Twelve weeks into marriage with Sandra at the tender young age of 25, her mother unexpectedly passed away. Memories from the past become hazy with time, but not that day. My mother, who was always a bit fickle, retired from work around the same time and moved to far northern Queensland. No doubts the beaches are nicer up there on that tropical coast. She was younger than I am now. What limited familial support we had, evaporated without a trace.
The 1990’s were a hard time to be young, what with unemployment at 10%. Around the time we were married, I’d finally managed to be done with the corporate debt collection stuff, and earn the professional title I’d been working towards at night time University classes. Being young and inexperienced, plus due to the horrid economy, there was a lot of pressure which made for a serious power imbalance. The boss ripped into me for taking time off during month end because I’d been up all night at the hospital with Sandra and her mum in their final moments together. It was the first and only time I ever broke down and cried at work. Despair is deep pit.
The guy was a monster, and despair can flip to anger. Life is too short, so I quit. With no support to fall back on other than our own resources, we hustled. That’s what the kids call it nowadays. If fixing up old houses, working full time, both studying part time wasn’t enough, we were booked in to do a census collector round each. We needed the mad cash. Something had to give due to the sudden unexpected circumstances. We quit one of the census rounds, and did the remaining one together.
Grief is a funny thing, not in a good way, and everyone experiences it differently. The round included a public housing tower for the elderly. It was maybe twenty stories, and in our shocked state of mind, we went from door to door meeting people who were doing it as tough as we were. A few were cheeky. Some were cheery. Others ill and infirm with the skinny guy wearing the going out hoodie and a wicked sharp scythe hovering in the background. One guy we didn’t collect the form from because he’d died, you could smell the decomposition. Many folks just wanted to talk, and so we listened and heard stories about life on the margins.
I still had to get another job, and quickly. Never an ideal scenario. The banksters mortgage demanded it’s share. At the next job, I explained away the previous disaster by just being honest about the situation. They were nicer people, and sometimes even made a profit, but not always. It was a financially precarious time and I’d race down to the bank so as to be the first to cash my pay-cheque, as you could do in those days. My trust went as deep as their alarmingly low bank balance. Still, all cashed on time, just.
My boss was a real old school super chill character who’d earned his title via the apprenticeship path way back in the day. He’d even gained his CPA qualification due to the previous work experience and paying $50, which I reckon was a top notch investment. Once completing the part time degree, my experience was different for I had to do another five part time subjects and show three years of relevant work to earn the same CPA title. He was a relaxed guy, never stressed out, which probably didn’t describe me at the time! He lived in a pretty nice house in a swish area too, whereas my housing experience was that I was just happy if I didn’t fall through the rotten floors (soon to be repaired and replaced).
So we worked, hustled, studied and repaired old houses for financial gain. By 2008, we were dog tired and getting too old to have kids. The instability, constant grind and lack of support just killed that option. It was too risky if anything went wrong. Some cheeky scamps, possibly from large and supportive families, have said some not very nice things to us about this over the years. Empathy is in short supply these days, but mind you, it is hard not to also notice that the birthrate in this country is declining as it is everywhere in the western world.
I feel for the younger folks, and also the elderly living on the margins. It’s hard to get by nowadays, what with the extraordinary cost of keeping a roof over one’s head. The median house price across the nation is a cool AU$1.1 million (or US$770k). The median rental is around AU$724/week which annualises to AU$37,648/year (or US$26,353/year). That’s a lot, and probably unaffordable on unemployment benefits or the aged pension.
Rentals are usually for twelve months too in Australia, then you’re possibly chucked back out into the market with its historically low vacancy rates. Turns out, our politicians are pursuing policies which apply artificial pressure on demand for housing via unchecked immigration, then that is combined with a restrictive supply for dwellings. I can attest to that, because we built this house from scratch ourselves using our own labour, and I did all the paperwork – that system is nuts.
Young folks are over worked, in debt and facing constant uncertainty. It’s a very unsexy combination to which our leaders seem oblivious. And into that gap steps the three decade old party from the political margins: One Nation. Over in the far west of this continent on Saturday, they won a by-election for an outer suburban area, and that outcome was unprecedented. The swing went against the sitting state government, and the voters (being Australia, voting is compulsory) served up a resounding thump. Hard to ignore the message. It’s been suggested elsewhere that oppositions don’t win elections, government lose them. Hmm.
Anyway, the message will probably be ignored, after all the policies of this moment were set in motion three decades ago. It’s hard to change course, and possibly admit that mistakes were made. There have been winners and losers in the arrangements, and would they change places and spend time in different shoes? My gut feeling suggests that sooner or later, there’ll be little choice in the matter. I speak with millennials and Gen Z who are loaded down with debt and have to hustle. I’ve seen how the elderly on the margins live, and note that the towers are now being torn down. There’s a lot of anger, frustration, uncertainty, and not enough babies.
Midweek, was remarkably wet. A drain which collects water running down the driveway and then pipes it into the drainage basin with the nice tree fern, has oozed water continuously for almost a week. It’s very wet despite all this loose talk of an impending Super El Niño.
Prior to the rain arriving we were able to do a day of forest clean up work. You know the drill, we collect all of the strewn forest litter and burn it off. Rocks are removed from the ground, and then the area is a given a solid mow with the Japanese heavy duty mower. It’s a beast of a machine.
Part of that days work involved cutting up two downed trees into about six foot lengths. They’ll be turned into firewood chunks over the next month.
The trees had been on the ground for a few years, but the cores had not yet begun to rot. It’s super dense and heavy hardwood.
Being on the ground, the timber was filthy, and that is very hard on any chainsaw. In Australia, there is a general preference to use semi-chisel chains which have a cutting profile which is more resilient to staying sharp, but cuts at a slower speed. Any dirt will quickly blunt the cutting teeth on most chains.
It’s funny what items you discover lurking in the forest. And on the day a golf ball was found.
I felt like an archaeologist in the far distant future uncovering an ancient artefact. Everyone would accept that it was a religious device of unknown purposes dedicated to the ‘Rocket’ god worshipped way back in the day. Apparently men once travelled to and walked upon the moon’s surface long ago.
On Friday once the area dried up a bit, we were able to do another day of forest clean up with the usual bonfire. You know the rest…
Near to that area was a huge fallen tree. Massive, with the roots and soil sticking up high above the ground.
Underneath the stump an enterprising wombat had excavated a hole. Unfortunately the ground water table is rather high at the moment, and the hole had filled with water. I believe the wombat would have been clever enough to have decamped in a timely manner, and they usually maintain several different burrows.
Also in that area, the deer may have ring-barked a rare (for this area) native cherry ballart tree (Exocarpos cupressiformis). It’s completely unrelated to the usual cherry species, but does produce edible fruit. I’m very annoyed with the deer, and if they are not careful they may experience my extreme displeasure.
Observant folks will note the forest detritus behind me on the ground in the above photo. That’s pretty typical of what we are dealing with. It’s a massive fire hazard, especially the really fine fuels. That stuff burns hot. Here is a close up image of the deer scraping:
On Sunday, with a bit of free time on my hands, and Sandra elsewhere, I dropped to the ground a very dangerous tree limb which had become stuck higher up in the fork of a tree. Sooner or later it was going to fall, so better for it to be done in a controlled manner. There were a few exciting moments, and I ran away when the limb finally crashed to the ground. A blokes’ gotta know when to run!
The heavy limb had fallen out of the much larger tree looming slightly uphill. It was stuck a long way up in the tree fork.
The early fruit trees are beginning to produce blossoms. And interestingly, the European honey bees are out and about doing their thing, but I also noticed common house flies (and other insects) going from flower to flower. Hope it is a good season for fruit. I like this next photo, and made it available as a high-resolution image (which can be clicked on and downloaded for greater detail). The fruit tree is a Plumcott (plum / apricot hybrid). It’s never produced fruit, but may one day, maybe…
We do trees big around here!
The earliest apricot began producing blossoms a few days ago.
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 11am is 15’C (59’F). So far for this year there has been 886.0mm (34.9 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 866.2mm (34.1 inches)
Comments
49 responses to “Fall on me”
Yo, Chris – Their are monsters, in real life. Not just in Stephen King novels. And even though it may be risky, and perhaps a “fall-back” isn’t on tap, but it feels soooo satisfying to say “stuff it,” and take a walk.
I can’t say, among my many jobs, that I was ever a census taker. I wonder how I missed that? Not trying to one-up you, but did you ever sell plasma? 🙂 Twice a week, for maybe six months. Kept food on the table.
You must have heard a lot of interesting tales. I think there’s a few books, tales of the census takers. Here, in the land of the itchy trigger finger. census takers should be given hazard pay. And hefty insurance policies.
The first bar I worked in had … payroll problems. Which I discovered after my first pay check bounced. But, I also discovered I could leave the check for collection, with the bank. Anytime the owner deposited money, for, say, liquor orders, my prior claim came right off the top.
Reading your narrative of the ups and downs, and the accountant who had a reasonable path to his occupation, one might ask, “How did we get here?” A bit of research reveals exactly how we got here, and there’s plenty of blame to go around, to all flavors of parties and institutions.
Those in our political landscape, are a bit freaked out. In a first, some “democratic socialists,” have made a few inroads. Apparently, “socialist” doesn’t have quit the boogyman effect, it once did.
Well, I applaud and support your decision not to have children. Sure, birthrates are falling, worldwide, but aren’t there enough children in the world? Apparently not, according to big business. Can’t have an expanding economy, without an ever expanding population. 11.4 million children, in the US. Live in poverty. That’s about 16%. Poverty is defined as a family of four, living on less than $30,900 a year. I wonder if that’s net or gross?
Ollie looks … skeptical. H often gives me the same look. 🙂
That’s a lot of potential firewood, and another good chunk of forest clean up.
Four! The stories objects could tell, if they could speak. Maybe good they can’t. They’d bang on and on, and most of it would be boring.
That is some stump. You’ll be doing a lot of chain saw sharpening, when you get around to whittling that one down.
Poor wombat! I’m glad he has other properties, to move to. Although with multiple properties, isn’t he depriving young wombats, of digs? Deer are perverse. Of all the trees they could have picked, to rub their horns on, they’ve got to pick one that’s semi-rare?
Congrats to getting the hung up limb, safely down. With no injury to your life and limbs. Looks like more deposits, for the Firewood Bank of Fernglade Farm.
The fruit blossoms look promising. But who knows if pollinators and weather will cooperate?
That’s a pretty shade of yellow, for the rhododendrons. And the varieties of daffodils, are knock outs. Lew
Hi Lewis,
Oh yeah, Mr King was right, and evil does walk among us, and all we can do is but hope not to be involved. Not always possible though, that’s when walking away (or possibly running) is a good option! Alas, there are no guarantees of safety on that front. 😉 Agreed, there is some balance to be gained in being able to walk away from a bad situation…
Strangely enough, the goobermint jobs like that tend to be minimum wage, but at least you know the mad cash will turn up. We really hustled in order to kill debt, although it was possibly a bit obsessive, but we really did have some touch-and-go moments in the 90’s recession. I was never without work, but the Editor experienced eight months, and it was tough.
Ha! If only! I’d heard that plasma was paid for in your country, but down here, it’s voluntary, although you do get a milkshake and party pie. We used to give regular blood donations, but one night stretched on for three hours because they were under staffed (and it wasn’t the first time), and I felt a bit used and abused by the experience and decided to give up on them. I dunno, I’m not good at volunteering, mostly because I see systems where everyone is getting paid other than the volunteers, and there is no upside for me. It looks like an unpaid job. I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that things were different not all that long ago. It’s like with the volunteer firebrigade, I went there to meet locals, chat and hang out, and that sort of activity got slowly squashed – until it looked like an unpaid job. Dunno man, I got that vibe too when your Club decided to suddenly professionalise or something like that a few years ago. Baffling how it happens.
🙂 There were stories everywhere on that census job, and most of the people were really lovely. And hey, meter readers have to deal with guard dogs, and possibly other worse hazards like what you mentioned. They’d have some tales and close calls!
Whoa! See, this is why I ran down to the bank the moment the cheque was signed, and working in accounts meant that I was involved in that process. 🙂 Actually, my trust was so low, that I left work to go and do just that! I’d not ever heard of that process with the first access to the deposit, and it’s most clever of you to work that out. I heard long ago that the banks used to prioritise regular pay cheques before all else, and what you did might have worked here as well. They’re phasing out cheques down here, and they are rarely seen nowadays.
So many barriers to entry got thrown up in front of me, but I know deep down that the days of the apprenticeship model will return again in the future. I mentioned to you a while back that the professional body is bemoaning the reduction in the numbers of younger folks. What did they expect would happen?
All very true about the political changes. That word ‘socialism’ never had the bogeyman vibe it had in your country.
Thanks for that, and respect to you too. People have said some pretty nasty things to us over the years in regards to this subject, not that they’d ever faced the challenges we’d had. At the age of 25, seeing someone who’d you’d expect to be there for you, suddenly die right in front of you, is a sobering experience. Comprehending mortality, is probably why I’m quite upbeat nowadays – the alternative is err, rather final and I’m happy just to be here. Striving seems a bit pointless to me, but hey, that’s me. 🙂
Also, it is worth pointing out, that an expanding population is necessary to maintain the current wider economic arrangements. But I’m with you, it’s unsustainable, and is proving to be just that. If labour declines, economic theory suggests that its value will go up. History suggests as much, and we can’t have that, can we? 😉
Interesting, and you might be onto something with H and Ollie displaying sceptical expressions.
Very funny! And it was not lost on me that the neighbours enjoy golf, although it would have been an extraordinary shot to have reached that far. A few years ago, a tennis ball used to move randomly about the property. The dogs weren’t doing that, as I specifically began to observe their interactions with the thing. It is possible that the local critters, maybe the foxes, are at play with this stuff? Dunno. Another mystery!
You’d hope that the objects weren’t attempting a riff on the Monty Python boring philosopher skit. That was seriously funny stuff.
Not at all with the wombats. Apparently they re-use old burrows, and during the take over phase, they enlarge and remodel them. Nobody really knows much about their underground activities, although I forget the details, but a curious kid in the 1960’s used to climb into them and has provided much, if not all of the details. Talk about an adventurous spirit. Who knew that wombats were (and are) kept in the UK as pets? Wombats, the hobbits of the Australian bush
Thanks, the job to remove the dangling tree limb was mildly exciting, but was done without incident. I ran fast once the hinge I’d cut in the branch began to give way.
Looking at the weather forecast, there is a 3’C / 37’F morning coming up, like always, but how it plays out is unknown right now. Some of the fruit trees grow well here, but are a bit marginal for fruit. Some years they do well, others, not so much.
As mentioned, there used to be an old bloke who ran the local Daffodil farm, and we bought so many varieties from him. They seem to be setting seed and getting established, although growth from seed takes many years to flower. Oh well.
The pumpkin heist was a bit of a dog act, unless it was a bear and you and H were luckily not around at the time. Such critters may come back for the other fruit. Agreed, but I reckon the fruit would ripen outdoors, even if the weather cools as the Professor is suggesting.
Today was delightful for the last official day of winter down under. 17’C / 63’F and we sorted out the grapevine and also the blackberry enclosure. Feels good to be on top of all of this stuff early on. With the vines, we chucked down a huge quantity of crushed rock with lime, mostly because there were some fungal issues last summer, and the lime will counteract that tendency. the soil was looking pretty good in those growing spaces.
Yup, lemon batteries are a thing! And that’s kind of how a lead acid battery works. Same principle.
Those are some dangerous lakes, because nobody every really knows when the walls will fail, causing flooding downstream. Nice to read that the engineers got onto it early. Here’s a local-ish one from this corner of the globe (an interesting story too): Lake Elizabeth – Otways. It did the later draining thing all on it’s own so is smaller nowadays.
Those partition walls which don’t meet the ceiling stop about zero noise. Glad the Club lads (and lady tradies) were onto fixing that issue. Presumably that design is to allow airflow, or that’s what I’ve always thought? Dunno. The mural would be pretty cool, and do you have any budding artists in the collective? I like that old saying about not letting the perfect become the enemy of the good enough.
A great cast, but yes, what was the final message provided by the elderly alien? At least Douglas Adam’s mystified us all with the answer: Forty Two. It’s not much to ask for is it?
Cheers
Chris
Hello Chris,
Amazing encounters with the underbelly of society. I was lucky (?) to grow up in an “underprivileged” part of town, where many classmates had challenging home situations. My own parents were great and supportive, and are both still alive today. Classmates’ parents were more hit-and-miss. Especially when drunk. Family privilege and unfair advantages are real, I learned. Meritocracy only works some of the way.
Some thoughts about last weeks’ post:
Right now I don a Mr Kotter-style-elbow-patched light blue merino sweater. It is a 10+ years old super-soft garment that was punctured at both elbows within a couple of years. Now other parts are wearing off, that are more difficult to patch, so it is also a strictly on-the-farm-only piece of clothing.
Talking debt, we used to have very strong restrictions on lenders, until mid 1990s. Interest rates and payback terms were regulated by law, and quite reasonable. All those limitations were abandoned in a neoliberal right-turn, but no change on the laws regarding the borrowers’ legal situation. Before, the borrowers were protected in many ways, but now not so much. We have approx 1% of the population with larger debts than they can ever pay back, and for many, no possibility to declare personal bankruptcy. Debt peonage for life. Some have unrepayable debts since the financial crisis in the early 1990s. Is that civilized?
I am very risk-averse when it comes to debt.
As you say, someone may come for a pound of flesh…
And, amongst the comments I noticed that you submitted a story to MrGreer. Would be nice to read. Where will it be available?
Over here, we are up for a general election in two weeks’ time. We have our own version of OneNation, promoting “swedish values”, without very much specifying what that is. I doubt it is any different from most people’s values, regardless of nationality.
Time to go out to harvest some more beans and tomatoes. It is a bountiful time of the year.
Peace,
Göran
Yo, Chris – There are also voluntary blood donation drives, from time to time. When stocks get low. Probably, after the vampires get too overactive. 🙂 I saw a headline, recently, that a lot of our for-profit plasma, goes overseas.
Back during the AIDS epidemic, it was unknown that it could contaminate the blood supply. Hundreds of hemophiliacs died. I knew a fellow in Seattle, who did. And, my friend Bob, in Portland, I think got contaminated blood. He was mugged, and badly injured, and got a lot of blood transfusions. And, it happened right in the window between unknown and known. He got sick, and then he died.
Volunteer organizations really need to keep their guard up, against professionalism. To do so needs people with previous experience, with such takeovers. If anyone will listen to them.
Throwing around “socialism” and, even, recently “communism” just doesn’t seem to have the impact, or cachet, it used to. As far back as the early 1900s, it was tossed around to squash unions. And, of course there was the horrible Senator McCarthy hearings witch-hunt, in the late 1940s and 50s.
On reflection on the question of “how we got here,” I think there’s a lot of moving parts. As bad as, what caused the fall of the Roman Empire. 🙂
Yup. After the Black Death, in 1300s Europe. Labor could demand higher wages. And more mobility. As there was not much labor, around. And, the wealthy could afford to pay higher rates. As many wealthy families lost so many members, that wealth was concentrated. I’ve read that titles and land, rapidly changed hands. Sometimes, several times in a short period.
That was an interesting article about wombats. Rossetti was in with the Pre-Raphaelite artist mob. Both he and his sister. Interesting that wombats were sort of a “pet du jour” during the Victorian era. LOL. I sounds like wombats pass down generational wealth.
Our high yesterday was 72F (22.22C). Our overnight low was 54F (12.22C). Our forecast high for today is 81F. We may get rain, morning, day after tomorrow.
It’s nice you were able to buy a lot of different daffodils. Carry on the old blokes tradition.
Speaking of floods, currently I’m reading “Washed Away: How the Great Flood of 1913, America’s Most Widespread Natural Disaster, Terrorized a Nation and Changed it Forever.” (Williams, 2013). Same fellow who wrote the book about the killer heat wave, in the 1930s. I suppose you heard that there’s been a bad flash flood, in the Grand Canyon. As of last night, one dead and 15 missing.
That was an interesting article about Lake Elizabeth. Lakes form for all kinds of reasons. Such as, Reel Foot Lake. Due to earthquakes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reelfoot_Lake
Air? Who needs air? 🙂 I didn’t check out that aspect. The ceiling in that room is very high. And, if it gets too stuffy, they can punch a whole in the wall, and put in a fan.
We do have a young lady, heavily tattooed and pierced, who’s been around for quit awhile. She frequently travels to Europe. Any-who, it was mentioned she might do a mural. Might be interesting.
At a distance of a few days, “Disclosure Day” left a bad taste in my mouth. Nothing I’ll feel like revisiting. This whole idea of dangling endings, so that the “viewer can decide,” is a lazy cop-out. Too much of that going around.
I managed to run down Little Mary Sunshine, this morning. Got my truck all street legal, with her. Then we had a little chat about the pumpkin theft. Not that there’s anything she can do about it, but I thought she ought to be aware. Also my suspicions, about who the perp is. Not that we’ll ever probably know for sure.
Last year I got 5 or 6 pumpkins. It was kind of a washout year, for them. Even though I planted them two or three weeks earlier. I mark it up to lack of pollinators. There were a few, around, but nothing like last year.
I’m watching a new series. “The Audacity.” A fictionalized account of what goes on in Silicon Valley. It’s kind of complicated, so I’ll just link to this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Audacity
Tech Bros are disgusting and immoral.
I made an apple crips, last night, and threw in some cranberries. Pretty tasty, and will provide after dinner desert, for a couple of nights. Lew
Hi, Chris!
Hey – those balls grow on my property, too. Rocket god – that’s funny.
I tell you what, I needed this essay, to remind me how easy I have had it and also to remind me not to get complacent. It is a good lesson to make me appreciate what I have. Thanks! You and Sandra really had to scramble, on top of a time of grief. One important thing is that you were both kept really busy. I have found that helps enormously when faced with grief.
Here, after a 12-month lease is finished, the landlord quite often raises the rent. I guess he feels it’s worth a try as he already has you in place and, if it’s a decent place, you might be reluctant to move.
Not too wet to do forest cleanup! In fact, it’s safer if it’s wet. It looks like all the pines left on our property are slated to become toast as one fell on some really nice pawpaw trees and crushed the heck out of quite a few. This is a common occurence with pine; they have very unstable roots. You should have seen the 10 or 12 in the past big storm that came down at a park that I pass by going into town. They were lovely, big trees. And I would not be surprised at all if it wasn’t pines behind our power outages.
Perhaps wombats are like groundhogs and always have more than one entry?
That cherry tree is a wreck; I shouldn’t think it would live. We have wild cherries that are actually cherries, though with tiny, unsweet fruit.
That was a “hung up” limb, and a scary big one!
The plumcot has a very attractive shape.
A yellow rhodie – how charming. And thanks for all the rest of the flowers; the yellows and purples of spring.
Pam
@ Pam,
Thanks. I think with peppers I’ll have to start them indoors. The idea Chris had that I’m planting them when the ground isn’t warm enough. Some indoor starts might be what is needed.
SJSpo
Chris,
Regarding the Myers-Briggs, well, the Adventurer does fit. And it does allow for some deep thinking and a fair amount of overlap with the thinking types. Boredom is something that is very rare.
On that ball you found, before I forget. The clue about the ball’s origin is the “brand” name. Rocket. If I recall correctly, on one of the moon landings, one of the astronauts hit a white golf ball or two or more on the lunar. Since originating the rumor with the Princess just now, I’ve heard that those lunar golf balls were equipped with heat shields. The reddish orange color of the ball you found is a dead giveaway that it is the very ball that was lost on the moon, turning color during reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere before landing in your woods. It might be worth a small fortune. 😉
Life. You have certain abilities and limitations. Then life happens. Deaths and grieving. Hard times. More choices. Some of us chose not to have children. Personal choice. Unfortunately, too many people, “friends” and others, think that it is their business also, and so they make some nasty comments about things that are really none of their business. We have been on the receiving end of that regarding no offspring. Not often, but some comments. However, the nastiest comments have to do with how the Princess and I grieve versus how others grieve. And for how long the grieving process takes us compared with others. We’re all humans, we’re all different from everyone else, and we all grieve the way we grieve. The process cannot be rushed. Sometimes life would be a lot easier if people learned to accept and appreciate the differences rather than be judgmental.
I also don’t understand how the younger generations can get by. Rent is high. Buying a house is almost impossible. Transportation is expensive. Food is expensive. Times are tough, tougher than when I was young.
Today and tomorrow are warmer, back into the mid 80s. Nights are cool, as low as +9C overnight Sunday. The cooler temps return Wednesday, supposedly with rain. Yes, rain is forecast Wednesday through Thursday evening. Maybe not a lot, but it should be measurable. Looking forward to it.
It was raining on Saturday. It started to rain hard. I opened the door and said to the Princess, “It’s raining!” It promptly quit. Another “Trace”, nothing measurable. We are now at 63 days without measurable rainfall.
Cool. More firewood as a side effect of the stump cleanup. The cleaned area in the forest seems bigger than a few years ago. A lot of work; every bit you clean up should help towards slowing down any wildfire.
Thanks for the photo of the watery wombat hole. That sums up how wet your weather has been perfectly.
As soon as the more intense heat stopped, more of the peppers and chilies have pollinated. And the tomatoes never really slowed down. Good year for both. Potatoes are ready whenever I get to them. As Young Neighbor is learning to garden, she wants to be involved with digging up the potatoes.
The Dame is much happier with the cooler weather. She can lie in the sun and her head doesn’t really bake. 🙂
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
It’s a real mystery, isn’t it? I reckon the groundhogs brought those orange balls to your land as part of a larger program to distract your attention away from their garden munching activities. You heard it here first! Now, that critter got the stuff from an ancient golf deity, who hails from the more Scottish parts of the globe than where you reside, and is looking to set up a local branch. They’re working in cahoots those two! Stay safe. 🙂
🙂 Thanks, and you have equally had your own trials and tribulations over the years, but none of us ever really escape that net. Well, maybe some folks do. And your conclusion is spot on, avoid hubris and complacency. That’s true, and we were probably a bit too busy in those days, and had to learn to wind things back a bit.
It’s funny, but I mention to people in, or about to enter retirement, that they need three things: friends; hobbies and purpose. Did you notice that combination also keeps a person busy? As you wisely observed, that helps with processing grief. One can disappear into themselves if they are not careful.
That happens here too. You’d think that a landlord would be happy the monthly bill is paid, but no. The Japanese have a story about Hungry Ghosts and their insatiable appetite. Best to not be involved. I’d rather live in a shed on a remote block of land, than rent again. It’s even harder for businesses to up sticks and move.
Wombats have more than one entrance and exit for their burrows, so I’m not fearing for the lovely marsupial. Anyway, if the worst has happened, it’s done, and yet again it is raining right now. What a year.
The local trees haven’t evolved with deer, so the indigenous cherry is probably not going to make it. All the same, I’ll leave it in place and observe what happens. Being adapted to fire, I don’t really know what the tree will do. Pam, the deer did the same thing to a 15 year old olive tree, then went onto others. And that was when I cracked the sads months ago and did what needed doing. If only they could rein it in a bit…
Thanks, and I too was glad to have escaped injury when dealing with the stuck limb. My youthful running days proved to be useful! Respect to your son for the work he does with trees at your place, and I have such great respect for our tall forest companions, and treat them with the utmost of care.
Sadly the Plumcott flowers too early in the season. A lady I know who used to live in the big smoke, once gifted me a goodly quantity of the fruit, and it was excellent. Apricots are a favourite, but they’re just so early and sensitive to late frost damage. It’s all one big gamble planting a wide variety of fruit trees, and the apples are the most reliable of all.
Don’t you have yellow rhodies in your part of the world?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Göran,
I’d definitely say that you were lucky to have interacted and observed how people less well off than yourself, conducted themselves. If I may observe, one of the most extraordinary and outrageous side effects of the ever increasing house price strategy, is segregating communities upon economic lines. Yes, what could possibly go wrong with excluding the riff-raff?
In the late 19th century, the wealthy elite established some amazing hill stations and gardens over in the more fashionable western end of this mountain range. Yet, despite the extreme wealth inequality, the area was also settled by a diverse range of people for the elites in those days realised that they were not an island. Local folks had to run the Cobb and Co coaches, run orchards, a creamery, grow grains, mill, or provide household and garden services. Everyone, rich and poor alike, lived cheek by jowl, as they used to say. The only way the current system works, is if there is endless supplies of energy, and that is unwinding.
Glad to hear that your parents continue on to this day, and provide support. That is how familial social arrangements are meant to work out, which of course you continue with your kids. And around and around it goes.
Have to laugh about that with drunk classmates. Some folks seek an easier fun path, and eventually discover it is the harder path. Or they may not be aware of the danger they play around with. It happens, and it embarrasses me to think that video games captured me long ago. Oh well.
Göran, merino is like the best wool. The fibres are so much softer than other varieties of sheep fleece. And yes, I hear you! Sandra has likewise imposed strict dress codes for on-farm, and off-farm wear. For harmony, one must observe the dictates of one’s spouse, lest the neighbours begin talking about all of the holes in the much loved woollen jumper. 🙂
One of the most interesting observations I took away from the author Michael Lewis’s most outstanding book: The Big Short, was that borrowers needs are unlimited, those doing the lending have the ultimate responsibility – and who have to show restraint. Is that happening now, even at the highest levels of power? I don’t think so. Hope you have read the book, or at least watched the film?
Yes, we call that negative equity down here, and when I was a young bloke, vehicles were paid for using cash. Not so for the majority of folks in these more enlightened days. Will the machines survive a seven year debt? Hard to know.
And I as well. Risk averse is what will save you when this monster pops. What other folks will do then, is beyond my comprehension.
Thanks! And I’ve not yet heard back from Mr Greer as to whether my writing, was good enough. Fingers crossed. Have to laugh, I recall the days of published magazines when a 1,000 word article was worth about AU$300 or 2,000 Krona. Fun times.
I 100% agree with your analysis, and would also add that a change in leaders, rarely reduces the property taxes. Our lot is to forge on and continue growing plants, developing systems and bolstering local networks!
🙂 You are in the best time of year, and happy harvesting!
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Exactly, the Adventurer are interesting people. You probably heard this too when you were a kid, but my mum used to say that: ‘Only boring people, are bored!’ Then she’d find some random task for me to do. The lesson learned here was not to appear bored, which is easily achieved by avoiding that state.
Oops. Yet again, our latest get rich quick scheme has failed because I stupidly chucked the ball into the bonfire – which was near to hand. When is our time of great wealth to come? Oh well, back to the drawing board. But you’re so right about the moon golf, and I can prove it! You may remember when that Space X chunk of rocket ship crashed into the moon recently and left the new visible crater on the lunar surface? Well, one of the rare moon-balls was ejected by the impact energy up and into space, crossed the void and landed here. Ook! What an opportunity, totally lost… Compared to the bonfire, re-entry was a piffle, that’s because there are no eucalyptus trees in the upper atmosphere.
Man, I so hear you about your lady’s story. Yup! The one I love the most (said sarcastically) is that we’re selfish. Far out, you know what, to watch your mum die in front of you weeks into a marriage, is something I’d not wish upon anyone. But such negative comments are usually about the hidden feelings and desires of the people making them. At such moments, you get to see the colour of their souls. Respect to you both.
Agreed, grief is a road that everyone travels upon differently. There is no right, or one way for that journey.
We’re getting heavy here, so I’ll chuck in an awful comedic moment from a film just for some uncomfortable laughs. From memory the actor was Tilda Swinton, who was playing a very self absorbed boss. One of the characters (the employee) parents had passed away, and boss may have said something horrid like: “Are we still talking about that? I was over it four days ago!” Yes a remarkable display of callous indifference. Not a good fictional workplace. Shame I’ve experienced worse than that.
That’s my take on the present situation as well. Times are tougher, even for those with a good job. The kids are doing it tough, and to be honest I have no idea how two adults working full time with kids can manage a household, especially with all of the creeping life administrative tasks demanded by so many nowadays. It’s an extraordinary ask. Hey, remember the shock joke of Douglas Adams when he was making fun of digital watches and the general level of societal happiness? Well, that’s just peanuts! 🙂
Glad to hear that the nicer weather is returning, and the cooler nights would be a major relief. Fingers crossed that the rain eventuates, and the plants and soil in your area would need it badly.
Well, what happens with the insurance industry, bothers me deeply, so I take the clean up job seriously. Actually the more area we work, the larger the number of critters residing and eating here becomes.
I’ve not seen the water table this high for a very long time. And it is again raining tonight. A lot of particulate matter went into the atmosphere months ago during the summer, and you to may yet get to experience this unexpected turn of events. It takes a while, but I reckon will get there for your area.
Plants go into shock when it gets really hot, but even at 45’C here, if it’s only a brief peak in temperature, the plants recover. Probably a bit late for the chili plants, but even the small fruit is tasty, and you’ve got many more weeks of growing season yet to go.
Out of curiosity, how do you dig up the potatoes? I use a fork, which inevitably skewers a few of the tubers, but those are cleaned and eaten early.
Sure the Dame’s head is not cooking in the sunshine! Hehe! Still, dogs will be dogs. 🙂 She’s storing heat in her fur for winter, or that’s what I heard.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
After major incidents, there is usually a blood donation drive down here as well. Sometimes, they’ll announce over the news that a particular blood type is low and call for volunteers. People turn up, but it is the regulars which keep the vials full and vampires happy! 🙂 We used to be regular donors for a few years but the centre became a bit short staffed and it was became an unnecessarily long task of waiting around for hours. They could have cancelled a few appointments and saved us the hassle of heading in there. But some organisations can be very free and easy with volunteers time.
Sorry to hear that your mate succumbed during that most dreadful time, and who can forget the fear in those days? Friends are hard to come by, and the receivers of the transfusions were unwitting victims. Awful for anyone involved in that episode for any reason. A famous down under author’s son who was a haemophiliac suffered that fate as well. The book makes for a challenging read. April Fool’s Day (novel).
Yeah, I’ve seen the push for professionalism break apart groups, and have learned. I’d stomp the daylights out of such shenanigans. Look how long the Club took to repair the social damage, but like your strategy, if you’re not on the board, kick back and wait for the eventual loss of steam. Such folks wind themselves out of energy then fade away. I’d prefer to kick them in the head, but would only do so when personally involved. The Editor is seeing this for herself with the local dog club, but it ain’t my circus. It’s a sad lesson to learn. And that is the question isn’t it? Will anyone listen? I still recall when the old Club pantry was dismantled and wondered how many went hungry from that decision?
Just my opinion, but Senator McCarthy seemed like he was playing the role of the useful idiot in an horrendous distraction campaign. I’d have not wanted to be on the wrong side of that monster.
Agreed, 99 reasons for the fall, all are valid, if not weighted evenly. 🙂 To know history, is to know it repeats, but with new and interesting variations.
Norah Loft’s book on the Wayside Tavern mentioned the old battle axe matron who survived the Black Plague and said: Now is the time to buy! Positively Machiavellian don’t you reckon? But also correct. I’d not thought of the seventh son nabbing the inheritance issue.
Hmm, they reckon the only wombats now reside in zoos in the UK, that we know of! 😉 Probably like those pineapples grown in heated greenhouses, there’d have been some wombat escapees for sure. The burrows don’t tend to be abandoned, but get enlarged and/or shared over time. They’re clever creatures, and are like little armoured tanks.
It was 72’F in the big smoke today (although cooler up here). Not to worry, it was an early sample of spring and is now raining again and back to 54’F outside at night (which is quite warm). Hope you get the rain. I went in for paid work.
Man, I’m curious to see what all these seedling Daffodils produce. Apparently it takes many years before they produce flowers, but we’ll see. With all of the different varieties, the genetics will be strong. The seeds are huge too.
Oh my! Nobody would want to experience such geological forces which produced massive subsidence. Although I was watching a local geology utoob video the other day which suggested that the monster sized Port Phillip Bay, is actually part of a subsidence area – as is the higher ground where many folks live today.
🙂 I need air! Just a little bit. Please Sir, can I have more air? The Club folks will work it all out, and a fan will be good for super hot days.
Hope the mural ends up looking good, and it’s not a bad idea to get a member to do the work on the basis that they’ll have to live with the comments if it is carp.
I’m with you, a solid ending would have been nice. We read, or watch stories so as to learn what the creators have to say. Possibly the originator in that instance had nothing to say?
Well, I did kind of mention that there’d be little chance of justice with the great pumpkin heist of 26. But at least the truck is all legit and stuff. I’d imagine that they’d do tow-aways from the car park every now and then?
I’ll have a read of the plot line in a second. Well, there’s a lot of big talk by that lot. Sooner or later they have to deliver, and I’m unimpressed by what I’m seeing on that front, but I could be a tough audience?
Yum! Apples will be plentiful in your part of the world right now. Speaking of which, it’s time to top up the apple supplies here from what is left of the cool store up north. Hope they rebuild the community co-operative facility?
Ah, what a surprise with the current political climate. The state goobers are chucking what looks like $0.5m towards rebuilding the bushfire damaged building. Won’t be enough, but it could be a start?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Yeah, it was a trying time. Bob was part of the mob that hung out at Uncle Larry’s, and that’s where he shuffled off his mortal coil. Four of us took up the task of seeing him out. Two full time, two part time. The part-timers were another bloke (who was also running back and forth to the coast, where his brother was dying) and me. Running back and forth between Centralia and Portland. It was a trying time. But, in some aspects, was also … wonderful. After that, I did a bit of hospice work, here and there. Nothing major. Mostly just respire for primary caregivers.
I was told, that once cooler heads regained control of the Club, the food pantry was first on the agenda. LOL. I’ve got it here in my apartment, and it’s ready to go again, once things settle a bit more at the Club.
McCarthy was a useful idiot. For people like the lawyer, Roy Cohen. He was one of those moving parts, that got us where we are, today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Cohn
“Wayside Tavern” is in my “To re-read pile.” Some would say the old battle axe was .. pragmatic. 🙂
Our high yesterday was 81F. Our overnight low was 57F (13.88C). Our forecast high for today is 71F. I watered this morning, for maybe, the last time in awhile. I don’t see anything on the radar, but it sure is overcast and threatening looking. As they say, “the wind is rising.” 🙂
I did a bit of weeding, last night, and picked all the cherry tomatoes that looked near ripe. I set some aside for a few meals, and the rest, froze. Looks like I have about another gallon.
I saw one of the Master Gardeners, this morning. She hadn’t heard about the pumpkin heist. We were talking about this growing year. Her pumpkins, and zucchini, didn’t do at all well this year. Neither did my pumpkins and, my zucchini is sort of languishing. I theorized that it was a lack of pollinators. She’s of the opinion that it was the weather.
H was sort of driving me crazy, last night. After our dinner, and her midnight walk, she took to pacing. I put her to bed, earlier than usual, but she didn’t sleep as she usually does. And, I heard her get up a couple of times in the night, to just wander around. I thought we might be coming up on an earthquake, but on reflection, I think maybe it’s the change in the weather. She goes to the groomer, tomorrow morning. And, we might get a food box.
Speaking of earthquakes, the New Madrid quake which created Reel Food Lake, devastated the whole lower Mississippi valley. A few years back, two novels came out in quick succession, about what it would be like, today, if there was a replay.
I didn’t know daffodils had seeds. Here, it’s usually the bulbs that get planted, and replanted.
When Little Mary Sunshine tightened up on the parking, she got a contract with our local towing company. They put up signs. I’ve only seen one or two towed out.
I watched a few more episodes of “The Audacity.” I don’t know if I’ll stick with it. Most of the characters are pretty repulsive. How they treat their employees and kids.
I did watch part of “You Can’t Ask That,” centenarians edition. What a hoot! A lovely bunch of people.
I suppose the apple co-op members, will kick in some money, if it was a profitable venture for them. Also, there might have been a bit of insurance money?
Speaking of co-ops, if things go to plan, I’ll make a run to Winco, tonight. I’ve got a list! If I remember it. LOL. That worked out so well, last time. Lew
@ DJSpo:
I have tried planting pepper seeds outdoors. If they do come up it is always too late in the season for any peppers to mature (or even to eat green).
Pam
Chris:
Hey, there were lots of Scots in my little part of the world. You wouldn’t believe how many surnames start with Mc/Mac, and these are original settlers’ families; I know quite a few of them. The Blue Ridge Mountains were full (relatively speaking, back in the day) of them. That’s what most “hillbillies” were. So, to finally get to the point, perhaps some of them brought the icons of their Golf deity with them when they came here.
The thing about renting is that it is 100% money down the drain. You never have anything tangible to show for where it all went.
I remember the sad story of the olive tree, and I remember the “So sad, too bad for you” story of the deer. One down . . . We have deer, usually 10 at a time, standing behind the house ( 50 feet from the house) all day long watching the acorns fall off the oaks, and gobbling them down. The squirrels don’t get any. When I walk past the deer going down to the garden, most of them don’t even look up. I am so tempted to rush at them and bark, or something. It would be for their own good. Hunting season will be here before they know it.
I don’t recall ever seeing a yellow rhodie here. I daresay they are around somewhere.
Do you have this problem on your country roads: When driving into town yestrday morning I got stuck in a long line of cars behind a school bus, stopping for kids here and there. After a couple of miles, the driver came to a wide place (there aren’t many of these) to pull over and let us all pass. Coming back home, I got stuck behind a postman. Being a narrow, winding 2-lane highway, it is seldom safe to pass him as he is putting mail into boxes right on the road. Luckily, he turned off before I’d followed him for too long.
Pam
@ Pam,
Thanks. That is very helpful. We have longer winters and shorter growing seasons than you do. I will have to start them indoors and/or buy seedlings from the store.
DJSpo
Chris,
I think every mother comes wired to deal with bored children. The default technique is to give the bored offspring a chore to do. After a few such interactions with my mother, I ceased to be bored, or at least I quit saying that I was bored.
Eucalyptus bonfire? That has to burn fiercely hot. Hmmm, I can see it now. Far back in the mists of time, somebody connected the Infinite Improbability Drive to a fiercely hot eucalyptus bonfire and voila! Nuclear fusion occurred for the very first time. Then, being such a weird thing, it caused a major rupture in the space-time continuum, making it look as if fusion in stars predated the eucalyptus bonfire by zillions of years.
Watching your mum die is never a fun experience. Both the Princess and I have done that. But after a few weeks of marriage? Ookk! That would suck the joy out of life for a long time and could have easily shattered the young marriage. Yet you and Sandra remained together. Respect.
Digital watches. And little pieces of green paper that weren’t unhappy, but the people who collected said pieces of paper were. Adams had such a wonderful way of looking at things.
I bought a package of large pig ears for the Dame to chew on. Well, in her case one of two things happens. Her inner wolf appears and she devours the thing in mere minutes, or, her inner wolf appears and she disappears the pig ear outdoors, returning indoors with a dirty snout. Then, following a day or 3 of fermenting under dirt and leaves, the now tastier pig ear is then dug up and devoured. But devoured more slowly after fermenting in the dirt and leaves. That additional flavor must be savored, right?
Oh, by the way. She just returned indoors. Her snout is dirty.
Day 64. The record is 80 consecutive rainless days set in 2017. The old record had been 73 days set in the early 20th century. There were two occasions that had 65 consecutive days, including 1973. Light rain is supposed to fall within a few hours. Perhaps a tenth of an inch total over 3 days. If it really is raining when I wake up in the morning, I might have to go outside and enjoy it.
I dig the potatoes with my hands. The soil is very friendly for that method. No tools, no punctured or bruised potatoes, only dirty hands. I’ll have an assistant this year. Young Neighbor says that she wants to help on her day off this week, which I believe is Thursday. If necessary, a small garden spade can be used.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
The Scots and Germans likewise settled in these more elevated and forested locations too. And I’ve heard similar labels applied to the folks who are attracted to the conditions and challenges of such places. Some of the German settlers dropped the ‘Von’ part of their surnames after WWI which was probably not a bad idea given the circumstances.
Thanks for the laughs, and yes, relatively speaking is how I’d describe the population density of the hamlet down here too. Hey, can we call that a mystery solved?
Yup! My thoughts exactly. If renting was a good option, it’d be widely seen as a good option, but the facts don’t suggest that possibility. What used to annoy me was the six monthly inspections. So some person from the real estate agency would go walking through the house just looking. I was a bit uncomfortable about that, it’s not like I know those folks.
Pam, oh my! The large herbivore situation may be as you want it, but those deer have become accustomed to your presence, to which you mentioned the consequences. Your deer are somewhat smaller though than Red or Sambar, but still. The real question is how many can your land sustain? That’s what I tend to come back to, and fifteen year old olive trees aren’t easily replaced.
Rhodies are such lovely plants, and super hardy. There is a national rhodie garden about two hours drive away from here. Went there once many years ago. A bit far for me now.
To answer your question directly: Yes! 🙂 Fun story: Sandra’s elderly cousin came up to visit years ago. I decided to lead her out of the forested roads and back towards the freeway. The lady drove very slowly, so I was in danger of getting out of her sight if I went too fast which would result in an unfortunate lost relative. Nobody wants that. I had to slow down. Being observant, I noticed my neighbour get caught behind our two slow moving vehicles, so I pull over and the oblivious cousin drives straight past me, and I could see the neighbour is losing their mind at the snail paced speed. City folks, just pull over and let people who want to, go past. Tourists gawping at the lovely scenery do much the same thing, which sends the nice locals crazy.
I see similar things go on in your part of the world? 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Mothers know these techniques, and can deploy them more readily than the average Visigoth handles their razor sharp sword and short bow. Imagine saying to Alaric I, dude, we are so bored with this Rome business. Let’s burn the mother down! And so it possibly went back in the day. Did Mr Peabody and Sherman ever visit ancient Rome?
What? How’d you know about that bonfire business? Clearly you were there. 🙂 Man, you bested me with that story, and I admit defeat! Nice one, and thanks for the laughs. Mr creative juices aren’t up to snuff ol’ chap this evening, probably because I finished work pretty late tonight, well past 8pm. A long, and productive day.
We worked through it all. What was weird, was that at the age of 25, few, if any of my friends or acquaintances had experienced a close death, so there was this wall of utter incomprehension, and very little empathy. Many of my friends are now of an age were they are now experiencing this loss. It’s one of those experiences which most of us get to go through. And you and your lady have had a lot of experience on that front, and know that through the grief there are enchiladas and life goes on.
By the way, that was a very perceptive observation. It did suck the joy out of life. Sandra had just completed her masters thesis, which was such a simple question it was written up in the news. What drives computing, the software or the hardware? (it had a fancier title, but that was the gist of it) The thesis supervisor wanted to take the study further and wider, but the household was wiped out, and the momentum was lost forever.
Hehe! True, it is a delightful way of observing the absurdity of life. The other day I noticed a couple of locals walking along the main dirt road picking up rubbish, and it’s nice to see.
Oh yeah, that is some additional flavour, and hey, maybe the Dame was correct to ferment the pigs ear? They do say that fermented foods are good for the gut. I’ve watched Ollie suck back a chunk of rawhide chew which must have been too wide for his throat, except he then hocks it back up again. I’m not touching that slimy thing, except to take it off him. Dogs are filthy, but you’ve gotta love ’em, the cheeky scamps.
Dame Avalanche is so busted! Good detective work with the dirty snout deduction.
OK, you’ve got us all on tenterhooks! Did it rain, or didn’t it? That’s a lot of consecutive days without rain.
Ah, you’ve got looser soil. Right. Getting one’s hands dirty in the soil is quite good experience to feel what is going on beneath the surface. The difference in temperature might also be worth noting. Good stuff with the helper. Hope the harvest is good, and the dry weather I reckon will produce smaller, but more flavourful spuds. What’s your thoughts about that?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Respect. Was Bob lucid for much of his final days? It’d be a thing to have some solid honest conversations, as most I’ve known on that journey have slipped away pretty quickly. Man, it was a decent thing of you to do providing such service. Puts your own life and cares into perspective, seeing the end point, don’t you reckon? Respite care is a true gift you’d given, because people have to remember to look after themselves as well, which can get lost at such times.
Really? That was a clever move on your part to nab the Club pantry. Always nice to look into the future and see where the wind settles. 🙂 People would have missed out on that food.
The gentleman appears to have what I believe to be a face which suggests dead eyes. Not someone to be on the wrong side of, put it that way. And yes, a fascinating client list of who was who in that big city. Stories from that big city have an overlay of neurotic activity, which always baffles me. Must be a lack of natural space I reckon.
Hehe! Your to-read pile is both impressive and lively. 🙂 Man, I worked to 8pm this evening, and the local library is open during business hours. What’s a po’ boy to do? I miss that restaurant which long ago made the delicious 24 hour slow cooked pork rolls. Yum! The lady who ran the place, hailed from the south east of your country.
Now, where does that wind rising reference come from? It’s tickling the back of my mind… Hmm… Whatever, you’re having some lovely weather. It was 17’C / 63’F and quite delightful, although other than a short break this afternoon, I was on the wrong side of the glazing. Still, mustn’t grumble and it is nice to be productively working.
Threatening clouds almost sounds like a monsoon. Did you get any rain? It’s meant to rain here tomorrow during the middle of the day. All very inconvenient, but again, mustn’t grumble! Am I repeating myself? Possibly so.
Nice score with the cherry tomato harvest, and they’re the best tasting tomatoes. At least your garden thief had not pinched them.
Maybe both explanations are applicable for the pumpkins and zucchini. Both need the insects and the heat. It’s been hot where you are, but maybe not hot enough for those plants. I grow zucchini in raised beds, which are warmer than the surrounding ground.
Always wise to listen to H because you never know what is bugging her. Sometimes the dawgs here observe unfolding events which would otherwise pass my awareness by. Still you did mention threatening clouds, and maybe there is an air pressure change. You could have a storm detective on your hands?
Any big quake near to a settled area in your country – or here for that matter – is going to present a lot of troubles. A volcanic eruption in this corner of the country, can’t be ruled out – and things are more active in your part of the world.
Oh yeah, Daffodil seeds are massive, and form just below the flower. I’ll try and get some photos of them in a month or two’s time. The plants are spreading down the hill.
Well, the old broken window theory suggests that it is wise to remove unregistered vehicles. Actually, if parked on the street down under, they do get a massive yellow sticker plastered to the front window. It suggests to get a temporary registration permit, or face having the thing towed away. Sends a solid message.
Yeah, I’m always observing people to see how they treat others. Of course, people can have a bad day too, and nobody is ever at the top of their game. What I’d have to suggest – which the Audacity characters may not ever get too – is that it’s not the error, it’s what happens afterwards which determines character. If everyone let’s the gaffe go, great, if there are grudges and hurt feelings, well that may need to be dealt with. They do say that sorry is the hardest word for some to speak aloud.
Glad you enjoyed the show. It was a hoot, and an informative insight into how the centenarian folks saw themselves.
You’d hope so, but I used to know people in the area where the co-op was sited, but haven’t spoken with them for a long time.
Lewis, beware of the one list to rule them all, and yeah, don’t forget to take the thing! Hehe! How’s the chocolate index looking? Might have to top up the Editor’s supply of Lindt choccies soon. That’ll be interesting to see the prices.
Cheers
Chris
Hello Chris,
Regarding potatoes, I use a special fork that I got from a friend many years ago. It is a 9-tooth fork, similar to this one, with rounded balls on top of each tooth:
https://www.p-lindberg.se/sten-potatisgrep-9020743/
This kind of fork is also great for shoveling wood chips. We use lots of wood chips, so a majority of the use is for that purpose. Now in September, we will fork out (!) a lot of potatoes.
Regarding The Big Short, both the book and the film were good, but in different ways. One thing that resonated with me was the dialogue in the movie “Why is he confessing?”, “He is not confessing, he is bragging.” It reminds me of every time that I have heard high-level managers talk openly about highly inappropriate behaviours, and it is chilling.It is sometimes useful to remember that not all people are nice, but on the other hand, most are.
I totally agree with you that the economic segregation of people is a social disaster. Good neighbourhoods with good schools and safe parks. Other neighbourhoods, not so much. Society becomes more and more like a lasagna, with layers that don’t communicate, don’t meet and don’t care about the others. I prefer Bolognese.
Peace,
Göran
Yo, Chris – Bob was pretty lucid, until the last couple of weeks. There was a visiting nurse, who’d come once a week, who offered advice … and, prescriptions. Also, one of the full time caregivers, was a nurse. We all worked in concert.
Surprisingly, Bob didn’t really lose a lot of weight. Although he was thrilled, when his pants size got down to 32″. 🙂 It was also … interesting and informative to deal with other friends and what family Bob had.
I’ve been adding to the Club pantry, over the past couple of months. A little here and there. It will be a good showing, when I take the shelving back and get set up.
I went to Winco, last night. Spent $130, which was 6 bags of groceries, and a pack of paper towels. The most expensive items were a can of coffee, dried prunes and shelled pumpkin seeds. I also picked up a few things for the pantry. Some Jiffy corn bread mix, a good (but inexpensive) brand of Mac & cheese, and three cans of pork and beans. I usually buy things in 3’s, for the pantry.
I’m down to 8 bars of the Lindt, 85% cocoa. I do have 4 bars of 100%, that I bought back when chocolate was more reasonable. As an experiment. Too bitter to eat straight, but I’ll probably figure out what to do with them. I checked last night, and nothing has the nutritional value and kick, of dark chocolate. 🙁
Well, it’s been proved with rats, that too much crowding, and things get … weird. Speculation is that that’s what causes a lot of New York’s problems.
Doesn’t the local library have any weekend hours? It would be odd, if they didn’t. Or, an evening or two.
Our high yesterday was 66F (18.88C). Our overnight low was a steady 59F (15C). Our forecast high for today is 65F. I took H down to the groomer, this morning. It was supposed to start raining, about that time. We lucked out, and I got her there, before the sky opened up. I’ve already got her coat in the truck, for when I pick her up.
Where did the phrase, “The wind is rising,” come from? Well, you asked for it … 🙂
https://sciencefix.blog/wind-rises-poem-true-meaning-lets-dive
My zucchini is in a raised bed. And, the pumpkins in a half barrel. So, pretty much optimum growing conditions.
I buried another round of kitchen scraps, in the strawberry bed. I also dug another hole, and picked up a bunch of apples, which had fallen off our tree. With this rain, I’ll be on the look-out for worms on the walkways. Pitch them into the strawberry bed. And my plot.
We had a couple of people who had stopped driving, but couldn’t quit let go of their cars. But, when they tightened up on having vehicles licensed, and registered, the “moment of truth” came, and they finally let go. Although a couple moved them to the street, where they moldered away.
I’ll stop by the library to pick a couple of things up, when I go get Dawg. I’m taking back “The Audacity.” Life’s too short. 🙂
We should get a food box, today. But, after lasts month’s snafu, I don’t know. If not this week, maybe next.
When I was at the Winco, last night, I noticed a nifty camper on a truck. An Alaskan brand camper. I wondered how much they cost, and if they made anything for a short bed. Well, they do. But new, they’re $44,000. I think not. But maybe a used one?
It’s just an idea I’m toying with, should I ever become homeless. Best have a plan B, the way the world’s going. Lew
Chris:
Oh, yes – it never fails when I am in a hurry, that some slow poke is ahead of me. Road courtesy demands that the slow car at the front pull over at the next available place, but not one person in 20,000 does that.
A little while ago I was walking across the driveway when, completely out of the blue, a fierce wind came up (I’d guess 30mph) and slammed the area. I call that a derecho-type wind. I don’t know if you have derechos, but we very occasionally do. They are hundreds-of-miles long, massive, tall, and wide walls of dark clouds. The last one we had, in 2012, came in at 99mph. The wind was less than that when it hit our house; we were able to watch its approach from over the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. This was the only clip I could find that shows the wall; first 10 sec are enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS30RA6UjI0
Pam
Chris,
Yes, I seem to remember an episode of Peabody and Sherman back in ancient Rome. Alas! Uncle Alaric wasn’t part of that episode. They could have had a lot of fun with the scenario you described. Of course, L. Sprague de Camp came close with his novel “Lest Darkness Fall”, which sent a modern man back to the Ostrogoth kingdom in 535 c.e. Italy. It might be available at the Internet Archive.
Nice insight. There are always enchiladas and life goes on. The Princess and I have definitely learned to cherish the times we have together, to strengthen one another. One of my fundamental operating principles is “Change happens”. Death is a part of change. It just feels so final and personal.
The Princess had to leave yesterday. Her brother’s in-law died. The Princess knew him, also. Main services are tonight with a sunrise burial. Dunno when she will get home. Depends on how her brother is doing. Probably over the weekend some time.
Listening to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album tonight. Haven’t listened to it for awhile.
I think maybe those pig ears are a bit too greasy for Avalanche. Heck, they are so big they almost look like they’re dried elephant ears. The Dame has having some digestive issues since I got those. I bought different chew treats for her today.
Thordog the Irish Wolfhound would chew on those ginormous rawhides, have it devoured within 20 minutes. Except one time, he wanted outside and I watched him regurgitate the entire thing whole, then bury it. Blech!
I’ll let you know the size of the potatoes after we harvest them. I liberally water the potatoes, so I’m hoping for decent sized spuds. Planted a few russets and a lot of reds of various varieties. If the harvest is typical, the potatoes will range in size from pea to big.
Rain? Oh, yeah, that. The official Federal weather station had 0.05 inches. Downtown had about 0.02 inches. I heard it raining, and it sure didn’t last very long, maybe 20 minutes. I would guess here between 0.02 and 0.05 inches. Not a lot, but at least measurable rain after 64 days. We have a good chance of equaling that amount overnight tonight. Then back to our regularly scheduled September through late October dry. I’m enjoying the cool and the clouds and the drizzle.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Well, the thing is, on rural back roads, there are often drivers from other areas just idling around doing who knows what, and your observation matches mine: Why are these folks driving in the middle of the road at crawl pace? I’ve developed an harassment technique which forces them to pull over to the side of the road. It’s not pretty, but sometimes manners need to be taught, the hard way.
Being a dude, that’s probably easier for me to deal with the consequences than what you might experience as a lady. If I may suggest, the ability to employ empathy has been reduced in the population for possibly nefarious purposes. The old timers used to say: Walk a mile in my shoes, to which we could add, why is this person being a major nuisance? 🙂
Ook! Never a good day to be caught outdoors in such weather. But yeah, winds are usually an issue here, but strange weather localised events occur. Most of my firewood for next year will be sourced from an area hit by such a storm which toppled three huge trees. But such massive elongated storms as mentioned in the video are rare.
Pam, drought bothers me, but severe storms freak me out. Here’s one from five years ago which knocked over massive amounts of tall trees in the area (possibly the equivalent of the Derecho’s you mentioned): Macedon Ranges begins clean-up after damaging winds, heavy rain lash region.
The locals around here lost their power for five days, and other than us, it was dark.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Göran,
Thanks for the link to the fork, and I’ve never seen such a hand tool, but will try and track one down. The balls on the ends of the tines are a great idea, so obvious. The welder might be able to be used to modify an existing fork. Hmm.
Wood chips are really hard to move, yup! And early on when establishing the orchards, woody mulch could be purchased for around AU$20 / 140 Krona per cubic metre! That’s cheap, and hundreds of metres of stuff were hauled back, or trucked in (diesel being a wonderful fuel for such things). The stuff won’t grow vegetables, but sure will improve conditions for trees.
The material is derived from council green waste collections. How did you obtain your wood chips?
Man, that was a classic moment. And did you notice that the pair (one of whom had bought a boat! 🙂 ) were later shown standing in line at the job fair? A nice touch that.
Ah, the things which we’ve all seen over the years… But I agree with you, it is the minority of people who are not nice. Still, it is to our advantage to be able to observe ‘red flags’ and then know how to respond. My thinking, and I’d be curious to hear your thoughts, but such folks are best avoided.
Thanks for the Bolognese metaphor! 🙂 Like you, I’d prefer a bit more balance. It would be nice if more people around here began to use their land productively. Seed saving in particular is much harder than it would otherwise be if more kitchen gardens were worked. Oh well.
Hey, reminds me of the amusing: Golgafrinchans. It didn’t end well for the creators of the strategy.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Ah, a sadly overlooked story line, and Mr Peabody would have had Alaric I sorted out in no time at all, and with a great level of assertiveness. A most unflustered dog that one. Oooo! Just read the plot for Lest Darkness Fall, and it’s very interesting, as is the author (whom I’d not previously heard of).
🙂 Make time for enchilada’s is a workable strategy which the ancient stoics would probably approve of! We have no option of avoiding the general fate, and so must face it. I’ve always noted that when celebrities pass, there is a huge outpouring of emotion, then sad to say, life goes on for the rest of us. It is a most personal thing though, yup.
Oh man, another soul known to your lady has passed away. May her brother’s in-law rest in peace. And please extend my sympathy.
It is a good album, absolutely. Go on, CD, vinyl or digital? The curious mind wants to know! 🙂 On that note, Saturday looks crazy wet here, so I might begin the restoration work on the new-to-me, but second hand Yamaha amplifier. It sounds a bit flat right now before the work, which is to be expected.
Hmm! Very observant! Respect. Once long ago I bought pig bones for the dogs, and much vomit ensued. Too rich for their tastes. I’ve noticed that they’ve somehow scored a bone from the forest and are chewing upon the thing. Marsupials are generally quite lean, although it could also have been from the deer. Dunno. Nothing seems to want the backbone which remains intact. The rest is gone, all of it.
Oh yukko! Go Thordog, and the digestive enzymes probably softened the rawhide. Not pleasant to observe though…
If you’ve watered the spuds during the summer you’ve had, I reckon you’ll get some decent sized tubers. But you’ll find out. And very wise to plant a whole heap of varieties, which is my strategy as well. And the pea sized potatoes are quite nice, and will produce another plant.
The clouds and drizzle would have been a real pleasure after your long dry spell. Did the air smell nice after the brief rain?
Mostly had the day off work today, although I never really get much of a break now. No matter, I’m working on compartmentalising that part of my life. Not quite have success, but may get there, one day! 🙂 Went an hours drive north to replenish the apple and honey stores. It was mostly rainy and cold today, and the forecast is for frost tomorrow and 1’C. Ook! A lot of fruit trees in blossom Mr Climate! Be nice to us, please, I’d really like some Apricots – and promise to be good! 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Yeah, you can tell when the end is coming for folks. Bob had a rough deal there for sure, but from another perspective, you were all able to provide support. That’s funny about the pants size, and gallows humour can be a real tension breaker. But absolutely that happens. Yes, I’ve heard of similar stories told from folks who’ve succumbed to lung cancer, and never smoked. There’s a lot of judgement, and in those days it was a real slur which people now forget.
When my mum married the angry Irish bloke he took an instant dislike to me and began calling me that slur. I must have been eight or nine. I’d say he had some personal issues, yeah. The rest of the family bogged in knowing it was me or them, and they wonder why I don’t want to spend one minute of time with them now. Horrid people. I have empathy for folks that went through that experience. People sure can be cruel.
Have you been fixing the pantry up, as in your former furniture restoration activities, or have you been squirreling away plenty of stuff to fill it? Either way, it’s such a good resource for people in need.
6 bags of groceries sounds like a decent haul for that amount of coin. Since I’ve been looking after fry pans (skillets) better by seasoning them, it’s necessitated a minor bit of paper towel usage. I always feel mildly guilty about that, but I guess the longer life the steel cook wear enjoys is probably the preferable option. Maybe… 🙂 Actually, looking after this kitchen stuff is a real skill, and not something I’d been aware of until a couple of years ago.
Coffee is on the up price wise down here as well, and my palate suggests that the brand I buy has either diluted the stuff, bought from a cheaper supplier, or blended in another plant material. It doesn’t taste quite the same to my palate, but then I could be over reacting? Dunno.
Go the gourmet Mac and Cheese – a staple! I hear you, and was just being flippant. Good idea to get three of each, and if I may add, all of the items are things that people need. What they want is one thing, but what they need are the basics. Nice one!
100% cocoa would be bitter, yeah, I see what you mean. Is that true about the nutritional value? Interesting. I’ll check that out next.
Well yeah, that rodent experiment was a classic how-to tip populations into psychosis. Far out, scary stuff. I’d not want to live in such a space, and don’t. I’ve no readers from there, so nobody to offend! 🙂
No late evenings, and three hours on a Saturday morning. Apparently that’s it. I wouldn’t mind one day if it was open to say 8:30pm? Not all rate payers can visit the library during normal working hours. And Saturday morning traffic is mayhem in that nearby town. Not into it. And I was caught in it this afternoon. Went to go to the banksters machine to grab some cash, and it was not working. Hardly inspiring.
Your weather is rapidly cooling down, far out! It was 13’C / 55’F today and very cloudy. It rained about the general area, but largely avoided this specific location. They’re saying tomorrow morning might be frosty, which will be a total bummer for the fruit trees now in blossom, but we’ll see how it goes. Might be that in the valley, but not up here at elevation. Fingers crossed. Nice work with H’s coat, she’ll need that being recently shorn.
Ah, thanks for the link, and existentialism indeed! I’d not appreciated that the line from the French poem was set against the backdrop of a graveyard, and is a challenge to remind those who read, to live. Wise words, and who knew that there’d be a link to Japanese animation almost a century later? Funny how the world works, isn’t it? But I do appreciate the stoic sentiment for nature can be bountiful and equally harsh.
Oh poop! Oh well, here’s hoping that the pumpkin and zucchini do OK. It’ll be late next month that the growing season splutters out. Until then, you never know how they’ll go. Plants grow exponentially.
Good stuff, and did you harvest any strawberries? The worms do that trick here too slugging along the surface in very wet weather, and the earthworms are enormous. I only relocate them when they end up on the veranda, which is an impressive feat for a worm.
Yes, letting go is hard for all of us. Humans aren’t much good at it, but the time comes for all. If those cars were parked on the street here, the authorities would tow them away.
Good to hear about the audacity biz, some spaces are not healthy to inhabit. I’ve dropped some books halfway through, and a series is no different.
Ook! The food boxes were a good source of stuff for the Club pantry, as well as your coffers. Any sign of the thing?
That’s a lot of coin for a camper, and there may be cheaper options out there. Hmm. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, but wise to consider the possibility. It’s like if this place burns down, we’ll just shed it on site and try and rebuild, and I’ve looked into that process. Hard to know what the future brings is it? There is a lot of trouble brewing, no getting around it. I see that the techboors were haranguing Gee20 ministers to urge them to spend more mad cash on err, what they called infrastructure, and I describe as datar centaz. Hmm.
Took most of the day off work (did an hour or two this morning) and headed an hours drive north to nab some apples and honey. Their stuff is so good, it’s worth the effort. Didn’t hear anything about the co-op coolstore, but there was an update which I lacked the time to read thoroughly. It was pinned up in a doorway, and looked dense with a lot of instructions and deadlines. Candidly I wanted to head home and have an arvo nap. And why not? 🙂 Plus it was raining and the weather was grey and miserable there. Hardly conducive to reading…
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – When I first launched the food pantry, someone had shelving, that they donated. Gray, high impact plastic. It’s solid. About 5 1/2 feet tall, and 14″ deep. Four shelves with plenty of headroom, on each shelf. Bulky, but light enough I have no problem moving it, myself. It’s, to me, ugly. I wouldn’t have it in the house. But I have it in the house. 🙂 When we started the move, I brought it home, along with whatever food was left. It’s set up in a corner of the room, formerly known as “bedroom.” I’ve been filling it up, with stuff I’ve bought, and gotten from the food boxes. Carefully checking “sell by” dates, as I go.
I don’t fret too much about paper towels. I buy the kind that you can rip off half sheets, for small jobs. Which is most of my jobs. Also, very few of them get a single use.
Now that I’m drinking more coffee at home, for “The Duration,” I had to buy a bit from Winco. Used to be, a major coffee brand, had a half decaf blend. It’s either been discontinued, or, Winco just doesn’t carry it. I also picked up some French roast, from a more upscale coffee brand. I toss a table spoon of each, in the coffee maker, and it seems to hit my sweet spot. For about 2 1/2 mugs. The major brand coffee was $14.88 for a 1 pound, 9.9oz container. Something they call “Classic Roast.”
I was thinking about what I’ll miss, due to Mr. Greer’s post this week. In this here descent. 🙂 Coffee, chocolate, bananas and paper towels.
I understand about the traffic. I work at staying out of it, as much as I can. Well, that’s a bummer, about your trip to the ATM. When I go down to my credit union (bank), I always sort of hold my breath, to see if there’s any money on the money tree. It’s only about once, or twice a month. It’s only happened a time or two, that it was tapped out. But then I have to rearrange schedules.
Our high yesterday was 64F (17.77C). Our overnight low was 55F (12.77C.) Our forecast high for today is 64F. When I picked up Dawg, it was raining, on and off. We didn’t get too wet. It’s on, and off again, all today. It will clear, tomorrow, and we’ll get a run of nice weather. I wouldn’t say this little bit of rain is the autumn rains. Just a preview. Sooner or later, we’ll get some “serious” rain. And, if we’re lucky, another long clearing spell, after that. Indian Summer.
Well, the strawberry bed still needs work, and I keep chipping at it. I did get about a quart out of it, to freeze, And, I do believe that some of the Inmates were sampling it, as it should be. As it’s a communal bed. But, nothing serious from that quarter.
Mostly, here, the authorities don’t get involved in tow aways, unless it’s something parked in a no parking zone. But, if there’s a complaint, then they may be moved to do something. Usually, they’ll put a notice on the vehicle, wait a few days, and if nothing is done, then tow it.
We got a food box, yesterday. Things seem to be on schedule, again. So, what did we get? Well, about a dozen of those individually wrapped sandwiches and deserts. Looks to be from a major coffee outlet and a major yuppie grocery store. Dumpster.
There was finally, produce. 3 apples, 2 ears of corn, 4 small potatoes, 2 cucumbers and a green pepper.
A 2 pound pack of frozen chicken thighs, a dozen nice eggs, and, the two pound brick of the cheese that won’t melt. 2 one quart jugs of shelf stable milk, two large boxes of some kind of rice cereal, a 2 quart jug of apple / cherry drink, and 2 one pound boxes of elbow pasta.
Tins: 3 each of corn and black beans. 2 each of pinto beans, tomato sauce, apricots, peas, green beans and mixed veg. 1 each of beef with juices, salmon, and unsweetened apple sauce. Not a bad haul, all things considered.
That’s a pretty good haul of apples and honey. I’d buy more bulk apples, but, lack a cool storage area. I don’t use much honey. I should use more. I’ll have to figure out what to work it into.
Dawg is looking good, with her new “do.” I will have to put my foot down, next time, and have them forgo the bows. I had a heck of a time getting them off her ears. I had to cut them off. The bows, not the ears. 🙂 Lew
Chris:
I wouldn’t ever harass another driver. In my country, that can get you killed. It’s called “road rage”.
Thanks for the article; that’s a familiar story. But there will be no giant oak tree falling on my bedroom! And, it being dropping-acorn-season already, I would have them by the hundreds falling day – and night – right over my head if that tree wasn’t gone.
A little while ago I wanted to go get the mail at our rural mailbox before it rained (don’t think it’s going to after all). My son had left Mr. Musty blocking the Honda, and it being so hot and humid – and late in the day – I didn’t want to walk the quarter mile to the box. So, of course, I had to move Mr. Musty, which I did, but when I tried to get out of him, by golly!, I couldn’t open the door because the inside door latch had broken off since I last drove him. I was trapped! Well, duh – after a bit of thinking I remembered one can reach out the roll down window and use the outside latch. That’s probably why Mr. Musty’s windows are usually rolled down, besides him being musty.
I found an antique bottle opener in a drawer that I forgot I had. It had old masking (paper/painters) tape all around it. I pulled that off, but there was a whole lot of dried gummy stuff left on it. Somebody online said to try peanut butter. I rubbed peanut butter on it and left it on a plate all day. Later I wiped off the peanut butter and – Wha la! – gumminess was all gone. I assume that this works on glass, too. Maybe plastic, also.
Pam
@ Lew:
Mr. Musty, the 1983 Toyota pickup truck, has a camper on the back. It was originally pretty nice, but years on the farm have turned it to really grungy. It cost – about 10 years ago – $50 used. Well, don’t expect that! But used ones range from almost nothing, to a whole lot.
If you just happened to have $44,000, you could buy a new, driveable RV. Or at least a nice used one.
Pam
Chris,
L Sprague de Camp teamed up with Fletcher Pratt to write some novelettes starring one Harold Shea. First was the two story set “Incompleat Enchanter”. A third story was added to become “The Compleat Enchanter”. When two additional stories were added, it became “The Complete Compleat Enchanter”. The Hildbrand brothers did some art work for my paperback copy of “Compleat Enchanter”. I’ve also got a copy of “Complete Compleat Enchanter”. This is another series that I regularly return to. The stories are good and the humor is great.
Digital copy of “Thriller”. We have a lot of music on the computer along with the youtub videos I watch online.
It rained a bit more overnight. More in town than at the official station. The end result? After the two storms, the entire Spokane region got about 0.10 inches of rain. It was pleasant temperatures today as a result.
That made harvesting the potatoes nice. The soil was moist but not muddy. Perfect. First time harvesting potatoes for Young Neighbor. The haul was my best ever. Five gallons. 26 pounds. We had a fun visit. As expected, the spuds ranged from tiny to nice sized.
While we were working, Dame Avalanche dug up her last pig ear and ate it. I gave the rest of them to Killian’s human. Killian does well with them.
It is now 15 hours since the rain quit. The air STILL smells nice. Windows open all through the house. So nice after the dry heat and smoke.
Saw something I’ve never seen before yesterday. Watching the big tennis event on the telly, two, not one but TWO, sparrows flew onto the court and landed on the net during play. Chair umpire had to stop the point and replay it after the birds had been shooed away. I think maybe the sparrows wanted to be on international television.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Ook! Sorry, I’d completely forgotten about that aspect of your country. Yes, best not to poke random folks, even when they’re being a nuisance. Mostly for that reason, I’m very polite to people whom I don’t know and have just encountered, although it is mostly easy to spot dawdling tourist vehicles around these parts, because their cars are clean. Anyone from around here will have a car that looks filthy due to the dirt roads. Dust in summer, mud in winter.
A few years ago I read a tourist brochure which suggested that city folks come up and have a beer with the friendly locals, and wondered about that advice. 🙂
Pam, I’m so with you. Trees are lovely, and I respect them immensely, but they should not be within falling distance of a house, lest they do just that! And the noise of hundreds of acorns dropping on the roof would wake me up at night! I know it pained you to remove the oak tree, and it was dangerous work, but I’m glad your son did that task. They never get smaller.
By the way, an ultra localised wind storm knocked over two trees maybe a year or two back. I’ll get most of next years firewood from them. I’ll chuck in some photos in a week or two’s time when that processing work begins as we’ll do firewood much earlier this year rather than leaving it to high summer – December and January. Both trees were ripped in half, it’s a bit scary what happened. Oh well.
Hehe! Thanks for the fun story, and nice to see you made your escape. 🙂 Deduction saves the day again! But yeah, presumably the internal door latches were plastic and had degraded over time? I had a Toyota Hilux many long years ago, and the windscreen used to leak water into the vehicle from new. The dealer never seemed to fix the problem. At least the thing had rubber floor mats and hard plastic surfaces, but it too had a musty aroma – unforgettable isn’t it? I ended up trading the car in.
What? No way, I’m going to have to try this. The sticky labels on the glass jars of our home made jam have that issue, although I use a knife to scratch the gunk off. You know, it probably works in much the same way as the lanolin oil breaks down the vegetable gums on the hedge trimmer blades that we were discussing a while back. Interesting. You could probably use peanut butter instead? Always worth the test. How are they cutting now?
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Whoa! Just coming up for some air. That was a deep dive, and it may be merely my opinion, but betrothing Florimel of Faerie would make for some challenging days. No disrespect to the land of Faerie from whence the lady originated. Actually Spencer’s The Faerie Queene, was a kind of allegory of the days in which it was written. Hey, that Sir Walter Raleigh bloke was rather talented, but ended up in a bad way.
I’ll keep a look out for the compendium at the second hand bookshops I frequent.
Hard drive space being cheap these days, digital is I reckon, quite a reasonable format for music. All depends on the bit rate the audio was recorded at, and the devices it’s replayed upon. From memory, the mp3 compressed music format has been around for at least three decades now, and there were earlier examples of the process.
Nice to hear that the rains have returned, and seriously in such dry years, even a tenth of an inch is well received. How’s the longer term forecast looking at this stage? Rain for tomorrow here, so it’ll be an indoors day. After a few hours of paid work, we sewed up a rock gabion cage today and began the rock paving work which will sit above the long row of cages. The weather was nice and the dogs ran around doing what they do. It’s turning now towards a storm.
🙂 Well done with the potato harvest, and the enthusiastic assistant. Hope the lady can establish her own garden too, as that will help with pollination and seed saving. Told you I reckon you’d have had a good year. Town water is a real advantage in hot and dry years. So are you going to bake, boil or mash the first lot? And what’s your thoughts about replanting some of the potatoes? People can get a bit weird about that issue, but I’ve had some varieties which been reliable for many years.
Hope the Dame’s guts were settled after consuming the pigs ear? A bit of fermentation might have made the chew less fatty, maybe.
🙂 Lovely to hear, and autumn is on its way to your part of the world. Kind of like a mini-spring.
The cheeky sparrows, and it is also possible that they were disputing a line call by the umpire! 😉 Keener eyesight with the avians…
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Man, I laughed at the honesty, and yes, it is in the house! 🙂 Thanks for that. The clash of styles is all too real. If I may, the Club probably requires such robust construction given the sheer diversity of folks who’ll eventually handle the item of furniture. Curiously I was wondering if the cabinet had doors, which may be an unnecessary addition? It’s been my experience that the hinges are the first point of failure, the shelving being the next most likely – but probably not in your case with the materials mentioned.
Now thanks to you, we have an idea for the library shelves which line the hallway, I’ve been thinking about the type of materials we could use. Possibly I might do the lot out of finger jointed hardwood boards, which would look pretty cool, plus be super robust. Dunno, probably better than pine and not requiring old growth trees just to get the board widths.
It’s thoughtful to continue stocking up the Club pantry, and no doubts you have the opportunity to present it as a fait accompli, although hopefully you can get everything in the truck?
Yeah, ripping the full sheets of paper towels into smaller chunks is how we slow the usage too.
Coffee went up in price maybe two years ago. We used to buy 1kg / 2.2 pounds of pre-ground vacuum packed coffee beans for AU$20 which is US$14 for 2.2 pounds! I fully expect that one day our caffeine drinking habits will be curtailed down to a minimum. And it’s proper stuff for the espresso machine, not some instant dissolving coffee preparation! Still, this latest batch which is about the price you mentioned per pound, doesn’t taste the same to me. Wise to blend the top shelf stuff with the everyday and hit those right notes. Coffee is wonderful stuff.
And on that note, so far, a coffee shrub may have survived this winter in the greenhouse. The predicted 34’F didn’t eventuate this morning, although it was 37’F and felt chilly. I’ve seen no snow at all, and higher up in the alpine areas, they’ve had lots of rain and a dismal snow season.
Actually the chili and Babaco plants in the greenhouse look quite ill right now, but are beginning to show signs of life. 🙂 Both are right on the edge of their winter tolerance.
Dental floss is pretty handy stuff too… 🙂 But yeah, those are all fine things which I’d miss as well. Carob grows and fruits here, but is it really the same as chocolate? I don’t think so. I might want to dehydrate the pods soon, and it’s on the list of things to look into. I stuffed it up royally last time, but there were hints of greatness in that disaster. Oh well.
The traffic is already a nightmare in that nearby town, and the state goobermint recently demanded the local council make room for double the population. I don’t see how the existing infrastructure there will cope with that.
And as to the banksters, well if I were being rude, I’d mention that they have just one job. Oh well, back to the drawing board, and I’ll try, try, again.
Yeah, the Indian summer is the last glorious goodbye swan song of the growing season, and it’s a lovely note to experience – plus will benefit the remaining pumpkin. Probably you’ll see it later this month, maybe? It was nice here today after the cold start. After a few hours of paid work, we sewed up one of the steel rock gabion cages. It was a good job to do as it gave time to cogitate upon that entire area. We had some good ideas come from that too. It’ll open up some more growing space, which is always a good thing. And we started a section of rock work on the uphill side of the gabion cages which I describe as crazy paving. It looks good, although has a long way to go until it’s finished. The rock piles on the edge of the forest are quite a ways away! 🙂 I always liked the sound of ‘a ways, away’, it has a pleasing cadence.
Nice, and I’m baffled by those tasty berries, and the gifts to the other inmates might encourage them to get their hands dirty and grow some of their own? I can assure you that the forest critters, and dawgs here, are not as restrained as your lot when it comes to that plant. They broke me, and I gave up.
My experience has been that the neighbours complain about such vehicles, but I always had an unregistered vehicle permit. Lowers the tone of the area… But yeah, the tow away thing kind of works that way too, but people were quick to complain. As a young bloke it was too hard to fix them up quick enough to satisfy busybodies and overseers. It’s not a two minute job doing repairs, is it? 🙂
Yup, dumpster, I hear you about that. Now the produce sounds like a good score, although I still remain dubious about cheese that won’t melt – probably not suitable for Mac and Cheese is it? Maybe? I dunno. I’m glad to hear that the deliveries are continuing.
Man, you’re so right about that, and I’d love a good cool store area, and might construct one in the distant future. Probably great for growing mushrooms too, it’s not like I’d have a shortage of sawdust…
Ha! The bows are a bit over the top and probably unnecessary. Have to laugh, I had a similar experience with the folks that do the car service. I had to put my foot down and tell them not to put the air freshener stuff in the vent system. It smells like a stinky chemical plant to me, although the Editor swears it smells like strawberries. And I noted that they’d toned the use down the stuff last service. The thing is man, you’ve gotta remember all this stuff and I’m sure they think they’re doing a nice thing. Well it ain’t, is it? 🙂 He says chuckling to himself about the incongruity of it all.
Cheers
Chris
@ Pam – $44,000 kicking around? In my dreams. 🙂
We have a few used RV places, here. I’ll eventually get around to making a visit and kicking the tires. If camper shells had tires. 🙂
But, I bet my best bet would be to go private. Put it out on the grapevine, what I’m looking for. Something might turn up. Lew
Yo, Chris – The pantry shelving is as utilitarian as you can get. It looks like this, except for a size difference. And the shelves are not “vented.” They’re solid.
Good grief! That’s some URL. If it doesn’t work, I can probably find another, shorter one. Ah, much better.
https://modernhometools.com/best-plastic-shelves-for-storage/
I’ll take food to the Club, in batches. I sometimes wonder if some take all of a particular item. So, I dole them out.
Our high yesterday was 61F (16.11C). Our overnight low was 48F (8.88C). Our forecast high for today is 72F. The weather is clearing, today. No rain. My apartment has been a little chilly, the past couple of nights. Time to break out the jumpers! And, I think I know why. The morbidly obese lady, who lives under my apartment, has gone to hospital and rehab. Don’t know if she’ll be coming back. According to her caregiver, even though she’s on the south side, like me, she always has her heat jacked up.
Go the coffee shrub. And the other plants in your greenhouse, trembling on the edge of extinction.
If dental floss goes, I’ll be looking for comparable plant fibers. 🙂 It’s stuck in my mind, that in the book, “The Postman,” a lot of the hero’s mates died from poor dental hygiene. After society came unraveled. I also would miss parchment paper. Though brown paper sacking works in a pinch.
I took a look down the rabbit hole, asking about the nutritional comparison of carob and chocolate. “…carob … is generally considered more nutritious than chocolate.” By who? Any old hippie who says carob tastes like chocolate, is having a pipe dream. Probably, literally. 🙂
As I mentioned, The River is building a huge warehouse, here. So, where are the workers, to live? If there are workers. They keep fiddling with fully automated warehouses. And now they’re testing drone delivery, in some markets. But, speculated population growth for this county is on the up.
I’m sure you’ve considered the water run-off, from the crazy paving. It sure does look nice.
Yes, a few of the other gardeners, do have strawberries in their beds. But they’re practically invasive. 🙂 They often send runners over the sides of the beds, to colonize new territory. I had some extra Quinault strawberry plants, and have them in one of my beds. Time to seriously curtail their onward march. I’ll probably pot some up, for next years plant sale.
I have two varieties of carnivorous pitcher plants, in pots, on the edge of my raised bed. One of them sent up an exotic flower, months ago. Real staying power. I’ve noticed another flower is opening. I’ve never seen an insect, venture down the gullet. One day, I saw a fly, exploring the lip of the trap. I held my breath. He kept toying with it. Then a bee flew by, spooked him, and away he went. Off to eat poop, for another day. 🙂
I suppose you could grate the unmeltable cheese, to make Mac & cheese. I’ve notice, there are no expiration dates, on the cheese boxes. Also, I’ve never seen one go bad, no matter if stored in the fridge, or not. Makes one wonder …
Last night, I boiled up the corn cobs. I then cut the kernels off the cobs, and formed little patties, on parchment paper. They are freezing. That will give me small amounts to toss in corn bread, soups, or casseroles. The husks and cobs (that I cut up), will go in the next batch of kitchen scraps, I put in the garden.
I made Spanish rice, for dinner, last night. I had bought a green pepper, at Winco, so, I’m looking at both it, and the one from the foodbox, and trying to estimate which one will go bad, the fastest. The food box one was showing a bit of stress, so in it went. Tasty. And enough for me to have a second round, tonight, for dinner.
I read an interesting article, about Tasmanian Devils, yesterday.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/02/science/tasmanian-tiger-skull-bite-force
Hindsight is 20/20. I got to thinking, if they’d left them alone, the rabbits might not have become such a problem. Of course, chickens wouldn’t have been safe. 🙂 I saw a bunny, out back, last night. Probably, up to no good. Lew
Chris:
I have gotten to where I only wash my car 2 or 3 times a year. When it rains, that does a pretty good job. When it doesn’t rain, I worry about using the water for something unnecessary. I do always keep all the car windows clean. I want to see where I am going (and where I have been)!
I see that “have a beer with the friendly locals” advice quite often, for different places. I have always wondered if the “locals” really want that much conversation with the visitors. I guess some do, and some don’t. It is nice that visitors bring money.
I suspect that, if I rub peanut butter on my shears, I am going to attract ants.
We’re in the middle of another big storm right now, with high winds. I think I’ll sign off. Ta, ta!
Pam
Chris,
Florimel would be a handful. I think more trouble than what I would want to put up with. And the version of Florimel in the Complete Compleat Enchanter book? An interesting twist on Lady Florimel with some wildly humorous bits.
Yes, some digital versions for music have been around for at least 30 years. mp3 I think was among the first.
Wow. Woke up to some damp streets this morning with some sprinkles. We got another half mm of rain. The next good chance is Monday. After that it’s back to warmer and dryer weather, but nothing hot. At least we’ve had some wet and the big temperature break from summer.
Some of the grasses, especially in shaded areas, are making a comeback. I’m watering some of the other areas during this slightly wet spell. Maybe most of the dryland grasses can start to revive.
Probably there is another 5 weeks, maybe up to 7 weeks, of some type of growing season left. There are late pollinated bell peppers and Anaheim chilis. They should at least get to a decent tasting green phase. The red Anaheims are sweet, as are the red bell peppers. The red jalapenos pack some serious heat. I’m enjoying the variety.
Potatoes? Bake with chicken in a cast iron skillet is our favorite and probably the first use of this harvest. Oh and slicing them up and frying them, of course. We’ll use a lot in stews also. I’ve been known to add some spuds to homemade chili too. Another favorite is to bake some potatoes and pour a can of heated store-bought chili over the baked potatoes. Sometimes I even make a potato salad.
My experience is that there are usually a few potatoes that I’ve missed harvesting that end up being next year’s volunteers. Some of these were very prolific this year.
Dame’s belly seems to be fine after that last pig ear. Fermentation can do wonderful things.
Speaking of fermentation. There was one year that the waxwings and robins arrived several weeks later than normal. The crabapple tree was loaded with fruit from the previous year and most of it had fermented. The birds ate like gluttons. It was enjoyable watching the somewhat wobbly and tipsy birds. Thankfully, none crashed and burned.
Young Neighbor is unlikely to start her own garden any time soon. She is enjoying being a Gardener’s Apprentice. I’m enjoying the help while slowly imparting what knowledge I’ve got. In other words, the current system will work for both of us indefinitely, and if she is able to start her own garden, that would be an added bonus. Meanwhile, increasing my garden size and sharing with an assistant is great fun.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
I so hear you about only washing the beasties a couple of times per year. And yeah, the rain (and almost an inch has fallen today) is quite handy for washing the excess chunks of dirt glop off our noble steeds. A shame the rain can’t get to the undersides of the vehicle as that might reduce the longer term tendency to rust. Pressure washers are a blessing in this instance.
And water is an issue here as well, and like you, I also try not to waste any of it. The glazing on the windows are harder to clean though. Being in smaller and lower vehicles, oncoming cars with those really bright white lights cause a bit of dazzlement if the internal side of the glass hasn’t been cleaned. I much prefer the yellower old school headlights… Oh well.
The visitors bring economic gifts for some, and costs for others, which is unfortunate. Still, I get it and realise that the visitors subsidise some of the local amenities. Anyway, leaf change tourism earlier this year was somewhat more subdued because of rising fuel prices. Probably more sustainable seeming.
Unfortunately, dunno about you, but my wiring is on the introverted side, so would be uncomfortable to being sharing a beer with someone I’d never see, nor hear from, again. So yeah, some locals will love the conversation, and others may avoid it.
Oh poop! I’d forgotten about that side of the peanut butter as a cleaner equation. The ants are not my friends either, and out of curiosity, do you have fire ants in your part of the world? Nasty critters, which have gotten a foothold on this continent a long way up north.
A big storm hit here overnight with lots of rain and high winds. Not a good day to work outdoors, so I got stuck into the job of restoring the old Yamaha music amplifier I’d bought second hand a few months ago. I must say, it’s lovely to work on electrical equipment which was designed to be repaired. Did about half of the job and discovered I’d bought the right part, but of the wrong size. Oh well. That’s what online orders are for.
How did the power go in your area with the storm? And hope that most trees remained upright?
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Frankly speaking, I’m probably not competent to deal with Florimel! Who would be? Oh my. The land of Faery would bring both blessing and curses, and if memory serves me correctly, the 2014 film Gone Girl had a wonderful concluding line from the defending lawyer which advised the hapless idiot husband to: “not p#ss her off!” Sage advice, for who knows what tricksy stuff the Elder Ones could bring to bear on problems! 🙂 Far out.
I’ll keep an eye out for the book, there’s bound to be copies floating around.
The compressed music formats are all pretty much the same sort of technology. And yup, mp3 was introduced in around 1995. I recall the days when 10 songs recorded digitally, took overnight to compress into that format. I used to own an old DBX cassette tape recorder, which was awesome, but not widely available and so passed into the oblivion where old, but good, tech goes to fade away.
As an official music tech nerd-dom card holder, I began the slow process of restoring the mid-90’s second hand Yamaha music amplifier purchased a few months ago. The weather today was filthy, wet and windy, so indoors it was. Did about half of the restoration work, and discovered I’d ordered a part which was right, but the wrong size. Ook! Didn’t fit. The weird thing about all of this is that a brand new equivalent could be had for AU$600, and now I’m up to AU$300 in costs plus parts. There is no mad cash top be made in this work, but there is the enjoyment and the satisfaction aspect. Hobbies needn’t make sense!
Summer is over for you, and your area. You’re into the more pleasanter warmer phase of the year. That’s benefits which comes with the cost of getting through the more awful extremes. It was not lost on me that your most recent winter was rather mild by historical standards. That my friend, is the future. I’ve seen no snow this year, and up in the higher alpine areas of the Great Dividing Range, they haven’t seen much either. A lot of rain though. Far out.
Oh my! Just went to check the longer term weather forecast and spotted an ad for complex financial derivatives. My brain has just exploded, those things appear to be a lot of trouble for the average person on the street, and probably best not touched. You’ve heard of the shoe shine boy elder Kennedie bloke interaction in what was it, 1929?
Hard to know what your dryland grasses will do, but if they form clumps, then possibly small critters live in those. Traditionally, they were burnt, but this is perhaps not possible in an urban area. 🙂 Hmm. Might be worth trialling some mechanical methods to reproduce a similar effect. Do you have any electric hedge trimmers? I’d try a small test patch on one of the grasses and then observe what happens. We get wallaby grass which I knock back down when dry. Dunno, what does local lore suggest about their maintenance?
I’m amazed that you can grow bell peppers, as only the tiniest ones will form here, thus the heavy reliance on chilli plants instead. The variety you mentioned is err, the spice of life, and induces a state of err, uncertainty when chucking them into a meal! Hehe! Man most of the ones we grow are mild, but then there are the cheeky outliers which set your mouth on fire. And truly, dunno about you, but I can’t pick which will be which. It’s the ultimate lucky dip! We’re trying to select for varieties which survive the winters in the greenhouse, which is not always easy to achieve.
Ha! Thanks for the laughs, you’ve got this potato cooking business down pat! The cast iron baking with roasting chicken is beyond superb, the humble spud gets elevated with the essential pan juice. Total yummo!
Yeah, that’s what I’m finding too, and it is just not possible to remove every tuber from the ground. I’m wondering about clearing up the sapling fenced enclosure bed over the next week or so, and there are potato vines growing in there – and because it was so weedy, they seemed to have survived the winter frosts. Who knows what is going on in there. A mystery, and I appreciate hearing of your experience.
Fermentation is meant to be good for our guts.
Ha! The critters will do that trick here too with over ripe fruit – the cheeky scamps. They know what they’re doing. The wallabies used to get ripped off their heads with the local mushrooms. Having the marsupials standing around the orchard during the daylight hours is hazardous for them given Ollie and the Kelpies. They have to get lost.
Well, that’s the way to learn the art. And when comfortable, head off and make own mistakes (said in best Yoda voice!)
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Ooo, now that is interesting! Such shelving down under is usually metal, rather than plastic, but may have particleboard shelves supported by strips of folded sheet metal. I usually stick to metal shelving due to it’s durability, and have swapped out all of the particleboard (which is just glued together wood fibre / chips) for marine grade plywood. I’ve never seen plastic shelving units before, and they’re probably quite tough and lightweight, although you wouldn’t want to get them too close to a heater I guess.
Well, by what is taken from the Club pantry, you get an insight into peoples minds and lives. Wise though to dole out the items and spread out the goodies. Presumably the folks enjoying the free stuff are polite and respectful of the Club if not members? The old timers do say that charity begins at home.
It’s edging ever closer to the batten swap over weather wise, and despite the rain and wind today reached 12’C / 54’F. Almost an inch of the wet stuff arrived, and it was no day to be outdoors. Got stuck into restoring the old 90’s second hand Yamaha amplifier I purchased a few months ago. It’s a slow and methodical job, which nobody would want to pay for given the hours it takes! The parts are pretty cheap, but I messed up with the order of two items which were the correct rating, but the wrong size. They were too squat, so I had to order replacements, which blew another $30 of the budget (they also happened to be the most expensive replacement parts) By the end of the work it’ll have cost about $300 excluding labour and equipment, which is about half the price of a new equivalent. It’s a hobby… 🙂
Man 48’F overnight is chilly. Yup! It’s 46’F here right now. Brr! You could have asked the groomer to collect H’s fur? 🙂 But yeah, that is most definitely woollen jumper territory. Ah, we’ve been there too when in the inner burbs with the neighbourly free heat scenario, and it happens. My thinking is that the apartment will get occupied sooner or later, and hopefully before the really cold post solstice freeze.
Hehe! You called that correctly with the plants living on the edge. We all try to push the boundaries with what is possible plant wise, and some years it even works!
Parchment paper is pretty good. And dental hygiene is related to other health conditions, like heart disease I believe. Hmm. I’m old enough to have seen what they used to do before such modern baking wonders (and I use the stuff too). The pans would be smothered in a layer of butter! And cakes etc, would still stick if the seasoning on the metal wasn’t quite good enough. There was always the moment of truth as to whether the cake (or loaf or whatever) would fall out of an upturned baking tray. Mind you, we still ate the thing, even if a chunk had stuck to the metal.
Hehe! Thanks for the laughs, carob ain’t chocolate, and I don’t care about what any old hippy says otherwise. Mind you, carob is easier to grow in a cool temperate environment, and cocoa has other troubles attached to it. 🙂 Still too early to harvest the pods here, they’re kind of green. Oh well, hope the cockatoos don’t notice them. They’re getting a bit cheeky that trio of large white avians with silly yellow hats.
A lot of questions there, and if house prices continue to rise, how can anyone work at a river wearhouse (!) and expect to pay the rent? Hmm. You know, when replying to DJ I checked the weather and blow me down, but they had an advertisement for what I believe was the river complex financial derivatives, like people get bored and just buy these things. The horror of that moment struck me deeply.
The water run off will be fine, maybe, you wait and see. It’ll filter through smaller rocks and the gabion cages. Obviously, the system will be put to the test sooner or later… Ook! A frightening thought that.
That old circus whip and chair is probably handy for dealing with strawberries and their runners! 🙂 I always seemed to grow a multitude of runners and new plants, with very little berries, so you’re right, invasive is a good way to describe the plant. I presume the soil need tweaking to stop that tendency, but that is easier said than done where they were growing here.
I’ll be interested to hear if the next generation of runners produces much in the way of berries, but presumably they’d be clones? Maybe?
Ha! A sad tale with the carnivorous pitcher plant, but I’m sure they’ve dining whilst you weren’t noticing? Ants in particular seem attracted to the plants, and the native sundews (Drosera) are carnivorous. Always a pleasure to see them hoovering up an ant. Did you know that we have 60 varieties in this state, and of course there is even a carnivorous plant society! Your bee was in cahoots with the fly, the facts do tend to suggest that outcome. 😉
No! Lewis, I’m beginning to sound like a cheese snob, but no. As the old bloke in Cold Comfort Farm continually said: ‘Tes not natural! Man, I’m not wondering…
Exactly, and that’s kind of what we do with corn. It’s one of the few things that we’ll freeze. You may be interested in our innovation, because we chuck the lot into a plastic container and hack off chunks to use in cooking. Sure it’s better fresh, but the stuff turns to starch pretty quickly and they tend to ripen all at once. The chickens pick corn hobs clean. They love them.
Oh! I put some buckwheat seeds on order. It’s from an area to the south of here, so the daylight hours for the variety should work out, maybe. They’re a lot like onions in that regard, and require specific day lengths, which is a nuisance.
Bell peppers are like that, aren’t they? Best to use them up in the order that they’re most likely to go off in. We tend to get red peppers down here, but they do sell the green and yellow varieties as well.
The Tassie Devils are still very much alive, and apparently their bite too packs a bit of a punch, as do their kin the spotted Quoll. A shame that all of the marsupial tigers were shot, bounties have that kind of effect. I read somewhere a while back that they were good at just tracking down their prey. People say they’re still around, and Tasmania has some serious full on wilderness, but it’s like the puma sightings in and around this area, I’d put them in the highly unlikely category.
Yeah, exactly! Apparently that island is meant to be fox free, but rumour has it that some folks do attempt to bring them. The foxes do hunt the rabbits here, as do the owls, so they’re not usually an issue here, but can be way down below in the valley and near to the towns. I’ve got an owl which is hanging around near to the house lately, and presumably hunting rats and mice.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Do a search for “High impact plastic shelving.” Your big box hardware store may have a listing. Or, if ULine has made a beach head, down there. Both those sources had listings, but the URLs were impossibly long. 🙂
Well, Club membership. Actually, we have a lot of use, and few members. Although you can’t vote or be an officer, unless you are a member. Membership is $10 a month, or $100 a year. LOL, when the annual meeting rolls around, there are a lot of “one month members.” I buy a yearly membership, every New Year’s Day. Just so I remember. It used to be, if you bought the year, you got a coffee mug, and 12 coffee cards, that were punched for so many cups of coffee. Both those have now lapsed.
Our high yesterday was 72F (22.22C). Our overnight low was 46F (7.77C). Our forecast high for today is 72F. Looks like we had some overnight rain, and, we may get more this evening. Then, clearing, tomorrow.
Working on the amplifier gives you something else to think about. Keeps the old noggin, flexible.
Maybe the River is plotting to replace Wall Street. 🙂 I mentioned “dark warehouses,” because I saw this article, which surfaced, again.
https://tech.yahoo.com/science/articles/dark-warehouses-become-common-164203452.html
I think an apartment can remain vacant, as long as they pay the rent, for 6 months. If the tenant intends to come back. If there is a new tenant, in that space, it will be a renovation. As that space was occupied even before I got here. So, for a week or two, it might be sort of noisy.
It’s strawberries nature, to run. 🙂 It sends out runners, and, once a new plant is established, you can just cut the life line off, with the tip of your trowel. When the mother plant plays out, in two or three years, you just dig it up and toss.
Oh, I got the name wrong. Not Tasmanian Devils, but Thylacines. They were in the news, again, yesterday. Must be the phase of the moon, or something. 🙂
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/antique-fox-head-bought-auction-110000893.html
I was looking at the libraries “new, on order” listing, yesterday. Sure enough, they’ve ordered in every movie that Dolly Parton, was in. Oddly, they also gone on a binge ordering in a whole slew of Clint Eastwood movies. Although he’s very much alive. Although at 96 … Maybe someone ordering, had a psychic flash? 🙂
Well, H and I are headed to the Club. Do our weekly progress inspection. :-). Lew
@ Lew:
Yes, the grapevine is often the best bet, especially if you don’t want to drive far for an item. My son had to drive about an hour to get the one we have. There are online marketplaces, too, as you well know, but you have to be very wary with those. Do you ever buy your tat that way?
Pam
Chris:
I prefer those yellower headlights, too, but I have to admit that the vehicles we have that have had those bright bluish ones installed in place of older headlights can show up a deer at night on the side of the road much better.
I always thought I was an introvert, but maybe that’s just an energy (my own energy) issue since I can’t tolerate social situations for too long. I don’t mind chatting with strangers at all, often initiate it when I’m in town (though this is a very friendly area, so I don’t necessarily have to). I could stand having a beer with someone, too, could I have it anymore.
We had fire ants in Texas, the nasty creatures. They aren’t where I am now, but I hear they are heading this way.
Best of luck with the amplifier; a good one is a joy to have.
The power went out for a little while, but not long enough to need the generator. I don’t see any trees down on our property, but there was quite a bit of debris around the house and I cleaned that up today. I didn’t check in the garden. I bet there are leaves and branches all over the fall-planted beds; that’s a constant chore in fall. Things are eating my crops anyway . . .
Pam
Chris:
I see where you mentioned Buckwheat seeds to Lew. They are very easy to grow here, and like warm, even hot, weather. I use them as a cover crop, but never had time to plant any late this summer.
Pam
Hi Pam,
Thanks for the thumbs up in relation to buckwheat, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how they grow here. I purchased them from a seller on the island state to the south of here, so the variety are hopefully well adapted to the cooler climates. That’s the plan anyway. 🙂 They’re an adaptable plant and I may have to do a bit of plant breeding with them to get them to do well here. Dunno. Have you ever tried buckwheat pancakes?
Ha! Funny you mention that, but the growing season gets away from all of us. I’m facing similar issues right now, and may have to put a halt on the forest clean up work. What do you? There are only so many hours in the day.
I hear you about the headlights, and the forested roads around here are feral for wildlife at night (and occasionally during the day too) and it’s not a good mix. That’s why I let other road users go around me, because hitting a deer or kangaroo would write off either vehicle, and I doubt the animal would survive. The cost just isn’t worth it for anything involved in the interaction.
🙂 Pam, that’s exactly what an introvert is. Like you, I enjoy social interactions and make time for them, but they wipe out my energy and I have no idea why that would be. There is a common misconception that introverts are hermits, and that is simply not true, it’s the energy drain. Extroverts on the other hand thrive on people interactions and gain energy from them.
Oh poop about the gluten, although does this extend to cider? An apple cider is a wonderful thing.
Ook! Hope you never encounter the fire ants in your area, although I’d imagine they’d not do well in the frozen winters? Maybe? The suggestion down here as well is that they are heading south. How the colonies of fire ants produce floating rafts during floods is astounding.
Thank you! 🙂 I’ll chuck in a photo of the Yamaha amp for tomorrows blog. I’m hoping it sounds good after all of the care and attention it has received.
Those cheeky, somethings in your garden are again munching away at the fall crops. And protein levels would be pretty good too in the plants. I kind of know what Mr Bell of the book you recommended, would do. But like you I hold off and watch and wait to see what eventuates. The other night I was almost face to face with an owl, who was clearly out rat hunting. Our needs are not the only thing which matters, don’t you reckon?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
I’d not ever noticed the plastic shelving before, and after you mentioned their technical name, down here they are promoted as being suitable for garages and also, cool rooms / stores. It’s funny with the search algae-rhythms, that you have to sometimes know exactly what an item is described as. Sometimes when looking for an item or component part which is not common, I do random word searches to try and score a direct hit as to discover what they’re actually called.
D-day has been put off to some future date, and that mob you mentioned doesn’t seem to have landed down under. Lewis, the war will be long, there will be sacrifices. 😉 Online retail is complicated due to the vast distances, and mostly I tend to seek out the weird and wonderful items not stocked by anyone around here, like the parts for the amplifier restoration project.
It has been my observation that Clubs are made up of members willing to support the organisation. Out of curiosity, how do folks attend meetings without paying their dues? Or is that OK? Still, wise to exclude those who have a better idea, and don’t wish to stump the mad cash to have their voice heard.
The coffee card is a good idea, but with no counter, where will the machine even sit? 🙂 Hope the Club brings back the fun factor. Man, when I used to pick up the coffee grounds, they had some sort of coffee card which worked as so many purchases gets a freebie. I never got involved with that. Mind you, the animal feed place has a system where on the fifth purchase of bulk dog kibbles, you get a freebie. Now that is a good deal given the bags are 40 pounds each, and we buy the stuff anyway. Presumably the big box store cliffed the manufacturer? Nobody wants to be cliffed, and I don’t buy the stuff there.
72’F is almost perfect. Warm, and not hot, but neither would it feel cold. Your overnight lows are beginning to sound like the forecast here, although it’ll be a while until you get down to the 2’C / 36’F mornings they are promising in the forecast for the next three days. Brr! There is a little bit of rain in the coming forecast, but the following week is meant to be quite damp.
You’re not wrong about the amplifier work exercising a different area of the brain. It’s funny work because the components go in to one side of the circuit board, but you have desolder the old stuff (and resolder the new stuff) from the under side. So I keep flipping the board from one side to the other and try and pick the exact right location. Not as easy to do as you’d imagine. I’ve got two lots of new parts arriving in the mail over the next few weeks. I’m a bit dodge on the land of stuff component, and will test it thoroughly before using the thing. It could be OK though as I purchased it from a reputable dealer which has been around for a long time, but you never know. I’ve no doubts on the other hand that the rising sun component will be good, it’s just slightly too large, but could fit at a pinch. We’ll see but that project has ground to a halt until they turn up.
Ha! Very funny, I reckon they’d be in cahoots. I now have a headache and should not have looked this subject up for my own mental health! 🙂 The line: CFD Trading for Beginers should trouble anybody.
Interesting about the dark warehouses, and the bloke asked the really hard question: Just because it is technically feasible, does it make any economic sense? Unsurprisingly, I reckon humans can do many jobs cheaper than robots and computers. And arty-fish-al stuff just doesn’t seem to have a good enough memory, or what they call ‘context window’ to be useful for business – I saw an interesting utoob video on how it was implemented to run a café. The results were not good.
Yeah, all that restoration work will be noisy, but what do you do? It’s better than the alternative.
I’d call strawberries, feral! But yeah they were born to run. 🙂 I found that the runners weren’t as productive and even when replaced, the plants output declined over time. But! I don’t know whether that was due to a build up of disease in the soil, or the critters were just onto the berries?
The thylacine find was in the local news a while back, but who knew that the taxidermist appears to have done a dodgy job, which has become part of its history much like the Lion of Gripsholm Castle?
The rumours are that Mr Eastwood was alive, but the nervous 90’s aren’t so described because there are guarantees!
I broke up a few boulders this morning. The season is getting on and I might have to call it quits on the forest clean up work. It’s honestly hard to know what the right activity to do is at times. We also made another steel rock gabion cage. The forest work supplied a lot of rocks, and there are plenty of uses for these most useful of items.
Cheers and better get writing!
Chris
Yo, Pam – And, today’s ear worm is … three guesses … and the first two don’t count. 🙂 There’s even the lyrics, so you can really belt it out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXWHpbpNdHE
The net wasn’t all that developed, back when I was wheeling and dealing. I usually buy anything on-line, from E-Buy (that’s secret code.). They have some safeguards, so, I feel pretty secure buying through them.
Although I really have to read the descriptions, carefully (Item pictured may not be item sent. What?). And pay attention to the number and quality of the feedbacks. Lew
Yo, Chris – I think searches take a nimble mind, and, experience doesn’t hurt. Some are easy, and some are tough nuts to crack.
Finances between the Club, and the meetings, are separate, but symbiotic. 🙂 There’s one Club, but many meetings. Soooo….. the Club charges each individual meeting, rent. If it’s a new meeting, getting started, they may wave the rent for a month or two. The Club provides the first pot of coffee, for a meeting, and then after that, they’re charged. The Club also raises money off of its counter (everything from candy to soda pops, and a few food items, that can be nuked.) There are fund raising events, from time to time.
Yes, the fun factor. Well, as I mentioned, about the first thing to get up and running was the big screen tv. So the guys and girls can watch the games. So, that satisfies a certain segment, as far as fun factor goes.
The Club also sells recovery … paraphernalia. Literature, coins, key rings, “T” and sweat shirts. Some of it is sold at near cost. I guess the whole point is to make recovery as accessible as possible.
Our high yesterday was 72F (22.22C). Our overnight low was a steady 50F (10C). Our forecast high for today is 75F. We are going to have a run of nice days, a couple will bump up agains 80F.
I made popcorn, and watched “The Sheep Detectives,” last night. Pretty good. Reminiscent of “All Creatures Great and Small.” Or, “Animal Farm.” Or, maybe, “Watershed Down” with sheep. 🙂 A pretty typical cozy British village murder mystery. So, when’s the sequel? Or, maybe, a TV series?
I started making my Grannie’s Harvester Salad, last night. The cucumbers and onions are soaking in the brine. Then I’ll whip together heavy cream, vinegar and black pepper. I like to slop the stuff on cornbread, so will make some, today.
I had a brain storm (can I say brain fart?). I wonder if I can do the same with zucchini? LOL, at least that would provide another something to do with the zucchini.
Oh, my trip to the Club. Consensus is beginning to fall into place, as far as the eventual layout. A temporary counter has been set up, and even the big coffee maker is up and running. Though not plumbed in. Water must be sourced from the bathroom, and poured into the machine. But it’s feeling more like “the Club.” Volunteers will start this week, keeping the Club open, from 9 or 10 am, until 10pm at night. I’ll have to figure out people I like to visit, and when they work. I’m patient. Things will fall into place. Lew