Today marks the shortest day of the year. Sunlight is elsewhere on the planet. Thick clouds hang over the farm. And yet! There was that brief moment around lunch time, the inky moisture parted, and the sun shone. Sandra and I, plus the dogs, headed outdoors into the sudden warmth and basked in all its glory. The photons excited so much moisture against the trunk of a large tree that clouds of moisture were ejected as a sort of weird excited mist. Prior to that moment, it had rained for days. Not to worry, the moment was but a brief reprieve from the gloom.
The news is full of dire warnings. A super El Niño over here, deadly bird flu over there. The big dog Ollie, ignored the lot, and has just felt a lot of joint pain from the winter conditions. However, with some changes, things sure have turned around on that front. As I type away, the Bull Arab canine is lounging at his ease on the dogs white leather couch, pitting his teeth against the might of a large rawhide chew. As you’d imagine, there is a lot of slobber.
For those who may be blissfully unaware, the breed was created in the warm sunny Australian state of Queensland, mostly to hunt feral pigs. Last I checked, no such animals roamed the forests around here, so he has to put up with cuddles and firm boundaries. He’s as Aussie as the two Kelpie dogs. They look up to the big canine as their mascot. It’s not all respectful adoration though. Sometimes they’re trying to pinch the best chunks of his breakfast. Ruby the deft, is the fleetest, she never fails to take advantage of the milder manners of her companions. Dame Plum, clearly the boss dog, sometimes allows this, and at other times being hungry, warns her sister off with a well timed growl. Combined with her specialised solid crazy eye look clearly conveys: ‘don’t mess with me’.
Ollie has such a light coat that he struggles to feel warm at this time of year. Overnight now hovers around 3’C / 37’F temperatures, so he’d freeze to death outdoors. Fun fact: The canine never would have survived the sinking of the Titanic. -2’C / 28’F waters would have taken him out in minutes, and that’s despite being fit enough to dog paddle for hours. Nope, frozen dead he’d be.
Can you believe that he’s almost nine years old? Remember when he was a pup? I’ve no experience with such a large dog, and who knows how long he’ll be with us, but this year is the first that he’s physically struggled with the winter conditions. Being the canny and resourceful folk that we are, the question arose: do we take the big 40kg / 88 pound pooch to the vet once per month for an injection of anti-inflammatory stuff, or is there another option? We have tried the vet option in the past. That was with the original ‘fat’ boss dog, a Dachshund / Corgi cross, technically known as a ‘Dorgi’. She made it to 16 years. What we observed was that as the injection wore off over the month, the effectiveness declined. By the end of the month, the dog had returned to the world of pain.
With that experience in mind, a month or two ago, we hit Google search hard and went on a deep dive to ascertain what alternatives there were. It was interesting noting that those searches now firstly produced an AI overview at the top of the screen. I don’t much care for that thing, and never requested it. They tell me that unsolicited advice is a red flag! Anyway, ignoring that, we went further down the list and looked at heaps of suggestions. Turns out, there were a bunch of basic things we could do with the big dogs diet which would help him out. Being unafraid of conducting tests on the canine, we ploughed on ahead. Here is his breakfast nowadays:
We tried everything suggested on the basis that something has to work. His brekkie now includes: Home made yoghurt; a glob of coconut oil; home made mixed roasted vegetable (including pumpkin) with peanuts, pepitas and sunflower seeds; commercial kibbles; fish oil tablets; rose hip tablet; and a glucosamine and chondroitin tablet. At dinnertime, there are commercial kibbles and home made biscuits with the same peanut / vegetable mix, but with honey and oats, plus cumin and turmeric. The biscuits smell pretty good, and I’ve been tempted to try some.
He’s bouncing around like a puppy now, which is itself a problem. Jumping off the veranda, has lead to the occasional minor injury. He’s learning, we’re learning and the big dog is now monitored. Even the distance from the couch to the hardwood floors can be challenging on his joints, so we’ve constructed a step which he uses gracefully.
We’re managing this unexpected turn of canine wintry events by addressing issues with the dog as they arise. He’s doing fine. It interests me that the Google AI overview searches didn’t provide all of the many helpful suggestions. They could only be found by going deeper down the list and exploring what the websites themselves had to say on the subject. The alert person hears rumours about the impending death of the interweb…
This change to the search results poses other practical problems for us. Long term readers would know by now that Sandra and I run our own accounting business. We’re always thinking about ways to market the business. However, considering this new AI overview search function, I really wonder how many people would click on the links provided there, or even now scroll further down the page. It’s all provided at the top isn’t it? My gut feeling suggests that our advertising mad cash would not be well invested there, and truthfully, given the expensive direction it has chosen to go in, we might not be able to afford the service now.
However, there is a delicious irony to this story. This change has forced us to go back to advertising our business closer to home, like real old school style. We’ll still retain an interweb site just to prove that we exist, but due to the tech bros relentless pursuit of AI, that service has probably become less important now. A few local papers survived the tech giants onslaught, and they could use our support. There are local business groups to join. Fancy talking to people in the real world – whatever will they think of next? There’s heaps of different things we can do, but none of them involve spending mad cash with tech giants. My gut feeling with this recent change, is that the tech folks gargantuan reach has peaked, and is now on the decline. The old timers used to suggest that change begets change, and the revenge of the analogue was always going to be strange and unpredictable. But I never for a moment believed that the interweb searches would be made less useful. Yet, here we are. Ollie on the other hand is adapting to circumstances, and he’s doing just fine.
A more wintry week of weather would be hard to imagine. For most of the week it has rained, so we had very little chance to do anything outdoors. Check out what 99% humidity looks like:
At times the air has felt so thick with moisture, that a person wonders whether they could swim through the atmosphere to the nearby Mount Bullengarook and Mount Blackwood.
On Monday, prior to the commencement of the prolonged storm, we managed to completely fill up one of the two new steel rock gabion cages.
There was simply not enough dry weather to sew the cage up without getting drenched. Some week’s ’tis not to be…
There’s always other things going on, and some products baffle me. A good brand of Sorbolene (those who’ve ever had eczema, if you know, you know!) has some packaging where the little hand pump hose doesn’t quite reach the bottom of the container. Not wanting to waste the product, we did this:
For research and satisfaction of curiosity purposes, we measured out how much of the product could no longer be accessed by the short hand pump tube. Displacement provided a figure of around 18% of the contents suggested volume. It’s easy enough to use a spatula to extract the stuff and place it in another plastic container which can be sealed. The old timers used to say: Waste not, want not!
A rat appears to have tunnelled into the greenhouse. With the weather we’ve had, I’m hardly surprised by this rodent’s activity. The remaining chilli’s growing in there were all harvested. Rats are brave enough to nibble on raw hot chilli’s.
The winds and rain, or perhaps it may be rats and possums, have knocked a lot of pomello’s from the tree. Fortunately the grapefruit has very thick skin and neither critter has any chance of sampling the tasty core. When ripe the citrus fruit turns yellow, but even green they’re quite nice.
Any of the fruit which falls onto the ground is recovered and brought into the kitchen. No point leaving temptation in harms way.
Hopefully we’ll get back into work this week, and the forecast suggests the next few days will be dry and sunny. I sure hope so, the house batteries had fallen to 29% state of charge this morning.
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 11am is 8’C (46’F). So far for this year there has been 567.6mm (22.3 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 497.6mm (19.6 inches)
Comments
36 responses to “Has it come to this?”
Yo, Chris – Or, you could just slip him a daily baby aspirin. Sure worked a treat on a crunchy old dog I took care of, for awhile. That and letting him spend the night in the laundry room, anytime the temperature dipped below freezing.
We have a Chamber of Commerce, here. Most towns do. To promote local business. And, once a month, they meet at each other’s businesses, for an “evening.” I never joined. It was a bit … “upscale” for my tastes. And, mostly old local families who had known each other, forever.
“More wintery weather … hard to imagine.” Oh, come on. You’ve got a lively imagination. Imagine … snow! And frost! 🙂
Ruby looks like she’s admiring a pile of sticks. 🙂 Try and get a dog to look where you want them to. She doesn’t know what she’s missing. The gabion cages are striking. Monumental.
Oh, gosh. Rats again. Eating raw hot chili’s? Maybe they’re Mexican rat? 🙂
That’s a lot of Pomelo’s. Odd that they’re still tasty, green. I wonder if they’re like bananas. The greener the banana, the more nutrients.
Pretty Alkanet. And it’s blue! I think I see a snowdrop bud. The foxgloves are a very pretty color. A bit of splash in the winter gloom. As are the roses. Lew
Hi Lewis,
Yeah, baby aspirin is I believe a slightly different product down here, and has a higher % than in your country. With that in mind, I tried it for a while on a half tablet basis with Sir Scruffy, and it was a bit acidic for him and upset his guts. Some dogs are apparently fine, others aren’t, and Ollie can be a bit spew-ey if his food gets too acidic so don’t want to risk it. Cleaning up his bedding can become tiring. And they all sleep inside in the warmth. Long ago I used to have the dogs all sleep outdoors, but it is easier on them indoors. And Sir Scruffy won his title by waking me up one night to alert me of human mischief going on, which Ollie and I dealt with.
An interesting thought. Thanks! There seems to be a couple of business networking groups in the area, which I probably will have to attend. This early breakfast meeting stuff is my personal nightmare, but put on a brave face and stuff. Stiff upper lip etc. Coffee helps…
Frost sure, snow less likely. 🙂 I’m unsure what to make of this warm-ish, but very damp winter. Four inches of rain in the past fortnight is all rather damp you know.
Fortunately the sun shone today, and the solar panels could grab a little bit of extra energy for the batteries. With some nice weather, we headed down below to the forest edge and smooshed up a few boulders into large rocks for the many projects around the house. This place eats large rocks!
🙂 Thanks so much for saying that, and the gabions are a real treat for the eye with us as well. We brought a few loads of rock back up the hill today so as to chuck into the cages as well. May have to make a new cage soon.
Yeah, Speedy Gonzales would not be daunted by fiery chilli’s! The rats sampled one or two, and the experience must have been what they call: instructive. Hope it hurt. On a critter note, the rabbits have again begun nibbling the bark on some of the Loquat trees, and this mischief must end. I altered the chicken wire cages so that the trees had better protection from the rabbits, and hopefully the wallabies and/or deer don’t now push the friendship and begin nibbling at the top of the trees. We’ll see how it goes. It’s complicated…
Pomello’s are really large citrus fruits, and sometimes the rain and wind knocks them off the trees which is presumably how the plant moves across the land. Bizarrely the edible part has most of its flavour when green, which is a good thing. Are green bananas better for you than when in their mildly fermented and softened state? Hmm… … Ah, I see. That’s a complicated story. Yellow bananas convert some of the starch into sugars, so it depends on what a person wants from the err, herbs: Energy versus gut health seems to be the trade off.
It’s weird to have so many flowers to choose from at this time of year. Those foxgloves are stunners. And funnily enough, some Australian plants have become pests in the Canary Islands, so clearly the conditions are roughly equivalent even though they are at a higher latitude and closer to say, the city of Brisbane which is a long way up north from here.
I’m with you about the bird flu. Be alert, stay alert, and hope for the best. Stronger strains of bird flu tend to weed out the weaker species. But it really does sweep through every single year regardless, so the birds will be fine, after all they survived that Mount Everest sized meteor direct hit 65 million years when their relatives all carked it.
And aren’t their laws about the whole gain of function business? My perspective on this topic, is that as a species, we’ll be far more vulnerable to such things, after two seasons of failed harvests. Then it will be on for young and old. Well fed populations, and I mean that from the perspective of a lack of nutritional and mineral deficiencies, tend to have a pretty decent recovery rate. You-know-what tended to be expressed worse in folks with co-morbidities, just sayin’.
Oh poop, 90’F+ territory has begun to sound all unpleasant and stuff. Hope the overnight lows are cooler for you? This week here looks mild, dry and sunny. Next weekend, things will turn back into a winter wonderland. It’s good weather to do some rock work, which really needs to be done. We’re holding off doing forest clean up because it is now too wet for that activity. Last winter was extraordinarily dry.
Parsley is good like that with self seeding. We transplanted a few volunteer parsley plants a month or so back, and they’re not doing well. Ook! I’ve never managed to grow sunflowers, and am impressed by your results. We were gifted some Jerusalem Artichokes recently, and may give them their own area to spread in.
I wouldn’t worry about breaking branches with tomato plants – I cut plenty of them off as they grow upwards, and the vines don’t seem to care one bit. They probably had it coming for something you hadn’t caught the cheeky plants out on! 🙂 Hmm, I can see that about the bone meal and coffee grounds with zucchini. It’s good tailoring the minerals to the plant requirements isn’t it? I’ve had very good results with that approach too. Makes me scratch my head wondering why I used to believe the whole ‘just add mulch’ story… So wrong-headed.
Exactly, dogs can over estimate their abilities, and it is up to us humans to moderate their conduct a bit. The jump off the veranda is a three foot drop, and it’s hard on Ollie’s front legs. Even the smaller Kelpies know to avoid doing that.
Oh yeah, that beaver fur hat story was two dimensional at best. You should have heard what they told me in High School about European history… Thanks for the read into that history of trade and exploitation, and these things happen, and continue to do so. You may wonder why I abhor debt…
Interesting, but that interweb mob also reads through all correspondence on its site too. I received a warning long ago for something which was innocent, but yeah, zealously nip problems in the bud seems to be their way.
There used to be technical bookshops in the big smoke, which probably filled the role of those “Software etc.” stores you mentioned. They didn’t sell just books. Yes, the gentleman’s name was perhaps a sign from above?
An intriguing film, and it’s quite jarring for an audience to experience the fourth wall being broken. We’ve discussed this in relation to the zombie film which kind of flopped, despite an awesome cast. To my mind, the story should take precedence, but nifty strategies are worth a shot.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Pam,
And a happy Summer Solstice to you as well! 🙂
The sun finally shone today. It’d been a while, and four inches of rain in a fortnight makes for some muddy roads, and even dirtier cars!
With the relatively drier conditions today, we could head down below and smoosh up some boulders into large sized useful rocks. Alas there is a shortage of those most excellent rocks. Oh well… The sun should hang around for most of this week too. Next week, back to wet again. It happens.
How’s it goin’ in your part of the world?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – About once a month, H urpps up frothy yellow bile. Who knows why. Last night, she urpped up her dental chew and part of dinner. I keep telling her to CHEW the dental treat, not try and swallow it whole. But does she listen? Luckily, she performed this trick on the wood floor, which made for easy cleanup.
Here, the local business association meets after work. Drinkies are involved. 🙂
Our high yesterday was 79F (26.11C). Our overnight low was 52F (11.11C). Our forecast high for today is 90F. So, two days of heat. But, by Thursday, it’s a call for lower temperatures and … rain.
I saw a rabbit, yesterday afternoon, right by the snail sanctuary. That’s pretty close to our gardens. Luckily, they’re mostly active in the daytime, and enough people come and go through that area, that they spook.
If you follow latitude lines, around the earth, it’s really interesting how different climate can be, on a single latitude. It’s mostly due to ocean currents.
Laws never stopped bad actors. Besides gain of function, there’s gene splicing and editing. There’s plenty of information out there, on DIY at home. CRISPR “kits start at $59!”
Last night, I worked a couple of hours in the garden. I buried a bag of kitchen scraps and mixed up the soil for the zucchini. Got those in the ground. Also spread around some more blood meal and soap slivers. Next up, runner beans. Apparently, they like a bit of wood ash and bone meal. I saw one small green tomato.
Growing up where I did, we were pretty aware of the fur trade. Fort Astoria, Fort Vancouver and the Hudson’s Bay Company. Of course, the fur trappers (aka Mountain Men). Were a big part of it. They’ve become fodder for reenactor groups.
https://w.wiki/RbLX
See also, “rendezvous.” That was a yearly get together, in the wilderness, of the mountain men. Quit a party, according to reports.
I went down to the Club yesterday morning, and it was not open 🙁 Carl was not there. The morning meeting has moved, so, apparently, no need to open up. Still, about five young guys from the Drug Court showed up. As did my mate Scott. The Drug Court fellows need slips signed to remain in compliance. Scott and I decided that since they’d made the effort, we’d sign off for them. Lew
Hi Chris,
A happy winter solstice to you!
The summer solstice brought us 1.0 inches of rain in a little over 2 hours. We’ve had plenty of rain this month; I haven’t needed to water anything but the container plants. Only one hot week so far that necessitated the use of air conditioning. Today is cool and cloudy, cool enough I had to close the windows. It may get hot and humid by the weekend, however.
A few weeks ago I saw a doe walk by the back porch, so I have confirmation that deer remain in the area. It’s good that they don’t eat garlic or onions! The garlic harvest is in and the bulbs are beautiful, after a warmer than normal winter and spring and wet enough weather since late April. I’ve also harvested the yellow potato onions, all of which we’ll be eating. The red potato onion variety that I have been growing out yields and tastes better. The best potato onion has won; only the red potato onions will be planted in autumn.
Meanwhile, I’m soon to reduce again the population of goldenrod in the bed closest to the back porch. It’s one of the aggressive native plants that crowds out some others. I won’t, and can’t, remove all of it, but it needs a firmer hand to control it than I’ve applied over the last several years.
My best to Ollie, from one who is approaching her crunchy years. You and Sandra did well to find out how to use food as medicine.
I too find that ignoring the arty-vice at the top of the search screen and clicking on the website still works. Mike attends Chamber of Commerce meetings as his Zen center’s representative, and he says it has been well worth his time. We have been attending one of the local farmers markets almost every week; it’s doing very well.
Claire
Hi, Chris!
It is right this very minute raining. We shall see if it continues.
I had never heard of the Bull Arab until you got Ollie. Neither had my sister until I told her, too; she is supposed to be sort of a dog expert, as she was a dog writer for magazines. Well now, where is Ollie’s jersey? Mr. Jackson (though not Rex, being part Husky) had a coat and a jersey. I knitted one and sewed the other.
When I came to the photo of Ollie’s breakfast, and did not know it was his, before I fully scrolled down, I thought: “Oh, yum! Some sort of hash, with sour cream on top.” Then I saw the capsules . . . That sounds like super healthy food. I am sure you and Sandra are on the right track. If the biscuits are good enough for Ollie, they’re good enough for you. I used to eat the biscuits I made for our dogs.
For the veranda, you can tie rope post to post, or even put up an Ollie-heighth rail.
I love what you are doing with your business advertising. Go Accountants! Word of mouth is still one of the greatest things. I’m with you about the AI at the beginning of a goggle search. I have caught it in the wrong more than once. However, I know people who talk of certain AI search engines very favorably.
What do you bet that the Sorbolene folks know that the hand pump hose is too short, and they know that most people will not go to the trouble to fish out what is left in the bottom, and will buy more sooner than they should have to? Though it could be that the Land of Stuff is shortchanging them on the bottles they buy.
Oh, no – not rats again. I was watering in the garden when I saw Pickle the Squirrel climbing up a tomato vine to harvest a tomato. Too bad, so sad for him that I had the hose in my hand . . . He ran off and ate some blackberries. A little bit later, I came across a large, green jalapeno pepper on the ground with one bite taken out of it. I hope it was Pickle . . .
What beautiful flowers, including the apparently never-ending roses. Thank you!
From last week:
“I keep reading rumours that the tech bros are running short of mad cash, and that’s the reality of constructing huge server farms – they ain’t cheap to build or run.” I would like to think so, but how could anyone with all that mad cash run short? It’s all in their heads that they are getting poorer, do you think? And I think that you are right about people not wanting to have to pay for what they once got for free, but can they force us to? I mean, some of us wouldn’t have gotten computers or smartphones, et al, if circumstances hadn’t dictated that we had to, or our businesses would bite the dust. Do I remember correctly that, like myself, you balked at having to get a smartphone?
In my country, the tech-bros and other billionaires, and foreign entities, have been buying up farmland for years. I don’t think that bides well for us.
Our property taxes have been relatively low, but they are creeping upwards, at the same time that I see land prices going down a bit. I have no idea if that is a portent of something sinister.
Pam
@ Claire:
I thought maybe you were getting all our rain. Hope all is going well there.
Pam
Chris,
As to the filter arrangement. Well, I put the filter at the back of the fan, so the air must go through the filter before reaching the fan. Then I make sure that fan/filter connection is airtight via the duct tape. The three-speed fan is typically run on low, occasionally medium. It moves enough air to filter out the smoke, not enough to provide a heavy breeze. The filter does cut the air flow way down.
I’ve always treated children like people. Their questions are taken seriously and answered appropriately. I remember being 9 and appreciated being treated like a person, not condescendingly and not as a nuisance.
Ollie is nearly 9? It doesn’t seem like it. Time flies.
Food is medicine. Good on you for figuring out how to use food to medicate Ollie.
Gaggle AI is not my favorite either. I saw this gem the other day on someone’s faceplant page. “On the Rez we believe in AI. The TRUE AI. Auntie Intelligence.” Any older female relative is an auntie. Amazingly, soon after I saw that quip, the Princess got phone calls from two younger relatives (technically cousins) both of whom wanted solid advice from their auntie.
I always preferred the old school way of doing things. Email someone at work? Nope, not when I can walk up a flight of stairs and have a conversation. I think you’ll be better off with the old school method of finding local clients.
Ugg. We’ve had the same issue with pump bottles of hand lotion. The Princess uses the same method that you demonstrated so that the bottoms can be used. And the bottoms are a surprisingly large percentage of the entire contents.
So I did some research. For comparison, I found that this time of year usually has an average daily humidity of about 42%. However, this year on most days, the highest the humidity gets is 40% give or take, before dropping throughout the day to 15%. Or lower. 12% on Sunday. So how dry it feels isn’t simply a figment of my imagination. I’m glad I’ve at least started transitioning to plants for drier climates.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Go the rain! Such stuff is music to the ears at this time of your growing season. And makes a person appreciate a properly repaired roof. 🙂
Actually, I’d not heard of the dog breed either, and the shelter lied and said he was an Australian Cattle Dog. The breed has a bad rap, mostly because err, humans. The folks I’ve met who own them, love them to bits. Ollie is way more calm and stable than the Kelpies, who are rather excitable.
I know, the big dog has a makeshift old woollen jumper on really cold days which gets tied around his neck and covers his back. Winters are a bit warmer here, and as long as he’s moving around outdoors he’s fine without a coat. His bedding had woollen blankets, and a Kelpie at either end, so he’s OK on that front. It’s an Australian breed, so might not be around in your country? Being recent, the origins are known, so it would be a matter of time.
I’d happily eat the brekkie mash we make, for that is exactly what it is. And the capsules would be OK too. The kibbles, I might skip on those… 😉 And absolutely, the biscuits are really nice smelling, and the dogs wolf them down. They also get a special version of the Anzac biscuits too…
That’s a good idea with the rope, but basically I just kick him off the veranda and down the stairs. The problem is eliminated that way.
There is no finer advertising technique than a recommendation. 🙂 We’ve been very lucky over the years to have enjoyed a number of advocates (usually lady’s and whom we look after) who’ve done all of our marketing for us. We deal in relationships, but what other accounting practices do, well, I hear stories from friends and acquaintances in the industry put it that way.
Yes, the reliance on the arty-fish-al overview bothers me deeply, for the very reason you noted. Not a fan. But I also acknowledge that many people are super excited by the latest and greatest.
Pam, glad you didn’t mention the brand name! Hehe! But that thought had also passed through my consciousness. Awful isn’t it? If I may suggest, our civilisation is hell bent on using whatever energy and resources to hand, and creating a lot of waste. Fortunately, all this waste makes it easier for you and I don’t you reckon? 😉
Ha! Pickle ended up in a massive tomato heist pickle. Attempting to thief off with a tomato in your presence, reflects poorly upon the hapless squirrels intellect. Charlene the White, would never have tolerated such slackness!
Actually, just between you and I, the present state of the still flowering roses, bothers me. It’s not a good sign. Oh well.
Yeah, you’re right, the goobermint about six years ago, conveniently just before you-know-what-which-shall-not-be-named, demanded we both get smart phones, or lose our entire business. What more can a Po’ boy do? It’s a good question, and reminds me of a 1980 hit from New Zealand band ‘Split Enz’ who reformed into the more widely known ‘Crowded House’: Enz at Hall Of Fame Poor Boy and History 2005. Fun fact: Neil Flynn joined Fleetwood Mac, as you do… Because they’re good, I annoy my NZ friends by saying that they’re Australian, just for fun!
I don’t think it’s good either to have absentee landlords on farm land. At the very least, it kills the small town, and at worst it’s no good for the land itself which I believe gets flogged.
Who knows? I pay about $2.5k per year for property taxes, and it rises around 5% per annum. In the area to the south of here, apparently 25% of all households are behind on that bill. Make of that, what you will. My gut feeling says that it portends trouble.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Claire,
Happy Summer Solstice to you as well. 🙂 It was a lovely day here too, and was a pleasure to see a bit under an hours Peak Sunshine recorded by the solar power system. Around lunchtime, the sun shone for a few minutes before the clouds moved back in again. I’m grateful for break in the rain.
That’s a decent storm, and an inch in two hours doesn’t sound record breaking, but it’s a pretty intense fall. The conditions sound pretty good, although it is a bit weird considering running a heater in the middle of summer – which has happened here. A neighbour has photos from just before my time of snow around Christmas day in this area, which can occur when up in the mountains.
Yikes. Every critter has a place here, but I’m a bit uncool about the deer due to the sheer lack of predators (other than humans). Seeing a doe outside the back porch would make me feel slightly twitchy, sorry to say. Actually, Ollie and I thought we spotted one tonight down on the forest edge. I took the big spotlight torch way down and couldn’t see anything, but did disturb a mum and bubs kangaroo which live here. Oh well.
Are you really sure they won’t eat garlic or onions? I’ve seen the deer eat some toxic plants when conditions get tight, like what can eat Agapanthus leaves and flowers and survive?
So good to hear you had a good harvest of the tasty bulbs. It’s great working out what plants enjoy your conditions, and are tasty. Over the years, we’ve been narrowing down the variety of edible plants to what we can grow, eat and preserve. Early on, did you ever succumb to the temptation to plant heaps of different varieties? We’re also focusing on developing landrace varieties which do well in the crazy variability of seasons and conditions here.
What is goldenrod? Hang on a second… … Apparently the plant captures nitrogen from the atmosphere, so that’s something good to be said about it. With those plants, I tend to chop and drop and get the organic matter back into the soil. The root nodules probably have little chunks of nitrogen? Dunno. Some plants are like that though, and oxalis / wood sorrel is almost impossible to eradicate. I hear you about that, and control is the easiest strategy. Yup.
🙂 Claire, I hear you, and aren’t we all? On the other hand, it’s been interesting testing out all of these changes to Ollie’s diet. We eat fresh greens from the garden most days, but then the milder winters means they’re available. I’ve become quite the fan of silverbeet and radish leaves, both of which do well all year around here. My only troubling thought, is that we may run out of these tasty treats. Oh well, expand the garden, and try to dissuade the wallabies and possums from likewise enjoying the greens…
And thanks too, and believe me, when needed, I will try all this stuff on myself too when the time comes.
That’s what I’m doing, and who knows whether the arty-fish-al response is even correct? With a website there is at least the risk of being slammed if wrong. Hey, as the old timers used to say: All care, and no responsibility – seems to me to be the way of things. Oh well.
Thanks for the feedback on Mike’s approach, and yes, I will take this path as well.
Go the farmers market! And I envy you that they are in the same place weekly. Down here, they move them around so that it’s a once per month thing in any one town. Presumably the local traders have had a say in that outcome? Dunno.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Interesting, and it’s a good solution. And I had wondered about the effect on the fan motor that the additional filter would have, but hey, if it works, that’s awesome! Being run on low and medium speed, the fan motor should stay pretty cold – it being an air cooled device in the first place. Heat is the mind killer, err, sorry to say, the electronics killer. 🙂 Slipped into The Matrix mode for a second there. When I recondition the old stereo equipment, I tend to purchase capacitors which happily run at higher temperatures, and so the new components get a much longer life span. Drying out, is what destroys them, and that takes heat to achieve.
I’m with you in that regard, and don’t talk down to either kids, or dogs for that matter. It’s interesting you also had that experience at a young age. Unfortunately I couldn’t get away with saying to adults: You don’t have to talk to me like I’m an idiot! Probably would have ended badly don’t you reckon? 🙂 I may have mentioned to you last week, I now forget, but I did speak with someone who was in the middle of doing me a wrong, that even so: ‘I talk with people on a equal footing.’
Yeah, time flies indeed. Seems like only yesterday Ollie was a puppy. He’s doing alright too the old dog and is currently sound asleep on the couch behind me. Dame Plum is twitching in her dream state. I’ll wake them up if they’re having a nightmare. Ollie and I thought we may have spotted a deer way down below at the forest edge earlier tonight. Went back to grab the big spotlight torch (which I can legally use with deer only on this property), but couldn’t see anything. Unfortunately I accidentally scared off a few kangaroos which live here. Oh well. They’ll be back.
🙂 The changes to the big dogs diet has worked a treat, and I’d try this stuff on myself if needed for sure. What’s good about it too, is that the changes haven’t upset his digestion, and I don’t have to drive him to the vet. Thanks! It’s a heaps cheaper option too. A years supply of the stuff is about two months of consults, just sayin’…
Ha! That’s funny, and so true. Aunty knows everything – don’t mess with Aunty, and y’all better listen up, or else! Hehe! That’s really sweet and the stuff of solid social connections. I’ll tell the Editor that one.
Exactly, and I’m with you. It’s not in my nature to send text messages and emails when I can simply have a quick chat. But! I also live in a world where such methods are used to provide a bit of social distance, which I’m cool with. Actually, tell ya what, the blog has been really good at practising the art of telling a story in as few words as possible, but also listening and responding to what people are saying. You’d be amazed at how I now see people talking past each other, which is really odd, but it happens. Dunno what to make of it all, but when I was a younger bloke, people actually communicated better, and that’s I’m guessing something which gets honed when face to face (or even on the phone). A mystery huh? 🙂 Not really…
Your lady has some fine canny skills to also deconstruct what looks like faulty packaging to me. Must we settle for waste? I don’t think so. And respect. 🙂
40% sounds about right to me, but as you noted, the mid afternoon sunshine is a force to be reckoned with. And agreed, all we can but do is adapt to changing circumstances.
Had a strange start to the day, but then flipped schedules around and did paid work for the rest of it. It feels cold here tonight. Brr!
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Good luck with that! 🙂 Dogs can be revolting when they believe they can wolf a rawhide chew down their throat when the thing is not in its properly munched state. I’ve seen Ollie swallow the huge thing, and then hock it back up again. I’ve then taken the slimy gooed up food item off him too, and the feeling memories remain, put it that way. Yuk! Talk about sticky fingers.
H is a lady to aim for the wooden floors. The dogs here tend to position themselves on the rugs for this act, and I have no idea why? Some shampooing is then required in order to get the stain out. Fun fact: Did you know that people watch commercial rug cleaning videos from third world countries as a form of relaxation? I’m not kidding, it is a thing and apparently there is some science to it. Fortunately I’m mostly relaxed and so don’t have to spend my time with such viewing. For research purposes though, I did watch one (skimmed through most of it) and far from receiving a relaxed vibe, I marvelled at the folks techniques. They were rough as bags with the rugs, but wow, did it look clean after the treatment, or what? Looks like they’re often filmed in India.
I’m not too keen on the dinner and drinks bit, and this loose brekkie talk is very early, what the heck? Anyway, one must be social if they are to properly network at such events. I Chris, promise to be on my best behaviour and avoid candour on the basis that it will upset everyone. See, I can learn! 😉 Lewis, I’ve just gotta man up with this stuff and get on with it. I’ll probably have fun and meet new and interesting people. The worst that can happen will be bad food and worse coffee.
Oh poop, did it reach 90’F today? H will be relieved to have been relieved from her thick spring coat. 😉 The day here was mostly cloudy as seems to be the case for tomorrow. It is calm though, and they’re saying that around these parts will be 5’C / 41’F to a max of 12’C / 54’F. Pretty nice actually. I might have to run the generator tomorrow if the clouds don’t part with their evil ways! I’m not complaining, it’s been a very mild winter with plenty of rain. We’ll see how you go on Thursday. I’m getting the impression your summer won’t be too hot this year.
Rabbits! Man, I’m getting triggered… That’s interesting, down here, rabbits are a mostly nocturnal critter. I’m not a fan of those rapacious creatures, but the foxes, owls and eagles do need something to eat too. Hope they stay out of the garden, mostly because they can eat a lot. Speaking of such things, Ollie and I thought that we spotted a deer way down below on the forest edge earlier tonight. Hmm. I took off after the big herbivore using the monster spotlight, and it’d decamped. They never stop.
Oh yeah! I’m at around the latitude of Las Vegas! Yikes, just for one scary comparison. As you note, there are a lot variables with that climate story, and with the elevation above sea level here, brings me to a climate of around 44’S, which is on the colder side of things.
Well that’s a new one to me and a truly surprising turn of events. What the heck could possibly go wrong with such fun science kits? Yes, gain of function for fun and profit!
I’ll bet your worms and other soil critters would love those kitchen scraps. And don’t you find it interesting, how quickly they disappear?
Yeah, that’d be my take on the beans as well. Down here they only have the combined blood and bone mixture, which can be a bit challenging (the blood part, not the bone chunks) for those nitrogen fixing plants. They usually grow better here in poorer soils, but the ash and bone would be a great kick starter.
In the link yesterday on the Beaver Wars, there was a photo of a trapper guy taken about 1980. He looked competent in that environment. Hmm, interesting. Such folks would struggle around these parts due to the lack of forest critters. The buckskin material interested me, and could be a good use for deer skin. Did you ever see any pioneer clothing come through your business during the tat trade days? Ah, the Red River Jig was a thing from those fur times too.
That was a thoughtful thing to do for the young blokes, who probably need a bit of help at this time in their lives.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – What can I say? Dogs urp. 🙂 I still nag after H to not bolt her water so much. If I’m in the kitchen, where her water is, she will, stop to swallow. Mostly. Sometimes, when she goes to glugging water, at night, I listen to see if she hacks it up, again. If so, I step carefully, come morning.
I think I’d rather watch bees, than carpet cleaners. 🙂
Which reminds me, I quite like a French Impressionist painting called,”The Floor Scrapers.” It’s by Gustave Caillebotte. You might follow the link to the page about the artist. He was a rich dude, who was patron to several Impressionist artists. And, helped fund their exhibits. There’s also a picture of him in his greenhouse. 🙂 I also quit like his painting, “Paris Street: Rainy Day.”
https://w.wiki/Rg5b
You’ll just have to throw up a few filters. I’ve become aware, that in talking to some people, stuff gets filtered through two, sometimes three filters. Mostly, swear words.
Our high yesterday was 86F (30C). Our overnight low was 54F (12.22C). Our forecast high for today is 95F. H and I will be laying low, today. I’ll be staying out of the garden, other than watering, this evening.
Our rabbits and squirrels lay low, at night. I hear owls, up in the woods.
There have been people stopped, from acquiring such things as smallpox virus or anthrax bacteria. They wanted to tinker with it in their basements.
I’ve pretty much stopped adding blood meal to my soil mixes. It’s so expensive, and what I do use is to keep the deer off. I figure my mix of chicken and mushroom manure, ought to provide enough nitrogen. It is amazing how those little convex garden scrap piles become concave, in just a few days.
I never had much to do with clothing, when I was in the tat trade. A few “name” designer hats, that came along with some estate swag. A few homemade kitchen aprons from the 1930s. That was about it.
Ever looked into tanning a deer hide? One of the steps is to take the deer brains, and thoroughly work them into the hide. With your fingers. Lew
Chris:
Yes and no, as per the rain. We only got .5 inches (1.3cm). Still, it will help the grass seed planted in the fig area in the clearing.
That’s one thing I love about ‘Ol Gangle Freckles – he’s so easygoing. There are Bull Arabs here in America. Meet your cousins, Ollie!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/716995233325692/
“But I also acknowledge that many people are super excited by the latest and greatest.” My son and I were talking about that in reference to vehicles, that that is why no, or at least not in my country, manufacturer offers a simple, basic – and of course, cheaper – car or truck. “Cheaper” is a sticking point, too, I imagine, on the part of the car companies, besides so many people wanting the latest thing.
I did mention the brand name, because you did. Was that an error?
Yes, the roses remind me of fruit trees blooming at the wrong time. That never goes well, though very hard to know what the “right time” is anymore. And there’s nothing we can do about it anyway, I reckon.
That’s what I mean – you were forced into buying smartphones at the time of YKWWSNBN, though it was too early to use that as an excuse, I guess.
From those 2 songs, the Enz remind me of the Cars, the Talking Heads, and REM all rolled into one.
My son went off to Richmond yesterday and bought a used cast iron woodstove for the living room fireplace. It is really nice and I think that it will be tons more effecient than the open fires we have always had in that room. It does have a catalytic converter and, for some reason, I thought that was not necessarily a good thing in a woodstove?
Pam
Hi Pam,
Some summer months down here, there has been no rain whatsoever, and then a mild freak out begins. A few months of that, is when conditions get to max freak out stage. Nobody wants that! 🙂 So, half an inch during a summer month, sounds pretty good to me. And yeah, it’s enough to get the grass seeds germinated. My general observation is that grass as a plant species, prefers spring and autumn conditions, so summer, not so much.
Thanks for the link to the faceplant interweb site, and not having an account, I got to see a brief video of a clan of gangle chunks gnawing on some unknown err, thing. Ollie sends cordial tail wags to the crew, but as a true gentleman trained in the finest arts of being wonderful, he watched the video of his distant kin and had this to say to the canine dudes and dudettes: Relax! Leave it! Youth, huh?
Exactly, and respect. I too wonder about this issue. When will a car manufacturer produce a basic, no frills model, for a cheap price? I don’t need or want all of the stupid extras which I’d never asked for in the first place. Automatic headlights or windscreen wipers, are an unnecessary complexity from my perspective. They are actually made, and Toyota has the: Toyota Hilux Champ. Estimates suggest that it’d be around AU$25k+ here or US$17.5k. Not bad huh? Alas there are no plans to sell it down under, or the US for that matter, but the concept can be done.
Not to stress, as I don’t believe anyone would take offence, but happy to apologise if that was the case.
Yeah, so true. You and I, do our best, but that pesky scamp Jeavon’s with his energy usage paradox, knew about the realities generations ago. Still, I’m with you, keep the costs down, and lower them further if that becomes necessary. I lived through the recession of the 1990’s with high unemployment, and still remembered to enjoy myself, but in that case with the smaller things in life. Can’t be that hard, can it?
You got me wondering, and looking around the orchards this afternoon, some supposedly deciduous trees are still sporting a few green leaves. I reckon plants are far more adaptable to a changing climate than we know.
It all happened a few months prior to the hammer falling here for YKWWSNBN, and thanks for the acronym! 🙂 Was the response possible due to the technology, or was the technology leading the response, or were both liable? We’ll never know, and does it even matter? What was, was. My gut feeling is that the financial mojo for such a response has been chewed up, but I could be wrong. Teaching people to get paid for not working, seems mildly irresponsible from my perspective.
Pam, those are fine bands, and worthy of great respect.
🙂 Yeah, open fires have to heat the brick work (or rocks, thermal mass, or whatever). A lot of heat goes up the chimney in that arrangement, but it has the benefit of being resilient, if the correct mortar was used in the first place. I’ve never seen such a unit with a catalytic converter, and if it is within the law to do so, I’d probably remove the thing. I’m guessing that it’s only going to reduce the flow of gasses up the flue, which may depending on how you run your wood heater, possibly reduce the temperature of the flue, especially if wood is burned on a low heat / oxygen basis, which I don’t do. The flue thing works on convection and so if it runs hotter, the smoke will rise faster, and be less likely to clog up as creosote – the black ash stuff. Dunno, just some pure speculation there. Hope it works out alright.
Did a part day of paid work, and then with such nice winter weather, went and smooshed up some boulders into larger rocks. I can only use the electric jackhammer for so long because it rattles every bone and tooth in my body! 🙂 But we made some truly awesome large rocks. And one Moby rock defeated my best efforts.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Thanks for the laughs, and that is so true. Our canine friends definitely show a lack of discrimination when it comes to shovelling err, organic matter, into their gaping maws. Must us nice humans be responsible for cleaning up the aftermath when their food choices go so very wrong? 🙂
Yeah, you’ve mentioned the bolting down of the water business with H, and it might also cause her to poop as well. Sorry, I do hope that particular candid sentence has not caused any canine blushing, but the little lady knows! Wise to comprehend H’s proclivities. And hey, I forgot to close the door on the dogs room (my office) last night. And when the alarm went off this morning, there was a massive canine invasion incident. Do I really need my face licked prior to the first coffee? The day was not yet clear, put it that way.
Me too. It wasn’t my idea of relaxation, just something I heard about. Here is a serious article on the subject: Why Deep-Cleaning Videos Are So Satisfying to Watch. You and I are probably with the mob that struggles to comprehend this phenomena.
Gustave Caillebotte is a master of the art. Whoa. I’m stunned by the works. And I noticed that in his greenhouse he dressed as a common man, which interested me as well. Nice to be well heeled and use your wealth to create beauty. I’m genuinely impressed.
Thanks for the good advice, and interestingly, since I’ve moved away from the top end of town, I swear less, and it is something which is personally on the decline. Maybe I’m just more chill nowadays and don’t feel the need to vent a proper expletive. Or hey, maybe age makes us all less excitable! 🙂 I believe it to be true though. What’s your take on that?
Generally speaking, as the years have gone on, I’m a calmer and more settled personality. Obviously your good guidance may have had something to do with this?
You know, I still reckon 86’F is pretty nice if the overnight temperatures cool, which appears to be the case. It was probably around 12’C / 54’F today, cloudy and still. Quite nice actually and surprisingly warm for winter. Did paid work for a few hours, and then headed down below to the forest edge to smoosh up some boulders into large rocks.
I have to use the electric jackhammer (basically following the same process the Roman’s did, but using better tools) in small doses mostly because the thing rattles every bone and tooth in my body! 🙂 I’m all shook up, uh-oh-ha! (to quote Elvis) We’ve made heaps of large rocks now, and might bring them back up the hill over the next day or so. The weather seems good for that task. We should get onto forest cleaning up, but there isn’t as much to do of that task as there was last year with all those Meg loggers mess! What a nightmare that was.
Yeah, take it easy in the heat. Has it cooled down today for you? The garden will be loving the warmth though. The plants down here are at their lowest ebb, which is technically the nadir. Doesn’t that word sound like a cool name for a monster rising from the underworld to pester us humans? Beware the Nadir, monster of the deep!
Go the owls, and squirrels and rabbits should be nervous. Owls need to eat too.
What? Far out. The old timers used to say that: Curiosity killed the cat, but such fools as you mentioned, might kill us all!
I’m hardly surprised that the blood meal is now expensive. It’s a replacement for urea, which is also in short supply. Agreed, those two sources will provide some nitrogen. And the soil critters breaking down scraps always amazes me at the speed it happens.
Fair enough, there’d be specialised vintage clothing interests out there. The Editor tells me that such items are more common place in your country, than down here. She reckons it is the economic difference, and that clothes were more likely to be worn out, then either turned to rags or discarded. Tell ya what, machine maintenance uses a lot of old rags.
Ooop, yuk! Ooop being Oook, but when mashed brains are involved. You’re not kidding me, are you? It is at such moments one discovers that they’re a bit soft, and have easier options. Probably not ideal is it?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – As far as cleaning up after Dawg, it’s like so many other situations. If not us, who?
It was an early morning for me, too. Though no rambunctious dogs were involved. H will lick other people, but knows it won’t fly, with me. I had to renew my auto license, and after 6 years, had to make an in person appearance. To check my eyesight, basically. I was really sweating it. My binocular vision is pretty good, but my right eye has gotten wonky. I’d better see if I can do something about it, as, from here on out (due to age), I have to go in for a yearly vision check. I got there, well before they opened, and there were 6 people in front of me. And 12 behind, when they opened the doors. But, they really hustle people through. Pleasant crew, too.
Then I went to Spooner’s fruit stand. They were late, and six people were in front of me. By the time they opened, there just have been a couple of dozen more. They’ve been selling out, an hour or two after they open. I picked up a flat of strawberries. $38. LOL, juggling them into my refrigerator was … interesting. I’ll make the jam in a few days, when the weather cools down.
I stopped by the library. They hadn’t quit opened, yet, so, another wait. I gave them a pippin (that’s 1/12th of a flat), for their staff room. They were very appreciative.
Speaking of the library, yesterday I wrote a letter, via e-mail, to the board. At the urging of one of the staff. A paragraph of my bonafides, and then covered a couple of points. There’s a board member who’s a religious nutter, who is using the financial chaos to push his agenda. Seems to think the library should only serve white, Anglo-Saxon, Christian, intact families. That the library should “…be more beige, not rainbow.” That’s a direct quote. And that library workers should ride herd on children’s and young adult selections. I pointed out that libraries are not in loco parentis, and parents should monitor their own kids selections, if they think it’s necessary. And not dictate what other parents do. I refrained from referring to the “Simpsons” character, Ed Flanders. It’s a small, vocal minority. But he’s threatening to withhold support for a levy lift. Trying to hold the library hostage, to advance his agenda. It’s also a bit of “Don’t look here, look there.”
Then I got into the whole financial mess, and that cuts should come from dead wood administrative positions, and not the folks in the trenches. That once before, a whole layer of administration was stripped off, and that the library just kept ticking along. Whew. Enough.
ASMR. I’ll stick to the bees. 🙂 I spent some time with them, this morning, before heading of to the licensing bureau. I must admit, when I take my afternoon nap, I turn the air conditioner on. The white noise cancels out a lot of parking lot noise, and any nonsense going on out in the hall.
I drop a lot of f-bombs, if no-one is within ear shot. I figure it keeps my blood pressure down. 🙂 Naaaw. Yours is a well built, self constructed path.
Zen and the Art of Rock Smooshing.
Our high yesterday was 91F (32.77C). Our overnight low was 57F (13.88C). They’ve upped the ante on our forecast high for today, to 90F.
Nadir the Sorcerer? You must be hitting the word-a-day calendar, again. 🙂
Would I kid? 🙂 I understand, these days, blenders are deployed. Lew
Chris:
No wonder you freak out when there’s no rain. It’s not just your plants that need it, it’s you and Sandra and that canine gang you have.
I do have a FB account (under a pseudonym, but they know who I am; at first I thought they couldn’t) because when it first started up (20 years ago?) I was told that I should join or miss out on everything. I never used it except to track down where my parents’ favorite veterinarian had moved his office to and to help a neighbor find his lost dog. Wasn’t My Space the platform before FB?
Is Jeavon’s Paradox correct? I think it confuses me a bit. Anyway, I think we are able to make do with less when younger, then we increase our consumption, and a lot of that is going into productive and creative advancements in our middle years, and back to less consumption as we become elderly. Though the elderly I know spend a great deal of time going to the hospital, which is a pretty consuming experience.
I don’t know about the catalytic converter in the stove, but my son has almost finished up the firewood supply for this year. For some reason, he likes to do it in the summer. It does dry out faster then.
I’m glad you have some new awesome large rocks, but watch that jackhammer as you get older. I literally eroded the cartilage in one finger joint by using an electric orange juicer where you hold the half an orange down while it twirls around. I did this daily for some weeks and ignored the discomfort and now I can’t bend that finger. This was months ago, so it is probably permanent.
I have been canning. I have processed my favorite sweet pickle relish and quite a few green beans.
I like deep cleaning videos. I think it is because someone else is doing the work. I also like home-improvement videos and house cleaning and cooking and sewing videos. And videos of farms with lots of ferns.
Pam
Chris,
UGG. Out of commission right now. One of those icky summer bugs. Read, sleep, watch World Cup match and fall asleep during it. Then sleep some more.
With that, my burst of energy is over. Time for a nap. Again.
DJSpo
Hi DJ,
The low humidity in your area probably hasn’t assisted your otherwise good health. When we visited the Nazca lines in Peru, an area where rainfall is a very rare event, and humidity is in the low teen percentage all year around, I got sick. Fun fact: The chemists / pharmacy / drug stores there didn’t require a prescription, they’d sell any generic stuff you could pay for.
Hope you’re feeling better today, and that the World Cup is brightening your day through the blur that is. And that the nail biting action peps your spirit.
I hear you man, and extend my sympathies to you.
Hopefully the Dame has also been on her very best behaviour at this moment? But all the same, that you can manage her visits to the outdoor toilet world, lest she get a bit excitable and cause an error.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Pam,
Rain here is life. And without the rain for prolonged periods of time, all but the strongest perish, and those are the tallest trees with the deepest root systems. 40 inches annually will keep the forest happy, but there are no guarantees, and things can limp by on 30 inches. 24 inches is pure panic stations! Ook! 🙂 By the way, I believe that about 20 inches annually is around the minimum that trees en masse in a forest require to survive.
Oh my! You started the old brain cogitating, and turns out that myspace still exists today. What the heck? Dunno about you, but it ain’t myspace… Sorry for the dodgy pun. The Editor has a FB account too, but like you, it’s only used to check out if businesses have changed their hours of operation. A local cidery uses that platform to advertise if they’ve been taken over by a private function, and we only now check before going, because we went hungry one day. It’s a sad thing to look through the fence and cry: “Please, can we have some? It was not forthcoming, put it that way. An instructive experience to go without a cider and feed. Hope the neighbour found their lost dog? I sense a story there? Maybe?
Good point, and Jevons was perhaps not thinking about you and I, and also values surrounding being frugal, careful and prudent. So yeah, confusing, I hear you. Consider Ollie, who now eats better due to lack of an alternative diet. The regular walks and other physical activities were always of his daily regimen. I avoid that place you mentioned like the plague, if possible, and ain’t nobody going to care more about the big dog’s health than me. But I do agree with you though, when folks get an err, 7x in their age, it’s been my observation that they tend to slow down and not require as much mad cash as they’d previously believed they would. Yeah, consumption should technically drop at that point in a person’s life.
Absolutely! That’s our approach to firewood as well. Respect. Nothing will dry out timber faster than the summer sun. Although I’ll trial putting some away throughout the year as we now have more space to do this activity. But have no idea what may happen. The dark grey external steel cladding sheets of the new shed means that the internal temperatures are warm, and that the timber dries. Even in winter you can feel the difference in there.
Oh my! Pam, I’m so sorry to hear that about your finger, and will learn from your experience. Truth to tell, yesterday, after about four hours of intermittent use, the rattling got too much for me, and I called it quits for the day. Far out, have you trialled anything to assist your finger joint? Ollie, just sayin’… But I get you, and our bodies do wear out, and I wish it were not so.
Oooo, what a lovely use of cucumbers (presumably, or was it tomatoes) to produce the pickled relish. Yum! And how nice will it be in winter when you open those jars of summer delightfulness? Interesting. I’ve never canned beans, and usually dry them for storage.
Hehe! The videos are meant to be relaxing, but it’s the techniques revealed which interest me, and that’s not the same part of the brain is it? 🙂 The Editor watches a really delightful home improvement video on utoob from North Dakota under the name: ‘Tia Weston’. She’s so lovely and hands on, and hope you enjoy the channel.
Those sewing videos can really up a person’s game in that area. I tell you what, it’s hard when one’s parents don’t hand on useful skills, but what do you do? And also better late than never don’t you reckon? Plus there is real pleasure in watching masters of their craft at work.
And the ferns wave their fronds to you in cordial greetings. 🙂
There are very few days in my life that feel as if I’ve wasted them. Today… You know, I’ve usually got ten things going on at any one point in time (all done consecutively rather than multi-tasked, respect to you for your superior skills), and nine are going great, but that other one chews up the moments. Oh well, nobody said that life would be easy, and my karmic load is perhaps weightier than most. I’m doing my best, but at times it ain’t good enough.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
That’s one of those known, known’s isn’t it? Dogs refuse to clean up their barf! So yeah, I get that, and it’s up to us humans to do so – and they know it! 😉
Ooo, they make you go in for a drivers license renewal down here as well, although I’ve not been through the eye sight test, yet. I read that Jack Vance, with his dodgy eyesight, got past the navy medical board eye sight test, by memorising the chart. Hmm. And were your lot in the bad old days, like take a packed lunch because visiting the DMV was going to be an all day extravaganza? They seem mildly efficient these days, but we mustn’t say that too loud lest we tempt the gods of bureaucratic hubris. And that’s my experience as well nowadays, you get hustled through. Good stuff.
Oh man, tell ya what, today was one big fat waste of my life. Oh well, these things happen, and I work really hard to avoid such drama, not that most people view the world that way. Some folks occasionally interpret my desire as desperation and neediness, but all I want is smooth sailing. Is it really that much to ask for? Oh well, moving on and everyone loses.
Interesting, and I’ll bet you were glad that you arrived early to the stand? And far out, a flat contains a lot of berries, so good stuff even getting the lot into the refrigerator. We bought a huge and cheap pumpkin the other week, and this thing is a monster and so sits on the kitchen bench with chunks hacked out of it (glad it’s winter in that regard). I was listening to the youth radio yesterday and they were discussing the subject with listeners as to what people would do if they suddenly came into lots of mad cash. One of the suggestions was purchase berries all year around and when out of season. They’re expensive items down under. But that was interesting to hear.
Hey, it was a five blanket night last night, and tonight feels equally chilly. Most of the day was foggy up until about 3pm, then the sun shone, but by then it was low in the sky and didn’t produce much electricity. Hope it cools down in your part of the world.
That was a thoughtful gift to the library folks as well. Hope that they’re doing OK given what’s been going on with the budget?
What a pickle of a situation, and well done you for writing to the board. And err, well with a deadbeat dad, I’m surely going to the underworld to roast along with all of the other most excellent reading sinners already there – under that way of thinking. I’d probably have a better time of it, and they may appreciate better literature, and hey, who’d want to hang out with such noisy folks? My brain function wonders about dirt files, those things can be handy to wield out in a tight spot.
Thought you might need a laugh: Star Trek but the Borg are Australian. Next Gen if made down under. 🙂
Yes, I read a cheeky line in a book the other day: “The department is a bit top heavy at the moment, and we meet budget by underpaying the juniors.” It was of course meant tongue in cheek and was from a book penned fifty years ago, proving that some things have not changed.
But essentially, the question you are raising is: What function does the library serve?
The bees are probably the safer option, and we might not be wired right for that ASMR stuff. Not everyone is. Would the bees care anyway? Probably not. Oh yeah, I get that about the background noise and blocking it out. Grabbed a coffee late this afternoon at the local café and near to me was a young lady reading. A big noisy family sat in the table next to her, and undaunted she chucked on noise cancelling headphones. I so comprehend introverts!
Oh yeah, post office. Sold something on ebuy, and you almost have to have a degree in computer science to work out how to bypass their pre paid postage labels. Sadly, I’m not that bright and so gave over to the err, overall curated experience. That was new, but I can see that the service deals with the general population, and well, things happen – which they’re eliminating (as much as possible anyway).
🙂 Swearing does lower the blood pressure, and serves a useful function. I tend to reserve them for special effect when necessary.
But boulder smooshing is superb for taking the mind off one’s problems. Yup! I tend to use physical work so as to get into a meditative state so as to cogitate upon problems and other matters. That’s be a good title for a book? 😉 I didn’t mind Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance, but wasn’t blown away by the conclusion – but then the kid had to deal with his dads mental health issues, and I kind of felt bad for the young bloke, which skewed my perception of the author. He might be a great guy, and most certainly he went on a journey of self discovery.
Hehe! I like to drop in a big word every now and then. Better than doing the swear-a-day calendar! As a professional I know some stuff and techniques on that front. 😉
Really? Ooop! No seriously, ooop! Guess a person uses what they’ve got. Felted wool comes to mind…
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – H cleaned up her own barf. I couldn’t watch. Nothing left to do but give the floor a spritz of white vinegar and a mop up with paper towels. 🙂
Yes, a trip to the DMV used to be a time killing ordeal. Now, there’s the tech, which helps move things along. But I noticed there was a worker, standing by the “take a number” machine, to coach everyone through the process. So much for unaided check in. Also, they’ve moved their behind the wheel driver’s test function, somewhere else. This office is mostly just for paperwork. Get this. We now have a four tier system. I got the basic. But the others are “enhanced” licenses. I think they speed up flying interstate, and more enhancements smooth your way onto international flights. I guess a passport just isn’t good enough, anymore. I might have got some of the details, wrong.
Smooth sailing? Life on life’s terms. Although I must admit, I’m not fond of choppy waters. 🙂
Our high yesterday was 86F (30C). Our overnight low was 54F (12.22C). Our forecast high for today is 71F. The forecast is for rain, and daytime highs in the mid 60sF, for about the next week. Today’s forecast is for rain after 5pm. So, even though the radar was lit up pretty green, I decided to do a bit of watering this morning. I want to make sure the zucchini stay damp. They haven’t sprouted, yet. Well, as soon as I turned off the tap / spigot, a bit of rain began to fall. Go figure.
That was a really funny Star Trek take off. I especially like the parting line about turning the Borg cube into a giant Lamington. 🙂 The largest Lamington in the universe!
These days, they don’t just underpay juniors. They just jettison them.
I haven’t sold for so long on e – buy, that I didn’t know about the prepaid labels. Our postal system’s classifications and rates are just Byzantine. There’s “priority mail.” You can stop by a post office, or order their boxes, which come in quit a few different sizes. It seems to be their preferred form of shipping. Get everything as standardized as possible. But when I use my own box, the rate is lower. But did I notice a slight disapproving twitch of the lip, from the postie at the counter? 🙂 They also have a “media mail” rate, which is quit cheap. For books and such. It also has tracking. But, it goes “space available.” Then there are “flat rate” packaging. Which I really don’t understand. Nor do I care.
Boy, have I got a book for you! 🙂 I picked it up at the library, yesterday. “Maintenance: Of Everything. Part One.” Stewart Brand, 2025. If the name sounds familiar to you, it’s because he was the creator of “The Whole Earth Catalog.” In some quarters, he’s considered the hippie who sold out. 🙂
https://w.wiki/RmJB
But to the book at hand … I was going to take a quick look at it, last night, and got in pretty deep. It’s full of illustrations and photos, exploring maintenance from different angles. Also, a sort of historic overview. There’s one chapter that was particularly interesting. “From Manuals to You Tube.” Also, “Corrosion: Rust Never Sleeps.” Did you know rusting iron, expands. And can crack concrete?
https://www.exploratorium.edu/exhibits/rust-wedge
Anywho, I thought you might be interested. Lew
Chris:
My area typically gets 48 inches of rain a year, which is perfect. I shudder to think what this past year’s (May till now) total is.
The neighbor did find their lost dog, but it was 15 years ago and darned if I remember a story. I love a good story; that’s why I like it here. I seem to remember that MySpace was started for musicians to get together.
I do need to get on an Ollie regimen, before I get any crunchier. It might very likely help the finger also. P.S. I have just printed out Ollie’s brekkie, which is sort of like my brekkie anyway. If I could find I good kibble, I’d add it.
It’s a cucumber relish, with onions, red bell (sweet) peppers and spices, vinegar, and sugar; I eat some pretty much every day, year round, so I hope we get a big harvest.
Thanks for the Tia Weston heads up. The youtube channel I like the best (besides you) is Olesya & house, out of Belarus. She and her husband actually have 2 channels; the other is Village Forest House. They bought an old farmhouse and renovated it and built outbuildings. They are just finishing up building a greenhouse . . .
I have just finished reading a book that I enjoyed more than just about any other book. It is Corduroy, by Adrian Bell. Apparently, once upon a time, it was extremely popular in the UK. It is a memoir of a young man’s year as an apprentice on a farm in Suffolk. He was 19 at the time and the year was 1920. The book was published in 1930, so it was all still pretty fresh in his memory. He eventually bought his own farm and 2 more books followed. 1920 was a time when farming was still using horses, though petrol-powered tractors, and cars and trucks, of course, were becoming more common. He gives a lot of details about how it was all managed and was a fantastic writer.
Pam
,
Hi Pam,
Oh yeah, 48 inches of rain is a wonderful amount, as long as it doesn’t all arrive at once. Imagine that? Ook! The year 55 inches fell here, the burn off restrictions were lifted in early March (the first month of Autumn down under) and everything was so green and lush looking. It can vary a lot, so perhaps your January to May rainfall is not so bad yet, maybe?
🙂 Our species think in terms of stories, and thank you so much for saying that. Lovely! Interestingly, that interweb site may have returned to it’s earlier function, that of social networking musicians based on what I read about it. Hey, it may become cool again?
Ha! Very funny regarding the kibble, and I appreciated the chuckles. If I may, oats… Unfortunately, I’ve learned over the past two decades, that not all oats are equal, and I’ve become very particular about the source and also how they are processed. It’s a complicated story. Anyway, they are meant to be good for a person, apparently so. But seriously, it might be worth trialling some or all of the items mentioned and see what the results are for you? Dunno. It’s remarkable the difference this has made with Ollie. But, err, also fresh greens, and consumed under twenty minutes from picking the leaves. Thus the regular pesto.
Yum! Yum! And fingers crossed that your harvest is good for all of those ingredients. 🙂
I’ve forwarded on your recommendation to the Editor. And I’m intrigued by the book and ordered a used copy, which has it’s origins in the UK. How this can be sent to the bottom of the planet at such a price is a mystery to me, but then they did used to send a whole bunch of convicts from there, also for free. So perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised? 😉
Sadly, and I mean that, I dealt with something this morning which as an upstanding bloke needed to be done. Had a nice bush walk afterwards in the cool winter sunshine, and there may have been an apple cake plus tasty ham, salad and cheese roll. My enjoyments are the small things in life, and they’re pretty good. What others are after, is something of a mystery to me. Oh well.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
And then there are moments where a person looks at their canine friends and wonders: Mate, did you really just barf up, then not waste the opportunity? Like you, I can’t watch such activities, it’s pretty nasty and do my best to shoo them off the organic matter. White vinegar is such a useful cleaning product, and would be an item, like dental floss, that I’d miss come the zombie apocalypse. It really is an industrial process to make. Oh well. I’d hoped, but no.
Looks like there are some alternatives to white vinegar, but will they taste as good on thick cut chunk chips with lots of salt? I don’t think so. Interestingly, looking at the various forum discussions on this cleaning subject, residues and odours left behind were the main issue (at a casual glance into the subject). Even spirits will leave an oily residue which may harden and build up over time. With some of the machine maintenance I do, especially carburettors which deal with tight tolerances and hardened organic goo from ethanol, they mostly suggest to use acetone which comes in all sorts of sources. I buy ethanol free fuel which costs extra per litre, but I’m not prepared to run the test to see whether the claim is entirely true. Dunno.
Ha! The need for a person standing next to the ‘number in line’ machine suggests that the workings of the system is somewhat opaque, or that there are enough functionally illiterate folks in the population that written instructions may not work? Dunno. The take a ticket thing is how it rolls down here as well with that lot, but the machine confronts you the moment you walk in the door. Hard to ignore… But with declining literacy rates, a person wonders about such systems.
Have to laugh, a utoober who works a forest on your west coast, put a video together about why I’m seeing upside tree stumps here. Now I know. It’s sort of similar forest, except there are only hardwood species here. Lovely work the bloke is doing too, unfortunately the loggers mess down here was just a bit unsightly were they were. Leaving them there raises a lot of questions from people who just don’t know any better. People can be a bit odd about trees, so best if cleaned up.
Oh yeah, hand over your biometric data. What could possibly go wrong? It’s safe, isn’t it? My solution to all this is simply not to fly, anywhere. I don’t feel like I’m missing out, but can see why others would do so in that circumstance.
Agreed, I face issues as they arise and try not to let them fester. Today, was another such incident and it was sad due to the sheer pointlessness of it all, but I can also appreciate that other folks follow their own path. What troubles me is that I can see the end point, but my thoughts were irrelevant. Oh well. Yeah, choppy waters are never great. Speaking of which (and we must avoid judgement here, cough, cough litigious alert, but oh my!): Spirit of Tasmania passenger sues after fall in toilet leads to injury. I’ve been on that overnight ferry, and it is one of the roughest stretches of water on the planet due to the shallow ocean. Fortunately I don’t seem to suffer from sea sickness, make of that what you will, probably a past life and stuff… Anywhoo, the journey was fun, and there were some lurching moments, and it is a big ship. All hands brace for impact.
Good stuff, and better to give the zucchini seeds what they need. That happens with me and using the generator here over winter to charge the house batteries. The day after the machine has been run, the sun makes a special guest appearance, just like your rain. It happens.
It was pretty funny hearing the Borg rambling, Bazza, where’s the script mate? 🙂 And the cube heavy vehicle permit joke was a hoot! The Lamington was the icing on the cake (please excuse the dodgy pun). Thanks for the laughs, and yeah, the most feared lamington in the galaxy!
Well, what can I say about the jettisoning of the juniors other than: that was me; and also the Editor in the early 90’s. The scars remain.
Oh my! Your description of the postal options confused me, which kind of suggests that your choice of word: ‘Byzantine’, is probably on the money. I’m just going through the stuff here at the moment, and jettisoning items which still work, but have no future usage. Dunno why I’m doing this, but perhaps I just had the mental space and energy to do all of the mucking around required. There doesn’t seem to be much being paid for second hand items, but it is better than them ending up in landfill.
I’ve only heard brief mentions here and there of the ‘Whole Earth Catalogue’ and Mr Brand is virtually unknown to me. Haven’t we all sold out? 🙂 Seems a bit rough for people to say such a thing and you’d hope the people doing so stood on firm ground. I see that he was friends with Mr Fuller who had a thing for geodesic domes, which seem remarkably impractical to me, and that car apparently scared testers…
Before proceeding any further, I probably need some education in this subject. What was the catalogue all about?
I am aware of expanding steel in concrete with rust, as the spalding effect. Hmm. I tend to mix a very strong and water tight cement, but people do try to save mad cash here and there. Is it a good idea? I’d say both yes and no. 🙂
And absolutely, I too have taken that journey from manuals to utoob, but also have some manuals just in case. It’s complicated…
Another sunny day is planned for tomorrow and Sunday. Then the forecast suggests rain next week, and the rainfall forecast map has odd blue colours in this area. Don’t normally see that, wonder what it all means?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – The big new is … the Club may have found a new home. Apparently, we have a benefactor / patron, who is in the process of purchasing this building, for us to use. I don’t know what the details are, but it will “close” in mid July. Then we’ll have a month or two of renovation. This picture must be about 5 years old, as The “Mexican Store” is gone, and now it’s a kind of op-shop, “Community Thrift.” They were at Yardbirds, when the Club was there. We’ll have the right hand side. That’s one of those false fronts, we talked about. Behind it, our side has a pitched roof (that looks to be in good shape), and the op-shop side has a flat roof.
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/610-W-Main-St-Centralia-WA/8337960/
You can get good aerial views, if you search “610 Main St., Centralia, WA.?” Click on images. I thought I could link to the pictures, but, it’s from the real estate company, and they already taken the photos, down. But the pictures are still in search / images.
Maybe malt vinegar for those chips? I didn’t look down the rabbit hole, but it’s probably easier to make, than pure white vinegar. Apple cider vinegar also might meet some white vinegar needs?
I can still remember rolls of numbered tickets that you’d just tear off. The DMVs having an employee to walk people through the process very much reminded me of when the library went to self check out. Or, self check out at grocery stores. There’s always people who can’t, or don’t want to cope with these stabs at disintermediation. 🙂 The library framed the change as freeing up employees to better serve the customers. Actually, it was a ploy, to reduce frontline staff. 🙂
So, after banging on for years about the upside down tree stumps, you’re going to keep the reason to yourself? 🙂 At least, link to the video so we can all be enlightened. I’ve lost so much sleep …
I can see a day, maybe, when the enhanced licenses will be required to vote. Your papers please?
That article about the ferry was interesting. Frankly, the ships look a bit top heavy. But as far as the picture of the bathroom went, heck, I have more substantial grab bars, in my bathroom. Perhaps they need signage. “Gentlemen! To avoid injury, sit!” Seat belts may be needed.
Our high yesterday was 66 (18.88C). Our overnight low was 55F (12.77C). Our forecast high for today is 66F. Out of our three walks yesterday, Dawg and I got wet on one, and very wet on another. Not so bad this morning.
Gosh, there’s been a lot of earthquakes, around the world, lately. First off, there was a sizable one off the coast of Japan. Then the horrendous quake in Venezuela. Yesterday, a 5+ in Northern California. Mendocino county. Injuries, but no deaths.
So, what was “The Whole Earth Catalog?” It defies description, so I’ll just …
https://w.wiki/RnWT
I started reading the maintenance book, last night. The first bit was about a single man, round the world sailing race. And how the three sailors approached maintenance. 1.)Whatever comes, deal with it. 2.) Hope for the best. 3.) Prepare for the worst.
The next section will be on motorcycles. Something you should know about. As told through two lenses. “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” and “Shop Class as Soulcraft.”
I started the strawberry jam process. (Not to be confused with the Strawberry Statement 🙂 . Getting all my tools lined up and clean. I took the stems off, quartered, and mushed up 4 cups of berries. I discovered if I sprinkle a tiny amount of sugar, on the berries, they mush easier. Put them in the refrigerator, for the night. When I’m done here I’ll cook them up and fill the jars. Then into The Machine.
I freaked a bit, when I pulled the flat out of the refrigerator. It looked like some of the berries had developed mold. Nope. Frost. The flat was too close to the back of the fridge, and freezer compartment. No harm done.
It looks like I’ll end up with at least 18 half pints (8 oz.) of jam. Enough that I’ll have a couple of jars to gift to friends. Lew
Chris:
Yes, the rainfall is bad. The farmers usually have had 2 cuttings of hay by now. The ones who got on top of it early got a little bit, but since then it has been dead. That is one good indicator. And we are getting quite a bit of leaf drop in the forest, especially from the tulip poplars, who love water. The folks who planted sycamores in town parking lots now have a bunch of dead trees. The deer are eating things that they only eat in starvation times. The list is long . . .
The only fresh greens I have right now – collards and chard – I only like cooked, but the kale from last fall (which I have watered) has put out new leaves that taste just fine to me, so I now have some of those.
I think you will much enjoy the book. Even I have had books sent to me from the UK where the book + shipping was unbelievably low. That may not exist anymore.
In Mr. Greer’s Open Post of Wednesday, Dobbs at #4 asked why the reduction in oil production doesn’t seem to be affecting the U.S. economy much. Today, petrol had jumped up $.35, which is the biggest jump it has taken so far. Before that it was up a little, back down the same. Mr. Greer’s reply was:
“Dobbs, demand destruction is the most effective way to deal with energy shortfalls, and that’s happening in an unexpected way as mass layoffs begin to hit the cubicle class and mass illegal immigration stops propping up our contracting population. An interesting piece on this latter:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a70793664/half-of-us-cities-are-depopulating-ghost-town-era/
I’m beginning to wonder just how much letting population decline naturally will ameliorate the decline in energy availability. Factor in the accelerating movement toward retro tech, and the Long Descent could be a little less bumpy than I’d anticipated.”
You were brave to deal with whatever it was.
Pam
Chris:
I see that you mentioned ethanol-free gas/petrol in a comment to Lew. I used to buy that, but it became too hard to get to the place. I think I have tracked some down closer by and will be checking it out.
Pam
Hi Pam,
Oh my! Your country has a lot of acres devoted to corn, which presumably provides the carbs for ethanol. Down here, I believe that they make ethanol from sugar cane, which only grows up in the tropical north east coast. There ain’t much easier thing than for a plant to produce a weird combination of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It’s the other stuff plants require to grow, which I wonder about. For your interest the 10% ethanol fuel blend is AU$0.02 a Litre cheaper (roughly a quarter of a gallon so about AU$0.08 a gallon). Producing that quantity of plant fuels must be an extraordinary industrial process. Given the huge distance between here and up there, it’s easier to find the non-ethanol based stuff. The things I’ve learned about what the plant mix liquid does to carburettors, troubles me. Modern cars with fuel injection though, are probably OK, but I’ve not looked into that aspect very deeply. For small engines though, my take is to add something in like ethanol shield, or avoid the plant stuff, but that’s my belief.
Whoa! Pam, I’m so sorry to hear that, and had not appreciated that the conditions had become so dry in your part of the world. Ook! Hope some relief arrives soon. Hmm, and yeah, the big trees here likewise drop leaves when moisture conditions are a bit difficult, although it is very early in the summer season. I’ve experienced some summer weather when they fall like snow flakes, and leave a lot of dry material on the ground – which we diligently mow up, just in case. That’s really bad, and truly I hope things improve for you.
Glad to hear that you have some greens, and this talk of chard and kale is the stuff of pure bliss. Have you ever tried chard in a pesto mix? Like you, I reckon the leaves are not good un-cooked, but for pesto if blitzed up fine, they work a treat. It’s probably a bit late to mention the perennial wall rocket again, but no other fresh green grows as well in the conditions you’ve described. One year, we ran out of fresh greens, and even the edible weeds were toast. Focuses the mind, that experience.
Thanks for recommending the book, and much appreciate it. Freight from your country is far more expensive, but possibly closer to what it actually costs. The UK looks like it is subsidising the activity.
Yikes! This is so weird, petrol prices have fallen here. Like, how is that even possible, but it happened. Around US$4.00 a gallon today. My mind is spinning, and I read that article. Interesting, and hey, there is a lot of property up for sale in this little hamlet as we’ve discussed. Makes a person wonder, doesn’t it?
Courage is doing the needful. Actually, as someone of the INFJ persuasion I get to see the insides, and so I held a mirror up to someone in order to do the needful. Cost me a bit of energy, but at heart the individual is OK, just needed the size nine boot. Oh well. It’s nice to have a foot which is the actual foot size so that I can use my feet to measure distances as so many feet.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Man, that’s awesome news about the Club’s new home! And proves that many good deeds, can sometimes produce one great deed. 🙂 The Club provides a most important service to the community and hands back a rudder to folks washed out to sea in uncertain waters. Gargle street view produced a nice picture of the place, and was it previously a smokes shop? I’d take down the advertising lest people get the wrong impression! 🙂 Hope it all goes well, and I’m thrilled for you. It’s been a long haul bouncing from one premises to the next.
Lewis, I’m so soft in the palate, that I only really like the taste of white vinegar, although don’t make a big fuss. The Editor pokes fun at me about this issue, as she’s into apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, and the err, aromatic balsamic vinegar. I dunno why man, but the whole super sniffer thing puts a dampener on the enjoyment. To be honest, the other day I was wondering if the super sniffer business is a side effect of the nose surgery I went through as a young adult? Dunno. A mystery, but I’d prefer to breathe more easily, so maybe there was some trade-off with that?
Oh yeah, there is a very busy café in the swanky inner suburbs which used to use one of those tickets on a big roll in order to secure a place in the queue. Before the ticket machine I used to know one of the older lady’s working there, and she’d take my order before others, and chuck in a bit extra. And I was always very sweet with her. Pays to know people in high places I reckon. The impartial ticket machine put an end to that, and last time I was there, they had computer printed tickets. That’s progress for ya!
There are a few places where the self checkout makes intuitive sense, and the big box hardware store is the best of the lot because it is simple and hard to mess up. So yeah, why disintermediate more, is my way of thinking, especially when the system sucks. 😉 And the supermarket self checkout system was so good it confused an item in yellow packaging for a banana. That is stupid. Anywhoo, I was not sweet with the lady who was too busy telling me off at the sudden alarm, that she failed to ascertain the nature of the problem. Rather pointedly I mumbled the advice that the system resembled dog poop. But yeah, front line staff are very necessary, and how hard is to have someone ringing up the goods at a cash register? What bothers me, is anyone responsible if the machines work out to be more expensive than simply hiring a human?
Oops! Sorry for that oversight, and you can see the dude making the upside down tree stump piles: Wilson Forest Lands. Hey, towards the end of the video, he supplies the the reasons why high cuts were made on the old tree stumps still in the ground down here too. I reckon we can call it: Both mysteries, solved! Mr Wilson has a very dry sense of humour as well, which I quite enjoy. Hope your rest is better after this secrets reveal? 🙂
Holy carp. You’re probably right. We have an electoral roll, which gets ticked off, and non voters get fined. Being a long waiting process when the voting queues are busy, especially earlier in the day, I’ve never heard of people mucking around doing multiple votes – the bureaucratic time will eat a persons day. It’s a strategy. Not everyone has a drivers license either, so it could be a problem.
Being a ferry, most of the ships weight is below deck, but I see what you mean. There are trucks and buses taken across too, it’s a really big ship, although there are container vessels which ply a similar route. I worked at a place very long ago where some containers fell overboard in the rough shallow seas. How about using those straps they have in space toilets? I mean, if they’re good enough for zero gravity, a ferry in rough waters should be a doddle. Man, I reckon the space toilets on an extended trip to Mars would be a bit err, soiled by the time the spacecraft arrived. I’ve read that space stations can get a bit interesting smelling.
One out of three is not bad, could be worse, although it is meant to be summer in your part of the world. Today was pretty nice, at 12’C / 54’F. Went into the big smoke to enjoy lunch with friends, and had a great time, although the pink ladies group out-noised us, and we moved on early. Noisy places with hard surfaces makes for difficult conversation.
The planet is shaking around a bit, yeah. Interesting. There’s been a lot of quakes recently from just to the north of New Zealand right through to Indonesia. And a few 3’s on this continent. Haven’t had one around here for a long while. The last one was err, a bit exciting.
It does defy description, and had a certain playful anarchic nature. But I agree with the aim, for until very recently, having access to useful information (and that can vary with the reader) was difficult. It’ll probably return to that state sooner or later, and libraries are wonderful things during such periods of time.
Those are some useful methods of dealing with problems, and when way out into the ocean, spare parts are a long way away.
Interestingly, we were discussing how wood and metal work classes used to be a thing at High School years ago. I doubt they’d do such activities nowadays.
Very good and it was difficult to ignore the well thought through, mise en place in your processes. Oh yeah, the strawberries! Was that all of them? And does the refrigerator now look empty?
Getting the airflow just right in a refrigerator is a pain, and they’ll defrost just fine for jam, and will smoosh up more easily. We sometimes knock the temperature dial in the machine, and that can be a nuisance.
Respect! And think cold winter days, some fresh bread, slather on some jam. Perfection! 🙂 Of course you may decide to add it to some youghurt?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Yes, it’s a relief that the Club has a new home. But I won’t relax until the keys are safely in our hands. “There’s many a slip twixt cup and the lip.” But, I “hear” closing will be sometimes in mid July. And then it’s estimated it will take a month or two to get us operational. A call has gone out for plumbers and electricians. I hope they will have an “open” day, when anyone interested can take a look at the new digs. LOL. I’m sure there will be many who have “a better idea,” as far as layout, etc. But, there may even be a few better ideas. 🙂
It was a smoke shop, but not a Mari-hochie dispensary. We do have those. They’re legal in this state. It was a “smoke” shop, but not your old neighborhood tobacconist. 🙂 Hookahs and such. Pipes to smoke much more lethal stuff. They didn’t have much permanent signage.
So, you had a nose job? 🙂 Nose job jokes have been a running gag here for a long time. But usually applied to young Jewish girls. Lots of jokes about getting a nose job for their 16th birthday, and such.
Self check-outs were the …. dream of businesses everywhere. Reduce labor costs and get rid of all those pesky employees, with their never ending problems. And, expense. Hasn’t really worked out, well, but they keep throwing themselves against the wall … or over the cliff.
I’ll get to the logging video. Maybe, tonight. Strawberries call …
The first batch is done, and I’m onto the second. Works better for me, if I split it in two parts.
We live in odd times. Yes, it’s been proven time and again, that voter fraud is very nil. But one party, that will remain nameless, is creating doubt about our voting system. At least, anytime they lose an election, even at a local level. Their guy or gal loses? Fraud MUST have been involved.
Our high yesterday was 66F (18.88C). Our overnight low was 55F (12.77C). Our forecast high for today is 66F. Still a lot of scattered clouds and rain.
My zucchini had broken ground! Now if I can just keep the darned wood lice off of them.
Apparently, there have been a lot of quakes, along a line in Alaska. A fault line. There’s also something going on at Yellowstone Park, but I haven’t read the articles. Just saw the headlines. Lew
Chris:
Ethanol-free gas here costs almost a dollar more per gallon, which is one reason I quit buying it.
I haven’t tried chard in pesto. Thanks for mentioning perennial wall rocket again; it is on my list to order. I expect I could plant it in late summer.
If you are using the metric system, how do you use your feet to measure feet?
Please thank Sandra for me for the mention (through you) of Tia Weston. She is one smart – and hardworking! – lady.
Pam
Hi Pam,
Whoa! Well that’s news to me. A dollar a gallon would add up, sorry to say. So I get where you are at. I don’t believe that modern vehicle engines are all that bothered by ethanol, however, small Honda lawn mower engines are a different matter. 🙂 You got me interested in the subject. I couldn’t find any exact data, but various places here and there suggest that ethanol has about 33% less energy for the same volume as petrol (gasoline in the US). Some quick back of the envelope calculations suggest… … (someone please check this!) that a 10% blend of ethanol petrol (E10), will provide 96.5% of the energy per gallon that non-ethanol petrol does. So, if it’s say $4 a gallon for E10, and $5 for non-ethanol, then you’re ahead. At the AU$0.02/Litre difference though, go the non-ethanol blend. A lot of corn gets grown in your country. 🙂
Your mission, should you choose to accept it is! 🙂 You may be surprised by the results. I tend to believe that the greens used in pesto probably have to be less flavourful to work, which is why radish leaves can work in it.
Oh yeah, the perennial wall rocket loves the heat and drier conditions. I’m yet to find a better summer green. Although, not everyone is excited by the taste of mustard. Yup, the plant will love late summer weather.
I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I switch between imperial measurements and the metric system, depending upon circumstance. Much depends upon circumstance, and who I’m talking too, as well. Pam, I hope the measurement cops don’t come and get me! 😉 It’s weird, but say with ammo, nobody uses metric units. People are very strange about these total abstractions, but I simply float along and away and am unbothered. If they’re bothered, that’s someone else’s problem.
Sandra said that she is so glad that you are enjoying Tia Weston, and she’s lovely and the relationship shared with her father is just beautiful. The two exude calm in the face of adversity, and there is a lot to like about that. 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
I so get that, and as the old timers used to quip: Don’t count your chickens until they’re hatched! Fingers crossed it works out well for the Club, with a bit of minor travail to ensure that the members appreciate what has just occurred. I sometimes deliberately dial in a bit of adversity in a situation, because it rams home the lesson like nothing else will. You know man, I really loved running that graduate program for the big corporate way back in the day. That lot learned, and had the occasional chocolate aimed squarely at their heads. I’d like to believe that they got An Education. Yes. In a world of ego driven behaviour, few people can just put aside their comfort, and learn, or experience.
Nice one to draw on the resources of the Club and see what eventuates. Such valuable trades are in short supply down under, and if I had my time all over again, I’d have trained as a mechanic or an electrician. A mate of mine is a welder, and he has this super cheeky, I’m in demand vibe about him. He might be winning.
Ha! Ask three Club members their opinion as to the layout of the new digs, and you’ll get five responses. Ask the same folks to do the work, and only one will rise to the challenge. 🙂 Hey, you reminded me of a chat I had long ago with a wealthy landowner over at the more fashionable western end of the mountain range. The person gave some horticultural graduates the opportunity for hands on experience, and had to battle them to get stuck into the gritty end of the tasks. Apparently there was only room for one ideas person, and I can respect that, especially when the grads had not yet earned their stripes.
Oh, that marahoochie oil stuff has to be dispensed from chemists, and vets (apparently) down here. Ah, I see, the anarchist symbol in the sign was a dead giveaway to me, but if I may observe, it’s hard to f#$k the system, if a person can’t get off the couch. 😉
Really? You are super cheeky, and I like that. No, I had to get the surgeon to re-open up my nasal passageways because I could only ever breathe through one side of my nostrils. Make of this what you will, but my nose was broken as a kid. So when I hit 18 years of age and could manage my own health matters, sans parent, I got it sorted out. Talk about a relief, but there are side effects. It could have been worse. Hmm.
Actually, those girls don’t know what they’re losing. A big nose is an asset. The only folks who prefer a little nose, are those who are hankering for an impractical reality. Better to breathe easier is my way of thinking.
Yeah, exactly. Automation is a wonderful thing, in dreamland. Reality, well, it kind of works differently. The supermarket I frequent costs more, but has no such nonsense. Dynamic pricing is in my opinion, the thing a business does when faced with hyper-inflation. But even then, the costs for those systems also follow the same price spike curve. They can’t win.
Go the strawberries! And ha! That’s how traditional cooking was done, in batches, or as a piece meal process. Who has the time to spend all day long in the kitchen unpaid?
Ah, voter fraud. Interesting. If I may add an outsiders perspective here. A civil system like that, must adhere to the precepts of integrity, but more importantly, it must also have the perception of integrity. Your voting systems are a failure on that front. Sorry man. I’ve worked in vote counting because I became interested in the reality, and experienced systems which just work, and are upright. There is a reason nobody questions the results down here. Your country could do better, and recently decided otherwise. Apologies for being honest.
What lovely weather you are having, and our maximum, was your minimum. Weird for this time of year, but then I never said anywhere that it was a good idea mucking around with the composition of the gases in the atmosphere. Oh my goodness: Multiple rainbands to cross Australia next week. I’m not sure we’ll get much work done outdoors next week.
Actually, the rain for you at this time of year, is most excellent. It’ll get warmer for you in July. The nights here are getting closer to freezing. Brr! That’s five blanket talk.
Hope you enlisted the service of the soap chunks to protect the zucchini seedlings from the dreaded rolly polly’s?
Oh my! Yellowstone is feral for seismic activity. What the heck? It would not make for a comfortable existence. Fingers crossed that we dodge the big one.
Moved some large rocks uphill today and placed them on the path just below the house. I’m liking the look of it.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – More people seem to be waking up to the trades, as a path to secure, and remunerative employment. “Higher education,” is not delivering on its promises.
I think, in volunteer organizations, such as the Club, people feel more free to express their opinions and move forward there agendas … whatever they may be. 🙂 The Master Gardeners who show up here, are a pretty harmonious and cohesive bunch. But every once in awhile I hear an off comment, that indicates that all is not harmonious, in different parts of the local organization.
It varies from state to state, but here, our marahoochie stores sell a lot more than just the oil. They also sell smoke, and “edibles.” Depending on the source, we have anywhere from 5 to 7 “dispensaries,” in our county.
Some places have abandoned self check out. Previous investment, aka “sunk costs” often influence if they’re going to keep flogging that dead horse, or not. Those systems don’t come cheap.
Another round of strawberries, done. One more to go. And with the last, I’ve already got the strawberries washed, cut up, smashed, and ready to go in the pot. Out of 12 jars so far, I’ve only had one that didn’t “ping.” I’ll give it a few days rest, and then might do some blueberry jam. Depending on what’s left in the freezer. As long as I’ve got all the paraphernalia out, I might as well.
Here’s an interesting overview of our perceived, voter fraud. LOL. There’s no there, there.
https://www.newsweek.com/voter-fraud-us-elections-data-research-1978342
Apparently, due to lack of interest, weather has been canceled, today. 🙂 The government weather site won’t load / open. Your weather for the next week, sounds pretty dreary. The article was pretty interesting. Apparently, at least for now, the worst effects of the El Niño are being moderated by your Indian Ocean weather.
The rolly polly’s have not been in evidence, the past few nights. Although I’ve noticed that they seem to disappear, when we have rain. Maybe they don’t like to get their (many) feet wet? Or, maybe, as the soap breaks down, it poisons them?
One of the chapters in the maintenance book, is about dry stone walls. How to build them. Looks like a successful wall needs 5 different shapes of rocks.
The Club is pretty well emptied out. A couple of the groups are holding on, til the bitter end, the 30th. One of the fellows is doing yeoman service. He’s opening the Club in the evening, and keeping the coffee pot perking. Lew