Between 1942 to 1943, there were about 100 air raids by the Japanese on Australia . One of the biggest, was on the 19 February 1942 with the bombing of the far northern city of Darwin. 188 planes smashed the daylights out of the remote city and got away largely unscathed, such were the light defences. Ships in the harbour were sunk, two airfields were trashed. I guess they thought to put an end to ideas for using the area as a base from which to launch attacks into Java, Timor and Papua New Guinea, all of which had fallen due to the relentless onslaught.
They thought wrong! Planning and construction began in mid 1940 to July 1942, for a sort-of military grade road. The idea was that a truck could drive all the way from Port Augusta in South Australia, right up to Darwin in the far Northern Territory. It’s called the Stuart Highway, which was so named after an early explorer who failed to die in the vast arid outback. He crossed from south to north and the road followed his route. One northerly section of the highway was 306-mile / 492 km long and it was built in under 90 days. During one motivated week, 11 miles (18 km) was constructed. A world record!
That record has sometimes floated into my mind. A few years ago the local freeway on and off ramps scored a pair of roundabouts. The traffic in the area had built up so much, that they were kind of necessary. Long before that moment of road improvement, I’d begun taking a different freeway off ramp. You simply couldn’t turn right off the freeway ramp exit. They’re nice looking roundabouts, but far out, they took two years to construct. Hardly 18km in a week is it?
Oh well, Sandra and I have travelled the length of the Stuart Highway. Right up the guts of the continent. It sure is a long way at 2,720 km / 1,690 mi. Not the sort of thing a person can do in a day, no matter how fast they drive. Speaking of which, in those days, there were no speed limits in the Northern Territory section. Our little four cylinder hatchback was no pocket rocket. It zipped along best at around 110km/h or 68mph. Any faster was a bit exciting feeling! Fortunately the traffic was light in those days, and the biggest hazard was over taking a road train (prime mover and three trailers). Or the sluggish large SUV’s towing caravans. They were a problem too. Mad Max in his Ford V8 interceptor probably didn’t have to plan such overtaking activities in advance. He put the pedal to the metal! Speed restrictions were introduced in 2006.
The highway surface was in pretty good nick too. The road would traverse these long waves stretching in between extended troughs. Up you’d go, then over the crest, and back down again. Drive along the flat for a bit, then rinse and repeat. It was such a long drive, and we stopped off to see things. Who can forget Barrow Creek? In under a minute, we decided it’d be more pleasant to drive up the road for a bit to find some cover with which to relieve our bladders. Plenty of space around there.
We did take some good side trips too. I recall the arid Flinders Ranges in the south, and just off the highway. Pretty quiet in those days, and it had one of the coldest nights I can ever recall on this continent when camping at Wilpena Pound. Looking at the images of the place now, it’s like marvelling at photos of the arid American west. Beautiful vast country, majestic and lightly populated. And freakin’ cold at night! The days made up for that.
We worked our way north, and eventually ended up in Darwin, which is remarkably tropical. You could buy great Barramundi and chips, and the saltwater crocodiles were fascinating. Total killers, but tasted like chicken when served in burgers. Fun stuff. And from there, we took the other long road down the west coast of the continent which ended up in the equally remote city of Perth. That’s in the south west. That road was 4,024 km / 2,500mi. It was a long way, yup. In fact, everywhere on this continent is a long way from anywhere. I’ve heard cheeky jokes suggesting that if the Japanese had actually invaded the northern part of the continent, the crocodiles would have got them! But we needn’t worry about that, the WWII road meant that supplies could be hauled up there in a hurry.
I’ve been thinking about those roads recently. The local state government announced in the news that they made the decision to reduce funding for the repair of the states roads. Concerns about regional road repairs despite $1b funding in Victorian budget . The salient point to note is:
There is less resurfacing and rehabilitation work planned for regional roads, with 2.85 square kilometres of works planned for the coming financial year compared to 3.5 square kilometres in 2025-26.
It’s a big state at 227,444km2 / 87,817mi2 and such budgetary proclamations sound kind of underwhelming. That is until your car hits enough rural potholes! A wheel becomes buckled.
The mechanic tipped me off to the sad fate of the wheel. The local tyre mob confirmed the patient’s prognosis, and added: Mate, it’s got six months to live, at best! Frank assessments are the benefit of long association with a business, and they’ve always looked out for us. The wheel was about to die.
Naive is the state of mind which believes that a problem has a simple solution. A factory sourced wheel was out of the question due to, well factory parts being what they are (expensive!) For a brief moment or two I toyed with the idea of purchasing a replacement wheel from the wreckers. It is at such moments you realise that the car ended up at the wreckers due to an accident, so all may not be well with the replacement wheel.
Turns out fashion is a thing with cars as well. A replacement wheel in the colour silver, so nobody noticed the different pattern, could be had for neither love nor money. They don’t make them in that colour and four stud pattern nowadays. The things could only be purchased in full black, or a mostly black with silver trim. Hmm. It being Sandra’s car, and me having to visit clients and maintain appearances, it just became easier (and less than the price I believe, of a single factory wheel) to replace all four wheels, with black ones. What a strange world we live in, and now the car looks like it’s moonlighting as a stunt vehicle in one of those Fast and Furious film franchises. Trust me, despite the outlay of mad cash, it won’t go any faster!
Speaking of all things vehicle, someone, or some people, have been having fun with road signs around here. Check this out:
There’s a lot of things to worry about on that sign. People walking, tick. Bicycles ridden by ghosts, tick. Busty young ladies on rather over-fed yet animated horses, tick. Mini elephants – what the heck? I gotta get me some of these creatures to help haul rocks back the hill. Who knew they were lurking in the forest?
This week has been extraordinarily wet. The roads are feral and muddy, with some alarming Suzuki sized potholes. I’d washed the Jimny Dirt Rat last week. What a waste of time that was, but at least some of the locals at the café can attest that it was briefly clean.
It’s wet here, but down below the mountain range on the fertile flood plain, well…
The local creek part of which begins at the bottom of this property, hasn’t flooded, but with not much more rainfall, it could have.
Even the earthworms have had enough of the soggy ground. They’re all over the grass clambering around to who knows where. The other day I spotted one climbing up the vertical surface of a concrete stair.
In places, the paddocks have looked beyond damp. It’s almost hard to fathom how there could be puddles on sloping ground, but there was.
The usually winter frost damaged grasses and ground cover plants have taken on an astounding emerald colour:
We’ve spent much of the time working indoors on our business. The dogs have rested up, and they sure do know how to enjoy themselves.
She’s a funny dog and enjoys looking at the world upside down. By about the sixth day of wet weather, we’d all had enough and headed outdoors to do some stuff, anything, in the drizzle. Mice had broken into the supposedly rodent proof chicken enclosure. They were eating about a cup full of grains everyday, which was more than the eight chickens could.
The chicken run itself is protected by steel and concrete trenches. However, the mice had burrowed tunnels under the concrete slab of the hen house and exited into the run. I’d not anticipated that. So we dug a trench around the hen house.
The new trench meets up to the already concreted chicken run. So there were three sides of the slab to dig around.
During the course of the excavating, I discovered two of the holes which the rodents had dug on their own initiative.
After much swearing and hard work, we mixed up enough cement to backfill the trenches.
I’ve now trapped five mice inside the chicken enclosure. I can’t bait them with poison for obvious reasons, and mice are pretty canny about avoiding baits anyway. This has to be done the slow and hard way. Each night, I have to head into the chicken enclosure, seal up any new hiding places found, and whack the daylights out of them. It’s pretty hands on, but I see no other way to get the rodents out of there. One has already bitten the dust. You can never be too sure about your systems when it comes to rats and mice.
The dogs assisted work on that day, and had run themselves so ragged, that by evening, they were pooped out.
The asparagus fronds finally succumbed to the winter chill, so we hacked them back to ground level, or a bit above that. Over the next month or so, the raised beds will get a good feed of soil stuff.
Whilst we were working on the chicken enclosure, it was hard to ignore the eleven years of cobwebs the chooks were dealing with. Being busy, I worked indoors. Sandra braved the spider webs, and cleaned most of them out using a battery powered vacuum cleaner.
And Sandra also sewed up this steel rock gabion cage, It’s one of the recently filled cages on the third level of that long wall.
We also burned off in the corten steel brazier, all of the nearby fallen forest material. The ash was spread around some of the garden beds, and it is a solid fertiliser for acidic soils.
I forgot to show in last week’s blog, that the cold weather made it an appropriate time to harvest what was left of the kiwi fruit. Near freezing temperatures converts some of the starches into sugars, which makes the fruit sweeter.
The lemon meyer continues to impress with it’s colourful winter fruit:
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 10am is 5’C (41’F). So far for this year there has been 690.0mm (27.2 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 568.8mm (22.4 inches)
Comments
41 responses to “Zen and the art of Potholes”
Yo, Chris – WWII highways seemed to be a thing. Over here, it was the Alcan Highway.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Highway
I’ve never driven it, but, from reports it’s a real bone shaker.
What is it about being young, and taking long road trips? And then, eventually, you just settle in. Mine was across Canada, to Regina, and back. And, up and down the west coast, a few times.
Funny, to my untrained eye, the wheel looks just fine. But what a hassle, trying to get some kind of matching wheels. And of course the bolt configuration is going to be different, because, why not? Standardization has gone right out the window.
I wondered about the sign, as the header photo. Elephant crossing? Who knew? Now, remember the Calamityware? Flying dinosaurs snuck into pretty standard china patterns. Do them one better. Cut a Pterodactyl out of sticky black vinyl, and stick it over the bicycle. 🙂
Looks like our part of the country, during the rainy season. Puddles, water high in the creeks and flooded farmlands. If I find worms on the sidewalk, during rainy weather, I toss them in my raised bed. And bury kitchen scraps there, to keep them fed.
Mice. Such little creatures to cause so much work to keep them out.
Asparagus. I had another tall stock come out, but it didn’t seem to be “ferning” out. I took a close look at it, tonight. It’s going to have berries!
That’s a good crop of kiwi, given all the problems this last season. And the lemons! No worries about scurvy, at Fern Glade Farm.
The mystery plant looks like an unholy union. Between flat leaf parsley and poison Hemlock.
Is that a culinary bay? I’ve seen Jade plants flower a few times, in my life. Large plants, indoors here, or outside in S. California. Here, people grow them as low maintenance house plants. Lew
Hi Lewis,
They’ve still got a minor part of that Alcan Highway in it’s original condition, although now bypassed and 2.5mi in length. It’s amazing what can be achieved when push comes to shove with such epic works isn’t it? 🙂 The official reports suggest that the highway is sealed along its entire length now. Hey, the photos of the road in winter with all that snow, gave me an attack of the fantods! I’d not know what to do in those conditions and probably crash.
Interesting, and Regina is quite a big city. The annual precipitation is remarkably low, and the climate swings from one extreme to another. Nice to visit… It’s good to see more of the world and how things look to other folks, but I prefer life up here in quiet bubble-land! Actually, I called it that to another local who was quite amused at the idea.
Speaking of climate, one may perhaps wonder if the gases in the atmosphere have not become more dense of late: New provisional high pressure record for Australia
Unsurprisingly, today was a stunning winters day. 34’F at dawn, with frost, followed by clear blue skies. There was not even the merest hint of a breeze, and it was lovely. A good day to head down to the forest edge and do a bit of cleaning up. Had a big bonfire, and even managed to get rid of an other upside down tree stump. Me tired tonight.
Went out before to poke the fire in and check on the mouse / chicken situation, and spotted two mice which dived into a tight spot, and disappeared. We were looking at this and trying to work out where they went and couldn’t figure it out. Had they teleported? Anywhoo, we’ll stick some wire in there tomorrow, that’ll mess with the rodents. The war will be long!
🙂 Ain’t just you, the wheel look and felt fine to me too. No wobbles at all as it was one of the rear wheels. If two independent people say it’s dead, and one has no interest in replacing the thing, then it’s on the way out. I’ve had a broken wheel before, and they suddenly let go of the air, which is not ideal.
Hehe! Thanks for the Pterodactyl suggestion, and I might just do that. Did you notice that the stylised human had been attended to by none other than Annie Wilkes? I ask you, where are the hands and feet? There’s some strange stuff going on over near where that sign is, and best we’re not involved.
Yeah, I’d forgotten the Calamityware, and that is some fun stuff.
You too? That poor earthworm was climbing a concrete stair, so I got a stick and gently flicked the critter into a garden bed. The birds were feasting on the worms, but they were doing it tough as well. Five inches is a lot of rain in a week. It’s funny isn’t it? I get the impression that your area’s climate is pretty similar to down here, although here it is just a tad warmer. You get maybe two weeks annually which would put a stop to growing citrus outdoors, but see above with the record high pressure. The future is an unknown country, but we can take some solid guesses as to direction!
If the mice were polite, and gave some benefits for all of the grain that they’re consuming, I’d be happier. They seem to dance and skip to their own beat and reproduce at an alarming rate. The rodents have consumed an extraordinary quantity of food. Anyway, I might still be harbouring some ill feelings from the three weeks of disturbed sleep they put me through.
Cool! The Asparagus berries turn red, then drop off and set seed for new plants – which you can transplant. Do you remember if that plant with the berries was purchased as a crown? Rumour has it, that the farms off load the girlie plants.
🙂 Take that scurvy! Nah, no worries about that risk for sure. The kiwi fruit are softening up, and I’m looking forward to adding them to brekkie.
Yeah, poison hemlock was my thought as well, but it’s not meant to be present in this area (or anywhere even close) and the flowers look wrong.
That is a culinary bay tree. Laurus nobilis, and they can grow up to 60ft! The leaves are handy for use in cooking. Succulents just do well here, and they all flower. How about that weird cactus flower in the past year? I’ve read that some canny folks grow succulents as a fire break. The leaves hold a lot of moisture, so there is something to that idea.
As to being able to un-see, I’m probably not wired right, as I’d prefer to know what’s going on, but yeah, I hear you about that. 😉
Yes, they do patching of potholes down here as well. And the results are pretty similar to what you described. I guess it’ll be like you said – given enough time, and enough damage, the roads will revert to dirt.
Although, it turns out that after some processing, most asphalt and bituminous material can be recycled. Hey, what a fine joke it would be if the stuff was removed from rural areas, and sold back to the cities for their usage… I could see that happening.
Far out, the chainsaw clutch packed it in again today. Might have to stump the mad cash for a genuine part. There are moments when generic stuff is OK, and then there are other times… Ook! Spensive, oh well I tried to use cheaper stuff. Sometimes you win, other times you have to face reality.
Nice thinking with the file on the centre rim of the DVD’s. You’d imagine it would be standard, but nope if that is the case. Agreed, that form of media will be around for a long while to come.
Some of the seafood looked pretty tasty too. Being inland, such things are a rare treat. Although you do have me wondering about yabbies and those land crayfish you alerted me to. 🙂 The ketchup chips, could be good, or dodgy. They might have been barbecue flavoured ketchup? It looked like a darker sauce to me, and I wondered about that. By the way, chips and gravy is a real treat. Do you have a local equivalent of the Nanaimo bars? I reckon a vanilla slice would be sort of close-ish.
Go Edwin the snail, and may I add that he is displaying some royal fortitude! Hope he is careful with whom he chooses to associate.
Oh poop, it’s warming up for you. Maybe things will stay below 90’F. The weather this week down here could best be described as becalmed, with the rain set to return next Sunday.
Isn’t it considerate of the locals to put on a industrial light show for H’s entertainment! Good to see that you weren’t in the thick of the very nearby show, that could be a touch exciting. Happy fourth! 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Back in circa 1970, Regina was considerably smaller, than today. 178,000+ vs 226,000+. A friendly city, and adventures were had, looking for a particular private club. Which we eventually found, by following the sound of music. We did some fast talking, got in, and two gracious ladies (who we later found out were paid greeters), introduced us, all around.
Regina is wheat growing country. That’s why we ended up, there. One of the fellows, his family grew wheat part of the year, and built houses on spec, in Vancouver, Washington, the rest of the year.
Our high yesterday was 77F (25C), with a nice western breeze. Our overnight low was 50F (10C). Our forecast high for today is 87F. But, the forecast is for it to go back in the 70s, for the rest of the week.
The Master Gardeners were here, this morning. I was watching the onion blossoms, and a stunning butterfly showed up. I thought it was maybe a Monarch, but it was an American Lady butterfly. It worked over the onions, for quit awhile. I’m also seeing a lot of Swallowtail butterflies. Among many other pollinators, more European honeybees are showing up.
I was telling them about the Johnny Appleseed book, “American Rambler,” and it turned out one of them is also reading it. And is at the halfway point, as am I. That particular gardener is also reading “Marylyn and her Books,” on my recommendation. And quit liking it.
I think the asparagus with the developing berries, is from the root stock I planted. The plants from the seed I planted, are quit a bit smaller, this year.
Be careful with the poison Hemlock, if it is poison Hemlock. One popped up in my pumpkin barrel, between seasons. The sap and leaves can burn your skin. The Master Gardeners identified it, and advised I use disposable gloves, to dispose of it.
A dried bay leaf, or two, can really jazz up a pot of soup. Or, different stocks.
We have a lot of different brands of barbecue chips (crisps?), but they’re generally darker in color. Browner, than the catsup chips. I generally steer clear of the chip aisle (yes, a whole aisle), but I do have a weakness, once or twice a year for sea salt and vinegar chips. I’ll keep an eye out, for the catsup chips. Sounds like something the yuppie discount grocer might have.
I also steer clear of bakeries. Not that we really have them, here. Other than in the big grocery stores. But since I heard of them, somewhere along the way, they must be available.
I’ve had a craving for a baked potato, with lots of chives from my garden. A little butter and lots of plane yoghurt. I’ll satisfy that craving, sooner or later. Lew
Hi, Chris!
We just had what amounted to a small hurricane (maybe a monsoon?) which gave us 5 inches of rain in 45 minutes. And also no laptop internet, though here I am on my phone. It’s a wreck around the outside of the house, but back in the fig clearing, they look okay. Yay!
I’m not going to try to leave a comment tonight; will get back to you tomorrow.
Yay again! Rain!
Pam
Hi Chris,
the plant you are asking about seems to me to be Fumaria officinalis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fumaria_officinalis
It is a common garden weed here in northern Europe.
Eija
Hi Eija,
Welcome to the discussion! 🙂
Thanks so much for correctly identifying the plant. Respect. What an interesting and useful plant it is too with ancient herbal uses. Apparently, it is very common in Australia nowadays, and I’m guessing that the seeds must have arrived here via a purchased plant.
Hope your growing season is bountiful, or at least rich with sun ripened berries! 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi Pam,
Oh my goodness, what a storm! Glad to read that you and your family are OK, despite the inevitable mess around the house. And that the figgies survived! That’s a cause for celebration in itself.
Heavy rainfall delivered in a short period of time, makes for a lot of damage. Those sorts of storms really test all of your drainage systems. Out of curiosity, have you or your son considered any adaptions to the place in light of the storm?
I see in the news that huge swaths of your area are without power. Fingers crossed that it wasn’t too bad in your area?
We did another day of forest clean-up, and had a big burn off of fallen branches. It’s looking good, and! A lot of rocks were discovered. Keeping one step ahead of Peak Rocks, is always a challenge.
If I may, those sorts of storms are the ones where you find out which of your neighbours has a chainsaw, and if they know how to use the thing! Had to fix the clutch in my biggie chainsaw machine this morning, but had it back up and running in about twenty minutes.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Oooo, fascinating, and I salute your sense of adventure. Man, had to laugh, I thought I’d weasel out of the interweb search machine more details from that cities history, and let’s just say that I have some doubts that Country Club’s are exciting discotheques, or other such amusing destinations. 😉 Years ago, I sat next to an older lady at a dinner, and we struck up a conversation. She was really lovely, and just dropped in a casual line about having visited the famous Studio 54 in its heyday, as you do. I got the distinct impression that the lady was as awed at getting past the door staff, as I also would have been. Probably a total let-down once inside, but made for an entertaining chat.
Well, the paid greeter was part of the background colour in the day. I’ve not encountered such a person, and am intrigued. It is worth noting, that the word ‘hospitality’, also suggests an ‘hospitable’ approach to smoothing the social waters.
If the climate warms up, due to the low rainfall there, unless precipitation improves, they won’t be growing un-irrigated wheat.
Given this continent is an island, the thought of working between two countries like Vancouver and Washington, just astounds me. Always interesting to consider what farmers do in the off-season. I believe the local band “Old Mervs” does just that, and tours in the off season. Kojonup farmers turned rockers Old Mervs head out on tour with harvest done for the season
Ook! Hot, then back to a cooler summer. Sounds nice to me. It was a frosty 34’F this morning, but the mists burned off and the day was superb, but maxed out at 48’F. We headed down below to the forest edge and continued the clean up. Getting the bonfire rekindled was, err, hard. Everything was so wet, but we prevailed. It’s good to get back into that work. The dogs ran around and did what they do, so they’re now sound asleep.
It is a very pretty butterfly, and I can see why you’d originally have called it a Monarch due to the overall colour. Yeah, the pollinators will be fine, and it’s impressive that you’re getting some European honey bees.
I was tempted by the Rambler book, but sadly have to consider the economic side of life these days. It’s always good to chat with folks who’ve taken up a reading recommendation. You never know what they’ll see in the pages and then bring to light. I’d enjoy a Book Club, but am a bit busy at the moment. Have you ever joined one of those?
Fixed the broken clutch in the chainsaw this morning. Had it all done in about twenty minutes, which felt pretty good. I chucked the broken one into the metal recycling (I collect that and take it to the tip – and they get paid by weight which is good for the community), and will stick to the manufacturers original parts in future. The machine was working hard today and just did what it was meant to. Not bad for a fifteen year old saw which gets put to commercial levels of usage.
Ah, that makes sense with the Asparagus. You’ll get male and female plants from the seeds, and in a year or two the male plants will produce thicker spears. The thinner female spears are good too, but generally what you see for sale at the supermarket are the thicker ones.
I’m unsurprised that the seedling Asparagus are smaller, they take time to grow those plants.
Hey, I was likewise worried about that possibility with poison hemlock. And it’s not like Queen Anne’s lace doesn’t look remarkably similar. Did you spot that Eija correctly identified the plant as Fumaria officinalis? It’s got a number of herbal uses, but truly I’d never seen it here before, and have no idea how it ended up in the garden beds.
The whole aisle! 🙂 Yikes, that’s a lot of chips / crisps. I’d steer clear too, but like you, those sea salt and vinegar are a favourite. If the Editor ever gets sick, she starts demanding that variety of chips. I grew up eating chips in paper bags with salt and white vinegar. They’d sell them based on weight, and there’d be what was known as a minimum order (size), which was either twenty or forty cents. Things were cheaper back then! But fresh out of deep fryer and drained, they were a real treat.
It does sound like the sort of thing a yuppie discount grocer would stock, although import tariffs might put a stop to that idea.
Man, I’m a sucker for a good quality country bakery, and am blessed with a few of them around these parts. I could never work in one, the early mornings are a no-no. 🙂 They have them in supermarkets here too, but I’ve read some stories which trouble me.
The baked potato is calling, and those are good. I think I may have horrified readers long ago by mentioning that it is the usual practice down under to wash the spud, but leave the skin on. Yum! Yum! I’ve never peeled potatoes. Have you resisted the craving?
It should be another nice day down here tomorrow.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – More details of the Search for Regina Club Nirvana, surface after 50+ years. Due to one of our number (4), being sort of local, we had a sort of name for the club. So, being resourceful, I started button-holing hotel bellhops and cabbies. Finally one cabbie said it sounded sort-of familiar, and maybe “Down that way.”
It was after dark, when we set out. So, we head into a district, which gets sketchier and sketchier, but nary a soul around. We finally spot, two young ladies, who look like they are dressed to party-down. And, they seem to have a destination, in mind. So, we trailed them, at a good distance, so as not to spook them.
They went under a railroad underpass, and when we gained the other side, they had disappeared! A block of old brick Victorian buildings. We wander up and down the block, and finally hear … music. Down some stairs and there’s a door, with a peephole. Real 1920s speak easy stuff. We knock, are told it’s a private club, but we run our mouths, students-on-a-road-trip-from-the-States, the door opens, and there we are!
As I remember, the crowd ran young, and were pretty dressed down. We didn’t feel out of place, at all. Was there a band? I really can’t recall, but, there was dancing.
The fellows in Old Merv, really sound grounded. Give those boys a record contract! I see they’ve already earned a place on your beloved Triple J. 🙂
Our high yesterday was 86F (30C.) But there was a good weather wind blowing, so it was quit pleasant. I see there are small craft warnings, out on the coast, so there must be a good breeze ripping out there. Our overnight low was 50F (10C). Our forecast high for today is 77F. And it will be lower, tomorrow. No rain in the forecast.
When I walked H this morning, the pollinators were the usual suspects. And, the Painted Lady butterfly, was back. I’d splashed a bit of water, on some of the onion pom-poms that have fallen over. I think she was taking a drink.I was surprised to read that they migrate, down Mexico, just like the Monarchs. I got just a glimpse of a red dragonfly.
One of my carnivorous pitcher plants has sent up a blossom. There were two, but I think a deer nibbled on off. Must not have been to their liking, as they left the other. I hope it gave them severe indigestion.
Well, you might find a copy of “American Rambler” at your local library. Or, they could get it on inter-library loan for you. 🙂 Give it time. Soon, there will be cheap copies on e-buy. He just visited the last, official apple tree that was planted by Chapman. In a farmer’s yard. He’s invited in for a glass of lemonade, and a good chin wag. Stories about Chapman have been handed down through the family. And, the farm was a station on the Underground Railroad. To smuggle slaves into Canada.
There’s a mystery in the book. Across hundreds of miles, and several states, the author keeps seeing this large black dog. Looks like a Russian wolf-hound. Once from the other side of a river. Once, in an abandoned Johnny Appleseed Pageant amphitheater. 5 times, altogether. I’m waiting to see what he finally decides about this “ghost” dog.
Have I ever belonged to a book club? Depends on what kind of book club, you mean. A group of people who all read the same book and discuss it? Well, no. Or, a subscription book club. I was a member of the “History Book Club,” for a few years. Every month, they’d send out a selection of history books you could pick from. At reduced prices. I think I still have a few, kicking around.
Well, live and learn. In some cases, go with factory parts.
I thought my pumpkins were languishing, a bit. Not showing too much growth. So, I dd a bit of research, on-line. Now is the time to give them a shot of fertilizer. Recommended was blood meal, to stimulate vine and leaf growth. So, I gave them a sprinkling, last night and a good water. I swear, they put on some growth, overnight. When vines are well established, and maybe flowers start to show, it’s time to switch to bone meal. I also gave the asparagus a sprinkling of the blood meal.
You know, you could get an app for your dumb phone, to identify plants. There are several out there, though quality may vary. One of the Master Gardeners was chuffed about his new app. So, he takes a picture of my parsley and the app says, dill. 🙂
If the catsup chips / crisps look popular, some American manufacturer would probably make them. I’ll keep an eye out. Here, there are many, many flavors of chips. Some quit bizarre, to my eye.
Here, spuds are mostly scrubbed, and baked with the skin on. If done right, the skin is quit crispy … and tasty. I’ve eaten many a potato skin. Even some potato salad recipes (of which there are multitudes) are made with cubed potatoes, with the skin on. Petrol stations and convenience stores often sell jo-jos. I’ve had them. Quit tasty.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/25238/jo-jo-potatoes/
If things go according to plan, I’ll make my monthly trip to Winco, tonight. Don’t get in my way! I’m dangerous! I have a list! 🙂 I don’t need much from the bulk food section, tonight. Just dried cranberries and rolled oats. But I need to check out the price of chocolate bars and Kona coffee. I’ll also probably get some more of the chocolate covered coffee beans. By careful rationing, I’ve made the last bunch stretch to a month. Still a few left, in the bag.
And, just for fun, things that used to be built into houses.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/other/12-strange-features-you-ll-only-find-in-old-homes-and-what-they-were-once-used-for/ar-AA2794R6?ocid=socialshare
Some of them don’t sound so strange, to me. They seem designed for comfort and convenience. I think we might have had a laundry chute, in our old house in Portland. Lew
Chris,
Ah, I’m finally getting caught up again. We thoroughly enjoyed the Aussie videos in the Walmart. We couldn’t stop laughing.
Thanks for the videos. The history of Bay 13 was interesting. The other video was entertaining. Reminded me of an ice hockey match I was at way back in the mists of time, or maybe 1983. Twas the grudge match between the local Spokane team and a team from British Columbia, Canada. A Spokane win would clinch the league title. A loss would keep the other team in the running.
Naturally, my date and I ended up in the upper corner of the old “Boone Street Barn” (the old arena). That corner was what passed for Bay 13 here. Two young women from Canada had left their seats and were trash talking some young men from Spokane near our seats. All parties were drunk well before the game started. It nearly came to fisticuffs between the local guys and the Canadian women, this being averted by a few other local men telling the Canadian women to go back to their seats lest they get killed.
The game quickly went in Spokane’s favor, with 2 or 3 early goals scored by the Spokane team. Then a big fight broke out on the ice. Players from both teams were penalized and sent to the penalty box, aka the “sin bin”. However, one Canadian player was given a “game misconduct” penalty and had to go to the locker room. He eluded the on-ice officials and rapidly skated a dozen laps around the hockey rink, shouting obscenities to the fans while waving both middle fingers in a prominent display. The entire arena was in an uproar. Then the officials caught him, but they let him go before they had pushed him through the exit door off the ice. He was able to repeat his hijinks for another 5 laps before being escorted away.
I enjoyed it. My date, who was reserved and sheltered and naive, well, she almost fainted from shock. The next day, my sister was very upset. She had attended many hockey games that year and there were no fights in the games. I go to one game and it was nearly nonstop fisticuffs. She was quite jealous. Her favorite seats were up in the corner we where we were seated.
That’s a wonderful traffic sign. We need to introduce similar things here. 😉
I feel your pain about the rough roads. Our gravel/dirt roads turn hideous this time of year. Potholes and washboards. No grading can be done to smooth things out due to the fire danger when a metal grading blade strikes a rock and sparks fly. Costs for maintaining both gravel and asphalt were getting hideous even before I retired.
We’re back to the heat and arid conditions. As the warm front was getting blown in the first few days of July, some idiots were shooting fireworks into the parched brush from the back of their pickup. The resulting Chelan Heights fire has burned about 10,000 acres, destroyed over 100 homes, killed a lot of livestock. Several firefighters barely escaped the windswept fire by running to a gravel quarry, their abandoned firefighting vehicles getting destroyed. One person is known to have perished in the flames. Another bout of high winds and hot temperatures is forecast for tomorrow.
Meanwhile, you are clearly at the other extreme, with mist and rain and nearly flooded streams. Your puddles forming on the hillside is exceedingly rare. I’ve experienced that once during a severe rainstorm – 11 inches in 16 hours.
Dame Plum looked so comfortable sleeping. Dame Avalanche will sleep like that sometimes, then will awaken and demand a belly rub.
That’s a rough go, trenching then pouring concrete in that weather. But the tyranny of the urgent, right? You really couldn’t leave that undone. Hopefully the chicken enclosure is now secure from mouse invasions Have you gotten rid of all the mice from inside the enclosure?
Dame Avalanche is stretched out napping. Our walks are fairly early now. Then she sleeps away most of the day indoors. She had the zoomies for several minutes after this morning’s walk.
DJSpo
Chris:
How funny – you have miniature elephants that cross the road there? The person with the falling koalas must have done that sign.
I never knew Darwin had been bombed to smithereens; how terrifying. Nor had I heard of the south to north highway. What a brave – or lucky – man who set that trail. No wonder the world record road building comes into your mind. You are wondering if you are going to set the world record for path construction. And maybe you will! I’m so glad that you and Sandra got to make that (long) road trip; what memories. Funny how so many things taste like chicken.
I don’t think our state announces cuts in road funding. I think they just stop doing certain things.
Clever thinking, replacing all four wheels because of the issue with the color and pattern. More expensive, of course, but there was bound to have been a lot of wear on those other four wheels, too.
I love that Jimny. It reminds me a great deal of the old Land Cruiser that was my vehicle for some years about 2 decades ago. I had a lot of fun with that thing. Like this one, but a dark red.
https://landcruiserhm.com/museum-collection/vehicle-collection/48-1975-fj40
It’s wet here, too. We had a mini (like elephants . . .) hurricane here yesterday. In fact, the wind was blowing so hard horizontally that the water in the driveway was flowing uphill. I’m not kidding, I watched it. Quite a bit of erosion some places, but the figs and garden are okay. We never got the hail that my sister got up in New York. And you are so wonderfully green there.
At least you are experienced with trench digging. I hope that no more occasions come up. We must have had mice when we had chickens; the henhouse was so flimsy and had a dirt floor. I guess I was blissfully unaware. No rats, though. I would have noticed them. Is that a chook water tank near you and the jackhammer? Ah, so – you have developed a taste for mouse blood after you wacked ’em with the flyswatter after them keeping you awake.
Were those asparagus spears or just the stems and leaves that shoot up after the spears? It would be an odd time here for spears; we eat them in mid spring.
I get you why you don’t like spider webs – the inhabitants might be poisonous.
There’s your other world record: Rock gabion cages – until peak rocks fully hits you.
What a beautiful lot of kiwis and, of course, lemons. I know it’s not, but that looks like cilantro/coriander. Mine is growing right now, but the heat has about done it in. Quite a bit cooler today, though.
Thanks for the flowers!
Pam
Hi Pam,
You’d imagine that there are strange and unusual activities going on in the forests here, just out of sight. Killer Koala’s and miniature elephants make for a much more interesting and challenging world. It’s nice to see that people are catching on to the possibilities! I reckon miniature coyotes and little bears would be delightful pets.
Oh yeah, despite the occasional riot during WWII, the arrival of forces from your country was generally accepted to be a positive outcome. And war brides to US serviceman was you know, par for the course. Friendly Aussie girls meet affable American G.I.’s and the usual expected events take place. The Waifs – Bridal Train.
The English fell at Singapore, their guns were pointing in the wrong direction out to sea, instead of where the enemy attacked – inland. After that, the actual plan against the Japanese was to fall back to the Tropic of Capricorn, then fight them there in the arid lands where they’d run out of useful supply lines. Events went differently, the US arrived and the war in the Coral Sea based from this country, was a thing.
The travel around this continent during the latter stage of a recession was fun, cheap and quiet. The only exotic folks we’d encounter where either: retirees; English; and also the French.
It is funny that, and I’d wondered if the crocodile burgers tasted like chook, because the reptiles were fed on a diet of chicken? Hard to tell. But I was surprised to see foreign tourists swimming in waterways which had warnings against doing so. Back then, the reptiles were occasionally hunted and the numbers were sort of OK, and there was a bit of balance. I’d not swim in those areas nowadays at all! Things have changed up there.
Your state probably took the wiser path. I was unsure why that pothole repair situation was reported upon. As the kids would say, the optics are not good.
Yeah, that was my thought processes with replacing the wheels. Metal fatigue is real, and can’t be ignored. The main issue is that items are manufactured to very fine tolerances, and then that doesn’t leave much room for error.
Pam, the Toyota FJ45 was a very common sight down under way back in the day. And if a more basic and sturdy vehicle could be manufactured, I’d be astounded. And they held their value too. Dark red would only have meant that it would go faster. But they are unstoppable machines back in the day. The Jimny is of similar heritage, and goes back as far. Unfortunately the Toyota Landcruisers of these days are very flash machines full of bling and quite pricey. That manufacturer could make a fortune bringing back a basic go anywhere version at a reasonable cost.
Oh poop! Uphill rain is the stuff of nightmares, and glad that you got through the storm with not too much damage. No systems stand up to such storms, so if you made it through, that’s a good thing.
Hehe! The rats and mice will force me to continue digging trenches right up until my final day on this earth! 🙂 Yeah, you know I had a very serious poultry person tell me in stern tones that I should not allow rats and mice to get anywhere near the chickens. Like what you said, it’s pretty hard to achieve that, and I thought the bloke sounded like a hypocrite. It’s a special treat being lectured by some earnest folks, makes me feel like I’m eight years old all over again. Could be an anti-ageing strategy, don’t you reckon? 🙂
It is a 2,000L (500 gallons) water tank for the chickens water purposes. They never fear going thirsty. And yes, it’s true, the miceies have rather annoyed me.
Red back spiders are part of the background here, and hope I never encounter one. Nasty little critters.
Imagine if you could ignore Peak useful Rocks, and all the things you could do? 🙂 I know!!!!
Yeah, coriander enjoys the cooler days of summer. What do you do? And it is a very tasty treat.
Glad to hear that it is now cooler, and damper. But must the rain arrive all in one lump?
I worked long and late today…
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
The Aussies in Walmart seemed tame enough, and hardly resisted the best efforts of the local constabulary. And they may have outsmarted your authorities, although there is some tragedy to the government paid and sponsored return home flights – I mean the individuals may have had to spend some time sobering in the lock up beforehand! 😉 Man, they’ve got your system all figured out, and saved the cost of the return airfares, and possibly spent it on booze instead. It’s genius really, and they had fun doing it too!
Bay 13 was a hoot. The members stand was on the exact other side of the ground, which has a seating capacity of around one hundred thousand people. It’s big, but even across that vast distance, the chanting could clearly be heard. The folks of that den of iniquity, amusingly at times, expressed their opinions of their betters by crying: Members are w#nkers! The cheeky scamps. 🙂
Hehe! Even down here, we know that ice hockey has something of a rep for such fun activities. Look, as long as nobody is hurt, it’s great catharsis for the players, referees and crowd! Those young Canadian ladies probably had a really fun time giving the locals heaps, but yeah, probably best if they didn’t go too far lest a melee occurs.
If I may say so, you were road testing your date to see if the young lady would enjoy sports. And hey, you got your answer! Better to discover such issues early on. I’ll tell you a funny story, in my very early days of work, it was at a transport company, and the blokes working in the warehouse and with the forklifts and trucks were rough as bags. But I never once had an incident or bad word with them. The guys in the office however, presented a nice face to the world, but were downright mean as a cut snake. I’d never encountered such a weird dichotomy before, and may have left after a year there.
Bummer for your sister to have missed out on all the action, but that’s what you get the day you don’t attend. Excuses and regrets are meaningless at those moments! 😉
Oooo! The first rule is: don’t get caught! The second rule is, don’t get caught. You know…
That’s it isn’t it? These sorts of road maintenance issues are really an economic expression of the underlying reality.
Oh my! Fingers crossed for a cool change, lack of winds and some of that wet stuff falling from the sky. I know fireworks are traditional in your country for this time of year, but they’re banned here, and that fire is the reason. I hope it doesn’t get worse.
DJ, that is more rain that I have ever seen in a week, let alone 16 hours. I’d say that would have been dispiriting. If it’s not too much to ask, where exactly gets such heavy rainfall? 10 inches in five days is the most I have experienced, and it was rotten, although fire restrictions were lifted in early March, which is unheard of.
Hey, Austin Powers: Get in ma’ belly! 🙂
Almost, I’m down to one mouse, and it’s canny and nervous. I’m hoping to stress the rodent into making a fatal error. I worked really late tonight, and was too pooped to go out in the dark and deal to the critter (or attempt to).
Dogs are amazing at how long they can sleep, and are an inspiration to us all don’t you reckon?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Man, what a day it’s been. Hardly Nirvana! 🙂 The biggest of big Telco’s, which I use, went down in a ball of flames this morning. Telstra outage: ‘Largely returned to business as usual’ after nationwide crash. I’ve still not fully read your comment! Such is life. And then I worked to almost 8pm today. Me tired, but doing OK.
I had a look for the club, but believe it or not, the band of the same name, toured here in 1992 and performed at a Club of the same name down under. My brain hurts!!!! Your local lads really knew how to write some dark catchy tunes.
See, like this morning, there were ways to find out stuff in the pre-interweb landscape. And people in turn were more helpful than they are nowadays. Good thinking too.
That disappearing act under the railroad underpass sounds an awful lot like what I’m dealing with the mice. They have that trick perfected. Good stuff with talking your way in there, and lots of loud music does tend to get folks doing the boogie on down style. Boogie wonderland, mate, you were there! 🙂
I like the Old Mervs sound, it’s good stuff, nice and earthy. I’ve heard rumours, and in fact am aware of, some teachers who moonlight in rock bands and used to go on tour during school holidays.
Nobody wants to experience the sea in its ‘Perfect Storm’ mode. What a great film that was too, and a life jacket probably wouldn’t have done much in those seas. I find 86’F quite pleasant too, although the winds are a bit of a worry for fires. Glad to see that things are cooling down again. Summer, can be nice, and at other times, not so much…
It’s funny to think that insects can travel such vast distances, and the Bogong moths down here likewise go on massive journeys. Whoa! Who knew that there were red dragonflies. Hope they don’t sting?
Hehe! I like your thinking with the deer digestion – and have been tempted to spray chilli paste on plants which they’re nibbling. I wouldn’t feel too bad purchasing some million scoville unit varieties for this purpose. I noticed a few nibble marks on the trunks of some of the citrus trees – and lay the blame on the rabbits.
You’re right, time will sort that book price thing out. What a fascinating character Mr Chapman was, a really interesting and clever dude. A bit odd too, but in a good way.
Definitely a ghost dog! Out of curiosity, did the author quit the booze during or afterwards? Such long walks can change a person’s outlook on life. I still recall Dr Bryson’s ‘A walk in the woods’ book.
Yeah, exactly. Use cheap parts when appropriate. 🙂
The pumpkins would appreciate the blood meal for the nitrogen. They do actually grow over night, and an 86’F day wouldn’t hurt either. Although I dunno about your lot, but mine do tend to wilt a little bit on super hot days. I water then once the sun is lower in the sky those days, but other than that stick to morning watering. How are you finding your change to morning watering nowadays?
That’s what the Editor said about the plant identification. Hmm. I know some people younger than I (acquaintances in this instance) who tend to take whatever the calculator or spreadsheet tells them at face value. I grew up before such tools, and recognise them for the tool that they are, and use them only when appropriate. See the difference here is that we’re having a conversation about the plant, and it’s gone in all directions. An app won’t do that.
And yup, the answer could be wrong too. I’ve had people insist that whatever the thing says, is right. I dunno about that mental habit…
That’s it! Chips down here, are wedges in your country, although they can also look like thick cut fries.
Go the list! And those things are an ideal hobby. 🙂 And yes, dangerous is the word you heard. Focuses the mind to do better things with one’s time don’t you reckon? Did you end up making the Winco trip? Any cheap Lindt?
Some of the old hill stations in the more fashionable western end of the mountain range, have carriage houses. Quite impressive buildings. Other than the coal doors and the root cellars, I’ve seen all of those in use. The servants entrance was a real thing. We mustn’t sprain our eyes must we?
To be honest, I’m thinking of a time when we’ll construct a small outbuilding (possibly in stone) which will store root vegetables. It’ll have to be rodent proof… As will the old school style bins in there. A job for the future.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – One of the bigger stories, today, is an office to housing conversion, in New York City, that was in danger of collapse. Must have given people bad flashbacks to 9/11.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/08/economy/midtown-building-difficulties-of-converting-offices-into-apartments
The internet, here, got really funky about 1:30 am. It really slowed down, ,and I couldn’t connect to a number of sites. One of these days, this sucker is going down! 🙂 I finally threw in the towel, and just left it to sort itself out. And, read.
Our high yesterday was 77F (25C). Our overnight low was 54F (12.22C). Our forecast high for today is 76F. Overcast and looks like rain, but no rain in the forecast. Though there were less pollinators out this morning. The bees know … 🙂 It will be in the mid-70s, until Monday, and then at least a couple of days of 80F+.
I saw an article, yesterday, on street and road pavements, and climate change.
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/07/nx-s1-5883802/road-damage-heat-wave
A look down the rabbit hole reveals that dragonflies don’t sting, but they can bite. If threatened, or caught. Otherwise, they’re pretty mellow.
I water the main garden, in the morning, when I walk Dawg. In the late afternoon, when I walk dog, I take a watering can, and first water the hanging vinca, next to the side door. It’s under the eaves, and even if it rains, it doesn’t get water. Then I refill the watering can, and walk around the back of the building, where the half barrels of asparagus and pumpkins are. They get a good water. There is irrigation back there, but a couple of large bushes are in the way, and I don’t think they get enough water. I leave the watering can, and in the backdoor and up the stairs we go. I retrieve the watering can, next trip out, and return it to its proper place. The pumpkin barrel doesn’t get a full day of sunshine, as the sun moves around to the front of the building. But, it seems like enough, as I got a pretty good crop of pumpkins, last year.
People use those apps for foraging, and, I bet mushroom identification. And, often get into trouble by relying on them. Mushroom poisonings in N. California, were really up this last year.
I finished “American Rambler,” last night. No, the author hasn’t given up his drinking ways. Although he seems to have slowed down a bit, as he’s gotten older. But not much. He’s also not adverse to partaking in many varieties of drugs. Mental illness runs in his family. Many people with those problems, “self medicate.” The author’s black dog, was probably a manifestation of his problems. But, along the way there were more concrete odd occurrences. Mr. Greer would probably agree, that if we pay attention to the world around us, there are all sorts of signs, miracles and wonders, that are overlooked. But, I found it to be a “good read,” with plenty of corners of history revealed, apples, and Johnny Appleseed. 🙂
Yes, I made it to the Winco, last night. The dried cranberry bin, was empty! Oh, well. I think I have enough backup, to see me through the month. Lindt chocolate bars were $5+. 🙁 I looked for Kona coffee, both in their bulk bean section, and the coffee and tea aisle. No joy, but I might have just overlooked it. Soooo many choices. I did see some “Hawaiian” coffee, but reading the small print, only 10% was actually from the islands.
I did get another small bag of chocolate covered coffee beans. They’re $10.28 a pound. But, with judicious rationing, just over a pound sees me through a month. I also picked up a dozen Ball company half pint canning jars, with bands and lids. $11. Probably, the least expensive in town.
We should get a food box, today. Review to follow tomorrow. 🙂
I used to live in a three story apartment building, in Seattle, that was purpose built as a bordello, circa 1910. It was owned by a woman who also owned four other “houses” and they were ranked, by class. This place was the high end. The top floor was reserved for the mistresses of downtown businessmen. The lower two floors for unattached, high class working women.
It was an interesting set up. There were 32 apartments, in the building. In the basement were clusters of single rooms, each four sharing a bathroom. Those were the maids quarters. There was a brass plate, in the formal dinning room, about where the head of the table would have been. Once upon a time there was a button, in the middle. It was under the carpet, and if you stepped on it, it would ring a bell in your maids quarters.
When you entered the apartment, a long hallway was to your left. It ran back to the kitchen, a bedroom and bath. There were four deep closets along that hallway, on the left. The closet across from the kitchen, had a door on the back, that opened onto the hallway. That was the maids entrance. 10 meters from the front door, but that was the entryway for “the help.” 🙂 Lew
Chris:
What a lovely ballad was “Bridal Train”. I really liked how they put the “ghosts” in the background. Thanks. Do you think there were many such brides? That was such a terrible war. I was reading today some of the British memoirs from the homefront that I have collected over the years from the BBC.
I’ll bet they do feed crocs a lot of chicken. If only we could ask Steve Irwin! It’s like people in Florida who ignore the alligator warnings.
I can’t decide: Do we want to be 8 years old again? I think not, considering all that has happened since.
If I could ignore Peak Useful Rocks, maybe I could have a vacation . . . But a stone outbuilding – that’s a lot of rocks! However, you have a big property; maybe you have only scratched the surface.
A bit more rain today. Yay! but 100% humidity has settled in and I feel like a wet rag when out of doors.Whereas you probably feel that damp chill, especially those of some crunchiness?
I worked not as much, and early.
What do you put in your veg enchiladas? I would be putting zucchini, but things ate them all up. I have 3 new plants that have come up. What do you reckon their chances of survual are? Come to think of it, I have quite a few tiny lemon squashes, but they might be casualties, too. I have been wanting some nice, juicy, sweet corn-on-the-cob (as in, maize), but not the tired store stuff. A couple of weeks ago I read that it was not too late to plant some. The stores have been out of most seeds and I had dragged my feet about ordering any, but found a bit at the farmers’ co-op Monday. I planted it yesterday. This is going to be interesting.
Pam
Chris,
Methinks I need to clarify. No Aussies got deported for their party at Walmart. They were asked to leave because they were keeping customers from being able to shop. They willingly complied, then started the “We’re getting deported” chant as a spoof. They turned up at their team’s match later that day.
They were pretty tame at Walmart, really. Meanwhile, at the actual matches, well, things were different. Not misbehavior, per se, but the chants. It was reported that many of the non-USA fans from English speaking countries had some very pointed chants about the USA President and some, er, files. Yes, Scotland, England, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, perhaps also South Africa. Their fans had very pointed political chants during their matches that were in the United States, even of the United States wasn’t playing.
Oh, I can see the Bay 13 gang chanting something nasty to the Members. Heck, once upon a day I would’ve enjoyed a match or three per season in Bay 13. Yes, DJ was once a cheeky scamp. 😉
I remember one hockey game that the Princess and I attended in the new arena. We were in my favorite section for hockey in the upper level. There were a lot of empty seats throughout the upper level. A fight would break out and the Princess would be screaming, “Hit him! Harder! Rip his arm off!” I’d be yelling something similar. Absolutely NO vulgar language.
One of the referees was overweight and out of position to make some calls. He missed a few obvious penalties. I knew him. The arena got dead quiet and I bellowed, “Hey, Jackson, you tub of lard, get the lead out!” That did it, the guy in front of us with 2 children complained to us and told us to shut up. I told him to move, this is what happens at hockey games. He disappeared, came back with a smirk and said that that section’s head usher was on his way to sort us out. Then the head usher showed up. “DJ! Princess! What’s going on here?” he said. We had worked with him when we were employed at the university where we met. He figured out that the gent was upset that we were yelling during the fights and razzing the refs. Since no foul language was used, nor had we been directing comments to the gent and his family, we were off the hook. Usher moved them to different seats far away from us.
I also usually preferred the crews who did the actual labor to the management and office types. Four years of working in laborer settings can do that. I found that the office people were too much into building power bases and personal kingdoms for me. I just wanted to get the job done.
Ya know, I probably said something similar to my sister, probably “You snooze, you lose”. Something about how bloodthirsty she was might have been included.
There’s another economic reality to the road issues. Grants are available for new construction. Grants are available for upgrading from gravel to asphalt. No grants are available for maintaining roads or repairing deteriorating asphalt. So the infrastructure that needs to be maintained increases, but maintenance budgets and amount of workers and equipment don’t change. That makes the situation worse in the long run.
Fireworks are banned from many areas and many cities. Fireworks are illegal in Spokane, but many purchase them. A lot of the Natives sell them on the Rez. However, due to this year’s arid conditions, several Native Tribes banned fireworks sales. The actual fireworks used to start that fire were illegal in that area, I think.
That nasty rainstorm? My sister’s future husband and a friend and I were in the mountains north of here for late season archery hunting in late November. That day was so wet that even dry newspaper would only smolder. A fire was eventually lit after brother-in-law poured 2 quarts of motor oil on a pile of wood.
Actually, that afternoon and evening was when he announced that he had asked my sister to marry him and she had said yes but also to ask my father. Old school. So he was asking what to buy pops as a gift to open the discussion. I said a couple of pack horses, which pops had no use for, so we could use them for hunting. He decided on a bottle of brandy. So we celebrated. We polished off a lot of beer after we had drunk a fifth of high alcohol content Yukon Jack. And we smoked a lot of cigars and breathed in smoke from the campfire. And it continued to rain. We were all frightfully hungover the next morning.
It was typical weather for the northeastern Washington mountains. Day one was +10C. Day 2 was +5C with all the rain. Day 3 was about +2C with occasional snow flurries. Day 4 was -14C when we awoke. Yes, we were prepared for all of the extremes. But that much rain was more than we could hunt in.
Hope the mouse gets caught soon.
Yes, dogs and sleep are motivating. There are times I’m a wee bit jealous about Avalanche’s abilities to sleep anywhere for long amounts of time.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
There probably weren’t all that many war brides with this country, and looking at the statistics, it seems as if as many arrived down under, as left for distant shores. Like everything, it was probably all very complicated, and seems like Canadian and British ladies moved to Australia, whilst local girls left for the US. Bride trains. Looks like overall during WWII the numbers across the globe were in the hundreds of thousands, and would you want to have stayed in Europe or Asia after that disaster?
War bride, there is a photo in that link of a bunch of WWII English roses arriving in the city of Brisbane, and it’d have been like arriving in Miami, but maybe hotter. 🙂 I marvelled at the heavy clothes worn, although people are remarkably adaptable. This is probably why the Aussie and US troops had an impromptu riot in that city – the locals wore woollen uniforms in a tropical climate, whereas the G.I.’s were better kitted out. I’d have felt irritated as well given that equipment! 🙂
Memoirs are always interesting. And the book you recommended arrived in the post. I’m immersed in another book at the moment, but it’s next on the to-read list.
Poor Steve, he carked it doing what he loved. But I’d imagine that if we could ask him to reconsider heading out into the water that day… The stingray got a lucky shot.
We’re agreed in this matter. Those days were not all that great, and do either of us want to be treated like idiots by adults again? Hang on a second, some folks still try to do just that! It’s outrageous behaviour and I’m just not into it. 🙂
Ha! If you can work out how to have a vacation, or vacay as the kids say nowadays, please let me know. Beats me how to do that. 🙂
And like fish in the sea, at present there are plenty more rocks, out there, somewhere… We just have to go hunting for them. This does not suggest that the rocks are there for the easy taking, the pesky scamps make us work for the resource. The stone building is probably worth the effort, at some future date. Slowly is how it would be constructed.
Ah yes, welcome to the tropical state of Virginia! And at the other end of that extreme, the misty state of Victoria! Yes, 99% humidity is very unpleasant, and perhaps something of a harbinger of a future jungle planet. You may laugh, but the highest ever air pressure at ground level in this continent was just recorded a few days ago. It takes heaps more gases to increase air density, just sayin…
That’s how I roll with summer weather too. Natural inclinations get pushed to the side, and early mornings become a thing. The mid afternoon sun is torture in your conditions.
Ah, the veg enchilada contents: Mushrooms + Capsicum + Corn kernels + Carrot + Radish + Pepper + Dried Italian herb mix all fried up in a small pat of butter. Fresh corn is really something else, like home grown potatoes, there is no comparison to the general level of taste excellence! Alas corn doesn’t last long, so we’ve been cooking it up (boiling the kernels) in a large batch, freezing the results and hacking chunks off that for use in meals. It’s one of the few food items we’ll freeze.
Oh poop about the zucchini. Mr Baby worked miracles despite his many infirmities, and he is sadly missed by us. Yet his departure from the human armoury was rejoiced by many of the forest critters. Aren’t they cheeky, that lot! Corn grows pretty fast, and I reckon you’ve still got maybe 12 to 14 weeks of the growing season left. All depends on the variety you plant out, and if it stays warm overnight in the soil is my thinking. Always worth a try, but I’d speed on any seeds you tried.
It will be interesting to see what happens, and you’ve gotta be in it to win it! And fresh home grown corn is just beautiful.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
That’s a darned shame the Aussies weren’t provided free travel courtesy of your goobermint. Well, I guess it wouldn’t have been free, they did provide plenty of off field entertainment – and you can’t put a price on that! 😉
Yeah, there is a small minority down under that are quite politically out there, but the vast majority of people tend to be rather apathetic, as long as the economy provides for them. That’s a big if, but historically it is consistent, and there was that military coup early on over the supply of rum. Few countries can boast such integrity when it comes to that little incident.
If I may add, people who can head overseas for a few weeks to attend soccer matches in another country, are probably well financed. And what does that tell you about the average person in that position? I was brought up not to talk, money, sex or religion when at table, but you know, things are different now.
Actually the members used to chuckle at the bay 13 slurs. When Mexican waves travelled around the huge arena, there’d be much cheering. The wave would hit the members section, and they’d give nothing, and scored a massive boo-ing. The with perfect timing, the wave would continue back around again.
Another favourite trick was the inflatable ball, which got bounced around the crowd, and was only lost once it landed over the barrier and hit the turf. Then a massive chant would arise: We want the ball back! They didn’t get nothing! 🙂
And, streakers… Not something you’d see at an ice hockey game, for the most practical purposes of course.
Very clever, and that would have been an educational experience for the youngsters. Man, they’d have loved every moment of the passion and pure emotions. It’s been my observation that very repressed folks, hell bent on tone policing the rest of us when clearly a melee is occurring before their very eyes, might make for dull company. And hey, the usher (nice to have connections) saved further endangering their sensibilities. 🙂
Ice hockey has a reputation for such incidents, and fans expect that sort of thing. The refs would have thick skin, or do something else with their time.
Man, I so hear you about that. I’m there to work too, and the ego gets put aside. Bad attitudes directed at me, can be kind of annoying and I’ve observed that feathers are rustled when a response is delivered. Just between you and I, I’d probably have had more longevity to my career, if I dropped the straight-talking, and instead told people what they wanted to hear.
No way! That’s probably how it rolled with the grants. There is a federal program down under for ‘roads to recovery’ which gave local goobermints mad cash for such road projects. I’d not considered that aspect, thanks for mentioning it.
Good to hear that the Tribes banned fireworks. Some years the things are inappropriate. One of the dumbest acts I’ve heard of recently was this from late last year: Liam Gallagher incensed by flare let off at Melbourne Oasis concert. Indoors too. It was astounding that nobody was injured.
Hehe! That’ll do it, although even the oil would have taken a bit of effort to ignite in those horrendous conditions. But far it would have been cheering to feel the warmth. Man, I had troubles getting the fire kicked off on Tuesday, and that Jack London story… Just sayin’
Go the celebrations! And that was very thoughtful of the bloke to have asked your dad.
Agreed, that much rain is not good hunting weather.
Hmm. I’m modifying the chicken enclosure daily so as to sort out the mice problem. I reckon I’m down to one mouse, maybe. Certainly the amount of feed being eaten, is reducing. Next up rabbits. They’re chewing bark on the young citrus trees, and this has to stop.
Never a dull moment, is there? At least the chainsaw is running beautifully.
I know, our canine friends set the gold standard for such activities, and we’d do best to attempt to emulate the success.
Another stunning winters day here, and I did paid work all day long.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
I’ve heard it suggested before, that it is often cheaper to simply demolish those older tall buildings, and then rebuild them from scratch. I’m astounded by the extra chunks of building added in that project. It’d make me uncomfortable put it that way, and it’s a lot to gamble on whether the bones of the original building would be OK in the first place. A lot of wear and tear occurs over 60 years. Also the new owners are potentially on the hook for the future costs. Imagine demolishing the building now, with that risk? Fantods. Attack! 🙂
They’ve done a few office to housing conversions in the big smoke, but mostly they’re new builds.
You’ve just proven that analogue books are the old school interweb. And this sucker did go down here yesterday. I heard the country trains were only back up and operating this afternoon. It’s hard to be a tech bro, when the basic connection mojo is off line. I still had work to do yesterday, which involved talking. That’s rare for me, my happy place is the quiet back office just plugging away trying to bring order to the chaos!
The bees can be a bit soft in less than fluffy optimal weather, although yours sounded pretty nice. 50’F here today, sunny and quite still. In the brief moments I took the dogs outside for a run, the sun felt warm. Nice. This Sunday marks three weeks after the winter solstice – which is the other side of the solar power danger zone.
Hmm, we don’t use concrete paved roads, but I’ve experienced them in other states – we use asphalt, or dirt. Dunno whether I’m a fan of that concrete material when used for such a purpose. I see, the article raised the question of a cost / benefit compromise. Well, that’s infrastructure for you, and face that very question here with most of the systems. Engineers quip quite correctly: Good; fast; or cheap, pick any two.
Thanks for checking into the dragonflies, as I’d always wondered, but like you have never been bothered by their activities.
That’s a good watering regime, and it also fits neatly into your activities. Watering cans are very useful items, an like you, I leave them in appropriate spots so that watering becomes an incidental activity. It’s kind of like cooking from scratch in that you do a bit here and there so that the job itself doesn’t become overwhelming. Fingers crossed your pumpkins grow well. The hail storm destroyed them here, but before that it was a good season.
Hey, I spotted an article about trialling different varieties of coffee down under: Increased demand and new varieties set Australian coffee industry up for expansion. About time. Avocado trees neither grow, nor die here in this climate.
Oh far out, tell me it’s not true about the mushrooms? Even the experts struggle correctly identifying the varieties and the differences can be slight. But little is known about the local varieties…
It can be a lethal mixture combining mental health issues and self medicating. Man, my sister went way off the rails as a late teenager, and seeing that play out was something else I can tell you. The history on Mr Chapman would have been remarkably interesting. Did you pick up any really fascinating insights into the historical character?
Oh poop! Weren’t they around $4? Like the not happy face, and I’m feeling your pain there.
You’ve manifested the chocolate coffee bean candy! Well done. Not quite the same as a cuppa at the Club, but you do get the stimulant effects.
And then there was one food box. Hope it was good. Any highlights?
Talk about a building having character, if those walls could talk, what an interesting tale they’d tell. Makes you wonder if the Madame demanded the head of the table position, and nobody else dare put her will to the test! Yes, well the servants traditionally entered a building from the side door constructed for that very purpose. Their goal was to be seen (maybe) and not heard from. Unobtrusive was the word, only a few higher up servants would have had a presence, like the governess, or the Butler (or ladies equivalent role). That lot, got to enjoy the hand me down clothes as a perquisite.
Have to laugh, I’ve mentioned this story before to you, but we went to a banks mortgagee auction for an old two story Victorian era brick terrace bordello. It was back in the mid 1990’s and was pretty grubby inside, with a surprising number of spa baths. A very strange dare I say it, lay out, for the building.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Interesting article about apartment solar. I think I linked to an article about such, in Europe. Apparently, we’re getting on the bandwagon. Too bad I don’t have a balcony 🙂 .
https://www.cnn.com/climate/new-jersey-balcony-solar-renters
There’s been a couple of attempts, here, to turn commercial buildings into housing. A small mall, an old school. Seems like the plans always fall through.
I suppose there will be a government inquiry, into your inter web problems. Blah, blah, until the next time.
Our high yesterday was 73F (22.77C). Our overnight low was 46F (7.77C). Our forecast high for today is 77F.
I gave my pumpkins a shot of urea, last night. Now I’ll leave them alone, for at least a month. See where they are then, and maybe switch to bone meal. The (a?) Painted Lady butterfly, showed up again, this morning, when I was bee watching. They’ve become a regular. My zucchini is beginning to develop secondary leaves.
That was an interesting article about coffee in Australia. Best localize as much as possible, coffee … tea, before the trade networks unravel. I see we grow coffee in Hawaii, and California. In California, there are 100,000 trees, scattered across 70 farms. I was surprised to see such open fields, in Australia. I thought coffee needed a bit of shade, from a forest canopy.
Also, localized products might offset some trade imbalances. I recently read a book called “The Golden Road.” Wasn’t quit what I expected, but I skimmed a good chunk of it. The Golden Road was a maritime economy, centered on India. To the east, they traveled and traded as far as Indonesia, Japan and China. To the west, as far as Rome. Several Roman authors complained about the siphoning of gold, from the Empire, to India. For what they considered frivolous luxuries.
Oh, there were all sorts of surprises, about Chapman. They’re still trying to piece together how much land he actually owned, but it was thousands of acres scattered across four states. There was an interesting story, in the book, about Chapman’s Run.
https://www.knoxpages.com/2024/07/27/johnny-appleseeds-night-run-from-mansfield-to-mount-vernon-back/
You may notice the term “blockhouse” several times in the story. We’ve got one, here.
https://www.cityofcentralia.com/271/Block-House-Fort
I took a spin up to Centralia, this morning, to check out the Club’s potential digs. Just a look-see through the windows. It’s big, and will meet our needs. Looks like there’s one large room toward the back, that will make one meeting room. We really need two. And, partitions will have to be build with an eye to sound proofing. There was a fair amount of parking, in back, though nothing like what we had. We might have to strip that lot, to bring a little order to it. An alley runs through the block, at the back.
I’ll be burning more gas. I didn’t check the mileage, but it’s about three times as far from home. I went around 11am. Traffic is pretty heavy. Makes sense as Main Street is the main road from the CBD to the freeway. Which is maybe why they call it Main Street. 🙂
I also stopped into the op-shop that we’ll share the building with. He was one of our neighbors, when we were at Yardbirds. He’s pretty excited that we were moving in, next door. I bought a handful of DVDs from him. Just to grease the skids, a bit.
The food box was all the usual suspects, but, oddly, no fresh fruit or veg. There were ten of those pre-packaged sandwiches and wraps, from the Big Coffee Company. Waste of space. The only thing interesting was a 2 pound bag of shelled pecans. Since I’ve added those to my diet, that will save me a couple of bucks at Winco. There was the usual 2 pound brick of cheese “product” that won’t melt. But also, a one pound brick of pretty good cheddar. Oh, and a really nice, one dozen, large brown eggs.
As the owner of the house of ill repute had 5 such houses, catering to all levels of society (She often said she could handle anything from a logger to a banker), she probably lived somewhere else, more palatial. She also owned the local cab company, which helped steer customers to her door(s). I suppose each house was run by a junior madame.
Ohhhh, I found a real estate listing, with lots of pictures of the current state of the building. Wow. They really upgraded.
https://www.zillow.com/b/old-colony-seattle-wa-5XrBfd/?utm_campaign=zillowwebmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare
I certainly couldn’t afford to live there, now. The upgrades are nice, but the building has lost a bit of its “character.” Oh, well. Time marches on. At least it’s still standing. Lew
Chris:
Thanks for the bride trains link; that was a lot of brides. I am thinking maybe those ladies were pretty lucky as perhaps the numbers of men in their home countries may have been decimated by the war. Yes, some of the English roses had on coats. Perhaps they just couldn’t carry them with their other stuff? It’s funny how simple things can make such trouble, like the uniforms. Why were your locals wearing wool? Because it was what they had for when in Europe?
Glad the book got there.
I would like a stone buiding, too. I really have no good place for things like potatoes and carrots and turnips and cabbages. The fridge is packed.
I have copied your veg enchilada recipe. Thank you. I would probably add cheese to mine, but then it wouldn’t be vegan. Do you have a special sauce for it?
I was thinking of drop bears today because I was thinking of the mini elephant sign because a park where my sister lives in New Paltz has a resident mini elephant. No, he’s just resin or plastic or something.
And speaking of bears: My son was working in the clearing today when a bear ambled through. My son said “hello”, but the bear just kept on heading into the woods towards my neighbors’ house.
Pam
@ Pam,
I thought I heard and saw a bear this past Monday morning. Turned out it was the surly neighbor in an extra bad mood grumping about having to go to work.
DJSpo
Chris,
So you had the Rum Rebellion. We had the Whiskey Rebellion from 1791 until 1794. I had ancestors living in the areas that were most involved, but there is no family record of their having joined in the rebellion. However, those branches of the family tended to be very weak about mentioning family history to the succeeding generations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Rebellion
Yup, I knew that those who frequent overseas trips for football vacations are not in the same economic class that I am. I remember a coworker from another department rode the bus to work one morning during the fallout from the 2008 debacle. She was loudly whining that her youngest couldn’t spend the summer in Europe after high school graduation because they couldn’t afford it. It wasn’t fair because all of the older children had gone on that venture at parental expense. Most of the other riders on the bus were not amused. When she started complaining to my boss about it, I told her to shut up and quit flaunting her wealth in front of the poorer working classes. Yes, that went over as well as one would expect. 😉
Oh yeah the wave. I also kept my seat and didn’t participate with that. I can also see the bay13 crowd and others booing the members section for their lack of “spirit” But, the wave went on regardless, as it does.
I’ve seen the inflatable ball trick in different sports arenas here too. It never ends well, because the ball always finds its way into the field of play.
Then there was the time I was 10 years old. We went to college American football game at the local stadium. They were playing mighty USC and got stomped. Badly. There were a lot of empty seats. Another family sitting near us had a 10 year old boy. I started making paper airplanes from pages of the game’s official “program”, some 30 sheets of glossy paper. Then the other kid would throw them. We were at one end of the field near the top of the stadium. One plane turned upside down when thrown, then glided over the crowd, continuing to soar over the field of play. It landed deep onto the field, gaining cheers from the crowd the further it flew. Soon thereafter, we received a visit from a member of the local constabulary. We were told to quit “or else”. As he walked away down the stairs, the other kid threw one more paper airplane, hitting the policeman in the heel of his shoe. He didn’t notice, but then our parents told us to knock it off. I must say that that one airplane’s stellar flight got the loudest cheer of the afternoon.
Our dentist has also been the dentist for the local hockey team for 45 years. Her daughter is one of the receptionists in the office. I mentioned that ref incident to them recently, and they laughed. They knew the ref in question and said that after that incident, he actually did lose weight and turned into a good ref.
Yes, my career wouild’ve been smoother ON THE SURFACE if I hadn’t had the propensity for making career limiting comments and had learned to shmooze instead. Then again, some of us cannot do that without violating something fundamental within ourselves, so that the level of misery by keeping quiet and bootlicking would likely have been worse for us.
Still windy. Hot. Arid. There’s a large wildfire that started near Okanogan this afternoon. That is the old stomping grounds of the Princess. Within two hours the dread “fire clouds” were forming over the fire.
You said, and I am ignoring paragraphs…”Next up rabbits. This has to stop. At least the chainsaw is running beautifully.” Now, all I could envision was rabbits being chased by Chris with running chainsaw. The Fernglade Chainsaw Massacre! Enter the Killer Rabbit. The Holy Grenade of Antioch is under guard by the Mischievous Mouse Mob. But Chris is up to the task, sporting a diabolical grin and whirring chainsaw while stalking the Killer Rabbit.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Too true, and imagine leaving a war torn zone smashed up for years, only to arrive in an area which was entirely intact? And yeah, the available pool of men would have been decimated by the strife.
Pam, that is a superbly practical answer, and one I’d never have considered. Respect. But it also hints at another possible truth, the ladies had few other items of clothing, and perhaps turned out in their finest.
Insightful, and again I’d not thought about it until you mentioned that. A lot of cotton gets grown in this country, and in fact most of that is exported. Concerned people wearing oil based synthetic material clothing get upset about the water usage of that plant. Hmm. Anywhoo, sheep are great survivors, and in tough years can eat plants down to the root systems. Export wool for the British textile industries was originally a major farm product. And now you mention it, our former English overlords would have expected our Aussie forces to fight in the super cold European environment, so the local bosses kitted up the troops in woollen uniforms. Clearly, this was an irritating issue up in the tropics (of which this country has heaps) and perhaps nobody expected to be fighting the Japanese? Your country’s troops were just better kitted out in gear which suited hot weather. The local lads would have understood the requirements for fighting in hot conditions, but they weren’t the ones making the procurement decisions…
It is a long way from anywhere down here, which I kind of like. The book was second hand too, and I often wonder what stories the thing could tell. I’m about half way through my current book, and will dive deep into your recommended text next. It sounds delightful too. It’s an odd thing to have been born out of time don’t you reckon? 🙂
Yah, your experience is mirroring my own. My best guess is that the path projects need finishing up. Then another greenhouse will be constructed using chainsaw milled timber. Then the stone cold storage shack. How good does the word ‘shack’ sound?
Oh my! Apologies, I add cheese to the mix as well. Enchilada’s wouldn’t be the same. Tasty (aged cheddar) is mixed in. Mozzarella is sprinkled onto the rolled corn flat bread. Not my finest hour… Home made yoghurt is added to the mix.
Ah, upstate NY! Hope your sister remains alert for miniature elephants and other micro-fauna (as distinct from mega-fauna). A lovely, yet super cold part of the world to reside. Woollen garments would be an advantage there, just sayin… 🙂
Pam, bears freak me out. Super intelligent creatures which would make me equally nervous. Fingers crossed that re-wilding does not go astray. Nobody wants to be confronted by a pack of coyotes or wolves. It wouldn’t end well.
Took today off any and all work, and headed an hours drive north to ramble around the goldfields ruins. It is instructive to view Aussiemandias (a bogan nod to the poem Ozymandias).
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Ah, your whiskey rebellion was about taxes, whilst the rum rebellion down here was about restricted supply. Interestingly in your case, the larger issue was whom held the monopoly on violence directed towards an end. A very complicated subject that one. And moonlighters, well, one would ask the hard question: Are these folks merely frustrated industrial chemists? And also pops into the mind, what kind of income can be derived from the land and for whom? Dunno. Clearly wars have been fought over such topics.
The goobermint is currently taxing tobacco products to the extent, that they’ve created an opportunity for miscreants. Was this an intended outcome, or mere idiocy? And does it even matter? It’s pretty much the same issue: Who has the power and control.
Hehe! I’m not taking those overseas trips either, and down here the English produce a mob known as the: Barmy Army. My favourite quote from that link was: “the fans’ hopeless audacity in travelling all the way to Australia in the near-certain knowledge that their team would lose”. Why the English would imagine that they’d win in the first place, is the real issue here! 😉
I salute your courage to do what was needed. Man, the whole European tour thing was only ever but a moment in time, and when I finished High School, only the very wealthiest didn’t have to go onto a job or uni. This whole idea of a celebratory all expenses paid vacation, was not part of my upbringing as well. But your story also highlights that a person can get caught up in economic fluxions, without warning. Like you, I don’t mind the bus and have found it to be rather comfortable. No big deal, but for some with expectations…
The wave is a function of mass formation isn’t it? Individuals make their own choices whether to participate. 😉 Consider taking the bus, and then also there are those who reside up in the mountainous forest. Hmm.
I know, everyone gets so upset when the ball lands on the field. It’s meant to be a ball game isn’t it? 😉 Is it wrong to laugh at your own joke? Hehe!
Ha! What a fine piece of aeronautical engineering, but yeah, despite the lauded flight, one has to knock it off lest the constabulary eject you from the stadium, or worse. I loved making paper airplanes too, and they always looked a bit like a delta wing craft, but yours scored some solid uplift that day!
Nice one, and I’m in awe of such stability. Good to read that they too knew the ref, and he took the message to heart, literally. Guess it’d be something like: If you want to play in the ice jungle, you’ve gotta learn to survive the ice monsters. 🙂
Exactly, neither you, nor I are wired for that approach to work. We just have to do the best we can. In fact, I know of people who’ve worked in the same job for decades, and then there is the rest of us. I reckon at the core of it is a desire to prove our worth through our work, but truly, we do not live in a meritocracy. Other aspects are valued, such as social and political skills. Now if you or I were in a war band, it’d be a very different story, wouldn’t it? 🙂 A man’s gotta know his limitations.
Oh my! Man, that sentence about the fire storm read like a living nightmare. How’s conditions today?
Hehe! The rabbits are too fast to even be remotely threatened by the chainsaw, despite the awesome story it would make. Alas, the holy hand grenade is not within reach, and maths skills, was it three, or four? 🙂 The herbivores can outrun the Kelpies, and those two dogs are fast.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Yeah, the balcony solar is not a bad idea, and it is also portable, presumably being detachable. Hope those panels don’t put too much structural stress on the balcony railing, because during big wind storms, the things are like giant sails. You’d be amazed at how much effort I’ve done to anchor them all down. The last lot of racking purchased, cost more than the second hand panels themselves. Crazy stuff.
I doubt those two panels in the photo would produce much. I reckon maybe 400W at a rough guess which over summer would be around 2kWh at most for a day. Certainly wouldn’t power an electric heater over winter. Hey, tomorrow marks the three weeks on the other side of the winter solstice. And what a surprise, the batteries were finally fully charged today. Yay!
We took today off any and all work, well not exactly, there are things I have to do now regularly for paid work due to recent gobbermint demands for data. Oh well, mustn’t grumble, or lose my mind! 🙂 We headed an hours drive north for a walk around some gold rush era ruins. Always instructive to see how time treats our industrial relics. Remember the poem Ozymandias, how about Aussiemandias? (alas I did not make that clever modification up, but it’s a goodie!)
Yeah, it’s like that local church for sale I linked to a while back. 100% beautiful, but is an uninsulated building with super tall ceilings, practical to reside in? I have some doubts about that. Commercial buildings are constructed to have certain features, residential are different. Can you imagine having your living arrangements, but with shared bathroom facilities per floor? That’s the plumbing realities of a commercial building. And truly, I wonder at the wiring for a large residential building where all of the apartments have their own split system. Cooling is fine, but the heating, and if everyone switched those devices on at once… Such industrial scale electrical systems baffle me.
Yeah, a lot of outrage in the media about the interweb outage. The words ‘facing the consequences’ were possibly even thrown around, which is odd given the alleged recent activities of the person who did so. One form of strategy suggests that when in a corner, attack can be the best form of defence. Not a fan of that strategy, but are we backed into corners? I don’t think so man. So yeah, blah, blah, blah, let’s do things cheap!
OK, now I’m jealous. 🙂 This 70’F-ish business sounds as if it is in the unicorn zone, which is a good thing. It was about 50’F today, but again sunny and calm. A lovely day for a walk through the bush to look at some 19th century ruins. It was very quiet too, and the bird calls were delightful, up until the pair of extroverted young fellas turned up to yell at each other, despite standing only a few feet away. Volume control can be an issue for some, or perhaps they were deaf? Dunno. We decided to leave and have lunch elsewhere in a very green looking park with a small lake. All very pleasant.
Go the nitrogen fertiliser! It bothers me how much of that stuff we waste as a civilisation. Oh well, guess it is only a minor blip in history, and you and I are at least doing our bit! 😉
Insects know such things, and if conditions are good, they’ll continue to make regular visits. Sadly plenty of folks are a bit loose with their usage of insecticide. You’d be amazed at how I see the city, and the difference on that front. There has to be a little bit of wildness in a garden. Go the zucchini! And also watch your back with that plant – you know, Triffids and stuff.
It is a good idea to grow and test a number of varieties down under, and yes, global trade is and will be down on the peak. Hmm! I get that about the shade requirements, but it is the Atherton Tablelands. An astounding place.
Ha! It’s funny to think that the problems which plagued Ancient Rome, bother us equally today. 🙂 I noticed that India’s PM has been visiting down under this week. And investment mad cash has been offered to our friends.
Everything I’ve ever heard about John Chapman indicates to me that he was indeed a medicine man, and operated on a different level to the rest of us. What a fine article, and thanks so much for that insight. I’d not heard of his association with the wolf either.
I’d not want to attack a fortified position, although if the roof were shingles I could think of the use of some fire arrows to get the occupants out.
Hope the new digs for the Club work out, and that was thoughtful to drop by the new-old neighbours. Well, bringing order to the chaos is part of the bigger journey isn’t it? And there it is materialising in the physical world.
Maybe the traffic has peaks and troughs like in the nearby town to here – which has a similar main road situation. What’s crazy about that town layout is that the a few of the schools and train station are on one side of the freeway, and the the houses and shops are on the other.
Probably best avoided, and I tend to purchase sandwiches which are made that morning, and meant to be eaten on the same day. The first time I encountered a use-by or best before date on a sandwich was an alarming experience. The business previously used to make them fresh.
The pecans are an awesome score, yeah. I’m mildly fearful of this non melting cheese stuff! 😉 But the good cheddar is a fine thing. Sounds like a mixed bag of goodies, and quality eggs are superb. Larger yolks and firmer albumen, suggests hens which had a good diet.
Handling a logger to a banker! Very funny, and no doubts that there’d be other amusing quotes from Madame. Ah yes, the master franchiser arrangement, very wise. The stories those ladies could tell.
Man, lovely photos, but I started to look at the prices and almost had a choking incident! Yikes!
I’d read that average weekly rental prices in the big smoke are now at $600/week for a house, and the same for a unit (which can mean many things): Australians face record-high rents across all capital cities: Domain report. At 52 weeks, that is $31,200 of after tax earnings. And the elites wonder why populism is on the rise? Idiots… I wonder what my grandfather would have said about all this?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Congrats! You made it over the lack of solar, hump! 🙂
It sounds like you had a nice day, out. Will we get pictures of the ruins? I like ruins, and have a few lithographs of different ruins.
You know, there’s an Australian poem, “Beware of Ruins.” By A. D. Hope, 1981.
https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/beware-ruins#B
Oh, my. “…phallic fungi…” I’d just seen a reference to Charles Darwin’s daughter, collecting such fungi. But those Victorians! She collected them, to destroy them, so it wouldn’t make the help … randy.
https://www.popsci.com/environment/phallic-fungus-rotting-flesh/
The devil’s dipstick? Someone has a way with words. 🙂
“…shared bathroom facilities per floor…” Sounds like a college / uni dormitory. I never lived in one. But when I went to the U of Washington, housing choices really sorted you into … classes? There were the dorm dwellers, independents (like me) who lived off campus, and, top of the heap (according to them) the Greeks. Fraternities and sororities. Of course, everyone thought their living situation, the best.
Our high yesterday was 79F (26.11C). Our overnight low was 54F (12.22C). Our forecast high for today is 74F. I don’t bother to wear a coat, even a light one, when I take H on our midnight ramble. I saw an article, that a heat dome was building over the central U.S. Centered on the states of Montana and Wyoming. Extending almost, to us. Now, Prof. Mass prefers to call it a “North-American Monsoon.” He has a post up about it.
I went out to water this morning, and observe the bees and butterflies. There were two Painted Ladies, working over the onion blossoms. When we went out, late yesterday afternoon, I noticed a lot of water down in a corner of the property. The same area that had irrigation leaks, a couple of years ago. I happened to see the maintenance guy, and reported it. I think he may have turned off the irrigation to the entire place. Given he probably hasn’t been trained in the finer points of the irrigation system. Usually, when H and I go out at midnight. The sprinklers are on, on the back lawn. Last night? Nothing. I dropped the Master Gardners, an e-mail. Of course, it being Friday, Little Mary Sunshine was nowhere to be found. She must like those three day weekends. 🙂 At least the spigot for watering our patches, was still working.
Urban renewal, the construction of the highway systems … that really affected town layouts. Wiping out whole neighborhoods, or, cutting them in half. Mostly, blue-collar, low income or minority neighborhoods were displaced. When they shoved Interstate 5 through Portland, it was mostly working class neighborhoods that fell to the wreckers. Along with a large chunk of my paper routes 🙁 . Eminent Domaine was freely deployed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain_in_the_United_States
Sometimes, it could be pushed back, but not very often. An example of this is Jane Jacobs vs Robert Moses, in New York.
https://savingplaces.org/stories/a-tale-of-two-planners-jane-jacobs-and-robert-moses
That was quit an article about rentals, in Australia. Not much better, here. If I were renting a room, in someone’s house, it would run me about $800 a month. More than half my income.
There were a couple of sidebar articles, that were pretty interesting. One was about some guy, casting aspersions on the idea of “Blue Zones.” The other was about your telco problems. Apparently, it’s all in the timing. 🙂
One of my neighbors, who I do talk to, stopped me in the hall, to ask if I wanted “some nuts,” out of our last food box. More pecans, for me! Lew
DJSpo:
I expect you are a match for the neighbor bear. Or just say “hello” . . .
Pam
Chris:
Of course – the ladies would want to look their best.
Your Major in charge of uniforms must not have heard of layering. Then again, that’s more stuff to carry.
Don’t you reckon we might have been born out of time?
We call it a root cellar. You would do this 100 times better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbZReRqNbso
Goldfields are a wonderful place to go – but shouldn’t you be chasing rabbits with a chainsaw?
A ruin there is, but I had to look up bogan. Are you the redneck?
Pam
@ Pam,
Thanks for the vote of confidence. Interaction is minimal and follows various ideas from Chris’s favorite, Sun Tzu.
DJSpo
Chris,
Barmy army indeed. That was a fun read. That quote sounds like something Douglas Adams would’ve said.
The American football team of the paper airplane incident also gained a unique phrase. Officially, they are the Washington State University Cougars. Back in those days, they occasionally had some decent teams. However, these decent teams (and some of the horrid ones) had a knack for making really boneheaded plays at inopportune times, losing games that they should have one. It got so bad that a regional verb was born: To Coug. Yup, a special word for the choking Cougars. Definition: To Coug is to snatch defeat from the jaws of certain victory.
After perhaps the most spectacular version of Couging, the head coach resigned in the locker room, or so it is said. Some 12 years later, another coach quipped, after getting stomped by a very bad team, “We just got run over by a Moped.” To Coug. And yet…people regularly attended their games in the near-certain knowledge that their team would Coug. 😉
I rode the bus regularly when a university student. Then I rode it regularly for most of my career with the County. Didn’t have to drive, no parking issues, met interesting people. However, given the choice, I’d prefer to reside up in the mountainous forest.
Which reminds me. There was the time in a group meeting that the question was asked, “If money were no object, what would you do?” We all had to answer. Responses ranged from doing charitable work, to learning maths and sciences, etc. I was last. My response was that I’d live in a tepee and chase buffalo. Everyone thought I was joking at first. But I wasn’t. I finally convinced them I was serious because one girl said, “Just like you to choose to be selfish.” which led to my response, “Living in a tepee and chasing buffalo is a good way to avoid idiots who always question my motives but nobody else’s, least of all their own.” Realization then dawned on others that I actually had a reason to prefer solitude.
Oh, you speak wonderful words! War band. Yes! Let’s go on a raid. Pillage and plunder. Music to my ears. You can probably guess how many times I wanted to let out the inner Viking during my decades in the office. 🙂
Regarding knowing one’s limits in a warband. Sage advice. I would’ve been great as the warband’s archer but could never have been in one of those “holmgang” duels or in the midst of a shield wall. In straight up fights I knew I was not invincible. DJ the Vincible could easily have been my Viking moniker. 😉
They were able to stop the Okanogan fire’s progress the first night. Friday was spent beefing up the perimeter. Evacuation levels were reduced, although people were discouraged from returning to homes within the fire area.
Rabbits can run fast but lack the stamina that canids and large predator felines have. Their goal is to get far enough away that the predator gives up. Outrunning a Kelpie is no small feat.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
The ladies in the photo sure looked happy to have been on dry land again, and it’s worth mentioning that there were material shortages in Australia after WWII, but compared to what life was like in the UK it would have been positively bright and sunny with an occasional inconvenience.
Come to think of it, I’ve never been on a long ocean voyage and can’t imagine what months at sea would be like. Overnight on the ferry from the mainland to the big island state of Tasmania is probably the longest. How about you, have you ever done that sort of travel?
🙂 Respect. Yup, layering is exactly what is required. Drill cotton would have been more appropriate though than wool.
Yeah, sometimes that thought pops into my head, which is why I mentioned it.
Whoa! After a mostly nice week of almost-spring weather, the rain is pounding down on the roof. Hope the cement we poured today is OK. The rats had broken into the greenhouse and needed to be dealt to. It’s not right, is it? 🙂 Oh well..
Pam, I loved their cellar cut into the side of the hill. Plus the use of the rocks, and the people seemed really sweet and sincere. I showed Sandra the footage, and we could do something like that here. But what we both immediately noticed was the gaps between the rocks, and well, you know, rodents will tunnel in. Guaranteed. On the other hand, that same arrangement but with a cement floor and proper mortar between the rocks and a rodent proof roof and door – is a very good idea. It interested me that the bloke said his soil and in-ground temperature hovered around the 50’F mark, and that is the case here as well.
I read a book on this subject a while back, and some parts of the world, the root cellars hover around 40’F / 4’C during winter, which is a free refrigerator really. I think that is what Goran in Sweden sees in his cellar during winter. He wrote about that a while back.
Cellars aren’t a thing in Australia, although I have seen some in very old buildings which used to be dairy operations. A good place to age cheese rounds. Would you like such a construction at your place? And hey, did you notice how many small rocks floated in the soil samples shown in the video?
Surely Brother Maynard, sacred keeper of the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, deserves a day off each week? 🙂
Not to worry, we spent today doing lots of little activities which needed attending to. Feels good. One example was the cantina shed door had swollen a bit with the recent excessive moisture, and was sticking in the frame. I trimmed a tiny bit off the bottom of the door with the circular saw. One of those jobs which takes 45 minutes, but has to be done. And the lesser rodent war continued… So much to do!
What, me bogan? 🙂 Sadly, I’m probably an over educated white guy! To be honest, I’m of a working class background, but am accustomed to conversing with people of whatever class. It matters not, to me at least. More often than not, I annoy people by not valuing the things which they themselves place value onto. You’ve had privilege and gone off and done something more interesting with your life, so hope you can appreciate that perspective?
The rain is feral outside. I’m thinking of Mr Wodehouse who’s characters used to exclaim: ‘Woof!’ when encountering extreme situations. Oh yeah: ‘Woof!’ 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
It’s such a great line isn’t it? Then you started the ol’ brain wondering as to whom first made that most excellent quip. Turns out, serious folks attribute it to Lincoln, who was reputedly referring to the inept performance of the commanders at The Battle of the Crater: Quote Origin: Defeat from the Jaws of Victory.
I must say, if Generals had to head into the front lines with their troops, they’d be more thoughtful as to consequences. One thing can be said about that bloke Custer and his crew, he personally faced the music for his poor strategic choices, and was unable to make further decisions afterwards! Anywhoo, Lincoln apparently didn’t say that clever line. It was perhaps attributed to a 19th century sports writer, and got slapped onto the hapless Burnside apparently via a book penned in the early 1970’s. Now it is presented as fact by serious folks, and proves how much they know! 🙂
Dude, that sports pre-ordained outcome, is a real thing: Colliwobbles. I now rest my case and retire from the field in resplendent glory!
Interestingly, the article mentions the ex-player and commentator Lou Richards. Now, in the early 90’s I decided to use my statistics uni education to win at the work football tipping competition. Let’s just say that there was an impressive Excel spreadsheet, which gave results. Half way into the season, I was way out in front (and my friends who used the results would pester me for their weekly predictions). To cut a long story short, a friend who died during that which shall not be named, lived one suburb away, yet worked around the corner from where I did. He was doing computer wholesale and earned heaps despite the recession. Even caught taxis to and from work, as you do. Anyway, so I chuck out the idea, how about I drive you in, and you cover the costs – which was heaps cheaper than a taxi, and made getting to and from work for me – free. Everyone was happy with the arrangement. He’d want to listen to the radio on the drive in, and that commentator used to talk a lot of BS about the games coming up. And little by little, I started thinking, maybe this guy is right, and the statistics are wrong. And to my shame, I started losing faith in the numbers, but even worse, slowly losing ground in the footy tipping competition. Awful isn’t it the weight of responsibility? And whilst there is a prize for second place, it’s not quite the same as the glory of first, is it! 🙂
So yeah, I got sports run over by a moped too, and I can sure tell you how it feels! 🙂 Hope the clubs luck has turned around in recent years.
Yeah, I too have used public transport ever since I was a young bloke, and never thought twice about it. The Editor has some ill feelings towards the country train service though. Long ago, that lot used to pull regular random strikes for more pay. That’s OK until you need to use the service. Anywhoo, they did that on a day where she had to head into the big smoke for a uni exam, and this was before mobile phones, and getting from A to B that day became a big problem. Let’s just say that the feelings of antipathy have run deep ever since, although she did make it, just. I’ve not been put in such a situation, and yeah, it wouldn’t have been good.
Man, I don’t think that you’re joking with that response. The bigger issue is that they asked the question in a stupid forum, and have to take what comes of that. I mean, that sort of thing is not work related, and this is why I work for small business. They can’t afford such nonsense. And I used to head off into the alpine areas of the state for some alone time to avoid feelings of being overloaded, and just return to quietly being at one with nature. It never seemed risky, although it probably was, but I went in with eyes open and tried not to annoy the folks I encountered.
The author Robert E. Howard penned his Conan character as saying: “Civilised men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.”
But yeah, them bills gotta be paid too huh?
I always loved those Hägar the Horrible cartoons from way back in the day. Wasn’t there a ‘vincible’ character in that series? Maybe?
Those big stupid fires are often a crime scene as well, so yeah, discouraging folks who left, from returning is probably a good idea. Hope the fire settles down further as the days go on.
Ah, I’d not considered that. Interesting, and of course, spot on. Hmm. I read somewhere long ago that the marsupial predators used to relentlessly pursue their prey – i.e. wear them down. That’s what Buck did to was it a big elk stag in: ‘The Call of the Wild’.
It’s raining here tonight, heaps.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Today was not great for solar power production, but here’s to tomorrow’s result! 🙂 There was about half an hour of peak sunlight today, although the rain held off until abut 2pm. It’s feral wet out there now… But yeah, tomorrow marks three weeks since the winter solstice, so the earth is slowly tilting back towards the star, in my favour.
Yes, pictures of the ruins will be posted, or at least that is the plan. I like ruins too, and they hold a fascinating insight into the far future. I noticed that in one of the dilapidated century and a half old building rock walls that the builders had used what looks like clay as a mortar. I’d not seen that before. Guess actual mortar and cement would have been very expensive products. In some of the Victorian era buildings I’ve worked on, you can see sea shells in the mortar, and no doubts this will be observed as well in centuries and millennia to come.
Ah, what a delightful and thoughtful poem, and if I may suggest, it is we who carry on, the past sadly dies, then goes off on its journey. Has it ever been different? Whilst I’m alive, so shall I be alive. To quote Monty Python: And the Lord did grin. And the people did feast upon the lambs, and sloths, and carp, and anchovies, and orangutans, and breakfast cereals, and fruit bats, and large chu… They did miss Lindt chocolate and lamington’s, but we must forgive them, they’re English.
Yeah, the phallic fungi bit in the poem was weird, agreed. But Etty, well, perhaps the young lady took her own repressed desires and found an err, outlet. I must say it is an impressive mental leap to do make the claim that she was worried for the virtue of the maids. Yes, the name is pretty funny.
Like you, I’d have gone the independent path as well, but Australia just doesn’t have that live on campus experience, although a few do a bit of that. I’d imagine that with the cost of living issues (is it really correct to call it a crisis?), there wouldn’t be too many student share houses nowadays. But on the other hand, share houses are still a thing. And your $800 a month you mentioned, might only cover the cost of rental for a week in Sydney.
Agreed, 54’F is cool, but it’s not massively cold is it? To be honest, I prefer to feel cooler at night, and sleep better if that is the case. A lot of places I visit feel to overly warm for my preferences, but I just deal. When energy costs go up enough, the amount of heating used will go down. Self correcting, in action.
Yikes! That big high pressure system will spin winds in a clockwise direction, and you may get a little bit of tropical moisture from way down south and other areas. The weather pattern sure looks big. Hopefully some of that makes it to eastern Washington state.
The weird thing about demands for four day work weeks, is that usually the pay is the equivalent of a five day week. Not sure how that works, but it’s nice for some. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid. Usually such calls originate from goobermint workers.
Oh poop, that’s not good about the irrigation system. Best if those things are kept simple is my thinking, but other folks get some funny ideas – then they’re hard to repair when broken. Good to hear that your taps and hoses still worked for the garden. It’d be awful if the whole lot was switched off due to an unknown fault. Still, you’ve trialled watering cans, and they’re a decent plan B. You may have to exercise your gallantry and assist the ladies by lugging water for them! 🙂
Eminent domain is one touchy-as issue. And does introduce an element of uncertainty. It would be awful to be handed a bunch of paper for otherwise useful developed land, just because. If anyone wonders why the rural areas are turning to populist parties, look none other than this bit of legislation snuck through in state parliament with barely any news coverage in the media: Farmers ‘gutted’ after compulsory land acquisition amendments pass Victorian parliament. Seems to be used against rural folks down here, but same, same outcome.
What do you mean, ‘human-scale neighbourhoods, where community members played an active role in shaping their environment’? 🙂 Sounds all very nice, but are the folks on the receiving end of all this, and who have to live in the built environment, ever asked what it is that they’d actually like from those places? And can we afford that? Personally, I prefer smaller towns, and hashtag, moved out of the big smoke. You know man, I could see the changes taking place all around me and enjoyed the city at the time. Dunno.
You can see it’s pretty bad trying to rent down under, and I’ve heard the process described as akin to the ‘Hunger Games’. I’d have to suggest that the metaphor is an apt one. At the moment I see sullen resentment, which flips into stress mode when having to re-engage regularly with that process. Not a fan, and hey, if necessary, I’d build a shed here and live in that whilst rebuilding – if it came to that.
The cheeky band which did that neighbourly dispute song, kind of sums up the process with this little ditty (naughty word alert): PLAYLUNCH – Real Estate Apps. The subtitles on utoob don’t do the words justice, and are incorrect. Here is a more correct version of the lyrics: Real Estate Apps
I know! The bloke asks some tough questions of the demographers. Is he right, is the question which springs to my mind? Look at the fur fly! 🙂
The phone time that day was way off. And lucky the alarm worked correctly, dunno how. Had an important meeting that day too.
Go the extra pecans! Yummo!
Managed to do heaps of odd jobs here and there about the place today before the rain hit around 2pm. There’s a list you know… 😉
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Well, back in the good ol’ days, builders used what was available. Horse hair, moss. If you had a nearby clay bed, why not? Of course, they didn’t have building inspectors, standing over them. 🙂
Python missed the pecans, too. Probably pretty exotic, for them.
The Victorians were the folks that put ruffles on piano and table legs. Why? Well, legs. Must be covered up! I love my little Currier and Ives litho, “Eliza.” Her decolletage leaves nothing to the imagination. But her kicking up the hem of her dress, makes her pretty saucy and wanton. 🙂 I also noticed she fixes the viewer with a direct gaze. Victorian cheesecake. Or there version of GGA. Good girl art. They made dozens of different women, all with a name. Just to personalize them, I guess.
Dorms were … hmmm. An attempt for a long time for colleges to be “in loco parentis.” Men’s dorms and women’s dorms were the thing, until the 1960s, when more mixed dorms became an experiment. Back in the day, no members of the opposite sex, were allowed beyond the first floor. And many dorms had curfews. It calmed the fears of parents. Or, something.
Our high yesterday was 77F (25C). Our overnight low was 55F (12.77C). Our forecast high for today is 74F. The impacts of the heat dome, or monsoon, or whatever it is, will be … interesting.
Usually, that warm moist air, moving up from the Gulf, spawns tornados.
Well, four ten hour days make more sense. Though I think there were some studies that such a long stint really impacts productivity and effectiveness.
Yes, why is populism on the rise? Just look at the compulsory land acquisition, etc.. And nightmare rents in the cities. That song about the real estate apps is spot on. And if it wasn’t wide spread, no one would have wrote a song about it.
The thing about urban renewal, and all that, is that it takes a lot of less expensive housing and commercial buildings, out of circulation. Remember that movie I watched about the artists, secretly living in a mall? Well, the area that the mall was in, had previously been an area, where students and artists could afford to live. Along with their third spaces. Music venues, and such. Sure, a lot of it was substandard, but it was available at prices people could afford.
Last time I needed an alarm, I went in search of a simple, wind up. Remember those? Preferably, made in the US. Well, dream on, Pilgrim. There were a few travel alarms, available, but none made here. And the reviews were very poor, for all of them. I finally had to go with an electric alarm. But, any glitch in the electrical system, and your whole day is thrown off. Lew
@ DJSpo:
Can’t go wrong with Sun Tzu.
Pam
Chris:
Who, me – travel? I have been some places in the States, and every now and then we went over the bridge to Juarez, Mexico, before it became one of the most dangerous cities in the world, but no ocean travel. Though once I became very seasick on a fishing boat in the Gulf of Mexico.
Those animals never give you a break.
I wasn’t so sure that they were constructing the cellar very well. I noticed the gaps in the rocks, too, which is one reason I know you can do it 100 times better, but they seemed like nice people. I would have said that our in-ground temperature would be around 52F, except that the extreme heat this summer (much better lately) has made me wonder. The nights were only in the upper 70sF. I read that post of Goran’s; I love his blog.
Oh, yes – we have long had plans for such a cellar. Project #42; get in line.
As a monk, maybe Brother Maynard had Sundays off. Or perhaps it was the reverse and he had the other 6 days off.
I appreciate the perspective a great deal. Sadly, I no longer feel as comfortable among people of wealth, and they would know it by looking at me, though I hope I can converse with anyone. Respect, always.
Yeah, boy! Woof!
I know why your state can no longer afford some road projects: They have been spending too much money on whimsical signs. We now have the mini elephant, and remember the drop bear?
Pam
Hi Pam,
Is it really that dangerous? Hmm… … Oh my! Well possibly something of a problem there with that city, which has subsided somewhat in recent years. And that’s rough to hear about the seasickness, and it happens. If it means anything, Sandra likewise ends up rather unwell when in rough water. We once crossed from the north island of New Zealand on the car ferry to the south island. It’s a rather short crossing, but an astoundingly rough stretch of water. It is worth recalling that the ferry once sank. TEV Wahine. I’d say wind gusts of 171 mph are probably not optimal. See, things could have been worse. On the day we went, waves were crashing over the bow of the ship, quite impressive, but worse were the toilets. After hearing the description, I decided to hang on until we reached the shore.
You’ve got your fair share of hungry forest critters too, but it is unrelenting. Years ago I heard someone say, grow, and they will come. It’s true.
Yeah, the folks seemed really lovely, and thinking about their cellar arrangement today, mortar could be applied to the gaps between the rocks. I’d use a fairly hard mix, because mortar can be scratched away by rodents over a long enough period of time. Plus the rocks would heave and move with frosts.
Soil temperature isn’t a constant, unless you go down far enough into the ground like a cave or mine. They’re interesting places, but winter soil temps here are around the 50’F mark, depending. The other day I noticed frost forming on the ground over a large underground drainage pipe.
Yup, true down here as well – there are other more important projects to complete.
Only Brother Maynard can eventually justify his time to a deity! Ours is but to work for a living. 😉 But you might have a good point there.
🙂 It’s funny you mention that, but it really depends upon the character of the person. At one time, there was a concept of Noblesse oblige, which is meant to inform the holders of wealth that there are costs.
Woof! It drizzled all day long today. Not much was achieved under the circumstances.
The cheaper path with those signs provides much mystery and lots of entertainment.
Cheers and better get writing…
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Some of the old Victorian era plaster work had horse hair in it. It was strong stuff, and long ago I got to watch a specialised tradie at work who knew how to restore the surfaces. Most impressive to see. And yeah, given some of the outcomes, like that structurally challenged building we spoke of the other day, are the inspectors really producing benefits for the community?
About a decade ago I had a chance conversation with an old timer brick layer, who mentioned that in his day him and his crew were responsible for the set out and foundations of new houses. Nowadays all such folks would do is lay bricks to plan. I thought you might like this article: Squatters, illegal parties and ‘ineffective’ repairs leaves heritage Paragon Cafe with hefty damage bill.
It’s funny what is considered ‘saucy’ and clearly ‘Eliza’ has some spirit and is possibly one not to be bound by the usual conventions!
Ah, I see about the dorm rules, and they would have allayed parents fears for sure. But really, I’m assuming the rules were self enforced? Is it just me seeing a sort of problem there? 🙂
The Professor has called it, and from your descriptions of the weather, I too was getting that vibe – You’ve hit the best spot for conditions. An enviable achievement, and I will note that down here today was 44’F with constant drizzle and cold southerly winds. Not a day to spend outdoors, put it that way. A day to rest up and recuperate.
Fingers crossed that no tornadoes eventuate, although I’d imagine that they’d be far and away from where you are.
Man, when I used to do the count work, we’d start the day at 7am, and finish at 11pm. That’s 16 hours, and the hourly rate was close to the minimum pay. They do wonder why there are troubles retaining people to do that work. Hmm. But yeah, the volunteer fire shifts are 12 hours long, and I started thinking about it, and without the social aspects, it started looking to me like an unpaid job. But yeah, I reckon I can sustain concentration for about eight hours, and that’s it. But then I could be applying too much intensity? Dunno. There are countries such as South Korea, which push the concept of the 9,9,6 work week, and they wonder why the birth rates are plunging. That’s not a complicated story.
Man, I’m not mucking around, if this place is destroyed, I will do whatever it takes to stay out of the rental housing market. And yes, it is that unpleasant. Those cheeky folks nailed the vibe. The policies being pushed place artificial pressure on demand, and yet at the same time restrict supply. It’s not a story that will end well. And above all else, that is why populism is rising. Living in the country is meant to be cheap, that’s why jobs generally pay less in such places.
When I moved into the last inner urban place we fixed up in 2000, it still had a sort of raffish bohemian vibe, which I loved. Things slowly changed as houses prices went up and the locals felt wealthier. By 2008, the neighbours were complaining about us putting our washing out to dry on washing horses in the small terraced front yard in the late afternoon sunshine. And there were other incidents… Man, this was three blocks away from the house which inspired the book: Monkey Grip (novel). Enough was enough for us, and we headed bush. The rot there, had set in.
Oh yeah, I recall the wind up clocks, and watches for that matter. Yup, electric is good, when it works continuously. Funny you mention that… I use the phone now, but before this week had never seen it have a time melt down. Oh well…
Cheers and better get writing!
Chris
Yo, Chris – “Millions” are in the news. Mars boy wants to launch a million satellites, into space. A lot of them would be data centers. I see some space junk is washing up on Australian beaches. Spheres, that didn’t burn up on re-entry. In other “million” news, The River is building a one million square foot warehouse, here.
Oh, the Paragon Cafe was really something, back in the day. It’s sad it’s been left to go to wrack and ruin. Looking at the damage, the word that came to mind was “barbarians.” And, not the Conan kind. The thing that jumped out at me was, “…you couldn’t run it the way you did back then.” And why not? The Lenocracy and gatekeepers, of course.
Rules self enforced? Surely, you jest. 🙂 Violating dorm rules could get you expelled. And, there was oversight. “Resident Hall Directors.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residence_hall_director
In the high rise dorms at the U. of Washington, every floor had a resident assistant. Heck, even the fraternities and sororities had a “house mother,” who lived in.
Our high yesterday was 75F (23.88C). Our overnight low was 55F (12.77C). Our forecast high for today is 77F. Starting tomorrow, and into the next week, temps will be in the 80sF. Much to my surprise, when I took H for a walk, yesterday afternoon, it had rained a bit. Enough so I didn’t have to water the pumpkins and asparagus.
A goat attaches itself to a Colorado firefighting crew.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/goat-joined-colorado-firefighters-battling-134500485.html
Two Painted Lady butterflies showed up in the garden, day before yesterday. No butterflies were in evidence, yesterday. I guess they did their thing and moved on. 🙂 I caught Edwin the snail, out for a midnight stroll. Making a bee-line for my garden. He was returned to the snail sanctuary.
Well, that’s a new reading genre. “Grunge lit.”
My Idaho friend, whose daughter is an estate agent told me they went to look at some listings, for her sister. Her daughter cautioned her to be careful what she said, while looking at the house. Apparently, they bug them, these days.
I chat with one of the clerks, at the yuppie discount store. I asked about catsup flavored chips / crisps. They have had them, and not that long ago. One employee bought a bag and passed them around. She said they weren’t half bad. She’ll keep an eye out, and tip me off if they get any more. Lew