On Friday we ventured an hours drive up north and east, to attend a small farm expo. It’s a highlight of the year, and the traditional lunch of cheese kransky sausages cooked over a monster charcoal grill, with fried onions, extra cheese and lashings of mustard, could send a mostly vegetarian like me, into fits of ecstasy. Dessert was a vanilla ice cream, with stick of chocolate (known as a flake for those who are technically inclined) all dipped in chocolate sauce and served in a waffle cone. An exquisite treat.
Plenty of cholesterol to send readings into orbit, but who cares? We’d already walked around the expo for about three hours, so a decent lunch fortifies the constitution for viewing the yet-unvisited small farm related offerings. So many interesting things to see, and no, I did not want to pat the python slithering up the arm of a young lady who was working hard to demystify the reptiles. But the snake bite kit was a good purchase, and can make the difference between surviving, or succumbing to deadly neurotoxins – nobody wants that.
There’s always a rush to get to the expo not long after the gates have opened. A local poultry club runs a sale of birds from their own pavilion. It’s all very organised, but if the canny person wants a bargain, well, that means purchasing early, before all of the other expo attendees.
An early start, means waking up in the dark, which is a decidedly unsettling experience. Who knew the sun isn’t even above the horizon when the phone alarm blares ungodly sounds at 6am? A revolting experience, but one must endure if they want the pick pluck of the poultry! Coffee assists with making sense of the dark.
And another coffee was purchased from folks working out of a caravan once we were at the expo. My brain ordered the beverages, but the overly active imagination was wondering whether the gypsy-esque life of a carny was more exciting than having to spend time outwitting hungry rodents and possums. The excellent caffeine did not clarify the matter, that’s for sure.
Lot’s of machines are for sale, all of which would assist reducing the bank balance. The tool shops are great, and there’s always something which catches the eye, and comes back home. Sturdy farm work wear made of tough drill cotton, sat alongside dusky pink overalls emblazoned with depictions of flowers. Sandra remained unconvinced. The dozen bulk pack of leather riggers gloves though, nabbed! A few weeks ago, such thick leather saved my skin during an unfortunate interaction with a 10mm (3/8 inch) large drill bit. The glove was destroyed, the skin unharmed.
Animals of all sorts suitable for a small farm were on their best behaviour in the various stalls. Those tiny hairy cows looked great, and are probably easier to handle than the more usual full sized ones. So many temptations for the unwary. Whatever, we were on the hunt for chickens. It was troubling, and high unusual, to observe that a third of the poultry stalls were empty.
Last year, the state government shut the poultry sale down due to fears of bird flu. It wasn’t in the area at the time, and I deeply annoyed the two lovely public servants. They were doing their best to advise disappointed expo goers of the closure, when I expressed the candid opinion: So what you’re saying, is that you don’t trust people? The air sure turned icy at that moment! It’s a gift…
This year however, the poultry sale was on. Did I read that price tag correctly? $300 for 3 birds? They looked good, but were they worth it? I’ve no idea, but can state for the record, that chookflation is real. We hunted around and eventually purchased three Rhode Island Red hens for $165. The same breeder was offering another three chickens of the same variety, but for $180. Was it an ambit claim? Was there some difference which we were missing? Not sure, but if we hadn’t acted speedily with the purchase, we’d have missed the purchase, such was the competition.
They’re a good all ’round breed, and my previous experiences with Rhode Island Reds suggests that they’re hardy, and will lay an appreciable quantity of eggs. Best of all, they’re six month old hens, and know how to fight their way into the established pecking order. We’ve always purchased chickens which are around that age, except for once (cue ominous music).
With the poultry sale being closed last year, a few months later, we made the decision to obtain hens from another source. Sometimes you just get things right the first time around, and don’t know it. Such was the case here with previous purchase of more mature, six month old chickens. They’re easy to introduce to an established flock, and they know how to be a hen and get by in the world of bird.
Naively, last year we purchased two very young chicks. That was a major, major, disaster. Our hen house and attached run was not set up for very young birds. The older chickens beat the shit out of the young chooks, and then tried to eat them. At that point, I’d had enough of the mischief, and eventually killed five hens. So we’d purchased two, and lost five. This was not a winning strategy, and some of the older hens were recidivists of the darkest stripe and just would not stop. The young ‘uns as a postscript, are doing fine these days.
After that disaster last year, it was with a bit of trepidation that we purchased the new hens. Introducing the three was a nerve wracking moment, and we’ve been keeping a regular eye on the new birds. Poultry welfare checks… It’s a hard way to learn, but our systems are well adapted for the way we’ve long gone about various activities. However, if an activity changes, for any reason whatsoever, we’ve got some leeway to adjust, but who knows what the outcome will be then? Dunno. But I do know that if ever we had to breed chickens, our current hen house and enclosure is woefully inadequate for that task, despite being excellent in other ways. Fingers crossed that we can continue purchasing poultry in the future, although it has been remarked upon by Yogi Berra, that predictions are hard, especially when they’re about the future. Hmm.
Kelpies are a very common farm dog breed in Australia, and for good reason. They’re smart, hardy, want to work, and require minimal instructions. A breeder and trainer was displaying the Kelpie at work with a small flock of sheep:
There was also a bloke who runs alpine dog sled teams for tourists. Some parts of the country are quite snowy, particularly up in the high country where that business operates. It was a real pleasure to see that the two lead dogs were a Kelpie and Husky. The canine intellectual combo were using their brains to keep the other err, brawny, dogs in line. All of the dogs came from animal shelters who’d given up on the pooches due to behavioural issues – clearly the dogs just wanted to do productive work.
Just some of the other cool stuff. I’m always impressed by the chainsaw artists, and watched whilst a bloke carved a Kookaburra from an old gum tree. If you know the old song, you know!
In breaking weather news, we had out first light frost for the autumn. Hopefully that frozen air speeds up the ripening of the kiwifruit, especially before the possums and rats fill themselves up to their eyeballs.
Work on the new firewood shed continued this week. A cable for 12V electricity was run into the shed.
The cables were buried, and the area was then cleaned up with a layer of crushed rock with lime added to the soil surface. It’s difficult to see in the next photo, but water is channelled down the centre of that area, where it can run downhill and eventually flow into a garden bed.
With 12V power now available inside the shed, four LED spotlights were installed. The lights are awesome, but were difficult to install due to the wire sizes being less than 1mm (1/25th of an inch). That’s stupidly small, plus they were short, and so all of the connections were soldered, then protected by plastic caps made especially for that purpose.
The 12V power cable then needed to continue through the shed, and exit on the other side. Conduit was run through yet another trench which delivers the electricity to two powerful water pumps. They both run garden taps and bushfire sprinklers. If there is a fire, you want simple systems because they’re more likely to work.
That area was also then cleaned up, and a layer of crushed rock with lime was added to the soil surface.
The two doors for the new shed were made. The doorway faces the south west, which is exposed to some of the worst of the winter storms, so 12mm (half inch) marine grade plywood was used for the doors. It’s heavy stuff, and yet to be painted.
The shadows lengthened, that’s what a late finish on Sunday looks like. But, the two doors were completed. I like the symmetry of the design.
Whilst we’ve been moving lots of crushed rock with lime, some low lying areas had more material added to the surface. Water pools in those areas during very heavy storms, and that’s not ideal.
Water is quite important here, and in the past year I’ve modified a number of systems which weren’t working properly for one reason, or another. With the large house overflow water tank, the two inlet pipes began placing downwards pressure, and deformed the thick plastic side wall. I’d failed to previously notice this issue in time. It was easily fixed by extending the height of the inlet water pipes. The water tank may pop back into shape on a hot day, next summer, maybe.
The silverbeet plants are rapidly gaining size and will provide a lot of fresh greens during the winter months:
As will the green and red leaved mustard plants:
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 10am is 14’C (57’F). So far for this year there has been 297.6mm (11.7 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 289.6mm (11.4 inches)
Comments
52 responses to “Sometimes you can be right and not know it”
Yo, Chris – “Entitled” and “deserved” are words I handle with great care. Given the way you folks work, and your usual sensible (and tasty!) diet, I’d say the Kransky sausage and ice cream desert were well deserved.
Other people’s lives sometimes look appealing, until you dig below the surface. Ah, yes. The life of a carny. Having just watched that documentary on van life, well … Figuring out where to poop is an ongoing concern. And, if one is habituated to daily showers, forget that.
Tiny hairy cows? Are they about the size of Ollie? Maybe he needs a buddy, in his dotage? 🙂
Those chicken prices are eye watering. It might be time to do a bit of cost benefit analysis, as far as getting a rooster is concerned. Besides replenishing your own flock, you could sell the occasional small clutch of birds, to offset costs. Seems to work for other people.
Oddly, Adams is the street behind The Institution. And, somewhere up Adams, maybe two or three blocks, I often hear a rooster, morning and evenings. They must have tolerant (or deaf) neighbors. I do believe it’s illegal to have roosters in the city limits. Maybe they just spread a few free eggs around?
Poultry welfare check? Oh, that’s funny. Necessary, but funny.
The kelpie herding and sled dog team are outa-sight! Dogs are a many splendored thing. 🙂
Chain saw carvings are always interesting. We see quit a few, around here.
Your first frost. Do you keep track of first and last frosts? How’s this year, compared to previous years? Earlier or later?
Boy, the LED lights really light up the woodshed. And, for some reason, makes the neat pile of firewood look lush.
Ollie’s in that picture? Can’t see him. 🙂 Besides being beneficial, the crushed rock and lime sure do make everything look neat and tidy. The new doors are spectacular.
Is that the new weather station, on the top of a post? From this distance, and angle, it looks like a starship.
You’re always banging on about silverbeet. So, I took a look down the rabbit hole. Ah, we call it Swiss Chard. I grabbed my Nichols Garden Nursery catalog, and they have five varieties, on offer. I see it can be sown, spring and fall. The catalog also noted, “Called one of the “Vegetable Valedictorians” for its impressive nutrient content.” It might be nice to have a bit of variety, other than my parsley. Your other picture reminded me, to sow a patch of mustard. I’ve got the seed, saved from last year.
Nasturtiums are so pretty. One of the Inmates planted some, a couple of years ago Now, they’re popping up, all over. They seem to volunteer, easily. No worries. If in the wrong place, they pull up, easy. Lew
Hi Lewis,
What do they say about the yin and yang balancing? That may be appropriate for the stuff we put into our mouths as feed, and yeah, for every kransky sausage with extra cheese and onions, there’s a plethora of basic vegetarian meals. 🙂 Hey, that might be an idea for an award winning – and financially lucrative – cook book? We could be onto a winner here?
We’ve got the whole vegetarian food down pat, so most visitors are not even aware that they’ve consumed a totally veg meal. That’s always been the goal really. Some folks try to make veg look like meat dishes, which seems like a very strange and unusual goal to me. Better to work with the veg, and let the flavours shine with appropriate combinations. My mother was a dreadful cook, but the flip side of that is that I got to experiment in the kitchen from a very young age. Yin and yang – you see where this can go? 🙂 No doubt, someone else has thought of this idea, and our latest get rich quick scheme will yet again crash and sink upon the rocky shores of reality! Oh well, moving on…
Hmm, I like where you are going with that thought as to other folks lives. The kids may have described that a few years ago as the ‘super cut reel’, which is what a lot of people aim for. My strategy is perhaps somewhat different, as I casually mention that because of a single bad decision, we killed five chickens, had to purchase eggs plus chook feed, and dealt with the unfolding trauma. But learned a valuable lesson. It’s not an appealing message, is it?
Van life sounds like my earlier travel experience: What if there is no toilet? My mind is probably not well adapted to travel, or van life. The showers thing is an easy work around. When we’ve done long distance walks, and the longest was 18 days, you wash with a small quantity of hot water and soap, and can equally manage clothes as well. It’s not difficult, even in a van, to manage personal hygiene. It all depends upon how adaptive a person is, and I’ve observed that there are plenty of folks whom for whatever reason, are a bit dodge on their hygiene. On that note, by sheer chance, I happened to pass two young ladies early this morning who wore cloying quantities of perfume. As a super sniffer, it offended my olfactory nerves, and they could have simply washed instead. Far out.
Yeah, the cows were tiny little things, and I was rather taken with the concept. But dude, it’s a minefield out there. Here’s a quick article on the subject: Miniature highland cows are popular, but cattle societies are debating the ethics of their breeding. Dunno what to make of it all.
Ollie might need a buddy, although the two Kelpies adore the big dog. However, their youthful exuberance exacerbated the issues with his front left leg this morning, and Ollie was left squealing in pain. That situation will not occur again, but regrets are usually a thing of the past. Oh well. I slipped him some more anti-inflammatory gunk and hoped we don’t run out. He spent most of the day recovering, and is now hobbling about. He’s had a rough day, but then all of us do from time to time, and the big dog has lead a charmed life until now. He’ll recover from this one, it looks like a torn muscle, maybe.
Man, I so hear you about the cost-benefit arrangement with breeding chickens. It’s a project for the future, and most certainly won’t be considered until after the second greenhouse has been completed. Basically, it requires another whole new chicken enclosure, and I don’t have the mental space for that right now.
Funny you mention that about the ‘rooster in the city’ thing, but long ago had a neighbour who had one for about a week. The neighbour had not considered pacifying the surrounding locals with gifts, and the rooster crowed at all hours of the night. Which I believe is a response to rodent incursions, but could be wrong there. Annoying the neighbours is always a fast track approach to ending up in trouble.
🙂 The new chickens are fitting in just fine, and have slightly moved up the pecking order wrung today.
The sled dogs were just so happy to be attached up to the team, and you could see it in their enthusiasm for the task. It fascinated me that the dogs were written-off by shelters as having behavioural problems, and perhaps there is a bias there for canines which are lower energy? A bit of further extension of those thoughts makes me wonder if the same isn’t true for youngsters in trouble?
Oh yeah, chainsaws would equally be a thing in your part of the world, thus the carvings. Helps to have an environment conducive to lots of trees, doesn’t it?
Fun fact about lighting: The warmer colours with lighting produce a richer and softer environment than those harsher blue-white colours. Some offices I’ve worked in have prided themselves on the unpleasantness of their lighting. Back in those days I didn’t know about light colours, and simply cut the Gordian knot and removed fluorescent tubes – which being the boss I could get away with. However, at one point I was told off by even more senior management because the easier on the eye lighting was considered a poverty look. Man, that was near to the end of my corporate days, just sayin’! 😉 There is truth to what they say about death by a thousand cuts.
Man, I bumped into Ollie too when he was in camouflage mode! So yeah, hard to spot. 😉 Very funny.
Thanks for saying that about the new doors. The Editor wanted to do plain, but no. Every shed needs a little bling!
That’s the new weather station, and those are my thoughts as well. A starship. We built this weather on rock and roll! I don’t know what that all means, just popped into the consciousness.
Hope you get some Swiss chard / Silverbeet. You know what man, they’re tough as nails that plant. Heat and pest hardy, so there’s a lot to like about them. But five varieties! There is more choice in your country in relation to vegetables. It’s a green which is best consumed cut into small pieces, and then lightly cooked. We add it to rice dishes and soups, and it’s a treat.
Aren’t nasturtiums one of those plants which make our lives easier? The seeds are a replacement for capers too.
Oh yeah, the birds are filthy for Ollie. He’s a bit under the weather today, but still eating which is a good sign.
It’s a funny business that boss stuff. Sometimes, yeah, it can be desire. Other times, pushed. And occasionally it can because nobody else wanted to take the role and we find ourselves err, being pushed!
Ha! If I may critique the work after only a short read of the plot line: The Forsyte Saga reads like high soap opera, and the baronet towards the conclusion may have been asset rich, and cash poor, thus giving the family it’s final social leg up with all their endless striving and complicated life choices. 🙂 Still, it’s probably a jolly good tale. Yes, who did kill J.R.? And did he have it coming? Plenty of writing talent out there, and sadly I’m with you, there is so little time to enjoy it all.
The interesting thing about all sorts of pests, is that a person can maybe work out how to make life hard for them. Of course, that always involves change of one sort or another.
Agreed, tricksy stuff is best avoided. A persons nose may be inadvertently tweaked by unseen elder ones.
The thought of tomatoes from Canada in winter, even if hydroponically grown, kind of sounds like a deeply weird thing to me. But then, we’re at the bottom of the planet, and out of season produce is remarkably expensive, and probably best avoided.
Oooo! No way. It was the same temperature here today, and more truly delightful day would be hard to find – and hope you likewise enjoyed the spring sunshine? How good is the asparagus spear? Given it’s first year, you might have to let that one become a full sized fern-ish frond, maybe. What’s your thoughts in the matter, harvest, or leave?
Good to hear that the author who delved into Mr King’s archives did not descend into academic prose and dull analysis. Interesting, and I might have to nab this book. Have you waded further into the text yet?
Man, went into the nearest outer urban town today and picked up stuff here, there, and everywhere. Being me though, it was a planned attack! The Editor supplied a list! 😉 With a Bahn Mi at the end as a reward for I dunno, being organised? Hehe! Picked up some goodly quantities of chainsaw bar oil, which seemed like a good idea at the time. But generally stocked up on all sorts of stuff which we’d burned through with the construction of the new shed. The decent weather made the trip a real treat too.
Ollie is now sound asleep, with Dame Plum watching over him. And I’ve been restraining his usual exuberance, which lead to this current hot dog mess.
Plus, had a muck around with the programming of the solar battery charge controllers, then watched to see what would happen, and finally learned exactly how they work at each step of the process. I’d made assumptions about them previously, which whilst working, weren’t exactly true. Oh well, that’s learning for ya, isn’t it?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – And, from The Wonderful Worlds of Archaeology and History … Swiss / Roman squadies never received their supply order.
https://www.newsweek.com/roman-objects-discovered-2000-year-old-lake-11820418
And, you missed out. One of the six surviving lifejackets from the Titanic went to auction. $900,000. It would have made a nice conversation starter, hanging on your living room wall. 🙂
Maybe call it, “The Occasional Splurge Cookbook.” You would not believe, the number of cookbooks that the library orders in. I see them on the new / on order pages. So few of them appeal, to me …
Oh, I wouldn’t feel to guilty about the naughty chocks. As I remember, you did your due diligence, in researching a bit how to integrate new birds into the flock. I don’t remember anyone warning that things could go terribly wrong. Who knows what subtleties were at play? I guess I got really lucky, raising chickens from chicks, and integrating them into the flock. Although there was one that was declared “outcast,” and spent most of her time hiding in a nesting box. The other hens didn’t like her. Maybe she had poor personal hygiene. Or, wore cloying perfume? :-).
That was an interesting article on the miniature cows. Though they didn’t look that miniature, to me. That’s the problem with interbreeding. Some animal gets popular, and there’s a rush to cash in, standards be damned. You often read about it in dog breeds. Or, European royal families. 🙂
Oh, I didn’t think you’d plunge into chicken breeding, without a lot of forethought. That you would take it lightly. But the way prices are going up, you may have little choice. If you want eggs. Maybe you can breed a rooster, that doesn’t crow? 🙂
Poverty look. When I managed the bookstore, here, the district manager (who I liked a lot), was always on me about … Well, over our shelving, we had more shelving that was used for overflow storage. It was accessible by rolling ladders. She always wanted something in those storage spaces, even if it was a few volumes, all face out. She’d say the empty overhead shelving made us look “Like we’re going out of business.” I told her if we caught customers looking up there, we’d just gouge their eyes out.” 🙂
Ah, connections. “We Built This City,” Jefferson Airplane (aka Jefferson Starship.) A rousing tune.
https://youtu.be/IDI2WQJyE7I?si=87Ql80OaA5IFWnnh
Right after I posted to your blog, last night, I ordered seed for two varieties of chard, from Nichols Garden Nursery. Out of the five varieties they had, two were already out of stock. I ordered Ruby Red Chard (an heirloom), and Golden Sunrise (open pollinated.) Do you save seed, from them?
One of the fellows at the Club was asking me if it was too early to race off and buy tomato plants. I remembered something. “Where do you garden, again?” Out in our east county. No, no, no. Not until Mother’s Day.
I saw Carl, the retired nursery man, yesterday. I asked him about what might be infecting our apples. Apple Maggot or Coddling Moth. Spray or traps, to deter. But, as with our Master Gardeners, it’s a question of time and expense. I might see if the organic pest place has any deterrents.
In most of our beds, we have a fairly aggressive weed. I turfed out, quit a few from the strawberry bed. From the family Oxalis. Or, Creeping wood-sorrel. Lucky us, we’ve got a variety that has bronze / purple leaves, just about the color of the soil. Hard to spot.
Something else in the strawberry bed, that needs to be moved, instead of turfed out. 🙂 We get a lot of volunteer pansy or viola, that pop up all over the place. Quit a variety. I noticed the Master Gardeners had a plant, in a bit of waste ground where the path bends around to the back of the building. A different shape and color. I asked if I could transplant it there, Might start a small pansy patch. Luckily they transplant really easy.
Being the boss. Every year, around election time at the Club, I’m always asked if I want to be on the board. I always trot out what I’ve discovered, is a “Shermanesque Statement.”
https://w.wiki/LtkT
Wise man, the old general. It’s also wise, not to go to the bog, while candidates are being discussed. 🙂 Lew
Hi, Chris:
That lunch itself is exquisite, and when you describe it at this time every year, I can hardly stand it.
I would like to hear more about the snake bite kit. Does it have specific antidotes in it?
Chris, you would not enjoy the peripatetic life of a carny. Nor would the Editor. However, the dogs might . . . naaa – they’re farm dogs. That’s their calling.
Sandra doesn’t think you would be entrancing in dusky pink overalls emblazoned with depictions of flowers? Reminds me of this on Green Acres, black satin:
https://watch.plex.tv/show/green-acres/season/2/episode/9
Glad you got more leather gloves. You can’t go wrong with those, unless Ollie eats them.
Chris! Chickens can’t cost that much! Do they have pedigrees? You mean you’ve never had the joy of raising cute baby chickens in your spare room? Of course, you’d have to have a separate coop for them. I guess that would be the only affordable way to get special breeds.
All the cleared space at the back of the property for figs is going to be put in grass (where the figs are not). It’s 2 1/2 to 3 acres, and that is going to have to be mowed. I sort of wondered about a couple of sheep, but this gave my son a good excuse to buy another piece of machinery – a riding mower, from a professional landscaper. It is, of course, an oldy, but goody. It’s another Kubota and matches the other small Kubota tractor/front end loader.
The sled team dogs don’t look all that big. Hey! You have an Ollie and 2 girls. Their lives will not be fulfilled until they pull their own weight (and hopefully more).
We are watching for frost tonight. There are some worries about all those figs out there. Some are so small; too many to haul back in.
What great lights, just for a firewood shed. LOOK at all that firewood already! When I saw the doors in the opening photo, I assumed that you bought them ready-made, but you made them. They’re beautiful.
From last week:
That is the best reason for travel, to give one a different perspective, like your trip to Cambodia did.
The neighbors on our road are planning to re-gravel it next month. I’m not sure it needs it. The cost for the gravel, not including grading it, will be $7,000. Last year it would have cost $5,000. This is going to cut into our neighborhood road maintenance fund that we all pay into yearly (it’s a private road) quite a lot.
Thank you for the beautiful leaves and the beautiful flowers. I’m glad you reminded me to plant the nasturtiium seeds.
Pam
@ Lew:
From last week: You want a blue hat?
Pam
@ DJSpo:
From last week: Well, Dame Avalanche is practically royalty. That’s a whole ‘nother story.
Pam
Hello Chris.
I deemed it expedient to do some resarch into the Fowler jars before taking them to the community garden do in the park yesterday. Some models stopped being made in 1947. With others the date is not even on record! Not that I was trying to flog them as antiques, I merely like to be informed.
It backfired somewhat. The potential buyers knew less about the products than I did and didn’t seem to believe me when I said the lids were a standard size and easy to buy online, and better not to get them second hand as the alloy ones corrode quickly. No, they wanted lids supplied with the bottles. I shall have to arrange for that next month and see if it goes any better.
The Mason jars, on the other hand, will all be staying! They have screw lids. When, for instance, it is so dry that ants come for the dried fruit and sugar in the pantry, Mason jars save the situation.
My hazardous version of motorbiking is exactly the same as your former practice: commuting. I don’t do daredevil stuff. It’s just a question of risk perception. That brother handles racehorses. One hasn’t stepped on him or kicked him in the ribs yet but there’s not a lot to prevent it happening.
Someone once told me darkly that “pecking order is a thing”. You seem to have observed that it isn’t perpetrated by all hens. Is it more about the birds’ individual characters? For sure it is believed that only certain magpies attack humans when nesting, and councils aim to eliminate those families entirely.
Nice shed lights… did you have to do the soldering in the dark? or outside? or did the main work get done before the roof went on?
Lew, one form of organic-approved codling moth trap can be made by wrapping corrugated cardboard around trees. They shelter in them and then the blighters can be extracted and dealt with. Re oxalis: its name of wood sorrel indicates truly how much it tastes like sorrel. Since I haven’t been able to grow the real thing in my current place I have eaten a lot of that weed. It’s better when young and the leaves are soft. The stalks are a bit too fibrous. But it is a free delicious green and a significant part of my diet when available.
kallianeira
Hi Pam,
Awful food teasing isn’t it? 🙂 Such a tasty lunch.
Anti-venom isn’t really available outside of the medical and veterinarian folks. The snake bite kit is a long bandage which wraps around the bitten limb, and is applied with minor pressure (my understanding is that the bandage should be wound firm, but not massively tight, and also up and down the entire limb) should be applied. This slows the spread of the venom and provides for some additional time to get help. By the way, I believe that movement of any kind should immediately stop which also buys time, and that it is better to get the emergency services to the bitten person, than the other way around. Or that’s what they kind of suggested was the best case scenario. And not all bites transfer venom, some of the snakes down here can do what is known as a dry-bite. Still, dunno about you, but that would stress me out wondering.
What’s the general advice in your part of the world for that sort of thing? And a yellow jacket wasp stung my arm today. It sure did hurt, but wasn’t as bad as a bull ant sting with the associated chemical burn. I can’t comprehend why the wasp landed on my elbow. Oh well…
Thanks for the advice, and it was mere whimsy to wonder about the life of a carny.
Very funny, but you’ve got a good point, and the reduced mop of hair these days, which is now measured in the grey scale, probably would clash with the floral designs on the dusky pink overalls. 😉 Thanks for the laughs.
Oh yes, the Green Acres folks knew high style, and weren’t afraid to lift the local dress standards. Kudos to them. But err, if I did have to judge the overall look, it is worth mentioning that perhaps the design brief leaned a bit too heavily on the concept of ‘form’, and perhaps downplayed the more ‘functional’ aspects of the overalls. Still, standards must be maintained, even when out in the bush.
Pam, Ollie is a gentleman, and would never dare destroy my leather riggers gloves. Dame Plum on the other hand, just might! When she was a puppy with super sharp pup teeth, the dog enjoyed nothing more than gnawing on my hand which was encased in the thick leather gloves. Look, it probably wasn’t the best training, but did you ever have Mr Baby grab your hand and pretend to play fight with it? Cats get into this sort of curl position using their mouth and claws. It’s never serious, and I’d not want to see that. Makes you wonder if the felines are trying to hint at who the boss really could be.
Sorry to say it, but chookflation is real – you read it here first. One of the problems with being a super sniffer, is that I’ve visited a few homes where people raise chicks indoors, and the aroma is somewhat over powering. And yeah, a separate nursery enclosure is what would be required. Plus, the right number of birds for the current run and hen house is about nine or maybe ten at a pinch, but no more. Commercial egg production facilities de-beak their birds for good reasons.
A dude needs multiple mowers when on acreage, so your son’s latest purchase makes a whole bunch of sense. Ooo, Kubota! They’ve got a GR series which could maybe tackle your terrain. Has the thing got a rollover bar at the rear?
That’s what I thought too about the sled team dogs. They just didn’t look all that big to me either. But they sure could pull that heavily laden go-kart. The fluffs are not into that sort of work, and Ollie has injured his front left leg.
So, there’s a story. Ollie had been feeling all puppy like since I got him on the Glucosamine, so he was running around and jumped off the veranda, except landed badly. It’s been remarked upon elsewhere, that there’s no fool, like an old fool, and the big dog proved the truth of that, yet again. He’s feeling much better today and is walking fine now, but I’ve had to restrain the Kelpies from jumping all over him lest they worsen the injury.
Thanks! And more firewood was brought back up the hill today and stored in the new shed. And all was good with the world, especially since the weather was so nice for that task.
Ouch! But yeah, gravel is only ever mined, crushed and transported with diesel, so the costs are going up.
Way back in the Cobb and Co coach days, the mountain roads around here were impassable due to road damage, and people didn’t venture too far from home.
Lovely, and do hope you get some nasturtium seeds in. And there’s a particularly delightful red flowered variety which I’d recommend.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
It is very annoying when online orders never arrive. Like what is going on? And how hard can it be, the retailer has just one job. It does somewhat soothe the troubled soul to note that similar problems occurred with the Roman’s two millennia ago. Still doesn’t get the lost stuff to us though, does it? Lake Neuchâtel is very pretty, but what attracted my eye was the remarkably large and pre-Roman Marriage Stone which was located near to the lake. It’s kind of sweet really, and hints at the sort of troubles people experienced not all that long ago.
Oh poop! Absolutely, the life jacket would have made a truly fascinating artefact presiding near to the dinner table. And as you note, it could only enliven otherwise quiet moments. My finances could however not meet such large demands. It did start me wondering, what was the floaty material used in the pockets? Ah, some sort of cotton / linen fabric with granulated cork. That’d float for sure. Probably wouldn’t have kept the floatee folks warm though in the -2’C water. I’d have gone for multiple thin layers like six or seven pairs of long johns, woollen hat, woollen jumper, ugg boots, woollen gloves but would it have been enough? Or sunk a person? I’m certainly not volunteering for that test!
Really? I can appreciate that a decent library of cookbooks containing the classics, with some dabblings of the exotic here and there chucked in for good measure is necessary. But how many new cookbooks does the library service actually need? Sounds like a potential budget cut, right there.
Man, that lesson with the naughty chooks was a hard way to learn, but as you suggested, it happened with nary a warning. You were pretty lucky with your introductions of chicks to the flock, and I’ve heard of other hens killing the chicks of rival birds. Once they were dinosaurs and ruled the planet! The ‘l’ key temporarily failed and the word ‘rued’ originally took over that previous sentence – what does it all mean?
Yeah, chickens can be pretty hard sometimes for no reasons that I can discern. Very funny too, yeah, but so true. A little dash is pleasant, too much perfume is suggestive.
The umm, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel all descend from only six dogs, so you know, they’re not the brightest canines, put it that way. And the population may have gotten as low as three after WWII. Just saying, the odds are not great, although they are a popular and well respected breed in this country. I prefer dogs which are a bit zesty and can think for themselves, even if like Ollie recently, he makes a mistake (and is feeling better today). Micromanaging a canine would send me loopy. 🙂 And yeah, such genetic issues are a problem in humans as well with some groups.
Insurance issues would put a stop to those lovely old sliding bookshelf ladders in a retail spaces nowadays. I’m with you, and not every nook and cranny must be taken up with stock, but can also appreciate the perspective of the district manager.
Was that ditty really from 1985? Well, where did the time go? It’s an ear-worm that song. 🙂 Listen, at your peril!
Nice one with the Swiss chard, and you won’t be disappointed, unless you do end up in that state due to the plant. But it is super hardy to both heat and cold, and the seeds are quite large, being of the beet family. Easy to save too. But it also self seeds here, and is sold as a tri-colour collection, which is probably some of those which you ordered. Some of the hardiest plants here in the garden beds are those which have self seeded, and they’re productive as.
🙂 Sage advice with the tomatoes, and the same roughly applies here as well.
Oh my! Reading about your fruit fly in apples gave me an attack of the vapours. And Queensland fruit fly has been found about an hours drive north of here. I’m not sure that variety can survive the winters here, maybe. As to Codling moth, thank gawds for the birds.
Oxalis plants can be a bit weedy here as well, and sorry to hear that yours camouflage against the soil. Have you noticed the masses of root systems they produce?
Ha! Those are lovely flowering plants, and will do equally well elsewhere.
Did you notice that in the painting depicting William Tecumseh Sherman, the gentleman has more than a passing resemblance to the actor Woody?
A nice day here and after doing some paid work and life admin, we began hauling some firewood, which was cut last winter, back up the hill. If there was a nicer autumn day, it’d feel like spring. And we’re having something of an Indian summer this week. Are you and H still dodging the rain?
Cheers
Chris
Cheers
Chris
Hi Kallianeira,
Talk about picky! I’d have taken the bottles without the lids. It’s not as if it is difficult to check them for cracks and chips around the rim. And hey, I recall the days when the lids and rubber seals were available in the local hardware shop (when there was one).
It’s funny you mention the lids, but if I recall correctly (and please do let me know if my understanding is wrong), but there are a sort of yellow-ish coloured lid made of tin, then there are the stainless steel variety. I ditched the tin type many years ago because, like you noted, they corrode. The stainless steel ones are very good, but it’s a soft metal and needs to be treated gently.
You’d imagine that there’d be some awe from the potential purchasers, that a local product from around seventy or eighty years ago, is still being maintained with new lids and rubber seals? I occasionally go past their business in North Melbourne.
Mason jars are good like that. We use a lot of sturdy plastic containers with tight fitting lids for similar reasons. At this time of year, the rats and mice get ideas into their heads that a cosy winter nest is a good idea, except it isn’t. They’re tricksy those rodents.
Respect! There is a lot to recommend using the humble motorbike for personal travel. It’s a shame we don’t live in a culture which values that method, and dunno about your experience, but after a decade of commuting, I’d burned through all of my nine lives. And Melbourne has the dreaded tram lines, but the paint on the road can be equally slippery in the rain.
I’m uncomfortable with horses, although plenty of people love them. My belief with that animal is that most of the pampered ones you see dotted around the landscape, are probably not fit enough for a days hard work pulling a plough.
There’s usually a boss chicken, and an enforcer in a flock. But below that status, things are somewhat loose. Ha! I’m on very friendly terms with the magpies here, nesting, or otherwise. They’re very clever birds which can live for around two decades, and they can see the road kill as easily as you or I would. The councils are looking at the entire problem from only one species perspective. 😉
Nah! I did the soldering whilst up a ladder with a battery powered LED worklight shining upwards. Trying not to drip the solder flux goo on me was the biggest issue. Sticky stuff of possibly dubious toxicity.
We’re having an Indian summer here this week. How’s the weather in your part of the world? Have the rains returned yet?
Cheers
Chris
@ Pam – I decided, years (decades?) ago, that any and all wardrobe would be blue, black or gray. Keeps me coordinated, and I don’t have to put much effort into choices or decisions. 🙂 There’s enough variation in patterns and shades, to keep me happy. Lew
@ Kallianeira – Thanks for the coddling moth trap tip. That set me off on a “DIY coddling moth trap,” search. My, there are a lot of options out there.
Foraged plants often leave a lot to be desired, in the taste department. But, in the event of total crop failure, always good to know what’s possible. Lew
Yo, Chris – Even more annoying is not being able to get into an e-mail account. Even when I do the dual authentications, I keep getting an “Oops! Something went wrong. Try again later.” I’ve come to the realization, that one needs three e-mail accounts, these days. And one had better check in with all of them, every day or two, just to keep them limber and working. I’m rather miffed, at that realization.
I did a quick survey of the first three pages, of our libraries “new / on order” list. There are 21 titles, on each page, so, x3, 63 titles. 11 of them are cookbooks. Were I the selector, there would be far fewer, unless specifically asked for. Although they still haven’t reactivated the suggestion function.
I had a Westie (West Highland White Terrier) 50 years ago. Bright, happy little dog. For some reason (ads? a movie? Someone ‘famous’ have one?), they got really popular maybe 20 years ago. I’ve heard, they got really inbreed, and started having congenital problems.
That was an interesting article on the King Charles Spaniels. I knew someone, decades ago, who had a couple. As I remember, they were pretty mellow dogs. Boy, the list of possible physical problems, was long. And I had to laugh at the last paragraph. Even back then, someone was pushing the boundaries as to where dogs should and should not be. By playing the service animal / emotional support card.
I’m glad to hear that Ollie is doing better. Do you think the big goof will have learned not to take a flyer off the veranda? I hope so.
I was down at the Yuppie Discount store, last night. I payed attention to the tomato prices. Yup. They’re up. Most varieties are pushing $5 a pound. The Romas are still a bit less. But not by much.
The Oxalis is fairly easy to get up. I just loosen the soil around it, with a trowel, and pull. Sift out as many roots as possible, through my fingers. But, one can’t get it all. They come back.
Painting of W. T. Sherman. No, I did not. 🙂
Our high yesterday was 75F (23.88C). Our overnight low was 50F (10C). Our forecast high for today is 58F. Yup, rain is coming back today and tomorrow. Then another run of nice weather.
I read a bit more of the book about the dictionary, last night. The author has a sense of humor, and, can be borderline naughty, sometimes. 🙂 I’d never thought about it, but the folks who compile the dictionaries, also track words, through time. Looking for changes or shifts in meaning.
I also couldn’t resist, and read a bit more of the “Monsters in the Archives,” about the writing of Stephen King. The author “…focuses on five of his most iconic early works – The Shining, Carrie, Pet Sematary, Salem’s Lot and Night Shift – to reveal how he crafted his language, story lines and characters…”
I thought it interesting as to the reason he wrote his “On Writing.” “He and Amy Tan were talking about the question they never get to answer after their writer’s talks: “No One ever asks about the language,’” Tan mused.”
If you’re not familiar with Amy Tan, you might want to check her out. I’ve read some of her books, over the years. Well written and engrossing. Some have been filmed. Lew
Chris:
One would certainly think that keeping a snake bite victim still would be the best thing. I have heard that about a “tourniquet”. I never knew if it was a legitimate method for use in venomous snake bites. I also used to hear to make an X with a razor blade and then someone sucks out the venom. That seemed highly risky to me.
If it was anything like our yellow jackets, it was all about attitude. They don’t like anybody. I would have thought they were slowing down for the winter. My son was supposed to hunt down the dormant nests over last winter and zap them while they were asleep, but he was too busy. I think he’s a gonna be sorry. Oh, for advice. Maybe what the teller feller at my bank said: “Just power through it”. Ha, ha. Or I put raw onion on it if it really hurts a lot. That’s good for all stings and bites.
Hey, in the Highlands book I was reading, I read that your ancestors, being a very old clan, originated from Ireland – thus the lovely original color of your hair?
You maintain higher standards in the bush than I do. I can’t figure it out, except that maybe it is because you have a Dame in the family. I wouldn’t think she would let you get away with much.
No, Mr. Baby never tried to fight, or bite, my hand, even in fun. He was old for his years. Maybe he should have been Sir Baby. However, every puppy we ever had did so. And, oops, maybe I have misjudged Dame P.
Yes, the Kubota mower has a rollover bar at the rear. My son talked at length with the owner about what kind of terrain he would be using it on and the owner swears it is great on slopes. The fig clearing is a gentler slope as it is in a holler. You might say a glen . . .
Yeah, Ollie – that was foolish. I know a dog who did that and broke his leg. You were lucky; take it to heart. To Ollie’s dad: You may have to put a rail around the porch.
I have reddish-orange nasturtiom seeds somewhere. Not sure if it is true red. For that, I bought geraniums yesterday.
I had potato plants popping up in various places in the garden where I didn’t grow them last year. I don’t know what happened unless there had been potato peels in some compost. I dug them all up and there was nothing, except for one, which had a very nice potato.
Pam
@ Pam,
Dame Avalanche certainly thinks that she’s royalty. And ya know, once she has contemplated an order and made up her mind to obey, her entire demeanor screams “I’ll do it because I want to, not because you tell me to.” 😉
Avalanche weighs just under 40 pounds. One of the vets at the clinic we take her to has been around huskies for her entire lengthy professional career. She said that many of the huskies even in the Iditerod race are roughly the size of Avalanche.
DJSpo
Chris,
Monday hit 25.5C at the official station. It was 27.5C here at the house. Cooler and dampish tomorrow.
Your outing sounds fun. Glad you could purchase more chooks this year. But extremely expensive! The food sounded great, too. And nice buy on the gloves.
That was a nicely done chainsaw carving. The Princess was impressed also. Then she wondered why he had that many chainsaws. I suggested that maybe he juggles them. 🙂
Typical working Monday in January many years ago: Wake up in the dark. UGG. Coffee. Make lunch. Stagger to the bus at +2C in a torrential rainstorm. It’s darker than dark. Arrive at the office. Still dark, raining harder, can barely see 3 meters. Stagger toward the doors wishing I had had more coffee. Little eejit appears from around the corner, loudly and cheerily exclaiming, “Happy Monday, DJ!” Ignoring him, I proceeded to the doors. More loud and cheery exclamations, followed by my snarling, “Leave me alone until I’ve had more coffee.” More loud and not so cheery exclamations of advice that I could be a loud and cheerful morning person if I made the right choices. My surly reply, upon blocking us both into the entryway between sets of doors, “I told you to leave me alone. Now you are harassing me. One more word and I’ll slap you upside the head so hard that your grandchildren will be born dizzy.” I staggered upstairs to my desk, got more coffee. Told the Big Boss about it when he arrived. He laughed and said, “It would’ve helped us all out if you had smacked him upside the head. Hard. ” I got another mug of coffee and eventually woke up enough to cope with people after lunch the next day.
Several people in my neighborhood raise chickens. Roosters are allegedly NOT allowed in town. I hear at least three different roosters most days on our walks. I can’t hear them at home, they don’t wake me up, so I enjoy listening to them when walking.
I noticed with the dog sled team, one of the dogs looked a lot like Dame Avalanche. Judging by how that dog was looking away from everything in a distracted manner, I could almost think that it WAS Dame Avalanche. There was a day last week in which she was hard to locate. Maybe her big hole really is a portal to your part of Australia.
Good job with the shed’s interior lights. It must feel good to have the entire shed project wrapped up. Does that mean it is time for more “enlightenment exercises”, such as chop wood, carry water? Or perhaps, stack wood, pump water?
I barely noticed Ollie in that photo. I think maybe if you added some black and a dab or two of green to him, I wouldn’t have noticed him at all.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
In terms of reliability of advice – for down under conditions – it seems to reflect the general wisdom with that topic. Yeah, apparently tourniquets are out, and pressure bandages are now in (there being a significant difference between the two): First-aid advice for venomous bites and stings at your fingertips with new app. CSL is the mob which makes and supplies the anti-venom, so they’d probably know better than anyone else. By the way, 10 centimetres is about four inches a minute! Yikes.
Death from snake bite is pretty rare down here, although it does happen, but is more common with dogs. It is possibly easier to rationalise with a human, or at least restrain them from moving around, than it is with a dog. The trick appears to be slowing the movement of venom within the body so as to provide enough time to get help.
We’re of one mind here, the cut and suck method is way beyond risky. I heard that talk when I was a kid. Hmm.
Yeah, I don’t recall giving offence to the wasp, but far out, oh yeah it was personal. Just between you and I, remember that wasp beloved willow tree where the cheeky flying brightly coloured European insects were farming aphids – which I felled about a year or so ago to thwart their nefarious plans of a free and easy sugar feed? Well maybe yesterday was pay back time? It’s hot and itchy tonight, but bull ants are worse, by a long stretch.
Ha! Powering through the aftermath of an interaction sounds like the advice of an arm chair theorist. 😉 I’ll remember your onion advice, and some enzymes can break down the proteins in a toxin for sure. I took an anti-histamine, washed the bite site in strong alcohol and the swelling reduced significantly. Whatever works is the way to go.
The bull ant sting and spray of formic acid is legendary, and right up there on the most painful of all bites. Trust me, it’s bad and the venerable onion may not cut the mustard in that particular instance. Long ago I shared a video of one of your intrepid countrymen who’d made a career of being stung on camera, and possibly regretting his decision that time! 🙂 If you’d like to see the foolish young bloke again sweating out about his complicated life choices involving insects, please let me know?
There is often mild panic at disturbing a nest of the inch long super aggressive bull ants. I hear you about the attitude, oh yeah. But then, they all hurt to a greater or lesser extent don’t they?
It’s weird, but the really small critters down under will drop you dead, but in your country, big predators roam around the forests, like bears and mountain lions etc. The outcome from such encounters, often looks the same to me, but with minor physical differences. A deadly snake has no desire to feast on the juicy bits of your limbs, whilst a bear has no way of cooking up a persons useful chunks.
I’d heard similar stories of my antecedents, yeah. That lot displaced the Picts, and around and around the movement of folks goes, although, the ginger remains. That last bit doesn’t rhyme properly…
Ha! Think of the local deportment standards being somewhat enforced by the folks over in the more fashionable end of the mountain range. See, deriving from the hillbilly central part of the extinct volcanic complex, the difference becomes immediately obvious. It’s only the really well heeled over in the more fashionable western end, who are of a caste so elevated, that they can dress down and their exalted status never comes into question. You’d be amazed at what I observe and am unable to discuss. Anywhoo, Dame Plum runs a tight ship in such matters. Never let it be said otherwise!
Mr Baby sure was a character, and I’ve not encountered a cat who didn’t occasionally exhibit a wide naughty streak.
Good to hear about the rollover bar with the Kubota. Such devices have only just been made mandatory down under, which is probably not ideal for the older equipment. I’d be almost certain that some machines, like quad bikes, are more deadlier than snakes.
Very funny, and I like the word ‘holler’. Glen is a blokes name! 😉 Although there are a few properties around these parts with ‘Glen’ this and that. It’s the mountains you know…
Maybe with the rail around the veranda, but I’m keeping one eye on the big dog, but have always had to, but for other more pragmatic reasons.
It might be a reddish orange colour, yeah. This is the local offering: Nasturtium ‘Empress of India’ How’s that compare?
🙂 Go the potatoes! And I’m facing the same issue. For all these plants popping up, there’d hopefully be some decent sized tubers. We’ll find out though sooner or later and your news is encouraging.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
It’s a bit cooler up here in the mountains, but the big smoke is set to enjoy your exact same temperature tomorrow, but without the cooler and damp change. How’s the Dame doing with the now warmer weather?
Yeah, the ever increasing price of chickens is somewhat worrying, but then feed costs are likewise going up. Bizarrely, we bulk up the home made dog food with purchased kibbles which are bought in bulk 18kg / 40 pound bags. Tell you a funny story about that product. A while ago the big box hardware store began selling the bulk bags, and that was new. So when I went to my more usual feed supplier, the manufacturer now offers an every sixth bag is free card – which is new and not previously been seen. I’ve heard stories of big box places pressuring their suppliers, yeah.
Hehe! The bloke probably didn’t want to have to sharpen the chains as they blunted throughout the day? It’s a strategy, and they did kind of all look like the same saw, bar and chain set up to me, but I didn’t get a close look. Chainsaw juggling is not as useful a skill! 😉
Thanks for the story of your yet-to-be-in-focused winter mornings! Horrid things, yeah. And possibly only the domain of extroverts? You know, dunno about you, but my nightmare job would be working breakfast radio. They’re so artificially perky, and then regularly burn out only to get replaced. Why don’t they just try toning it down a bit as an experiment? Probably makes for more pleasant listening…
Ha! After lunch, the next day. 🙂 Very funny.
It’s funny you say that about the local by-laws being unenforced, but I was having that conversation with a lovely local lady this morning. The general consensus was, much like the first rule in Fight Club, don’t annoy your neighbours. So if people in that area have roosters, and that’s been the case for a while, then everyone is good with that. Still, newcomers can upset the apple cart.
I could have roosters here, and some neighbours have kept them. It’s quite a nice rural sound.
Such things happen, and we’ve all heard of the spatial and temporal anomaly. One day Dame Avalanche is enjoying a well deserved chew, keeping out of the rain, looking forward to catching up with Killian. The next after an unwary visit to conduct her business under the crab apple tree, she finds herself hitched up – in second row – then having to pull harder than the more muscular dogs to the rear of the team. Did you see in the second photo that Dame Avalanche had her head down low and was pulling with some authority? Respect dog! Towards the end of the day, she got sucked back into the anomaly, and could have gone back to enjoying her chew, but may have promptly ditched it in favour of a well deserved rest. Nice spotting too. Dogs…
Man, I’ve still gotta hang the doors onto the shed, and then paint them. The weather over the next ten days is superb for that activity. Had to work indoors today, but mustn’t grumble for such activities keeps they err, LED lights on! 😉
A good point with the big dog. He’d look more fun, and less scary with dabs of green on his coat. But could he still properly scare the three deer I spotted way down below on the forest edge late this afternoon? By the way, he’s feeling much better today, and I have stopped the Kelpies from exuberantly jumping all over him. Not easy that, I can assure you.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Chris,
Well, these ladies also didn’t seem to know about checking for cracks and chips around the rims. So I need to be judicious with the education offered. Not, again, that I am trying to rip anyone off, and the jars are immaculate. I just think that people are suspicious and have poor judgement. Once they hear you say something should be watched out for they wrongly take it as an admission of bad faith.
Right, the yellowish coloured lids are what I called alloy. And that’s mostly what I have. Sure, I can sell lids with the jars but once unwrapped (even ones which I think haven’t been used) they oxidise really easily. And then how many uses do you get from a rubber ring? And do people even know they need clips to keep the lids on while the vacuum forms? So I’d recommend the stainless steel variety as well as buying all those accessories new. And we never had as many lids as bottles so some of them are going to have to be offered lidless.
“You’d imagine that there’d be some awe from the potential purchasers, that a local product from around seventy or eighty years ago, is still being maintained with new lids and rubber seals?” You know the word ‘philistine’ don’t you? I’d be curious to know what other people find awesome. For about two minutes.
So after >20 years of motorcycling I have learned my reflexes are really good. The number of times I have jumped off and out of the way without thinking when being hit from behind, or otherwise losing balance, is impressive. I wish i could do it in other situations. There has been one broken scaphoid (funny, my brother didn’t lecture me about that) and I will never ride without a leather jacket cause otherwise I’d probably be without a right arm by now.
I think racehorses would be great for farm work. They are so strong and fit when in training.
No rain, none on the forecast. There is not even dew, the humidity is so low.
But, @Lew, oxalis are superior to many other foraged plants! Really delicious. The larger the leaves the better return on effort. Hence my mention of them. Others I can take or leave in general and usually leave. Lamb’s quarters are fine too, though not as tasty, but better than buying lettuce at $4 per head and then having it go bad before it is finished. Likewise dandelion greens. It is pleasant when rocket naturalises and can be harvested as needed.
kallianeira
Hi Lewis,
Oh my, I’m so with you. My local telco login in does that trick too, and takes about three or four goes until – for no reason which I can discern – logs in. How can the software be that bad, that it doesn’t properly work, even if dual authentication is applied correctly? It’s such a waste of my time to have to keep repeating the process, over and over, until their system works. I dunno what to say man, is this really progress? It wasn’t all that long ago that lot used to send a bill in the mail, or at least email a copy. Nowadays I have to log into their system so as to get a copy of the bill – which had already been automatically paid because they demand direct credit access to my bank. Some things look like contempt to me.
Agreed, get rid of the excess new cookbooks and save some mad cash. Are the library shelves really in that great a need of filling? And surely churn of the contents wasn’t as rapid as it appears to be today?
Strangely enough, I’m starting to encounter a lot of utoob videos which look to me as if they are generated by arty-fish-al intelligence. Death of the interweb, tee minus five, and counting! 😉
It’s funny you mentioned the lack of a suggestion facility. Hmm. One of the goobermint authoritas which purportedly is meant to represent our professional interests, but appears to me to be gathering fees for their pays, sent out a survey. Like I’ve got nothing better to do. Anywhoo, I ignored it, but then! They came back a week or so later with an email saying I hadn’t completed the survey. Hmm, talk about a red flag right there, so presumably the thing is hardly anonymous. Me, being me, I took a look at the questions and noted that they appeared carefully curated and had no place for me to supply helpful unsolicited feedback like, say: What is it that you lot do for us again?
Hey, I just said that last line fast, and heard ‘do-for-us’ as ‘dofus’! 🙂 Substituting that word descends the feedback into the world of the absurd and would give them a wonderful mystery! Personally, I’m dubious of any survey which can track the results to an individual, and have seen that happen in a workplace. Sometimes the demographics questions are so probing, that it becomes obvious who completed the thing. Bland feedback with a side serving of no candid opinions ensues!
Ha! The west highland terrier was made famous by that advertisement, you know the one! Back in the day, it was everywhere, and may even have had a natty jingle, or three. 🙂 We’re off to get a pizza, the wonderful pizza of Oz! Who could forget that ditty?
I’d heard that a similar thing has occurred with poodles which can have some interesting congenital issues. Yup, it’s an old story, and I’d suggest that the bees received similar treatment at the hands of their humans. Oh well… Time will sort out the mess.
The Cav’s are super chilled dogs, until they discover something to chase. Yeah, that urban myth about the breed being able to go anywhere due to a royal fiat, was pretty funny. Hey, I’ve noticed that dogs are now allowed into the big box hardware store. I’ll bet they discover some landmines in the aisles from time to time. The staff would have a secret language to call for a clean up crew too over the loudspeaker. Plumbing to code four in aisle sixteen 🙂
Ollie is doing better again today, although I’ve had to stop the Kelpies from jumping all over him first thing in the morning – what I’d describe as a ra-ra moment. Not as easy to do as you’d imagine. Anyway, the big dog is walking around just fine, although he leans slightly more heavily on his right leg.
That question bothers me too. And since he’s been on the glucosamine and his joints feel better, he forgets his age. Ah, costs and benefits… Today and yesterday, he walks strictly to heel and has to ignore all else. He’s feeling better than the oldest chicken who passed away this morning though. She was a light Sussex breed who got to about eight years, which is a pretty good innings for that breed.
I’d been aware that the chook was on her home run, and was unsurprised, although she did enjoy some breakfast oats in milk this morning. Whilst carrying the carcass to the worm farm, trying to lighten the mood, I said to the Editor: She moved! Man,tell ya what, I scored a look for that cheeky effort. And then there were eight, all of which are pretty healthy. After a while the cold nights are hard on the older chickens.
We did paid work all day long today. A busy day. The weather outside looked truly superb, warm, calm and sunny. The plants are loving the conditions, and you can even get a hint of vegetation breaking down (to a smaller extent) like what a person experiences in the tropics.
Prolonged spell of unseasonable warmth for large parts of southern Australia
Tomatoes struggled in this corner of the globe too early on last season. Just not enough heat, and then too much, then lots of rain. Not ideal growing conditions for that fruit. I’m hardly surprised that you too are seeing prices on the up. By the way, I’ve mentioned just stopping watering in the greenhouse for the tomato vines, and that strategy has worked a treat. The slowly ripening fruit (which was the only lot that survived due to the hail storm) has almost provided us with a normal harvest – to which we’re dehydrating every couple of days. What do they say about necessity being the mother of invention?
Oxalis is forever! Oh yeah, I so hear you about that. 🙂
Hard to believe, but it was about the same temperatures here today, and may actually be warmer over night! Crazy stuff.
Man, I can’t not see Woody in that painting.
Hmm. Did the author say how the dictionary keepers go about tracking changes in words and meanings?
🙂 Well done, and no doubts the book kept you up into the wee hours! Interesting regarding the question as to language. Hmm. I may go back and re-read: ‘On Writing’, next. I wonder if the abstract construct which we call language, is thought of as so common place, that nobody noticed the master at his crafting work? Yet possibly sensed the art instead? It is not lost on me that the words: spell; spelled; and spelt, have different meanings. Hmm.
Thank you for the introduction to Amy Tan, and dare I mention it, but sometimes difficult parent/s can be a catalyst for a journey.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Kallianeira,
True, and there is the old saying of: Caveat emptor. The glass bottles aren’t really fit for purpose if they have chips on the rims, or cracks anywhere. But that does not suggest that the bottles are no good, they can have other uses.
That’s a tough one, and I bow to your judgement. People can be a bit put off by such words, but then on the other hand, if they are seasoned preservers they probably know what they are doing.
You piqued my curiosity, as to what metal the yellow lids were made of – which I’d always thought of being predominantly tin, but could be wrong. I noticed that the current advice is to use the stainless steel lids for high acid foods. Perhaps it was my imagination, but their stocks were low, and many lid sizes were unavailable. Hmm. Looks like a tin plate over steel, which now has a coloured lacquer coating.
And we’re of one mind here – yes, how many times can the rubber rings be re-used, and I’d suggest that the answer is: It depends! 😉 I treat the rings with kid gloves and they have a long life, but they do say to dispose of them.
Thanks for the laughs regarding the clips. It’s a system which requires all of the parts.
Oh well, everyone has an opinion, and people do like their new stuff. Tried and tested is how I’d prefer things. We’ll have to wait and see what the future has to say about this matter, for it shall.
Respect, and I too was one of those who’d always head out with a leather jacket, even on super hot summer days. Once you were moving on the bike, it was OK. Deft work too.
Yes, there is a massive north west heat band stretching across the continent. Warm and dry here too at the moment. I’m not at all sure that I’d prefer the eastern side along the coastline of the range from where you are. The heat and humidity…
Cheers
Chris
@ Kallianeira – I’ll stick with Shot Weed (aka: Hairy Bittercress, etc., etc..). We’e got plenty of that around, too! 🙂 Lew
Yo, Chris – You’re fortune is made! 🙂
https://youtu.be/OFTHp4Cda7U?si=eWPvAdBJOSTXjjY6
There are also (or, were) zinc canning lids.
I wonder if those endless log on attempts, are some misguided intentional attempt at more layers of security? Not that we’d ever know, for sure.
The cookbooks are often some miracle diet to address some physical problem. Or, a celebrity (cooking or otherwise) cookbook. New riffs on some ethnic cuisine, or another. What’s wrong with centuries of tried and true? Some trendy restaurants cookbook. I occasionally am intrigued enough, to place a hold and take a look. But not very often. And it’s rare that I want to add something, to my collection.
I just happened to fill out a survey, last night. Once a year, the folks that send us the commodity food box, want feedback. That one, I bothered with.
By the way, I signed up this morning for the yearly card, that seniors can use at farmer’s markets. Last year it was $80. I thought with inflation, and all, maybe it would be more this year. But, no. Oh, well. Every little bit helps. That might get me a flat and a half of blueberries. Maybe.
I also got my new rent amount, that will kick in the first of June. Only went up $12. I’m well aware that double my rent would only get me a room in someone’s house, at least in this area.
Westie dogs in popular culture. I wonder if this article is a i ? I noticed it says that the dog, in the “Thin Man” series (Asta), was a Westie. Au contraire.
https://petreader.net/what-is-the-history-of-west-highland-white-terriers-in-pop-culture/
All this talk of King Charles Spaniels reminded me of a movie. “Restoration.” A young man thinks he’s been appointed the king’s personal physician. Nope. He’s been appointed personal physician to … the dogs. 🙂 That was a great movie. It’s got the plague! It’s got the London fire! I wonder if the library still has a copy? Oh, boo. Don’t know. Library catalog is down.
Sad about the old hen, passing on. Sounds like she had good innings. Was she the boss chicken, or had she retired from the pecking order field? Maybe it was a palace coup, and someone done her? Were you tempted to bury her in the Pet Sematary? 🙂
Speaking of which … I read some more of “Monsters in the Archives,” last night. King really pays attention to the way words sound, to his readers. I shows in his edits. It’s a good read. There’s also some insights into King, as a person, due to the back and forth between her and King.
How do dictionaries track changes in word meaning? Well, here ya’ go. This is the company that the author of the dictionary book, is working for.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq-words-into-dictionary
Our high yesterday was 57F (13.88C). Our overnight low was a steady 50F (10C). Our forecast high for today is 57F. H and I got pretty wet, this morning. But, starting late tonight, we’ll have a run of good weather.
I’ve read a few of Amy Tan’s books, and seen the movies, made from them. Good stuff. She was a member of King’s rock group, “Rock Bottom Remainders.”
https://w.wiki/M3QD
And, coming this summer (finally) is the movie we’ve all been waiting for … “Coyote vs. Acme.”
https://youtu.be/iKSj6OhSV7s?si=a3iRud2Pm2KxlUQM
Oddly, the film was “in the can” and the studio that made it decided not to release it. Hollywood! Who knows why. They finally just. sold it off to another studio. Given the subject matter, and if I were prone to conspiracy theories … 🙂 Lew
@ Lew:
That is very practical and certainly simplifies that part of your life. I have “uniforms” that I wear when I go into town (don’t worry at home) so that I don’t have to think about what I am going to wear, except if it’s for hot or cold weather.
And the blue – hat: I forgot about your love of blue flowers. You want to be coordinated.
Pam
@ DJSpo:
“I’ll do it because I want to, not because you tell me to.” – that I believe, the minx.
Forty pounds is to me about an in-the-middle dog weight, especially if you leave out the little squeaky ones. Something else strange I remember seeing was that some of the sled dog races I watched (not sure if it was the Iditarod) had hound dog types and setters pulling. I’ve never figured out how they stood the cold.
Pam
Chris:
You know, out of your whole population, “About 1,600 Australians are hospitalised every year due to a snake or spider bite or a sting from an insect or sea creature.” doesn’t sound like too many. I thought a pressure bandage was like a tourniquet; thanks for clearing that up. It is incredible that the bandage can slow the venom down so much. I shall have to check into that thing.
Who knew that octopuses could bite?
Thank goodness we don’t have bull ants. Perhaps a Bull Arab might be able to help? No thank you! I remember that bloke and I couldn’t watch the whole thing the first time!
Oh, yes – I have known people who died on quad bikes. I worry about seatbelts on these machines. You may remember this, though I only remember because at the time the whole band lived here. They had (maybe still have) a studio down the dirt road that splits off from our road.
“LeRoi Moore, the founding saxophonist for the Dave Matthews Band, died on August 19, 2008, at age 46, due to complications from injuries sustained in an ATV (4-wheeler) accident. The accident occurred on June 30, 2008, on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia, and he later died in Los Angeles.”
Oh, yes – I have grown that nasturtium! I had forgotten about it. Now I can’t find my nasturtium seeds to tell you the name of this other one. They’re here somewhere . . .
We had a frost a couple of days ago. Some of the fig trees suffered a bit of damage, but most are fine. My tomato plants did fine. My son knows people who work at a couple of vineyards near us and one of them said that the entire grape crop was lost. I thought of you and your hail, but imagine the tragedy of losing your livelihood for the year at one swoop.
Pam
@ Pam,
I’ve seen some of those other breeds in Iditerod pictures and other races also. I’ve had the same questions about the cold as you have.
DJSpo
Chris,
The Dame is enjoying laying about in the sun for a few hours daily. Then, when she gets hot, she retires indoors in the cool and sleeps some more. Then she slept indoors most of today due to the rain. Such a hard life she has!
We have similar things here with dog kibble and many other things. With the dog kibble, well, I can go to 4 stores and see 4 very different prices for the exact same bag of kibble. But when I look for other things, still 4 different prices, but a different store has the lowest price.
Heck, the loaf of bread we buy is cheapest at malwort, 2nd cheapest at a small regional grocery chain, and outrageously priced at a national grocery chain. I guess it’s a matter of each chain prioritizing different things.
Extroverts have no idea how difficult they are for introverts. Nor do they appear to know how to slow it down.
Yes, after lunch, the next day. 🙂 I always started slowly on the rare Mondays that I worked. A good Viking learns to avoid any scheduled paid work on Mondays. 😉
Yup, there are rules and little niggly bylaws and then there are neighbors being human and working together for the greater good of the local area. Whoa unto the neighbor who pushes the limits while also treating his neighbors badly.
For many months, one bloke in the neighborhood had a 3 meter tall inflatable politician. Everybody either liked it or somewhat tolerated it. However, when he began loudly berating passing pedestrians of different ethnic background than he had, things went badly for the inflatable politician. It would spring leaks. The leaks would get repaired. New leaks appeared, ad inifinitum. He eventually removed the inflatable politician and related things. If he hadn’t acted like a jerk and insulted his neighbors? Who knows, but acting the jerk signified the end of people tolerating the inflatable politico.
I like the roosters, unless they are too close to my home and too loud. As you said, they have a good rural sound. I can also hear train whistles from across town to the east, from downtown, and west across the river. That’s another sound that I’ve long enjoyed.
Yes, I saw that the Dame Avalanche of the photos was engrossed in the job at hand. Give a working dog a job to do and the dog will be happier. Our yard is large enough that there is a myriad of things for her to sniff and explore. There’s enough activity in the alley and the street for her to take notice and be the “big bad wolf” of her yard. She has taken on that mantle as her job and really gets into it.
Perhaps with dabs of green and black on his coat, Big Ollie might blend into the background just enough to be able to get closer to the deer before they knew he was there. That would scare them extra. Of course, the deer quickly notice movement. They also tend to know where humans and other potential unfriendlies are, probably have the wind to their advantage also.
The big dogs like Ollie and Killian the Red can have a rough go of it simply because of their size. Prone to some of those weirder naggy injuries because of their size. The Kelpies and that size dog likely wouldn’t get hurt from some of the things that injure the larger dogs. There also seems to be an agility, some flexibility, that the mid sized dogs have in abundance that the larger breeds don’t have. Hmmm, probably the Kelpies and the huskies do yoga when the humans are sound asleep. 😉
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Yeah, it’s not too many, and more people are killed by sharks whilst surfing. It happens often enough down under, and there’s always an outcry, and yet people get back into the water. Apparently the pressure bandage works well at slowing the movement of the venom, who knew? Should mention that I believe that the bandage is meant to be tight, but not too tight.
Oh yeah, that species would be the very deadly Blue-ringed octopus. The jellyfish pack a punch too, and one of the last times I swam in the ocean, I’d drifted into a school of jellyfish and scored a rash. I then spent the rest of the triathlon wondering whether I’d just been poisoned. Turns out it was OK.
Poor Ollie, just like the Kelpies, and us, can occasionally be stung by those rotten ants. Long ago I worked out that the insects don’t like humic acid, so if that’s not incentive for building top soil, I don’t know what is! 🙂 The young bloke on the video sure looked nervous, as well he should! A strange way to earn a living if you ask me. Definitely that made for uncomfortable watching.
That was one famous band to have living down the road! 🙂 I’d not heard of the accident, but they’re pretty common, thus the now mandatory rollover bars and I avoid those machines. The only time I’ve used one, the high centre of gravity stood out to me, and I handed the machine back.
The famous English comedian Rik Mayall was trapped underneath his quad bike.
Ha! Did you discover the whereabouts of the missing nasturtium seeds? They’re edible you know, and do taste close to capers, which is a vegetable I don’t really enjoy the taste of.
Hey, I did lots of paid work today, but managed to finish off the barn doors, and then hang them both on the new shed. Looking sharp!
Plants are pretty tough, and fig trees tend to produce their flowers / fruits a bit later in the season as well. Tomato plants can bounce back as well from frost. That’s awful about the nearby vineyard loss, and agriculture is an uncertain business.
We grow edibles for our own consumption, as distinct from them an income source, and if the crop gets wiped out, it’s bad, but not the end of the world. The wider economic arrangements on the other hand are hardly supportive of a farmer having their entire crops wiped out. Hmm.
Your son is wise to have a wide variety of those plants, in that something will work.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
The Dame is wisely marshalling her energy reserves during less than fluffy optimal weather. It’s a commendable strategy, and no doubts the Husky wonders why the humans rush here and there in hot weather! Sir Poopy the equally hairy fur ball of yesteryear, used to find the coolest spots on hot days, and then wait out the sun. Even after his coat was clipped short, he still wasn’t excited about summer down under.
That pricing strategy wears me out, for I simply don’t have the time (or inclination) to troll through the various retailers, to discover which has the cheapest prices.
Thanks for the laughs – malwort indeed! 🙂 Man, the cheapest option of all is to bake your own loaves. But I get your point, it is about what products a shop will prioritise so as to get customers in the door. That’s the so called ‘loss leaders’, and I believe that often the suppliers are forced to wear the cost of the discounts.
Extroverts exist in a social milieu which I feel to be rather baffling. For them, more people = greater energy, but for introverts, that equation results in the opposite outcome, which is lesser energy.
Yeah, with a Monday, any Viking worth his salt, knows that the patterns aren’t right for raiding and pillaging! Better to wait a day. 😉
People are people, and most neighbours are pretty good, but in life we do get to sometimes enjoy the worst of the worst, and hope such folks move away sooner, rather than later. They usually always do. Man, some of our esteemed fellows, are real bad eggs.
Western culture is weirdly biased towards escalation, as that inflatable fellow kind of demonstrated. As a thought experiment, if I couldn’t avoid him, I’d straight out ask him if: ‘he were bored, or what?’ and be blunt about it. Harassing locals would put the bloke on my un-friend list
Man, it’s funny you mention the train whistles, but when the steam locomotive runs down the main line very occasionally, you can hear it from here. You’d be amazed at how many folks turn out to watch the old locomotive and carriages roll past the nearby bridges and station. Usually only Sundays, of course. The drivers have to keep their hours up. It’s a pleasant sound isn’t it?
🙂 Dogs enjoy having a sense of purpose yeah, plus something to keep their active minds engaged. Ruby has a very large bone which she shifts from place to place, and around lunchtime I she was dragging it around to who knows where!
It was such a lovely day here. Warm, sunny and hardly any breeze. Ollie and Ruby helped me to finish, and then install the barn doors on the new shed. We were all very pleased with the results, and may slap a coat of paint on them both tomorrow. Dame Plum on the other hand, accompanied the Editor when they both visited another local for a chat, and gratefully accepted a lot of garden produce.
I’m unhappy about this latest deer incursion, and they may yet get to experience my deep displeasure. Hopefully they go elsewhere, or the trigger happy neighbour deals with the critters. Reality may be otherwise. At least this trio take Ollie and I seriously.
I like your thinking with the dog yoga! Ollie is back to his plucky self today, but must walk to heel at all times, and more importantly must accept the word of the year: calm. Not easy when there are two excitable Kelpies around. Oh well. I agree with all of your points and observations regarding larger dogs.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Man, that juggling guy is a legend. You could see the concentration he was putting into the effort, and also the point at which the activity began getting increasingly difficult for his brain to manage. You wouldn’t, and please excuse the inadvertent pun, catch (!) me doing that activity.
Zinc lids may be a US thing, and they do make a lot of sense. It’s worth noting, that the land of stuff has really pushed the price of stainless steel down through sheer scale and maybe some other pertinent stuff. Tell ya a funny story about that lot, looking at prices for some of the new lithium batteries, I get the impression that perhaps they’re dumping product below cost. It’d be hard to compete against that country.
Ha! The endless failed log in attempts probably frustrate hackers as much as it does you and I. It might well be a strategy, or just really dodgy coding. You’re right though, we wouldn’t know.
Speaking of adopting low tech stuff, I finally bit the metaphorical bullet and purchased another old vintage amplifier from the early 1990’s -a nice looking Yamaha for $200. Probably needs to be fixed up, but then so does my current machine. The good thing about equipment that age, is that it is actually good, cheap, and usually repairable, not that there are many folks around who know how to do that these days… I could probably earn a living doing that work, but the customer complaints would drive me loopy, and they’d want the work done on the cheap. Unless a person can do the work themselves, the return on investment is not all that great. Unless! you have a collector / patron with super deep pockets. A rare beast, as you’d know from the tat days.
Anywhoo, we’ll see how it goes when the thing turns up and I can make an assessment of what is required to be repaired. But the bigger thing is that having a spare old machine, if I break one, then there is the other one still going. I do use the machine most days.
Who was the old ancient Greek bloke who made that nifty observation regarding food being thy medicine? He didn’t write a cookbook, did he? 😉 I’m just being silly, but I get that need. The thing is, by the time the health problem is well established, a change of diet may not be adequate to the task of fixing the issue. I read today that apparently bowel cancer is up with young folks in your country, and probably down here as well.
I’m with you, there’s something to be said about respecting the tried and true recipes. Novelty with food, does not intrigue me, but then I grew up hearing the threat – yes, it was a threat – only boring people get bored, now here’s a job for you to do! Scary stuff, and made absolutely certain that boredom was never an option!
On that note, I did heaps of paid work today, and then spent a few hours in the truly spectacular midday sunshine, finishing off construction of the new barn doors (I added about 100 wood screws to the doors, and then they were hung on the shed. Feelin’ good man. The plan is to get some paint on the doors tomorrow, a first coat at least.
The weather is going to continue in this manner for the next week. Might do some more painting too on the side of the cantina shed – that’s the white one next to the new firewood shed. It’s a sweet design, but needs a bit of basic maintenance, like a coat of paint. The Editor got the high pressure hose on the walls today, and may paint a side of that shed tomorrow. We’ll see, I was hoping to have a day off work, but hope springs infernal, or that’s what they tell me. 😉
Yeah, that’s my strategy as well. Complete surveys, when they count towards something which is of concern to you. Other than that, they can get lost.
Well, foodflation is real, but who knows what your $80 will score. And you completed the years supply of blueberries last summer just fine and the card worked a treat. Fingers crossed!
It’s a sweet deal your digs, and if I recall correctly, things were looking a bit dicey a while back till you secured the place. Stability is a lovely thing. Seems that rents are eye-poppingly expensive everywhere. Leaves me with an attack of the vapours thinking about that.
I’d forgotten the westie in Tintin. I loved that cartoon, and read many of those books in my misbegotten youth. The Thin Man series was unknown to me. An interesting plot.
Oh poop, did the library catalogue bounce back into life again?
Just watched the trailer for the Restoration film, and must say that Robert Downey Jr has had a very long and successful career.
Ha! Very funny, I’d prefer if the undead remained quiet and out of the way. Pesky nuisances, if you ask me. The thing with a Pet Semetary, it’s like a constant background temptation. Fortunately, I’m informed of the outcomes from messing around with that, and nope, ’twas the worm farm for the old chook. The wriggling long bodied soil critters can take the head just as easily as Woody’s patented double tap methodology.
Interesting, and you’ve inspired me to return to ‘On Writing’ for the next book read. Well formed sentences can produce a lovely cadence. But also, the more I’ve learned and observed about personality types over the years, it now occurs to me that an authors voice doesn’t necessarily gel with everyone. And what you said about Mr King’s choice and arrangement of words (plus also the characters are always approachable, even when evil) hits a wide target. It would be difficult to stay grounded in that space, and personally I’d avoid reviews and critiques! 🙂 That’d help matters for sure!
Dude, how is it warmer here than at your place? What the heck? Where is your spring?
The Remainders – ‘roadhouse money’, love it! Actually, the list of songs covered were pretty good choices, and yeah man, we needed some street cred, or at least know how to stay in key, so we called The Boss. As you do… Boss came. He played, we rocked! 🙂 Fun times for those folks! And what a list of characters.
The Acme film looks mad, in a fun way.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Juggling chainsaws. Wouldn’t want to get distracted. And, it always seems there’s some wag who works at breaking people’s concentration, on this task or that. There’s probably a circle of hell …
Most of the zinc lids I saw, were pretty badly corroded. One of the entries I saw when peering down the rabbit hole said, now, they’re mostly used in attempts at authenticity … and usually not to store canned stuff. A lot of old canning jars are used to store dry things, sometimes, more as decor. Nicks and dings in the rims, don’t make much difference, in those cases.
Old tat trade (and cook’s) trick. You can usually feel a nick, even if it’s hard to see. That also applies to glass antiques or collectibles.
I was talking to a fellow, working the counter, at the Club last night. Someone I’ve known for awhile. He also is really “into” amplifiers. I think he does minor repair work, but maybe, not to the extent you do. He also a good car mechanic.
Makes his living working for a guy who has some storage spaces, and, a U-Haul rental business.
Another interesting character at the Club, is Terri. He took a hiatus, during the recent “troubles” at the Club, but is now back. He’s 83, and is a Viet Nam vet, and then he was a fire captain, in one of the big cities, up north. He usually has a service dog, with him, though I’ve never inquired as to the reason. I’ve known Terri and his wife for a long time. At first I didn’t like him. Until I realized it was probably because our personalities are kind of similar. Cranky 🙂
Hippocrates. Yes, there’s been several articles about the rise of bowel cancer, among young folks. Also, pancreatic cancer. In past, I never heard of people dying from that. Now, I’ve known several people, second hand, who have. It’s a relatively quick killer. From diagnosis to death, about six months. In both cases, the suspected culprit is … highly processed foods.
Well, as I’ve often said, “Boredom is a lack of imagination.” (Lew, ©️).
Hmmm. What to paint the barn doors? Of course, there are flights of fancy. 🙂 But, I think, given the exterior is that rich chocolate brown, I’d paint the doors in a dark brown, but not the exact shade of the shed. With tan as a contrasting color. Just a suggestion.
Well, if it weren’t for the frozen blueberries I found at Winco, last year’s frozen blueberry crop would have been pretty light. At least this year, I should get some from the bushes, here at the Institution. If they get enough water.
There were 6 “Thin Man” movies, between 1934 and 1947. Over the years, I’ve probably seen them all. Either as reruns on TV, or, at the old Lombard Theatre. William Powell and Myrna Loy. Nick and Nora Charles. A sort of running joke was that Nick often had to rely on previous underworld connections, from before his marriage, to solve a crime. So, these characters would turn up with outrageous underworld nick names. They always treated Nora with respect, in their own ways. And she, in turn, took them in her stride, and also offered them respect. The whole series was a hoot.
The library catalog finally straightened itself out. But, alas, they no longer have a copy of “Restoration.” Downey Jr. is a great actor. He went through a rough patch (drugs, alcohol), and I was relieved when he “got with the program,” and leveled off. At one point, he was near unemployable, in Hollywood.
In the book about Stephen King, we’re now onto “Night Shift.” Or as I call it, “Stephen King, the College Years.” 🙂 A lot of the stories from that book, have their roots in that period of his life. King is only 2 years older than me, so, as far as the background noise of that period, we’re pretty contemporary.
Another book I picked up, that you mind find of interest, is “The Self-Fed Farm and Garden: A Return to the Roots of the Organic Method.” (Coleman, Eliot: 2025). It’s not that big of a book, less than 200 pages. But, pretty interesting.
https://w.wiki/M6NR
Our high yesterday was 54F (12.22C). Our overnight low was 39F (3.88C). Our forecast high for today is 64F. We’re going to get a long run of nice days. Oh, spring is definitely here. Our red rhododendrons are getting ready to bloom. I noticed some of the blueberries, are beginning to flower.
I read a book about the Rock Bottom Remainders, a few years back. “Mid-life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Cords and an Attitude.” They actually got a tour bus, and hit the road, from New England, down through the south and back again. Lew
Chris:
I would say that the octopus’s blue rings are a dead giveaway. We always had to watch out for jellyfish on our family vacations to Galveston Island in the Gulf of Mexico in my youth (I do not prescribe to the thought that it is now the Gulf of America). When were you in a triathlon?
That is why we don’t have 4-wheeler (you would think we would among all these machines). The Kubota mower sits tight to the ground. That was a tragic event for Rik Mayall. He’s lucky he recovered. Sad, though, that it left him with epilepsy. I had forgotten that a hard blow can cause epilepsy. We had a dog that had it once; he came to us that way.
I forgot to look for the nastutiums; I saw them just the other day. I have never tasted a nasturtium seed because I am always too desperate to save them for planting.
I’ll bet “looking sharp”!
What do you do with your chicken litter? I composted it when we had chickens so long ago.
And can you buy incandescent light bulbs in Australia? We not only can’t buy them, the cost of the replacement bulbs quadrupled in price when the incandescents were banned some years ago. All these eco-friendly ones hurt my eyes. At least I have learned to work more in natural light.
Pam
Hi Pam,
Blue is a friendly colour! 🙂 Those cheeky crazy deadly-as octopuses are perhaps somewhat misunderstood, but then I’m not one for ocean swimming these days.
The jelly fish tend to travel in vast groups too, but wise of you to be alert for them as a youth. Sometimes the water seems like such a placid place, but there sure are hidden dangers out there. I’d suggest that more people are killed by sharks down under than bears in your country, maybe. Hang on, let’s check this out. Oh, looks like somewhere between one and three per year for the bears, but closer to an average of 1 to 2 which is about the same for snakes down under. Sharks appear to be marginally more dangerous at an average of 3 per year. The statistics suggest that it is possibly more dangerous driving a vehicle, if you ask me.
My triathlon days were purely the mini events which I did for about four or five years, with 1000ft ocean swim, 5 mile bike ride and 1.2 mile run. The swim was my weakest activity, and I had to work doubly hard to make up the lost time on the bike and run. My preferred sport was the distance run, of which I’d been doing competitively since the more English than the English grammar school. It’s a humbling experience because despite being good, there were always people who were better. 🙂 A good metaphor for life really.
By the way, the ever increasing insurance costs killed off that sport. And for a few years during the recession of the early 90’s I didn’t own a car, and got around everywhere on a bicycle and thought nothing of the long distances involved. Few people rode bikes in those days, and there is a tendency towards quite an aggressive culture from some participants in that activity these days which I disapprove of.
I’m 100% with you, four wheeler quad bikes are not for I as well. The centre of gravity is way too high for my liking. You would think that you’d have one, and kudos for appreciating the risk – especially on sloping land. Kubotas have a nice wide wheel base. And the low centre of gravity ride on mowers we use are like go-karts in that a person sits really low, and they can travel safely on some crazy angles. The machines can do more than I want to push them, if you know what I mean.
Dogs having fits can be a bit scary, at first. How did you go when you first experienced the pooch having a fit? Dame Plum has had a few many years ago now, and who knows what the future holds in store? We reckon it was the mushroom content in the scats she foolishly dined upon, due to the timing of the fits – which we recorded on the advice of a vet. A pattern emerged. So, we spent the past three winters reducing the sources for the concentration of fungi. Hmm. Seems to have helped, as does a daily dosing of fish oil.
Hehe! It happens, and respect, it is an unwise activity to consume one’s store of seeds for the next growing season. Candidly, there are better things to eat. Who even likes capers?
Put the first coat of white glossy paint on the barn doors today. The first coat always takes the longest. And in a fit of enthusiasm, the Editor began re-painting the Cantina shed (the formerly white shed next to the new firewood shed) a darker woodland grey colour. The weather for the next eight days is perfect for painting. Dry, warm and not too hot or windy. It’s glorious out there.
Ah! An intriguing question. So in the hen house, we use sugar cane mulch to line the nesting boxes, floor and sleeping ledges. Everyday, I clean any chook poop away by sweeping it onto the straw lined floor. Then all that stuff gets mixed up, so that it smells fairly neutral and stays dry. Any whiff of ammonia, means that you’re losing precious nitrogen to the atmosphere, but dry you don’t get the usual chicken stench.
As that stuff in the hen house gets soiled, it is moved into the attached run. All feed, weeds, kitchen scraps etc. also go into that area. Half is concrete, and the other half is a deep litter mulch which the chooks can dust bathe in. I sweep any stuff on the concrete into the mulch pit, and then mix that up and aerate it everyday. The same rule about nitrogen applies. If it smells, that’s a bad thing. And last year I was unable to turn the material over for two days, and what a stink! Other than that, there is little smell.
Everyday, a tub of that material from the mulch pit, gets thrown around the orchards. A lot of fertility gets randomly placed here. I won’t use it yet in the vegetable beds, mostly because it encourages a super weedy environment. But may have to do that in the future.
Hmm. Out of curiosity, would you say that the eco-friendly bulbs which hurt your eyes have a blue-white glow, or a more yellow glow? Or maybe both hurt? I find the LED mains powered lights are pretty good, although I prefer a dimmer lit room for some reason, dunno why. Everyone is different on that front.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Well, yeah. I like that idea, a special reserved place for them in the pits of hell! 🙂 Some folks have dark hearts and souls that just wanna see other people fail at arduous activities. There’s also the element of carelessness too, or maybe naivety at the potential risks with an activity, and we have a firm rule about whomever is up the ladder, is not to be disturbed. Both of us have fallen once, and were OK, except spare a thought for the Editor who landed in a dog poop and was quite bruised for a few days. Nah, we take those tools very seriously. Fortunately we were both young enough to learn, and were largely unharmed.
Yeah, the tin alloy lids also showed a lot of corrosion. The contents are often highly acidic, so it’s stainless steel and glass, or forget it. You really need the acidity to ensure the environment is so toxic, that the sealed contents remain sort of stable, for a while.
The fingers can detect the imperfections in the glass much easier than they are seen, oh yeah. And I’d not realised that it would be used in the tat trade as well, but it makes a lot of sense. Did you get anyone trying to pass off damaged items as if they were in mint condition?
I’ve got a great deal of respect for people who can fix old things, like cars and amps. Is the bloke laconic, or is he usually up for a chat? Man, the funny thing is that I could have just bought an equivalent new amp for about $650. Probably better in many ways, as it will be trouble free. I don’t actually know what condition this second hand thing will be in, until it arrives and I can put it on the bench. And I was a bit more random about the end choice than you’d imagine. Price, condition, seller feedback, brand reputation all played into the decision, but ultimately availability is a major determinant. It could be a complete lemon! But usually the stuff from Yamaha of that era is pretty decent, but dunno.
Mostly it’s a hobby doing the repairs, but there is also an element of admiration for the past creations, which can be expressed through the restoration process. Sounds a bit hoity-toity when typed out like that, but it is kind of true! Or at least that’s my take on it.
Good to see that some of the stalwarts are returning to the Club in the post-chaos era. Mate, if I hadn’t seen similar things happen with groups… Hmm. Aprons. So weird… Ha! Dunno, but Terri sounds like the kind of guy you’d want with you in a knife fight. Funnily enough, I’m aware of people who have their dogs with them at work, but have never known anyone with a service dog. They’re not much of a thing down under for some reason. Your gut feeling is what mine is saying as well, if you need to know the reason, Terri will tell you, and not one minute beforehand.
Hehe! We’ve all been there, and some of the most interesting people I know, took quite a while to warm to. Another way to think about cranky, is not putting up with other peoples poop! 🙂 Long ago the Editor used to say I was a bit quick to judge with new people, but then I’d retort by pointing out that casually insulting me during an introduction is a red flag. The other party usually gets nettled that their favourite tactic gets stomped harshly. And I’d suggest to the Editor that if the sale isn’t good, the after sales service will be worse. But people can interpret my reaction as being all rather prickly, but hey, you know what my grandfather would call such folks! 😉 Life is a bit short…
Oh, that’s the bloke. A clever ancient gentleman to have made that observation. Yeah, I’m hearing rumours about the highly processed foods too. Oh well, there may be no other way to feed 8 billion people. And it’s hard not to notice the almost unmentioned apocalypse which is going on right now with synthetic fertiliser availability – which I don’t use, but probably benefit from, like say with bulk flour, dairy, chicken feed etc. Nobody resides upon an island!
Nice one, and well worth the copyright. It depends though, I didn’t grow up being fed from screens, and books have always been a big thing with me. Dunno how other folks are on that front, but patience is also somewhat an at risk skill these days.
Oh poop! The barn doors received their first coat of glossy white high quality plastic paint today (water based). We had a day off work, and so I spent three hours hand painting with a brush, the first coat on the doors. And the Editor in a pique of sheerest enthusiasm, began repainting the large white Cantina shed next to the new firewood shed. That’ll be a woodland grey colour. And weirdly, the change in colour from white to woodland grey has produced an optical effect which kind of makes the courtyard appear smaller. Dunno what is going on there. A mystery. Have you ever seen that visual effect happen?
Anyway, with another two or three days off work, that painting job should be completed. 😉 Actually the weather is driving that activity, it’s just perfect for the next eight days. Hard to complain about that.
We went for a late lunch at a nearby pub over in the eastern end of the mountain range. A tasty chicken parma (the ultimate pub feed) with chips and veg, plus a pint of quite strong lemon cider. Had to come home and have a nap after that tasty feed. A real food coma. We’d been meaning to try the pub for a while, but the Editor usually has a lot of activities with her friends, and finances stretch only so far. Here’s the place, the side garden was delightful: The 1860 Romsey. That town hasn’t had a pub for about seven years due to someone else wanting to install a whole heap of one arm bandits in an establishment further up the road – which the local council rejected but the legal fees cost the locals heaps. Good to see another business stepping into the gap created.
You’re right, those well timed frozen blueberries filled up the stores.
Sounds like a fun series of films, and the premise is sound advice. Mostly, such folks desire respect. Guides a person’s reactions does it not?
Good to hear that the library catalogue finally coughed up its digital fur ball. 😉
Oh yes, short stories have to make every word count. Please note I could have added the additional word of ‘every’, and the sentence would have looked more like this:Oh yes, short stories have to make every single word count. On Writing advised against that addition, but here I must also blame Inge for her drill lesson upon the gentle art of concision! I can’t not hear that! The short stories are a fine way to craft ideas and hooks. And I loved the idea of the Dollar Deal. What an awesome idea!
Thanks for introducing me to Eliot Coleman. A very interesting dude and with many ideas which I’d concur. I’m not trying to make mad cash growing edibles though, that’s what the day job is for. If no day job, then well, it’ll be bad for everyone else too at a wild guess.
Lewis, it is very strange that the temperatures here are warmer than in your part of the world. We had a very cold and damp spring last year, and it was hard on the plants.
Ha! Things that happen on the tour bus… That would have been one fun as trip.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Did someone say octopus? I saw this, yesterday. That’s a heck of a lot of calamari. Though, I see calamari is squid. Soon to be a major horror movie.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/23/science/giant-octopus-cretaceous-study-scli-intl
The Editor vs. dog poop. Clearly, the parrots were not doing their job. You might want to bring that up at their next employee evaluation. 🙂
I wouldn’t say I remember any intentional effort to pass off a damaged item. But, sellers often couldn’t seem to grasp the concept that a damaged item wouldn’t bring top dollar. Or that I wouldn’t give an item shelf space, at any price.
I wouldn’t call Ben, laconic. He trolls the net, looking for speakers. Sometimes he makes a nice score, sometimes he gets stung. I have no idea what he does with them. Maybe I don’t want to know. 🙂
Not hoity-toity at all. I’d often feel a bit of a connection with past craftsman, especially with furniture. But even glass and china can evoke that feeling.
Oh, the whole service dogs and emotional support animals, has gone over the top, here. I see though, that some businesses and services are pushing back. High time. Maybe, Australians have more sense? Oddly, I had a dream last night, along those lines. H and I were entering an art museum. Sort of looked like the Frye, in Seattle. I lived across the street from it, 50+ years ago. Any-who, An employee is looking away from us, and telling someone that they can’t bring a dog in the museum. So, I turn around to leave. But have the thought that I’ll never be able to go to a museum, again. Odd dream.
I think I have a defective dog. The other night, we were watching “Best in Show.” Yapping dogs all over the place. Did H even deign to notice? No. This morning, the big brown bunny, was out back. I picked H up, and got within 5 feet or so, and she just wasn’t interested. Looked at the sky, the oak trees … could care less about the rabbit.
Well, think of it this way. All that highly processed food will thin out that 8 billion.
The fertilizer problems seem to have dropped out of the news, and now they’re wailing about the lack of jet fuel. Although besides people, a lot of products move around on jets. What will the floral trade, do? 🙂
Gray vs. white, and spatial anomalies. I really don’t know how that would impact spatial perceptions, but, I do know that white reflects light and gray would absorb more light. It would give more of a feeling of mass?
Our high yesterday was 55F (12.77C). Our overnight low was a steady 39F (3.88C). Our forecast high for today is 64F. There’s a frost advisory for us, tonight. Runs right down the center of the state from Tacoma to Toledo, which is south of us. But, the forecast low for tonight is 36F. Above freezing.
The New Old Pub. Sort of like when an English friend told me the “new” pub he was always referring to was built in the 1770s. 🙂 The interior and food look pretty posh. But the outside garden looks very comfortable and welcoming.
Sigh. The library no longer had a copy of “Restoration,” or, King’s mini-series remake of “The Shinning.” E-buy does have copies, of both, pretty cheap. Sooner or later …
Dollar Deal? Is that a non-sequitur, or concision carried to the point of incoherence? 🙂
Coleman’s book is all about the soil. He also got concerned about what’s in any stuff, from outside the farm. And, even if you have animals, what’s in that feed that might be passed on? He’s retired, and the last couple of chapters are about how he manages his home garden.
We got a food box, this morning. There was a large, individual cranberry / walnut salad (dumpster), and an individual piece of apple pie. A box of 12, frozen turkey sausage breakfast links. A package of coco nut / Carmel fudge cookies (biscuits). A box of oyster crackers. A loaf of pretty good bread. There were a dozen eggs (only one broken).
A “Screamin’ Sicilian, Take ‘n bake Roman Style Crust, sausage & Pepperoni Pizza. It’s oblong, rather than the traditional round. 2 one pound bags of white rice. A pound of butter “product.” A box of Mac & cheese. A small green bell pepper and a large orange. An 8.5 oz. tin of peanuts/ sesame nut / cashew mix. I noticed the cashews are WAY down the ingredients list. A jar of peanut butter.
Tin: 2 of tuna fish. One each of a one pound cooked ham, corn, carrots, diced tomatoes, mandarin oranges, chili beans in tomato sauce, peaches, salmon, vegetable beef soup and beef chili with beans. Not a bad lot, all things considered. Lew
Chris:
I thank you much for the statistics. I am no longer worried about cause of death by snake or shark (especially since I don’t live in your country) or even bears, though I have met a few. Let’s add octopuses to that; the likelihood seems remote that I would meet a blue-spotted one. Actually, I am more likely to leave this world via tree branch.
Those are formidable goals in the triathlon mentioned. I loved running, swimming, and biking, but just for fun. I would not consider a triathlon fun.
Do you mean they don’t have triathlons anymore? And are you seeing aggressive bicyclists? Not that many people bike around here. There used to often be bicyclists riding on the almost invisible verge of the 2-lane highway I take into town; lots of drop-offs and ditches, too. I no longer see them. I don’t think it was the terrain that stopped them. I think word got around about how many of them had been hit by cars.
Go-karts – that’s the word. I used to love going to the go-cart park, where one could drive without a license.
Gosh, it is so long ago that we had Skipper. I guess we took him right off to the vet with the first seisure. I know he had daily medication and he rarely had an epileptic fit after that. Fish oil sounds like a good idea in general.
I can’t wait to see the photos, and thanks for mentioning white paint as I need to get some the next time I’m in town for painting the windows outside.
Thank you for the chicken coop info. That seems like an awful lot of work, though certainly a good idea, including tossing it into the orchards.
All we can buy are the blue-white lights and they hurt a lot of people’s eyes. Also, LED lights subtly oscillate like fluorescents do, and can cause seizures in some people. Fluorescents always make me feel like I have slight vertigo.
Pam
@ Pam,
These LED lights bother me a lot too. We got new blue lights at the job one year. I got migraines from them. I bought nonflammable covers that dimmed the lights. Then I got moved to a window, which helped a LOT.
At home? We have a mix of the brighter ones and yellower ones. And windows. Certain brands bother me a lot, other brands I can tolerate. They don’t last as long as advertised and are sure expensive.
DJSpo
Chris,
Oh, I don’t go from store to store looking at prices when I need something. To time consuming and stupid. I tend to look at prices of various things if I happen to be in that section of a store. I’ve known people who use an app on the computer to find the cheapest petrol in town. Then they will drive 12km to get there, ignoring the petrol station just down the street from their home that is a mere 2 cents a gallon more than the cheapest place. Ummm, wear and tear on the car? Time spent saving half a dollar? Makes no sense to me.
Yup, malwort. Seems to fit a lot of the time. 😉
I have started baking more of our own bread. Cheaper and healthier. Doesn’t always hold together for sandwiches very well, though.
More people = more energy. How true for extroverts. And more noise is better, also. For me, silence is golden. Many extroverts abhor silence.
That’s right! Tuesdays are a great day for plundering, pillaging and raiding. 🙂
Yeah, neighbors. We’ve had a few bad ones here, but most have been very good. The new ones in the house that had been vacant for 6 years seem to be very nice and have a lot of good plans related to climate change and water shortages.
The Inflatable Bloke made a big mistake when he loudly berated a Native American teenager and told him to “Go back where you came from!” Ermmm, the young man is a member of the Spokane Tribe, the same people this county, city and river were named for. He IS where he came from. Inflatable Bloke truly angered most of the neighborhood with that one.
Dame Avalanche and I regularly walk near Inflatable Bloke’s house. He’s mostly been quiet whenever I was nearby. However, your suggested comment/question is one that I keep at hand for those nasty moments.
When we moved to Spokane, we stayed one night with a friend near Portland, Oregon. Railroad tracks were about 30 meters from his house. He told us a train came through about 2 a.m. every night, sounding like it is coming through the house. Well, my younger sister and I, being little kids, slept through it. My parents and another adult all woke up fearing for their lives. Dude that lived there was used to it, slept through it like the two kids did. Dad never liked train whistles after that.
Far out, the doors are up. Woo hoo! May I suggest a random camouflage pattern for their paint job? Something that would completely hide Ollie?
Yes, this latest invasion from the deer sounds serious. Some loud noises emanating from the big Boom Stick might be needed. If you do have to shoot one, will you place its head on a pike near the orchard as a deterrence for future incursions? 😉
Glad Ollie is doing better.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Yes, avoiding sharks and ten of the world’s deadliest snakes which also happen to reside down under, should be easy for you. The shark bit I’ve got down pat – avoid ocean. Nuff said! The snakes, well, the third deadliest is a rare, but is just like your bears, not an unknown, visitor. Not a fan, and better if the reptile and large ripping limb from limb predator, were elsewhere. And the general consensus seems to be that if such potent critters do ever turn up, best if we avoid them, and they’ll move on to richer pastures.
And I’m 100% with you. Falling trees and branches are a much bigger risk when a person lives surrounded by tall trees. I’ve had some close calls over the years, and you only ever get a few seconds notice.
Yeah, there isn’t really the fun aspect to those activities when it’s a competitive event. I hear you about that, and candidly can’t give you a coherent reason why I even attended them, other than maybe excess energy to expend. Dunno. Maybe it all seemed like a good idea at the time? My preferred distance for a run was 10km / 6.2 miles, and could double that at a pinch – but no further. There are genetic and mental limitations for such activities.
Have to laugh, they’d often sell the concept of a longer distance run as a ‘fun run’, like you’re going to be laughing all the way and having a blast, but yeah I don’t think so. Obviously there is a feeling upon completion from short-term psychoactive effects such as reduced anxiety and feelings of calm. It’s possible that long ago, working in the big end of town left me feeling somewhat anxious due to the sustained low level stress which comes with that work environment. Easier to walk away. You’d have known stressful times too?
They still run triathlons, but at a much more advanced level. The little ones I did often turned a beach side suburb upside down closing off roads for hours etc., and the costs for that I’m guessing turned out to be way too much.
Well, not all roads are suitable for bicycles, and poop, an older lady almost ran me over whilst driving an enormous Toyota four wheel drive a few months ago. I saw what was happening, and stepped back and away from the oncoming vehicle – which was headed off the road and at the side-walk. It was unnerving and the Dirt Rat Suzuki Jimny also escaped harm, just.
🙂 Go-karts are a lot of fun. The cheapest form of motor racing, although I’ve read that further out in the bush, people soup-up their ride on lawn mowers and compete on those. Ride-on lawnmowers and ‘outlaw’ racers make cut at Inverell Speedway’s inaugural ‘Invy 500’. By the way 100kph is 60 miles per hour!
Yeah, we took Dame Plum to the vet too after her first seizure, but resisted the daily medication. It took a while to work out what the trigger was and how to reduce the incidence. It takes time for a dog’s guts to adapt to the fish oil.
My pleasure! And the bit over 1 gallon of grey paint cost AU$125 or US$89. It was cheaper by volume for the 2.5 gallon tin, but do I need that much paint? Put on another coat of both the grey and white paint today. The weather is superb due to a stalled high pressure system over the Tasman Sea.
Actually, the chickens require less than ten minutes of work per day with all of those outcomes. There was an egg too this morning, which is unusual for the autumn season.
Really? I refuse to purchase the so called ‘cool-white’ globes for all of those reasons, and the ‘warm yellow’ globes are equally available down here. Why would we have more choice than your country?
And as something of an old school electronics geek, I can answer your question regarding the oscillations. It’s the cheap power supplies for the lights / globes. They really need to be what is described as a ‘ripple free’ AC mains to DC power supply. Basically what you are observing is a rapid chop and change as one half of the usual AC switching frequency disappears, as distinct from a nice even smooth supply in the resulting DC electricity. To the trained eye, or as you’ve also observed, those lights pulse, and that needn’t be the case. It’s a case of spend more money. I don’t like the pulsing either, and have one light which does exactly that, but can be fixed by replacing the globes with either incandescent (!) or more energy hogging halogen globes. But longer term, that thing is going.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Is there an app for that? Not enough petrol stations around here to make a difference on that front, so what they’re asking, I’m paying! 😉 But yeah, depending on the vehicle, 12km can chew up to 2 litres of fuel in the process of chasing that bargain stuff – even more if the car is stuck in traffic for any length of time. Just idling, an engine will suck a considerable amount of fuel. Energy is a much misunderstood beast, but for those of us who do know a little bit about it, there’s plenty of savings to be had.
Tell you a funny story. I’ve encountered plenty of folks who think this current dust up mess over oil is the beginning of the end, but au contraire! When I was a kid, we didn’t use anywhere near the amount of energy as people expect to nowadays. Basically, we’ll be fine with only 80% of the supply, but whether people like that outcome is a whole ‘nother issue. Just between you and I, they’re acting like they’ve got a choice. I don’t think so man.
And there are always the adaptions. A lot of remote indigenous communities use diesel for their electricity generation. A bad idea if ever there was one, which is even worse nowadays, and the mains lines are hugely far away. They’re just starting to go solar. Indigenous solar projects in Borroloola and Santa Teresa to tackle diesel shortage concerns and halve power bills. Local people, local projects. There’s a lot to like about that, even if all of the tech comes from elsewhere. I’m also at the end of a long transmission line (although not connected), and am realistic about solar off-gird in that it is the least-worst option.
Isn’t a wort a reference to some sort of herbal plant?
Oh yeah, there is a lot to like about home made bread, although now you mention it, I’ve never attempted to make a sandwich. That’s what the home made focaccia is for. Candidly I read about how the more usual square commercial loaves are made, and was so troubled by the details, that the memory got wiped.
More noise… Lot’s of noise should be at appropriate times and venues, like a gig, or sporting event. You can feel the crowds energy during such moments. At other times as you note, silence is golden. A time and a place, don’t you reckon?
Hehe! Why push Monday-itis for Viking raids? Reading the configuration of the hops leaves in the beer told the crew it was a bad idea. That’s the secret of the Viking’s local chapter number 3441 success. 😉
It’s pot luck really with neighbours, and that lot you describe sound pretty good. Water is important, everywhere.
That’s not nice talk at all, and also incorrect. Carl Jung suggested that people project the shadow, which basically means they criticise that, which they fear most in themselves. And if I may suggest, the shouty inflatey bloke had no connection to the place where he resided. A sad case, and well he discovered that there are consequences for annoying the locals.
If said without heat almost as if posed in a question form, the line may open a dialogue. Basically in a round about way you’re asking the guy to explain himself. Man, I read up last year, or maybe it was the previous year, about how deal with really intractable social situations. And my conclusion was, is it really worth the personal energy and cost, knowing that you can never fix the situation? About the best is putting a band aid over things.
Oh my! Freight trains are real, and even this far away from the main line, I can hear the grain trains rolling along the tracks late into the night (if outdoors). Hmm. Long ago, a friend once lived near to a shunting yard. Whoa! What a noise, although it was quiet during the daytime.
Almost forgot to mention it, but about two nights ago (or maybe three, I forget) about 11.12pm I spotted a huge chunk of space debris falling. Very impressive. Might have been big enough to have hit the ground.
The barn doors are up, and have now enjoyed two coats of white house paint. And the adjacent cantina shed has had two coats of woodland grey paint. It’s looking sharp. There is a story to it all, but maintenance is a thing. Yup!
DJ, I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’m now training Ollie to be calm at all times. For some reason he used to get amped up in the mornings, and we’ve had enough. The Editor is far more firm with the big dog, but then has been training the other two Kelpies for a long while now.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Nanaimoteuthis, or Cthulu, take your pick, but best to be elsewhere when they’re around and angry. 😉 Oh yeah even the squid were longer back then, how good is fresh calamari? Yum!
Ha! No parrots in those days with the Editor’s fall from grace off a ladder and into dog poop. We were in the inner burbs and bird life is not like it is up here. Although in more recent years, the rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) has spread far and wide in the big smoke. Not sure what they’re eating, but it isn’t nothing. Chastising the parrots is a waste of time, truly. The King Parrots believe that they are regal, and above such indignities, so blithely ignore my deferential words to leave some kiwifruit for us. I know what Robinson Crusoe would have done, and I’ll keep that option up my sleeve just in case.
That sort of unrealistic expectation as to what items in their damaged condition should bring, are probably due to price lists and estimates on the interweb. And have you noticed that people relying on such abstract concepts, tend to lean towards the higher ends of such price brackets? As far as I can ascertain the gentle art of selling something, the price is only equal to what someone else will pay for it. Most people hang onto their beliefs, for far longer than they’ll let go of an item. You must have had nerves of steel to have waded into that business.
Hmm. It’s a mystery that with the second hand speakers. Could be that Ben acts as an intermediary between sellers and purchasers who don’t have the time or inclination to spend trawling through the sales to get what they want. There’s folks who make a living trawling through rubbish and bargain hunting looking for hidden gems. Canny folk, but they have to know what they’re doing with the items and the market for them.
🙂 Thanks. It is a special feeling that connection with the past. For some reason, our society doesn’t tend to value the past, so important lessons are lost or ignored. Old items tell us about the times the things were made. There are stories in them. By the way, found a copy of the user manual and also the service manual for the amplifier. I’ll order a full set of replacement capacitors soon-ish.
Today was not quiet, or relaxed. Put another coat of paint on the barn doors, and also the cantina shed. One more coat of paint should do it. Still, the weather was nice, and the sun warm. I reckon tomorrow I’m going to take a genuine whole day off work. Crashed out late this afternoon, and could have kept sleeping! 🙂 Probably not an ideal situation.
Speaking of strangely stable weather, things are afoot down here: Australia’s weather forecasts are suddenly identical each day. The city of Bendigo is mentioned in the article, and it’s a bit over an hours drive north of here, but same, same (although cooler up here in the mountains). Weird huh?
Ha! Don’t be so sure about that! 😉 It may be that service dogs are simply more expensive down here, and there’d be extensive rules for sure. Hmm. I take dreams seriously, and who knows what it means? You could have just predicted that all of your local museums will close due to impending economic circumstances. See, as usual much depends… A sad loss, but I did much prefer the dusty old museums of my youth, than the sort of flashy, interactive and more expensive to operate ones nowadays. Your library system may have made itself too expensive to operate?
It’s not H. Dogs can’t see rabbits easily for some reason. Generally when a rabbit is taken here by the dogs, it’s when they got it in the burrow, which was foolishly not deep enough. But I’ve watched the dogs mystified by the scent of rabbit, and not see the critter merrily bouncing away. It’s weird that, and probably deeper than either of us know. Mind you, we observe a landscape from some height, which is an advantage over what a canine sees at ground level. I also get the impression that a dogs eyesight, isn’t as good as a humans.
Whoa! What a thought, and you might be right there. Hmm. It is already happening.
Were flower farms always around, or are they a more recent form of agriculture? Interesting, seems not all that long, which hints at a need for rapid transport to distant markets. I’ve said to my friends about this oil drama, there’s a lot of activity which can be dumped long before we all go hungry. And nobody I knew flew anywhere when I was kid, just sayin’!
Interesting, and thanks for the suggestion, I’d not thought about how the darker colour presents as a greater mass. It’s looking sharp after the second coat, but I probably should have a day off any and all work… 🙂
Even at a potential 64’F, it’s still warmer here. Fingers crossed that you dodge the frost in your area.
Ha! 1770 is positively ancient from my perspective as well! That’s a funny observation though. The garden was where we sat and enjoyed the meal. The inside of the place was best described as not challenging. Actually, I’m not complaining, but I’m simply not used to heavy meals like that for lunch, and felt rather full up to my eyeballs last night. Had a small dinner which assisted matters. Home made pizza for dinner this evening though. Yummo!
Oh poop! The library is clearly recalcitrant at the lack. I wasn’t being cryptic (on this occasion!) Dollar Deal. A very thoughtful and considerate gift.
It ain’t just Mr Coleman who is worried about what’s in all this stuff! Used to be that people knew the origins of their feed and soil amendments. I’ve heard that old timer farmers would smell and taste the animal feeds just to get an idea as to how good the stuff was. This is a problem, right across the board. Poor feeds, produce poor poop and compost. If I bring in compost, I can’t actually say for sure what is even in this stuff? I use fancy words to describe it like, fine woody mulch, which makes me sound like I know what I’m talking about, but there could be anything in there up to and including potent herbicides and who knows what else? It’s become a crap shoot, but it’s the least worst option to do something, as distinct from nothing at all, don’t you reckon?
I’m now very curious, were the final chapters of the book about how the gentleman manages his garden readable and of interest? Sadly, I have to consider the economics of my book purchases these days. Oh well…
Agreed, it’s a good haul of stuff. The third paragraph seemed to me as if it were the best of the lot, plus of course, the bag of rice.
Cheers
Chris
@ Chris & DJ – From past experience (way past), tossing an egg into the bread dough helps it hold together better, to be sliced into sandwich pieces. Not as crumbly.
Also, a good bread knife is a big help. So are the little machines? to guide the knife and get standardized thicknesses. I wonder if I can find a picture of one?
Oh, plenty of pictures, but just search for “homemade bread slicer.” All the big retailers carry them. Plastic, wood and bamboo. Some with bread knives. There are also links to build it yourself, DIY bread slicers.
Bread should be cool, and, a sawing motion (with appropriate knife) deployed. Lew
Yo, Chris – I saw an article, yesterday, with some cool pictures, of what passes for a giant octopus, who had grounded itself, up on Puget Sound. Of course, I cannot find the article, today. 🙁
Listed for, or sold for? 🙂 I always tell people (just the other day), that if they look on E-buy, to ignore the listed prices. Click on the little box “completed sales.” Then you get to see what items actually sold for. Often, you may have noticed the listings say “Or best offer.” Or, an item didn’t sell at all, for the list price. People overlook (or ignore) that function.
Our high yesterday was 64F (17.77C). Our overnight low was 32F (-0-). But only for half an hour. Our forecast high for today is 67F. It is odd, when weather arrives at a “steady state,” for periods of time.
There are rules and laws, for service dogs. Our state legislature just passed a $500 fine, for people caught claiming a dog is a service dog, when it isn’t. Not that anyone is going to enforce that rule. Too afraid they might get sued by a “disabled” person. It’s easy to get bogus service dog paperwork, on-line. The woman who moved in here with the two enormous dogs? She claims they’re service dogs, and, I’m sure she availed herself to what’s on the internet. And, she claims she trained the dogs, herself. The whole thing just smells to high heaven. Lo, reeks.
Sigh. I think libraries have gone down the path of trying to be “all things to all people.” Hence, they spread themselves too thin, based on resources (money) available. Just my opinion.
I think the rabbit outsmarted us. Even though the bunny, was on the hillside, and, within 2 meters, eye to eye with H. Brown bunny was sitting in front of a brown planter, and didn’t move a muscle.
Oh, I think even the Romans had flower farms and markets. The Victorians certainly did. What I was thinking of was the huge international market. Ah, found it. Planes fly in and planes fly out. Carrying a very perishable commodity. What with current events …
https://amsterdamtourism.net/flower-auction/
I saw another article on the possible impact of current events. Packaging. I hadn’t even thought of that. Hmm. I might pick up another bag of H’s dog food, next time I’m at Winco.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/24/business/shortages-us-asia
Ah, so that’s what the “Dollar Deal,” or “Dollar Babies” was all about. King and his wife Tabitha, are patrons of several “good causes.” One of the things mentioned in the book, was that they provide extra funds, for several libraries in their area. Besides digging through the archives, the professor relays several interactions she has with both of them.
I’m kind of on a King jag. While looking through our library catalog, I noticed King was the subject of a program called “Finding Your Roots.” I don’t know if you’re familiar with it. It’s run several seasons. They do a genealogy of several “celebrities.” I noticed one season, King was one of the subjects. I put it on hold. Should get it next week. I wonder if they’ll have anything to say about King’s father. He was one of those guys, who went out for a pack of smokes, when King was very young. And never returned home.
I’ll take a look at the Coleman book, tonight, and answer your questions. It’s a hardback, so, yes, pricey. From the back cover, it’s US $29.95, Canada, $40.00 and 💷22.95. It’s full of color photos and charts. It might come out in paperback, later. Or, on-line is probably available for less than list price. But, I “get” you. I think long and hard about acquiring a new book, or DVD.
Unfortunately, the rice is white, stripped of most nutrients. But, it seems to move, at the Club, anyway. Occasionally, I’ll pick up bags of long grain brown, at the Dollar + store. For myself, I’ve been getting it out of the bulk bins, at Winco.
I kept the pizza, the loaf of bread, the breakfast sausages, and the eggs. I almost bought eggs, but thought to hold off til our box came. Saved myself a couple of bucks. 🙂
And, just for fun, “46 Fascinating Creations of Archaeology, Art and Architecture.” Oh, the step wells!
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/general/46-fascinating-creations-of-archaeology-art-and-architecture/ar-AA21EffE?ocid=socialshare
Lastly, I saw a trailer for a new movie, coming out this summer. “The Death of Robin Hood.” Hugh Jackman.
https://youtu.be/tlSDDuWxO_0?si=39LuYCxlO1OHrQkq
I don’t know. Looks pretty dark. Lew
@ DJSpo:
I do what I can to dim some lights, too, though then I can’t see . . . Are there “yellower” ones that aren’t incandescent? Certain Soft White GE LED ones aren’t as blue.
Expensive, indeed! I think maybe the Powers That Be want of bunch of blind Americans with headaches. And all those bulb boxes that say they last 16 years, 19 years? Try returning one when it burns out after 3 months (no, I haven’t. I am not good about saving receipts).
Pam
Chris:
6.2 miles, and maybe doubled, is an amazing run. I know you could walk that without even thinking about it – even on a mountain.
You know, I have just remembered that my father was a runner and did that until his mid 50’s, then he had to worry about his knees. This was in the Rocky Mountains with all that altitude. He ran in races, too. I have his T-shirts to prove it.
Everyone has stressful times, even toads. When my son recently dismantled the winter greenhouses near the house he collected – and sent off to the woods – 53 toads. They had been enjoying that it was warm and moist in there and also under tarps nearby. I am now finding fat toads all over the garden, so I guess they didn’t stress out for long.
No shortage of nuts on the road. Speaking of nuts and roads, we have a new half pint squirrel (probably Tufty’s, though she hasn’t introduced him yet) that can’t figure out how to behave around these various farm vehicles. First he sits in the road, then he dashes back and forth right in front of the machine. One wonders how bright his future is.
The riding mower races were super. Thanks so much! I sent it to my son, hoping there was a big purse and Kubota, Jr. might join in. He’s really fast. And you should see him do circles.
I can understand the reason for the oscillations (thank you), but our incandescent bulbs didn’t oscellate. I think I would have noticed because I have been sensitive for years (feeling sick in stores with flourescent lights.
Pam
Hello all.
Sunday evening and this afternoon I have been trying to fill up cracks in walls but as an acquaintance once said, in an old house where are mice not going to find an entrance? I hope to prevent a few errant breezes anyhow.
I made pesto this morning with frozen basil from an earlier year’s crop. That was a bad idea. Basil freezes well enough. I should have frozen just the leaves and must have been in a hurry that time. I had frozen the entire stems and then had to try to cut off the leaves when the thawed material was a squishy mess. Stalks and flower heads are too fibrous for a good sauce. As it was, too much stringly stuff got in and tied up the blades, and the blender motor burnt out. Entire cloves of garlic failed to be cut. I was too disheartened to fix it and just put it all in bottles in the freezer. I’ll have to chop it properly later. Burnt-out motor is a very persistent odour.
Hi Lew – shot weed – I am familiar with that but didn’t know its name. Very yummy.
I wonder if you were to add purple to your wardrobe… just say a good quality stylish find occurred in a second hand shop… it would coordinate with all your other colours. Maybe you dislike it.
Chris, tin? Funny. Why even suggest not to use it with acidic food? I can’t think of what one might preserve that is not acidic. Only stainless lids are now available on the Fowler’s site. I wonder why that happened. A few weeks ago the others were still for sale.
Now you mention the recurrence of deer. Dead deer are aka venison. Too much work?
Assistance animals are mainly encountered on public transport. To travel on PT with an animal one needs it to be officially registered as essential for your physical or mental wellbeing, and that is a popular way of getting your dog on the train.
Sunday night – hope you are at the keyboard, Chris.
Cheers
kallianeira
Hi Pam,
🙂 It’s been noted that those who reside on sloping hill country, are constantly trained to walk up and down the things! I love walking, and there is a lot of good to be said about the activity.
Your dad may have had an advantage due to living (or training) at altitude, but yeah, the knees. Everyone has their kryptonite, and when younger, I knew a lot of older runners who had knee troubles. Then vowed to stop running when I encountered the same – at about the age of 30. It’s a hard sport on your body, running.
Go the toads, and may they enjoy their new home and work wonders in your garden consuming all manner of critters, which would otherwise be eating your plants! 😉
Same here, a person takes their chances. Yikes! Well hope half pint learns fast without incurring a serious injury. Mostly a concerned person hopes that the squirrel brain is a full pint.
Hehe! Fun stuff, and the sport seems pretty fun, but seriously competitive. I’m not sure I’d be comfortable riding a lawn mower with a 31hp motor. Seems like a lot of grunt.
Of course, incandescent globes can work very well with less smooth electricity, and I’ve never seen one of those globes oscillate either. A lovely old technology, but they were phased out because they use a lot of electricity which mostly gets converted into heat. Mind you, the LED’s can get pretty hot too.
Warm white is how the nice yellow colour gets called down here.
Cheers and better get writing!
Chris
Hi Lewis,
I failed to see the article on your beached Giant Pacific octopus. The wikipudding article on the critters was quite good, and the photo of the Japanese market stall preparing the octopus looked very tasty.
Hey, I use that earlier sale result function as well just to get a feel for what people actually pay for items. The Editor alerted me to it a few months ago, and I’d been completely oblivious as to its existence as an option. 🙂 There’s no better guide than past results, although there can be moments of market madness for a particular item. You’d have seen those flux and wane from time to time?
Still warmer here, and may be that way for this entire week. Today was just lovely, and we did take the day off any and all work. They reckon the stalled weather system will break up next weekend, maybe. Nobody seems to know exactly, but the forecast is suggesting lots of rain will follow. We’ll see how it goes.
So no frost for you? You deftly dodged the garden deep freeze risk there.
Agreed, the rule regarding service dogs sounds nice in theory, but who wants to impose it and end up in a fight? I believe that there are registrations for such animals down here, thus why nobody has a support alligator, just for one crazy example which randomly springs to mind.
Dog training is hard work, and after a while you get the impression that every single interaction with a canine is an opportunity to test out whether a human is worthy of the label: Boss. 🙂 Pooches keep things real mostly because they have no filters.
Day off work, right. So we went and grabbed some lunch at the nearby cidery. Had a pint of their finest and shared a box of nachos. An intense lunch, but so good. The place was quiet, although people began dribbling in as we left. They have their own orchards and were in the process of taking off the nets. Came home, lit the wood fire (it was warmer outside, than inside the house) and had a long recuperative nap.
That’s my opinion as well regarding the libraries. It is impossible to be everything to everyone, and those public institutions have a core function. The other stuff is fluff, and will sadly go by the wayside. One of my friends worries about economic apocalypse, but I’m more of the belief that hard times means getting back to the basics. Man, mission creep is a real thing, and libraries are not exempt from realities.
Yeah, the wombats and wallabies will also pull that ‘I am local background materials, and you may studiously ignore me now!’ trick that the bunny pulled on H. I say, bad bunny! 😉 I’m unsure why human pattern recognition is better than that of canines. Dunno, but it is.
Thanks for the brief flower industry article, but say, that’s a lot of diesel trucks. Holy carp! The scale of that was beyond my previous knowledge. The coming diesel supply crunch is very real and probably part of the reason your lot did that escapade in the small country to your south. Light fuels, meet heavy tar sands, and the mid point is the stuff where useful energy happens.Still entropy goes on, and on, and on.
I’m unfussed about the plastic packaging. Too much of that stuff gets used anyway, and it will be a net benefit for the planet if there is a reduction. Of course, this does mean that there will be problems, oh yeah. Plastic wrap just for one example, can shield the protected products from extreme weather, or even just a minor rainstorm. What did everyone expect would happen, is the thought which goes through my ol’ brain.
Mr King and his lovely lady display much discernment in contributing to the upkeep for the local library system. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t the Jesuits say something along the lines of: Give a kid a book before the age of seven, and you’ll have a reader for life? I’m sure it was that, maybe… 🙂
Oh yeah, my dad pulled a similar trick, it being the 1970’s and all. The boss sang it true:
Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack
I went out for a ride and I never went back
Like a river that don’t know where it’s flowing
I took a wrong turn and I just kept going
Reproduced purely for educational and research purposes. Such events upends a kids life, certainty becomes an unknown country, and wild winds blow a child to eventually seek deeper roots. Or that’s my take on the entire matter. The tallest trees have solid foundations.
Hehe! Well, the book situation is real, and I’m looking off into the future and see dark clouds looming. Maybe I’m being too cautious, but I’d rather be wrong and unnecessarily braced for impact, than oblivious.
White rice is good for fermenting. Sorry to mention that, but it is. But yeah, who knows any of this stuff? Brown rice, and basmati are better grains to consume. The addiction to the sugar hit is a real thing, and took an awful lot of re-programming as to what constitutes food.
Go the eggs! Nice score. And hey, the three new chooks are laying about four or five eggs a week – at this time of year! Pretty good. The flock will pick up production after the winter solstice.
I very much enjoyed the tour through the 46 ancient marvels, and what a wonderful world we reside in. I must say, the Ozymandias poem was lurking at the back of my mind. And yeah, that well was epic.
The film trailer was that, and more. Hmm. The entertainment reflects the general mood. You should have come into adulthood hearing the angry garage bands of the early 90’s. Dunno, man. Strange days.
Cheers and better get writing!
Chris
Hi kallianeira,
Thanks for the lovely, and oft cheeky comment! But I’ve got to get my back into writing tonight. Speak tomorrow, but until then…
Cheers
Chris
Hello Chris,
What a good use of time and resources to build a solid firewood bank branch. Looks sharp!
Indeed, “-wort” is a common plant suffix, indicating the usefulness of the herb as a flavouring agent in beer.
In the medieval times, all kinds of herbs were used to flavour the barley brews, but we have somehow lost those traditions.
Once I brew a beer with mugwort instead of hops and it was quite good.
Today, we tried a new vegetable, willow herb (Chamaenerion angustifolium). I am not sure you have them down under. Anyways, last year, we visited some forest garden people, and they kept raving about this plant as their main vegetable. They even collected shoots and blanched and put in the freezer for the winter.
It grows wild in two places on our farm, so this year we wanted to try it out. The young shoots (approx 10cm high) are easy to pick and really quite good.
I poured some boiling water over the shoots, waited a minute and discarded the brew, and then the shoots were good to eat. Some I put in an omelet.
I have seen these wild plants all my life, but never tasted them before. They are not mentioned in any of my books on perennial vegetables, strangely enough, but of course there is an extensive description on Pfaf (https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Chamaenerion+angustifolium)
Next week asparagus will be coming.
Peace,
Göran
Yo, Chris – I did my best to avoid trendy market madness, when I was in the tat trade. That well known domestic goddess, Ms. Stewart, used to showcase one antique or another, in her magazine. Then the race was on! But, the fever died after a few months. So, unless I had something on-hand, or fell into something early, I didn’t take the bait. She also commissioned lines of reproduction decor, mostly glass items. Probably from the Land of Stuff. But, at least she made sure they were all marked as such.
Our high yesterday was 66F (18.88C). Our overnight low was 34F (1.11C). For a hot (or, cool) 15 minutes. Our forecast high for today is 67F. The patters weren’t right. 🙂 Saw this article on the wild weather in our midwest.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/24/weather/severe-storms-tornadoes-central-us-weekend-threat-climate
That sounds like a nice day off, with good tucker. I spent a few hours in the garden, last evening. Doing this and that. I got the chard (aka silverbeet) planted. Just two short rows of each of the two varieties, yellow and red. I mixed up some mushroom and chicken compost, wood ash, blood and bone meal, and coffee grounds. Worked it into the soil where I did the planting. Now we wait. 🙂
Our regional library system, was founded in 1968. Before that, it was a collection of autonomous small town libraries. From what I heard, consolidation was a bit bumpy. Giving up autonomy is hard. And, I still have pro and con thoughts about it. One interesting story I heard, was about the Great Depression. We have a branch in the little coastal town of Hoquium. A beautiful arts and crafts building, by the way. Any-who, the Depression came along, and they couldn’t afford the janitor / maintenance guy any more. But they struck a deal. He lived in the boiler room, and the staff kept him in tucker.
Sometimes, plastic in packaging isn’t all that apparent. What I was thinking of was plastic coated heavy duty paper.
I really took a close look at Eliot Coleman’s book, last night. There were quit a few “blurbs” on the back cover, and the first couple of pages of the book. The ones that jumped out at me were Joel Salatin and Michael Pollan.
Coleman’s whole take on farm and garden, is to reduce or eliminate inputs from off the farm. By growing green manures and cover crops. He also discussed “under sowing,” where two plant are grown together, with one keeping down weeds and enriching the soil. Hey, there was a nifty picture of a home made tilter, powered by an electric drill 🙂 .
One of the interesting charts was “Green Manure and Crop Sequences at a Glance.” His “retirement” garden, works like this. As he says, he wanted “…care to be less intensive and less complicated than the farm had been.” So, he took a 50′ x 50′ (15 x 15m) plot, and divided it in half. “We grow vegetables on one half and we sow the other half to a grass-legume pasture mix to care for the soil and store up fertility for bounteous vegetables the following year after that sod crop has been tilled in. The two halves of the garden change roles every year.” It’s a little more complicated, than that, but he covers it in a few paragraphs.
I saw an interesting story, yesterday, about how one magazine kicked off science fiction, starting in 1926. It was a genius move, to print readers letters, with names and addresses (oh, innocent times!), so fans could contact one another.
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/24/nx-s1-5770426/amazing-stories-science-fiction-magazine-100-years-centennial
Last night, I watched an episode of “Eli Roth’s History of Horror” (2018). I had watched it, when it came out. But, delving into “All Things King,” I noticed he was one of the talking heads. Each episode covers some different aspect of horror. Wouldn’t you know … episode one was zombies. 🙂 LOL. There was some discussion of fast vs. slow zombies. Pros and cons. One point was that with slow zombies, you get to spend a bit of time, contemplating your own death. One fellow said he didn’t care for fast zombies, as, they’re all pretty much young and fit. With slow zombies, you get a wider segment of the population. Old people, even little kids.
I got curious about something. Don’t know why I had never done it, before. I did a library subject search, for “zombies.” Selected for DVDs. Oh, my. Twelve catalog pages! Although a lot of that is taken up by the series. But, a lot of stuff I was unaware of, or, would like to see again.
H and I are heading down to the Club. I think I’ll take the Coleman book along, and show it to Carl. See what he thinks. Lew