A few weeks ago as a rare treat, I watched: ‘The Martian’ film. It has the notable actor Matt Damon and wasn’t about horrid killer aliens, like the same directors 1980 classic sci-fi horror ‘Alien’. Back then, my older sisters dumped me in the cinema as they didn’t want to be seen with the dorky younger brother. I loved the fright of that dark, wrathful extra-terrestrial story, but it scared the daylights out of me! Gave me nightmares for weeks afterwards. Nope, this time around the cinematic narrative posed the question: how could a human abandoned for dead on the cold planet fourth out from the sun, survive? Hardly an enviable estate, and you could say that it sucked to be him.
Anyway, despite all of the odds, the character survived, and was eventually rescued, only just. It was a close call. Every step of the way, and given the extraordinarily harsh environment of the planet Mars, one foot put wrong meant a date with the skinny bloke wielding the wicked sharp scythe and going out hoodie (AKA The Grim Reaper). Probably best if that force of nature is kept at arms length for as long as possible.
So Matt Damon was stuck on a fictional cold planet, with no Uber on call to get home again. How did he survive? Well, he worked upon the most immediate problem facing him, sorted out an arrangement good, bad or otherwise, and then moved onto the next problem etc. Being on Mars alone without much stuff, there sure were a lot of problems to resolve, like err, food. It’s worthwhile noting that the protagonist was a botanist, who recognised potatoes for the seeds that they are. Then he cleverly worked out a way to grow a crop. Spoiler alert, sadly his Martian greenhouse was destroyed, but hey, at least the remaining tubers freeze dried in the mostly Carbon Dioxide atmosphere of that planet.
If you haven’t watched the film already, then why not? It’s a classic and made a heap of mad cash at the box office. Yeah, you could say that business was cracking for that narrative! In a mildly weird coincidence, I’m reading a similar tale, but this time published early in the 18th century, yet set in the Caribbean during the late 17th century: Robinson Crusoe. It’s a remarkable tale of a footloose and fancy free young bloke inured to the good advice of his parents. Not being able to be told, he instead sets off to sea looking for adventure. He sure does find it too, escaping from slavery, become a plantation boss, and only to end up marooned alone on a tropical island. One thing’s for sure, the atmosphere there, unlike Mars, is breathable, and it’s a whole bunch warmer.
Synchronicity is a funny thing, and it was difficult to avoid having the two fictional narratives begin lining up in the old brain. You could see similarities in how the characters went about solving their day to day problems. Take food for example. On Mars, a lot of water was needed to grow the potatoes, so the character burned the rocket fuel Hydrazine in a reaction to produce water and nitrogen:
N2H4 + O2 -> 2 H2O + N2
Pretty handy huh? Except Reddit forums suggest that whilst it would work, serious amounts of excess heat and an explosion would probably occur, and eventually it did in the film. It’s never good when you’re on a frigid planet to see your crops and habitat module blown up. Makes being hungry and far from home suck all that more. Anywhoo, Robinson Crusoe had some good strokes of fortune, like a breathable atmosphere and a ship full of some stuff, and I’m up to the point in the story where he had to figure out for himself how clay pots were made. Handy items for storing grains, water, and gun powder in his case. None of those activities would be easy and both characters used the tried and tested tool of: Trial and error.
It’s kind of funny for me, recently having watched the sci-fi film, and then reading the adventures of the castaway, because they follow our exact same strategy. In some ways, we share similar risks. Just to remind readers, big bushfires have been a serious problem here for as long as the folks of European origins took over management of the forests. The thought: ‘I so get you man’, has percolated through the consciousness many times whilst reading the adventure.
As I’m typing away at this essay, it’s a cold night outdoors. Winter is fast approaching, and most days I wake up in the dark. The wood heater though, is keeping Sandra and I toasty warm tonight. A very pleasant experience indeed. It wasn’t always this way, and our earlier efforts with firewood weren’t all that great. That fuel takes an extraordinary amount of knowledge, systems and practical experience to use reliably for the longer term. Hmm.
We constructed this house using mostly our own labour. Whilst doing that task, we rented in a nearby housing estate, and the owners and real estate agent were giving us hassles about the grass, which offended everyone because it exceeded an inch in height. The former tenants had created an industrial wasteland out front of the house, and foolishly I set about repairing the soil. This dastardly act in turn grew luscious grass. Should have simply left the exposed clay pan as it was. Keen to move on from the hassled rented grass situation, we moved into our unfinished house. Being mid spring, the temperatures were warming up so it was no big deal.
The first winter was a real shock to the system, and we ran out of dry firewood, early on too. Who knew that you needed so much of the stuff if it’s your only source of heat? Necessity is a harsh teacher, and a person has to put in the hard yards to learn, test, fail, and get back into the fray and try again. But every system here has been like that over the past eighteen years: Solar power; Solar hot water; Drainage; Water; Soil; Orchards; Vegetables; Chickens; Landscaping; Feral animals; and the list just goes on, and on.
Right now, we’re going hard on constructing a new firewood shed incorporating everything we’ve learned over the past almost two decades. Have we got it perfect? Probably not, but it’ll be good enough, and a darned sight better than previous systems for that fuel source. Speaking of fuel, last Monday the prices at the local petrol station were alarmingly high per litre. For US readers there are 3.8 Litres to the Gallon, so multiply the numbers shown in the next image by 3.8 then by 0.7 for the AU$ to US$ exchange rate and you’ll see in your own local currency what we’re being asked to pay:
By Friday, things had gotten more expensive:
Those prices will probably cause a serious economic blip and at a guess, and are unlikely to fall any time soon. That’ll happen when demand destruction stomps the daylights out of a vast amount of activity. We don’t use a lot of those liquid fuels, and by preference drive small efficient vehicles which as the old timer farmers used to say: Run on the smell of an oily rag. However naivety would be the claim that I don’t rely on others who do use that energy dense fuel. Trucks, generators, country trains, tractors, harvesters, aircraft, you name it, big machines use diesel. So everything will soon get more expensive, further destroying demand. And around and around it goes, where it stops, nobody knows. Few are prepared for what a sustainable culture really looks like.
So yeah, dramatically increased fuel prices have been escalated up the list of the current most pressing issues to deal with. And these costs have already flowed into the prices for materials for the new firewood shed. What do you do? Well, progress the project at a rapid pace, that’s what. What may be expensive today, might in fact be cheap from the point of view of tomorrow (that’s inflation folks!) And this will permeate like a contagion throughout western civilisation. Not much a person can do about the larger issue causing all this, but for us, it’s not a bad idea to sort out our firewood systems sooner, rather than later. What other people do, that’s up to them.
Two days this week were spent installing wall cladding on the new firewood shed. I tell you what, punching 100 wood screws through sheet metal into timber is no easy feat, and I limit myself to a bag of hex head screws per day. Better to take the job at a sustainable pace than creating an injury.
On the first day of work, one side was almost completed, as well as the entire rear wall.
Then the rain moved in.
In between storms we installed the remaining wall sheets.
Each sheet of metal cladding on the side walls had to have neatly cut tops to match the angle of the roof. I’ve heard that people install the sheets, then cut them all in-situ, but handling an angle grinder whilst up a ladder in cold and damp conditions seemed like a risky option to me. The sheets were drawn up and cut whilst at ground level.
The rain got worse quicker than fuel prices went up, so I set about obtaining materials for projects. On a trip into the big smoke I stopped off to see the Solar Dudes in their new shop to purchase some aluminium rails for the solar panels.
The floor of the shed will use a lot of crushed rock with lime, so I got a truck load of the stuff dumped too. The prices were eye watering.
The fog, mist and drizzle lifted on Sunday morning to reveal the sun. Who knew the big fiery ball in the sky was hiding in amongst the thick cloud? We installed about half of the roof sheets and edge capping.
The roof edge capping gives the corners a nice neat finish. Similar capping will eventually be installed on the wall corner edges.
Still more work to go on the shed, but it’s nearing the point where we can begin loading the under cover area with firewood. There has been so much rainfall in March, that the firewood stored underneath the tarpaulin, has become damp, so is unable to be used in that condition. With maybe eight dry days in the coming forecast, we’ve removed the tarp and hopefully the late autumn sunshine will dry the stuff out. The plan is to get all of it under cover, and soon.
A friend recently gave me some seeds for the indigenous Murnong yam daisy plant (Microseris lanceolata). He’d grown the edible tubers for two seasons and found the taste to be good, almost akin to a sweet potato. Anywhoo, I tilled a 10 foot row, fertilised the soil, and then planted those seeds out late Sunday.
The recently planted out Silverbeet seedlings are growing fast, except last night a wallaby appears to have jumped up and into one of the raised beds. Not happy, but the plants seem untouched.
And weirdly, the potato crop from two seasons ago, has reappeared out of nowhere. I’d believed that all of the tubers had been harvested, but clearly not.
The deciduous trees have not recovered from the recent hail storm, and will probably not produce new leaves until next spring. The evergreen trees are a different story. They are recovering right now, and the citrus are among the fastest in that regard.
The grapes in their cage were spared the worst of the hail storm, and one particular variety seems consistently better than all of the others. It’s unsurprisingly a local variety. I’m considering replacing the other vine varieties with this one.
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 11am is 17’C (62’F). So far for this year there has been 242.6mm (9.6 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 171.6mm (6.8 inches)
Comments
42 responses to “Things we wanna say”
Ah yes the rogue operator potatoes. You never find every last one. LOL
Yo, Chris – I think “The Martian” is well on its way to being a classic. No Uber? How DID he survive? 🙂 Although he did manage to cobble together his own sort-of dune buggy, for transportation.
“Compare and contrast, “The Martian,” (which was a book, first), and “Robinson Crusoe.” Now there’s a high school assignment I could get behind. Not to be confused with the 1964 film, “Robinson Crusoe on Mars.” 🙂
Your new woodshed sure is nifty. I’d say, it’s a culmination of all your construction experience.
It will be interesting to see how the Murnong yams do. Spell check seems to think I’m trying to spell “mourning.” Twice. The tubers don’t seem to be available here, though the seeds may be. I’d have to take a deeper look down the rabbit hole. This sounds similar to my attempt to tackle Ozette potatoes. The moon must be in “tuber.” 🙂
Fertilize and mound up those volunteer potatoes. At least a few of them. See if anything comes of them.
Do you want to have all your grape species in one basket? So to speak. Maybe keep at least one of the “second best.”
Are the ficifolia gum nuts edible? The flowers sure are pretty. Lew
Hi Gerry,
🙂 Those sneaky tubers hiding in the ground, biding their time for revenge! Thanks for the laughs for I’d genuinely believed that every single one had been recovered. The plants look healthy, no?
You know man, there’s a climate line on this continent, where one side can grow grains, and the other cooler side grows tubers. A bloke has to man-up and admit he’s in tuber-ville! Once the infrastructure is all done, I’ll expand the growing area for these tasty treats. The potatoes harvested a few months ago in the dry, was one of the harvests we got spot on this year. If I’d waited until March, the rains would have spoiled the tubers and caused them to sprout.
Dude, it’s a fine line we all walk.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Yeah, no Uber or food deliveries on Mars exactly. What’s the bloke to do? 🙂 Actually, a reality show did a big series of house builds around these parts a year or two ago, and it boggled my mind that the contestants were complaining about the lack of food deliveries. Where did they reckon they were?
Of course I learned that less long ago when we were in a remote spot on the island state to the south of here, and asked a local where we could grab some dinner. It seemed like an innocuous question, and the follow up question as to where we’d come from should have been a red flag warning. Naive… Quick as a flash the lady quipped: You ain’t in Melbourne now! Still, being the canny and resourceful folks we are, we did find somewhere to grab a bite to eat that night, but it was a close call.
The journey in the solar powered dune buggy was a fine side-story. I did wonder how he could generate enough electricity for heating on that cold planet, and also wondered about the batteries performance at low temperatures, but why let pesky technical issues get in the way of a good story? The scenery the rover travelled through was both epic and very alien.
Yeah, me too. The comparison is just asking to be made, and if I may say so, the protagonists in both accounts utilised the exact same mental processes to prioritise and resolve immediate problems. I’d not heard of Robinson Crusoe on Mars, but it looks like the Criterion folks had gotten their hands on the original film and re-released it. Presumably you have seen this movie?
Thanks, and the roof and all cladding was completed today. Me a touch sore tonight as the work took over 200 screws and a very late finish. Fortunately the sun shone nicely and the wind abated. Early on the large steel sheets were blowing around a bit, and in danger of lifting off and into the air, before being secured by the screws. A hard day of work, but that part of the project is now done.
What do spell checkers really know? Not a day goes past, when those databases encounter an unfamiliar word. The cynical person may get the idea that the software is attempting to limit the language? Anywhoo, the yam seeds are in, and we’ll see how they grow.
The story of the yams is bizarrely mournful too, so maybe that software does know something? The introduced sheep ate most of them, and then there was the subsequent loss of soil fertility, what little there was in the first place.
The thing is, if a person is in an area with cooler soils during the growing season, tubers are the staple crop. Warmer climates favour grains. You and I are in cooler climates and so I reckon tubers dominate. The moon is definitely in that vibe! 😉 Hey, that variety looks very similar to what is described down under as the Kipfler Potato. Apparently it is a German variety, but hash tag just sayin’, the plant has origins in your part of the world and to the south. Hmm. Rebranding is a thing. Tasty tubers though.
Good thinking with the potatoes, and I’ll do just that. I’ve been wondering what crops need fertilising next. Just gotta get the drains and solar panels on the firewood shed installed first then I can relax a bit, maybe. Been busy infrastructuring, it’s defined as the creation of useful stuff for making future life easier, and that’s what is going on at the moment.
That’s a good point, but the warmer climate varieties of grapes are succumbing to fungi every year, so I have to do something. The Editor is talking about spraying those vines with fungicide prior to bud-burst, but are they actually appropriate to this area? Dunno. In the past where I’ve had fungal issues with plants, the introduction of goodly quantities of lime to the soil has worked, so I’ll try that this season, maybe spray them with fungicide, and then see what happens. But something has to change, it’s no good growing plants that don’t work here mostly because garden space is limited. Dunno.
Nah, the gumnuts are inedible, but yeah the flowers sure are pretty and the insects love them.
Brr! Your weather is making me feel cold. 😉 It was 72’F today and hot-as for a cat perched up on a tin roof. Around the middle of the day, the reflected energy was a lot to bear. That job is far worse in the summer months though. Cooks your head in minutes. Hope the rain clears and your garden enjoys some sunshine? Hope though, does not cook the rice.
Oh cool, the Ozette potato variety looks like it is super local, and can only do well in the conditions. It’s funny how we’re sold seeds and plants as good, but none are as effective as local, or bred for local conditions – which is what we’ve been working at for a very long time now. Have you got much space to plant the seed potatoes in?
That’s possible with the watering with your potatoes, and I dunno, but I’m guessing the plants initial growth is triggered by heavy rainfall, and then they’d prefer drier conditions with looser super fertile warm-ish soil. Dunno, and I’m still learning about this most useful of plants and would hardly claim the recent success as guaranteed.
Man, I’ll keep an eye on these tubers and see what eventuates in relation to the ultimate size of the tubers? I just don’t know but concede that like what you’re seeing, they may all end up being small. Regardless, I’d not planned to replant that area with potatoes for a few years, so it’s a useful experiment.
Pah, I’d have known which tasty dessert treat would be scoffed down. 😉 The muffins of course, but then chocolate cake is often disappointing, especially in these days of high priced cocoa. The dark cakes promise a lot, and often fail to deliver.
The dogs are knocked out tonight. For most of the sunny day they were running around doing what they do. By the way, with the addition of the supplement, Ollie has improved way beyond anything I could have imagined after only a few days. It’s uncanny, and I’m noting it down for my own benefit at some point in the future. 😉
The same down here, despite the fears, people are still driving around here, there, and everywhere. Dunno what to make of it all, and the goobermint has promised to halve the taxes they rake in from fuel sales. Interestingly, I’d not really thought about it, but their flat across the country 10% goods and services sales tax, can only reap in more mad cash for them and they’ll benefit for sure with inflation. Hmm.
Yup, the diesel fuel story is a massive problem, not just for truckers either. Farmers. Remote communities relying on diesel generators. Aircraft. Shipping. Oh yeah, the pain has only just begun, and this is when the problems with people living remotely with no level of self independence, and city folks dependent on food grown elsewhere and stuff manufactured elsewhere, are really going to begin hurting. Do you know, that last week I observed that the local garbage trucks had slowed down considerably, presumably so as to conserve diesel fuel? Personally I have concerns that the pretense that all of these different waste streams requiring multiple regular heavy trucks, is a sustainable model in the first place. Hmm, when waste builds up. I noticed a week or two ago that the local tip now no longer takes locals garbage. Yes, they’ll do recyclables, but nothing else from households. Don’t know what to make about that.
At least the process has begun to approve and construct a waste to energy facility (in less polite language an incinerator with a turbine) on the southern edge of the big nearby outer urban town. Hmm.
😉 You betcha the machine does make the proper noises. Brings back a lot of memories of err, well, err, you know man.
Just read the plot and what a fun and yeah most silly film. Jack Black brings some big energy to a role, and Paul Rudd has had a pretty decent career. Jack Black also moonlights as the musician Tenacious D. There’s heaps of rainforest back up in those mountains. Quite tropical, and probably a touch too warm a climate for my cold sensitised tastes.
Fingers crossed that the inspectors leave you and H alone. Here’s hoping. Go on, how did it work out?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – “…once the infrastructure is all done…” 🙂 Well, let’s see. There’s the second greenhouse. And, some kind of a root cellar, or another. Maybe a folly or two. Maybe a Ha-ha? Might take care of your deer problem. Though probably not. I think you’d need a moat, with alligators.
I think that lady was laying in wait for you. Probably not the first time she’d used that line on someone from “away.” We’re a fairly rural county. Though getting less so, as time goes on. I do hear about people’s expectations, not meeting reality.
I think I may have seen “Robinson Crusoe on Mars,” at some point. Maybe on Saturday night TV creature features. But so long ago, I have no impression of it.
Sheet steel blowing away. Could be worse. Here’s a little clip from that Sci-fi classic, “The Day After Tomorrow.” Skip to 1:05.
https://youtu.be/TDCsGQyHVtc?si=bt8VRp9QtoQJR28Y
Our high yesterday was 50F (10C). Our overnight low was 32F (-0-). Our forecast high for today is 53F.
Nichols Garden Nursery grows most of their plants and seed, down in the Willamette Valley. South of Portland. The climate is pretty much the same as here. Same climate zone. Same slight maritime influence. So I’m getting stuff that is adapted for the same local conditions. Lucky, that.
I have to put some thought into how to store any potatoes I get. My apartment is too warm, and they don’t last very long without sprouting. The Master Gardeners room is probably cooler, though it does have a heat source. And, although they don’t use a lot of chemicals, there is an odor that I wouldn’t want my food to pick up. I think there’s plenty of in-ground ideas for small amounts of root crops. I’ll just have to look into it.
Your volunteer potatoes, may be on the small size. A lot of mine were like marbles. But, still tasty.
That’s interesting about the garbage trucks, slowing down to conserve fuel. I remember during the gas “crisis”, curing the early 1970s, that they reduced freeway speeds, to save petrol. There was lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth. I was living in LA, then. What I noticed, right off the bat, that at the lower speeds the freeways “worked” better. Traffic flow was more …. civil. Not nearly as many pile-ups.
I see they caught and shot your on-the-run “sovereign citizen.” I hadn’t realized that it was in your neck of the woods.
https://youtu.be/TDCsGQyHVtc?si=bt8VRp9QtoQJR28Y
I visited Carl, at the Club, yesterday morning, but didn’t stay long. There were two crazy people, on tap. One I can handle, but not two. Crazy people don’t particularly frighten me. They just irritate me. When we left, someone was across the street in the Micky D’s parking lot, screaming and wailing. Ah! Wednesday is the full moon. I think it’s going to be a lu-lu.
I spent most of last evening just doing this and that to get ready for the inspection. Nothing really major. Just fine tuning, and making sure I had anything they might be concerned about, safely stashed out of sight.
When I needed a break, I watched an episode or two of one of the Great Courses, “Ordinary Americans in the Revolution.” That ought to hold me until the Ken Burns “American Revolution” comes in.
So, I’ve had my inspection. They’re doing about half the units, in the building. And lucky me, I was one of them. They started on the third floor, so, I was done before 10am. Little Mary Sunshine, the maintenance guy Jeremy and the inspector showed up. With me and Dawg, it was pretty tight in here.
The inspector was a rather dour gentleman, that I really had no interaction with. They were done in under 15 minutes. Just basically checking that everything works. Does the bathtub drain? Do the lights turn on? Does the oven heat up? No obvious safety hazards. Anyway, I passed.
Will still be a bit on edge for the next two days, as, there may be a “quality control” person show up, to inspect the inspector. Lew
Hi, Chris!
You say “The Martian” wasn’t scary. It would have been to me because it would take me way out of my element. However, I could watch Robinson Crusoe in a movie (for some reason I never read the book) as it would seem familiar to me as I had a favorite book as a child called “Baby Island” (go ahead and laugh; I loved it) about two girls shipwrecked on a tropical sialnd with 3 babies they rescued from the ship. Luckily for them, there was help on the other side of the island. Wasn’t “Crusoe” where we get the man Friday?
We messed so many things up here the first few years, but we started doing better and better. I still have so much to learn, though.
Tell me about those wood screws: Surely you at least have a power tool? One hundred sounds like a big headache anyway. I think this firewood shed is your most professional job thus far. See how much you have learned?
I am so interested to hear how the yam daisy does. I have my sweet potato slips growing inside. At least a month till they can be planted out. My leaf beet seeds are sprouting in the garden.
My potato plants have resurrected themselves before, but I never got any new potatoes from them. It is amazing that the grapes have survived.
Thank you for the flowers. What a truly red rose.
Yes, people who inhabit the rarified airs are people, just like everyone else. Or, at least, they are human (mostly).
Pam
Chris,
I planted 2 potatoes last year. There were an additional dozen resurrected plants. I got a decent amount of potatoes even from the volunteers.
We have watched “The Martian” many times. It had become the favorite of my friend the final year he was alive. It was entertaining, yes. Some of the science? Well, you’ve mentioned a few things in some of your comments with Lew. That is a rare movie in which I turn off my science brain for the entertainment alone. The music was fun, too.
Cherry blossoms on one of the trees appeared this week. Yay! That tree always blooms before the leaves start.
The Sunday rainstorm turned into much ado about nothing. Literally nothing, nary a drop. Supposed to get up to 13mm of rain Wednesday night. I’ll let you know. Major warming trend after Thursday.
The Princess’s car was in the shop for 3 days last week. A trouble light appeared when she was with her brother on the west side. They got it fixed. A valve in the air pollution system was stuck open. She and her brother returned to the west side again Thursday. Same trouble light came on Friday. Well, car will be in the shop until at least Wednesday, depending on when the part comes in. At the OTHER end of the same system another valve got stuck open. Actually, I’m not surprised by this second one. At 200,000 miles, I figure if one valve in a system goes bad, the other valve in the same system can’t be far behind.
Anyhoo, both times the system had a valve problem, The Princess and her brother were in Auburn, Washington. The guys at the shop suggested that maybe she should avoid Auburn in the future. 😉
Oh, what grand work on the new shed! That’s a lot of work in just a few days, and it looks great. Ollie even approved of the cladding matching the angle of the roof. That got the official Princess Seal of Approval also.
Nice cat on a hit tin roof reference. I had a good chuckle. Then I noticed this shadowy figure on a shadowy ladder taking a photo of the new hot tin roof.
Ah, Alien. Great movie. The Princess owns the entire series on DVD. She enjoys watching them. Truth be told, so do I. She actually likes “Alien versus “Predator” even more. I always like the Predator in that movie.
I need to take care of Killian one day this week. Always a fun time. Probably take the Dame with me so the two of them can get rowdy outdoors. I also need to visit a local nursery this week, as it has a lot of sedum available. I’ve got a lot of places to add sedum, especially once I get some dead things removed from one of the flower beds. I’m looking forward to some days without high winds so I can get to working outdoors. With April looming, the winds should lessen a bit.
Dame Avalanche is telling me that winter is over and done with. She sits down for a few minutes. When she gets up and moves, there are huge clumps of fur left behind. I removed several handsful this evening in a very few minutes.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
🙂 Nice one, and Mars sure is cold and has plenty of hard radiation. Your gut feeling serves you well, and hey, I’d not want to be there either. Actually, the fictional character Robinson Crusoe is highly competent despite his wild talk. A tropical island would be a situation out my element too. I’m happy at home, in a cool mountainous climate, hopefully you’d appreciate that? 😉
Just read the plot of Baby Island, and I ain’t laughing, surviving three months of an island with four babies to look after is no mean feat. If I may add, it’s lovely to see that the book is equal parts serious as it is comedic. The best teachers I’ve ever encountered used a side serving of humour to stick important lessons onto students brains.
Mr. Peterkin in the book gave me a good belly laugh. Truthfully, and they say confession is good for the soul, but I’d always imagined that puppies were hard work, by oh my, how wrong I was. Pam, they’re equal parts sending a person loopy with worry, continuously getting into mischief and scrapes, and 100% pure delightfulness. Mr. Peterkin found an important lesson there too on a different front.
Yup, I’m yet to encounter Man Friday in the book, but I’ve wondered whether the old school job ‘Girl Friday’ has something to do with the name? Dunno. Such jobs dropped off the radar in the recession of the early 90’s, but I recall the job advertisements because of the unusual name.
Don’t we all have heaps to learn? And nature is an instructive teacher! If there were another way… But I don’t reckon that there is. Mice have somehow breached the house outer defences last night and we don’t know how. But evasive actions were taken today to thwart their twitchy nosed mischiefs. Longer term we’ll need a cat.
Yesterday took 200 screws and I was beat by the end of the work day (the bags of screws are by the hundred). Anywhoo, yes I’ve got a number of power drills for the job, battery and mains electric, but all the same, they’re hard work. I’d not want to do roof plumbing for a job, it’d be hard on a person’s body. Honestly, the screw designs were changed to suit battery impact drivers, and I don’t own one of those machines. Thanks for the lovely feedback. It’s nice to have some dry weather for the next few days so as to get the drains and water pipes installed.
How’s your weather going? Are the spring plants springing from the ground?
Me too. My friend did me a solid with those seeds, and he’s already cooked up the tubers. We’ll see, and it’s hard because I’ve no idea when to plant those seeds. Oh well, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.
Sweet potatoes don’t sit well in my guts, sorry to say. Some folks lack the enzyme in their systems to break the starches down. Tell you what though, those tubers make super tasty chips. Yum! Go the beets! Double yummo!
Yours seems to be the general consensus with the seed potatoes, but what the heck, I’ll run the experiment and see what eventuates. It’s not like I’d set that ground aside for other plants.
The roses are a real delight.
Let’s just hope that they’re not space lizards! 😉 It makes me chuckle to know that they’re equally awkward and so display their status as a protection mechanism. Their flatulence smells too!
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
That’s encouraging to hear about your potatoes, and I’d not really mentioned it, but some of the spuds planted in that area have developed over many years and seem super hardy. You know, because you are in a drier area, like where the plants originated, my best guess is that you’ll have less disease problems than expected.
Hope mentioning the film brings back good memories, and for the record, the film was awesome. The science, well, like you suggest, switch off the brain and enjoy the ride. 😉 I so get you, man! The reddit forums suggested that the chemical reaction could produce temperatures up to 400’C, and well, at least the habitat module was blown up in the film. The old timers were fond of saying: Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story, and yeah, I guess it’s an option.
Ollie is drooling profusely whilst ogling my dinner. Gave him a chunk just to stop the flow of proteins.
Go the cherry trees, and hope they bring good cheer to your area, and feed for the insects. 🙂 Yeah, some trees produce blossoms first, others leaf out. Wise to not put all of one’s eggs in one basket.
Oh poop, yes, such forecasts were experienced here as well during the recent summer. Then it flipped around and supplied way too much rainfall, with one moment of purple rain on the radar. Trust me, you don’t want to experience that. It’s disappointing, but I tend to rely on rain forecasts only a day or two out. Now warming trends… Well, you are in spring now.
The computer engine management systems occasionally make problem solving easier, and 200,000 miles is a good lifespan for a vehicle all other considerations to the side. That’s more than eight times around the planet. There’s an old saying about flogging a dead horse, but who knows how long any of this stuff will last?
Ha! Good to see the guys have a sense of humour. These sorts of issues are on my mind plugging away in the background, all of the time. It’s a problem with no answer.
Please extend my thanks to your lady, and I appreciate the words. Yesterday, I broke my own rule and drove another 200 screws into that shed, and the cladding job is now done. And the peasants rejoiced, but felt mildly crunchy this morning!!! Oh well. The next job is getting the drains on and connected up before it rains again.
The shadow knows… 😉 Hehe! It’s all looking neat, and the strong sunshine of the past few days has begun to dry out the timber which used to be under the tarpaulin. Near to almost 10pm, it’s still 18’C which is very warm for this time of year.
Yeah, Alien versus Predator was a classic. Although, as a different perspective, my favourite memory from the franchise is of the actor Bill Paxton: ALIENS Movie Clip – Game Over Man (1986). I’ve felt like saying such things myself over the years! Yup, just when things were looking up, an Alien takes a big poop on your entire day. 🙂
Ah succulents and additional dogs to manage. A fun encounter, and Sedum is meant to be so hardy. Does it already grow in your area? Far out, hope the wind slackens off for you, especially with the warmer weather in the forecast.
Ha! You know people spin yarn from dog fur, or maybe they press the stuff? We feed the chunks of fur to the worm farm, it’s one of those ideas which sound good in theory. In practice, not so much. Dogs sure do blow their coats.
Went into the big smoke today for some paid work, and noted that diesel is now AU$3.33 a litre or US$8.86 a Gallon. Whoa! Just between you and I, the price rises are getting an element of the spectator sport about them. Was it thumbs up, or thumbs down with the gladiators?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
You so busted me man, yeah, there’s a lot of stuff to do before I can kick back and enjoy the facilities and worry about maintenance. And maybe worry about upgrades too? Yeah, maybe I will. 😉 Far out.
I don’t think so, with the ha-ha as a deer deterrent. But I see you already know how things would roll. Maybe cattle would be fooled, but deer will leap the vertical incline with ease. A moat and alligators would work for sure.
We fell into that small town talk trap, like the city slickers we once were. Nowadays I’d be onto that business, and could probably out yokel them with their foolish talk. Expectations can be a bit weird in this area too, it happens when you have an influx of new people from elsewhere. Dunno about your area, but sometimes they’re just being difficult as a social game to try and insert themselves into the local pecking order. And other times they’re completely unrealistic as to where they are. It’s remote here, there are few if any services, just how I like it.
Headed into the big smoke today for paid work, and observed that diesel fuel was AU$3.33 a litre or a financially ruinous US$8.86 a Gallon. Did I mention that I drive a small fuel efficient car? I can still recall the 1970’s when there were days of only being able to fill up the tank if the license plate ended in an even number, and then on other days when it had an odd number. The estimates in the news today are if a 20% shortage continues for six months, things will get a bit dodgy down here supply wise. We’ll see.
I so hear you about forgetting the film, and that makes it all the more enjoyable to re-watch films (or re-read books for that matter). I’d imagine that a perfect memory recall would be a burden. Dunno. What’s your thoughts about that problem?
The roads were quiet too today. Anywhoo, got home very late, and stopped off at the big box hardware store. A friend suggested to grab some caustic soda, which we use for soap making (but could make lye if required) and some pipe connections for the drains on the firewood shed. Plus dropped in at the supermarket to nab another large plastic container (8.5L or a bit over 2 gallons). Mice had somehow got past the house outer defences, and so we needed the plastic sealable container to store the peanut supplies in. Plus everything in the kitchen was rearranged today to make it hard for rodents, and we’re trying to work out how they broke in. There’s some talk of rodent bait being taken off the shelves, and I got the last packet. Ordinarily I don’t use the stuff because of the risk to the dogs and birds, but in the house the pesky critters are fair game.
Thanks for the epic destruction scene from the film, and yeah that journo might benefit from being more situationally aware. He got stomped bad. Fortunately the winds have been light here of late.
When is spring arriving for your area? 50’F is downright cold. It was 28’C / 82’F in the big smoke today, although cooler here at 24’C / 75’F. Being inside for most of the day, I’d not even been aware how warm it was outdoors.
It is lucky that you’ve got a local operation to nab seeds from. We’ve been on a long trajectory of relocalising plant varieties, and if I had more time, we’d do more on that front. Still, we’re making some interesting progress and things do get easier with that.
Please do let me know how your potato storing experiment goes, and I’m still learning about that. I can say for sure though, that storing them when fully dry and then keeping the tubers that way, is a good start. Old houses used to have rooms for storing bulk supplies like flour, potatoes etc. I’d seen them in use as a kid, and may reproduce something like that sooner or later. But getting the space for such arrangements, is hard here as well – even with the space.
We’ve harvested a few of those marble sized potatoes too, and that’s what we found as well, they’re tasty.
🙂 Who can forget the days of no speed limits once outside town boundaries… Far out, the roads were very dangerous in those days, and people often refused to wear seatbelts. Nowadays, cameras and AI have teamed up to send fines to people who aren’t wearing their seatbelts properly. And dude, even the drivers are getting fined when their passengers aren’t complying.
Apparently the bloke had holed up in what looks like an abandoned off grid property: Dezi Freeman hid at a property perfectly designed for someone wanting to live off-grid. Spare a thought for the unwitting owner of the property was named and who appears to have had no idea what was going on and was elsewhere. The now dead bloke made some unfortunate choices.
Yeah, such folks wear me out as well. What do you do? Such is true, and the full moon is about to happen, being Easter and stuff. Things always get weird around the time of the full moon.
By the way, well done you with the inspection result. That’s great news, but far out, if the inspector isn’t trustworthy, why have one in the first place? The quality person is a step too far in my books, probably an unnecessary job if you ask me. The author David Graeber may use a different term, but same, same.
Did you learn anything of interest with the documentary? One thing I recall from my visit to Cambodia and the Killing Fields, was how ordinary where the people who did the dirty deeds – and of course they themselves would have been on the wrong end of the muzzle had they not done so. Strange things can occur in war situations.
Fingers crossed that you dodge the quality person, but hey, at least the drama is out of the way early.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Nemesis, Nemesis. Followed by Hubris :-). I was (maybe) bragging to someone, that in 37 years, I’d only lost my recovery coin, once. Well, between Saturday and last night, my new coin disappeared. I swung by the Club this morning, to pick up another one.
I’ve played that game, myself. When I first moved here, I realized that things moved a lot slower. And that it was best to adapt. One night I was at the grocer, and a fellow in front of me was getting pretty antsy. As the checker and customer were playing old-home-week. I finally leaned into antsy guys ear, and in my best rural drawl said, “Your not from around here, are you?” 🙂 As I remember, he took it well.
It was the same in S. California. Depending on the last number of your license plate, you could only get gas on odd or even days.
I’ve found with movies and books, I generally remember more, the second time around. Maybe it’s being impressed by something I forgot, that makes it stick in memory, more?
Oh, mice. Yes, winter must be coming when they start wanting to move inside. Poisons and pets is always a problem. I had ants at my last place. Borax and sugar takes care of them, but I had to make sure Nell couldn’t get at it. Sometimes, I want to change H’s name to Hoover, as I have to watch her like a hawk. She’s always on the lookout for something on the ground, to hoover up.
Dogs and cats will accommodate each other … eventually. There’s probably advise on the net. My Idaho friends have two dogs and a cat. There was a period of … adjustment. 🙂
Our high yesterday was 52F (11.11C). Our overnight low was 34F (1.11C). Our forecast high for today is 58F. I guess you could say it’s spring here. At least by way of the blooming daffodil and forsythia. And now, I see tulips. But there may be ups and downs. I notice a big truck, from some plant company, at the general purpose store, the other day. Whatever they were dropping off, I’m sure it was cool weather plants.
We had an old house in Portland, and I remember in the kitchen there was a narrow cupboard. With a small screened opening, in the wall. Maybe, 6 x 6″. On the north side of the house. I don’t remember if the door was insulated. Or what my mother stored in there. Maybe potatoes and onions?
Ah, I knew there were some states that in past, had no speed limits.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/02/22/no-speed-limits-nevada-montana-last-states-full-freedom/2947782002/
Although it would be risky, as those areas are also, often, “Open range.” “Open range refers to public lands in the Western United States and Canada where cattle can roam freely without fences, allowing ranchers to graze their livestock. This practice was common from about 1866 to 1890, but has since been restricted due to overgrazing and the introduction of fencing laws.
Wikipedia ebsco.com”
When I saw the picture of the place where they caught up with Freeman, I thought it looked like some survivalist’s bunker. But, apparently, just some old guy who preferred to live off-grid.
Before I stopped by the Club, braved the roundabout-of-death, and paid a visit to my credit union. I still hadn’t gotten to my apartment recertification paperwork, and it’s a bit past due. What with being sick, pre-inspections, inspections, and the garden, I just didn’t get to it. Usually, Little Mary Sunshine would be crawling up my pooper, about now. I guess she’s distracted, too. But, anyway, I’ll get it done, today, and slip it under her office door, tonight.
I had to get into my state retirement account, last night, and their dual identification has now become triple identification. Or, was it quadruple? Anyway, once I got where I wanted to go, my printer didn’t want to make a clean copy. Sigh. I think I need a new ink cartridge. But, I figure out a work around.
Good news from the Retired Public Employees Council. The legislator did ok a small COLA. 3%, up to $110. July 1st, I’ll get a bump-up of about $17. I’ll try not and spend it all in one place. 🙂
Well, what I’m finding out about our revolution is that it turned out to be a … good thing for the folks that were well off, to begin with. The common folk who pretty much powered the whole thing? Not so much. Once the rubble stopped bouncing, life for them was pretty much as it was for them, before the revolution. I’d say, a lot of promises were made, that weren’t kept. But the dissatisfaction, roiling under the surface did bring about change. Eventually. Lew
Chris:
I so appreciate a “cool mountainous climate” – except that we are into another heat wave, predicted to get way hotter, and it’s only March. Well, April tomorrow.
“Baby Island was written in 1937, so it reads a bit differently due to that era. I had forgotten that the two sisters were on their way to join their father in Australia. What’s not to like!
Puppies are trouble with a capital T. So are kittens. Did you get any of your cats as kittens? And as for getting a cat as a mouser: That’s a tricky proposition. Most of our cats were not interested in mice; perhaps they were too well fed. Mr. Baby was an exception. He was well-fed, but still liked to catch his own snacks.
I’m pretty sure “Girl Friday” (before that I used to hear “Man Friday) is referring to the book.
If those yams (are they actually yams?) are like yams and sweet potatoes here, they are the very last thing we plant, when it is well into warm weather. I’m not planting seeds, though, but slips. I forgot that you don’t do well with yams. Maybe those seeds are from a different species. Yay – beets! I have some fall planted ones growing. I am afraid that the voles are going to get them like they got most of the fall turnips.
Well, now – DJSpo got potatoes from volunteer vines.
A neighbor, a very sweet older man, texted us today with a picture of a large snake. He was worried that it was poisonous. It was black with pale green stripes. None of the venomous snakes in this part of the country have stripes. My son figured out what kind it was – a garter snake, on the extra large side – but by that time he had killed it. He was shaken, but very proud. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that a garter snake is just what you want in your garden. Oh the voles it could have eaten.
Oh, boy! I have found a list of George Bernard Shaw quotes in a book I am reading: “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.”
Pam
Chris,
Oh yeah, good memories from The Martian. I always enjoy it. The Princess likes it a lot. My friend watched it again and again and again. He normally was NOT one to rewatch a movie countless times. We talked about it a lot. Good memories.
Dame Avalanche ogles our meals. Somehow, she controls her drooling. But ogle she does. It’s clearly in their genetics how to do that. Some dogs even make their humans feel guilty when the human is not sharing food.
The dread purple rain. Not something we get here a lot, but we have experienced it on rare occasions. We’ve been in the midst of deep purple rain in New Mexico thunderstorms. Quite amazing, those. Traffic comes to a total standstill because visibility becomes zero.
That car is a 2014 Honda CRV. Apparently that was a very good year for that vehicle. With nearly all highway miles, the mechanics think we’ve got another 100,000 miles in it, if not more. We are pretty easy on our cars. I sure don’t want to buy a more modern vehicle that is even more computerized.
200 screws in one day in that cladding? Yes, I’m sure the peasants rejoiced. Well, unless the peasants were wondering why you were screwing around so much. 😉 That is a complete day doing that much.
Indeed, the Shadow knows. Not many remember that these days. Perhaps those were more enlightened times or something. The summer I worked nights, a local radio station played old radio programs on the weekends in the wee hours. The Shadow and Jack Benny were two of my favorites.
Today was one of those wonderful early spring days. Mostly sunny, 13C with a crisp feel to it. Got a fair amount of outdoor work done, mostly removing some plants that had died. Oh, a long walk with Dame Avalanche was achieved.
Bill Paxton was great in that movie. Just the right amount of false bravado that never quite hid his fear. He brought some necessary humor into an otherwise dark movie. Paxton also was wonderfully funny in “True Lies”.
A neighbor has a young dog. Ripley. Yes, named after the Sigourney Weaver character.
Sedum grows well here but is not native to the area. I’m finding that I’ve got a lot of the succulent that is somewhat like ice plant. None of it is growing where I want it. That’s okay, it transplants very well. Moving it to the areas I want it will be one of the next projects. It mixes well with the grass and takes little water.
I toss the dog fur outdoors. Eventually most of it will be incorporated in bird nests.
Yeah, I’m watching the petrol prices, wondering how high they will go. It is rather a spectator sport right now. enjoying not having to drive a lot, that’s for sure.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Oh my, that’s not good about the early heat wave, although I reckon warmer and drier years – if you have the water – are easier to produce a decent harvest. The water in the soil is the tricky bit. And yeah, it’s April here, and rather cloudy and warm down here today. Most of the day was spent indoors doing paid work, which it should be said, keeps the lights on.
Cold Comfort Farm was also penned around 1932, so was probably in a similar comedic vein? Well, it would have been exotic to venture into these waters, even back then with the rest of the world having been explored from one end to the other. Ship wrecked folks rarely did well on say, Macquarie Island. That frozen island Shackleton and his mob landed on would have been just as bad, if not worse: Elephant Island.
🙂 Kittens sure are double trouble too. Oh yeah, one cat turned up very long ago as a very sick few days old kitten and I looked at him and said: If you walk through the gate, I’ll look after you. And the very ill kitten then spent the next ten days in the local vet recovering from cat flu. One of the dogs took the young feline under her wing and they were great mates, and died within a few days, one of old age, the other of a broken heart.
Go Mr Baby! And respect for his hunting prowess, but I do wonder about the smaller reptiles, frogs and birds here? Dunno what to do.
Oooo, I see what you mean. Apparently a 1940’s film popularised the job title based on a flip around of the Robinson Crusoe story. Never knew that chunk of lore.
Dunno if they’re the yams you know in your part of the world. Probably not. The plants look a bit like dandelion, but are of an entirely different heritage. Microseris lanceolata. Long ago they were a very important food crop.
Oh my goodness, and without a Mr Baby, are the voles going to party? Mice and rats are a problem here. Hmm.
Sorry to hear about the loss of the local snake, and may the non-venomous reptiles find peace in your garden.
The quote is a ripper, and so true. I see that our supreme commander, the ever so serious Prime Minister, in a rare moment, addressed the nation this evening. Just between you and I, the news wasn’t all that good. Things will get worse. Oh well. Brace thyself!
Whilst I did paid work today, Sandra got stuck into moving the pile of firewood, which failed to stay dry under the tarp, into the new firewood shed today. Probably another four days of work will finish that pile. Then onto the next. It’ll be good to see that fuel out of the weather. I’d not imagined that March could be so wet. Oh well…
Good to hear that your garden is waking up, and hope the plants enjoy the warm weather over the next week or so for you. Plants appreciate it more than us mere humans don’t you reckon?…
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
It’s funny how books and films can have good memories of friends attached to them. It’s nice to remember the friends we’ve known over the years and the fun times. Years ago, pre-eBuy, I mentioned to a mate that I was trying to work out how to get some out of print books which were part two and three of a series I’d begun reading. He somehow got me ex-library copies from your country of all places, and it was one of those gifts which come out of the blue and are all the more valuable because of that. He eventually moved overseas for work, and then over to the other side of the continent for work, and we haven’t spoken for almost two decades. If folks can’t write or call, then long distance friendships fail. We used to walk to primary school together.
Dame Avalanche is clearly a dog with a strong will, and indomitable self control. The three dogs here will drool at the sight of human food, and this Alien-like protein pooling on the timber floors is enough leverage to score some treats. I’m soft… But is the acid going to eat through the hardwood floors? It happened to the spaceships decks in the 1980 Alien film, just sayin…
Yeah, that’s those storms exactly. Everything comes to a standstill, and it can happen on the freeway around here leading into the big smoke. Truly dangerous weather and the windscreen wipers are inadequate for the conditions.
Oh, I thought it was the Subbie, anyway, word on the street is that those Honda vehicles are tough as old boots and can expect a very long lifespan. I’d not realised that. And better than the Suzuki too if I may say so, which are themselves no slouches. The Suzuki comes with a LITE model which doesn’t have all of the unnecessary bells and whistles, and unfortunately I couldn’t get that because during that crisis, there was no stock for six months. Hmm. And here we are today in another crisis. Oh well.
Very funny about the screwing around. 🙂 Thanks for the laughs and it was a pleasure to have that part of the job done. It’s rare for me to feel sore, but it takes a lot of sustained effort not to fall off roofs. The Editor began loading up the new shed today with firewood which had previously been stored under a tarp – which wasn’t adequate given the crazy amount of rain we had in March. The next step is getting the drains installed and connected to the water tanks, then the solar done, and that’s a wrap. Well maybe I’ve gotta put some doors on the shed too.
🙂 Hehe! You betcha, and I’m just old enough to recall the radio shows on the AM band in the 1970’s. I used to enjoy the Goon Show repeats and even Monty Python used to do radio skits too. Simpler days. Hitch hikers guide was even broadcast on the radio way back in the day.
Work hard in the early spring sunshine, stretch out muscles and joints on long walk with Dame Avalanche. Yup, all is good with the world. By the way, Ollie is doing amazingly with the supplements, which cost $45 for a years supply. Not quite back to puppy phase, but he’s moving around with far less crunchiness. Hmm.
Ah, another fun film. And who can forget the actor as the evil brother in the 80’s film Weird Science? Not many folks can make the claim that they were killed by a Terminator, Predator and an Alien. A very impressive effort. 😉
Ripley the dog probably drools… Hehe!
Oh yeah, succulents will grow really well in your area, and colonise those otherwise barren patches. They tumble over rocks here too. Did you know that people down this way are suggesting that they have observed that the plants perform very well as fire breaks?
🙂 Very thoughtful with the dog fur, and it’s spinning the yarn in a different format. I usually assist Ollie with blowing his winter coat outdoors as well, and before you mentioned it, I had no idea what happened to the hair. Waste not, want not, as they used to say. It disappeared.
A litre of diesel was AU$3.33 a litre here yesterday, or US$8.86 a gallon. The biggest down under national chief gave a televised address tonight about the unfolding crisis. Hmm. Things will get worse me thinks, but biggest goobermint halved their fuel taxes today, and prices did drop just under twenty cents. My gut feeling is that your biggerer chief wants us to pay for security in that part of the world due to obstreperous locals. If that’s what it takes… But it’ll cost. What choice do any of us, including your lot, really have? Always was this going to happen sooner, or later.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Man, you sure did bring that poop down on your head, but at least the hubris-not (!) language won’t be heard again any time soon in your neck of the woods. Has the coin turned up today? Oh well, it could be replaced at least. Personally, I’m still smarting from the purple rain incident of late February and should never have bragged about the incantation. It seemed like a good idea at the time, as was your act. 🙂
Went to fill up the dirt rat today (and petrol prices were lower, more on that later), and as I was returning to the car after having paid, a bloke in a big utility vehicle (truck in US lingo), was visibly agitated and waiting to take my spot next to the pump. I was watching him and getting ready to run… A nice line you used too. Hmm. Rams home the point to relax things move slower in this ‘ere area. Candidly, I’d avoided further agitating the bloke this afternoon with such loose talk, and can you imagine the sparks had I pulled out the A-Bomb comment: I don’t need a large car like yours to make my member feel feel big! Probably a very unwise interaction, so I kept quiet, but alert. Sometimes a person needs to read the room. 🙂
Sometimes situations are weirdly co-ordinated in vastly different parts of the world, like the response to the 70’s oil crisis. I don’t know how it would go today because in those days attendants filled up vehicles and could say yes, or no, depending upon the license plate number. I get the impression that these days, the amount purchased will be limited.
Our big national chief addressed the nation tonight. Reading between the lines, things are going to get worse. Oh well, this was always going to happen sooner or later. The federal goobermint has however, halved their fuel tax for the next three months which has brought prices down around twenty cents a litre from only yesterday.
Maybe, and if a book or film is worthy of a second look, there’s probably heaps of meat in the narrative which we’d not taken in to the ol’ brain, the first time around. I often read books which hit a note with me, twice. The development arc of both the story and characters becomes much clearer on the second read. What do you reckon about that?
Oh yeah, pets do have to be watched like hawks – an apt analogy. Naughty Nell, and cats would love the sugar hit sorry to say. By the way, the worst ant infestation I’ve experienced was when living near to the beach with sandy soil. Crazy stuff. There’s meant to be a super colony living under Melbourne. A bit scary really… 🙂 Anywhoo rat bait is on it’s way out at the supermarket. Hmm. And dogs have very questionable taste buds, H clearly comes from a long line of canines who all do that trick. The ‘leave it’ command seems to have just the right note, if you act in time – not always the case is it?
I’ll wait on the cat idea until it can longer be put off. The felines will consume a huge amount of reptiles, insects, frogs, birds and I’m not entirely sure of the cost to benefit ratio with the arrangement.
Still warmer here, at 70’F today. Felt nice, but I spent all day indoors doing paid work. The Editor on the other hand moved a heap of firewood from under the tarp and into the new shed. It’s looking good. Your area will warm up and before you know it, the thermometer will be pushing the high 90’s in the shade.
The cupboard being on the north side of the house is very suggestive of it’s purpose for the storage of bulk food items. Houses were perhaps more utilitarian in those days?
No way, most freeways here have a 110kmh / 68 mile per hour speed limit, but of course like Montana, things have to be different in the sparsely populated Northern Territory. Not all that long ago they did a cannon ball race up there and someone crashed a Ferrari F-40, which would have been expensive. Ah, here is an amusing history: Surfers Paradise to Perth at 142km/h – the story of Australia’s secret illegal race. Definitely less cars on the road back in those days.
Yeah, reports are that the old guy is harmless and allegedly had nothing to do with the bloke on the run. Word on the street is that it was a tip-off, and the bounty was quite large.
Always important to sort out the paperwork, strange things can occur without it. And you’re in a pretty sweet deal with the digs, but roundabouts of death are no fun to navigate especially when folks can undercut your driving efforts. Not a fan of the two lane ones, especially when you have to pull right (your pull left) across a lane. You survived, which is commendable. Man, if I had to cheekily suggest a personal observation, a lot of people are distracted right now.
What? Oh my gawds. Three layers is one too many. Whatever acts of indignity will the tech bros demand of us next? Get out, it wasn’t quadruple, was it? Surely you jest? I must add that generic cartridges work pretty well these days. Fun hint: Sometimes the copper contacts between the cartridge and printer head can be cleaned with an old school eraser, or WD-40 works too. Does your library still do free printing with the recent budget cuts?
Hehe! Not a bad increase, could be worse, at I dunno, zero. 🙂 Can $17 even buy you a quality pizza these days?
I reckon, the common folk were treated as cannon fodder, and then life goes on. Your country which has ‘freedom’ at one of it’s core values is a unique and worthy experiment.
Should be warm again here tomorrow. Yay! Can’t wait to get the lost hour back. This getting up in the dark business is unsettling.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – I thought your weather incantation was a bit unwise, at the time. But decided to keep my mouth shut. 🙂
Yes, best read the room. At least in your country, you’re less likely to be shot, in such a situation.
So, pronouncements from your fearless leader. Was it as stirring as Churchill’s WWII speeches? 🙂 I guess our fearless leader is gearing up for an “address to the nation.” I figure I can get the gist, from just reading the headlines.
Speaking of WWII, I watched a great movie, last night. “Tea with Mussolini.” 1999. Wonderful cast. I saw it when It came out. The library got fresh copies.
I did a bit of research, after watching it. I guess it was partially based on the director Zeffirelli’s memoirs.
https://w.wiki/Kexz
Oddly, the library recently ordered in a documentary about Mussolini. I put it on my hold list. I really don’t know much about that aspect of WWII.
The library added a few new DVD titles, to its “on order” list. Including, “The Bride,” (of Frankenstein.). I’m looking forward to seeing that.
I settled on nachos, for dinner, and my viewing pleasure. Chips with a topping of garlic, parsley, tomato, and black beans. A generous topping of Mozzarella, to hold everything together. Dollops of plane yoghurt, on top. Tasty.
Our high yesterday was 59F (15C). Our overnight low was 45F (7.22C.) Our forecast high for today is 50F. The rain came back in the early AM. H and I got slightly damp on our morning walk. No worries. We’re supposed to get three or four nice days, over the weekend.
Another sure sign of spring. The dulcet tones of leaf blowers, mowers and edgers. Which woke me up this morning, earlier than I wanted to get up.
That was an interesting article about the road race. I wonder if it was partially inspired by “Mad Maxx,” which came out a few years earlier. Maybe not. Road rallies seem to need no other inspiration other than “the need, for speed.” 🙂
I spent a couple of hours, last night, getting my certification paperwork, together, and slipped it under Little Mary Sunshine’s office door. So that’s done and dusted.
$17 will not buy me a quality pizza. Maybe a stripped down meal from Micky D’s. Not that I partake. A new place opened opposite the Club. Looks busy, so far. I hear my $17 would get me a bowl of noodles.
US freedoms? A nice theory, but in practice … Yes, yes, more than you perceive yourself to have. But what you hear about this country, and what actually happens, are two different things.
I’ve got stuff to pick up at the library, today. And, I wonder if Jane will finally make an appearance, at the Club. I need to call the vet and make an appointment for H. I think she needs the flea pills. And, have Dr. Amanda take a look at that gimpy foot that comes and goes. Lew
Chris:
What an interesting coincidence: Only two days ago I had read of Shackelton’s expedition and also their trip to Elephant Island. This was mentioned in the same book where I got the George Bernard Shaw quotes – The Creaky Traveler in Ireland. It was mentioned because there is a pub in Ireland that one of the crew members, Tom Crean, opened when he finally settled down in his native land and got married. It is called the South Pole Inn.
That is so sweet about your kitten. For some reason none of our dogs and cats – and there were many – ever formed a friendship.
Nature would (nature does?) provide a predator to keep the smaller reptiles, frogs, and birds in check. You would provide a natural cat. Unless you are short on wildlife, I wouldn’t worry. Besides, there is that very good chance that your cat would not be much of a hunter. They aren’t all. In fact, I would say from my experience that most of them have other things to do.
I don’t think your yams are related to what we grow here. In my country the words yams and sweet potatoes are used interchangeably, though they are not related. Yams are Dioscorea. Sweet potatoes are Ipomoea. I have no idea which ones I grow. I just buy my favorite organic ones at the store and grow slips from them.
I’m glad that Sandra got that done. It is getting awfully close to winter . . .
A pair of wrens built a nest, in one morning, in a watering can on the front porch. It was lying on its side on a table as I don’t like to leave any containers sitting straight up in case a lizard jumps into one and can’t get out. The nest had to be removed because we need that can, but if they can build that fast, I imagine they have already made another home.
I accidentally put wood ash around my alpine strawberries, as it was mixed with the plant food I was giving them. I had already put sawdust from the giant oak tree that was cut down, the one that hung over my bedroom. I don’t think the ash will matter, do you?
I am having so much fun with Tufty the Squirrel. I imagine she is having fun, too. She quickly figured out at what time I go out into the garden in the mornings and is usually waiting there. This morning I saw her heading there from an upstairs window. She is so funny. I give her a whole bunch of walnuts and then tell her that is all, but she has a pouty face she puts on until I give her a bit more. Did I tell you that she has babies? They are still in the nest.
Pam
Chris,
Dame Avalanche of the Strong Will. Yup, that fits her. She comes when she’s called – only if that fits in with her wants and schedule. Drool? She tries to act dignified, so for her to drool would show weakness and failing dignity.
I have it from personal experience that dog drool. will NOT eat through your hardwood flooring. Not a chance. The bigger issue is that a human might step in a puddle of drool, slip, fall down. Yes, I’ve got experience with dog drool not eating hardwood floors. No, I do NOT have experience slipping and falling due to dog drool.
Got the Honda back today. It’s running really smooth for now. They said that it should last another 100,000 miles or more, possibly. And that the Subaru could also last almost forever. I sure don’t want to buy another vehicle.
Not sliding off roofs uses muscles in a way that most of us don’t do very often. Soreness results.
Hmmmm, my memory might have kicked in. I remember, I think, an old movie “Chris on a Hot Tin Roof”. Then there’s the old Beegees song with lyrics “Ha ha ha ha screwing around, screwing around…”. Wasn’t that from the movie “Wallaby Night Fever”? Another movie from that era, ostensibly taking place a long time ago and far from here, was “Rat Wars”, complete with a golden protocol robot and a snarky garbage can shaped robot that squeaked when it talked. That was followed shortly by “Raiders of the Car Park”, whose major actor was chosen because of his surname of Ford. 😉
I taped the entire Hitchhikers Guide radio series back in the day. Cassette, of course. One of the local libraries got copies of that on DVD. I borrowed it and the Princess and I listened to the entire thing during a road trip.
Glad the supplements are helping Ollie. $45 for an entire year isn’t bad. Too bad you can’t train him to do yoga or a taijquan form or something. Those would get rid of the remainder of his crunchiness, I bet.
And don’t forget Paxton in Apollo 13. Quite the career, right? Killed by all of those weird things you mentioned, then he got to visit the Dark Side of the Moon. I don’t think he saw Pink Floyd there, however.
Yup, things economic will get worser before getting betterized from the doldrums of worserification. And the betterized version will be substantially inferior to what we had 6 weeks ago. The slow decline. UGG.
All we can do is “slow down, relax, observe process”. AKA “accept, adapt, move on” or “rethink, redeploy, reorganize”. Not much else we can do, really.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
🙂 What a delightful sounding book, and I note that the author penned a similar travelogue of his adventures in Scotland. Have you ever travelled to those far distant shores? I’ve never been to Europe. The national down under airline Qantas, has added on fuel surcharges for long distant flights. Maybe the closest any of us will ever get are books, and what wonderful things they are. When I was a kid, only the jetset flew anywhere, and for sure it would have been an exotic experience, probably more comfortable too than today.
Oh yeah, the dog and cat formed a very close bond, and the cat used to sleep draped all over the dog. They were best mates, although occasionally the cat would play tricks upon the boss dog. Hmm.
Thanks for that, and there’s no shortage of wildlife here. I hear you. Reclining at ease in the autumn sunshine would very much be at the forefront of a cats mind! Actually it was a delightful day here, and after a few hours of paid work this morning, we headed off to grab lunch and do a long walk at a nearby nature reserve. It’s the simple pleasures in life which are often the best, and we had the place mostly to ourselves.
Agreed, the local yam plants are of an entirely different family of plants. Although your lot are regularly for sale at the super markets. It’s too cold here on average for that variety of yam or sweet potato, but they both do grow in the much warmer big smoke. Nice one too, and yeah, such deft plant work as growing slips is an economic way to produce edibles.
Easter weather should be pretty nice here, and with the crowds out and about, we might get some of the finer details of the new firewood shed sorted out.
It’s funny you mentioned the wrens and the watering can this morning, but I woke in the middle of the night with the thought that perhaps it’d be a good idea to get some doors on the new firewood shed so that the little marsupial insect eating bats don’t set up home in there. A very small percentage of those critters carry the dreaded lyssa virus. Hmm. Better get onto that, and soon.
Yeah, I reckon the alpine strawberries will be fine. They’re forest plants, and everything in forests loves ash, which is high in potassium. What are you observing?
Go Tufty! And such interactions are the stuff of forest magic. 🙂 A small lone grey forest kangaroo teased the two Kelpies this morning, as it casually hopped into the deeper forest. Usually I check for such critters before letting the dogs out, but this marsupial probably learned a good lesson, maybe. The wildlife is endlessly entertaining.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
The fluffs have very little concern for status and so will drool at the merest thought of food. Dame Avalanche on the other hand is, as you note, of a more distinguished lineage and so can probably hold off on such public displays of desire, just. 😉 Age, perhaps shall teach her wisdom, and they did used to say way back in the day, that the old campaigner was notable for never missing their breakfasts!
Oh yeah, I so hear you about that aspect of drool. It’s remarkably sticky, and clearly full of unidentified proteinous gunk. Slippery stuff. I’m yet to slip in the stuff either, but have much experience with cleaning it up, which the dogs for some reason seem disinclined to do. You may have noticed that aspect with previous canines?
My thoughts exactly with the subject. In fact, if I’d had more time, which was not the case back then, I’d have kept the old Suzuki dirt rat going for far longer. The 2004 build quality was excellent. The thing is, I was getting smashed with work and was unable to perform the uneconomic repairs myself. There’s only so much of my labour to go around, and you make the choices you do given the situation you are in at that moment. In your case, if you can live with some inconvenience from time to time, the future vehicle repairs might work out to be the best case scenario. There’s also a tipping point at which parts become increasingly scarce, and so their value is artificially inflated. It’s all the big unknown, isn’t it?
Hehe! Yup, took a few days to unkink from those roof contortions, but expect to get back into hard work tomorrow. Cables and pipes need to be dug into trenches for the new firewood shed!
Ha! Thanks for the laughs. Yup, You can tell by the way I manage my marsupials, I’m a Neanderthal, no time to talk! 🙂 I so loved that soundtrack album, and it was massive with one ear worm after another. Oh very good indeed, that’s an astute observation as to the name. Nice one. Anywhoo, who knew what R2D2 was saying anyway? Could have been observations regarding the local weather for all we know.
Whoa! Man, I did exactly the same with taping the Hitchhikers radio broadcast way back in the day, and then listening to it on repeat. So much fun, and they used the same voice actors as the BBC series. Did you know that cassettes are making something of a comeback?
It would, but Ollie is somewhat resistant to novel Eastern ideas such as blanking the mind, stretching and yoga. He’s more of an elemental, and leans heavily perhaps on ancient Norse mythology. It’s a personal choice, I guess. The two of us went on a big boundary patrol check today, and noted that the deer had been so heavily consumed by the forest critters, that all that was left was a picked clean skull and a backbone. The big dog took a disdainful sniff of the skull, then went off about his patrol business. The supplements have been nothing short of remarkable. He’s a big dog, and so won’t live as long as the smaller dogs, but in many ways he’s deserving of a place in the mead halls of Valhalla. He’s promised to put in a good word with Odin for Dame Avalanche. A nice gesture.
What? Was Paxton in the Apollo 13 film. I’d not realised, and it was an excellent film, and now all whom are left is Tom. Hope the current crew have better luck. Yes, Pink Floyd apparently, although it’s been unconfirmed, held their biggest ever gig there. 😉 Thanks for the chuckles.
My thoughts as well, things are now different, and there will be no going back. Still, they do say that revenge is a dish best served cold, and that lot have earned a sharp rebuke. The embassy biz back in the day was a step too far. Diplomacy is a two way street.
Well, we can learn to live with less too. That’s another positive action to take. In fact, those who can do so, stand in good stead of doing OK.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
What can I say? It was a bit intense, and perhaps could be modified somewhat, so as to produce less dramatic effects. It’s early days, there’ll be err, errors, and maybe one day… I appreciate your candid opinion, and yeah, poop brought down on own head is a valid criticism. 🙂 Any thoughts as to how the words could be err, less challenging without sounding overly needy? It’s a fine balancing act.
The facts are suggestive that when in remote locales of this big continent, it pays to take a less combative approach with strangers. The funny thing is, when I began reading about that particular incident, it came out in the media that there were a whole bunch of other mysterious disappearances in those areas – most of which have never been solved. Hmm. It’s not good, but then I never headed into those areas with trouble on my mind. It’s no guarantee that trouble won’t be found, it’s just sometimes normally aggressive people forget where they are and encounter forces more obstreperous than themselves. Then they find trouble.
Nah, the speech was much ado about nothing, and could be summed up in two words: Don’t Panic. The thing is, after watching the address and hearing the call to Aussie values in times of crisis. Then I began considering what that meant strategy and outcome wise. I did begin to panic a bit, yeah on the basis that perhaps words were the best they have to offer. A friend cheekily suggested that perhaps our leaders wake up each day, hoping that the nightmare will be over. Man, I’ve got some doubts that will be the case any time soon, if ever. What were your opinions of your biggest chief’s address? Such activities seem to be all the rage these days.
Just read the plot summary, and what a delightful film. I’ll mention it to the Editor. Talk about eccentric, but also survivors through horrific times. Puts our little civilisational troubles into perspective, no?
I’m unsure of the Italian dimension during WWII, but I had the impression that they’d fallen out of favour with the Germans during the strife. People nowadays wouldn’t know what a fascist is there’s so much crazy talk about that subject. Extremism of any sort of ideology is bound to end up badly.
Is that the 1935 film with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi? Looking forward to your review.
Veg nachos! Yummo! Must be something in the water, for it was veg enchilada night here. Very tasty indeed, if I may say so. Just had a nice green tea too.
Man, did a few hours of paid work this morning, then closed up early for Easter, and headed off on a walk at the nearby locals only nature reserve. The sun was really sweet today, warm, but not too hot, so just about right. Grabbed lunch at the nearby bakery, which was getting smashed. It was hard to ignore the many large vehicles towing caravans heading out of the big smoke. The call last night by our supreme leader, to abstinence, seems to be working about as good as such things have done so in the past. Although I’m reading about remote areas having serious issues: Thousands lost to cancellations, expenses surge as fuel crisis bites southern Queensland tourism sector . It’s bizarre but way up in those northern remote areas, they use a lot of diesel fuel for electricity, which is weird when you think about how much more evenly they enjoy sunlight throughout the year.
Speaking of such things, the plan is to get back into working on the shed tomorrow. Drains and pipes need to be connected up, as do cables for the solar power. It’s a big job.
59’F is sort of starting to sound like spring. 🙂 It’ll be very warm before you know it. Oh my gawds! Those are useful machines, but must people use the things in the wee hours of the morning? I so get you man.
No, I don’t believe the race was inspired by Mad Max, it’s more like what you wrote – they did it just because they had an idea for some crazy fun. Mind you, less cars in those days would have meant less trouble. And did you just quote that (!) film? 🙂 Hehe! Well, I never.
Good stuff, and getting the paperwork done sure is one less problem. Some folks have suggested that paperwork makes the world go around.
Yeah, it wouldn’t get a quality pizza down here either. Food inflation is a problem. Interestingly, two basic freshly made ham and salad sandwiches and a small cake each was $30 today. I’d dodge the noodles, and why those folks put so much fricken salt in those dishes is beyond me. Makes me feel very ill, so I avoid ramen. Other noodle dishes are not as heavily laced with salt, but it’s a crap shoot.
Agreed, and I defer to your experience regarding the local freedoms. Ending up in court here for defamation would be a financially ruinous experience.
Have you heard how Jane is doing these days? Far out, intermittent problems are of the very worst sort to determine the core issue. Hope H is OK.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – How to approach the weather gods? I think in a very needy and humble way. Assume the position. 🙂 The ancients approached the gods in a very transactional manner. “Do this for me, and I’ll do that for you.” I suppose building a small temple is off the table. Folly, anyone? 🙂
I didn’t realize that guy on the run was in your state. I worry a bit about the walk abouts, you do. But, one can’t just sit at home. You’re “situationally aware.” And, go prepared.
Well, here’s a take on Fearless Leader’s address to the nation. And, it’s pretty much how I take it. They mention him showing up at our Supreme Court, yesterday. A highly unusual move for a president, and, basically, an intimidation tactic. There’s been a lot of other articles, about that. And also some articles about the cost of the war. But I’m sure it will all be over by Christmas. 🙂
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/watch-trump-addresses-nation-iran-215920687.html
I’d say, it’s another step down, in The Decline. Things will stabilize, again, eventually. Until the next step down. I picked up a book from the library, yesterday. “1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed, Revised and Updated.” (Cline). I read the original book, when it came out in 2014. The author has revised it, as he sees more and more indications, that what happened then, is happening now. Different crisis feeding into each other. Global trade and economy crumbling.
I saw an article you might find interesting. Not only are oil and gas supply lines tenuous, but also a lot of the components of alternative energy.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/02/climate/strait-hormuz-chokepoint-clean-energy-oil-gas
That was an interesting article about the troubles in your tourist industry. I’d say, there will be a lot of scaling back. And, like the Great Depression, people will take their pleasures and entertainments, closer to home. Or within reach of mass transit.
Let’s say “The Bride!” is … inspired by the old movie. Reviews are mixed. It sounds absolutely mad. I’m looking forward to seeing it. 🙂
https://w.wiki/HUiU
Our high yesterday was 52F (11.11C). Our overnight low was 39F (3.88C). Our forecast high for today is 54F. Scattered showers, but H and I have managed to dodge them. So far. Next three days will be nice.
When I took H out for her late night walk, there were three deer behind our place. I’m going to have to get serious, about barriers, if I expect to minimize damage.
I don’t know what’s happening, with Jane. One hears stories, at the Club, but, as always, who knows what’s accurate? They seem to fall into two narratives. Car problems and health problems. I made an appointment, to take H. to the vet, next Thursday. It’s not too far from Jane’s. I may just stop in and see what’s up. Also, I can probably get some wood ash, there. Lew
Chris:
The only other country I have been to is Mexico and that was only because I lived on the border in El Paso, Texas. In the early-to-mid 70s it used to be quite safe – as long as you didn’t go past a certain point – to drive across the bridge to Juarez, Mexico, straight over the Rio Grande. The shops and restaurants were a lot of fun and, of course, one could buy things a lot cheaper over there. Now Juarez is one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
I love bats, but I wouldn’t want them in my shed, with or without a dreaded virus.
The wren story continues, as they did quickly build another nest- in a cardboard box on top of another box, about 9″ off the ground, still on the front porch. It was a mess of a nest; this must be their first experience at building one. We can’t have a bird box in the middle of the porch floor, besides being where any predator can get to it, and people walking past it all day, so my son put the box on a table 4 feet away. We were sure they could find it, but it spooked them.
So, a bit later I went upstairs to my room – and there was a wren in it. I had left the bathroom window open an inch and a half and it came in through there. I didn’t know that last week my son and daughter-in-law had found a wren in the basement that had found a small hole in the outside basement wall for a cable and had come in that way. It had some cloth stuffed in it, but that didn’t matter. Those birds sure do want to move in.
I am observing beautiful alpine strawberries with flowers, so they must be fine.
I recently had a simple question to ask about my life insurance, so I called the company’s customer service number – and got an AI bot. They made no bones about it being a bot and even called it that. This must have been the clearance special in bots. The thing was so dumb that no matter what you asked it, it kept asking you the same question and gave no answer. there was no email or other phone number to call, so the next time I was in town I went by their office; thank goodness there is one here. I got it sorted out.
Just think how convenient such a bot might be for them when someone tries to make a claim.
Pam
Chris:
DJSpo mentioned Ollie being “crunchy”. Is he alright?
Pam
Chris,
The old campaigners were right. Never miss breakfast. Eat when you can. Sleep when you can.
Strange that, isn’t it? The dogs make a drool mess and walk away from it, ignoring it. Ditto with the piles of dog poo, if the parrots don’t get there first. Think about it. Dogs get food. Dogs get belly rubs. Dogs make messes that the humans clean up. Dogs misbehave, yet don’t get in serious trouble if they display proper amounts of looking sorry. It sure isn’t the humans who are in charge, is it? They have us totally trained.
You have your experiences. And your thoughts. Emotions. New data comes in. Decisions must be made. You make what to you is the best decision at the time with the knowledge you’ve got. Events might show that the decision was the best, or the worst. Yet, you must live with it either way. Of course, best or worst decision might also depend on your underlying values. What might be a bad decision for you might be a good decision for somebody else. So, just muddle through life as best we can.
“…Neanderthal, no time to talk.” That was cute. Thanks. Sometimes I resemble that remark.
Vinyl, cassettes. What is old has become new. Are 8 track tapes far behind?
Dame Avalanche wonders if there will be ample snow in Valhalla. Gotta have snow and cold, she says. Methinks she would do well teaming up with Thor for a raid on the frost giants.
I understand that the moon was once a very fertile and pleasant place to live. Perfect atmosphere, too. Pink Floyd was the warm up band for the big concert featuring Hotblack Desiato, he who took a year dead due to tax reasons. Hotblack’s concert with his band Disaster Area was so loud that the atmosphere and water and all plant growth got completely blown off of the moon, leaving it much like it is today.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Thanks for asking, and Ollie is doing really well. It’s been a remarkable turn around for the big dog who is now bouncing around like a puppy. Last week, he was very crunchy and stiff as can be the case with older dogs. And so over the past couple of years I’ve got his digestion used to fish oil, and this week upped the dose of that. He also begun earlier in the week a supplement of Glucosamine and chondroitin (which are plant extracts), and that stuff has worked far better than anticipated. Plus all the usual good food he gets. I’m watching his digestion and activities and everything seems normal on that front.
I started trying easy to obtain options for the now elderly Ollie, because he’s half my weight, and the thought of dragging him down to the vet every month for an anti-inflammatory injection to make life easier for the dog, is probably more stress than he or I want.
You sure do rivers big in your country, and the Rio Grande is no exception. What a fascinating city that would have been to live in, and yeah, I’d have enjoyed crossing the border too into Mexico. Wow! And El Paso is a high desert climate with Mount Franklin looming over the township. It’d sure get cold up there from time to time. I see what you mean about Juarez, and it’s probably not a place to stick one’s nose into another’s business.
We’re of the same mind in relation to bats. And when we built the house, I left the hardwood floor boards under cover to acclimate for six months (it wasn’t long enough and I suspect they were not kiln dried properly) we found a dead insect eating marsupial bat. Back then, the lyssa virus was not on anyone’s radar, but all the same, simple caution suggested back then to use thick leather riggers gloves and a metal shovel to dispose of the critter in the worm farm. The future is uncertain and I’ve only ever seen one fruit bat far out of its usual range in the orchards. The winters are too cold here for them, but fingers crossed that continues.
The poor little wrens. Pam, they only have tiny little brains, and are in constant fear of being consumed by much larger birds. Spooked by attempts to assist their activities… Nuff said really. Bees have similar issues when their hive is moved, so best practice is to relocate hives a little bit each day. Of course the reality is that the initial nesting box choice in your case was a bad idea! 🙂
The smaller birds love thick hedges and dense plantings like wormwood where they can be safe, and your basement and bedroom would be like a haven from the larger predatory birds. Except the tiny avians probably aren’t the easiest of room mates… Refer to previous paragraph – small brains.
Mice and rats try that moving on in to comfort business here too.
Nice to hear, and a few years ago I ditched the hybridised high maintenance strawberries for the far easier to grow (and way more prolific) alpine strawberries. Haven’t looked back. Flowers on your plants will soon lead to plentiful berries! Yummo. Good to hear that they’ve survived.
Pam, your chat-bot hell adventure, is my personal nightmare. I’ve been there as well, and get this, I asked to speak to a human, and the chat bot came back the same, except added a name. Good to hear that you have a local office to go into. Those chunks of software go around and around, yet all they need to do, is answer the question asked. It’s not that much to expect, is it?
Ha! It’s probably not going to be a good experience. Anyhoo, ours is but to endure, or so they tell me. 😉
The weather was awful here today. 52’F and drizzly this morning. I’d almost given up heading outdoors to do some work on the new shed, when the rain stopped. Oh well, the cool weather was good for digging trenches to connect up drain pipes and run solar power cables. By a late lunch, all the work was done and cleaned up. Tomorrow is meant to be sunny, so I’ll get the roof gutter drains installed and then connect them up. Next on the list will be the solar panels. Let’s just say that I’m motivated, and late next week the forecast looks very wet.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Breakfasts have been a long and strange journey for our culture, and dunno about you, but egg and bacon doesn’t sit well with me in the wee hours of the day. A big hard physical day of work, needs a lot of fuel, and for most of my life I’ve had a preference for toasted muesli, fresh fruit and yoghurt. For the past two decades, we’ve made our own toasted muesli. The commercial preparations tend to have too much sugar and salt for my preferences, which wasn’t always the case.
Went looking into where the saying regarding the ‘old campaigners taking time out to attend to their meals and rest’ came from. And couldn’t see anything as to the origins of the wisdom, but it is true. The brekkie talk and claims of marketing prowess dominated the searches, thus the previous paragraph.
Hehe! So true, those canines have trained us well to attend to their needs. Ollie just pestered me to take him outside so that he could do his business, and in the meanwhile one of the Kelpies stole his rawhide chew. There is an expectation that I retrieve this treat, but the big dog has to man-up and run the gauntlet of the two younger dogs. A never ending pit of intrigue.
That is as fine a description of the learning process, that I’ve yet to come across. Thanks! 🙂 Also you explain why what’s right for my situation, may not work for other folks.
Takes one to know one, and we shall now share the secret fellowship greeting: Ugg! 😉
You know, I’ve never encountered an 8 track cassette. Did you have them back in the day? Hmm. You sent me off on a rabbit hole, and some artists still produce cassette releases today for hard core fans of the medium – like I’d heard. Personally, I found the cassette to sound a bit flat due to not being able to record the full audible spectrum, but they sure were convenient and reliable due to their low tech nature.
Valhalla being of a more northerly origin, will surely have heaps of snow! No need for the husky to fear on that front. 🙂 It’d be her perfect hunting ground too what with Thor and Frost Giants (spare us all from those forces of nature!)
Wasn’t frosty here today, but 11’C and early drizzle was a strong hint that winter is not far off. The wind was blowing this morning too, and the thought ‘stuff it’ for outside work dominated. Then the rain stopped, whilst the thick cloud hung around, and I dug the trenches to connect the existing drain pipe to the new shed. The PVC pipes were cut, joined and glued into place. Actually digging soil is easier on colder days… The plan is to hang the gutters on the shed tomorrow, then it’s onto the solar panels. More rain later in the week is in the forecast. Got to get it done.
Hehe! Hotblack Desiato indeed, and yeah the band Disaster Area was very much on my mind, and yours too! Fun stuff, what a great story Douglas Adams penned.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Man, I loved National Lampoon’s ‘Animal House’ film. A classic. And thanks for the advice, and I’ll try and incorporate that with the other good works here. Truly giving them the middle finger and throwing down the metaphorical gauntlet, didn’t end well. Still, I was taken seriously, and it’s a mixed blessing as the rain has been very gratefully received.
Speaking of which, this morning was a preview of winter. 52’F at best for the day, and drizzle until about 11am. I’d almost written the day off for outdoors work when the mists lifted and then heavy clouds dominated. But the wind did die down, and the drizzle ceased. Headed outdoors and dug the trenches to move a solar cable, and provide a connection to an existing storm water drain for the new shed. Glued up all of the plastic pipes, and am now ready tomorrow to install and connect up the roof gutters. Yay! Got the wood fire going this afternoon and shut the eyes for a bit in a well earned break. And that was the day.
You can come unstuck by random trouble anywhere. Man, the best a person can do is as you noted, stay aware of the surroundings and hope for good luck.
The gentleman makes a habit of being unpredictable, and thus keeping everyone else off balance. And the court folks are public servants from a very unpleasantly brutal perspective. Look, drill counts in your country were declining, even at high oil prices, so clearly fracking as a competitive sport, is coming to an end. The world is in for a bunch of economic pain and your country will probably see less of that, but this outcome was baked into the cake. No resource goes on ad infinitum all other considerations to the side. 🙂 Ain’t gonna be all done by Christmas, no way, and I appreciate your amusingly healthy cynicism.
Exactly, it’s another step down the staircase of decline, and the world may stabilise at a lower state for a while, before the next blast. What happened in 1177 BC? My understanding of history does not extend that far. Is the book any good?
Hmm. The electrify everything folks are smoking something… I believe that at best electricity provides 20% of all energy used, at best. It’s just not the same as fossil fuels. And I hold some doubts that we have the available minerals to scale up electricity generation, distribution, storage and ultimately usage to replace much more than a few percentage of total energy use.
Yeah, public transport is now free this month, which is a biggerer offer than during the Great Depression when it was only free on weekends. Bush walking as a past time activity was at an all time peak during those days, and we’re not far from a major train line. Hmm. Towns which are a bit further off the city slicker trail in this state, are apparently hurting: In one small-town community, the ripple effects of the fuel crisis aren’t always where you would think.. That town is the gateway to a very large and usually popular national park. Hmm.
I’d not heard of this re-make, and can’t wait to hear your review. It’s got some big name actors too. The plot was nuts for sure. Hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Far out, the highs here and there, are the same…. Ook! It’s that dreaded hand over of the batten time, and Sunday morning, we’ll get the lost hour.
You know my thoughts on deer, but truly your immediate neighbours would have a fit at that strategy, probably literally too, which would involve the EMT folks. Awkward questions would then be asked, and it’d be a decidedly uncomfortable experience for you. Best avoided. Fencing, and ensuring that the neighbouring raised beds are easier to get at is probably the easiest path. Like encountering zombies, all you have to do is outrun your slowest companion! 😉
Yikes, and hope the stories are founded on fiction and that Jane is doing OK. Did you get a chance to drop by? And any news on H’s leg? Wood ash is a fine soil additive.
Cheers
Chris
Hello Chris,
Busy times on this side of the globe. Spring and planting and stuff. I had a sore back for a few days, after a too enthousiastic weeding session, so I stayed away from the computer. I do read the comments and all, but don’t like to type on the weenie screenie.
A short story: The older sister of my distinguished Grandma went out in the world and married into the Selkirk family, from the Scottish village with the same name.
See if you can find two small islands in the Pacific, off the coast of Chile:
https://www.openstreetmap.org/?#map=9/-33.699/-80.631&layers=N
One is named after the great grandfather of my Scottish cousins. Apparently he was a pain in the b***, so we was left to his own devices on this rocky land, far away from home.
They are a resourceful bunch, those cousins.
Great to see your firewood shed get the roof in place. I hope the firewood will be dry enough to avoid mushroom farming in the shed.
And, as has been mentioned, the last six weeks have been a punch in the face of civilization. Another step down for all of us.
I guess it will be two more weeks before the EU prints another 1000 billion euros, what has become the standard response to any crisis.
Some of my farming friends say that this may be the year when the costs of growing organic drops lower than the cost of industrial farming. Let’s see how it all pans out this time.
Peace,
Göran
Yo, Chris – …but then there was that hail. Our high yesterday was 54F (12.22C). Our overnight low was 37F (2.77C). Our forecast high for today is 60F. The forecast keeps extending the upcoming run of nice days.
Will wonders never cease? I went to the Yuppie Discount store, last night. I needed some eggs. Brown, cage free, AA grade, large eggs. 99¢ a dozen. Their expiration date is the end of the month. How things change.
Well, in 1177BC, or there abouts, civilizations across the easter Mediterranean, and Middle East, collapsed. Egypt didn’t collapse, but took a hard hit that took them a long time to recover from. Usually, the mysterious “Sea People,” are blamed. But they were more a coalition of tribes.
https://w.wiki/3rjw
Cline’s take is a bit different. He presents evidence that all these great kingdoms were interdependent. There was a lot of trade going on. And, diplomacy. Once one kingdom went down, the effects rippled, as all the others were weakened. And became easier to plunder. There was also some climate things going on, but I haven’t got to that part, yet.
That was an interesting article about the town of Foster. One of many small towns, doing it rough, right now, I’m sure.
I watched an old film, last night. “The Magic Christian” (1969). Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr. And a lot of cameos by the “stars” of the time. Here’s a little taste from Raquel Welch. Warning! Scantily clad ladies, ahead!
https://youtu.be/SW6EB0ezlu0?si=auqV_iq01X5NJXiq
Here’s a synopsis of the film.
https://w.wiki/KkKf
Besides deer, yesterday afternoon I saw a rabbit, out back. Peter Rabbit? The Easter Bunny? I’ll have to keep an eye on H, as she thinks rabbit poo are doggie treats.
Our vet trip, and maybe a stop to see Jane isn’t until next Thursday. Lew
Chris:
Those are all remedies I have heard of for dogs – and people. Besides, anti-inflammatory injections have side effects over time, like surpressing the immune system. Have those girls no shame? Stealing from an old man . . . Are you crunchy yet? I certainly am.
Out west mice can carry hantavirus – that can be deadly to humans. It is very rare out here on the East Coast, but I worry sometimes because mice are all over the place around here and they get into everything and one handles contaminated stuff without knowing it. At least they haven’t been in the house for years since my son figured out all their entryways and sealed them up. Check your chimney flashing.
No, wild birds are not good roomates. The little bird left evidence of his visit.
Lovely weather here, though a bit too warm in the day, with no rain in awhile. I think you are almost done with that shed!
Pam
Chris,
Forgot to mention. The rain Wednesday into Thursday morning dropped 15mm on us. Even got some snow above 1,300 metres. Not oceans of snow, but every little bit up high is nice.
Oh, I really like bacon and eggs. However, if I need a good breakfast that will stick with me most of an active morning? Large bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter and usually blueberries. Some cheese. Maybe a piece of whole grain toast. Or else beans on corn tortillas with jalapenos and cheese. Both options are quick and packed with nutrients.
Oh Ollie! Killian the Red has much the same problem whenever Dame Avalanche visits him. He’ll be s=chewing on a good bone, turn his back, find that the Dame now enjoys his bone. Then he whines and carries on. Neither his human nor I have much sympathy for him, as he does weigh three times as much as the Dame and can fit her entire head in his mouth. And he has a plethora of bones and chew toys.
Hmmm, thanks. That description just came to me and rolled onto the page. Glad it was useful.
Ya know, when I was working, I might get one good idea per week. Maybe. Whenever a boss would tell me, “DJ, that was a good idea”, my response was, “Shostakovich! I only get one good idea a week and I wasted it on the job!” Now I often get two or even three good ideas in a week and NONE of them are wasted on the job. I am much happier.
Ugg to you too! 🙂
Nope, I never had 8 tracks. Radio and cassettes.
Today was errand day. Malwart and groceries. And the library. Then, of course, a meal was involved. The Princess and I are ready for a quiet evening.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
I’d not previously heard of the supplement, but a couple of decades ago had a dog which used to have to get monthly injections of Pentosan polysulfate which were administered by the veterinarian. I’d take the crunchy dog down for the shot, and she’d bounce back all sprightly and stuff. Towards the end of the month, you could tell the anti-inflammatory was wearing off, and so I’d take her back down to the vet again. It was like a cycle of activity, and each month they’d get a consult fee which I didn’t begrudge, but it did add up. When Ollie became crunchy, the past experience started me thinking about alternatives to that cycle, and so far it seems to be working. The supplement is meant to be quite gentle too, so that’s a bonus. Look he’s now an old dog, and being a larger dog he may not live as long as the smaller dogs do, but I try to provide him the most optimal circumstances, and he romped around today in the cool autumn sunshine, and is now fast asleep.
The girls are totally shameless, and last night Ruby took Ollie’s sleeping spot. He’s a big boy and can look after himself on that front, and it is also a good reminder to secure his usual spot early. Now the cheeky Ruby does get turfed onto the floor if she dares take Dame Plum’s spot. Is it fair? No. But Ruby needs to be reminded that there are limits.
I’m not crunchy yet, although have been injured from time to time, and as a person gets older, the injuries take longer to heal. We’ve mentioned the shoulder injury we both enjoy… Hmm. Anywhoo, I’m not on any medication either. None. Basically, I’ve never stopped being very active from a young age, and eat a diet heavy in leafy greens, which we grow here in mineral rich soil. Those plants having anti-inflammatory properties – and they grow here all year around, although I’d imagine protein and mineral levels are very low in spring. Plus I dare not avoid the 20 minute per day stretching routine. You may notice I consume plenty of fats too, like coconut, grape, olive oil, milk, cheese and butter. Most meals are cooked from raw ingredients. Fresh fruit too. I dunno, everyone is different, and we all live in vastly disparate climates, and what works for me, might not work for anyone else.
I’ve noticed with the many dogs who’ve entered my life over the long years, that they are fed a pretty good diet (most, but not all, of which we make) and they get plenty of outdoor time, social interaction and exercise, and they all seem to live to reasonable ages and are healthy right up to the end. With the exception of Sir Poopy who I’d inadvertently poisoned from ignorance, and so only got to 12 years of age. Anywhoo we do the best we can and I’d like to aim for that healthy outcome, but none of us ever know the future.
Similar rodent diseases are present down under too. Simple hygiene and storing food in plastic containers with solid walls, is about the best you can do. Over in the west of this continent, the rodent population is exploding. Most farms lack owls, and poisoning rats and mice (in the open) kills off the birds. As you’ve noted, snakes do a pretty good job of hunting rodents as well. Mouse plague warning for Western Australia as researcher urges action.
I totally get your concern though, and years ago changed our firewood storage systems because of the pesky rodents.
Pam, that is outrageous! The wrens do a smash and grab, and then leave calling cards. Hardly polite behaviour is it?
Good to hear that you are getting some warmth and sunshine after the long winter freeze.
Today I made the gutters and then installed them onto the shed. Well, there’s a bit of work to go still. 🙂 I’m trying to get the solar panels onto the roof before the rains return.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Göran,
Man, I’m no fan of the weenie screenie mobile phone either. At least the font sizes are larger with this upgraded WordPress site on mobile devices. And I always appreciate your comments.
🙂 The weeds got you, I did tell you that they were related to Triffids. You should be grateful that all you suffered was a sore back, those carnivorous plants are hungry for blood and bone. Avoid pleasant afternoon naps leaning against a tree in the orchard during the warm spring sunshine! I’ll bet your chickens are enjoying the warmer weather. Have you noticed that the areas in the poly tunnel where the chickens over wintered are more fertile than elsewhere?
Well I never! Did I read the name of that island correctly? Alexander Selkirk, may have been a pain in the err, ear (!), but he was a fine judge of the seaworthiness of a ship, for he survived on the island when his compatriots did not fare well at sea. And! What the heck, he crewed under the famous William Dampier, who was capable far beyond the level of his peers, and even explored the coast of this continent. Holy carp! Absolutely, they are a very resourceful bunch of folks. 🙂
Ha! Funny you mention the possibilities of mushroom farming in firewood sheds. But many long years ago, and early on in our firewood learning journey, we packed away the nicely sized and split fuel during the winter when it was very damp. Not a clever idea, for we produced an extraordinary quantity of mushrooms – all of which were probably toxic – and the high moisture content logs during combustion produced little heat and an acrid steam which destroyed the steel on the former wood heater. There’s a lot to know about this fuel. The firewood getting stored right now, is toasty dry.
Well indeedy yes it has been something of a punch to the face. Fuel prices here are extraordinary, and probably will result in massive demand destruction sooner or later. How’s the situation look in your country? We import 90% of our oil, and that is a very fragile arrangement. Fortunately we export a huge quantity of gas, and this is now being used as leverage. Hmm. If I may suggest, the world has suddenly become a lot bigger and looks as though it is devolving into distinct trading blocks.
It’s bad, but this situation was always going to occur sooner or later, I’d have preferred if it was later though. However, my preferences have zero credence in these events. Oh well, ours is to but muddle our way through and remember to eat well.
Man, kudos for the phosphates. Respect. The quantities of fertiliser I purchase are for the home market and probably are unaffected by the larger shortage issues, but I don’t know for sure, and will find out next week. Last week, looked well stocked to me, but things are moving fast.
Whoa! I’d not considered that perspective regarding organics, but your friends might be right. The thing is though, how do you produce for a wider market, and not strip mine the minerals and structure in your soil? Dunno.
Agreed, let’s see how it pans out. My gut feeling suggests that we won’t return to the former normality.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
That’s an awesome quantity of rain at this stage of the season. And exactly, the snow will release water slowly into the local environment. There’s a lot to like about that situation.
The rain looks set to return here on Thursday, so I’m trying to get the roof work done on the new shed (drains and solar). Anywhoo, made up the 6m lengths of roof water catching guttering today and then installed them (one on either side). Didn’t get a chance to connect up the drains because I was side tracked by the Editor.
Yes, beware the unexpected side track. So inside the shed the firewood sits on a very large tarpaulin. At the edge of the tarp near the 6ft wide doorway, the plan was to place a chunk of plate steel so that we don’t ever trip on the unexpectedly raised plastic edges of the tarp. Seems simple enough, except the plate steel is 5mm thick and cutting a 6 foot long section took more than a little while. 🙂 I ground the edges too so that there were no razor sharp places to cut oneself. Then hit it with the wire brush to lift the surface rust before finally painting it with a metal primer etch paint. A big job, but now it’s done, except I didn’t get to connect up the gutters to the drains. The Editor wisely mentioned the need for a five foot section of steel plate which will sit near to the kindling tarp, but knew that ‘no’ would be the answer! Oh well, it all has to happen.
I’ll get the drains installed tomorrow, and then onto the solar panel job. The thought of being up on a steel roof during even mildly damp weather, is not an appealing prospect. That steel surface becomes super slippery.
I like bacon and eggs too. There’s a lot to like about that feed. But it might not fuel me for a hard work day. Oatmeal = muesli (the fancy name!) I so hear you man! By the way, respect for not mentioning brekkie pizza. 😉
You know what indignity is? Having to buy your chilli’s. We’ve been spoiled rotten with home grown chilli’s for a few years, and this year with that crop failure… It’s hard, sacrifices have to be made, but I now know that purchased fresh chilli’s taste superior to dried chilli flakes. And some of them are surprisingly hot.
Go Dame Avalanche, and it’s a good reminder to the non-titled Killian, that he must be more careful in future with his chews. I’ve little sympathy for the dogs mischief either, although will turf the cheeky Ruby onto the floor should she deign to take Dame Plum’s sleeping spot. A line gets crossed there. And Dame plum is much better at pulling wide-eyed-deeply-hurt face number six.
It was a very useful description. And trial and error, then reincorporating what was learned, is a fine process.
Hehe! Thanks for the laughs, and you’ve hit an issue which has bothered me as well. Sometimes workplaces become obsessive about volume and through-put, that cogitation time gets pushed aside,if it’s even allowed. Hmm. Yes, agreed, the creative juices do flow when the pressures are reduced.
Radio and cassettes for me as well, and I’ve never seen an 8 track machine.
🙂 Sounds lovely, and hope you both enjoyed the quiet evening.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Your logic is indisputable, the strong words were clearly a bad idea. 🙂 Oh well, back to the drawing board.
We’re at that time of the year again, for today here was 60’F just like your forecast. Did it end up getting that warm? I must say, your low sounds all rather unpleasant, yet we’re getting down there too. It was 5’C / 41’F when I woke up – in the dark – this morning. Brr! Still, what was today, won’t be tomorrow, for we get the lost hour back tonight. The Professor suggests that your Monday will be warmer, so here’s hoping for you. I won’t mention what the gentleman wrote about Tuesday. Brr!
Whoa! That’s crazy cheap for a dozen eggs. My gut feeling suggests that the eggs are being sold below cost, I mean the feed is not free for commercial layers. Far out. You’ve got me interested in the subject, and I’ll report upon the prices next week when I head to the supermarket. The chooks here are now off the lay, and will remain so for the next twelve weeks. You’re not wrong, my how things can change.
Speaking of getting up in the dark, I planned for a long work day today, and was side tracked to work on something the Editor wanted done. That involved a six foot long cut through one-fifth inch steel plate. It was tough stuff I can tell ya! It gave a strip of metal a foot wide, and six foot long. Had to neaten up the edges and remove some of the rust, then paint the thing. A quick job escalated into, err, I lost track.
Anywhoo, I made up the roof gutters and installed them on both sides of the shed. I’d planned to connect up the plastic pipes, but that didn’t happen did it? And I was rushing a bit towards the end, and a drill bit which is about a third of an inch wide got away from my grip due to the strong torque of the drill, and grabbed the thick leather of my riggers glove and shredded it. Bizarrely, the gloves completely protected my finger, and it was at that point I called quits on the days activities – and chucked the damaged glove into the rubbish. Another one of those nine lives used up. A close call, but at least I wasn’t running the drill fast, so the whole thing stopped very quickly.
Thanks for the history and I went on a deep dive reading up on the collapse of the Bronze Age in that part of the world. It was messy with one battle after the other and massed movements of people. Makes me wonder what future historians will have to say about the end of the oil age?
Makes a lot of sense, and plunder is often the way of such things. You’d imagine that a change in the climate – or over farming of fragile land – could have set a lot of folks on the move. Did you continue with the documentary?
The city is pumping, as are the railway stations. The Editor went into the big smoke tonight to see a comedy gig with friends. With free travel on offer this month, the system is getting used. It’ll be interesting to see how all this ends.
The film is off the charts nuts. Thanks for the synopsis, otherwise I was trying to work out why the Captain had been dragged off by a guerrilla. Fortunately Raquel Welch’s role made a lot more sense, although why do scenes of Castle Zoot come to mind? Naughty Zoot! I see the Monty Python folks were there in their early days.
Dogs… It’s unfathomable the sort of stuff they put in their mouths… The wabbit might be interested in the plants?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – We’ve talked about accents, before. The other day, the library put an “on-order” title on the list. Which I put on hold. And, this morning, I saw an article and interview with the author.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/why-american-accents-endured-while-114500674.html
Our high yesterday was 59F (15C). Our overnight low was 37F (2.77C). Our forecast high for today is 66F. Our local forecast, for the next two days, is just a shade over 70F. If that happens, it will be the first time this year. I just checked, and, when I took H out for her midnight stroll, the temperature was 40F. There was no wind, so, I didn’t even bother to button or zip my coat. I felt quit comfortable.
I noticed this morning, we have a couple of birds, building a nest, out back. Coming and going into a dense bush carrying dried grasses. I think they’re Black-capped chickadees.
You’ll thank the Editor when you don’t trip over the edge of the tarp, and bash your head against the woodpile. 🙂 Or, you won’t, because it won’t happen. I’ve re-thought my irritation, over the inspections, just a bit. As, last week there was a fire, at another senior complex, over toward Centralia. Only one apartment was burned, someone went to the hospital. But, other apartments had smoke and water damage. 20 people are temporarily displaced. As I’m surrounded by morons, the inspections are probably a good thing.
Yikes! That was a narrow escape, with the drill bit. It’s a human thing. One tends to hurry, when the end of a project is in sight. Or, become physically exhausted, as a goal comes in sight. It’s difficult to say, “Enough!”
“1177 B.C.” is a book. The “Ordinary Americans in the Revolution” is a DVD documentary. “1177 B.C.” is still laying the case for the interconnectedness of all those civilizations. LOL. Really shoveling it on. I might skip to the summary.
I was watching the “Ordinary Americans…” last night, and it was a couple of segments on “the home front.” The British blockaded the major ports, and there were a lot of shortages. I got to thinking about my own stocking up efforts, which are pretty good, all things considered. But I might want to think about laying in a bit more salt and sugar. Maybe, also some honey, as it lasts forever. I’ve got this months Winco list started. Might have to add a few things.
“The Magic Christian” is a real hoot. Oddly, I happened to see an article about Ringo Starr, last night. He’s in his 80s, now. But has just released a new album. A country album.
I was asleep at the switch. There’s a new Jason Statham movie out, which is just going to DVD. Titled, “Shelter.” The library has it on its “on order” list, but I didn’t realize it was a Statham movie. So, the hold list is long. 80 some, and 12 copies, on order. But, I put in a hold, anyway. Judging from the short description in the library catalog, it’s another “rescue a young lady,” film. Seems to be a theme with him. :-). Lew
Chris:
Ollie deserves only the best, he is a loyal friend, and that is what you have always given him. How old is he? I can see him living to a grand old age.
You would think by now that Ruby would have realized that there are a whole lot of limits in her life, being third in the pecking order. She’s lucky she’s not a chook.
I do all those things, too, though not as thoroughly as you and I do not have a regular stretching routine. I tend to just do my stretches when a get really – crunchy (yes, I have crunchiness). Do your stretches have names? And I know I do not eat enough fruit. Greens, I can grow pretty well here most of the year. I need a cold frame like my neighbors have.
Sir Poopy’s 12 years is actually a respectable old old age and he accomplished many things, including being knighted. Who knows what other issues he may have had. Look at poor Mr. Baby. He was only 8, but probably his living on the streets at an early age and eating city junk may have caused his heart disease. Or maybe he was a born with a bad heart.
This is horrible: “A leading Australian mouse researcher says mice are at plague proportions in Western Australian grain paddocks and urgent action is needed.
It comes as residents of regional communities say the number of mice in their homes is unprecedented, with mice chewing through plastic containers, milk cartons and food containers.”
And then I saw this, which caused me to shriek:
“Mice start breeding when they’re six weeks old, they have six to 10 babies every 19 to 21 days, they give birth, and within two or three days, they fall pregnant again.”
I hope they can’t be exported over your way.
Used up another of your nine lives, did you? What number are you on now? I think a good few of them were used up working up on your house roof.
Gas yesterday was $4.20, which is still not too bad; up $.20 from last week.
Pam
Hi Pam,
Finished work so late tonight, but did manage to install rails for the solar panels on either side of the shed roof. The weather was just superb today, but rain is coming later in the week, thus the long work day.
Ollie is over eight now, my how time flies! He had a lovely day out in the sunshine today, and Ruby caught a rabbit. Fingers crossed about the grand old age for the big dog.
Third in the chook order is a very hen pecked position. 🙂 The other dogs tolerate Ruby’s crazy energy, but do sometimes peck her, so you’re onto something with the analogy.
Fair enough, and I get that. The funny thing is that as joints and muscles need attending too, I tend to add new stretch routines, so hopefully in a few years time it doesn’t take up the whole day. That would be a bit of a bummer. Dunno, but many years ago I came across an article on a 90 something year old female weight lifter and her take on the subject of regular stretching and load bearing activities kind of suited how I saw the world as well. As I said above, dunno. I didn’t come from a family who were very physically active.
A cold frame is probably a very good idea.
Pam, Sir Poopy did pretty well, and I do regret feeding him the raisin toast, and Anzac biscuits with sultanas which he really loved. He used to accompany me to the General Store, and I’d slip him some fruit toast when nobody was looking. Nowadays the dogs get a modified Anzac biscuit with no sultanas. Oh well, he lived a pretty good life here and was a good work companion.
Could have been both for Mr Baby, he did live a charmed life and fell on all four of his paws when he landed at your place. May he rest in peace the little fella. Dunno about you, but it takes me ages until I stop looking around for the little lovelies. Sir Scruffy was the worst because somehow he’d manage to upgrade to sleeping in the bedroom. I’ll never let that happen again. A very smart dog that one.
Conditions are different here in the south east of the continent, but we’ve had mouse plagues over this side. Having a lot of local birds and snakes will put a big dent in rodent populations, but that requires trees and hollows etc. All of which reduce yields, but then so do the mice and rats. Probably a good idea if they started growing the trees now whilst rat bait is a thing. It won’t always be a thing. Oh well.
Pam, I’m too scared to count. How many of your nine lives do you still retain? 😉 Was up on the roof again today.
Gotta bounce, speak later!
Chris
Hi Lewis,
The discussions on accents in the link were very well articulated, and it answers a question I’d wondered about the accent in your area. Hope the book is a good read. And made up plum-in-the-mouth accents are a thing down here too. Such silly social games, but then maybe the participants have nothing more to offer? Go back to news reports from here in the 1950’s and the journalists put on fake British accents. It’s all so very weird, and am glad that someone has thought of tackling the subject in an approachable way.
Oooo, same, same here! 70’F and beautifully sunny today, although you were a tad lower at 66’F. Not much of a difference though is it? 40’F with no wind here likewise feels quite comfortable. Lewis, if I may suggest, we’re quite well adapted to mild weather conditions.
Recovered the lost hour early this morning, thanks, and I did have to dust it off a bit, but overall the treatment received by your part of the world was within the goal posts of expectations. Unfortunately, the phone chunk of software, Whatsapps beeped my phone at 5:30am because I reckon they changed the security setting yet again, and that woke me up. Not a wise move, and the thought: ‘I so hate you phone’, entered my consciousness. But why get mad, when you can get even? So before the sun had risen, I deleted the app and went back to sleep. If a job is worth doing, it’s worth dong well.
The chickadees are absolutely of the wren ecological niche. Those birds will do wondrous work in your garden beds consuming the many insects. The blue wrens here are fantastic at that task. They just need some safe cover for when the larger birds begin considering them as an easy lunch. Are you seeing them bouncing around the garden beds?
Hehe! I hear you, and the heavy chunk of steel just works. 🙂 Unfortunately I did sound a bit peevish because I’m trying to get the roof work done on the shed before the rains return. Anywhoo, connected up the gutters to the drain pipes today. Then installed racking for solar panels on both sides of the shed roof. Finished up work rather late and am now as a consequence, running late! Isn’t it always the case?
The inspections are probably a good thing for that very reason. Dude, you’re only ever as good as the weakest link. 🙂
Thanks, and yes, after the incident with the drill bit that was my thoughts exactly. Pack up and get back into the fray on the morrow.
Sorry man! First I confused the dates for your check in on Jane, and now the book versus video documentary. You wait and see, but I’ve been going hard this week, and the brain as a result is perhaps not the sharp tool that it only once was. Yup, if the summary needs to be skipped too, I’d go with your gut feeling there.
Wise. Actually, very wise. Go thee forth and sort out the basics, like sugar, salt and honey. Hmm. Trouble is brewing, and it will probably be much worse down here.
Yeah, country music is on the up these days. Even the youth national music broadcaster has added on a local and international country music show called, get this: Country Club. Chappell Roan is probably at the zenith of her career in that genre.
Ah, he’s the versatile actor isn’t he? And what’s not to like about his first role in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels?
Hope you and H are dodging the rain :-), but I gotta run, there’s an essay demanding to be penned!
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Well, the Easter bunny brought some good news, this Easter morn. The price of cocoa is going down. Way down. From a high of $12.000 a ton, in 2024, it’s currently trading at $3,300 a ton. The article said it will take awhile, for the 2024 price to sift through the system. And I’m sure the manufacturers will ride the higher prices for all they’re worth. I notice the $4+ Lindt bars, are lingering at the Yuppie discount store, far longer, than usual. I’m still working through my stash, in the fridge.
I’m looking forward to the book on accents. I find some quit nice on the ear. I forgot to mention that the movie, “Magic Christian” didn’t have any subtitles. So, I missed a bit of dialogue. But not too much.
I was reading a some fiction, yesterday, and ran across a nice bit of prose. “She rose, and touched the fire with a poker. Sunlight leaving the wood, my father used to say of fire.” You might want to etch that on a piece of wood, and post if over the new woodshed door. Leaving out the “father” bit. I’ve seen something similar said of coal and oil. “Prehistoric sunshine.”
Our high yesterday was 66F (18.88C). Our overnight low was 46F (7.77C). Our forecast high for today is 71F. We’ll see.
Why I leave my phone off, for long periods of time. 🙂 I also make sure the speakers are off, on my computer, most of the time.
I hope the chickadees do well, in their dense bush. I didn’t see them, when we went out for our early evening walk. But then, maybe they’d already headed for bed, after a long day of nest building. It was close to sunset. I haven’t seen any stray cats around, this year. And I hope that condition continues.
I got into a bit of the summary, of the “1177BC” book, last night. It sounds like a situation similar to the fall of Rome. Many aspects, take your pick. Words like “systems collapse,” “complexity theory”, “domino and multiplier effect,” are used.
Dawg and I will wander down to the Club, this morning. I hope all the crazies have moved along. I want to ask Carl when he thinks I should plant my potatoes. According to the “Old Farmer’s Almanac, Gardening Calendar,” now. If so, I’ll catch the waning moon. Which is good for root crops, according to tradition. Lew