Sometimes life throws you lemons. That citrus fruit is all rather handy and stuff. It’s one of the few harvests we preserve using the freezer. If a person suddenly finds themselves with a couple of dozen incongruously coloured objects, squeeze ’em, and freeze the liquid. Easy. Great for jam and wine making, not to mention it’s a useful component of many a salad dressing recipe.
Then, there are the other yellow coloured thrown things: the metaphorical lemons. What to do then?
You get knocked down from time to time, you get right back up again. That’s what you do. Tragedy stalks all of our lives. From time to time, it knocks on the door, a little too close to home, and thus makes a special guest appearance. Talk about a difficult visitor.
Earlier in the week, the weather was warm and humid. We were on top of the world. The harvest was looking pretty decent. The firewood shed was coming along nicely. Three separate runs to the outer urban big box hardware store supplied most of the timber for the project. Only two of those trips were strange. The final one went smoothly.
When parked in the undercover timber yard whilst on the second trip, a very loud lady (a customer) randomly offered some unsolicited advice at close range, that I should park in the driveway whilst loading up the trailer, and thus blocking all other traffic. I don’t think so. Without a reply, my head turned away whilst the left arm waved the nuisance to elsewhere. The hand tilted upwards is a universal sign, hard to misinterpret, which implies that it’d be a good idea to stop what you’re doing. No need to argue at such moments, but the encounter does raise the stress levels. Little wonder the staff stuffed up my timber order list, and it became a complicated and time consuming matter to correct.
Although, maybe the weirdness began when I purchased the box of Lindt chocolates, Sandra’s favourite. It was a gift. Discovering that these delights had somehow inflated to AU$100/kg was a shock. That’s more than our weekly grocery spend at this bountiful time of the year. Food price inflation left me feeling a little deflated, and we’ll dole those choccies out at one or two per week, and extend the joy. That story was originally what I’d planned to write about tonight, but no, things got stranger.
Anyway, with more of the requisite timber now on-site, the firewood shed project progressed. A ring of treated timber was installed. This arrangement ties the many posts together. Years ago we were direct hit by a minor tornado on Christmas day, and it was at that moment that the engineering structural specifications for the house demanding bracing for high wind loads, proved to be correct. All of the sheds here are firmly anchored to the ground.
Observant readers will notice that another post has also been installed. The work days were super humid. For those readers who’ve been living under a rock of late, and failing to keep up with Australian weather news, there’s been a really slow moving tropical low pressure system moving north to south across the continent. To get an idea of just how slow moving the monster is, we’re talkin’ 3km/h (2m/h). It’s been drawing moisture from super warm tropical oceans to the north of the continent, and then dumping it over the usually arid interior. Speculation is, that the vast inland Lake Eyre will soon fill to levels not seen in half a century. It’s been that kind of wet.
So, work on the firewood shed continued, and we sweated buckets due to the combination of heat and extreme humidity. All rather unpleasant if I may say so, and could explain the behaviour of the yelly lady at the timber yard, maybe…
Friday evening, after another hot and sweaty work day, we were looking forward to some quiet and deserved relaxation. The clouds looked pretty intense. Kind of eerie and threatening like.
Grabbed the dogs and chairs, and sat outside enjoying the now cooler air. The lightning show was pretty awesome to see, and one particular fork hit the ground only to explode in a circular flash of energy. Wouldn’t want to have to been near that impact that’s for sure, probably a bad thing, yeah. I may have been heard to confidently predict: “Yeah. This one’s gonna miss us!” The first heavy drops of rain soon began to fall. Retreat indoors, dogs and all.
The weather radar is a very useful chunk of technology, and once indoors, the computer screen told things just like it was going to be – Purple. Feeling less confident, but still up for an adventure, the words spoken hinted at possible uncertainties: “Wonder what purple means?” You don’t often see that colour on the weather radar.
The localised purple storm was a direct hit. Oh what joy to behold! Heavy rain, and large icy hailstones fell from out of the previously warm summer skies.
The above photo was early on during the storm. Soon afterwards, the camera had to be put to the side, whilst we dealt with sudden crisis. Ice flowing out of the house roof drains blocked up the water tank inlet filters. Water and ice was concentrated in that drainage system, and it was going everywhere like one of those old school mining hydraulic cannons.
Curiously, the hail was not of a consistent size. Some were the more usually seen hail stones.
The most dangerous of the lot were about the size of a golf ball. They’re basically chunks of ice missiles which fall out of the sky at a remarkable speed.
Still, a person must be thankful. The chunks of ice scoured the insides of the drain system to a squeaky clean state, and no gunk was small enough to be left behind. We had to man-up, and chick- up, grab the umbrellas and head out into the fray and do what we could to assist matters. The house roof water catchment systems were failing at the exit point for the tanks. Twenty minutes of pure mayhem, plus conditions had become super cold. Dare I say it, the stuff was as cold as ice.
Once the storm had moved on, we were in a bit of shock afterwards. There’d been lot’s of damage. The wood heater was then lit, which is extraordinary given this was during the final few days of summer. We warmed up again. Plus the heat provided some comfort. Here’s a little tour of how things appeared in the hour after the storm.
You also learn which systems work, and those that don’t. Long term readers will know of our love of large rock walls. The recently completed rock wall worked perfectly, even when it had to withstand massive volumes of rainfall.
Where we’d been dumping soil nearby so as to create more flat land, did not fare so well.
Note to self, replace the lost soil, and complete the rock wall. So far, a reader could be forgiven for thinking that it all doesn’t look too bad. Then you realise that we lost most of the annual plants and yet to harvest fruit crop. The hail shredded them all.
What fruit survived has been pock marked and will probably soon rot. The trees in the orchard lost half of all of their leaves. Some plants with large leaves which hold their faces up to the sun, like figs, hazelnuts, kiwi fruit etc. they fared the worst. The shady orchard, with it’s sudden loss of dense canopy, is perhaps no longer correctly named.
The tomato crop growing outdoors has all but been wiped out. Bizarrely, the bean vines appear to have survived, and I believe that this may be due to the leaves having a natural tendency to hang downwards. This possibly explains the plants natural drought hardiness as well.
Earlier that day, the pumpkin vines looked luscious as they sprawled over the entire large sloping bed. All now gone.
It was a surprise to discover that the leafy greens which form a regular part of our diet, had been stripped of leaves by the hail. The stalks are inedible.
The strong welded steel aviary mesh used on the large cage which protects the grape vines, worked a treat at protecting the plants and fruit.The vines attempting to escape the cage, did not fare so well.
Inside the cage, the plants probably didn’t notice the storm.
Oh! Anyway, I almost forgot to show that earlier during that horrendous day, we made the trusses and then mostly finished installing the roof timbers on the new firewood shed project.
Over the next two days, we cleaned up the place. For those whom doubt the size and ferocity of the hailstones, a few of the larger chunks, punched holes in the stainless mesh inlet filters for the water tanks.
Many of the water tank filters were broken that day. The next day I purchased, and then replaced that filter. Even though it was over 24 hours following on from the storm (and had been a warm day), the ice was still yet to fully melt. The final chunks of ice disappeared by lunch time the day after that.
Cleaning up the fallen leaves took a bit of effort, but by Sunday, the job was done.
I recall reading oral accounts of the 1983 Ash Wednesday fires, and many people made the observation that at night, the fires looked quite pretty. Nature can put on one heck of a display sometimes, and even though the grass is still a summer golden yellow, the fallen leaves makes the place look suddenly lush again.
Many of the garden beds are still being cleaned up. With a dire weather forecast for Monday, we’ll hold off replenishing soil until later in the week. The plan then is to get the winter crops in the ground, and that should give them a good head start to life.
Overall, it would have been nice to have had some gentle summer rain. That didn’t happen though, and at such times the words of a friend, are recalled:“What part of droughts and flooding rains, don’t you mofos get!” A fine literary analysis, down under style, and for those who don’t know, I believe he was referring to the famous Dorothea Mackellar’s now century old poem, ‘My Country’.
We’ll be fine. The soil is now moist and has had a good feed. The air may get warm again. There’s still some time before the winter cold and lack of sunlight halts all plant growth. And we can buy fruit and vegetables if needed. It happens, but fortunately it doesn’t happen all that often.
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 11am is 16’C (61’F). So far for this year there has been 127.2mm (5.0 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 46.6mm (1.8 inches)
Comments
43 responses to “Lose not heart”
Yo, Chris – You gave the old cow, at the lumber yard, the universal and international gesture. “Talk to the hand.” 90s slang, that still comes in handy.
https://w.wiki/J4zC
Tell me about chocolate. I noticed, tonight, at the Yuppie Discount Store, that a 3.5oz (100gr) bar of Lindt chocolate is now $4.50. I used to have two small squares of chocolate, and a small handful of walnuts each day. Due to rising prices, I then went to alternating days. Now I think it will be chocolate, every third day. Walnuts are still relatively inexpensive.
I noticed at the Dollar + store, that most items have jumped from $1.25 to $1.50. Due to current events, I expect petrol will take a big jump.
Yes, strange colors on the weather radar usually indicate strange weather conditions. But even if you had known what was coming, what could you have possible done? Other than maybe moving the vehicles, under cover. Maybe, surprise was a kindness.
Those were shocking pictures, sure enough. Hail piled up like snow. That was some pretty serious erosion, on the un-rocked portion of the path. You did a stellar job, getting most of the paths buttressed, with rocks, before “The Event.”
The pumpkins! Oh, the pumpkins! 🙁 The leafy greens!
Well, as my buddy Scott says, “What are the positives?” The greenhouse and solar panels came through, unscathed. The hops, grapes and beans came through. You have backup tomatoes, in the greenhouse.
The trees? Well, I don’t see any broken branches, and all those leaves will give the soil a good feed, as you mentioned. How did the citrus fare? Lemons?
Neither the Editor or you were struck down, by a massive hailstone. “The largest hailstone ever recorded in the U.S. fell in Vivian, South Dakota, on July 23, 2010, measuring 8 inches in diameter and weighing about 1.9 pounds. This hailstone holds the official world record for size.”
wunderground.com FOX Weather Must have felt a bit like being a citizen of Pompeii.
If it had to happen, the timing wasn’t … well, I wouldn’t call it good, but you had been harvesting quit a bit, already. And your winter crops hadn’t gone in yet. Winter greens grow fairly fast, don’t they?
Here’s hoping the incoming storm turned out to be a big nothing burger. You could stand a break. Lew
Hi Lewis,
A dude has to know how to deal with crazy folks in a way that doesn’t end up in a complete brawl. And that loud lady sure did push everyone’s buttons on the day. The cheap advice proffered was poor. Long ago, the word troublemaker would have been applied, but we’re much nicer these days and hold back voicing unpalatable opinions. However, it has been my observation over many decades, that some folks make up for a lack of intelligence, with sheer volume. Need we involve ourselves in such dramas?
Thanks for the link to the slang, and yeah, I recall those days. However, in the photo of the two dudes, the one with his hand extended upwards, appears to be the calmer of the duo. A good ships captain can supply calm in horrendous conditions. In the Martian film, near to the rescue, the captain calmly lowered the emotional responses of the crew and instructed them to get on with the job at hand. And also personally relieved the potentially excitable bloke previously slated to do the work. He wasn’t up for it, you could see it in his eyes. That’s what a good captain does, and so acts.
Dude, this will totally freak you out. At the supermarket today, I noticed that the Lindt 1kg / 2.2 pound Easter bunny was $180. Candidly, I looked at the thing, and just said no. Oh, you’re right, fuel is on the up. Always was it thus. But hey, the hiked costs are yet to filter down to the walnuts. They’ll get there. The choccie here has become a one Lindt ball per week event. Quite nice too, and the 70% cocoa was super tasty. I must add that the richness is improved with scarcity. Are we in Soylent Green days yet? Probably not! 🙂
That’s a good point about it being a kindness, and we just didn’t realise that the large hail stones would ever make it up here at elevation. That’s what stripping away of innocence looks like. Now we know, but there wasn’t anything we could do about that particular storm. The carz are out in the weather, and so it goes. Cosmetic damage doesn’t reduce their utility.
We lost a lot of soil near to the concrete stairs, but on the other hand, the soil from the erosion smoothed out the soil surface on that steep garden bed. And yeah, the big rock walls earn their keep day in and day out. It’s a lot of work to create them, but in worst case scenario conditions, nothing else stands up to the challenge.
The official nearby weather station (which I use for the statistics) recorded four inches of rain this week, but talking to other locals today, with that storm on Friday, at least two inches of rain simply failed to be recorded. Possibly the machine itself failed. The freak hail and storm hit that more fashionable area of the mountain range as well, and in my travels earlier today, I noticed one or two mounds of ice yet to melt. A truly wacky storm.
The annual plants, are done. But being the crafty and resourceful people we are, plenty of stuff was harvested prior to this extraordinary storm. A lovely local lady gifted us some plums, and we turned those today into many bottles of jam. Actually, we’ve now run out of glass bottles, and I recall years ago mentioning to Inge that western civilisation would decline due to a lack of preserving equipment. My recollection was that the lady scoffed at my idea, and yet here we are today. 😉
Yeah, exactly, weather, happens. And you’re right, the damage was minimal, the soils have been heavily fertilised and it’s continued to rain all day long.
The leaves on the citrus trees were likewise felled, but the fruit was somewhat hardier and sticks to limbs with some tenacity, so that’s something to be grateful for. Great trees those ones.
Oh my gawds! I’d not want to see a 1.9 pound hailstone. Whoa! Talk about hooooge! It’d hurt for sure. The umbrellas copped a pounding that day. What I noticed about the weather was how quickly I became cold whilst handling all of that ice, even though it was a previously sunny and warm day. We did not have time to dress appropriately for the conditions.
In March, the winter greens will grow fast. By April and May, that will slow down, mostly due to cooler over night temperatures. We’ll have to get planting, and soon, maybe even this week. Life is rarely smooth! 😉
Actually, other than a few hours cutting fruit for the plum jam making, we took it easy today. Outdoors was filthy wet and unappealing. Time to rest up and recover, and it was actually a bit of a shock to the system. Plus we have spent many hours cleaning up over the past two days. Me tired. Might do the same tomorrow, we’ll see.
Plaid never goes out of style, and please convey that thought to H! 🙂 Your variety of canine is very photogenic, so I’m hardly surprised at the passing compliments. And yeah, if you get the chance, tell H to avoid fast fashion. The stuff ain’t built to last, and probably best kept away from open heat sources, just sayin…
I tend to agree with the font of all wisdom in that regard. Can a stomach even shrink? What an interesting thought, and I’d imagine that like everything, much depends upon a persons age. Hmm. Turns out that it is a complicated subject, and physically the organ apparently can’t shrink. It seems like it is all of the other factors surrounding the stomach which impact upon the thing. I’m starting to become aware of people who are err, taking err, well the diet stuff South Park parodied. I’m hearing all sorts of interesting difficulties and complications. Well, if they think that it is a good idea… I for one would be worried that Calcium and proteins would be stolen from useful parts of the body, like say jaw bones and muscles, but I ain’t no expert.
Man, you’ve been sick, and as they say, time will heal and your appetite will return along with your taste (I’m guessing). That’s the plan anyway. My utoob feed turned up an article on millennials and health, and it made an interesting observation regarding generationally different gut biomes. I’m hardly surprised by the news.
Nah, I reckon the thicker skinned citrus fruit survived the onslaught and a few minor crops like beans and hops. The rest is, as they say, is history. We’ll replant. The Editor is running an experiment with the zucchini based on local advice, and we’ll see how it goes. I’d have ripped them from the ground, but could be wrong in that regard.
Boofhead is a fun word, which you don’t hear used much nowadays. It gained popularity around the time that the Prime Minister was one Scott Morrison, dunno why. He’s not much older than I, although my neck is visibly longer.
Didn’t make it much past 18’C / 64’F today, and you’re catching up. Soon we’ll get our lost hour back. Looking forward to it.
Dude, pilgrimage journeys used to be big business way back in the day, and if there are relics for the faithful to admire along the way, all the better. Strangely I’d not seen any of the directors films. Hmm. I’ll check out the trailer for the walk film, and a pilgrimage can provide a person with some nice introspection time.
Watched the Seth pickle film today you recommended a few weeks back. Lot’s of fun, and it’s a bromance story. Boy meets previously dead great grandfather. Boy loses previously dead great grandfather. Boy regains previously dead great grandfather. I enjoyed it a lot.
Well done to your local authoritas. Man when heading back here on the country train, it’s not hard to notice the now abandoned (no rails) lines heading off to different locations. Things were different long ago before the domination of the car.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Drama, stay away from my door! 🙂
I forgot Easter is just around the corner. I’m sure I’ll start seeing articles about the high cost of chocolate, for Easter. Although the cost of eggs are down.
Our high yesterday was 59F (15C). Our overnight low was 30F (-1.11C). Our forecast high for today is 59F. This will be our last dry day. Rain is coming back in the AM. So, H and I will be back to “coat on, coat off, coat on” mode. I noticed this morning, some crocus blooming. No daffodils yet. Forsythia is showing a little color. I saw more bumble bees out. And, maybe some European honey bees. Though they may have been their wilder cousins.
I think, after what the Editor and you have been through, a day or two breather is in order. Recover and regroup.
Let’s see. Picking up a thread or two … There was some talk about bench space in the kitchen. My kitchen is really small. I guess it would be called a “galley” kitchen. Bench space aka counter tops. All my counter tops are 2′ deep.
On the left is the refrigerator and stove. On either side of the stove are 16″ wide counters. Not enough to do much with. And, given inspection rules, nothing flammable can be put there.
On the right is the sink. Small, double stainless steel. So small, it’s difficult to wash a baking sheet or pizza pan. On one side, the bench is only 22″ wide. On the left, it’s about 3′, but that’s where the microwave goes. It, and a knife block just about take up all that space.
Luckily, through no forethought of my own, I got a small chest freezer, that I shoved into the end of the kitchen. It’s 33″ high, which is ideal, for me, to work at and not rack my back. The top is 29 x 21″. Large enough to roll out a pie or pizza crust. It’s a bit of a problem, though, as the oven door must fully open. Again, part of the inspection rules. So it sits a bit to the right, off center. Which creates another problem. There are a couple of cupboards, under the bench top which are not accessible, according to inspection rules. But, so far, Little Mary Sunshine has let that slide, as I always remind her that little used kitchen equipment is stored there, and, if I need it, the freezer rolls.
Have you ever thought about getting a small chest freezer, like mine? A lot of them are designed to not use much energy, though your mid-winter solar hiatus, might be a problem. But, it would extend your food storage options, and provide a good bit of bench top. It’s my primary food prep area.
We were also talking about haunted sink garbage disposals. 🙂 I think I forgot to link to a site I found. Look at your own risk. Buckets of blood! 🙂
https://www.longlivethevoid.com/news/17garbagedisposaldlgart
I watched a cult classic, little gem, from 1992. “Cool World.” It’s a genre called “adult animated feature film.” You may remember, some of those. “Heavy Traffic,” “Roger Rabbit,” “Fritz the Cat,” etc. etc.. Sometimes a mix of animation and live action. It didn’t do very well, when released, mostly due to studio politics. After a pretty good opening week, the studio began to pull the film and drop most PR. It didn’t get a chance to “find” its audience. As often happens. The critics moaned that the story was too hard to follow. Sure, it was pretty frenetic, but I didn’t lose the plot. One of the stars was a very young Brad Pitt, before he had firmly established himself.
https://youtu.be/J-RypXeH8Fo?si=UW0Mf6Z9ywdK6GHx
I thought you’d enjoy “American Pickle.” Besides being a comedy, it did have a lot of subtext about fleeting fame, media, bureaucracy, cancel culture, capitalism, etc. etc.. Or you could just kick back and enjoy the entertainment value.
You’re right on track. I just saw a headline this morning, that there’s some indication that those diet drugs leach calcium and diminish bone mass. I suspected there would be “unintended” consequences. I’ve ignored most of the frenzy, as, … not interested.
Yes, next weekend we undergo the dreaded time change. Not something I look forward to. Lew
Hi, Chris!
You know, you’ve had it all now:Tornadoes, earthquakes,torrential rains like typhoons, long droughts, and massive hail storms. The only things I don’t see on the list are blizzards (?) – and an erupting volcano. Lately I have recalled a favorite song, way back in the day, that helped me put things in perspective: “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine) REM. Anyway, the firewood shed project is looking mighty fine and that is what counts.
My goodness, purple right over you – because it was going to be a royal mess.
Thanks SO much for the fantastic photos – beautiful, especially with all the green and white contrast, but tragic. I can’t even believe how many fallen green leaves there are. The grape cage is astonishing. At least you know what works in such a scenario: Polycarbonate and that welded steel mesh (I think it’s what we call hardware cloth or rabbit wire).
Oh, no – the roses . . .
Pam
@ Lew:
I thought of you when watching this video book review. An excerpt: “we’re discussing David Macaulay’s, “Motel of the Mysteries,” a hilarious spoof of archaeology stories which is also a tongue-in-cheek look at how future generations may guess about our own time and civilization. David Macaulay’s books about castles and medieval life were commonly used in elementary school classrooms in the 1980’s; “Motel of the Mysteries” shows his lighter side.”
I remember reading his castles and medieval books.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roHsEJkwqFU
Pam
Chris:
Were there a lot of power outages in your area?
Pam
Hello Chris,
What a surprise with the hail storm!
Good that you don’t only grow squash and pumpkins for the winter. It will be interesting to see how the potatoes fare.
Very good to see the polycarbonate greenhouse. Our polytunnels would be fragments after an assault like that.
(Note to self – purchase some rolls of replacement plastic to have at home to be able to repair.)
The flowers: hops. Says it all.
Peace,
Göran
Hi Göran,
True words, and like your epic extended winter, climate surprises are often unwelcome guests for those whom produce edible crops.
A long, cold, snowy winter. Man, I’m feeling your pain at the local conditions you are experiencing, and extending to you my sympathy and support. As the old timers used to say: ‘This too shall pass’.
Like you, I also spoke to many an old timer around here, and the hail storm on Friday was unprecedented. The local gossip tells me that a nearby vineyard, lost the entire crop of grapes in the storm. We lost the pears, persimmons, and kiwi fruit crops. Destroyed in half an hour of punishment.
I did pen you a long reply on your website, but for some reason, I’m unable to login in to it so as to leave a message. Waiting upon an email from the website.
For your interest, the timing of the potato harvest was perfect, this year. Other years, we’ve stuffed that one up, but learned some harsh lessons. Even the damaged tubers have been quite good in the dry summer conditions. I’d have to suggest that those plants enjoy regular rainfall, but not too much, and not too little. One of the most astounding things that our civilisation can produce, is water for summer crops, when the rainfall has failed.
Oh my! So true, and glad to read that you have obtained some spare plastic rolls so as to be able to quickly repair any storm related damage. Your chickens are living in chook-utopia right now, but things can turn upon a moment. Best to be prepared for the worst, and not have to call upon such resources.
The hops flowers were all that were left this week. The thick clouds lifted late this afternoon, and finally some sunshine filtered through. Close observation of the plants is rewarded by noticing that many a moss and clover plant are growing strongly.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Göran cont…
Here is the reply to your blog which I’ve attempted to post. Technology, good when it works! I urge other readers to check out your work.
Hi Göran,
If you squint and don’t pay close attention to the beach photos, the snow could be misinterpreted as sand, but oh my, it is snow. People are clearly soft in these enlightened days! Where are all the beach goers? 🙂 Man, the photos look brutally cold. And sorry to hear that you’re having such a long and protracted winter. Hope you get every opportunity you can to spend time outdoors in the sunshine, which is good for a persons health.
By now, you’ve read about the hail and its effect on the produce. Oh well, plant the winter crops, and move on is the approach here.
Fingers crossed that your nursery trees survive the deep freeze. Plants are remarkably resilient. A few years ago I was reading about Chinese Elm trees (Ulmus parvifolia) which have evolved to withstand -35’C winters. One specimen grows here, and it really is a lovely tree. So who knows what the cold tolerances of trees actually are, until they’ve been put to the test. Hope you propagate the survivors, that could be a useful trait for future winters in your part of the world?
Gas is a very interesting energy source, and one which is very much misunderstood. Down under, we are a major exporter of the resource, and yet locally the offshore wells are in terminal decline and demand is at, or has surpassed supply. It’s a problem, and yet, there will come a time when the balance between heating and cooking fuel versus electricity generation becomes problematic, especially in winter. Personally, Sandra and I are weaning ourselves off this energy source and am now down to an 8.5kg LPG bottle roughly every 35 days. A school report card may read: Could do better! But trust me in this, that fuel is becoming more expensive all of the time.
It is good to hear that you’re working on firewood – which is our primary energy source for heating (and hot water) during winter. If there was another way… Great to see that you have friends to call upon for the firewood task, and Samuel looks competent. Your trees are very small though. 🙂
Wise to have spare plastic ready to hand for the poly tunnel future repairs. If you get a chance, do ask Pam what happened to her son’s poly tunnels in similar winter conditions to what you are enjoying. Hmm. He runs a fig tree nursery in Virginia. Respect for thinking ahead, and if I may add, it could be time for your household to get a dog, maybe? Foxes and other predators are in your area I’d imagine?
Please do include details as to how you are germinating the walnut seeds on your next instalment? I’ve had so much trouble with that nut tree variety, despite century old specimens thriving around these parts of the world. I relocated a walnut seedling to an area with afternoon dappled shade earlier in the growing season (recall the occasional 42’C to 45’C summers day) and it was doing OK, until the recent hail destroyed the recent green shoots.
As always, impressed by the community in your part of the world.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Pam,
It’s like having some sort of super duper storm chasers bucket list checked off. 🙂
This talk of blizzards and exploding volcanoes is making me all rather nervous, aren’t you feeling a tad uncomfortable by the loose talk? Do they have any active volcanoes in your part of the world? The mountain range here is I believe a 250 million year old super volcano. It, and a nearby friend (Mount Dandenong), wiped out a lot of the life on the planet when they went off all those years ago. Not a nice day to experience, let me tell you! 😉
Pam, I loved REM way back in the day. Such a great band, and we went to see them perform at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl way back in Jan 1995, and it was an awesome gig. You know, by sheer chance years before that time, I came across the album ‘Green’ and annoyed the daylights out of everyone I knew by playing it over and over. The band finished the encore on that song you mentioned. Given their origins weren’t too far from your part of the world, did you ever get to see them perform?
Thanks, and it’ll be good to be able to reduce the double handling with the firewood task. That’s what the new biggerer shed promises. It’s been another cold and cloudy day today, but I’d prefer not to light the wood heater if possible. Ran a small electric fan heater to warm up the house, and it worked a treat, especially because late this afternoon, the sun finally shone through the formerly thick clouds.
What a storm…
Very funny with the purple / royal pun. Those cheeky higher ups, would do well not to intrude upon our awareness, but trust me in this, sometimes wearing the purple, is a curse. Sure turned out that way on Friday I can tell you. They seem like a lot of trouble.
Had today off any and all work. My brain was mildly fried by the overall excitement, and then the clean up. One needs to know when to take some time out to recover. Went on a nearby bushwalk (which was in cold but lovely sunshine being slightly north of here) and had a lunch of sandwiches from the nearby bakery. Nap. Relax and recover. Recharge the batteries. Get back into the fray, maybe tomorrow… 🙂
Yeah, the damage was really quite pretty, I get that. Almost looked as though we’d had a light dusting of snow. Yeah, the fallen leaves might be better if I zip them up on a low centre of gravity ride on once it all dries off – hopefully. The soil critters are in for a treat, and would otherwise not enjoy such mineral rich leaves. What the fruit trees make of the loss, is beyond me. Best to speed that process up whilst there is some warmth to the growing season left.
🙂 The grape cage is a testament to how tasty the clusters of fruit actually are. Like strawberries, everything here wants to eat grapes, and so we constructed the heavy duty cage. Turns out that the structure has other uses. A nearby winery has apparently lost their entire crop to the hail. If it was me, I’d harvest what was there, ferment the stuff, and then distil the results – which I believe they can do. I used to know a bloke who worked there.
The polycarbonate was pleasing to see that it survived. When I was a young bloke, they used to have a similar product, but made of fibreglass, and it got brittle over time. That stuff may not have survived the hail onslaught.
Yup, the roses. You’ve reminded me though, I should give them a big feed. I’ll write a note and do that tomorrow.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Yes, a wise mantra, and one worthy of repeating far and wide. 🙂 Drama, possibly ain’t all it’s cracked up to be…
Easter is around the corner, hang on a second, when is it again? Oh, it’s a month away still. Haven’t purchased poultry eggs (as distinct from chocolate ones) for many a month given the hens are on the lay, but production will peter out over the next few weeks. The birds go on the moult, and then produce new feathers during autumn, and it is a bit much to ask them also to deliver eggs. Still doesn’t do any harm to ask. I don’t know how they can time the winter solstice precisely, but the birds do seem to know when that moment occurs. Then egg production slowly kicks off again.
Actually, I’m enjoying having less chickens in the run. Those naughty and now deceased cannibal chickens of summer, did me a favour. It is possible that the pen had previously been over stocked, maybe? But things are very super chill with the chickens now. The Editor will want to add two or three birds to the flock in another month, but we’ll see what the universe provides on that front. Dunno.
By the way, I checked around today for prices with that Lindt Easter Rabbit out of sheer curiosity, and seems like the local offering was in the ballpark. At $180, that is way too rich price wise for my tastes.
Not too dissimilar here with the weather. 64’F. The way things are going, that lost hour batten will have to be exchanged soon dude.
Took the day off any and all work. Me felt tired after all of the recent weather related excitement and subsequent clean up. The northern side of the mountain range was in full sun today (unlike here in the south), and the warmth was a joy to behold, although the air was cold. Did a bushwalk over there and grabbed lunch from a nearby bakery. Ham, cheese and salad sandwich. A nice day. Got home, and slept, then pottered around. Dunno about your thoughts, but there’s some pleasure to be derived from simple enjoyments.
Oh poop! The rain is now coming for you and H. It happens, and yeah, keep the coat ready for action just in case. No way! You could probably grow the Crocus Saffron in your area – and here as well, although it is by all accounts very labour intensive to produce much of the spice. Don’t have any of that species growing here. Hmm. They sound as if they’re the earliest of the early. Spring sure is coming along in your part of the world.
Interesting, and many thanks for the tour of your kitchen. Counter tops are around 2′ deep here as well, although we’d describe that as being around the 600mm mark. Ah yes, not all sinks are the same, are they? And surely you can recall the days of the single bowl sink in the kitchen? Sounds like a good layout given the various limitations with the overall space available.
Yeah, the chest freezer lid is a clever addition to your prep space. I’ve never lived in a house with one of those machines, although I recall that my grandmother had a chest freezer for storing bulk meat purchases. Candidly, I’m uncertain as to what frozen produce would actually be stored in the thing. But, now you mention it, a project for the future is constructing a proper cool storage space. I’m old enough to recall those useful rooms from half a century ago. Of course the one here will have to be a shed.
The solar during the winter might not enjoy the extra load a chest freezer would demand. At the moment, the system will give a 97% uptime, which translates to about 10 days each year when the generator has to be run for between three and six hours. The generator puts charge into the batteries, rather than powering the house. It’s complicated. However, with the new firewood shed project, there is room for another dozen solar panels – which you may note, were obtained recently. More to come on that story over this month. 😉
The in-sink disposal unit machine is rarely seen down under.
Ha! What a laugh the link was, and the author has such a fine mastery of the language, and here we must present Exhibit A (ripped blindly, purely for research purposes): A poor woman falls victim to her daughter’s selfish albeit sad and understandable choice to meddle with a supernatural mirror. He missed a comma, but who cares, it’s genius! He types chuckling along at the memory.
Wow, the film would have been very difficult to make in the pre-CGI days. Lot’s of green screen usage I’d imagine. Everything would have been hand drawn. Everything! And sadly it all looks a bit jumpy and twitchy. The critics slammed the film, and a lack of proper narrative seems to be at the core of the concerns.
Yeah, the film had a lot to say about how the public can blow both hot and cold, and then get downright ugly.
I’m hardly surprised by that news. Such things happen when a person starves – nothing new there, and this process is known. A lot of people I encounter, have a poor relationship to food, and this sort of thing is what happens from that point. And that’s my take on it as well, it is not a subject which interests me much. A school report card would read: Could do better.
Is it next weekend for you with the changeover? Already? Another month to go here, gives the little lost thing, enough time to sort out all the many transport and other issues. It is a long way and the world is becoming a much bigger place recently. 😉 You may have noticed?
Cheers
Chris
@ Pam – I’m a long time Macaulay fan. His books were coming out, just at the time I was in the retail book biz. “City” was a favorite, of mine. About planning and constructing a Roman town.
I’ve always been interested in archaeology. So, I found “Motel of the Mysteries,” to be a hoot! 🙂 It always brings a smile to my face, when I happen to run across it in a pile of used books. Lew
PS: Also a REM fan.
Chris,
To answer a question. Yes, dogs are often chipped in the USA. Dame Avalanche has a microchip in her ear.
Thanks for the discussion and photos of the storm and damage. A picture is worth a thousand words. Or something. Devastating.
“Purple on the radar. Wonder what that means?” Umm, I actually knew the answer before you raised the question. It means that the people who live in the purple areas are about to get “Shostakoviched”. Or worse. 😉
Meanwhile, we’ve had 3 consecutive days at or above 14C. Monday even hit 16C, hot for this time of year. As in the “average” is about +7C. Another 14C day today, but clouds are slowing rolling in. We might get 3 or 4 mm of rain tonight and Wednesday. “Less than a tenth of an inch” expected.
I had to make an early morning venture out today. It was -3C. Frost was scraped from the windshield and other car windows. Gloves were worn. It was a much easier and preferable activity than removing ice from your water systems while holding umbrellas during the hailstorm. Much nicer scraping frost. No Killer Hail Missiles trying to smack me on the head. I gave up complaining about frost on car windows decades ago. After reading about your adventure, I find the relative peace of frost to be comforting.
It was very apparent what the result is from your stone wall constructions. I’m hoping you were and are happy about how much erosion the various stone walls prevented in the “purple radar” event. Can’t call it purple rain, so maybe purple hail?
Back on the Wang Wei poem and my attitude towards the old job. Well, it was more than managers that were mystified by me. Many of my coworkers didn’t understand why I didn’t want to get into and move up the management ranks. More money that way. Alleged prestige. Too many useless meetings for me. I found that the people who DID understand were the younger ones who started work there my final 10 years. Different generation and different attitude than most from my generation.
When the Princess was away her last two trips, the Winter Olympics were going. We usually watch a lot of the events together. I recorded a lot. Now we are kicked back, watching what I’d recorded. Sometimes technology has its uses. 😉
DJSpo
Hello Chris,
Thanks for the response and the praise for my efforts, though much less frequent postings than your daily contributions.
I use a static system for my blog, called “pelican”, with an external service for the comments. It is low cost, but not always working well. I do run some other wurdpraise sites, but I wanted to try a similar system as my friend Chris De Dekker/LowTechMagazine runs. It may be the future of internet, with much lower bandwidth and server cpu requirements.
Last month I met a guy who is working on a lower-tech radio-mesh internet alternative for emergencies, called RNode (https://unsigned.io/index.html). Maybe we can keep in touch over that network when the main system falls apart? 😉
Or re-start writing paper letters, you know, with stamps and envelopes?
Today, the sun was shining and the smell of spring started to come out of the soil. I hope that I can start to transplant trees tomorrow, or at least coming week-end. My spades are eager.
Peace,
Göran
Yo, Chris – Baby chicks ought to be making an appearance, at the local feed stores. If they haven’t already. Although the bird flu situation might complicate things.
So, how big are these $180 chocolate bunnies? Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂
Our high yesterday was 61F (16.11C). Cracked 60F, the first time this year. Our overnight low was 37F (2.77C). Our forecast high for today is 54F. So far, the rain is a no-show, and H and I had a dry morning walk.
Several decades ago, I grew some Saffron crocus that I had got from my usual nursery.
https://nicholsgardennursery.com/products/saffron-bulbs-will-ship-early-to-mid-sept?_pos=2&_sid=472a79694&_ss=r&variant=39465278144696
It blooms in the fall, here. And note the growing instructions. It really does need a good dry out. Another one of those Mediterranean plants. I remember having this parched, bare patch of earth. I thought they were truly dead. Then, at the appropriate time, a bit of water and … bang! Flowers. Oh, sure, I tried harvesting what little I had. Didn’t even turn a small batch of rice any color but white. And there was certainly no detectible flavor. LOL. I’d say, the money in Saffron, is from growing and selling the bulbs. 🙂
The Minoans were big on Saffron. The first picture is a young lady harvesting Saffron. The “Scenes of Nature” mural is growing Saffron. There are many other murals of stylish young groups of ladies, harvesting Saffron. Also found on many jugs and vases.
https://benedante.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-minoan-frescoes-of-akrotiri.html
With all this talk about potatoes becoming a bit scarce, I’m thinking of growing a few mounds, this year. I notice the nursery, above, has 6 or 7 varieties of seed potatoes.
There’s some wild talk about making the time change, 1/2 hour. I didn’t bother to read the article.
Simple pleasures are underrated. 🙂
Last night, I ran up and topped up my petrol tank. Prices hadn’t spiked yet. Still $4.50 a US gallon for regular grade. As I was in the neighborhood, I made a stop at the other Dollar + store. I had stopped in, back when it first opened. But, it’s off my usual beaten path. There were a few things that were less expensive, than the other store. I do like that their “shelf talkers,” are easy to spot. I should also make a trip out to the store that looks like it should have rats, running along the shelves. I haven’t been there in a couple of years. Keeping prices down for the Club pantry, is getting complicated. We should get a food box, tomorrow morning.
Green Screens are so … old hat. 🙂 Do a search for “LED walls in movie making.” “Star Trek: Brave New Worlds,” had an extensive “extra” showing how the things work. I saw another “extra” on another film (I forget which one), exploring this new technology.
After I dropped off what I’d found at the Club, I headed for home. Did a quick load of laundry, as the laundry room was free. Then I make a big plate of nachos, and settled in to watch “Five Nights at Freddy’s, 2.” It was … OK. Of course, the critics hated it, and there was the usual moaning about hard to follow plot. I have to agree with them, on this one. It was a pretty complicated plot. But, the thing has made back several times it’s costs, so … Looks like it’s going to launch a franchise.
The library added a couple a three new DVDs to it’s on order list. Brit productions. A relaunch of “The Forsyth Saga,” and a new version of “The Count of Monte Cristo.” I’ll give then both a look. I never cared much for Dumas. But it occurred to me that I may have been exposed to some really poor translations. Lew
Chris:
I should know better than to have loose talk. Loose lips sink ships. I don’t think there are any live East Coast volcanoes, but I live on some kind of fault zone, witness the 5.8 earthquake in 2011. There were aftershocks for 2 years; the earliest were quite large. There is a major fault near Claire, the New Madrid. I don’t know if we’d feel a Big One out my way. Maybe.
Sadly, I never got to see REM perform. Lucky you!
What do mean about “double handling” the firewood? You still have to trundle it into the house, eh?
It was cold here today, too, but by Saturday the high is expected to be 84F (28.9C). That’s almost 50F degrees higher than today’s high. I think I shall swoon.
Yay – a day off! More precious because it is rare.
It is going to be really interesting to see what the various fruit trees do. And you thought deer and wombats were trouble (and parrots and cockatoos and all).
Oh, my goodness – those poor people at the winery. You have a very good idea. Maybe send an email with your idea? Or sell the grapes to a jelly maker? Except they probably weren’t ripe.
Pam
@ Lew:
I forgot that you most likely would have seen his books in your bookstore. I really enjoyed them when they came out.
Pam
Hi Pam,
I know! It’s so true, and just prior to the biggy storm, the mostly-never fail incantation challenge was spoken aloud, just as the lightning flashed and the thunder boomed. All very dramatic and stuff. Truly, I brought the whole mess down on my head, but we did actually need the rain. The weather working needs to be modified somehow so as to produce a more even effect, but oh well, back to the drawing board… If you have any thoughts in that direction, it’d be useful to hear them, although an incantation which includes the sort of weasel words that only a trial lawyer can wield to baffle us all, would make for perhaps even greater misunderstanding. It’s complicated, isn’t it? 🙂
Ah, well, not having any active volcanoes near to your part of the world is perhaps one less thing to worry about. Yup, a 5.8 earthquake is no small event. Ouch. How did you experience it? The house here shook badly, and at first I thought that the washing machine on spin cycle had decided to explode, but no – it was far more dramatic, and continued after the machine was switched off. Bizarrely, the three dogs refused to leave the house, and just stood there enjoying the heaving timber floors looking at us with faces which suggested: You humans are so funny!
Oh no! A total bummer you missed seeing the band perform, and they hail from two states to the south of you. Go on, let’s geek it up a bit, do you have a favourite song or album? Mine is: ‘Country Feedback’.
Hauling firewood into the house is technically triple handling the stuff. Far out… Phew! Nah, the plan is to eventually process the tree and firewood in one setting so that the chunks can be stored immediately in the new shed. At the moment, a tree is processed, then we collect all of the firewood pieces and store them in a massive pile which sits out in the weather. The new shed alleviates that step.
You know what. Your Saturday weather is warmer than at any time here during the next week. The closest point is tomorrow at 26’C / 79’F. How crazy is that? Hope you swoon in a good way, and enjoy the early warmth provided by your spring sunshine. Maybe early on avoid the 2:30pm to 5pm outdoor moments on that hot day…
Well, work continues here six days per week, and exceptions for rest must be made. Did a shandy day of work today and finished late. Picked up new materials for the firewood shed, but spent the other half of the time on paid work. Such is life.
🙂 Pam, the many random conditions here make for a life which the sensitive person could potentially struggle with. They do say that the tree which bends with the winds is less likely to lose its head. Could be true too. And if you ever discover what a normal growing season looks like, please don’t keep such esoteric knowledge to yourself! Red deer are the worst of the lot, if you ask me. The wombats are saints by way of comparison.
I mentioned that possibility because I used to know the bloke who worked there, and he’d be on to that distilling option. As the old timers used to say: Waste not, want not. And who are we to argue with such logic?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Göran,
Your local and wider community building efforts always impress me. And already I’ve leaned on your knowledge of the art of raising fruit trees from seed and scion cuttings. Each of us give to the future in our own ways, and at present sorting out the infrastructure here is a priority. Think of it like in an aircraft emergency, you have to get your own oxygen mask on whilst the cabin depressurises, before you can assist anyone else. But then, environmental shock risks are higher here than where you are. And your soils are probably more fertile.
No worries at all, and the website issues cleared up earlier today, as you’d be aware. Computers… And you’ve raised a difficult question which bothers me as well, how much do we really know about wurdpraise? It works, although a recent upgrade produced a lot of pain for me with this website. Oh well.
Respect, and why am I unsurprised that you know Chris De Dekker as a friend? Well done you, and the site is a great resource. Compared to arty-fish-al unintelligence servers, our websites are just peanuts with the energy requirements to run them as they are so small. For your interest, I pay extra so that this site runs on a local server, staffed by local people whom I can contact if there is a problem. A lovely service.
Pah! A nice idea, but morse code is easier, and ham radios can do voice over long distance. There is a very local club for that hobby, and it is on the long list of things to do.
Honestly, letter writing is far more fun, and the post office is a very old and tested technology / system.
Hope you got outdoors and enjoyed the early spring sunshine. And that the spades have been upgraded and/or repaired. 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Ah, interesting about the microchip location, and I believe that cattle are likewise chipped in the ear down under. From memory, the dogs here have the chip at the back of their necks, between the shoulder blades. The database is national, and so dogs can’t easily be taken over the state lines, maybe. As you’d imagine about down here, there is a system…
Yeah, thanks. We took it easy yesterday recovering from the shock of the freak storm, and then days of clean up work. Back into things today, and did a shandy workday. About half paid work, and the other half picking up materials for the new firewood shed. Finished late too. Incidentally, there were no odd moments at the bog box hardware timber yard, and for that small mercy I’m eternally grateful. Even managed to help a bloke there looking for some timber size they didn’t supply and guided him instead to what was available.
When I was a younger bloke, the variety of timber dimensions was quite a bit bigger, but nowadays it’s down to only a few different sizes. Probably makes sense to do so.
Very funny, and that was kind of how it looked to me, although your most excellent choice of words was out of mental reach when the hail began falling in earnest. Gobsmacked was another way to put it, and I’m hearing stories from other locals, and gathering information as to their response.
Far out man, it was about that Monday temperature here today. Cold, cloudy with early drizzle. Most uninspiring, but perhaps your perspective will be different for sure, having just slowly emerged, like a chrysalis from frozen winter days, and for whom was hoping to avoid the attentions of the local hungry ravens. Maybe a bit like that. 😉
Bet your place is looking green right now. Is the dryland grass waking from its winter slumber?
Oh my, -3’C is very cold indeed. The sort of frozen that makes a bloke want to put off any chores which require said gentleman to head outdoors in the first place. Except you were in the thick of it. I’d have worn gloves too in that weather! As a bit of a laugh, the golf ball sized hail stones, were deflected by the golf styled umbrella which additionally promotes the big box hardware store. You’d hope that the storm didn’t occur for crass marketing purposes? Frost on the other hand is gentler, but hard on the plants.
Oh that’s good, and hey, I was intending to use the title ‘purple rain’ which you may have accurately surmised, and had that musical score running through my head. Hmm. Very funny, and the joke almost tells itself.
Your desire and choice makes a lot of sense to me. Who knew that super-competence is also grounds for dismissal under the peter principle? Ook! Your gut feeling served you well, and I’ve known of plenty of say, a talented sales person, who suddenly found themselves responsible for like, other humans, and floundered – just for one example which springs to mind. Man, after reaching the heady heights at the big end of town, I wanted to step backwards so as to reduce stress, and was thwarted at every attempt – that is what you get for not challenging the progress narrative in the first place. At such moments, heading off and doing something else with one’s life, becomes an option.
Also, it is my opinion, that such heady jobs are unappealing to a lot of people, and candidates are actually thin on the ground. Thus the pressure to climb, and inability to extricate oneself from that work environment. Just a different way of looking at the same problem.
The younger folks are seeing how the wind blows, and asking what the stink is. 😉 They totally get it based on chance conversations over the years.
Hehe! Well done you two, and hope the sports are enjoyable. I’ve not followed that series.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
The feed stores here tend to supply the commercial breeds of birds, and my experiences with them have not been happy ones. The other way to purchase hens here is via markets and also poultry group auctions. Joining the local poultry group is on the long and expansive list of things to do.
Bird flu has already cancelled one or two poultry auctions that I’m aware of. I may have annoyed a goobermint bloke who fronted the public to tell them of that. There’d been no reported cases in the area, but they shut the auction down anyway, and so I asked the hard question: So what you’re saying, is that you don’t trust people? Sadly, things became icy after that pointed observation. Oh well.
Dude, that Easter bunny was 1kg / 2.2 pounds. One word springs to mind which illustrates the complexities of the situation in a way which is devoid of weasel words: Expensive.
Warming up for you dude! Did you get any early spring sunshine? Cold and cloudy here today, and almost that same temperature. Did a shandy day of paid work, and picking up materials for the new firewood shed project. Finished late, as happens. Bizarrely, there were no strange incidents at the big box hardware timber yard, and one must be thankful for small mercies.
Interestingly, a package which had gone awol in the post tracking system, eventually turned up today. It intrigued me to see that the tracking number had been cancelled earlier this morning. Hmm. Never knew that could happen. Did your seeds ever turn up?
Ha! That’s funny, and yeah, possibly the bulbs are the ostrich farming opportunity of the plant world. 😉 I’ve read that they are very labour intensive, mostly because the yields are so low, like what you discovered. There are easier plants to grow.
Thanks for the images of saffron harvesting in the ancient Minoan style. It’s amazing that the murals survived the millennia or so, as well as they did. A bit like Pompeii don’t you reckon?
A wise decision in relation to the potatoes. I was deeply troubled by the aroma of the purchased tubers. Not a fan. Anywhoo, down here at least, the dry weather broke long after the potato harvest had wound up, so my best guess is that there’ll be shortages again later this year. We’ll see.
Pah! Why not go the full hog, and get rid of the time change altogether? I’m almost getting up in the dark again, and this is not pleasing to my senses at all. Dunno about you, but having a half hour change would just confuse everyone, and who knows, that may be the desired outcome?
Agreed. You can quote me, but a slower life is made up of many incidents of simple pleasures.
Ooo! US$4.50 is still cheaper than down here, which spiked to AU$2.00/L today, which works out to be US$5.35/gallon. Makes me wonder when due to economic realities, preferences will again revert to smaller vehicles? I’m starting to see ‘trucks’ from your country on the roads here, and a Chevy Silverado almost ran me off the narrow dirt road the other day. Not a fan. It was a tight squeeze, and the dirt rat is tiny by way of comparison. Far out.
Ah, did you know that the dirty little secret aim for the big grocesters is: Digital price tags bring online-style ‘dynamic pricing’ to supermarkets. If prices aren’t even between customers, then I’d have to suggest that trust will be eroded. There’s some dark outcomes in that story.
Did you get the food box?
Oh yeah, man, I’m like so last century with that understanding. Had a look around at the LED round screens for film making, and they’re impressive. No getting around it. One of the set ups has been constructed in the big smoke. Who knew?
Never even heard of Five Nights at Freddy’s, or the sequel, but everyone knows that possession is real and possessed toys are downright evil. Reading through the plot, it was hard to avoid noticing a certain reckless seeking to become involved with the supernatural amongst the several protagonists. I guess if it seems like a good idea… Critics can say what they want when a film tanks, but when it’s making heaps of mad cash at the box office, they’re wrong. I hear you about the complicated plot, but hey, clearly it works.
Hmm. The wikipudding page suggests the Dumas story has elements of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy and forgiveness. I’d suggest that the protagonist has a hole, much like a donut, which can never be filled through retribution. Revenge tales can be good, but one must sympathise with the central character, who has to be consistent. Why did he go for such a complicated vengeance, only to forgive at the very end? I read the plot line a while ago after you first mentioned the classic, and decided it was also not to my taste.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – About your confrontation with the government drone, at the poultry auction … you’re probably on a government list, now. If you weren’t already. 🙂 I was thinking about the “incident” at the lumber yard. Makes sense. Happened very close to the full moon.
Yes, the Minoan murals were very much like Pompeii. Santorini / Thera, buried by volcano.
I’m sorry our big trucks are making an appearance, there. Take my advice. Stop ’em at the docks! They’re a menace on the roads, and a pain in the … ear in parking lots.
That was quit an article about dynamic pricing. I haven’t been aware of that, here. One thing jumped out at me. “…free our store team up for other customer focused tasks.” Lies! Lies I say! Even in Library Land, that’s the justification they use, anytime something gets automated or is shifted onto the customer. In practice, it just amounts to fewer minions.
One thing I’ve got to say, about the LED walls. They aren’t replacing a lot of movie making folks. It takes huge teams of people, and a lot of collaboration, to make those things work, and looking good.
It was a popcorn night. I watched, “Sisu: Road to Revenge.” Those movies are great for any fans of Jason Statham. The first Sisu movie was Sisu killing a lot of Nazis. This one is Sisu, killing a lot of Commies. Lots of explosions and a cute dog. It’s a Bedlington Terrier. What’s not to like? 🙂
We got our monthly newsletter, yesterday. Apparently, the old hens aren’t playing nice with each other. From here on out, the community room will be locked up, unless the office is open. Which is sporadic. This is going to make it about impossible for me, to put stuff in the refrigerator, from the food boxes. Or to check for any extras that might be stashed under the tables.
We did get a couple of food boxes, this morning. Quit a haul. One pound of frozen, ground pork. A two pound brick of the cheese that won’t melt. A one pound brick of pretty good cheddar. A two quart jug of grape juice. Two boxes of generic rice crispy cereal. Two quarts of shelf stable milk. Two one pound bags of “parboiled long grain brown rice.” A pound of salted butter. A dozen eggs.
There were ten, individually wrapped sandwiches or deserts from some coffee shop. Two individual packets of raisins. Four individual yoghurts.
Produce: Two very sad heads of lettuce, 2 avocados, one eggplant, three apples, one yellow onion, one courgette of unknown parentage, and a one pound net bag of Brussels sprouts. A sad looking pack of pre-cut celery.
Tins: One each of salmon, sweet potato, spinach, and pears. Two each of large tins of tuna, kidney beans, peaches, green beans, corn, spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes and apple sauce. Three tins of black beans.
Not a bad haul. Some I’ll keep, some will go to the Club pantry, and, I’m afraid, some will hit the dumpster. There will be kitchen scraps, for the garden.
I almost forgot. Weather. Our high yesterday was 57F (13.88C). Our overnight low was 48F (8.88C). Our forecast high for today is 52F. Yesterday’s forecast was for 100% rain. Didn’t happen. H and I were dry, all day long. Rain did come in the early AM. But, H and I hit a clear spot, this morning. Lew
Chris:
Are you sure you want to be doing such a working? You have so much energy, you may have over-energized it. I don’t know a thing about it, but sincerity and simplicity might be a good thing to try.
In our earthquake, our log house shook badly, too, and things fell off of shelves (and in the pantry) and broke. But the house survived really well: No cracks anywhere, including the concrete of the basement, which is half out of the ground. The five dogs and one cat ran madly all over the house, up and down the stairs, while I tried to get the lot outside. I did so as the quake ended. They don’t last long, but it seems like forever. The aftershocks were almost as scary, especially at night, when I would feel the wood floor begin to shake. They went on for 2 years, but were pretty minimal after awhile.
In a week or 10 days it is supposed to freeze again. Like last spring. Well, the Ides of March are here; maybe that accounts for it. We always have Ides in February, too.
This is my favorite: Fall On Me (Buy the Sky)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0wsEzK-yJA
I don’t recall ever hearing Country Feedback so I listened. It’s good.
And speaking of vineyards: This is where my son went today to look at a fork lift he might buy. About 5 miles (8km) up the 2-lane highway from us. I wish I could still drink wine . . .
https://reynardflorence.com/
Pam
Chris,
Ah, good, no more incidents at the lumber yard. Aka no more doing the “lumber limbo with a bimbo”. 😉
But did I see that you got a gummint guy upset with you at a poultry auction? The words you said there remind me of many of my career limiting comments. Also, I can’t say that I “overheard” you talking to Lew, but I did read your message to him, so would that be considered “over-reading”?
Okay, good. You helped a bloke at the lumber yard. That’s always a good thing to do. Makes up for the lumber limbo, don’t you think?
Yeah, Monday felt HOT. Not used to those temperatures, especially with the sun shining. However, it rained overnight. 2.5mm. I had to let Killian out at noon today. It began raining just before I saw him. It is still raining 6 hours later, probably another 5mm or so this afternoon. Very welcomed rain, let me say.
The grasses under the trees and near the house are greening up. That doesn’t include the dryland grasses. Maybe another 10 days for them? As you surmised, though, things are slowly greening, much more than usual for early March.
Somehow, early in my time at the County, not only had I decided that I didn’t want to be a manager there, but I learned a sense of “enough”. I could have qualified for a loan for a much larger house than what I bought. Didn’t want to – this house is perfectly sized for us and is “enough”. That attitude of enough helped reduce some of the stress of working.
I noticed that that youngest group I worked with is smart in some practical ways. Observant, wanting to learn from those who they learned they could trust from my age group. Smart enough to figure things out, ask the proper questions, and knowing when to speak up about things without crossing over to the career limiting comments. Well, at least those that I worked with. Different generation, growing up was vastly different than when I was growing up, and thus a different way if looking at things.
Today’s home activities are different. The Princess did a lot of chores this morning. I’ve gotten a good start on my next pyrography project. Meanwhile, the smallest schools have their annual high school basketball tournament in Spokane this week. The raw feed (no announcers) is broadcast live via one of the local telly stations. We used to go to the tournament for years but now enjoy watching it from home while doing other things, like pyrography.
We used to know some of the players, but no longer. However, one team has a distant cousin as an assistant coach, although we’ve never met her. Other teams have players who are the offspring of people we watched play in the early 1990s. The one that made me feel old is that the son of someone we watched in 2004 is playing this year.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Not my finest moment, and yet again the events prove that hubris is a dangerous state of mind. Actually, despite all of the damage, and the carz are a problem which we’re looking into, the heavy rain was very much appreciated. And the grass is turning green. Headed out this evening in the warm autumn air and mowed up a lot of the fallen leaves. I figure if the green stuff gets blitzed, it’ll be easier on the soil critters digestion – and I’m intrigued to see how quickly all that organic matter disappears. The plants are growing strongly today with bright sunshine, Very High rated UV and 79’F air. Cicadas are calling this evening.
It was quite a pleasant day today, and I worked on the firewood shed. Installed the many roof battens and steel cross bracing. The plan is to get back onto the shed project tomorrow. It’ll be nice to wrap this job up quickly and get it into use. The next week is dry and sunny, and with the year getting on, winter just around the corner, it’s time to do what needs doing.
I was sincere about the rain, I’d not quite factored the simplicity bit. The local old ones are harsh critiques and very difficult to please, thus the short poem, which explains the place better than I can: My Country. Poets see things that us mere mortals are apt to ignore. All of the words are true in those few stanzas.
Thanks for the description of your experience with the 5.8 earthquake. We ended up with some fine hairline cracks in the 90 degree plaster joins. Can you hear the earthquakes? I can, it sounds like an awesomely deep rumbling and rock on rock grinding sound. Quite alarming actually because you don’t really know what may happen. At such times a person realises how small they are compared to natural forces. Yeah, the aftershocks are pretty scary, yup.
Hehe! Your dogs let loose a lot of crazy canine energy that day for sure with the antics you described. I dunno, but dogs just see that earthquake business differently to us humans. It’s weird isn’t it? And I can recall that the three dogs here refused to follow sound advice and ended up on the wrong side of the glass doors looking out at us with an expression which suggested that: You humans are so funny! That happened here as well in that there were minor aftershocks.
Turns out that there is a fault line running between here and the south island of New Zealand. Who knew?
The bard knew what he speaketh with that now famous warning: Beware the Ides of March. Pam, a late frost wiped out about four-fifths of the apricot (and all of the almond) crop. What do you do? Fingers crossed that it is not too bad for your area.
Thank you so much, the song is beautiful in both lyrics and melody, and I’ve known it of old, it’s like enjoying the companionship of a comfortable long term friend. Lovely stuff. And the sentiment is often lost in all the noise don’t you reckon? Austin Texas attracts some serious music, with its festival, and when I need to shake off some serious negative energy, who better to turn to than this song also recorded there: Florence + The Machine – Shake It Out (Live From Austin City Limits).
The Country feedback song leaves me with a sense of longing, as if opportunities had quietly slipped by whilst busy doing other things. Of course, the song may ignore the reality, that other things actually need doing. 😉
Pam, that is so beautiful, and looks a lot like around here when things aren’t dry. And they’ve got a corgi, as you do. Long ago I knew a dorgi, which is a dachshund corgi cross, of royal lineage apparently. Lovely dog, but a touch grumpy. Yeah, the forklift is probably not a bad idea and nothing else can lift pallets as easily. Plus you’ve got flat land now…
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Very funny, and thanks for the chuckles. Yeah, the lady sure could could ratchet up the volume dial with unsolicited (and incorrect) advice. Probably exceeded 11. Best avoided. And you may laugh, but I feel a mild apprehension when visiting that timber yard with the thought at the back of my mind: What is going to go wrong now? Still, cheap, and there is something to be said about that.
The goobermint bloke was last April, and wow, did the conversation turn frosty after that pointed observation. Fair enough too if bird flu were in the area, shut the poultry group auction down, but it wasn’t even close. My words did have that stink of career limiting comments (and we’ve all been there!), but sometimes situations just look weird, and nobody says boo.
Plus, the goobermint guy and gal were paid from the public purse, whilst the poultry group had no sales and were forced to eat their feed costs for another year. The whole thing made no sense.
Ah, well, yes, this ‘ere is a public forum, and that’s how things roll. Thus why there is an enforced code of conduct. It’s there to protect us all.
The bloke at the timber yard probably approached me, because I don’t look scary. 🙂 He wanted a 110mm x 45mm and they don’t supply that size, so I directed him to the 140mm x 45mm which is more commonly available. Many long years ago, the timber design tables somehow didn’t match the sizes which mills cut, dried and supplied. It was weird that. Perhaps they forced a carpenter to use the next size up which was available? Dunno.
Anywhoo, installed the roof battens on the shed today, and also all of the steel strap cross bracing. The frame is feeling quite sturdy now. It was a lovely day, at 26’C with strong sunshine, no wind and bright blue skies. Spent all day out there to about 2:30pm revelling in the conditions. Went back later to begin the process of blitzing up all of the fallen leaves in the orchards.
Your weather conditions sound almost ideal. Rain, but not too much, or too fast. The plants will be loving the weather. Any signs of spring yet? September here, the place would be rocking, so March is not too early (from my perspective at least). The planet’s atmosphere is warming, and getting moister, if I may say so, and so weird things will happen for sure.
Respect. Enough is a hard place to find, absolutely. I like the path you chose, and similar to you, I prefer a smaller world. The audacity of huge, is not for the likes of us.
It is interesting how the different generations were raised, and you can see it playing out. There’s no right or wrong on that front either, but alas as Gen Xer, I’m fiercely independent, and that is not always a good thing. If you have the time and inclination, there are fascinating utoob psychology based videos on the different generations.
Nice one, and it’s impressive that your local stations cater to local events. That more or less, doesn’t happen down here. We still have the local newspapers though, with local news – and advertising.
Hope the mysterious challenge project is going well.
Hehe! Dude, the years pass on by! Yup. I so hear you about that. 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Being an independent blogger, does come with some disadvantages, yup. Goobermint lists probably being one of those, even if it makes no sense to be on the thing. The Substock (!) system is where most people gravitate too nowadays, but how much independence is really there on that platform? And they can jack up pricing – whereas here I can swap providers if needs be. Those goobermint folks are simply looking for work to keep them occupied and out of trouble, even if it annoys the daylights out of me. The flu guy and gal, well, I was probably being less than gentlemanly, but (here comes the justification! 😉 ) it’s not like there were any cases nearby. What the heck was going on? So weird.
Oh far out! You’re right, the moon was full last night, and quite an impressive sight it was too. Made me want to howl for some unknown reason. 😉 Extra crazy stuff happens during the full moons, despite what experts say in relation to the matter.
People love the big trucks imported from your country, and spare a thought for when I’m in the dirt mouse Suzuki – we’re looking at the door handles. We’d seriously come off very badly in an untoward incident with such a behemoth. Hope petrol prices send the drivers broke, there, I feel much better now although it sounds a bit peevish. And I so hear you about the parking lot issues with the over hang.
Sadly, I had similar thoughts in relation to dynamic pricing and staff. Say what you will about Henry Ford, he at least realised that his employees had to earn enough so as to pay for the product. Economic decline is made up of a multitude of small communal decisions all directed towards maximising self interest.
I got that impression with the LED screens as well, there were people everywhere in the background.
How good is Sisu, he’s a true political equal opportunist and will destroy extremes of either left, or right. Or is it right and then left, just to keep in correct sequence for the film franchise. I really must see this film. Thanks for the review, and yeah, I’m already liking what I’m hearing. The dog is a nice touch by the way.
What? How much intrigue could take place in a community room? But then, err, aprons, just saying… Some folks get better as they age, you know, extra wisdom, a kinder, gentler outlook on the world, then there are others who turn downright meaner than the junk yard dog. Met a few of those in my time, and the Editors dad was a bit like that. Never good, and only got worse. Who knew that was even possible?
Is it just me, or has the possibility of food extras stashed under tables going off occurred to you? The situation could possibly get worse. Oh well, it’s out of your hands now.
Your non melting cheese sounds rather scary to my reading palate. Not into the concept, still it must be edible. The good cheddar is probably the safer bet – and a nice score too. Had to look up and discover what was meant by parboiled brown rice. Hmm. Seems like it’s a good option. Have you cooked with it before? Just between you and I, there are some doubts that the word fresh could be applied to a sentence including a reference to those sandwiches.
Fresh veg is at it’s nadir in terms of supply for you. Thus you’re in the lean season. I’m unsurprised by the descriptions.
Overall, it did sound like there was decent stuff in the boxes, and hope the Club appreciates the additional pantry fillers. If you had another choice with the other stuff… If cheese won’t melt, the soil critters might not know what to do with the stuff, although rats are notably unfussy. Probably not wise to encourage the rodents.
Nice to hear that you’re still getting some rain, always handy at this time of the year, and clear nights are when the freezes happen. Ook! Yours was clearly good planning in dodging the rain!
79’F here today, with no breeze and bright blue sunny skies. Made the most of the delightful weather, and worked on the firewood shed all day up until a late lunch. Got the timber battens onto roof which will eventually hold the corrugated steel sheeting and solar panels. Also installed about 100ft of steel strapping which is used to tension the construction and hold it together in high wind conditions. Not a bad idea given the crazy weather which can sometimes strike hard here. 🙂
An hour or so before the sun went down, I jumped on the ride on mower and blitzed up a lot of the fallen leaves. My theory is that if they have greater surface area, the soil critters will eat the organic matter faster. It’s a theory. Already the grass is beginning to green up.
Tomorrow is meant to be similar conditions.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Interesting timing. I’d say Mr. Greer’s post this week, and the poultry auction that didn’t happen, are variations on a theme. 🙂
I picked up quit a little stack of DVDs, from the library, yesterday. A documentary, from Woody Harrelson, titled “Go Further.” Woody gets all ecological, and stuff. 🙂 A new Godzilla movie, “Shin Godzilla.” “Running Man.” Season six of “All Creatures Great and Small.” Two new series, “Talamasca: The Secret Order” (an Anne Rice paranormal spin off) and “Murder Before Evensong,” which looks to be a new Brit crime series.
The library put a couple of things on the “new, on order” list, yesterday. “Greenland: Migration,” which I’ve been looking forward to seeing.
I don’t know what the story is behind the community room semi-closure. Judging from Little Mary Sunshine’s newsletter, someone was making up rules. NO ONE makes up rules around here, other than Little Mary Sunshine. Bullying was mentioned.
I’m at a loss for information. Now that we have a new night manager. Nice enough fellow, but I don’t have the … rapport with him I did with the old night manager. Also, one of the two caregivers I usually talk to, has retired. Another source of information bites the dust.
Food under the table (or on the table, for that matter) has never been a problem. As far as going off is concerned. It’s all tinned or dry.
Someone at the Club likes the cheese that won’t melt. Any bricks I take down there, disappear. It doesn’t have to be refrigerated. There’s usually extra, but I won’t be able to access those, anymore. Just for poops and giggles, I did a search to see how to melt the stuff. Room temperature and shred it. Maybe add some milk. That would make for a rather soggy grilled cheese sandwich. 🙂 I must admit, the stuff is tasty. A sharp “cheddar” flavor.
Last night I took one of the avocados, and made a dip with it. Just the avocado, a diced up tomato and some garlic. Tostadas as a delivery system. Made a fairly tasty and light dinner.
According to reports, the Institution is held together with three units of steel strapping. I still wonder about that “ripple” in the hallway floor, between my door and the elevator. No one seems concerned.
Makes sense to blitz up the fallen leaves. I chop up my kitchen scraps. I figure the worms and other soil critters have small mouths. Might as well give them a leg up.
Our high yesterday was 52F (11.11C). The overnight low was 43F (6.11C). Our forecast high for today is 51F. I’m still not seeing as much rain, as has been forecast. Thee’s a brick planter box, outside the Club. I noticed a daffodil blooming in it, yesterday. I also saw one here on the grounds, at the Institution. Huge flocks of geese are heading north. Lew
Chris:
That was a great way to take care of the fallen leaves – just mow them. Maybe a little less for the leaf peepers to come ogle this fall? We had almost your temp today at 77F.
What a very, very beautiful poem. And I only know the place through you. Thanks.
Florence – she’s really, really good. Thanks. Mayhap she is from a place like this?
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
Yes, I could hear the earthquakes. That is one of the things that would wake me up at night with the aftershocks.
I can tell you what is wiping out our bush cherry crop: Pickle the Squirrel. We have two Nanking Bush Cherries, big, old things now. Today I was babysitting Mr. Baby (literally; he has been quite sick) on the front porch and we watched Pickle happily munching the new flower buds on the nearest bush. While babysitting I also saw a pair of Bald Eagles circling overhead. It only just now occurred to me that they could easily carry off a cat.
I don’t have a corgi, but I have always wanted one, thanks to Queen Elizabeth II and Tasha Tudor. In the background of that vineyard photo are the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Pam
Hi Pam,
Another delightful day here. 77’F (ah, the moons have aligned with weather in your area, have they not? 🙂 ) bright sunny skies and no breeze to speak of. Actually the sun is still fierce feeling, and again by 2:30pm I was happy to head indoors.
Mowers are great to blitz up leaves, and it’s really weird because I see locals making these little piles of leaves and bark (some of the eucalyptus species at lower elevations produce huge strips of bark – think of them like a tree ribbon, more on this in a little while), and then when there are no fire restrictions, they burn them off. Mowers make quick work of such organic matter, and the soil critters do the rest.
How’s that ride on mower of yours going? Did your son eventually fix it up (not that he doesn’t have a lot on his plate, I get that)?
Fun fact about the bark ribbons the eucalyptus trees regularly shed from their trunks: There is a school of thought which suggests that the trees are encouraging fire to get into their canopy via the long strips of flammable bark. Dunno what to make about that, but I’d mow them up.
As an horrific side story, the eucalyptus trees at this elevation produce a different really thick bark which works to insulate the trunk from the effects of fire. All very adaptive and stuff, except years ago, for all sorts of reasons a large chunk of this bark had stripped off a tree and had lay on the ground for a week or two. That’s rare, but it does happen. Anywhoo, the Editor is happily mowing and decided to blitz up the big chunk of bark. Seemed like a good idea at the time. The mower runs over it, and out from under the bark shoots what is left of a seriously deadly snake, which had not enjoyed the encounter with the mower blades. Hmm. Anyway, now all of that stuff is picked up as soon as we’re aware of it, thus another reason why all of the piles of leaves are being mowed up now.
If you think about things, what goes on around here on other properties makes no sense whatsoever. All the nice lovely piles of leaves and bark that locals are creating, is actually pretty nice housing for reptiles, just sayin.
Oh, anyway, got the low centre of gravity ride on mower out early this evening, and finished off the mowing. It all looks really neat, and green! What a difference a week makes, and I’d imagine you see such shifts where you are as well?
A century and a bit ago, poets made a good living down under, and their words echo across time, because the wordsmiths have something to say. That poem in particular was written from the heart, and shows love for country (which down under means the land itself, not the more usual western interpretation of the word which generally refers to the nation). You could say that if you’re on country, you’re up in the bush – which is an Aussie wording if ever there was one.
Hehe! Florence Welch is iconic, and I have loved her music on first encounter way back in 2009. Alas the lady is English and hails from that small island of mystery. Some folks have the old faery blood coursing through their veins, and know not where their energy and magic comes from. Alas, her current journey does not include this remote part of the world, although the performer is in Nashville in early May which is not too far from you. I would go if that close, but that’s me. 😉 I watched her perform in 2023, and it was lifetime highlight. A truly astounding evening.
Do you know that not everyone can hear earthquakes? Hey, they wake me up as well, and it’s a frightening moment to hear the Earth moving. If I may say so, timber buildings are better suited to earthquake prone areas because they have some flexibility.
Sorry to hear that Mr Baby is not feeling very well, and hope he recovers. Pickle may well have found himself in a pickle if the eagles decide that he’s breakfast. It’s hard to know, but I believe that kittens and puppies are more at risk from eagles.
On the wikipudding page for Tasha Tudor (whom I’d not previously been aware of) there is a delightful photo of the lady shaving splints whilst the author and a corgi look adoringly at each other. Lovely.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Must be something in the water for such synchronicities to occur with Mr Greer’s writing? He made a fine point that perhaps all of the arty-fish-al nonsense is a solid smokescreen for reducing the permanent bureaucracy. In more blunt, and less polite language, this could be expressed as: Don’t blame management, this implementation of Arty-Fish-Al stuff, is progress! In many ways, the strategy would make sense to Sun Tzu: Do the unexpected. In point of fact, I heave heard credible third hand indirect stories of formerly over-paid bankster people now seeking work, and being unable to find it. I could never figure out how their salaries were so large in the first place, for basic administrative jobs. Made no sense to me.
The old timers used to have a saying about economical machines, like say for example a Suzuki vehicle, in that they worked on the: Smell of an oily rag. Paints a nice picture, and would be a strategy that you and I understand. Alas, such useful skills have been promoted as being of a low status option, but much depends upon the larger economic circumstances me thinks.
You’ve been hit by a tsunami of DVD’s, and did you get to watch Woody’s documentary? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. Just watched the trailer, and it’s lovely to see the bicycles and bio-fuel bus. A nice touch to walk the walk. But the trailer also suggested that Woody had a moment of self realisation. Rare events indeed. Hey, those small British towns are remarkably bucolic, and yet, at the same time, highly dangerous places to reside. 🙂
If ever you’ve wondered why I lead a small life and refuse to fly anywhere, well, Woody’s realisation was part of that story. Awful to discover that you’re part of the problem, still, it’s not the end of the world is it?
The Greenland sequel film will be fun for sure, but such short growing seasons there. Just read the plot description, and there are spoilers galore. Yes, leave no surprise unturned.
Far out, your community room paragraph read like an old timey Western, where the Sheriff’s rules are being flouted, insert a narrative pause for consideration and general build up of suspense, and then the consequences hit the proverbial fan. Far out, you’d think that people would get to a certain age, and put such mischief behind them?
On that note, I noticed that the bloke who’s in the slammer allegedly for the high country murders of the err, in my opinion, unsympathetic older couple, is seeking bail due to some sort of legal issue which I don’t really understand. Anywhoo, the question which keeps popping into my mind about that entire situation is: What if they’re all bad eggs, even the lovely smiling now deceased older lady? If I meet strangers up in remote spots, it doesn’t hurt to be polite.
Anywhoo, bullying, you’d think that they’d have other things to concern themselves with… Perhaps age does not mellow all, and neither does it guarantee improved wisdom. Hmm. Oh well.
Ha! Your local sources have dried up. Where’s a good informant, when you need one? 🙂 Far out man, so many changes, it’s hard just keeping up with the changes.
Thanks for the correction. That stuff has a good long shelf life, so hopefully you sort out a venue for your extra’s. How’s Jane doing anyway?
Ah, did you know that that stuff you mentioned, the non melting product, has the whey incorporated back into it? Dunno how they would have done that, but it is worth noting that whey generally is quite high in protein. With yoghurt making, that creates some whey, and I mix it into rolled oats and feed it to either the dogs or chickens. To my palate, the whey for yoghurt has a mildly vinegary taste.
And yeah I saw the ‘just add milk’ advice. Your point stands with me as well, not nice for that purpose. It’s not a product I’ve encountered (or maybe did once long ago), and I’d probably avoid it, sorry – I’m soft and have an ancient cheese trauma which I’ve previously mentioned. My mother made macaroni cheese with blue cheese, and it was sharp and revolting. Couldn’t eat the stuff, probably, yeah, child abuse for sure! 🙂 Man, damaged… It happens and some scars you can’t recover from. So I’m very particular about cheese.
The avocados were a top item in that food box I reckon. Pretty good for you. Yum! A nice chunk of kitchen ingenuity on your part with the tostadas. We had home made vegetarian enchiladas this evening. Tasty.
The strapping is a good idea for earthquakes as well. Provides some flexibility, but also holds everything together. Very rare high winds are the risk here, and steel is cheap insurance. Hey, the ripple may be much, and nothing. Having laid a few timber floors, and also repairing the structural elements, I could feel that ripple you mentioned just walking around. The vast majority of people do not notice such things.
Finished off the carpentry on the new firewood shed today. Yay! If I had the external steel cladding, I’d get onto that job next, but I’m yet to order the stuff. It’s going to be eye wateringly expensive. Oh well. The next job with the shed is to install the inner steel sheet lining and supports. I hate drilling steel.
That’s it exactly! Small mouths for the soil critters. Did another hour and a bit mowing tonight, which should improve their feed. I’m also observing that where it has been mowed of dead and dry material, the grass is growing faster and greener. A busy day, with glorious weather. 77’F and bright blue skies.
Planter boxes are warmer than the ground due to extra sunlight and being subject to the air temperature. They heat up quicker in spring, thus why I have the dozen raised beds just outside the door for kitchen edibles. Those plants grow better than if they were in the more usual in-ground garden beds.
Hope the geese continue on their northern adventure.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – I noted the mention of Tasha Tudor. I always found her off-the-grid lifestyle, quit interesting. I have a book kicking around, about her place and gardens.
I’ve finding Mr. Greer’s blog interesting, this week. Although all the back and forth about a. i. and analog vs digital sound quality to be getting a bit tedious. Beat that dead horse, again! 🙂 Or, maybe, some are beginning to sound like broken records.
I ended up watching the entire first season of “The Talamasca.” Up way too late. Well, it was pretty engrossing. Will there be a season two? It’s in that limbo, “not renewed, not canceled. ”
https://youtu.be/_ARTcQh2P8o?si=wQGoJ0-NHabXoeI-
Well, since I steer clear of all the drama, here at the Institution, I just get echoes of what’s going on. But, it does remind me of high school cliques. Maybe the hothouse atmosphere of all girls schools or sororities.
Maybe the old lady who was murdered, up in the bush, is the psychic sister of the old cow from the lumberyard incident. Might have been a thoroughly unpleasant person, who rubbed another unpleasant person, the wrong way.
Well, I heard that Jane is home from the hospital. But I doubt I’ll get any solid information until I hear it “right from the horses mouth.” So to speak.
The commodity cheese is also, very salty. I suppose that’s what gives it its preservation qualities. I’d probably have the same reaction to blue Mac and cheese. As a child. But, tastes mature and I’m quit found of some of the blue cheeses, now, as an adult. I quit like Stilton and Stilton like cheeses. Creamed salmon on toast was my childhood nemesis.
I must also be sensitive to unsteady ground. I felt that ripple in the floor, first time I walked over it. One hears things, about the construction of this building. But what’s true and what’s not, is up for grabs. One thing I did hear is that the sub flooring is concrete slabs.
I can’t say I’ve ever heard an earthquake. I always try and remind myself to “put an ear to the ground.” But usually, I have other concerns, during a quake. 🙂
Our high yesterday was 52F (11.11C). Our overnight low was a steady 43F (6.11C). Our forecast high for today is 51F. The possibility of snow is back in the forecast, for early next week. We’ll see. Lew
Chris:
How about that? Same delightful weather here (77F).
Can your mowers actually chop up bark? I don’t think ours could. It’s a little iffy with just grass. Ah – I see that they chop up deadly snakes as well. Good job, Editor! I have seen a couple of snakes out in this nice weather – those nice Black Rat Snakes. And the toads have come out all over.
I am trying to recall which ride-on mower we are speaking of. We had two. The Cub Cadet, I think, was sold. The Yanmar – which we still have – does not have a mowing attachment. It is a small tractor and does various other things. My son says it is too unstable (might tip over) for a lot of things on this er, mountain.
I’ll take your word for Florence’s origins, though for some reason she sounded Aussie to me. Would you really drive 546 miles (879km) to see her?
I won’t worry about Mr. Baby and the eagles. I think they were just passing through. Pickle was in a dither today as his pickup truck home finally had to be moved from behind the house to behind the barn. He was looking for it when I saw him. I expect he’ll eventually come across it. It’s not like he doesn’t have other homes . . .
Tasha Tudor was a very unusual lady, an author and illustrator. She lived a mostly mid-19th century lifestyle. I still love her books, though they were mostly written for children.
Pam
Chris,
UGG. I think what Lew had traveled over here via the interweb or something. Will catch up when the brain starts working again.
DJSpo
Hi DJ,
Sorry to hear that you’ve been struck low by the dreaded lurgi, and sending you good energy for a speedy recovery.
Drizzled this morning, and has been quite cold, so took it easy (sort of). Fixed up the many broken water tank inlet filters, and discovered yet another one which I’d not previously realised had been so badly damaged.
Anywhoo, hope you’re keeping up your fluids and getting plenty of rest, and care from your lady.
Cheers
Chris
Chris,
Very sorry to hear about the storm damage and associated stress. Did the pumpkin fruit make it or were they shredded? It looked like some big marrows were intact as well. I couldn’t be sure from your photos.
Funny, your grapes aren’t ripe yet and mine came and went in the first two months of the year. So our climates must differ significantly in certain respects.
In case you weren’t asking rhetorically, the way the hot water works here is a 315L tank so there is quite a reserve. A few dull days and it cools down but it is one way to store solar power when it is sunny. There is an instantaneous water heater under the kitchen sink so small amounts are always available.
Hops… do you make beer? They are very pretty vines. I have got some Akebia going from cuttings (all right in a bucket of water but we shall see when they go in the ground) and they produce edible fruit when there are other varieties around to pollinate them. So they may remain ornamental. It’s impossible to buy Akebia now as it has been relegated to the “invasive” category.
Cut back some of the long stems on the rockmelons, otherwise they’ll create a pit out there with all the nutrients they are using, and threw leaves in with some meat in the toaster oven. They were a bit furry but otherwise good. The flowers are delicious little treats, especially now that Lindt is out of range.
Hi Pam,
Well, that big old season thing is turning. Actually, I’d have enjoyed 77’F today, but alas it was drizzle and no warmer than 63’F. Brr! Oh well, the year is getting on. Was it warm in your part of the world today?
With the colder and drizzly weather, I replaced most (but not all) of the water tank inlet filters which had been smashed up by the freak hail storm. I’m reluctant to provide mosquitoes with the opportunity to breed in the water tanks.
Then spent about four hours sorting out all the photos (over the near two decades) for the various trenches for pipes and cables. Just to find the photos, I had to look at all of them. There were a huge number of photos – who knew? 🙂 Anywhoo, the photos are grouped by project so I can actually see where the important underground chunks of infrastructure are located. Hitting that buried cable last month suggested that the time would be well spent. And a cold rainy day, is perfect for such activities.
Absolutely! Either low centre of gravity mower can rip up bark, even the thick stuff. They’re grunty with sharp cutting blades, put it that way. The big Japanese built one can blitz up saplings, uphill on a steep incline. It’s a beast that machine. If a mower struggles with grass, that is perhaps suggestive of a blade replacement and / or sharpen.
Your snakes are nice and well mannered creatures, and would no doubts do Stirling work in the garden. By contrast, the ones here will also consume rodents, but are probably potent enough to drop an elephant. I’d ask them if it is really, really, necessary to be so deadly, but they might get annoyed at the insouciance. Go the frogs and toads!
Oh, it was the Cub Cadet, Best to respect such advice as some of those smaller tractors are narrow and have rather high centres of gravity. Not ideal for sloping ground. How do you mow the grass?
Things are perhaps easier down here, because there are only a handful of big cities on the entire continent. If the performer skipped Melbourne, then the obvious next destination would be Sydney, and that is an overnight train trip away – at about the same distance. So yeah, I would go by train. Dunno about you, but the rocking motion sends me to sleep, so it would be a restful experience – if the train stayed on it’s tracks.
Hope Mr Baby is feeling better today? So are you suggesting that Pickle was actually in a pickle due to housing loss? 🙂 Well, the Chevy may have been Pickles favourite retreat? And am I detecting that you are cleaning up around the house?
The authors books sound wonderful, and talk about walking the talk. A truly fine effort.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Kallianeira,
Hope you’ve enjoyed some rain, and you deftly dodged that big storm. Some heavy rain is a serious problem.
The pumpkins and marrows have now been brought inside and are drying in the hope that the skin damage from the hail doesn’t cause them to rot. Honestly, I’ve no idea what to expect, and will learn. We’ll use them earlier rather than later in winter, and thus will run out of such produce well before the usual point in spring. Oh well, the potato harvest was pretty good, and more importantly, was stored sun dried.
The fruit on the trees was a wipe out. All (with the exception of the thick skinned citrus) are bruised and now fermenting. It happens…
Oh yeah, it’s warmer where you are, and that does change the growing season around. The closest equivalent growing climate to here isn’t even on the mainland, it’d be somewhere in Tasmania, at a wild guess. The elevation here is about 700m above sea level, and that pushes a climate around 7 degrees south in latitude.
Grapes would be harvested here around late March to April, but by Anzac day, the annual growing season is done, mostly because of the cold overnight low temperatures. Even if there is a hot day, the night time really cools the soil down, and slows plant growth. What sort of overnight temperatures do you experience at this time of the year?
Ah, many thanks for the insights into your hot water system. Agreed, solar hot water is good, when the sun is shining. 🙂 The tank here, for your interest, is 400L. Truthfully, it’s located in the attic space, and I’ve been wondering what might happen should it develop a leak (there’s a collector tray with a drain, so the plaster and inside of the house will be fine, but what to do when it breaks is a subject which has been on my mind of late). Might pay the local plumber a few hours to come up with a solution so that it can be implemented when needed.
Is your instantaneous water an electric or LPG device? Does it work well? Again, I’m wondering about this stuff because the state goobermint is banning the sale of gas products from next March I believe.
🙂 Beer making is on the list of things to do. We do make cider, mead and country wines, and if your ignore the requisite sugar, we’re pretty self sufficient on that front. If you encounter a hops flower, they’re worthwhile tasting and you’ll experience the aromatic oils. Really nice stuff, and the vines are super hardy, if not a little bit weedy! Such has also been said about Akebia quinata vines, but I’m yet to see any growing wild around these parts. A very useful plant, but sadly the weight of opinion is against it. The fruit apparently has some notable health benefits. Never seen the plant.
The forest vine layer here has the very common,
Clematis aristata, which has lots of pretty flowers, and can grow quite tall. It’s really all over the shop in the forest.
That’s funny, and thanks for the visuals. Some plants sure are heavy feeders, and it’s amazing to watch the soil in a raised bed, fall, only to have to be topped up again.
Ah, you too were scared by the Lindt? $180 for a 1kg chocolate rabbit is a bit rich for my tastes as well.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
The author lead a very interesting life, and walked the talk. The interpersonal relationships were probably as challenging for her, as it was for the other people involved, but clearly the dogs were much loved. I was interested to learn that the lady illustrated the books as well. Very impressive. I’ve not been acquainted with the author’s work, but would no doubts enjoy them. It’s nice to see people walking a step back in time.
Speaking of that particular activity, it was cold and drizzly today, so the dogs and I spent a few hours outdoors fixing up the smashed up inlet filters on the water tanks. Only two to go now, and I have to get onto the task soon because who needs mosquitoes breeding up a storm inside the water tanks?
During that time, Ollie was of course a gentleman, Dame Plum did her own thing, but alerted me to other Kelpie mischief going on. Ruby had rolled in dead deer smoosh, and was far from fresh. Yep, dogs… Cleaned her up with a stinky detergent which suggested a Eucalyptus oil / Pine oil fragrance, so why not? Did Ruby learn her lesson? Let’s just say that I have some doubts. H would never do such a thing!
Oh, back in time business, yeah. So in the afternoon I went through twenty years of photographs and extracted any which related to underground pipes and wires. Then sorted that lot out into the various projects. It was a tedious, but perhaps necessary job. Hitting that cable a few weeks ago suggested the real worth of the task. Now I know where everything is located. I’d been quite diligent about taking photos along the way, it was the sorting out bit that had never been done, until now.
Mate, I chucked my twenty cents in on that audio discussion, but then a digression can be enjoyable and always yield useful information, although perhaps not in this case. Hey, the horse says he isn’t dead yet! 😉 And maybe getting better.
How are you feeling now?
Enjoyed the record pun too. A classic. 🙂
That The Talamasca series is not what I’d expected, and the trailer looks intriguing. Lestat is simply a very cool name for a vampire. Have you read the book (Interview with a vampire)? I’m going with my gut feeling as to whether you’ve watched the film, but you may surprise me.
Agreed, some folks can’t grow beyond those early days. A word you don’t hear used much any more, but is still very relevant today, and may apply in this instance: Troublemaker. We’ve all met a few in our days.
Who knows, but the reports have suggested that the lady was once the head of a well known rural ladies group. Hmm. It’s been my observation that some folks are born to duplicitous behaviour, and trouble trails them around, where ever they go. My gut feeling suggests that the day went pretty much as you surmised. A salient lesson to be pleasant to strangers, on the basis that things could go badly, so why stoke the fire which is already burning.
Oh! At least Jane is home again, and hopefully stays away from the building where all sorts of unknown super expensive things go on.
🙂 Yeah, salt is a solid preserving agent, as is sugar. Both are quite cheap too. If possible, I avoid over indulging in salt, especially after the ‘greedy salty chip scab’ incident. Felt quite ill actually. Chips are nice, but need so much rock salt be added – probably trying to flog soft drinks at a wild guess.
Man, I’m so with you about the creamed salmon paste. Not a fan, and you have my sympathy. If you know, you know.
That’d be the case if you can feel the ripple in the floor. Out of curiosity do you ever get motion or sea sick? Agreed, who knows how any building will perform under a worst case scenario, until it’s been put to the ultimate test. Probably a good day to be elsewhere… Run!
We’ve discussed this previously, and the earthquakes I’ve experienced absolutely made a very deep rumbling sound. Quite alarming really. But you know, everyone’s hearing range is different. The Editor couldn’t hear them either. Dunno. A mystery. Distracted is a fine way to describe the situation. Do I die for science and / or satisfying my curiosity, or get the heck outside? Hard to know, don’t you reckon? 🙂
You had some early warm weather a week or two back, and now it’s cold again. Today barely made it past 63’F, drizzle. Real winter conditions, but the forecast suggests that mid week, it will get quite hot. Oh well. You didn’t get much snow this year.
Cheers
Chris
@ DJ – I feel (felt?) you’re pain. Robitussin cough medicine and Sudafed made life almost seem like worth living. When my head started bricking up, I grabbed the nasal salt spray. Get the kid’s stuff. The adult spray tastes like ca-ca.
Here’s to a speedy recovery. Lew
Yo, Chris – We have a few storm water / rain drains, around the Institution. I have a pretty good idea, they breed mosquitoes, in summer. There’s usually a bit of standing water, in them.
I just took a look down the rabbit hole, and there are several pretty good sounding DIY remedies for mosquitoes, in drains. Bacillus thuringiensis is one of them.
It sounds like the photo sort was tedious, but necessary. A real walk down memory lane.
H has her moments. Sometimes, I think she “plays stupid,” just to send me up. Bolting her food and water, til she chokes, is one. I work and work to get her to slow down and swallow. If I stand over her, she shows restraint. The lesson doesn’t stick for long, and she “forgets.”
Oh, I’m pretty much back to as normal as I get. 🙂 The occasional coughing jag or sneezing fit. It hangs on.
The Talamasca are mentioned in several of Rice’s books, but had never been explored as a separate entity. I did read the book, and I saw the original movie (Interview) when it came out. I found the movie sort of boring, as it pulled a lot of punches. The recent TV series was a lot better. Richer.
I read a few more of Rice’s books, but, eventually lost interest in them. There is one I might get around to, that I haven’t read. “Blood and Gold.” It begins in Ancient Rome and then moves into medieval and Renaissance Europe I wonder if the library has it? Ah! One copy still kicking around the system. I put a hold on it.
Trouble maker? I prefer “shit-stirrer” for that personality type. 🙂
Never look a gift egg plant, in the mouth. 🙂 I can’t say I ever remember intentionally buying an eggplant. But, as there was one in our last box … I looked up a recipe for eggplant dip. I pealed and roasted the eggplant, smashed it up with tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and yoghurt. Called it dinner. Pretty tasty. I settled in to watch “Murder Before Evensong.” Set in 1988, a small village in Britain. Pretty good.
Hmmm. Motion or sea sick? When I was a kid, occasionally car sick on those long vacation trips. I’ve taken boat trips, but never on the real ocean. Mostly rivers, lakes and Puget Sound. I never had a problem.
I wonder if some senses shut down, in disasters. To shuffle brain resources to other senses. I doubt one would have much of a sense of taste, in an earthquake. 🙂
Our high yesterday was 50F (10C). Our overnight low was 48F (8.88C). We had long stretches of 48F or 50F, all day yesterday and overnight. Not much variation. Our forecast high for today is 54F. It was pretty wet, late afternoon and midnight. But, clear this morning. No worries. Rain will be back, this afternoon. Prof. Mass has a post about the possibility of lowland snow. Let’s just say he has low confidence. Lew
Hi Lewis,
Yeah, standing water does tend to breed up a population of those pesky insects, so best if they don’t have access to the comfy home is my way of thinking. Drains are hard though to keep dry, and the insects will probably be around for longer than our species. Oh well.
Hey, made a video of all the wildlife from some of the trail camera footage. Seeing the feral cat, which notably has a collar, was a surprise discovery. What I’ve learned about the process, is that it is alive out there. Hmm.
Not a bad idea to use some sort of biological control for mosquitoes. The insects are not usually problematic here, although I tend to avoid standing water due to the fact that the resource encourages snakes. People love farm ponds around here, but they’re a problem due to the deadly reptiles.
Dunno about you, but I’m just not wired to delve into the past, but it was interesting to see how far the place had developed. And of course, nice to revisit the fun memories of lovely dogs of yore. I reckon Mark Twain summed it up nicely with dogs when he was quoted as have remarked: “The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog” Although there are reports that the quote was made up after he departed this mortal coil.
H is in good company then. When Sir Poopy was losing his eyesight, he also refused to slow down, and the accumulated injuries from that poor judgement, were not good. It’s all fun and games, until the choked upon food cannot be dislodged. Didn’t the former Queen almost die from a food related choking incident? H may be in more regal company than you or I realise.
Very good to hear about your recovery from the cold, with the usual after effects of lung biscuits, and thanks for also defining once and for all what ‘normal’ actually is, although I for one am still a bit in the dark on that slippery subject! The ever cheeky DJ, tried to pin the blame on you for his own woes, and respect for not rising to the bait. We all suffer from illness from time to time, and but can only hope that recovery is speedy and we return to some semblance of our former selves.
On that note, we had a super chill day today. After the shock of the storm last week, then clean up, and hectic hot humid work on the shed, the decision was made – relax. And that was done. Had a nice picnic higher up in the forest at a remote quiet spot. It was all very nice, but far out the roads were bad due to the storm damage. Nabbed some hot cross buns from a nearby bakery too. Yum!
Ah, thanks for the interesting perspective on the film. So it went easy on lestat? Hmm. I’m not sure that I’ll read the book, but it is hard to produce a sort of sympathy for vampires. They’re undead after all, and should never be trusted. Rest assured that I’d stake you in the heart, if such a thing became necessary. Of course I’d feel guilty, for a while, maybe, but then hey it wasn’t me hanging out with undead which caused your personal undead issues. One must be careful with whom they hang out with. 😉
Actually in relation to reading, Robinson Crusoe is next up on the to-read list. The Editor tells me that I’ll enjoy the story, but report to follow in a few weeks time.
There is much historical richness in such a vast floundering, flailing and failing empire of yore. They could have had it all, but their model was faulty from the factory. I’ll be curious to hear what you have to say about the book on the Romans.
Yeah, same, same, but different. 🙂 That label used to also be heard down here as well, but again, for some unknown reason, such nefarious actions are rarely called into question in these enlightened days. Usually such folks are externalising their troubled innards, and who wants to see that? Yuk. Run!
Very funny about the egg plant, and they’re hard to cook with. We reckon the secret is to slice and salt the pieces so that they lose their excess water. Egg plant dip is very tasty, and strangely can be improved by slightly browning (e.g. mild burning) of the fruit. We use them in making the Moussaka dish, which is superb. Yum!
What, have you discovered yet another dangerous English small village? 🙂 It’s truly a wonder that anyone would want to live and / or visit such a treacherous place.
Ah, thanks. I’ve read that motion sickness can come and go with people. Man, the open ocean can be pretty rough, and I’ve watched whilst people passed out, whether it was from fright or motion sickness, I neglected to ask. The Editor kind of slumped on that horrific journey as did most of the other passengers, and I was kind of wondering how it would all pan out if there was a sort of ship sinking important to be at the top of your game, crisis. Fortunately the worst case scenario never eventuated, although nobody would want to repeat that journey, so sadly, for the record, we must remain in a state of uncertainty as to how things could have played out.
Sometimes car sickness is due to dehydration as well as the motion. Both can produce similar symptoms. Dunno about your experience, but when I was a kid, nobody took water to drink on car journeys, even when they were of many hours long duration. I can’t recall you heading out on long car journeys, but then hey, same here. No fun at all. The memories remain.
Hmm. You’re probably right there about senses shutting down in a crisis. The Martian film displayed the best case reactions to every unfolding drama, and man, not everyone can keep a cool head in a crisis. Absolutely not. The things I’ve seen over the years, and as the old timers used to say: Sorts the men out from the boys. Hmm. Like that film, I try to deal with the most immediate problem, then go onto the next one etc. What’s your take on that? We’re sure in a target rich drama environment these days! Far out.
If I may add, your weather is hovering, and neither going up, nor down. It happens, and sounds too warm for snow to me, but it could happen, maybe. 63’F here again today, and brr! Had to run the wood fire tonight.
Ooooooooooooo. Better get writing, I’m so late.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – I saw an interesting article, yesterday, about New Zealand losing population. Even the big dogs, are leaving.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/06/world/new-zealand-australia-emigration-midlife-intl-hnk-dst
I bet the trail camera footage will be interesting. I meant to ask if you noticed any animals killed by the hail. I was particularly thinking of birds.
Well, DJ … 🙂
Your picnic sounds really nice. Hot cross buns. Tis the season …
I’m reading Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.” From which the movie “Blade Runner” was made. I saw that, when it came out. But, I don’t remember much about it. I do remember enough to know the book is very different. Turns out there was also a sequel, to the movie. Which the library also has.
I finished watching the Brit mystery series. There were a few DVD extras. It’s based on a series of mystery books … by a vicar. Well, they say write what you know. Will there be another? No decision, yet. Might be a popcorn night.
I did over bake the eggplant, a bit. So the flavor was good, and wasn’t overwhelmed by all the other ingredients. The good ol’ Maillard Effect.
I saw an article about our weird winter weather, as far as the US goes.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/07/climate/warmest-winter-us-east-versus-west
Our high yesterday was 57F (13.88C). Our overnight low was 48F (8.88C). Our forecast high for today is 52F. Our local forecast calls for snow, tonight. Might happen. Temps are going to be just under -0-C.
And, finally, Tool Time! 🙂 Ancient tool time.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-discovered-an-ancient-egyptian-tool-2000-years-ahead-of-its-time/ar-AA1Xn3h0
H and I are heading to the Club. Carl wasn’t there, last Sunday. I wonder if he had the sickness, that seems to be going around. We’ll see. Lew