ve never seen pumpkin seeds beginning to sprout inside the fruit. Wow! I’ve seen apples with sprouting seeds. Yes, definitely a campaign! 🙂 Hope the news from the kitchen front is good brother Lewis. Stay strong.
Ha! Thanks for the laughs about the theatre kids. That’s seriously funny. I just can’t wrap my mind around impromptu dance and song routines, although it’s not them, it’s me. I can handle that.
Cheers
Chris
Chris,
From last week…Sorry, I have no idea what variety of cactus was in my wonderful meal. It was tasty, so maybe it was of the Tasty Cactus variety. 😉
Good one. Yes, our gray season is very Twilight Zone. Very apropos term as I started “1984” over the weekend having finished “Animal Farm”. I’ve also cheekily called our grey season “50 shades of grey”.
We dropped to a season low -3C overnight. Very thick frost this morning. Rain coming, with perhaps measurable snowfall, but probably just snow showers that melt upon touching the ground.
And yes, I need a lot of time to myself from getting overwhelmed. Took 2 days over the weekend just for that and I’m still in a mode where I am completely slowing the pace of everything. Such is life.
I’m enjoying watching your progress on the path and rock placements. That rock drainage area next to the water tank is a grand idea. Do you have any smaller rocks and/or gravel that can fit in between those large rocks? That might help also, perhaps.
Hmmmm, so you used the eff bomb on the Editor? Say it isn’t so! If you need a time out, I’ve got this perfect little room. It’s sort of a cupboard under the stairs, but perfect for when time outs are necessary. 😉 But ya know, I often have one or two events each spring in which I’m too active into the heat before realizing that the season has changed enough to require daylight outdoor activity curfews. Yes, a case of the “heat grumps” ensues.
During our corvid lockdown, we were allowed into the city parks. Masks required. Groups had to be no larger than 4. So, the carving club started meeting at one of the parks. There might be 25 of us or so, but we “clumped” in groups of no more than 4 and were near enough the other groups of 4 that we could have loud conversations. Some of the official gendarmes were in that park one of those days, patrolling on horseback. I spoke with them about our group. They just laughed, said that we were perfectly fine, and that they wouldn’t say or do anything if we sat around in one big group.
It’s hard to kill a ficus. I know that I’m quite capable of doing so. We have to keep them indoors in our climate. I don’t do well with indoor plants, regardless of the variety. Or is it that they don’t do well under my care?
Be interesting to see if your two redesigned pots work out. The design looks interesting. It looks like it should work. Ferns are a good test subject for that design, too.
Oh, no. You’re setting up the young fruit trees for a rabbit invasion. Immediately upon reading that, the Bugs Bunny cartoon of Elmer Fudd singing “Kill the Wabbit” came to mind. You might need to borrow Elmer Fudd or maybe put some speakers into the orchard and blast some Wagner at the rabbits. But beware the killer rabbit! Say, what would a contest between a killer rabbit and a drop bear look like?
Ohhh, such lovely California poppies. When we lived in southern California, each year when the poppies were blooming, we’d take a drive into the foothills to see them. Mostly they were the orange, but sometimes there were stands of the yellow ones. I haven’t even seen a picture of a yellow poppy since seeing the live ones circa 1966.
Time to fix morning coffee for the Princess.
DJSpo
Yo, Chris – I saw another article on property tax kickbacks, yesterday. The library is mentioned several times. They’re going to take a hit. It seems like one large company, challenged previous property taxes, and then everyone got on the band wagon. The hoi polloi have not such recourse to get a property tax adjustment. Or at least one that works.
https://chronline.com/stories/years-of-substantial-property-tax-settlements-take-toll-in-lewis-county,391520
I hope the homeless shelter will result in fewer people camping in the park / forest, up behind the Institution. I worry about fire. I was thinking, yesterday, that if I ended up in a homeless shelter, I’d probably help out around the place, and maybe end up being employed there. Which jogged a memory. After my Dad left the CCC, but before he got a job with a painting contractor (pre-WWII), he got his first meal in Portland at the Blanchet House of Hospitality. Named for an early Catholic archbishop. He was cagy about his past, but when we’d drive by, we’d see guys lined up around the block. He ended up being employed by them. I think for room, board and a small weekly stipend. Very small. 🙂
I get up and H usually stays in bed and has a lay-in. 🙂 We’re back from our morning walk (no rain), and she’s gently snoring away on a bit of carpet. I made an appointment, this morning, to take her to the groomer. Next Tuesday at 8am. 🙁
Our high yesterday was 48F (8.88C). Our overnight low was 37F (2.77C). Our forecast high for today is 46F. Sounds like you had a beyond productive day.
“Cynics keep things real.” © Lew
I think if you used an iron bowl, for smudging, it wouldn’t bother the fairy folk or forest elders. Since it’s usually an inside production.
Ah! Makes sense. White blinds would attract and show the dirt. White cars have never made any sense, to me, for the same reason.
Redwoods don’t naturally grow this far north. But Carl planted a few around his place. I’d guess he got them from the nursery he worked for (Raintree), as they tended to carry a lot of exotics. Exotic to our area.
I finished watching “Why Didn’t They Ask Evens,” last night. Very satisfying. Though the ending was a bit of a fairytale. Spoilers ahead! The young woman, styled as Lady so-and-so would never marry the vicar’s son. 🙂 I see the new Downton Abbey movie is in transit, to me. Probably pick it up tomorrow. And, there’s to be another “Exorcist” movie, starring Scarlett Johansson. “Exorcist: Believer.”
Susan Orlean has an interesting way, of writing her books. She lays out 3×5 cards, with her notes. Moves them around so she can get an overview. And, she reads what she’s written, aloud, to see if the rhythm is right. She does carry on a bit about her first marriage. What a s–t! The day of the launch (and party for) her first AND second book, her ex announces that he’s been having an affair.
I just read through the section on the filming of “The Orchid Thief” (aka, “Adaptation.”) I didn’t like the movie, at all, as it strayed so far from the book. I wondered how she felt about it. She was horrified when she first read the script, and had a lot of mixed feeling about it. But, finally settled into a kind of wary acceptance as, 1.) any PR is good PR and 2.) Meryl Streep plays her, in the film. 🙂
Well, I had a pretty productive evening. I cleaned and baked up the pumpkin seeds. Tossed them in a bit of olive oil and sea salt. They are so small, I will be eating them in shell. I keep bulk shelled pumpkin seeds, on hand, and usually throw a small handful in whatever I’m making for dinner. Ditto: sunflower seeds.
I dealt with the pumpkin puree. I thought I’d be running it through a blender, or something. But one thing I’ve got to say about sugar pie pumpkins; no strings. Or, very few. Mashing it up with my pastry cutter was sufficient. I measure out two cups for the pie, and that left another cup for cookies, bread or whatever, which I froze. But, hmmm. Two large and one smaller pie pumpkin, and that was all the puree I got out of them. I still have two larger pumpkins to process. But I do wish I had a larger place to plant more pumpkins and let them run wild.
I’m going to bite the bullet. On the advise of my Idaho friend, I did some last minute shopping, and picked up a can of a well known vegetable shortening. From the Yuppie Discount store. $4+!!! Don’t read the ingredients. But, if I want a good crust … For future reference, I’m going to take a look around for a source of lard. Still not what I’d consider really healthy, but better than the shortening product. Maybe Winco will carry some. Lew
Chris:
What is a cool burning? I do thank you again for mentioning the wood ash. I was adding some compost to a bed today, thinking ahead, but maybe I should go ahead and start strewing ash around; I sometimes forget.
“Today is the greatest day, for we live and enjoy, but also respect the work which needs doing.” I certainly like that.
We have been having rain every few days for a couple of weeks. It’s really nice to see. It had been so terribly dry.
Oh, yeah – I do remember that wretched neighbor of yours. That sort of happened to Tom Good in the Good Life.
I looked at the Moreton Bay Fig. Not exactly the fig on our farm! It is a monstrous thing and can grow 200 ft (60m) tall. It seems to like California, just like your Eucalyptus.
You need a WOOFer, if they’re still around. He or she could live in the shed that used to be a guest room (is that right?). But that’s not a manager, just an assistant. I can’t see you turning the reins over to someone else, anyway.
Sage and mouth sores – exactly what I know it for.
Forsythias have been mentioned here and there recently. I have always propagated my own from the first one I bought. It is super easy. I just stick it in some soil and keep it moist. I usually do that in a pot so I can keep it close by to water. Maybe the Big Shed folks have some you could cut? They seem to have everything else.
Yesterday I harvested some huge daikon radishes and one Aji Kogane turnip. I had meant to cook the turnip greens because that was a food of my youth in the Old South (I wouldn’t touch them with a 10 foot pole then), but I left them in the garden and brought in the radish greens by mistake, so I cooked them instead. Very nice. I did not make pesto; I added them to my rice and veg side dish. They are raw in your pesto, aren’t they?
Pam
@ Lew:
“Cynics keep things real.” © Lew
That’s a good one, Lew!
Pam
Hi Pam,
Oh! A cool burn is one where the fire runs slowly along the ground, whilst burning the ground cover plants and maybe the small shrubs and lower branches on trees. It serves to keep the forest open, reduce the fuel loads, knock back soil diseases and produce an ash rich soil bed. A hot burn, well, those happen a lot down under! That’s when the fire gets right up into the tree canopy and pretty much kills everything, flora and fauna alike, including sterilising the soil. I know which is the preferable outcome, but our culture pursues an outcome which favours the bigger canopy fires because in many ways it’s the cheaper option and is supported by ideology, no matter how bad the outcomes are time after time. Crazy stuff…
If you’ve got the time, run an experiment where you chuck some ash into one bed, and not the other – and see the difference for yourself. I tend to use the ash on either new garden beds, or where the forest soils are very damaged.
Good to hear that the rains have returned for you. The US drought monitor map made for an alarming read.
You sent me on a Good Life rabbit hole, and I reckon Felicity’s (Andrew’s wife, him of the Sir ex boss class) comment tickled my fancy: “I wanted to do something exciting when I was young, and then I met Andrew and that was the end of that.” Quite forthright, in a good way, but then, it was The Good Life.
Pam, Moreton Bay figs are enormous trees, and there are a few old examples growing in the big smoke (well out of their natural range). Thought you might be interested in the breadth of the fig varieties which your son is propagating and selling. It’d probably do better in the more northerly and damper parts of that big broke westerly state you referred to.
During the Great Depression, in rural areas there were a few itinerant workers who travelled and worked for board and lodging. They were described as ‘Swagmen’ – the swag being a heavy oiled canvas bed roll which would keep the rain off their heads when asleep. Nowadays, the authoritas would have a pink fit about work in exchange for such non monetary compensation, although I’ve heard of the Woofer system. I do wonder about insurance hassles should such folks be injured on site, and that makes me hesitate.
😉 Those leaves work, yup. When you know, you know.
I don’t believe they do have forsythia plants growing, but I will keep an eye out for these early spring delights. The big shed guys are in a slightly warmer and drier climate than here and they could even grow grain crops should that ever become an option. Here, in cold-mountain-ville, it’s very much relegated to tubers.
And, you’ve noticed the tuber thing too! 🙂 Daikon radishes are pretty nice, but dunno about you, but I find them to be slightly earthier tasting than the pink lady slipper radishes we favour. Obviously, daikons produce a lot more root vegetable per plant. Hey, I’m coming around to the idea of turnips as well – possibly due to less taste buds as we age? The humble potato kicks them hard as a substitute, but brings with it a lot more garden soil hassles which have to be managed.
Yes, the leaves are consumed raw, although to get around the furry-ness, we blitz them up and add the greens to a tasty pesto. Oh my, it’s so good. Aren’t you tempted to try the leaves that way? How are you with peanuts?
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Ah, sorry I’m indulging in local concerns again, you know how these things go. Not here up in the mountains, but in warmer and drier nearby locations there is an edible cactus plant with the most horrid of spikes. Quite the weed, but it is edible if you can work out how to deal with the spikes. Tastes a bit like watermelon they tell me. The name says it all: Prickly Pear. Thought it might be that variety?
But are you enjoying the Orwell stories? To be honest, I thought that Winston was an idiot. I know, I’m going straight to hell for expressing that opinion. And Animal Farm, somehow I identified with the horse, but with a twist, I’d be like a Shetland Pony instead. They have a better brain to body ratio, and wouldn’t have ended up in the knackery. Just sayin… 🙂 Ah, I like your retort with the shades of grey. Very funny.
Man, far out that is cold, and it’s only early days in the cold season for you. Manfully I’m quailing in fright at such low temperatures and may even have blurted out a ‘squeak’ sound inadvertently! Your soil would still retain enough warmth to melt the frost and snow, but dude, there’s only so much energy and it won’t be long before it’s frozed (that’s the past act of being frozen). A massive storm hit here this morning. Another 4mm fell in a short and sharp cloud burst. Crazy stuff, but the rest of the day was fairly normal and on the cooler side of things. A good day to do paid work, indoors. Elsewhere in the continent, the weather was off the charts.
Yeah, like you, I also take time out after big social stuff. I like the social stuff, but the batteries have to be recharged afterwards. You’ve gotta play the hand you’ve been dealt.
In between the rocks on both water tank spillways, I add the crushed rock with lime mix. That stuff firms up the rocks, although in a big enough storm, even that material can get washed away too. Hopefully neither spillway is ever called into use, but what does Murphy’s Law suggest?
It’s true, and I did out myself for ungentlemanly behaviour, but also point out that the Editor was likewise cooking her head, and bad communication can sometimes take two people, not always though. Have you got a proper dunce’s cap though for me to wear? 🙂 The hot weather really sneaks up on a person, and even forces earlier morning starts. Hmm. Thanks for the saying: ‘Heat Grumps’
🙂 Your lot were clearly of a more reasonable disposition, and the arrangement sounds eminently practical given the circumstances. What I experienced instead was off the charts crazy. The members of your club would have all been fined in those circumstances, then moved on, and this went on for longer than anywhere else on the planet. Only being allowed outdoors for an hour per day (and being moved on, regardless) is not all that different from prison I believe.
🙂 The facts suggest that a ficus shrub has now gone onto the brazier and been burned off. The other one is doing really well in it’s new home, but who knows whether it can survive the summer months having just been relocated? There’s a Chinese Pistachio tree I’m thinking of moving as well very soon. The ground is damp enough at the moment for this activity, which is unusual. It ain’t just you, indoor plants are a tough ask, unless they are in their dormant winter phase and can cope with the low light levels. They probably need grow lights in your area, and then everyone would get the wrong idea…
Thanks for the confirmation of the planting arrangement with the two replacement ferns. They’re pretty hardy, but are they hardy enough? That’s the summer question which we’ll find out the answer to.
Man, I could so do a good Elmer Fudd accent, although breaking out into song is probably not within my internal wiring! Still, I could forgive a good Warner Brothers impromptu song routine mostly because they were very funny and often sending up serious artists, like Wagner. He seemed like a super serious bloke, but I couldn’t be friends with him. Could his ego fit into a room? Now, that’s the real question of the day!
OK, so you’re proposing a cage fight between a Killer Rabbit and a Drop Bear. What a decision we have to make here. I’m thinking the Drop Bear would prevail, no, the Killer Rabbit, no the Drop Bear… Arghhhh! All that is last heard of me once the Monty Python bridge troll sends me flying into the abyss. So what’s your favourite colour? 🙂
Ooooo. No, I won’t say. But here’s a hint. There’s a plan in store for Californian poppies.
Hope your lady enjoyed the coffee, and that sort of thinking wins lots of brownie points. Nice one.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
It’s hard to know what went on there, but there’s always a balance of power issue between big employers and such authorities. The mad cash wouldn’t come out of nowhere though.
Man, I’ve joked about that circumstance before with the quip: ‘Blessed are the competent, for they are busy’, but your suggested plan sounds good to me and is very much along those lines. In some ways, it’s kind of like how you broke into the library scene. Pam and I were discussing a similar possibility, and down under we have a long history of such activities when times got tough. “Once a jolly swagman, camped by a river bed” He wasn’t there for the view, that’s for sure. Such itinerant rural workers got by that way and worked for board, clean and a feed. It’s not like the small landowners were that much better off themselves in those days. Years ago we spoke about hermits, and I mentioned that there is apparently one living not too far away from here, under a similar arrangement. And I read about a sale of a much larger land holding to the north of the range which mentioned their hermit arrangement. Probably more common than we’d realise.
And yeah, I noticed that too about that generation, they were cagey about the past. Maybe they didn’t want to bring it into the present? But I knew not their minds. My grandfather was tight lipped about his early days.
H has a sensible outlook upon life. Alas, I’ve been waking early this week. Probably due to the light and bird noise, plus there were a couple of mornings where Ruby decided to get the household up and into the day. I don’t think so dog… Did you just write 8am? Whoa! Is the sun even up at that time? 😉
Good to hear that you both yet again dodged the rain. A very short, sharp and powerful storm ripped through here today (nothing like what they’re experiencing further north of the continent though). The rain made a notable impression upon the weather radar, and delayed the days activities by an hour. Did mostly paid work today, but took the opportunity to hang those two concert posters in my office. Feeling cool man.
Your weather is really starting to sound on the chillier side of things. 68’F here today, but damp at times.
Thanks for the amusing saying regarding cynics, and yes, it’s true! 🙂
Ah, very good. I’d not considered that aspect to the smudging ceremony. There are times when some bad energy does need a thorough cleaning out, and Mr Greer has suggested the application of salt. Quite sensible. I do wonder about salt trade in the future, it’s OK if a person lives near to the ocean.
Yeah, white cars show every grain of dirt they’d inadvertently encountered. Car paint is good stuff (remember that lead based paint which never faded?) but white cars do slightly discolour over the years. The old Suzuki Dirt Rat was white, and it rarely looked clean – especially up here with the mud and dust.
Those Redwood trees grow well in these parts too. Some of the old hill station gardens have them. Ah, Carl must have some land then? Maybe…
It’s all a devious plot for sure! Glad to hear that you enjoyed the series and I’ll mention it to the Editor as a recommendation. Ah, it’s a reboot of the Exorcist series, and what! There’s to be a remake of Carrie. Hope Mr King enjoys the result. The book was a ripper.
Who does that? The old timers used to suggest that such actions were: “Raining on one’s parade”, and that example is a doozy of a thump. It’s a bit of a dog act though and not nice at all. He’s dead now, apparently. Dude, I’d be writing about that incident as well – a cheap form of therapy. And they do say that the pen is mightier than the sword. And it’s been remarked upon before that everyone burns their first batch of scones.
Ha! When a person sells their wares, a certain sort of letting-go is always involved. And the choice of actor, surely would have made amends. I do wonder about authors getting involved with visual productions of their works. It’s a different format, and would take the gentle art of concision, to eleven on the dial and may ruffle artistic visions.
I won’t mention the many orchids growing here right now. Oops! Broke my own rule there. 😉 Don’t talk about the orchids…
Fine choices as meal additions, yup. We buy both of those in bulk. I’ve known the bloke we go to for this stuff for a very long time, and he’s really nice, and has never once asked about what we do with all these grains and stuff. We talk zombies and Star Wars instead and have a complete geek-out. There are few shopping trips which bring as much pleasure. Blitzed pumpkin seeds are good for pooches as well.
I’ve never had pumpkin with stringy bits. On the other hand though, you’d have varieties in your country which wouldn’t be available down here, so that probably explains it. We grew over a hundred of them, and candidly, it was a bit much. The plants do take up a lot of space.
Can you even buy lard these days? Might be easier (and perhaps safer) to make it yourself.
Should be dry and cool tomorrow.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – One of the Inmates, who was here when I moved in, did some interesting things with parsnips and turnips. She left to live with her son, but was one of the Garden Goddesses. The nice one. She’d fix them like French fries. She’d toss them in a bit of oil (not deep fry) salt, and cook them on a baking sheet. They were quit tasty. A bit sweeter, than potatoes.
Ah, hermits. I think I missed my calling. I do the best I can, under the circumstances. 🙂
Is the sun up at that time? Report to follow.
Our high yesterday was 45F (7.22C), at 2PM, yesterday. And, it stayed there, right through the night. Maybe the thermometer at the weather station was stuck? The forecast high for today is 50F. So far, H and I have dodged the worst of the rain. It rained so hard, yesterday afternoon, that the strip of grass in the back, had standing water. But by the time we went out for our late afternoon walk, it had cleared.
Feeling cool? This cool? 🙂
https://youtu.be/lqkxd32dbwM?si=kmPkQgfglRlUpcgE
Salt. Or, live next to a salt mine. Interesting archaeology around old salt mines. Ancient salt cured miner’s bodies, and such. Or, watch the deer. They ferret out salt licks.
Carl’s place was further east of where I lived, last. I don’t know how many acres he has, but, I think it’s a fair chunk. Probably bought in those halcyon days, when land was fairly cheap. Comparatively speaking.
A remake of “Carrie?” I think this will be the third. Plus a sequel or two. So far, nothing has beat the original.
It took Susan Orlean ten years to write “Rin Tin Tin.” She swore she would never write another book. Then she heard about the 1986, LA main library fire. Probably, arson. I read that. An interesting read. I thought I might, finally, like to read RTT. Our library only has one copy … with two holds on it. Just out of curiosity, I checked, and they only have “The Orchid Thief” available on an e-book. 🙁
I wonder. Perhaps the flower you mentioned should, in future, carry the designation of “the flower that shall not be mentioned.” Your banana bread trespasser, might have been a plant hunter. Or, maybe a mushroom hunter, who knows what he or she is about?
Well, it was fraught, and the battle was long, but I have a pumpkin pie. Of course, first I had to mix up the pumpkin spice. I have a little hardback book, “The Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookbook.” Pedersen, Less than 100 pages. Looks like one of those things someone puts next to a cash wrap for an impulse buy. Besides recipes, it has several blends of pumpkin spice. I went with “traditional.”
So, it was onto the crust. How in the heck do you get an accurate measure of the shortening, when it sticks to everything, and you can’t even read the measure marks on the measuring cup? Anyway, the dough was looking pretty good, and easy to handle. Into the fridge to chill for awhile. Then I rolled it out. Getting it into the pie dish … well, it looked like the dogs breakfast. BUT! I noticed it had about the consistency of pizza dough, so, using my fingers, I smoothed it out across the bottom and up the sides of the dish.
Onto the filling. I just used the Betty Crocker recipe. I tried a piece, this morning. It came out of the pan, clean. The crust is flakier than any I’ve made, before, but not as flaky as my Idaho friend’s. I had a couple bites, cold, and then heated up the rest, and put a dollop of vanilla ice cream, on top. Pretty darned tasty. Traditionally, it’s served with whipped cream, or, these days, a prepackaged whip cream “product.” The bar / restaurant I cooked in, we made our own whipped cream. Add a bit of powdered sugar, and it “holds” longer.
I’m seeing more mention of lard, among the foodies, here and there. So, it’s becoming more available. I made a taste memory connection. Remember I tried the pies, at a local British deli / cafe? And thought the pies tasted a bit, I think I described it as “musty.” Well, I just realized it was the lard, in the crust, going off. Yes, I see lard is pretty easy to make. Might give it a whirl.
Well, if the library gods smile, I should be able to pick up the new “Downton Abbey” movie, from the library, today. Might be my Thanksgiving viewing. There may be a lavish banquet, in there, somewhere. There usually is.
I read with interest, what you had to say about swagmen. Yeah, just try that, today. During the Depression, there were a lot of guys on the road. And, children, too. My Dad left home at 14, and started to “ride the rails.” Hobo code: myth or reality?
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/hobo-code
You decide. :-). Lew
Chris,
I’m familiar with prickly pear from my Las Cruces days. Peel it and the spikes get removed. At least that’s how I ate it. Those spikes are nasty. No, it wasn’t prickly pear in my meal. Next time I’m there I’ll ask.
Yes, I’m enjoying the Orwell books. It has been 45 years or so since I read 1984, so it feels pretty new. I’ve also changed a lot in that time, resulting in the fact that I notice different things than when I was young. Almost form the first page, Winston basically says that he is an idiot. He recognized and admitted that owning even a blank notebook put him in jeopardy. Yet he had walked into prole territory and bought one. He later admits that such wandering is a bad idea, yet there he was again in the same area. And his eye contact incident with the higher level guy, O’Brien, and his subsequent feelings and naivete about that. Well, he is an idiot. I didn’t pick up on any of that years ago. And he is busy noticing that some of his coworkers don’t keep quiet enough about things and are therefore idiots who will be disappeared, while also noting that he himself will likely be disappeared eventually. Yet chooses actions that will get him in deep doodoo and disappeared eventually.
That said, I wonder how long I would last in such a climate as a “party member” rather than a prole. It sounds as if being a party member, however that comes about, is actually the worst thing one could be. More updates to come as I wend through the book.
In Animal Farm? I, too identified most closely with the horse. I recall that way back when this was an assigned book when I was 13, nearly all of my classmates identified with the horse, even those who were more like pigs or sheep. I think the horse more or less personifies “everyman”.
Thanks for liking my 50 shades of grey quip. I’ve gotten some strange looks when I’ve said that, but most people here totally agree with that observation about our winter weather.
Indoor work. That’s sort of today. Monday had a nasty wind. Last night started as rain, turned to snow. About 6mm on the sidewalks and streets early, about 25mm on the lawns and cars and rooftops. It’s melting away but is damp and foggy. Roads rapidly become bare and wet. Walking Dame Avalanche might still occur. It will likely stay at or below +3C today.
Oh good, you DID add the lime and crushed rocks. I was hoping that you had done that. That should make a big difference. Well, unless, as you said, you get one of THOSE massive storms dump on you. All bets are off with one of THOSE.
Dunce cap? Another group where I worked had one. His coworkers, not his boss, made him wear it sometimes. I took and kept a picture of him wearing it. He eventually became somewhat troublesome, to say the least. Whenever he tried to involve me in some of his shenanigans, my response was to give him another copy of that picture. His capers were far beyond saying something because of the Heat Grumps. Oh, and I coined the phrase Heat Grumps yesterday. It does sum things up nicely.
Yes, we sort of were fortunate with our “Carve the Park” gatherings. Other places even in Washington weren’t so friendly about it. Then there were other locales. I wouldn’t have done well in your part of the world. Early on, we were supposed to limit ourselves to one hour outdoors daily. I figured if I was in my own yard for hours at a time, any legal charges would have been laughed out of court, so I spent time outdoors.
“The facts suggest that a ficus shrub has now gone onto the brazier and been burned off.” Oh. So the brazier was ficused. Or, to the same tune as “Kill the Wabbit”, sing “Ficus the Brazier”. Sounds rather naughty. I’ll have to remember that one, add it to my list of harmless phrases that sound like sweary words. 😉
What Warner Brothers did to Wagner and some of Rossini was wonderfully fun. Barber of Seville with Bugs Bunny as the barber is classic. The old Tom and Jerry cartoons made good use of Hungarian Rhapsody.
A cage fight between a Killer Rabbit and a Drop Bear would have one and only one winner. The manufacturer of the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. How else to control those combatants and keep them from destroying the crow? I’d hate to be the referee in the cage with them, though. That would be a career with a very short life expectancy. Literally.
What’s my favorite Color? Blue, no green, ARGGGHHHH! Of course, the larger question: Is it a European swallow or an African swallow?
DJSpo
Chris:
I looked around a bit and found this to help me understand cool burns:
https://www.preventionweb.net/news/we-burned-small-and-burned-often-avoid-big-fires-its-time-relearn-cultural-burning
I remember that remark about “Sir”. No wonder Tom got out of that job and into “farming”.
Yeah, there’s always the old insurance cloud hanging over everyone’s head when they want to start a venture. Always “liability”, never “responsibility”.
We make kkakdugi (a form of kimchee) from the big daikons. Now I know that I can eat the leaves, too. I find turnips to be just fine added to a vegetable soup. I haven’t yet worked on getting used to them alone (lots of butter?) because I just haven’t produced that many so far. There are some nice Aji Koganes growing right now, if the well-below freezing nighttime temperatures starting tomorrow night don’t hurt them.
A nurse once told me that the last sense of taste that we lose when we get old is the one for sweetness. That would account for the fact that most people over at the assisted living where my mother was (I go over there once a week) want sugar in everything, even their vegetables.
I would use walnuts like I do in my basil pesto. I love peanuts, but can’t indulge too often. Yikes! I have just remembered peanut butter, carob, and honey. Ahhh . . .
Today I laid my one garden hose (the figs are borrowing the other) down the hill to drain it for the coming cold. I also started shoving leaves (I have billions) under some of the cardboard laid in the beds. I don’t have a way to chop them up, but everything under the cardboard broke down so well over the summer that I want to see if that is a good idea. Hello, wormies! When I used to go fishing, I could always find lots of worms under the leaves in the woods.
Pam
@ Lew:
I saw your parsnips/turnips French fries (do I mean Freedom Fries?) recipe. That looks good. Thanks.
Pam
Hi Pam,
Everything the short article said, and more. Agreed. I’ve had no local guidance on this matter, but have read many books upon the subject, and have learned techniques by trial and error – a major winter job. If I had more time and resources…
If I recall correctly, the joke in The Good Life series was that ‘Sir’ wanted Tom to come back to work.
Just got stuck into the garden for a couple of hours in the cooler evening weather. Quite pleasant. Can you believe that another fruit tree was moved? Some years are ideal for this activity, and from Friday night onwards, it’s gonna be wet. Early next week will be cold. Oh well. The tree was a Chinese pistachio and it was doing no good where I’d originally planted it. Not enough sunlight – you’d know the feeling? 😉 Also used the battery hedge trimmer to clean up the weeds in the fern gully. I was really surprised to see just how many plants there had survived the very hot and dry autumn weather. It’ll be fine.
Oh! I’d never thought of the problem from that perspective, but yeah, so true. People want to outsource their risk, and that’s the problem with getting people to help me out here. Crazy as it sounds, I’d end up with their all care and no responsibility, and I’m not into that concept. Your distinction is spot on. Thanks.
Pam, I know you wouldn’t do a Bahn Mi, but they use those fermented daikon radishes, and also pickled carrots. What a fine dish, and so good for a person in the winter months. Your DIL would bring some vegetable gifts to the kitchen. Hey, we scored a couple of free packets of radish seeds today. Winning! 🙂 They were just out of the use-by date, and I’m unfussed by such matters. If germination drops from 90% to 80%, then no big deal. Also bought some more Californian poppies with different colours. Lovely plants.
Hope the plants survive the well below freezing mornings. Fingers crossed, and some varieties like Kale and Green Mustards shrug off such nuisances. They are of course in the minority for edible plants. Have you ever been tempted to chuck some greens into the poly tunnels with the figs and enjoy some winter greens?
I never knew that about the taste buds, and would probably instead try to avoid de-sensitising the palate in the first place. That’s an option for the careful.
Walnuts would work great in a pesto. We buy roasted unsalted peanuts by the large box… 🙂 It’s just slightly too cold to grow them here, except that one summer when conditions were fluffy optimal and Sir Poopy dug them all up and ate them, shells and all. I do feel that moment was a lost opportunity for plant breeding. That combination you mentioned would be awesome. 🙂
We need to start a save the hose fund! I’ve never seen a destroyed pipe or hose due to sub-freezing weather, and the very thought gives me an attack of the vapours. And what a great idea with the leaves. Absolutely what you are doing would work a treat, with an army of happy worms, or at least worm eggs over the winter months.
When we first moved here, I used to see real old timers collecting fallen leaves from underneath the almost century old Avenue of Honour trees, and knew that those old folks had super productive gardens.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
It’s possible that a few cactus species are edible, thus the wicked protections the plants employ. I’ve never tasted prickly pear personally, so was curious as to the variety you consumed. Oh well, maybe one day we’ll find out!
That was my experience with the George Orwell books as well. I’d read them in High School, then many decades later as a person with more age under the belt. And yes, for all of those reasons you mentioned, I came to the same conclusion. He blew it. I got the impression that the system cared not a whit for his relationship with Julie, but then the two misguided fools escalated and attempted to achieve another persons pre-ordained outcome, and that was a matter which was beyond my understanding. They were patsy’s for no discernible gain that I could ascertain, other than maybe the relief of the sheer stultifying boredom of their existences. Mr Orwell never really fully explained why being a prole was such a bad outcome in comparison. There’s an underlying assumption in the book that to be a party member was an excellent thing, but this was never critically examined. Exactly, to fall under the sway of the party, was the worst possible outcome. From my perspective the party was there to absorb active peoples energy.
Yeah, the horse as a fictional character has some appealing qualities, but never once sought to question or circumvent his fate.
🙂 The strange looks from the shades of grey comment may have something to do with the subject matter of the book, rather than your pithy comment itself, which I quite enjoyed. That sort of dominant-subjugated relationship has no appeal to me, but clearly the success of the book suggests that there are occluded currents in the wider society. The Editor read the first of the books at the insistence of a friend, and was totally unimpressed.
Snow! The first of the season for you. Maybe it’s just me, but your description of the weather sounded quite unappealing! Did you and Dame Avalanche get out for a walk?
It was raining and cold this morning, and we’d planned to work outside today on the new path project. The drops felt icy cold, and neither of us (or the dogs) were excited about the prospect, so today was swapped with tomorrows plans (the forecast suggests warmer temperatures, at first). Visited the garden club and picked up some seeds. Had a nice lunch, of cheese, ham and salad sandwiches (very simple, but so good) and dropped past the general store late this afternoon. The MIG welder had arrived in the mail. Had a fun chat with the bloke there about the welder and how the machine will make me look like I know what I’m doing. 🙂 Came home and did a couple of hours in the garden. Moved a Chinese pistachio tree to a new and better location. A fun day.
Not yet with the crushed rock with lime, but soon. Maybe tomorrow given that from Friday night it will rain heavily for a few days. The weather is feral strange here at the moment. Hmm. Agreed, when the rain is bad enough, things go very wrong. Even concrete slabs can be washed away – like that big dam in the large broke state to the west and south of you which almost failed, was it last year?
Yes, thanks for the correction with the phrase. Sometimes jokes can go too far, and people need to learn their limits. When they can’t, well, your photo option is not a bad idea. This is what you looked like last time in the aftermath, do you really want this outcome again? Sends a strong message!
Ficus the brazier sounds super tough, and not a character to be messed around with. 🙂
Ah Liszt-o-mania would work with Bugs Bunny. The composer dude’s got an enviable head of hair!
Yes, both the Killer Rabbit and Drop Bears (or Drop Crocs for that matter) are all bad news and best stomped out for safety purposes. Agreed, with your suggestion, the ref would be collateral damage for sure. Sad and all unfortunate and stuff.
Thanks for getting the joke, and I’d forgotten about the swallow quarrel, but yeah, so funny. I loved that film, but Life of Brian was so beyond good.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
I know man, those unloved vegetables were staples for a good reason, and for that they should be respected. I read an article about the ongoing potato crisis in this country, and it’s bleak. Hopefully this season produces a better crop. Queensland potato farmers help fill supply gap as southern drought causes national shortage. Since rotating the plants to new garden beds, they’re doing really well. We just have to get the storage of them right this year. For your interest, with locally grown farm gate potatoes, we used to pay $30 for 15kg / 33 pounds.
Don’t we all, and hermits notably require a patron. In a strange coincidence, we travelled past the nearby shed where the hermit once resided, and it had the look of long vacancy. Not sure what that means, it could mean much, but equally be something of a conclusion.
I eagerly await your brave testing of the early hour sun hypothesis. 🙂
That stuck temperature thing happens here too in the winter months, especially when the clouds are thick and low. Standing water tells you everything you need to know about the weather conditions. Man, the rain this morning was icy, and occurred when Ollie and I were out and about upon boundary patrol duties. One must keep an eye out for marauding zombies, although the big dog could out-run me, which is a problem. It really felt Antarctic this morning, so we ditched the idea of work and instead went to visit the nearby garden club to re-stock the seed collection. We have to set aside some land to grow plants for their seeds, and an idea was discussed earlier today. Picked up some new colours of Californian Poppies too. Great plants. Had a nice lunch, and will get to work tomorrow in the forecast warmer conditions. But, the rains are set to return tomorrow night in a big way. Oh well.
Did I mention that the Bureau of Meteorology down here updated their interweb site, and oh boy, what a stink subsequently occurred. 🙂
That’s a great song, yeah, a real blast from the past! Future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades. The guy sure could play the harmonica, and how the lady could play the guitar by feeling the frets alone, is beyond me. Probably not that cool, but maybe close to it.
No salt mines around here. Casting back the memory to my youth, if I recall correctly, working in the salt mines was a euphemism for doing an unpleasant day job. And oh gawd, they sell salt licks down at the local feed store, and need the deer be encouraged? Last weekend, a someone was down below in the forest, maybe trespassing, blasting away at the deer. Haven’t seen any since then.
I hear you about land being cheaper back in the day, it’s true too in relative terms. Inflation, sucks.
Both the book and the original film were excellent. So much blood, I’ll bet they had fun making that film, horrifying as the content was.
Ah, the most famous of dogs borne upon a battlefield in far distant Europe, and agreed, we would be lesser without dogs (or cats) by our sides. Have you decided to add a hold upon the book? Due to economic circumstances, my book purchasing of late has slowed… 🙂 Yes, yes, the library, I hear you. I’m unable to read a book upon a screen, it’s not the same for me. And a lot of the time, when communicating here, I’m gazing at the keyboard, although have no real reason to do so. My job demands a lot of screen time, so yeah, books through that medium, I don’t think so. Anyway, I like reading in public, the activity baffles people, and may even be mildly subversive don’t you reckon?
Ha! I like where you are going with the flower suggestion, but you know how programming works, the mind constantly comes back to people thiefing off with orchids. Wasn’t my idea… 🙂
Nice one with the pumpkin pie bake-off win. You know, those books you mentioned, long ago positioned near to the cash registers as an impulse buy, were usually pretty good. Women’s magazines used to do recipe cards too which were eventually boxed in a nice plastic container – like those old oak library card cabinets, but cheaper. The Editor has a full set of those handed down from her mother.
Traditional for the spice sounds right to me. When visitors dine here, I’m insistent that the flavours delivered are what they’d expect. The feedback is pretty good. I’m not sure that I should be chuckling at your war on shortening story, but… Here I should fess up that I add a small chunk of solid coconut oil to ours and the dogs breakfast each day, so know what you mean about the stuff being sticky.
Interesting, when I’ve made crust with shortening, it’s usually been more solid, and less flaky. I’m salivating reading about the pie you made, and would likewise heat it up and add ice cream, or proper cream. Yes, whip creamed product is not to my liking, the real deal is too good. I’ll bet the stuff you made up in that business was in demand?
Yeah, that’s the risk with pies, and other baked products – they can go stale. Not nice, and occasionally encountered just like what you noticed.
🙂 Go the thanksgiving DVD gift of superbness. Hope you got to enjoy the film?
The Hobo code may itself be: SOL?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – I sometimes see prickly pear in the veg section, of local stores. If they have a Hispanic customer base. Usually, they are de-thorned. I wonder who gets stuck with that job? Heavy gloves and a pair of pliers.
Cartoon music? “The Night on Bald Mountain,” segment of Dizzy’s “Fantasia” scared the bejesus out of me. “Disney’s “Night on Bald Mountain” features music composed by Modest Mussorgsky, specifically his tone poem originally titled “St. John’s Eve on Bald Mountain.” The version used in the film is an arrangement by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, which was further adapted by Leopold Stokowski for the 1940 film “Fantasia.”
That was an interesting article on potatoes. Anytime I can get anything for less than a dollar a pound, I feel lucky. Doesn’t happen much, anymore. Rice and rolled oats used to be pretty predictable. Now, I feel lucky if I can find them for less than two dollars a pound. When I outline my Thanksgiving meal to people, several have said, “What! No mashed potatoes and gravy?” I think five courses is enough. I have to avoid mission creep. 🙂
Maybe the hermit went walk-about. Or, died in the bush, somewhere. I’m surprised his domicile can be seen from the road. He might have just been told to move along.
We have orange California poppies, here at the Institution. They’re not exactly invasive, but do pop up in unexpected places, year after year. I suppose I should start thinking about next year’s seed. Though I saved a bit, here and there. Seed catalogs ought to start arriving, in about a month.
I know the salt licks, you’re talking about. They’re usually furnished for cows, too. But I was thinking more of natural salt licks, Sometimes, nefarious deer hunters put out salt licks, for the deer, before hunting season. It may even be illegal, in some places.
Speaking of cows, I watched a very good movie from New Zealand, the other night. “Bellbird.” It’s about a cranky and taciturn old dairy farmer, who loses his wife. His son really isn’t cut out for the farming life, and is happy working at the local tip. It’s beautifully photographed. No subtitles, though 🙁 . I see it was filmed in Maungakaramea, N.Z.. Now, that’s a mouthful.
Yes, I put a hold on “Rin Tin Tin.” The library has one copy, in large print, and that’s it. Two holds ahead of mine. A title can be a book, large print book, audio book, or e-book. Sometimes, they have all four.
I’m just about finished with Susan Orlean’s autobiography. I read the section on her writing the book, “The Library Book.” Which is about libraries in general, and the Los Angeles public library, in specific. And, the horrible fire they had. I hadn’t heard of it, but as she discovered, it happened on the same day as the Chernobyl meltdown, so was washed out of the news.
I see she also has a book that is a collection, of several articles she wrote on animals. Our library has it. Hmmm.
Waste not … Etc.. It always seems there’s a good amount of pumpkin pie mix, left over, once the pie shell is full. What to do? I’m sure not going to pour all that good stuff, down the drain. So, I wondered if I could turn it into pumpkin muffins? I added another small egg, vanilla, a splash of almond milk, to the liquid. I also plumped up two of those little boxes of raisins. Unsweetened apple sauce. Gave it a good whip with my whisk. For dry ingredients, I used a cup of flour, baking soda and powder, and a cup of sugar, half brown and half white. Added that in small amounts, and stirred it in. I kept adding a bit of flour, until it was the right consistency, for muffins. I sort of used my banana muffin recipe, as a guideline. It made 14 muffins. Sort of spongy, but very tasty. I cut up a couple, and warmed them up in the microwave. Then put a dollop of vanilla ice cream, on top. Well, that elevated to the next level.
I also diced and fried up a red onion, last night. So I won’t have to do that, today, when I make the dressing. I figure I’ll have my usual breakfast, take a nap, and then start dinner. Baking a turkey thigh and drumstick, won’t take long.
One of the owner’s of the cafe / bar I worked in, had a recipe for “Black Forest Chocolate Cake.” He’d spent some time in Europe, and picked it up, there. That’s what we’d put the whipped cream on.
Our high yesterday was 52F (11.11C). It dropped to 48F (8.88C) around 5pm and stayed there, right through the night. The forecast high for today is 52F. H and I pretty much dodged rain, yesterday, except for once. It looks like rain, for the next 24 hours. We might not be as lucky.
Just for fun, the origins of the word “turkey,” in all its permutations.
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/26/nx-s1-5612661/turkey-word-origin-thanksgiving
I didn’t know that the Spanish took turkeys, to Europe, and then the colonists brought them back to North America. After a little genetic fiddling. And, yes, whoever our fearless leader happens to be, they pardon a pair of turkeys, at Thanksgiving. They are retired to a farm, and live out their days in peace and quiet. 🙂 We do have strange customs.
Commercial turkeys are so overbred, that they can’t reproduce themselves, any more. There was a book, that came out in 2007, “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.”
https://w.wiki/GLWa
Kingsolver has a chapter on trying to get her turkeys to breed. Quit amusing. I read the book when it came out. Quit a good read.
You may remember, the place I lived before had a resident wild turkey, for awhile. I’d heard that there was a wild turkey flock, a ways to the east of me, on forest company land. One day, after a particularly bad storm, a turkey appeared in the back pasture. I figured he’d been blown in by the storm, and separated from the flock. I’d see him, out my kitchen window. He hung around for about three years. I wondered why he never rejoined his flock. Maybe he also was a hermit, by disposition? :-). Lew
Chris,
I’ve only eaten two varieties of cactus, prickly pear and whatever is in the local eatery. The southern New Mexico version of prickly pear was sweet and juicy, but nowhere near as sweet as watermelon. I’ve also had prickly pear jam, which also included the regional Hatch chili from New Mexico. That jam was extremely flavorful with a good zing from the Hatch chili. The Princess couldn’t eat it. Too much heat.
I’m at the part of the book where Julia just handed him the note that says “I love you”. We don’t actually know her name yet. It was stressed early that party members can marry for one reason and one reason only – to have children. However, the party prefers that children get created in the lab. And relationships for love are forbidden. Seems to me that it would be worth wandering into the prole areas and trying to disappear yourself there.
You got to the very reason why I started the cheeky 50 shades of grey comments about our winter weather. Indeed, it was purposely cheeky and I expected some strange looks. A couple people asked if I had read and liked those books. My reply was, “What book?” The Princess looked at the first book once at the library, decided it was gonna be a big loser and didn’t even borrow it.
Yes, twice. The weather was rather glum and dank and misty and dreary and unappealing on Wednesday. Half inch officially of snow. And Dame Avalanche and I did get out for a short walk before the mist became nasty and before the Princess and I had errands to do. Now on Thursday, it is more like “Cat in the Hat” weather. The first line sums it up: “The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play, so we stayed in the house all that cold, cold wet day.” Hard rain most of the day. Dame Avalanche staked out her spot on the sofa and has been curled up dozing all day. Except when I went outside for a half hour with my coffee. The Princess and I are enjoying drinking tea. Scottish breakfast tea for me, her favorite Earl Grey for her.
This +3C with mist, hard rain, breezy. It’s the weather I feel the coldest in, actually. I probably mention that every year. 🙂 Your description of your recent “icy rain” describes today here very well.
Crushed rock and lime. Is that similar to the time-honored way to drink tequila, “with a little salt and lime”? Although my preference is as a high octane additive to coffee on very rare occasions. Very rare.
Ohhhh, you may be on to something. Ficus the Brazier, super hero from the barbarian era. Perhaps a companion and ally of Conan the Barbarian? Or maybe he was around during the time of Vlad the Impaler, got his nickname of “the Brazier” because he roasted vampires over an open flame?
Both Disney and Looney Tunes did wonderful things with “William Tell Overture”. Rossini again. Pretentious music simply begs to be used in funny cartoons.
If it’s “Holy Grail” oriented, I probably get the joke. A group of us turned that into our theme for several years during our outdoor adventures. One of the group joined the carving club a few years ago. Occasionally the two of us get the “Holy Grail” jokes going, much to the chagrin of others but to our wholehearted amusement.
DJSpo
Chris:
No, I can’t believe another fruit tree was moved. The mere idea is completely daunting to me, yet you move them here, there, and everywhere – big ones, too!
Right this minute I am eating a bought kimchi that I found had to be used up before I make my own. It is truly delicious, though rather hot. I would love a Bahn Mi, but the bread just couldn’t be duplicated with gluten free. When we used to eat out, I often just ate the insides of something like that. Such a waste, though.
I hope to score some seeds for next year soon. The seed catalogues are already coming in. Can I resist? Highly unlikely.
I am just finishing putting away the seeds I dried from this year, but always something new beckons. All gardeners suffer from that, don’t they?
So far, I have been able to enjoy quite a few winter greens without a poly tunnel. The winters have been especially mild, though, the last few years so we shall see how this one goes. I don’t think the fig greenhouses will be heated this winter; it’s a new set-up. I expect it would be like a cold frame for greens, so maybe in early spring I might consider trying some greens.
I have grown peanuts here; once in pots. Virginia is known for its peanuts. But I don’t have the space to grow enough to make it worthwhile, kind of like grains.
Good. Then I’ll keep up with my leaf tucking. And I am lucky: I have all the leaves I could ever want. Actually, it’s a fall chore keeping them off whatever is growing.
This is 9 minutes but 1 minute’s worth is enough to have some fun, and if the kiddies are watching, someone throws in a naughty word after that. “Farmers Are Shaming Their Chickens For Their ‘Crimes’ And It’s Too Entertaining To Read”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AISTmg-FmNw
Pam
Yo, Chris – Again. Just saw an article about prescribed burns.
https://www.nwpb.org/local/2025-11-26/building-resilience-how-landowners-and-land-managers-are-working-to-educate-people-on-prescribed-burns?utm_source=npr.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=local_headlines&utm_content=homepage
Boy, that’s some URL. Thought I’d better link to it, before it disappears. Lew
Hi Pam,
Well, the fruit trees are only ever moved because they have zero chance of growing where I’d initially planted them, so I can be a bit more easy going when digging up the root systems. Plus they are pruned heavily. I’ve learned a thing or two over the past twenty years. And waiting for the weather to be just right for that relocation work, like it’s raining outside now, and will continue to do so until Tuesday. It’s wet. A perfect time for moving trees. Saves me the hassle of watering them too.
Hehe! Kimchi = chilli! 🙂 Good stuff, and probably really great for your health and digestion. Some chefs / cooks are a bit liberal with the application of chilli’s, yeah, ouch! Always adds a dimension of excitement to the experience. Are you going to make your own batch? I know, I know, the bread would be a problem for you. What do you do? Bread is no longer what it once was, or flour for that matter. You know, I’m very particular about the flours I purchase and bake with.
Absolutely, do not resist! 🙂 I love the seed catalogues too, and chucked a whole bunch of Californian Poppy seeds into the new garden bed where the ficus was relocated just before the rain hit an hour or so ago. Should be interesting. Split some more boulders earlier today, and then installed more rocks on the uphill side of the new garden path. It’s looking good, but me now tired after an early start this morning.
It’s the tragedy of the gardener, yeah. There are always more plants and enthusiasm, than available garden beds. I wish it were not so, and we’re having to manage crop rotation too, plus seed saving. Need another greenhouse, yet must make do with the garden space available.
Interesting, and out of sheer curiosity with your peanut seeds, were they for sale in your seed catalogues? The tea camellia seeds eventually arrived, and once the chilli seedlings are planted out, I’ll give them a go. I noticed that too about the peanuts in that they crawled across a garden bed, but were no match for the nose of Sir Poopy.
Hehe! Is cleaning up in a garden ever seriously done? Maybe in winter there is less to do, but at other times of the year… I tend to mow up the fallen leaves where they landed, and the soil critters suck them into the ground pretty quickly. But yes, the produce a really nice crumbly black loam.
Thanks for the laughs, and who knew there were so many naughty chickens? One of them even had a #sorry, not sorry, label. And yes, the pumpkin copped it, and the birds looked unrepentant. The two new hens here have finally settled into the routine and are laying eggs.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Oh, well, I’ve not tasted prickly pear, and only have that comparison as a second hand opinion. Candidly, the thought of the razor like spikes on that plant give me an attack of the willies, and I’m basically not manly enough to put the plant to the ultimate test. 🙂 Used to work for a boss, who as a kid ended up in emergency when an uncle fed the plant to him. He was never sure whether it was an intentional act, and I got the trauma vibe from him when he recounted the story. A bit of a dog act.
Chilli in jam? Not a combination I’d have thought of.
I’d forgotten that bit about the lab. Sounds all a bit creepy really. And that’s what the book never quite got across to me when read as an adult, what were the benefits from sticking with the party? I wasn’t sold on the concept, and I mean, sooner or later, a person will make a mistake and come unstuck. Why play that game, when the prole option seemed as if they were having more fun and freedom. It’s like the ultimate form of cancel culture, but with grim consequences. Basically I could not fathom Winston’s motivation for sticking at what he was doing, other than some sort of weird apathy combined with a complete and utter inability to envision any alternative. Agreed, disappearing didn’t seem that hard.
Hehe! What book indeed… 🙂 Very funny. Yeah, Sandra was talked into reading the drivel, and complained to me endlessly about it. I did my utmost to zone out at such moments, and maybe even chucked in an occasional question: Why are you doing this? Your lady made the right decision.
Your Wednesday sounds unpleasant, then somehow Thursday becomes double-plus-ungood-complete-horrid, just attempting to recall some of the double-speak sayings, with a spin for the youth of today! 😉 Don’t laugh, but during the health subject which dare not be named, there was a poster above the freeway with the line: Staying apart, keeps us together. And it gave me the chills. Yes, war is peace brother DJ.
What were we talking about again? Oh snow, rain, cold. It’s raining here right now, and will continue to do so until mmm, Tuesday. That’s wet. The radar image looks impressive. It’s weirder up in the more elevated alpine areas: Australian summer to start with snowfalls. Don’t look at me, I’m living a relatively small environmental footprint, but that’s just a drop in the ocean. Incidentally, the first photo was of Mount Field where a hiker recently passed away due to exposure, I believe. Maybe I obsess a bit over the weather forecast, but it’s always unpleasant to be caught out… And yeah, you have mentioned those sort of thoughts too, but then it takes one to know one, don’t you reckon!
Thanks for the Doctor Seuss memory.
Isn’t it weird how the salt and lime just works, and I recall in the 70’s when Irish Coffee was very much the thing. Coffee with a serious kick.
Pah! That scoundrel Vlad should have been the first on the brazier! The cheeky rascal. Did he come to a bad end? You’d imagine that he’d have made a lot of enemies in his day.
Wasn’t the William Tell Overture, used in Westerns? I’ve got this vague memory that it was. Dunno.
Hehe! Those Monty Python jokes are epic, and worthy of many a repeat. The humour just clicked with me, much in the same way that Hitchhikers did. Like finding your people. 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
It’s a good question, and how are those thorns removed? Those cactus paddles are lethal chunks of serious unpleasantness which can ruin you’re entire week. Had a boss who’s uncle, perhaps maliciously, nobody knows, gave him one to eat as a kid without any warnings. Ended up emergency, and the pain when the story was recounted was palpable. Ah, just looked up how to clean them up: shaving, boiling and/or fire. I’d avoid them.
Oh yeah, Fantasia was dark. Went to see it at the drive in cinema as a kid, and opted to go to sleep instead. Ah, Mussorgsky was an interesting dude, who’s work was refined by folks who came afterwards. The epithet Modest, seems like a big call in this case.
🙂 The one dollar shop concept has clearly had to get with the times due to cost of living pressures. Food is expensive, and getting more so. Yeah, both rice and oats prices are gaining momentum. It’s not lost on me that either food item are considered staples and basic raw materials. We use a lot of oats in cooking.
Nice dodging too, and five courses sounds like one of those long lunches, which are quite pleasant, and not usually followed by a dinner. Probably a step too far. Oh poop, it was Thanksgiving day in your part of the world, and so please accept my best wishes for the day.
The hermits shed can be seen from the road, if you know it’s there. Kind of a blink and you’ll miss it building which blends seamlessly into the background. The little corrugated iron dwelling looks as if it’s been there a century or more. Here’s what it looks like (on the cover of a book): Shack: In Praise of an Australian Icon
Those Californian Poppies tend to wander around the place here as well, and have a reputation, but I’ve never seen them travel far from the garden. The soil, or growing conditions, in the surrounding forest probably isn’t good enough to support the plants. Receiving the seed catalogues is always an exciting event.
Far out, we worked hard today. Split a few boulders, and then hauled four loads of very large rocks back up the hill. Dumped the rocks on the new path project, and managed to install about 11 of them on the uphill side of the path. The job is progressing nicely. A big day of work though, and we finished up at 3pm for a late lunch. I’m in talks with the Editor about enforcing a hard 2pm limit, and suggestions for just one more activity will not cut it. Still, what’s done is done, and we’ve got another dozen large rocks to install on the uphill side of the path.
It began to rain this evening, a lot. And will continue to do so for the next four days. It’s wet. One of those vast north west rain bands, possibly fed by the recent Tropical cyclone way up in the Indian Ocean. Nice to head into summer with full water tanks, and there’s a forecast for snow in the elevated parts of this state. Not bad for the official start to summer.
Oh yeah, I’ve seen those natural salt licks, and wow, do they attract wildlife, or what? The others you can buy, I’d not thought of that use for them. I doubt that it is illegal down here with the deer on my own property. Even spotlighting is OK for landowners on their own property, but not for anyone else. Big fines for them.
I’ve been meaning to see that New Zealand film, and have only heard good things about it. It is beautiful country there. Dude, I can’t pronounce that word either, but then some Aussie place names are tongue twisters.
What do you mean a large print book? I’d not heard of these. Hmm. Oh, it appears that a single page has its orientation changed and then is printed across two pages. I’ve not encountered such a book before. Is this a new thing? It’s a good idea.
Yeah, some news is so big, that all other reporting comes to a halt, or is quietly pushed into the background. It happens, and Chernobyl was pretty horrific. The documentary of the dogs which reside there nowadays was interesting.
Will you take the plunge and put the book of collected essays on hold? How’s your hold list going anyway? You haven’t mentioned it for a while, so I’d assumed that everything was good with the system. And are you enjoying the new DVD player? Forget about that remote, unless you press the wrong button to discover unusual consequences.
Go the pumpkin spice muffins. Are you tempted to take some into the Club? Do they do a thing for Thanksgiving celebrations? I’d imagine there’d be some demand for that given the pressure experienced at other venues.
That’s the benefit of having just the thigh and drumstick, less meat, but it will roast faster. Do you use those oven bags for the bird? I reckon they work well, but possibly aren’t made from materials found in nature. Oh well. How did the roast turn out?
Black Forest cake is really rich, and may not agree with my delicate constitution. Although, admittedly I happily scoff back cakes, but not necessarily chocolate based desserts.
You’re not getting much in the way of variation with your wintry weather, and hey, that happens here too. Do you reckon you’ll get some snow this season? Sounds like you and H will definitely get hit with rain. Took Ollie out to do his business a while ago, and he was unimpressed with the rain, and let’s just say that events were perfunctory. Dame Plum on the other hand pretended it wasn’t raining…
I can see that Guinea Fowl could be considered similar to a turkey. Whoa! What the heck: Sumptuary laws… Pardoning turkeys does sound quite strange to me, but when in Rome they say. 🙂 Down Under, roast chicken is more commonly seen and cooked during celebration feasts. What? Are you serious? I’m gobsmacked about the artificial insemination. Did I read that 30 million of the birds were on the tables in the past day or so? Apparently it is possible to buy heritage varieties which can err, get their funky gear on, and produce fertilised eggs.
You’re probably right, the turkey just wanted some alone time. I get that. 😉
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis cont…
Thanks for the article on the burns, and it’s a funny thing, but nobody remembers the thousand burns which went smoothly, they’ll latch on to the one which got away. The goobermint down here maybe broke, for it hasn’t done all that much in the way of planned burns. They’re up for election next year, so maybe they’ll get their act together. It’s also weird that people want no change, even when the consequences are dire.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – I saw an interesting article on Merlin’s Mound.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwv44ey144o
Seems like a lot of us have evil uncles, in our woodpile. My brother and I got ducklings, one Easter. They eventually got too big for town, so out to my uncle’s farm they went. I used to visit them. One trip, no ducklings! I was told they had run away. Well, half way through dinner that night, uncle announces we’re eating my ducklings! I never did like that uncle. Oh, well, revenge is best served cold. I had a great aunt, in Seattle, who I hadn’t seen in years. My uncle was kissing that old ladies nether regions, angling to be executor of her estate. When she died, guess who was named executor? 🙂
LOL. When I clicked on the “Shack” link, I got a screen from The River, asking if I wanted to continue shopping. 🙂 No worries. I easily found it, another way. Looks like a really interesting book. Shacks and cabins. We have them here. And, also …
https://archive.org/details/naturecallshisto0000boot
Can’t wait to see a picture of the blooming poppies, around the relocated ficus.
The 2pm curfew is a good idea. But, might be a bit flexible, depending on weather.
Spotlighting and salt licks (I think), are illegal here. But, given how out of hand deer are getting, those laws might be relaxed.
The large print books I’ve seen, aren’t printed across two pages. At least, not here. The books are just generally, larger. They’ve been around for a long time. Even popular magazines are printed in large print. Someone brought in a box of recovery books, to the Club, last week. The first thing that was grabbed, was a copy of the “Big Book” in large print.
Way back in about 1967, I worked a summer in “Books for the Blind,” devision of Portland Public Libraries. We sent out large cases of LP records, of books. We also sent out a lot of books in braille. And, magazines.
I saw an interesting article on the history of dogs. New research.
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/26/nx-s1-5612520/dogs-origin-physical-variation-stone-age-archaeology
My hold list is pretty much topped up. I had to take a few things off, to fit other things on. It gives me a chance to decide what I REALLY want to watch or read. The DVD player is working quit well. I forgot to mention, a couple of nights ago, I watched “Mars Attacks!” What a hoot, and what a cast. Figures. It’s a Tim Burton movie. I think it’s a classic, right up there, almost, with “Galaxy Quest.”
Oh, yeah. The Club had some big Thanksgiving doings. Turkey provided and the rest pot luck. I didn’t go. Too many people and kids. The last time I went, I got Noro virus. An experience I’d rather not repeat.
You have to put a tablespoon of flour in the bag, so it doesn’t explode, or something. Cut six small vents in the top. I tossed in some celery sticks, half a small apple, and a quartered onion. Rubbed the turkey pieces with olive oil, and sprinkled on some sea salt and dried sweet basil. An hour and a half later, the internal temperature was up to 185F. It came out tender and moist.
Panic in the kitchen! 🙂 Once I’d launched the turkey, I started in on the dressing. What with all the upset of the annual inspection, and sprinkler replacement, the bag of stuffing mix had gone missing. After a half hour search, I finally found it, tucked in a roaster on top of my fridge.
I went easy on the turkey, but had two servings of dressing, with cranberry jam and two pieces of pumpkin pie, warmed, with vanilla ice cream. H had turkey and cranberries. Wow. Cleaned her bowl. I think she’s still in a turkey coma.
I settled in to watch the new “Downton Abbey” movie. Quit good. But is it really the end? 🙂 One thing I didn’t care for is, I think they “aged up” the makeup on some of the male stars, and I had a few moments of trying to figure out who they were.
Our high yesterday was 54F (12.22C). Our overnight low was 48F (8.88C). The forecast high for today is 53F. When I took H out for her late afternoon walk, it was raining hard, and blowing. The midnight walk it was still raining, but at least the wind had died down. The rain doesn’t seem to bother H, and, she often lallygags around, as I get wetter and wetter. I had to hang my coat on the shower rod, to let it dry out. Glorious sunshine, today, and for the next two days. But the overnight lows are forecast to get down to -0-C. Maybe we’ll have our first hard frost? Snow? Who knows.
As I remember, Kingsolver had heritage breeds of turkeys, but still had a hard time getting them to tango. But as I remember, an old dude passed on some tips, and she was finally successful. I don’t remember what finally got the turkeys, over the finish line.
I thought you’d find the article on the prescribed burns, interesting. Yes, everyone remembers the one burn that gets out of hand.
And, just for fun, and something pretty to look at …
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/27/style/faberges-winter-egg-christies-auction
Might want to keep an eye pealed, next time you go op-shopping. You might find one of the seven missing eggs! 🙂
I’m sure you heard about the Hong Kong fire. What a disaster. I wonder if their elevators, descend to the first floor, and stop working. As soon as the fire alarm goes off. As in this building. I’d say half the Inmates, here, can’t make it down the stairs. Lew
Chris:
When you move the fruit trees, do you prune the roots, too? I usually do that whenever moving any large plant. Supposedly, like pruning the branches to make them grow fuller, pruning the roots makes them grow new branches of roots.
Yes, I make kimchi, though it has been several years. But now I have the main ingredients growing here. This store-bought one is heavenly. A bit heavy on the chillis, yes, but I am going to try the combination of ingredients on the label, with less chillis.
Yes, peanut seeds are for sale in seed catalogues here. My first ones – in the pots – were a gift. Then I think I tried some from the grocery store, in the shell, unsalted. I seem to remember that they did grow; it was a long time ago. Luckily, no Sir Toofies were involved.
I had forgotten to ask how the new young hens were doing. I’m so glad they have settled in. What a tragedy their early days there were.
It was 27F (-2.8C) last night, 38F (3.3C) was the high today, and it is supposed to be like that, or lower, for at least the next 10 days. Could winter be here?
Pam
@ Lew,
Spotlighting and salt licks. Yes, both are illegal. Because of both black tongue and chronic wasting disease, deer populations have been diminishing on this side of the state. I don’t see those regulations changing.
However, salt licks are, well, almost nebulous. If a farmer is running cattle, he can put out salt licks. If the deer tend to frequent the salt licks…The law is supposed to prevent a hunter from putting out salt licks in the wild or dumping salt into a rotting tree. I know “hunters” who have done both. I have no use for that type of hunter.
Spotlighting is nasty. Once in early season (September) archery, 3 of us were in different parts of a field after dusk, making our way back to the truck. Some guys in a pickup with high powered rifles came by, shining a spotlight into the field. One of us was able to back into some trees and hide. Another was able to drop into a large depression that was filled with trees and brush for cover. Where I was, the only option was to drop into the tallest and thickest grass nearby, lie on top of my bow so there was no reflection. I also knew that the guy in the depression had a 44 magnum and would start shooting at the spotlight if the idiots in the truck started shooting in our direction. The next 10 minutes wasn’t exactly fun, but no shots were fired by anybody.
DJSpo
Chris,
With the prickly pear I was familiar with, when ripe it was easy to peel the skin off of the fruit. The spikes came right out with the skin. Of course, the other person I was with once, well, he simply broke open the skin and started eating the innards right out of the skin. He ended up with spikes in his mouth and tongue. All of the graduate students in our program rather quickly discovered that that guy had absolutely no common sense whatsoever.
Orwell so far has made no direct explanation about benefits of being in the party. Reading that there are organizations that have frequent and regular programs for the public, my guess is that these are for a combination of recruiting for party jobs and brainwashing. The promise of a party job also includes housing and clothing stipends, as well as some mad cash and regular meals. Those might be benefits of being a party member.
Winston had some vague memories of life before the revolution. He was convinced that, to quote a Vogon guard, “Resistance is futile.” Yet, his boredom got to him and he resisted by breaking rules. He doesn’t seem to be brainless but doesn’t use what smarts he has to stay out of trouble. Probably largely due to his defeatist outlook. He also didn’t seem to have the “right” kind of intelligence, desire for power, and proper devotion to the party ideals to be able to move up.
War is peace. Slavery is freedom. Ignorance is strength. Staying apart keeps us together. Yup, that freeway slogan fits right in. Scary, that. Eerie.
Cool, snow at the start of Australian summer. Up here in the northern tier of the continental USA, we don’t think about Australia getting snow, especially in the summer. Makes it sound like Montana or Wyoming.
Some of Dr. Seuss was fun. His drawings could be hilarious. What an imagination! At some dental appointment several months back, we were early. They had a copy of “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss. The Princess and I read it before her appointment. That’s always a fun book.
Yes, Irish coffee. Good stuff. Not having any whiskey on hand, Irish or other, is why I tried tequila in my coffee once. Coffee with an extra kick is coffee with an extra kick, regardless of the additive. 😉
Vlad spent much of his life in prison. First, when he was young the Ottoman Empire held his brother and Vlad as hostages for many years to ensure his father’s good behavior. He took over the kingdom eventually, was dethroned and exiled, won it back, impaled Ottoman diplomats and various others that he viewed as enemies, then was deposed again. During his third term as ruler, his loyal followers were not numerous, resulting in an undersized army. He either died in battle and was dismembered afterwards, or was captured and assassinated and dismembered. Dismemberment in either scenario was by the Ottomans, who displayed his head in Constantinople and other cities. You could say that his life was memorable because there was no stability, ending with a rather gruesome end.
The theme song from the old Lone Ranger tv show was part of the William Tell Overture.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Usually as much of the root system is transplanted as possible. There have been one or two occasions when the main tap root was cut due to practical considerations. However, in all cases, the tree itself has been pruned severely so that it copes with the process. As to pruning root systems, I’ve no idea as to the efficacy, but from time to time some root systems are pruned inadvertently. Like one of the apple trees adjacent to the new path project which had a root about an inch in diameter cut, because it protruded into the path. I’m waiting and observing for any changes in the tree. Hopefully the plant can adapt and it was only a minor side root. Dunno really.
On the other hand, plants are adaptable and have evolved to cope with the deprivations of herbivores for longer than our species have been around. Both the wallabies and deer do their best to keep the under story of a forest open, thus why they feed upon saplings, lower branches etc.
Pam, it’s so cool here (some seasons yes, others not so much) that I only have Japanese ginger which is a pale imitation of the real thing. How do you grow ginger tubers for your Kimchi? Wise to cut down on the chilli anyway. It’s funny but this conversation came up in conversation today, and chilli in lunch is fine, but dunno about you, that stuff in dinner affects my sleep!
Oooo, those tasty peas are not usually found in seed catalogues down under. Probably most of them are imported to this country. Thanks for the suggestion about ‘in the shell and unsalted’, and I’ll keep an eye out for them. Being a pea, they do capture nitrogen from the atmosphere, presumably if the right soil critters are present. Dogs seem to know what plants are tasty, and need I mention experiences years ago with strawberries? Again Toothy and Sir Poopy were heavily involved…
It was pretty bad what happened with the new chickens, and we’re going to add to the flock in April, but probably no more than two or three extra hens. I’m a bit wary of population pressures, even though the birds have a lot of space to get around in. Ideally I’d have another chicken coup, with partitions for raising chicks, but maybe later…
If it looks like winter, quacks like winter, and feels real cold, it probably is winter! 🙂 Sure sounds like that to me from your description. One and a quarter inches of rain here since yesterday, and the wood fire is banging along nicely. Might be winter here too. Apparently a La Niña has just been declared which means a wet and cold summer here. We’ll get to find out I guess. A few apricots fell off the trees in the sudden cold and wet snap. Oh well, those trees are marginal here at best.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Oh far out, that’s so not good about the bloke. And having no common sense can land a person in serious trouble, like of that sort. It’s such a hard way to learn. Funnily enough, I employ the trial and error technique for some systems, and the solar power has been a lot like that, but I tend to consider what are the worst case scenarios from getting the trial wrong, and try and implement safe guards. Definitely this does not involve jumping in and putting unknown foods into the mouth! Anyway, surely someone mentioned the risk of the spikes? Presumably the response was: How bad can it be?
It was about two decades ago when I began trialling the solar technology, and back then it was only a handful of enthusiasts on forums swapping experiences and know-how. Some of the new tech is actually pretty decent, and most (but not all) of the LiFePO4 batteries are excellent nowadays. It’s one area where there has been genuine innovation. How long will it all last, well, that’s a question which bothers me.
Thanks for considering the Orwell matter. Being hauled away and re-educated to me at least, seemed too great a risk to take, easier to simply not join. Those stories would be in circulation, despite the party’s efforts. The party metaphorically shooting their own members, looked positively incomprehensible, but made for a chilling second part to the book. However, from a completely different perspective, it’s very possible that the party were merely using this process to identify and shoot their potential competitors. In that case, Winston and Julie were drawn to the party, self identified as wanting more, and then eliminated as a potential competing ideological risk. After all they may replace Big Brother, but at a lower cost base with greater benefits which may have appeal to the proles. Dunno. I really don’t know what Mr Orwell had on his mind with that story. When I read the book as a teenager, it all seemed so much clearer, thus my interest in your opinion.
An interesting analysis of Winston’s character, and I find myself in agreement with your conclusions. He was defeated, wasn’t he? Yeah, I’d not thought of the character in that light. Interestingly, I also was left with the impression that the society was moribund and progression within the party was limited.
It was an eerie moment seeing that slogan plastered in monster letters. I do wonder if the irony of the moment was perhaps lost on the creators. Certainly it suggests a certain lack of awareness, but then, nobody asked me.
🙂 Both of those states are wild and cold, except when they’re hot! Brr! Pah, every time anyone mentions Wyoming, my brain pops the Devils Tower National Monument and aliens with Moog’s into the awareness. Some films are hard to forget, and why would aliens land there of all places?
Those were fun books, and the Lorax was also fun, in a dark way. What a rabbit hole you sent me questing upon! I’d not realised that Dr Seuss’s vocabulary in that book you mentioned had been deliberately limited to 50 words. An impressive achievement.
🙂 Completely understood!
Thanks for Vlad’s history, of which I’d been unaware. Hmm. To me the history suggests a ruthless ruler who was between two empires, with little popular support. Probably not wise to have made further enemies of the Saxxons who’d settled in the area. A dangerous person.
Knew it, and thanks for the confirmation. 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
That William the Conqueror was a canny bloke to have ordered a castle there, of all places. Sends a strong message that he means business, although it tramples heavily upon the past. I’d never heard of this mound before. At 62ft tall, there’s not nothing in that mound.
Well done, and good to hear that you served justice as executor, although I’m only guessing that was who did the work. Not a nice story, that’s for sure, and for all you know, he could have been lying. I remember moving house as a really young bloke, maybe seven, and my mum simply left the cat behind. Such a strange and cruel thing to do, but then sometimes the past wasn’t all that great. Adults told me strange things when I was a kid, stuff you wouldn’t hear spoken these days.
Oh poop, it was the river. Sorry about that, but at least you found the cover photo, which is the shed in question. What a fun book you linked too, and the outhouses on the cover looked like the ones of my youth. Winters are all that much colder, when you have to go outdoors at night to answer the call of nature! You know, there’d be people younger than you and I, who’ve never experienced what it’s like to live with an outhouse. Hmm.
The poppy seeds are in place. An inch and a quarter of rain fell since we last spoke, and yeah, they’re off to a good start. It’s cold here today, and will get colder again over the next two days. Might have to ditch ideas for working outdoors.
Yes, of course, a bit of flexibility with limits is always a compromise, especially when a person is having to cope with heat and rain. But usually if we can finish work at around 2pm in the warmer months, I can live with that.
Those hunting techniques are OK here, mostly because there is no season on deer (for me as a landowner on this property at least). If random hunters tried either, all hell would break loose, and they’d be in a lot of trouble even for having such items with them. But yeah, it does depend doesn’t it on context? Like how your national forests were opened to firewood gathering during the oil crisis of the 70’s. Things which were unthinkable, can suddenly turn.
Ah, probably why I hadn’t seen one of those large text books spread across two pages. One book I ordered, and never read, was printed in this tiny font. It’s so small that it is stupid. Books by and large, are there to communicate to the audience, not be self reverential. Not a bad idea for the Club to produce the book in that format, and clearly it was in demand. I’ve never encountered big print magazines.
Always good to experience how such organisations work. And the Braille items all would have been gratefully received. Well, having just written that, nothing is ever perfect though, and being an as$%ole is a matter which crosses many divides, so the use of the word ‘all’ possibly should have been ‘largely’ instead.
The study on canines hardly surprises me. Our ancestors were equally clever, and a domesticated pack of wolves bonded to a group would have been a massive advantage. Hmm. Seems like there may be some debate over when dingoes arrived on this continent.
Galaxy Quest is pretty awesome. Perhaps it is time for a re-watch? The ending is a hoot.
Oh far out, I’d forgotten that about the noro virus, and yes, once bitten, twice shy, the old timers used to quip. I totally understand.
Aren’t kitchen thermometers useful devices? I’m salivating reading about all this roast turkey talk! Hehe! Glad you found the mix, and it’s awful losing stuff like that. At least the sprinkler folks didn’t destroy your cupboard and contents. Go the food coma! You have enough food for days to come.
It may be the end, if the production didn’t make enough mad cash. 🙂
Strangely, the weather was about the same here today. They tell me that a La Nina has now been called, and it is cold… Yeah, Ollie and Ruby are of our mindset, do what needs being done, and get out of the rain. Dame Plum, well, she, like H, drags the experience out. And thanks for the fun word too. Sounds like frosty weather to me.
Funnily enough, and maybe it is how my mind works, but an abridged title to that article could read: Fabergé’s Winter Egg is poised to smash. You’d hope that they had better security than the Louvre? Those are truly beautiful items. Yes, imagine finding one of the missing ones in an op-shop! Stranger things have happened…
I know! I was not intending to mention that fire, but since you bring it up. It’s a horror show. One lady took the lift to the ground floor to see what was going on, and couldn’t return for her cat / stuff, and I was wondering about your building. Although, is it better to suffer the indignity of being slid/rolled down the stairs and live to fight another day, or suffer what clearly hundreds did? And people tell me that living up in the bush is dangerous.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Chris,
Nice you’ve still got some rocks. They sure are useful. I’m on the search for some to finish up a border but now that it’s snowing that plan might be delayed. We’re getting the same storm system Claire mentioned but by the end of it we may have over 8 inches of snow. The forecast doesn’t show any sign of melting for a couple weeks.
We had a nice Thanksgiving at my daughter, Carla’s. She and her husband have hosted for the last 8 years and do a great job. We picked up Marty on the way.
Had my cataract surgery on the 17th. All went well.
My sage plant was quite overgrown and had Ben, the young man who helps us with outdoor work, dig it out in the spring but haven’t replaced it yet – maybe in the spring.
Been trapping many mice both in the basement and outbuildings. Doug trying to figure out how they’re getting in and caulking any possible entries.
Good luck with all the projects. Warms me up looking at your photos. Winter has come on hard. Wonder if that’s a sign of things to come.
Margaret
@ DJ – That was quit the hair-raising tale. Do you ever wonder at the fact you’ve made it to old(er) age, alive? I do. 🙂
I just saw yesterday, in our local newspaper’s police blotter (called, “Sirens”), that some guy got arrested for spotlighting deer. The fines and possible jail time are pretty steep. As it should be.
I was talking to a couple, last year, who were getting ready to sell their place. The real estate agent was buzzing his drone around, for the ad. Way down at the back end of their property, they caught a good view of a guy loading up a poached deer. Got a real clear view of his license plate. 🙂
Last year, a poaching ring was busted up. How were they caught? Bragging on social media. With pictures! :-).
It’s one thing to take down the occasional deer, off season, to feed your family. It’s another to poach for “sport” and bragging rights. Lew
Yo, Chris – King William was a castle builder. He’d tell his minions, got out and build a castle. Take control of the local countryside, in my name. Marry the local Saxon heiress. LOL. As I always say, if you’re new in town, marry into a local family. And, the Doomsday Book. What an undertaking.
I love that book, “Castle,” by David Mccauley. As a matter of fact, I like all his books. He also had one called “City.” About building a Roman colonial town, from the ground up. Fascinating stuff.
I never understood why my old landlord built the new place up the hill, and left Beau, behind. They had dogs up there. Small, yappy ones. I really don’t want to know how Beau ended up. At least I gave him five good years. I’m sure the evil stepson didn’t take care of him. He didn’t like dogs.
Miniature books? They’re collectible, you know. 🙂
https://w.wiki/GRRB
I find some book design, irritating. Attempts to be hip, with it and graphics rich. Contrasts between print and backgrounds, that are poor. Say, black print on a dark blue background. Yellow on an orange background.
Kids. H and I went down to the Club, last night, and I forgot it was “The Friday Evening Children’s Hour.” Six to eight ferrel children, running amok. I got to yell at them, once. Used my command voice. That brought them up, short. 🙂 Very satisfying.
There was also an article about the origins of moggies. New research. There was a wilder origin, that eventually sort of died out. Our more domesticated (relatively speaking) cats, have a North African origin. The Romans had hunting hounds, but also smaller “lap” dogs.
I’d pretty much had it, with time in the kitchen. So, last night for dinner, I took my small pyrex bowl, filled it with dressing, and whipped in four small eggs. Fried it up as patties, and melted some cheddar cheese, over the top. I finished up with a piece of warmed pumpkin pie, with ice cream. Two more pieces, to go. Tasty. I have enough makings, to do another batch of dressing.
Here in the states, a lot of restaurants have apple pie on the menu. And, usually, the menu states that you can have it warmed, and topped with either ice cream, or cheddar cheese, for a small additional charge.
Our high yesterday was 52F (11.11C). Our overnight low was 39F (3.88C). Our forecast high for today is 49F. The forecast for tonight and tomorrow night is 32F (-0-C). Maybe our first decent frost. Clear and cold. Prof. Mass has a new post, about La Niña, and the possibility of snow. But, he’s mostly talking, I think, about the Seattle area / north Puget Sound. The passes for the skiers. Oh, I think we’ll get snow. But any forecast will come with the usual disclaimers, “lowland snow, hard to predict.” Lew
Hi Lewis,
That Norman bloke knew that in order to conquer a people, you more or less have to become the people. That Lawrence of Arabia bloke also knew that. I tend to believe that the land itself skews a culture because it exerts compromises and pressures. Can’t be avoided, and probably best accepted, but hey, what do I know? 🙂 Marrying into a local family is a great idea to cement ties in an area, although didn’t do that personally, which is probably why I’m still considered a new comer, even two decades on. Yeah, the Domesday Book is an astounding undertaking, and that Norman bloke sought to know exactly what he’d wrested.
What a mind to recreate such constructions in a book form – and I’d completely missed these most excellent works. What a delightful motivation behind them all too, and it’s been remarked upon elsewhere that technology which is unknown is akin to dark magic. You do know that in having to repair a lot of the machines here, I’ve gotten closer to knowing them. Constructing the parts replaced, is sadly beyond my skills, but I realise and acknowledge this lack.
I remember Beau as a peaceful dog, based on all you’ve said over the years. Sometimes all a dog will get is five good years, and Sir Scruffy had a similar story with us, and no way did he want to go back. Smartest dog I’ve encountered to date. They all bring different gifts to the table. It’s hard to know what impact a relationship will have on a person, so maybe Beau did OK with the evil step son?
Oh my gawd, the miniature books took the words ‘in a nutshell’ to their literal conclusion. Lewis, I’ve gotta run man, there’s the sniff of a collectors mania in the air! 🙂 Hehe! Lest we get sucked into the vortex.
Agreed, if a book is hard to read due to err, say, strange coloured fonts on unusual backgrounds, as you rightly suggested, then my mind also floats away onto other more comprehensible things. Man, some folks seek novelty though, there’s no getting around that, but I ain’t in that category of people. Black writing on a white background reduces the surrounding noise, and the mind can focus on the text at hand. It’s not hard…
Ha! You got hit by a smooth collection of wild kids! Sorry, I feel bad for your misfortune, but am chuckling all the same. It’s complicated. I do the unmentionable act of reading a book in public spaces, and far out, some people just like to share their err, energies. I’m sanguine about the whole thing and sadly curb my enjoyment for a more calm moment. On the other hand, if the audible craziness, changes to actual physical jostling, well that’s different isn’t it, and all bets are off. The command voice is very useful at such moments, yes. Nice shot too you did there, although the Editor tells me that it is uncool to swear at children, despite what they may say themselves, the cheeky scamps.
The ancient Egyptians appeared to have known a domestic cat or four. The Romans may have helped themselves to the felines when encountering that culture? And dogs are super useful animals. Ollie is all too happy to assist with clearing off wildlife here during daylight hours. They know the rules, but are constantly pushing for advantage. He was a bit ill this morning. Turns out the big dog was dehydrated, so I gave him a small breakfast with salt + honey + carbon powder + yoghurt + kibbles + muesli, and he came good almost straight away. The wet weather has forced him to spend too long indoors, so he’s reducing his water consumption possibly so as to avoid toilet trips. Precious doesn’t like getting wet, unlike H… Seriously, I’m now monitoring him.
Oh yeah, you’ve been cooking up a storm the past few days for Thanksgiving, and I’d want to keep it simple in the aftermath as well. 🙂 Funnily enough given apples grow well in this corner of the continent, apple pie is not common. It is really tasty though. I keep hoping that one day the gourmet pie place will make an apple pie, but I’ve been waiting a while, put it that way. On the other hand, this could be doing me a favour due to the serious risk of avoiding food comas (gourmet savoury pie + gourmet apple pie = crash and burn).
The weather was about the same here today, and tomorrow. Plus lots of rain, but no 32’F though – that’s the whole next level of cold. Brr! Sounds like it will produce a decent frost. I’ll have a read of Professor Mass’s blog later, and the local mob have also called a La Niña. Sure feels it to me. The weather will warm here by Thursday. Probably feel like a jungle then.
Cheers and better get writing!
Chris
Hi Margaret,
Thanks for the lovely comment. I’ve totally run out of time this evening, but will chat on tomorrow’s blog. See ya then!
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Joel Salatin’s wife, mentioned in a documentary I saw, that they weren’t really accepted until one of their son’s married into a local old farming family. One wonder’s what goes on at those 4H meetings. 🙂
I think one of my favorite (so hard to pick!) Mccaughly books is “Motel of the Mysteries.” Not so much the past, as more a possible future.
Re: You’re repairing machines. I felt the same way about some of the furniture I refinished. Which sometimes involved some disassembly. I felt a … slight connection to those who designed and built the furniture. Even the more machine made stuff had a touch of the human.
Oh, I didn’t swear at the kids. Command voice was enough. I see Australia is attempting to ban the little darlings from social media. The following article is the US take, on that. I guess they’ll just have to pick up misinformation, on the birds in bees in the street. As we did. 🙂
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/29/australia/australia-social-media-ban-intl-hnk-dst
I had another simple dinner, last night. I threw some garlic, green onions and diced tomatoes, on some sourdough muffins, with melted cheddar cheese. Condiments. Later I had a piece of pumpkin pie with ice cream. Down to the last piece 🙁 . Thanksgiving threw off my whole rice / oatmeal and fruit cycle. Getting back on track.
I keep meaning to mention, the garlic from the Winco is a lot better, than the garlic from the Yuppie Discount store. Not as many brown spots or rot. Also, Winco’s brown rice is a lot cleaner, than the stuff that comes out of bags.
I’m light on DVDs from the library, so, I watched the original 1951 “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” A little hooky, but still pretty good. Good cast. One of the few A list Sci-fi films. Soon swamped by all the B-pictures. Beloved though they are. It’s always commented on that Sci-fi movies, just don’t get the respect of other genres of films. Interesting factoid: Even though the film mostly takes place in Washington, D.C., none of the actors went near the place. Hollywood movie magic.
Funnier enough, you mentioned you don’t do much with applesauce, down under. Not much apple pie or sauce … an untapped resource. 🙂
Our high yesterday was 45F (7.22C). Our overnight low was 34F (1.11C). The forecast high for today is 46F. So, we didn’t quit make it to freezing, last night. Maybe, because it was foggy. Oh, well, the weather gods can take another stab at it, tonight. Lew