Earlier in the week we’d set aside fifteen minutes to do what was meant to be a simple work task. Due to recent changes, what had once been easy, has become bafflingly complicated. Three quarters of an hour later, the matter had been resolved to a satisfactory conclusion, but we were left shaking our heads wondering how things have gotten this hard. A graduate would have been destroyed by the challenge, but we’re made of tougher stuff having long been abraded by the uncaring demands of bureaucrats who come up with these systems.
You don’t need to convince me that there are diminishing returns on increasing complexity! Things were easier in the past. Far out! The house insurance bill arrived in the mail this week. Is it normal to feel relieved that the increase over last year was only 9.4%? We’ll still phone the nice insurer up and request an explanation, which theoretically may knock a few hundred bucks off the bill. Always worth the effort, although like every other bureaucratic process, it’s made painful and time consuming. Candidly speaking, if the bill had risen at the official rate of inflation, which is a hard-to-take seriously 3.5%, I’d not call them, and they wouldn’t have to take the call. Things don’t work that way though, do they?
This sort of stuff eats up my time, personally and professionally. I’d have to suggest that it is all counter productive and produces very little of consequence for all the effort involved. The cynical side suggests that wasting our time is the goal.
This week marked the official commencement of the season of Spring – whatever that means – on this continent. It’s an enormous chunk of land down here, with a multitude of climactic zones, and my local weather has almost nothing in common with say, the city of Cairns up in the far north eastern tropical coast. Yet, it’s spring now in Australia and the growing season here at least, is in it’s early phase.
We made the difficult decision today to finish the forest clean up work for the winter season. Regular readers will recall that we’d been doing lots of this in July and August. It’s complicated. Right now, the land is very damp after a wet start to the year. Bonfires are nice and all, but embers can waft up into the lofty tree canopy and begin a fire. I’ve not had this happen to me, but I’ve seen a 50m / 165ft tall tree in this area with a fire way up in the canopy which was started from a bonfire ember. The tree had to be felled otherwise the fire would spread. I wanted nothing to do with that situation, but had to help out all the same. And the felling job was stuffed up by the person. A couple of alarming hours of my life wasted, which I’d not want to repeat. Next time I’d advise the person to contact the emergency services.
Anyway, once the ground vegetation dries up enough, even if it has rained, an unattended fire can begin creeping away from the core. Those are the traditional times of the year that the land was burned by the indigenous folks in this area, and it makes perfect sense. The fire cleans up a lot of small plants, dead woody material, gets fire reliant seeds germinated, and the ash is a fertile growing bed devoid of plant competition. There’s a lot to like. And if a big fire comes through later in summer when the winds and temperature are on the up, then it’s impossible to burn what has already been burnt – so the big fires get stopped in their tracks. We try to do that same work, but with mowers, physical labour and chainsaws. But is it enough to reduce the summer fire risk here? I don’t know.
In the distant future, I’m almost certain that cool burning the land will be used again. Right now though, I’d almost certainly face serious local censure for attempting that activity, and nobody wants to be the most hated person on the mountain range! I’ve heard about the guy who set off the fire at the waterworks in 1983 using an angle grinder in long grass, over forty years later! A cautionary tale. Also the state government has a massive amount of resources which would likely be thrown at putting the fire out. A very complicated solution, for a simple problem.
The plants are beginning to wake up from their winter slumber.
The other day I noticed one of the local ‘mother shield ferns’ (Polystichum proliferum) producing new fronds, the tips of which will eventually hold little baby plants – thus the common name. A lovely plant which gives the place a cool vibe, even when the thermometer suggests that the air in the shade is over 40’C / 104’F. All this growth is a sign, that the time has come to walk away from the forest clean up and look to the needs of the plants growing here.
Last week, the roses and raspberry beds were thinned, pruned and fed. This week we got stuck into the grape vines and blackberries. During the most recent summer, some of the grapevines had issues with fungal diseases. In order to address this issue, we’ve removed the many lavender plants which grew next to the enclosure. This will allow more light, air movement and heat into the grape cage.
The ten vines grow along two levels of very sturdy stainless steel wires (on each side) which they’ve been trained to grow upon. A few days ago all of the vines were given a hard prune. Sandra did half, I did the other half, and then we swapped sides and went back over each others work. This could be a challenging prospect for many couples, but professionally we’ve always had to check each others work, and have long become accustomed to that. There’s something to be said about acting with civility!
The ground had become quite weedy, so I nuked the plants and mulched up the grape cuttings with the utility mower set on it’s lowest setting. This machine has been something of a lemon in the past, so it’s always exciting as to whether it will start or otherwise. But when it works, it does a great job.
A garden hoe was used to remove the weeds growing close to the trunks of the vines. We’re still a bit concerned about the fungal issue though, and decided to dump a whole bunch of crushed rock with lime over the surface. Not only will the enclosure be more pleasant to use in wet weather, but the rocks and fines will slowly filter into the soil, and as everyone knows, a bit of extra lime helps reduce the incidence of fungi.
The interesting aspect of this crushed rock is that as it is walked upon, the small rocks abrade one against the other, and slowly over time produce even more fines which will end up in the soil. A garden hoe and regular patrols will be enough to keep the enclosure weed free for the rest of the growing season.
The blackberry enclosure was also heavily pruned and weeded. We did exactly the same process, but cut out any old and dead canes. A few of the plants had grown too large and were thinned, with two being relocated.
The limed path in the blackberry enclosure was deemed good enough for a big old dog to lay down in and enjoy the early spring warmth!
We’re unhappy with the blackberry enclosure. The plants are spaced too closely together and the path is too narrow once they produce their enormous canes. So we’ve been hatching longer term plans to widen the enclosure. Without going into too many details, the path and row on the right hand side will be lowered in height yet both made wider. A rock wall will be installed to retain the soil on the left hand row, which will also be made wider than at present.
On the downhill side of the blackberry enclosure, is the long row of gabion cages. There is heaps of room to expand the path and garden beds into that area. There’s just the little detail of finishing that massive undertaking!
The third layer of gabions now has two full cages. The second was sewn shut this week.
The area immediately above those first two cages has two enormous boulders that we were unable to split. We did try… They’ll soon form part of a new rock wall for a path leading down into the blackberry enclosure (which may happen during winter). In the meantime, to shore up the soil slope below these two monsters, we’ll create the patented Fernglade crazy rock paving, which has been used successfully elsewhere. Work on that task began this week.
Sort of flattish rocks were brought back up the hill from the forest edge.
The rocks were then laid in place where they fit best. Eventually crushed rock with lime will be poured between the joins and gaps, and it’ll set pretty firmly.
Another steel rock gabion cage was made, which will be the third in that top layer of cages. We’re getting pretty fast at making these things, but it still requires a couple of hours work.
Just prior to a late lunch of garden fresh pesto, a chunk of tasty cheddar cheese, all slathered on hot bread just out of the oven, we finished making the new gabion cage.
It took a few minutes, but we soon had the new cage in place waiting to receive loads of rocks.
Observant readers will note that the blackberry bed sits just above the long line of gabion cages.
Earlier on Sunday morning, I had a few hours free on my hands, and decided to head down to the forest edge and begin breaking up a couple of boulders into large rocks for various projects.
That lot should be used in the coming week.
One day midweek was extraordinarily wet and cold, and so outdoor work was out, and indoor work was in! A few months ago I bought a mid 1990’s old Yamaha amplifier. It sounds flat to my ears and is in need of a freshen up. The replacement parts were about $45, and I began the methodical work of removing old parts, and replacing them with new ones. Unfortunately the job couldn’t be completed because I’d purchased some parts which were the correct ratings, but the wrong shape. Replacements were ordered, and now all that is required is to wait for the parts to arrive from the land of stuff.
It’s been wet enough that Ollie and I had to clear off a couple of mountain ducks which were testing out the local amenities.
The carob tree is a self fertile variety and has produced about a dozen pods. I’m waiting for them to turn a darker colour and then they’ll be ready to dehydrate. I was surprised last year to discover the powder comes from the pods and not the seeds. Who knew?
Silverbeet (chard) and Radish are growing fast in these conditions. We deliberately crowd in the silverbeet plants to ensure they don’t grow too fast which gives us a longer supply of smaller fresh leaves.
After last week’s feed and salting, the Asparagus spears are roaring through the fertile soil. These plants probably require the best quality soils of anything growing here, but they’re worth it. Most years we have spears to pick from for about six months.
Onto the flowers:
The temperature outside now at about 11am is 8’C (46’F). So far for this year there has been 912.8mm (35.9 inches) which is up from last weeks total of 886.0mm (34.9 inches)
Comments
46 responses to “Mental Gymnastics”
Yo, Chris – Yes, let’s keep it simple. Anything with too many moving parts, has more parts to break. Oh, well. Probably keeps people employed, and the Tech Bros coffers topped up.
Judging from the daffodils, it looks like Spring is on the way. I hope you don’t have any cold surprises, in the next couple of weeks.
So, you’re calling it, for this year, on the forest clean-up. A wise decision, I think. You did get a heck of a lot accomplished, this year. And a lot of firewood for the Fernglade Firewood Bank.
The fellow who started the fire with an angle grinder? His tombstone will probably say, “Beloved Husband and Father. Started the Waterworks Fire in ’83.” 🙂 Least anyone forget.
I occasionally see small ferns, sprouting around here. And wonder how they might like apartment life. 🙂 Fascinating plants. And, given how ancient they are, they’ve always been with us.
The grape and black berry beds, look so neat and tidy. You might consider chucking in some mustard seed, around the grapes. It sure knocks back the fungus. But, one must remember to pull them, before they set seed. As I discovered, they can be sort of invasive. But, at least, they’re easy to pull up. Big plans for the blackberries. That’s a job that will take up a lot of your time.
The Gabion cages are so handsome. I thought the crazy paving rocks, would be smaller. But they really give “heft” to the landscape. Real bones. They aren’t going anywhere, for quit awhile.
Looks like you’ve got a good crop of rocks, coming along. 🙂 I’m sure you’ll find many uses, for them.
I didn’t know you had ducks, about! Now if they’d just confine themselves to bugs and slugs, they can be quit an asset. And, they’re tasty!
It will be interesting how your carob experiment goes, this year. Now that you’ve got the process nailed down. My chard is still banging along, and I’m surprised the deer didn’t bother them. The red ones. The yellow they quit liked. 🙁 I’m suffering from asparagus envy. I expect, next spring, I’ll be able to harvest just a small handful from mine. Just enough for a taste. I’m satisfied with that. For now.
The black Hellebore is really stunning. I’ll have to remember to ask the Master Gardeners, if it’s available, here. I know we have Hellebores, about, but I don’t think any black ones.
Time to pull the cornbread, out of the oven! 🙂 Lew
Hello Chris,
Indeed we do get some mental gymnastics to navigate the rising tide of paperwork and home admin. Sometimes well-intentioned, always time consuming.
A friend of mine worked for a year in a project with farmers to identify/highlight stupid rules in the EU agricultural system. However, surprisingly, all suggestions from the farmers were to include new exceptions and special cases to the rules, to fit their particular farm. It was very hard for the practitioners and for the bureaucrats to emotionally let go of any of the existing rules.
Did you read David Graeber’s “The utopia of rules”, where he sheds some light on the dark underbelly of government and bureaucrazy?
Regarding buckwheat, I too grow it as a green manure/cover crop, or just between the trees.
It is beautiful and the leaves are cookable/edible.
I love buckwheat as a pseudograin, both as whole seeds boiled like bulgur (called “kasha” in Russia), but also in pancakes. (Mix with water, salt, maybe an egg, and let the dough rest for a day before cooking. Bretagne style, with butter.)
However… I have never managed to shell our buckwheat seeds, so I use the seeds that we harvest to sow more green manure. Eating seeds, we buy, and some we grind to flour for pancakes.
We got rain. 50mm in a couple of days, so all tanks are full. Rainfall is getting more irregular, the oldtimers say. We have had two years of half the “normal” precipitation, so the ground water is low.
Peace,
Göran
Hello Chris,
Another reflection, cogitating on your habit of getting up every day and delivering some real work output, and your comments on JMGs blog.
Many people cannot imagine themselves doing physical work. I have talked to middle class people who claim to rather shoot their head off than falling so deep as to become a peasant.
When I lived for a year in the collapsed soviet state in the 1990s, I met lots of men who did drink themselves to a quicker end. I also met lots of women who soldiered on, finding ways to put food on the table.
I think that the mental challenge is at least as hard as the physical challenge.
In principle, it should be easy to change peoples minds, by propaganda and advertisement, but most ads these days promote a passive lifestyle. What would it take to reverse that impact industry?
And, do we really want that anyways?
We have general elections here coming Sunday, and I joined a climate-parade day of activism, that was quite similar to what you mentioned in the other post. Most people are comfortable middle-class who don’t want the changes needed.
However, there is a core group who are truly committed, who live light on the land and desperately want consumption to go down seriously. Both young and old people, like Greta and others, but they (we?) are a small minority.
(I struggle myself to accept that I do live in a too large house, and drive too much car and use too many computers to live inside planetary boundaries. If just everyone else… Or something…) Depletion will probably help us out of our ambivalence.
Well, time to harvest some late variety raspberries.
Peace,
Göran
Hi Göran,
I can’t recall where I heard it said, but the quote was something along the lines of: Rules are useful tools, and bad masters. And a few months ago there was an article quoting I believe, a state minister (over in the enormous state of Western Australia) who may have made the observation that in relation to obtaining approval for building construction, that individually the various rules were well intentioned, but collectively they made little sense. However, like you noted with the agricultural interactions, people have their ‘hobby-horse’, and the gentle art of compromise and honourable retreat are ignored. As you wisely observed, people experience genuine loss by backing away, and will avoid that outcome at all costs.
Basically, my best guess is that these sorts of systems have to collapse, or be widely ignored, before a simpler process becomes acceptable. I prepared all of the paperwork so as to obtain the permission to construct the house on this property way back in 2008. The zoning laws which are attached to the title of the land note that there is a right to construct a dwelling here. But! It eventually took three thick A4 binders worth of paperwork to attain the necessary permission to do so. One of the consultants in particular cost AU$2.5k or 17,200 Krona to write a report which took three months to complete, and I don’t believe that they ever stepped foot on this property. The entire permission process stopped whilst they did whatever it was that they were doing. I never met them either! Did they exist? Presumably so… 🙂
It’s a crazy system, but it keeps people employed, and I have a hunch that is the main objective.
Thanks for the recommendation for David Graeber’s book. Mr Graeber had another book: “Bullshit Jobs” which discusses some of these subjects as well.
Thanks for the feedback on Buckwheat, and I have never seen it grown in this area, despite the plant being highly adaptable to various climates and latitudes. The pancake recipe will most certainly be put to the test. This particular property due to it’s elevation and aspect to the summer sun is probably better suited to tubers than grains, so having any varieties of grain is a worthwhile endeavour.
Thanks for the heads up on the shelling of the buckwheat seeds. Hmm. Looks like I might have to purchase a very expensive hand cranked cast iron grain grinder. I’ll sit on that idea for a while and consider the economics of the purchase. Might not necessarily be a bad idea.
Just over on the northerly (and hence warmer and sunnier) side of the mountain range on the elevated plains and alongside rivers, are a number of old Victorian era bluestone mill buildings. Clearly the mill stones were powered by the water flows, but that was over a century ago and I doubt they work now. There is irony in being able to grow the grains, and yet not having the technology to convert them into flour.
Ah, sorry to say, but this is how rainfall arrives down here as well. Not much, then a lot. All we can do is adapt to the new circumstances. You may note that I do not rely upon wells and underground water. A few locals have such bores driven deep into the earth, and in dry years the water can run out in minutes. If I recall correctly, in your past winter, some of the local paddocks near to you held water above ground, and presumably this would have refilled the local aquifers? But who really knows what the extraction rates are, in some ways it is an abuse of the commons.
One of the biggest challenges I face is learning how to adapt to water scarcity during the growing season, and yet still produce edibles. It is worth reminding ourselves that a century ago, this was the general state of things when on the land.
It’s clearly a cultural conceit not wanting to perform physical labour for gain of any sort. However, what can be learned, can be unlearned, and there is a lot to recommend setting out and achieving goals. It is also my belief that there is a vast chasm of difference between gym muscles, and that of physical feats of endurance.
Oh my! The insights you’d have gained during your year in that collapsed nation are a lesson that few people in the west have experienced. You know, during the recession of the 1990’s, both Sandra and I had to scramble just to get by, and just like what you saw, by my very experience, I can no longer pretend that there are guarantees. And yes absolutely, the mental dimension is almost as important as the physical aspects. The old timers used to call that personal quality: Gumption.
Göran, you wrote about that on your blog, and best wishes for a good outcome. 🙂 Respect to you. Well, I’ve heard people suggest that they’d happily pay 5% more for energy if it was good for the environment! What does the curious mind think about that comment? 🙂 A pivotal moment in my life was encountering the charity mugger who was asking me for mad cash with which to support the well known groups activities. I said to him: “None of this is sustainable” to which he replied: “I feel sorry for you.” Agreed, it is a very small minority of people who realise the seriousness of what is at stake here.
And exactly, things are already changing towards that end. Both before and afterwards, life will go on, and we all live and love and have wonderful chats and enjoy a dark ale or two. In the meantime though, it’s probably not a bad idea to learn how the prolific raspberry canes are grown and cared for. 🙂 Those berries make the best jam. Yum!
Seriously, best wishes to you and yours for the weekend, and peace.
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Keeping people employed is probably the larger goal with all of this stuff. Unfortunately this doesn’t mean that they won’t try to send me loopy with impossible demands, or systems designed to fail. 🙂 One must bend with the wind, lest the person breaks. That’s the plan anyway…
But yeah, a lot of the infrastructure we’re creating is very robust and has been tested under a lot of adverse conditions. It’s not a bad idea to do that now. The rock gabion cages are a good example, and the rear steel will eventually rust out, but that may not matter so much for the rocks will settle into place. If it does happen I’ll chuck a bit of cement powder in there too which will bind the various rocks. Easy.
Fingers crossed with the late frost risk, and every year something happens. A freak late snowfall has occurred in the past, and not all that many years ago. The only thing I can do is plant a wide diversity of edibles, and hope something produces.
Thanks! The forest clean up work has been quite satisfying this year – and quicker than in the past, but there are only so many hours in a day. Hope what we’ve done has been enough, but I seriously don’t know. Fingers crossed… We’ll be onto the firewood processing next.
Actually, the plan was to do stuff outdoors today, but it was wet, cold and windy. No day to be out there in the conditions, and so we headed to the nearby outer suburban area to grab dog kibbles (scored a free 40 pound bag from a buy five and get one extra bonus scheme – winning), plus stock up on fertiliser for the next area to sort out for the growing season. Did the supermarket run, swapped over a gas bottle. You know, basic stuff which needed doing, and didn’t involve standing around in the wind and drizzle! 😉 No Bahn Mi’s were harmed today, as I’d already prepared lunch thinking we were going to head outdoors. Oh well, best to be flexible don’t you reckon? The dogs are bored tonight and suffering from cabin fever, but they weren’t happy outdoors either.
By the way, I asked the animal feed store if they took the hit on the free bag of dog kibbles and they said no, the manufacturer reimbursed them. It’s worth recalling that the scheme is a new one, and the stuff is sold at the big box spore now, so presumably it’s more profitable for the manufacturer to sell from the smaller mom and pop feed store, even with the scheme. Hmm.
Man, memories are long around here. Best not to create lasting ones with other locals is my thinking.
The mustard plants are a great idea and are a notable bio-fumigant. Hadn’t thought of that option, and will try it if these adaptions fail to improve the situation. We’re also propagating cuttings from the most successful local grape variety too, which shows no signs of disease. It’s possible that some of the vines are growing outside their usual range.
They probably would enjoy some indoors time in your apartment. Ferns are truly lovely plants, and yup, older than the dinosaurs.
I see what you mean about the crazy paving, but as you note, they’re quite substantial rocks and will put up with some extreme weather. We underestimated the eventual size of the thornless blackberries and it will take a bit of effort to expand the enclosure, but will be worth it.
🙂 You betcha, and the path below the house will use the large rocks and is next up on the to-do list. We had to finish up work on that due to the firewood shed construction and then forest clean up. Been busy of late. Hehe!
Years ago a pair of mountain ducks settled down and had a small clutch of ducklings. It was all very sweet until Sir Poopy stalked them down. It all happened so quickly, and now I shoo the mountain ducks away. There are heaps of wild ducks living in this mountain range, but they don’t need to be here. There is no pond with island for the ducklings to retreat too.
Chard is an awesome plant. Are you harvesting the leaves? After you mentioned the outcrossing risk with beetroots, I pulled all of those out, but! Like what you’re seeing, the red variety of chard seems to be the hardiest of the lot. We probably grow fifty or more of the plants. Deer bother me… Have they been around of late? The asparagus are prolific and I’m guessing conditions must be spot on for them here. People say they only produce for six weeks, but we’re seeing six months of spears. Mind you, we have thinned out the raised beds every few years and replace the removed crowns with the compost mix giving everything more room to breathe. The plants produce a lot of root systems. Also the seeds fall onto the ground around the raised beds, rather than in them setting new plants.
It is a stunner of a plant the Hellebore and hope your master gardeners can track down a black flowering variety. They do like shade and protection from the winds, and even set seed here.
Yummo! Go the cornbread. Grannies harvester salad (is that some sort of secret family recipe?) sounds intense, but I reckon soaking the cucumbers in brine would take away much of the bitterness – which is in the seeds I believe. Dunno. Those plants are hard to grow due to short growing seasons – you have to get the planting date and soil temperatures, just right. Often beyond my skills.
I was thinking that the buckwheat seed hulls would be easy to remove. Apparently not, and they may require the purchase of an expensive cast iron hand cranked mill. Youchie! Have to cogitate on that for a bit. The machine could be handy for other tasks though. Dunno. Have you ever used a hand cranked milling machine?
Thanks for the insights into how the Club gets its financing. It sounds like a well tested model to the professional side of my brain. Enough to scrape by and pay the bills, not enough to corrupt. I’ve seen what happens when large mad cash donations end up in clubs and the power plays which go on afterwards. Not nice. The benefactor gifted a home, which is very illiquid, and a smart move.
Dude, you’re subtle, but I get what you meant about the screen – and where you are at. I’m easily bored by such things, and would rather chat instead. Everyone is different on that front. I often notice that people have screens displaying something or other in the background at their homes even when nobody is watching. I find it distracting, but have learned to tune out the stimulation – but it isn’t free for me to do so. Oh well.
We’re having a two steps forward, and then one back moment with the weather. Tomorrow will be nice at 14’C / 57’F, then it will be back to wet, cold and windy on Wednesday at 48’F. Brr! But! Apologies for the exclamation mark given that your weather sounds much nicer, the first ‘High’ rated UV day will be next weekend. Hmm, the season is moving on.
Glad you enjoyed ‘The Sheep Detectives’, and that’s about how it rolled, yup. Cosy British village murder whodunit with sheep. 🙂 How good was Emma Thompson in the role? A sharp tongue…
Well you already did say brain fart, and the world didn’t collapse, so I guess it’s OK. 😉
Those coffee machine elements do tend to burn out if the water dries up, and I dunno, people can be a bit careless, so hopefully it gets plumbed in soon. Still, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if that happens. Sounds like the Club is returning to where it once was, and hope you and H get to enjoy some good chats and convivial company.
Cheers
Chris
Hello Chris,
Back to buckwheat. I have seen a shelling machine, and it was one rotating stones above a still stone, with adjustable distance, 2.5-5mm, so that the miller can adjust to the current grain size. The shells were sheared off, and the grains moved out by centrifugal force.
I think some grain grinders can be adjusted to do this job, but I don’t yet have one of those. You started to get me thinking as well… Maybe just one more useful tool for the kitchen? 😉
Today, I was forking out potatoes for this week’s cooking. The blunt-spoked fork is quite good, and I felt very special with a specially designed tool.
Good tools are great.
We went mushroom hunting today, and went to a new forest on the other side of town. We got a kilo back, after an hour of strolling in the woods. Not really worth the effort, if we only count the food calories, but it was a beautiful afternoon in the woods. Worth so much to do those things together.
And the mushrooms were good. Chanterells, porcini, oyster mushrooms and some other boletes.
We found some chicken-of-the-woods too, but they were too old and slimy.
Is there a mushroom tradition in your woods? Any indigenous local dishes with fungi?
Western Europe is quite anti-fungal in the perspective, but Eastern Europe has more mushroom traditions. East Asia is the best, I think. In China we saw cultivation of lots of species of mushroom, many more than are available here.
I only pick edible mushrooms for food, did not yet started the journey into the medicinal mushroom field. I am a bit scared of the sykoactive (sic) varieties that are popular in certain circles.
Peace,
Göran
Yo, Chris – I forget if I mentioned, one aspect of the article on “dark warehouses.” They touched on “driverless 18-wheeler trucks.” I knew there was a reason, I stayed off the freeways! 🙂
I read what you said to Goran. AU $2,500! Brought to mind an old term, “highway robbery.” It wouldn’t have happened to have been an “environmental impact statement?” Those seem to be a big issue here, when it comes to slowing down, or stopping construction.
To paraphrase the New York City poet, Frank O’Hara, (1950s), “You went here, you went there.” Yes, given the price of fuel these days, cramming as many stops into a trip, is thrifty. Though exhausting.
We often have “deals” here that are “Buy one, get one,” or BOGO. I most often see it at the chemists.
I had a thought about your crazy paving. It reminds me of the surface, of some Roman roads. Well, if it worked for them … 🙂
Are those Australian shelducks? Stately looking birds. But, they don’t look like they have too much meat on them. But, if needs must …
Every once in awhile, I chop up some smaller chard leaves, and sautéed them with garlic, and a combo of olive oil and a bit of butter. Sometimes, I might toss in some pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Dress it with a splash of cider vinegar. Might mix it in with some rice.
You had to mention deer. 🙂 When H and I went out for our midnight walk, when I came around the corner of the building, I flushed a deer out of the gardens. Luckily, it seems to have been in a part of the Inmates gardens, that are away from my patch.
In further wildlife news, I saw a snail, two nights running. On the small side. Haven’t thought of a name for them, yet. And, this morning, I was sitting on the garden wall, getting a dose of “D”, when I noticed a large caterpillar crawling up my parsley. About three inches long. I think it was a Swallowtail. When I clear that corner of my patch, I’ll have to watch for a chrysalis.
Granny always said the salt brine, was to “take out the burp.” Oh, I think it’s too simple, to have been a “secret family recipe.” I think it was pretty widespread in the Minnesota Finn communities. They called it “Harvester Salad,” as they made it up in big tin buckets, to take to the threshing crews, for lunch. Kept in the spring house, to keep it cool. I see, by a glance down the rabbit hole that Finland has a “strong cucumber production industry.”
The cornbread was tasty, but, once again, didn’t get a very good “rise.” This time, I followed the recipe, on the Bob’s Red Mill corn meal bag. Oh, well. Back to the drawing board. I split a couple of pieces, and tried a variation. I took a handful of cherry tomatoes, split them, tossed them on top of the corn bread, and then slopped on the cucumber salad.
Every once in awhile, one of the Inmates here, tries growing cucumbers. It never ends well. I think we can grow cucumbers here, but you need to do a little research, to get the growing conditions just right. I’ve never bothered. There’s usually enough cucumbers floating around, to satisfy my needs.
My hand cranked mill, came from Lehman’s, over 50 years ago. I see they no longer seem to carry the mill I bought.
https://www.lehmans.com/collections/grain-mills
Mine is cast iron, with a tin finish. I have a vague recollection that it was made in Poland. I’ve only used it for grinding corn. Maybe you need something like this … search, “Metate.”
https://shop.inspire.education/products/mini-stone-metate
Here, people often use screens as babysitters. 🙂 Well, at the cost of childcare, these days …
Our high yesterday was 75F (23.88C). Our overnight low was 55F (12.77C). Our forecast high for today is 70F. When I took H for her late afternoon walk, I noticed that it must have rained, sometime during the afternoon. Not a lot, but enough to wet everything down. Today, no rain in the forecast, but a lot of clouds around. The sunsets have been really pretty.
Yes, Emma Thompson did a fine job. As did Hugh Jackman. I thought some of the rest of the cast were quit good. I think we’ll be seeing a lot from the policeman, in future.
I’m watching season twelve of the “Brokenwood Mysteries.” They’re set in a quirky, New Zealand beach town. Besides engrossing murder mysteries, there’s also a lot of humor. Lew
Hi, Chris!
You wrestle with those folks every year, don’t you? I can’t remember what time of year our home insurance renews. I suppose I should look, but for some reason I’d rather not invite nightmares. We wrestled with them last year and did get a better deal.
I also spent 45 minutes on the phone recently because I received an order where the box arrived looking like a truck had hit it and one side was split open. One of the items was missing. I jumped through all the hoops, sent photos and emails and tried to “chat” online, then finally got a phone number (not listed on the website). It’s all taken care of and they have sent me a replacement item, but geez. That was the fourth problem with shipping I’d had (all different companies) within a week. So many companies are sneaky about a customer service phone number.
The last thing any of us wants is a wildfire, like the ones near DJSpo this summer. I can hardly bear to think about it after having been in the tiny one next to our house. Very damp land sounds good to me; we’re pretty damp here, too. The thing about the cool burning – is that what you call it? – is that so many places are so built up now. Even some fairly wild places now have summer homes and vacation places like hotels. Who wants to be liable for those?
What cute little baby ferns. Nice to know that Fernglade will not run out of ferns! We have quite a few ferns on the bank in front of our house. I need to add more, but who has the time? Those all came out of our woods or someone else’s woods. I have 4 or 5 varieties.
The fog in the valley looks just like a sea. Cherokee Sea?
One of our thornless blackberries is blooming; I’m pretty sure that it is not supposed to. They haven’t done so before. And not far from the house I found a wild blackberry, with one blackberry, which I ate. It was delicious and I don’t know why this herd of deer that stands behind the house all day eating acorns hasn’t found it. They’d eat the whole bush.
Speaking of deer: My son had to move 4,000 medium pots of fig trees from the clearing (several acres away) to directly behind the house (where it is flat now for the future garage). He did it within 14 hours, which sounds like a lot, but it was a huge job. They need to be close by so that he can tend to them all the time and keep the deer away. Ah – the deer.
A fence has been built around them in this new spot, but there was a space still open when he when to bed at 1am. He though it was all okay, but there was a big doe and a young buck with antlers that were drawn to it. I guess all that greenery was too enticing. I could watch them out of the kitchen window as I worked early this morning (he was still asleep) and I kept running out with a big leafy branch to chase them when they got too close. I got tired of this and basically gift wrapped the gap with white clothesline. That worked. I am eating dinner now and I saw them mosying up close by; the space is open again because Mr. Musty had to bring some things behind the house. However I am now armed. My son left me with a pile of nice sized rocks and I put them on the back porch and just went out and pointed out the pile to those deer. They ran away and I didn’t even throw one.
Oh, heck. We don’t have any grape vines, but you know I have blackberry troubles. I love the crushed rock with lime. I don’t have any as we have black plastic with a heavy hardwood mulch over it for paths. I like your idea much better. It’s a two-fer.
Neither do I have gabion cages, which are such a great invention.
I guess “parts which were the correct ratings, but the wrong shape” is not too unreasonable a mistake.
What great ducks! Are they actually called mountain ducks or are they just vacationing at your resort?
I didn’t know the pods were the part of the carob that one dried. Seems kind of backwards.
That hellebore is the closest thing to a black flower I have ever seen. In fact – it IS black! Thanks for all the other beautiful flowers, too. I bought some daffodil bulbs today. I always do so in September. Yesterday, a neighbor gave me 50 of his irises that he had thinned out of his bed. I have planted some of them, but had to shove the rest into an empty vegetable bed until I can finish.
From last week:
I love buckwheat pancakes, but haven’t made them in years. I just don’t think they are going to turn out well gluten free.
It’s not the gluten in beer (does beer have gluten?), it’s the alcohol. I just can’t tolerate alcohol at all anymore. Just a sip makes me sick.
“Our needs are not the only thing which matters, don’t you reckon?” That’s a lovely and gentle reminder. Thanks!
Pam
@ Lew:
From last week:
I like Marvin Gaye and I like that song. Thanks for the earworm!
I buy quite a bit from E-Buy, too, but you’re right, you have to be careful, especially about the supposed photos.
Pam
Chris,
After the two tiny rain events at the end of last week, well, we got more rain in the wee hours of Monday morning. Then more rain Monday afternoon, the Monday total in town being about 0.4 inches vs 0.2 inches at the official weather station. Total for the past several days is about a half inch in town and a third inch officially.
I had also gotten some of the driest lawn areas watered before and between storm systems. Green is starting to reappear in most of the dryland grasses as well as in the bluegrass. There are still some lagging areas that got cooked during the arid season, but there are a few green spots appearing there.
This week will involve moving some succulents from a neighbor’s yard to mine. That neighbor doesn’t want the succulents. With the shorter days and cooler temperatures, it should be easier to revive the various plant growths and have the transplanted succulents get established.
UGG! Condolences on your annual experience staring exponential growth in the face. Exponential growth is detestable when it is working against you. On the other hand, when it works for you, it is wonderful. After all, exponential growth is the only way most of us would ever be able to afford dinner and drinks at The Restaurant at the End of the universe. The time travel thing to enjoy said meal still needs to be figured out. Alas!
Both our automobile and home insurance rates have increased in recent years at rates very similar to yours. Yet our “official” rate of inflation is similar to your 3.5%. That’s not what my pocketbook is experiencing! Rather, I am beginning to think that the rate of increase in our auto and home insurances is much closer to the actual rate of inflation that most of us experience. The insurance industry must have a good grasp of cost increases in order to not go broke.
You got a LOT of undergrowth work done this year. Good job. Probably best to curtail it before things dry out too much. I can see the wrong thing happening, maybe along the lines of a song.
I’m cleaning up the undergrowth,
tum dee tum dee tum.
Now I’m burning off the undergrowth,
tum diddly tum ARGH!
I burned the continent down!
And saying “Oops! Sorry for the inconvenience.” just won’t be enough. 😉 So probably best to move to another group of projects.
That “crazy paving” looks good. And the new gabions. That is a LOT of rock work this week. Good thing you keep finding all sorts of rocks when breaking down the old stumps. Otherwise, “peak rocks” would become “no rocks”. But what will you do if you ever achieve “peak stumps”?
Back in the day, I built a couple of radios from kits. Two summers were spent in clouds of vapor from the soldering iron. Or, “I love the smell of solder in the morning”.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
I’d like the chance to wrestle with those folks and show them a smooth move or four on the mat, but they’re on the end of a phone line and quite safe! 🙂 Personally, I’d not want to do that sort work, which would make simple debt collection look honest. It’s not my natural state to be contentious, and clearly you are of a similar disposition, but fight we must, so scrap we will. The whole thing is a nightmare, yup.
It’s interesting you mention this issue regarding packaging, but! I had a chance a year or two back to speak someone friendly in that business and got the low down. It’s not the senders, nor receivers, but the folks who do the delivery work. They’re not paid much and are under tight deadlines, so the boxes get thrown around – which is what you’re seeing.
The wildfire risk never quite leaves my consciousness, and DJ did it tough a few months ago. Pam, I’ve forgotten, what happened next to your house? By the way, thick timber does not burn quickly, just sayin’. I too have seen those sorts of places on utoob. Look,it might be one of those things which seem like a good idea at the time?
No shortage of ferns around here, as is the case in your part of the world! Fortunately in a nearby mountain range there is another fern nursery: Paradise Frond. I’ve bought ferns from the guy for a few decades. Lovely folks.
Well yes, if sea level rose 2,000ft! Wouldn’t that be an exciting day? 🙂 I’d like to think that we’re sailing the wide mountain-seas! As are you too…
Yeah, your thornless blackberry sounds somewhat confused. Nice score and I pick wild blackberries too if I know that they’ve not been sprayed with potent herbicides. Your deer have become complacent. Yes, that is the correct word.
Oh my gawds! Pam, that situation with the figs and deer is my personal nightmare. And I could ship you some sulphur crested cockatoos which may change your thinking in this matter? They day the huge super intelligent white birds with silly yellow hats did a smash and grab on the orchard was awe inspiring. They posted a look out. Like you, I chucked sticks at them, and as one flew off, another flew in and there were at least thirty. I ran out of sticks… Thus my ‘get lost’ biggerer response which harmed none, but showed who the boss is. It was touch and go there for a while.
The black plastic will I reckon extend your growing season by a few weeks on either side. My grandfather used to do the same thing in his garden beds, and commercial strawberry growers do as well.
Yeah, there is a bit of work before the long line of gabion cages is done.
😉 Your son will most assuredly know my pain at ordering the close, but no cigar, parts disaster. Oh well, back to the drawing board. This stuff is complicated.
The ducks are as common as muck around here, and the official Latin name is: The Australian shelduck (Tadorna tadornoides)
Carob pods fooled me too, and I’d imagined that the seeds produced the yummies, but no.
It is indeed a black flower, which is astounding, and the only one I’m aware of. Some of the geraniums are dark coloured, but are a shade of purple. This one is a stunner, and super hardy. There is a nearby nursery which specialises in the plant: The Post Office nursery in Ashbourne.
Nice score with the Daffodils and Irises. 🙂 Happy days, and you’ll enjoy them in half a years time.
Ook! Go with your gut (!) feeling. The seed is meant to be gluten free, but may have been processed on a mill which contaminated the flour batch. You never know.
Oh poop! What a loss, but the cost of the consequences exceed the benefits for you, so why go there? Which you don’t seem to be.
The owls need to eat too. As do the foxes.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Göran,
Yeah, it looks like the process works by abrading the hull from the seed, and that does take rotating stones. It is however a possibly useful machine, and over the next week or so, I’ll have a look at some utoob reviews to see if anyone has trialled the various electric machines or hand cranked devices in real world conditions. If you spot anything interesting in that sphere, please do let me know?
Your blog showed the most useful potato lifting fork, and it is an ingenious adaption to the humble hand tool. Hmm. Within the next week, we’ll probably get the seasons potatoes into the soil. I’m curious to test how last seasons tubers grow in a brand new garden bed? Producing new seed potatoes in a lab is hardly a sustainable process so I want to work out how to use tubers from the previous years harvest. 🙂
A kilogram of mushrooms is a respectable haul, and they do say that sometimes the journey is more important than the destination! I enjoy time spent in the forests here too.
The only mushroom harvesting occurs in areas where the introduced pines are grown, which is usually the Monterey Pine Pinus radiata (syn. Pinus insignis) which is grown for the softwood timber. That’s because the European variety grow in such places.
Around here though, the ground produces truffles, elevated chicken of the woods type fungi, and countless varieties of ground mushrooms. And nobody knows whether they are toxic or otherwise. I leave them all well alone because the consequences are dire.
There is a way to test the toxicity of mushrooms, and I’d be almost certain that was done way back in the day, but it’s probably an unpalatable process these days. I love mushrooms, but down here, nobody knows much about the local varieties.
Thanks for the laughs. I used to have friends who went hunting for such mushrooms, and survived the experience. I just didn’t trust them and refused to participate. 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Good to hear about the rain, and I’d imagine that all of the particulate matter rising into the upper atmosphere from the recent wildfires, has something to do with that wet outcome. Whatever though, your season is turning towards the cooler and damper time of year. 🙂
It’s a real joy to observe life returning to the land after a harsh summer period. All the shallower rooted plants and low shrubs get stressed here during those times as well. But most of them simply bounce back into life once conditions improve. Nature is pretty cool, huh? The green shoots rise again! Thanks for the observations.
Ah, DJ, the restaurant at the end of the universe is such a wonderful idea, but alas I’ve made some poor investments, like the gabion cages which despite their seeming solidity, don’t produce a mad cash return. Awful isn’t it, and the idea of that restaurant was a hoot, and has never failed to produce a smile. Poor Marvin, he did it hard, but that was to be his lot, plus the pain in the diodes down his right hand side. Or was it the left?
A truly whacky story, which has stuck in the mind due to its sheer absurdity.
Well, that mob employ the dreaded actuaries and quants, those whom exist in back offices with no windows and yet shed light onto the arcane art of numbers. Mysterious are their ways, and frankly it sounded a lot like my workday today. I was in my happy place in that environment. Truly, the numbers don’t lie, do they?
Man, you know, I think back on my time as a CFO with a clutch of accounts staff all moving in the one direction, and it’s almost as if it was another lifetime and the recollections of a different person. I’ll bet you sometimes wonder about your life before retirement?
Hehe! Always possible that song, yup. And it would be hard being the most hated person on the mountain range, but the entire continent would be trying ordeal. Guess someone has to do it! Volunteers? Anyone? Anyone? You! Stand still laddie! (sorry blame Pink Floyd for those last two sentences). 🙂 See what happens when you start with catchy and amusing lyrics?
Pah! The loggers were very lazy and did not clean up after themselves. There is no shortage of upside down tree stumps littered in random spots in the forest. If only they’d spent an extra few minutes… Still, the massive pile we sorted out over three years is gone, thankfully. Some Meg’s are not easy to deal with.
Thanks for the laughs, and I used to hold the solder in my mouth, which is very unwise given the lead content. That’s a job which requires three hands, and yes the vapour probably does release lead. This is what a poisoned planet looks like, but! The gear sure sounds good when restored. How did your radio kits go anyway? Was the first one of those crystal sets they used to sell?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
That point about the autonomous trucks bothered me too. How hard is it to pay a driver to do the same job? Far out. As someone who drives smaller vehicles, let’s just say that I stay alert and keep some defensive space around me. I picked up that habit when riding a motorbike, but all the same, a person can have an off day and/or just be unlucky.
It was a form of highway robbery, and the mob unfortunately caused a bit of a furore by introducing technical phrases, with no glossary, which had a completely different meaning when using the Queen’s English – which was my interpretation not knowing any better. The council approved the document, I followed the instructions to the letter, and all hell broke loose – until I showed them the document with the official approval stamp. The poor bureaucrats, they really wanted to crack the sads, and couldn’t. Even worse, they had to apologise.
To be honest, it was about as useful as an environmental impact statement. I’ve heard some interesting local stories about those things. The whole process is laughable, but enforceable all the same.
The beatnik poet was most correct, and all of my journeys are like that, they kind of have to be. We’re in a remote spot, and nothing is convenient. In the future when fuel gets really expensive, or there is a reduced demand because incomes have crashed, then most people will use vehicles that way. Make the most of the trip. You do that too. And yeah, shopping doesn’t seem to be as enjoyable as it used to be. I saw a customer cracking it with a really lovely lady the other day and the thought ‘grifter’. I was unsure what to do having never seen that, and checked in afterwards to see if the lovely lady was doing OK. It’s not nice, and I thought about Robert E Howard’s comment about civilised people and skull splitting. Do you have any advice on how to proceed in that situation?
Hey, I like that BOGO acronym. Probably wouldn’t work down here, because of the slang word: Bogan. An intriguing member of the human species, and the etymology of the word is a mystery. So bogo is probably right out, which is why I’ve never heard of that acronym before.
Yum! Gourmet rice with greens could be spiced up just a tad by the addition of a fried egg or two. A regular meal here, as it also is at your place.
Well, yeah, deer always walk among us – you read it here first. 😉 But sorry about the jinxing, and I’ll try better next time. You called it correctly long ago, Bambi has a lot to answer for… If they get a good feed, they’ll be back.
Life is enjoying the conditions in your garden, as is right and proper. But must they all nibble here and there though? Best to always grow more than you need because of all of these hungry critters. It’d be a disaster to grow on a just-enough basis. It’s weird but when I was a kid, I used to see more of those chrysalis cocoons. There is one attached to the house now, and I leave it alone to do what needs doing. They’re quite rare now. Did you spot any signs of the metamorphosing insect creating a winter sleepy spot?
Oh! It never occurred to me that cucumbers made a person full of gas which requires venting. As the cartoon character Shrek quipped: “Better out than in, I say.” Still, not quite done in polite society is it? Mike Myers finest role too. I see a fifth instalment of the film is under production. A ploughman’s lunch is an actual thing, like that harvester salad you mentioned. I’d prefer the salad over the cured meats that seem to define the lunch nowadays. I wonder what it was traditionally? Interesting, although I’d not enjoy the raw onions, and one of the photos looked a bit light on for a hard day’s work in the fields.
Well I never, the recent heatwave appears to have reduced that countries cucumber production. I’d always assumed that the plant requires heaps of heat from what I’ve observed here. A lot are grown under glass in that part of the world.
Baking powder makes the cornbread rise, apparently. Yeah, back to the drawing board and try again. Hey, you’ve converted your cornbread in much the same way that broken pavlova’s get incorporated into the classic Eaton’s Mess dessert. Yum!
Cucumbers are a bit hit and miss here as well. Last summer we did really well, but grew them in the greenhouse – and they loved the heat. Too cold for melons here, and they’re easier to buy.
Man, I drooled over those mills, and was particularly taken with the Diamant and the Country Living models. And that’s the real issue – can you get replacement grinding stones? Thanks for the mortar and pestle arrangement, but no. I wonder if anyone has DIY’d their own grain mill. How hard can it be? I’ve got heaps of granite. Seems like it is a thing. Could be an interesting project for the future?
Screens as babysitters, what could possibly go wrong? The Editor used to earn $2 an hour doing that work, and was always in demand. Things are different nowadays though, but it beat being on the bicycle in the cold winter rains with a heavy load of newspapers for much the same rate. And serious childcare is phenomenally expensive from what I hear.
The sunsets would benefit from all of the particulate matter from the wildfires. Very pretty here as well that. It’s great you’re getting some regular rain now, and hope that continues. I worked all day today and didn’t have a window so anything could have been going on. The Editor tells me it was sunny.
Both are fine actors. I thought everyone did a good job in the film, and did you notice Sir Patrick, the sheep? Also Bryan Cranston managed to put heaps of emotional content into that sub plot. I reckon you’re right and it was a well played bumbling comedic role.
Season twelve? How have we missed this? I’ll forward it onto the Editor, who is watching some fictionalised story about the band Fleetwood Mac. The stories… The personalities… The toe-tappers…
Cheers
Chris
Chris:
I have just ordered my lanolin oil (Fluid Film)! Besides my clippers, I have been looking at my other tools; my hoes are sorely in need of it and I have a new saw, and there are lots of other things, so I finally figured I’d better do it. I found it pretty cheap from a company I know.
Pam
Yo, Chris – Yes, I’m a defensive driver. I’m always wondering what the other driver is going to do. And keep a good distance. A lot of our roads are two lane, one ways. When coming up on a poking along driver, I always wonder if they’re aware I’m back there. Or, am I in their blind spot. So, I just poke along too. When I change lanes, besides checking my mirrors, I also glance over my shoulder, to make sure no one is in MY blind spot.
Bureaucrats -0-, Chris 1. 🙂 So, sad. A bad day for them. I’m sure some were thinking, “That Chris got away with …. something.”
Best stay out of those situations. Say nothing, but do let the numpty be aware, that you’re observing the whole situation. Kind of you to check in with the young lady. A little sympathetic support, and she’ll be ready to fight another day. I often commiserate with retail folks. Something along the line of, “I worked a lot of retail, and feel your pain.” 🙂
Oh, I can see why the BOGO acronym is not used, down there. But polite constraints are loosening, and you’ll note that it will make a reappearance. About the time that Bogans claim the label, for themselves. And wave it proudly.
My egg consumption, rotates around Dawg. She gets something “extra” with her kibble, every other night. She’s filthy for a bit of my chopped up fried eggs. But, I think she should maybe only get them once a week. Occasionally, I chance it, and have eggs for me, and plane yoghurt, for her. But she always gives me the “I know you’re pulling a fast one,” look.
The caterpillar was in the same spot, this morning. It’s on a stalk of dying parsley, in a fairly dense parsley patch. It was pretty breezy, but it had a good grip. It seems to be cogitating. Or, maybe it’s extruding the glue, to hold the chrysalis in place. If it does form the chrysalis, I’ll ask the Master Gardners how best to move it to a sheltered spot. I’ve heard them chattering about doing it, in relationship to their own gardens.
Oh, I think the Harvester salad was a “side” for the threshing crew. I’m sure there was a lot more substantial fare, on offer. Occasionally, loggers would come into the cafe I worked in, for breakfast. My, could those fellows put it away! Being interested in all things British cuisine, I’m familiar with the Ploughman’s lunch. It’s maybe changed a bit, over time. In fact, I think I have a cookbook or two of just “pub” food.
The cornbread recipe called for 2 tsp. of baking powder and 1/2 tsp. of baking soda. Now the BC (Betty Crocker) cookbook calls for 4 tsps. of baking powder, and no soda. One egg, instead of 2.
A new taste sensation! 🙂 Right up there with Velveeta fudge. I’d give it a whirl. Though I doubt we’ll see it here. Being, apparently, at the end of the supply chain. No matter if it’s biscuits, candy or ice cream, we don’t see many of those “limited editions,” here.
https://vanleeuwenicecream.com/product/kraft-mac-and-cheese/
I couldn’t find my grain mill, anywhere. I guess it’s long out of production. As to if you could build one, you know the answer to that. U-Tub! 🙂
Our high yesterday was 70F (21.11C). Our overnight low was 48F (8.88C). Our forecast high for today is 77F. Breezy, as I mentioned. It’s going to be a nice week, though we may see a bit of rain, on Saturday.
“Brokenwood Mysteries,” revolves around the police station, in the quirky little town. There’s Mike, the head detective, who’s a sort of pudgy little fellow, with a yen for all things American country / western. His two sidekicks are Sims, a youngish, slightly acerbic blond. Who can’t make a good cup of coffee, to save her life. The other sidekick is a youngish man. Started out as one fellow, and about season three switched to this one. A real gem, is Gina, the Russian pathologist, who had a yen for Mike. The many-times-married Mike, adroitly dodges her come-ons. Then there’s Frodo, who runs the local coffee cart. Now he knows how to make a cup of coffee, and then there’s … well, you get the picture. As with a lot of mysteries series, the best ones have great supporting actors.
Oh, bother. It’s one of those days. I have a package that is “out for delivery,” but not from the postie. One of the major carriers, who sometimes seems to have a problem, getting into our building. So, I’m tethered to my phone, the whole live-long day. Always within reach. So I can enter the magic code, and let him in the door. Although sometimes, somehow or another, he gains entry and the whole routine was pointless. End, whinge. :-). Lew
Chris:
I had tried to figure out the culprits in the “slow boat to China” deliveries that I get more and more of. Not that it really does me any good to know who’s at fault. Thanks for the heads up.
There used to be a little rental house (which has been torn down; it was a dump) directly behind us on the property that the pond belongs to. It’s really close. Some years ago the tenant dumped some ashes that he thought were cold on some dead leaves near that house, but there were still live embers in them. He then went to sleep.
I eventually noticed smoke over that way, but by that time the fire was picking up speed and heading for our house. I yelled for both my sons, who were luckily at home, and we got the barn house going and a hose running from the house, also, but our water pressure is not that great and they weren’t doing any good. I had called the volunteer fire department.
My sons and I started trying to shovel the fire out of the way – the whole area was dead leaves with a few big trees – but that didn’t work either, so the three of us stomped it out as best as we could. There was no way we could keep up with it though, ever closer to our house.
The firemen finally got there. It took them an awfully long time considering that they were only 3 miles away down the 2-lane highway. They were able to put it out pretty quickly. My sons and I had boots with melted soles, that had to be thrown away.
The little house tenant slept through all this. Talk about “sleeping like the dead”. My older son bought him a metal trash can for his ashes.
My, would Paradise Frond be an exciting place to visit. I don’t know of any place like that around here. I assume that you got your tree fern there?
They call the valley that I look down on the Jefferson Sea, though I don’t know that the term is used much anymore. And I guess the name comes from the fact that President Thomas Jefferson (before and after he held that honor) had his finger in every pie in the area, especially where architecture was concerned. Always willing to help a friend design a plantation house, was he. His own house, Monticello, is just outside Charlottesville. I’ve been there many times.
I don’t need to change my thinking, as least where sulphur crested cockatoos are concerned. You may keep them. If I had them, I’d probably chase them and bark at them like I did to a deer last night. And this is where you and I learn to use a slingshot with bitty pebbles, just to scare them. “Where the hell did that come from, they squawk!” Pardon me, I meant “heck” in case little Johnny and Mary are reading. Feel free to censor.
Buckwheat is gluten free. I just meant that making up buckwheat pancakes with GF flours may not turn out that well. Or it may! Only one way to find out.
Pam
Chris,
Wow. Even more rain overnight Monday into Tuesday. Everything has gotten a wonderful soak. More green appearing.
The Restaurant was one of his best scenes, and he had many good ones. I still enjoy Hotblack Desiato being there, but “He’s taking a year off dead for tax reasons”. The name of his band was perfect, also: Disaster Area.
Of course, the drinks. The Pangalactic Gargle Blaster. My friend and I once ordered one of these at a bar. We were promptly sent packing. They thought we were seriously drunk or high or both. We went to another bar and ordered one there. We were asked for the ingredients. When I mentioned the bottle of the Old Janx Spirit, the server burst out laughing and reminded us that the establishment only served wine and beer. That turned into a fun evening.
I’m one of those who would have been happy working off in a quiet corner of a basement, properly supplied with coffee, coming up for air and light when needed. In a remote corner, maybe even behind a door labelled “Beware of the Leopard” or something. 😉
Pink Floyd? I seem to remember missing out on the Pink Floyd sensation due to visiting the dark side of the moon whilst searching for another brick in the wall. I didn’t find that brick but remember seeing a wall that was filled with illegible graffiti, illegible except for one line: “We don’t need no education. Garble burble thought control.”
One radio kit was for a superheterodyne shortwave receiver. It still works. The sensitivity was good, but there was no selectivity. The stronger signals could cover a lot of the bandwidth.
The other kit was much more complex. it was an amateur radio transceiver (transmitter/receiver). Never got it working. Different radio guys tried fixing it, to no avail. Finally, a lab assistant dad had was an experienced electronics guy with a ton of testing equipment. He found a cold solder joint, fixed it. It was working fine. On our way to his house, well, it shorted out. There was a loose metal shaving from somewhere that shorted it. Poof! It was gone. Never did get to use it.
Amazingly, that lab assistant and I went on to university together. He got a BA in physics, left a year before I did with my BS. He ended up in the Air Force as a research physicist in Albuquerque. So, when I was in Las Cruces, I would visit him on my jaunts to see my cousins in Albuquerque.
Also amazing…the house he lived in when in Spokane is around the corner from where I now live. The Dame and I walk by it several days a week.
Oh, and that friend is the guy who introduced me to Deodato. I still enjoy his music.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
As a gentle reminder, it was the now deceased farm machine repair dude who got me onto using lanolin on tool cutting edges, and he was spot on. Since then, I learned that what the old timers used to do with their tools, was have a box of sand, and they’d pour used motor oil into it, and then dunk the tools into that before putting them away after use. Rust and built up vegetable gums become but a memory. The lanolin is much cleaner and does pretty much the same thing. Hope you notice the difference and it will slow the dreaded steel worm.
Almost three decades ago we used to live in a semi-industrial area where there was a wool scour, and that is where lanolin comes from. The smell was memorable in summer, but I believe the oil is a by-product of the wool wash process. Aren’t sheep clever creatures? I spray the stuff on hand saws both before and after use.
Well, as to the deliveries, not sure about your part of the world, but it’s quiet around here, and things take what they take. The days of next day delivery, are a thing of the past, and we must all make peace with that – and keep better stocks of stuff and parts. Just sayin… 🙂 Truly, if you turned up here, you’d probably think you’d suddenly stepped back thirty years in time.
Oh my gawds! Thanks for the story, and I’d wondered what had happened. Unfortunately, we’re only ever as good as the weakest link, and apparently you experienced an extraordinarily careless reed. And that is almost the same scenario I found myself in, and you end up involved whether you like it or not.
I liked the nice touch with providing a metal trash can for such activities in future. You know, there’s folks around here who light fires in 44 gallon drums and then leave the area – which could end them up with serious conviction problems, and a few times I’d had to go and put them out. They don’t know any better, it’s more foolish than malicious.
The person who caused the fire high up in the tree, was just about to recreate the situation a long time later, when I went and had a friendly chat. He cracked the sads, but at least didn’t go ahead, and later apologised and said he’d had been having a very bad day. We ended up on good terms, but some weather conditions are not ideal.
And with the boots, we’ve all been there, and I now have a set of fire fighting boots as does Sandra, for those sorts of times all ready to go. They’re not cheap, but a few years ago I read about a lady who stepped into a peat fire which began after a wildfire swept through her place, and the thing couldn’t be seen in advance. There’s been a few of those injuries in this state after bushfires. Proper leather boots with heat resistant soles would have saved a lot of pain.
Yes! Actually the nearby fern nursery imported the tall tree fern from the island state of Tasmania. They grow here, but the state goobermint put an end to native forest logging, but bizarrely failed to squelch the demand for construction timber which seems odd to me. The folks have run the nursery for decades, really delightful people.
Oooo, Monticello is so lovely, I’d enjoy visiting there too, and the gardens and orchard looked beautiful. Clearly there are perquisites to holding such an august title. And it is a real pleasure that we can enjoy visits to wonderful gardens.
The slingshot is a really good idea. Hmm. Ook! They’re a prohibited weapon in this state. Who knew? Bizarrely, the accessories and parts are legal to buy and own, like how dumb is that outcome? Oh well… An impact from a clay ball would send a strong message, and not do the deer any harm whatsoever.
I’ve not heard complaints from little Mary and little Johnny regarding your particular use of the language, and if I may, that word might have been used upon occasion at church services on a Sunday morning, and mean pretty much what it says. Rumour has it, that the heat is on in that place… 🙂
Agreed, there is only one way to find out. Speaking of cooking, we (well truthfully, not I) came up with a genius idea this morning in relation to the outdoor summer kitchen. Put it this way, the dog breakfast food cooked up a stink yesterday, which metaphorically stuck to the walls and words were had about doing something different in future. Hayfever is not my friend. 🙂
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Cough, cough, hack, what a surprise that the rains have returned to your area what with all that particulate matter floating high up into the atmosphere of late. Fun fact: Did you know, that when I was a young adult, manufacturing made up about a quarter of this states economic output? Those were the days when a factory accountant, was a real factory accountant. 🙂 But did you also know, that back then due to air pollution from industrial processes, the UV ratings were lower by a considerable percentage than today? And weirdly, farmers had to start bringing in sulphur to add to their soils… Who knew that there were upsides and downsides to cleaning up the local atmosphere?
We just want to eat, and not make a meal of the issues – from Meet the Meat scene at the restaurant in question. Had to laugh at the end of the menu bit when Zaphod remarks to Arthur: What’s eating you Earth man? I couldn’t remember the Hotblack Desiato meet up at the restaurant, but what a fun character and storyline for the band.
Ha! What a fine story of utter bar mayhem. And some folks get the jokes, and others, well who knows whether they had a sense of humour in the first place? I’d forgotten that your country has a separation of beer / wine and spirits serving venues.
Beware the monster of the deep lays beyond this dark entrance! Yeah, that’d be my happy place too, and the warning at the door could only send a strong message to troublemaking miscreants, and wandering Morris dancers. They know not to impinge themselves upon my awareness, it’s not my fault is it? What did they expect would happen… Far out. 😉
That technical phrase went over my head, but I did get the bit about the shortwave receiver, having also had one when younger. Fun things to learn of a much larger world. Ah! But of course, and the FM tuner I restored employs four stages and sounds superb. Alas your radio probably lacked what was known as the ‘phase locked loop’ circuit and possibly drifted, as did many receivers back in the day. Apologies for geeking it up! 🙂
Oh poop! The dry solder joint is an issue. Alas back in the day, the flux was incorporated into the solder (from memory) wire, but I use Rosin flux goo and pure 60/40 tin/lead solder to ensure all joints are spot on. That stuff works a treat together. Ah, grasshopper, before switching on, clean and cast a critical eye over the work, after switching on, watch for the blue smoke – this is known. 🙂
It perhaps wasn’t meant to be with that transceiver, and they used to get a bit snarky with unlicensed operators using home made gear. No fun. I once came across a 100W AM 27MHz CB radio signal amplifier, and knew pure trouble had just stepped across my path. I walked away, but the signals from that baby could have been heard from space!
It’s funny how small the world can be, and how at times we meet the people we’re meant to meet. Pretty impressive to work at that research lab too. I get the strong impression that your friend has now sadly passed on, but it’s good to have the memories of the fun times.
Ah, the talented composer. Good stuff. Such folks teach us humility.
It was cold and windy again today, and only mildly damp. Did paid work and finished at a reasonable time. All very good stuff. The dogs are bored out of their brains from being stuck indoors, but they’ll soon recover.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Do you ever get surprised by other drivers? It’s rare that happens to me, and I’m relaxed behind the wheel, but every now and then something truly stupid and unexpected occurs. We sometimes get people walking along the country roads, and they can be oblivious to the risk they’re taking upon themselves. I’d imagine Mr King would have some thoughts about that? A few thrill seekers even stick headphones in and just switch off in tune-land or podcast-land, presumably. I’m uncertain of the wisdom of doing that activity. Anyway, I always slow down and give them a wide berth, but not everyone does so. Anyway, I’m driving less as time goes on.
It’s funny you mention that about the bureaucrat incident, but the air of disappointment hung over my final interactions with them. By sheer chance, luck, or whatever, I happened to notice one such person up to some mischief, and had a camera handy. It’s not my usual style, but when in Rome and dealing with the Romans… I let someone know, who knew that person, that well, there are these photos. I can’t say that I appreciated their first interaction which wanted to set a certain very negative basis and left a strong impression. Fair enough, if that is how they do things, but I don’t treat people that way.
Thanks for the advice, as I wasn’t entirely sure of how to proceed. I too commiserate with people working retail facing the general public and am always respectful. I’ve heard of a scam whereby people possibly harass such workers and post negative reviews allegedly in order to get free stuff. Alas, the grifters are always with us. Turns out it would be iffy to film or record audio without consent too down here.
Hehe! The bogans have already claimed that title and wear it proudly. Alas the larrikin is very much in decline these days.
Go H, and one can only but respect her refined palate. Man, I laughed at your description of her food needs, or is it her need for your food? Dogs do know, yup, and the ones here love the homemade yoghurt. But more importantly, if anyone asks, you can say that yes, you’ve been told today – which H clearly has had practice with. The dogs here are specialists with emotional manipulation, and a bloke sometimes has to harden his heart to such nonsense. Then treat them when they least expect it. 🙂 It works…
What? Can you actually move caterpillars when they’re developing that stage? I’ll be curious to hear what the master gardeners have to say about the matter.
Man, that’s kind of what I thought about the lunch, but wasn’t sure, so appreciate the confirmation. Some solid chunks of bread would work a treat with the salad though. Maybe a few slices of cheese, a boiled egg or two. The chickens are on the lay at the moment, so our egg consumption has to go up. 🙂
And that’s the thing, I remember reading Mr Kunstler’s ‘World Made by Hand’ series when one of the characters was remarking to another that they’d never thought they’d eat such a rich, but basic diet and need it to power through the day. I start with a big breakfast, and would run out of energy if that didn’t happen.
What is called a ploughman’s lunch today, would barely fuel me, and in fact I don’t much like it. It’s usually a plate of fancy smoked and cured meats, and I always wondered if the chefs putting it together weren’t pulling our legs so to speak.
Hang on, isn’t baking soda, the same as baking powder? Hmm, turns out the baking soda needs an acid in order to activate it, and the baking powder already has that as part of the ingredients. My money would be on Betty Crocker getting it spot on, and yeah like what you wrote, go with the four.
Oh, look, maybe the stuff is an acquired taste? Man, I’m too soft… Probably a good thing that like here, it’s the end of the line and such items rarely make a special guest appearance in your part of the world! 😉 Think of it as say, I dunno, divine intervention.
My thinking exactly, utoob is our friend for such DIY stuff. It’s probably better to make one and learn from the experience don’t you reckon? Chucking a grand here, and a grand there, adds up, so best avoided.
Oh, that is really nice weather. Cold, drizzly and windy today down here. Ran the wood heater for most of the day, and did paid work. The dogs are bored and way to prepared to tell me about their canine issues. Sometimes they’ll pretend that there is something interesting happening up the driveway and all will go racing down the hallway barking in high excitement at the nothingness.
I mentioned the series to the Editor who seems intrigued and may watch some to see what it’s all about. Mash had that trick down pat with the supporting actors, flipping between comedic nonsense and deep seriousness with a light touch.
Deliveries aren’t what they once were. And may get worse. I hate having to stand by on the phone doing whatever it does. Hard to relax properly when that is going on. So did the package arrive?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – I saw an interesting article from The Wonderful World of Archaeology. About a Roman who had a very bad day …
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/1-600-year-old-skeleton-found-in-a-giant-jar-in-bulgaria-may-belong-to-roman-who-hid-there-to-escape-enemy-attack
Stupid and unexpected? About a couple of months ago, I was driving through downtown Chehalis, in the evening. It’s a two lane, one way street. I’m in the right hand lane. Ahead of me, were two cars, the one in my lane slightly ahead of the one in the left hand lane. (Keeping in mind we drive on the right, here.) The driver in my lane decided to make a left hand turn, across the route of the car in the left hand lane. It was a near thing. There were horns blaring, and lefty took out after righty.
We have many rail lines, running through our towns. Seems like every six months, or so, someone gets wiped out, walking on the tracks. Some are suicide … but many have devices plugged into their ears. I hope that last song was a good one …
Speaking of bureaucracy, my friend in Idaho went to buy a trailer. Council to Napa, Idaho, 110 miles. Now they just bought an RV, and I’m not sure what kind of a trailer … but she mentioned for storage. In the long run, cheaper than a dry box. Any-who. They decided to buy the trailer, and then … well, this is what she said. “I went to write a check for it, Nope, they would hold the trailer for 10 days after it clears the bank… wanted a debit card, Nope, we didn’t have enough money in that account…. would take a credit card, Nope, it would of cost us 2.5%…. A certified check, Nope, same as a check…. so we went to a branch of our bank and got cash. And to think there are businesses that won’t take cash!! A hair puller!!”
Ohhhh!! Chris!! 🙂 There are photos … Well, I never suspected you of such … genius. Photos of entering a sleazy, by the hour hotel, with a lady, not his wife? 🙂 Say no more. This is a public forum.
I hope people who look at reviews realize, that positive reviews up to 95% are a green flag. Maybe, even 90%. Because 5-10% of the population are nuts.
Without looking it up, I gave H some shrimp when I made the nachos. But, I see it’s ok, in moderation. Last week, I gave her a little piece of Swiss cheese. While saying to myself, “This is probably a mistake.” 🙂 But, since then, I’ve had cheese, and she seems unaware. Whew! Occasionally, she’ll get underfoot in the kitchen, but obeys when I order her into the hall. Where she lays, keeping an eye on me.
I think caterpillar cocoons can be safely moved, once they have “set.” With care. No big green worm, this morning. I wonder where it got to? When I clean out that corner of the bed, I’ll have to go, carefully. I saw one European honey bee, yesterday. And one, today. Poor showing, there.
Yes, baking soda and baking powder are two different things. The recipe called for buttermilk, which is acidic, (who keeps that on hand?), but there’s a work around. Add a bit of vinegar, to the milk, which I did.
Divine intervention, indeed. We’re coming up on pumpkin spice season. Two things we never see here are pumpkin spice M&Ms or pumpkin spice Hersey kisses. Both of which I have had, only once. Sigh. I wonder what might show up, this year? I did see a headline, that the pumpkin spice craze, may be dying down.
Our high yesterday was 75F (23.88C). The overnight low was 48F (8.88C). Our forecast high for today is 82F. After that bit of a breeze, the other day, I had to rope up one of the Mammoth sunflowers, that was getting a bit tipsy. They’re blooming, but I’m not seeing any pollinators, on them. Which is bizarre. I also had to do a bit of tying off, of the tomatillos. I hacked back some of the zucchini leaves, that were shading the green beans. They’re beginning to twine up the trellis. Four zucchini plants and only 1 (one) zucchini, so far. Well, it is a big one.
The delivery guy showed up about 2:30. A lot earlier, than usual. He had a couple of packages, and someone else must have let him in the building. I forgot to mention, Monday was a holiday. Labor Day. Perhaps they put two drivers, on this route, to clear the holiday backlog? They run out of Dupont, which is north of Olympia. So, once again, we’re at the end of the line. I turned off my phone, immediately after receiving my package. 🙂
And, news of a new museum, opening in California. Sponsored by director George Lucas.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/05/style/lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-opening
Apparently, I’m behind the times. What I’d call “realism,” is now called “narrative art.” Whatever it’s called, it’s what I like. I see he’s also a Norman Rockwell fan. Lew
PS: This just in … breaking news … 🙂 Nick Cage is having a bad day.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/large-sinkhole-malibu-prompts-evacuation-135351950.html
I’ve been seeing headlines, the last couple of days, about a lot of damage along the S. California coast. Also, the fires in Indonesia and New Guinea. The world’s going to hell. Not that that’s new. 🙂 Lew
Chris:
I had heard of used motor oil – you told me – but not about putting the oil on sand. That sounds easier and less messy. But I am going to have the good stuff and there is no looking back!
Lordy, that makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck, folks leaving fires unattended even in metal drums. We have neighbors down the road who used to spend a lot of time making bonfires. My husband always called them the firebugs. They would frequently go off to another part of their property and leaves the fires unattended. We called the fire department on them a couple of times and so did other neighbors. I haven’t seen a fire over there in a long time.
Wow – fire boots! Could you send a link to some, please? I probably won’t buy them unless they can be used for something else, too, but it would be good to know about.
I had considered a paintball gun (remember how fun those were), but wouldn’t want to raise eyebrows about all the sudden multi-colored deer in the neighborhood. Possibly illegal, too.
Oh, boy! I am always interested in the summer kitchen. We talk and talk about making one, but there is no time and, actually, no place right now as we have 75ft (23m) x 25ft (8m) of baby fig trees behind the house right now (4,000 of them, soon to be 2,000 more) and that is where the summer kitchen would have to go.
I have cooked up the first fall green beans. The summer ones have been done for almost 2 months. My mid-summer-planted corn is looking good, but it has a few stinkbugs – easy to squash – but also corn earworms, Corn earworms can quickly ruin everything. I thought I remembered that one is supposed to put mineral oil on the tassels, or something. When I went looking on the internet, this is the first thing that came up.
https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/ipd/small/items/show/101
Pam
Chris,
Once upon an eon, it was normal for us to have some rain somewhere between August 7 and 20. It signified a probable temperature break from the worst of summer, and it occurred most years. One of the local outdoor writers recently mentioned that the recent storms are the first time we’ve had such a weather system in at least 15 years. He has kept records for over 60 years, by the way. And this year’s event was several weeks later than it used to be.
Thinking about that. In my mind, the hotter and more arid conditions are the future. About the same time that the August rain ceased is when we began having smoke from Oregon and Canada sit over us for months at a time. Did this year’s locally derived smoke help provide the rain? Maybe. Did the lack of Oregon and Canada smoke also signify that an older atmospheric pattern was prevalent this year? Maybe. Combo of the two? Maybe. Something else? Dunno.
Zaphod had a very hard edge to him sometimes, especially where Arthur was concerned. Yet that quip in the restaurant was hilarious. The location and the timing, right? Arthur got on with Ford Prefect so much better than with Zaphod. Of course, that would probably be true for most people.
Serving enough food and the establishment’s liquor license allows for serving spirits in addition to wine and beer. Some of the beer/wine pubs have good food, even if the choices are limited. Back in my university days locally, the physics profs would meet us at a small pub in downtown Cheney. They bought the beer. One student always brought large bags of peanuts, 1 salted, 1 unsalted. The pub offered inexpensive popcorn if the popcorn machine wasn’t broken. If one wanted something more substantial, it was a saunter up to the bar and the barkeep would ask, “How many orders?” After the response, he would dump the required amount of chicken and thick cut potatoes into the deep fat fryer. Unhealthy oils, very saturated and greasy food, but those chicken and “jo jos” meals sure tasted awesome. That was their entire menu. Popcorn or chicken and jo jos.
Other signs for the entrances to my preferred work environment would include “I’d turn back if I were you”. “Don’t antagonize the residents. Survivors will be persecuted. Prosecution takes too long.”
I know as a fact that there was no “phase locked loop” circuit. It was meant to whet the appetite of the novice and no more. It did what it was intended for, plus it was an enjoyable project.
My friend the electronics tech was devastated about what happened to my radio. He said that it was the only time that he neglected to blow out the circuit with compressed air followed by a second visual inspection. So, having neither a functional transmitter nor the funds to purchase one, I allowed my amateur license to lapse. Such is life.
I had very low power 27 Mhz CB walkie talkies when young, as we did back then. A neighbor had a rig that was the maximum 5 watts. One of his sons scrounged a digital amplifier to boost to over 1 kilowatt, highly illegal. He was rather obnoxious on his dad’s CB, interrupting those of us who were already on the channel. However, he didn’t know who I was, and I knew his nickname from elementary school. He never did figure out who kept calling him “Dog Doo” over the radio. My other walkie talkie pals joined in, so “Dog Doo” eventually changed to a different CB channel.
I never found out who gave him that nickname or why.
Actually, my friend from university and Albuquerque days is fine the last I heard. After retiring from the military, his wife got a job as a nurse in a small town hospital north of Spokane. We’ve chatted on the phone a few times but never truly reconnected.
In further “small world” events, one of his military friends had gotten assigned to the air force base near Spokane and retired from there. He later got a job at the County in the surveyor section of engineers. Our paths crossed regularly, so we told lots of stories about our mutual friend.
Warm today. After the cold and wet it felt almost hot. Tomorrow will be warm also, but there is supposed to be another wind storm most of the day.
More green shoots appearing. Yes!
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Hey, I’ve never tried the used motor oil either, but lanolin in a can is a whole bunch cheaper and nicer. Don’t tell anyone, but I’m keeping the used motor oil for treating any timber we mill up over the next year or two. That stuff makes wood last in the ground, apparently. The old timers used to mix it with diesel…
You won’t look back, and the tools and their cutting edges, will thank you for the extra care and attention, by not rusting and staying sharper.
Ain’t just you, my hair was feeling rather distressed at such carelessness. It’s all nice and stuff to set off the fire, but rather unwise to leave the thing. The authoritas take a dim view of that act if the situation gets out of hand. Your neighbour would have been charged if that was down here, and such things stick like glue and effect a persons life. And what do you do? If I may add, some people have to learn things, the hard way, but if they’ve stopped, then it was worth all the hassle.
Fire boots are a good idea, if it’s a possible risk. Hang on a second… … This is an Australian mob, but you’ll get the idea. All of the boots on this page have heat resistant soles, some more than others. I got the wildland 180mm (7 inch) boots and they live up to the specifications: Fire & Essential Services By the way 300’C is 572’F – and that’s hot.
I’ve only played paintball once, and it was complete mayhem. The deer, would they notice their new funky bright primary colour scheme? Makes you wonder doesn’t it?
Well, you’re in for a treat, because work began on the new summer kitchen today. It was messy, put it that way and the dogs lost their kennels which they never use. That’s a lot of figs. Hope they can all be protected from the winter conditions in that spot?
Beans are lovely, and how did you cook them up? I’ve had them boiled, grilled and also fried. All nice, but fried was the best. Take that you naughty stinkbugs, and the name sounds a bit scary… How circular is that treatment, as we’re back to oil again, although mineral oil is hardly used motor oil… A bit cleaner actually. I don’t get a lot of garden insect pests, but more than make up for it with hungry birds. The cockatoos were at it again this morning.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Ah, a stable and predictable climate is a wonderful thing, and to be honest, it’s not anything that I’ve ever experienced – one year here in way resembles the previous. But yeah, local records most certainly tell the local stories, and hey you got the rain which is a great thing. Although if the records are suggesting a longer term drying trend, then maybe that’s how it will be and I reckon won’t impact your rivers, but the aquifer would be an issue.
Is it correct that Spokane is a description for: ‘Children of the Sun’? Or did someone make that up?
The effect with the smoke usually takes a little while before you begin to see the impact in terms of greater precipitation. Interestingly, the fires down here last summer in this state, were almost (but not quite) of the same land size as what happened on your entire west coast, but the rains returned in force during March, and the snow season was terrible. So, a mixed bag. You might get a wet winter, like I do some years? Last year was a relatively dry winter.
Zaphod’s number one concern was himself! 🙂 Hehe! Ford Prefect was also self absorbed, but had a much softer side and was almost protective of Arthur.
Ah, pubs down here usually are expected to serve a lunch and dinner, like a proper meal, even it is just a basic pub feed staple like say: Chicken Schnitty and chips (a schnitzel by way of explanation). But they’ll serve you spirits whether you’re eating or not, unless they decide to cut a customer off – which can happen if a person becomes unruly.
Hehe! Fun stuff, and after a beer has dulled the palate, would the state of the oil used in the deep fryer be known? Probably. Now thick cut deep fried potatoes are awesome, there is no question regarding their general awesomeness – it’s known and I prefer them to what you’d call fries, and we’d call French fires. Chips are big, and tasty. You’d all consumed the meal of champion physicists during such evenings and as an uncomprehending bystander, I’d marvel at the free flowing ideas! 🙂 Like, how old is this universe thing anyway? I heard that being discussed on the radio science hour this morning, and the most excellent answer, almost as awesome as the chips, was: We don’t really know. Wouldn’t it be awful if we did know? Cue the Total Perspective Vortex!
Hey, how about the Bugblatter Beast of Traal can be found beyond this portal! 😉
I knew the circuit wasn’t there, and such radios whetted my appetite at a young age too. The funny thing is that I never really understood how they worked, and wouldn’t have a clue as to how to design one from scratch, but can make one using instructions and / or repair the thing. When I was a kid, repairing stuff was an economic approach to life, which you know, I’ve never really shaken loose. It pains me to throw out stuff which is beyond economic repair, and was never designed to be saved in the first place. That’s why I stick to the stuff from the 90’s and earlier – it’s just robust electronics.
Your friend felt bad about the repair, mostly because he’d have felt responsible, but once it’s shorted out, so many components would have failed. Were you once competent with morse code? Back in the day with licenses, they used to demand that skill, although things have probably changed since then. You can’t do everything in life, can you? I’d have dropped it too being just another cost.
Did I read that correctly? 1kW! Yikes, now that would attract some trouble on that band, and I thought 100W was pushing things! Makes you wonder what the nickname meant, but you know it’s not a good story, is it? 🙂 Down here they used to offer that AM frequency with upper and lower side bands at 12W, which if the atmosphere was just right, could skip signals off the ionosphere a long, long way. Do people even use these rigs nowadays? Interesting…
Good to hear, and sorry about that, I was getting this in the past vibe with your friend, and had assumed the worst. Oops! If I may say so, friends at a distance who can’t call and/or write, tend to be lost to time.
No way! It is a small world. Fun stuff.
Fingers crossed that your impending wind storm at least has the common decency to bring some rain. Not too much to ask, is it?
Began work on the new summer kitchen this morning. A lot of cleaning… And adios to two dog kennels which haven’t been used for years.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
So not good with Nick’s place apparently falling into a sink hole. The photos were alarming, and given it’d be close to the coast, I’d not want to be there during say a King tide. The portable toilet at the bottom of the hole looked a miniature. You could see the concrete piles holding the building up. At a wild guess, it’d be a write off. Still, nobody was hurt, that we know of. It’d be hard to get back out of a sink hole if you’d fallen in and survived. The surface edges would be at risk of caving in further.
The find of the remains of young Roman bloke in the large vessel tells a tale of woe. He might have been trapped in there, but my gut feeling is that the fire did him in first. You’re not wrong, that’s a bad day.
That story fits the bill for stupid and unexpected. Sounds like it was a close call. Don’t you reckon a lot of these systems work under the premise: Now let’s assume that everything will be perfect. Until it isn’t. The decade on the motorbike kind of inured me to such frights, but every now and then things go wrong, or you have a bad moment. Kind of like how it rolled with the previous two paragraphs.
Hard to know really, but does it matter. A couple of years ago I mentioned to you a local song, which was an advertisement (but struck a wider chord) for train safety called: Dumb ways to die Quite amusing, and unfortunately serious.
Ha! Man, they wouldn’t take a personal cheque for such a purchase down under. Not at all. Nope. Doesn’t happen. Wouldn’t happen. Complete dreamland. Trust is that low. When I bought the Suzuki Dirt Rat, they didn’t want a bank cheque, which is as official as it gets. Nope I had to transfer the money electronically and hope nothing went wrong. A nerve wracking moment, because if they don’t trust me, why should I trust them? So I did some background checks on the business and they got a green light so, into the breach, as you may say.
I offered cash too, but a lot of risk, and they didn’t want that.
If you think a car is bad, they do the same thing with a house purchase and electronic transfers. Multiply the stress by several factors and there is a lot to go wrong. Real life horror stories.
I must add, that the universe did me a solid with that opportunity. Nah, it was nothing that sleazy, more something very foolish (in my opinion) which was the opposite of the person’s job. Very unwise of the individual.
You’d hope so wouldn’t you? And I take a review rating in the 90% range as a thumbs up. On that note, I took a leaf out of my grandfather’s book and implemented a ‘no d#$kheads policy’ with our business. Still, I mentioned to you a few years ago that my business was trolled by a person who wasn’t even a customer, like how can that even happen? I tracked the bloke down and politely asked him to desist, and tried to get the review site to take down the nonsense, but they said I had to reply. I don’t think so, and deleted the entry, which is a pain. We’re going old school with advertising in the local papers, it’s a nicer format. This tech advertising experience is a bit poop. It was better in the past, early on.
Who knew about the shrimp? Small chance of that risk here. 🙂 Dude, the cheese… Dame Plum can sense from the other end of the house, when the cheese container is opened (we store the stuff in plastic containers in the fridge). It’s uncanny and should be tested and rated by distance from the kitchen. You go H, and she’s clearly obedient. Sir Poopy would exit the kitchen on command, and immediately return. He did what I asked him to do…
Exactly, nobody has buttermilk on hand, and it’s not a common ingredient down under. The vinegar would do the trick nicely I reckon. You can make fetta cheese that way.
I’m not saying the European honey bees are slack, but maybe… Your weather would be almost perfect for them.
Has pumpkin spice become a food fad, on the decline? It’s not heard of down here, mostly because we don’t associate pumpkin with dessert. It’s a savoury only vegetable. Good for dogs apparently.
Whoa! Wasn’t that sunflower a seed only a month or two back? No wonder it needs tying up. Makes me wonder how they get those huge wall of mammoth sunflower plants growing? They’re massive. I note that your beans have defeated the worst that the slugs could throw at them.
Well done with the phone! 🙂
Frida got a look in as well, but like you, I too appreciate realism, or at least nothing too abstract. My brain isn’t wired properly for such inexplicable art.
Got to work on the new summer kitchen today. Burned off two dog kennels which the dawgs haven’t used in years. Then pressure washed the entire area. The plans for the area, have begun! Actually just cleaning it all up took most of the day. A bit of soil has to be excavated from behind the house as the levels are wrong and in really heavy storms, the drainage pit floods and a bit of water washes under the house – which is no big deal as it sits off the ground, but still, not great either.
I’ll remove the drainage pit, block it off further upstream in the pipe system, and then correct the soil levels so excess water flows harmlessly out into the courtyard instead. Better to have a passive system which just works in heavy storms. They happen often enough. It’ll take a few months to do, because we want to put all that soil to some good use – on a new path project.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Well, here’s a sinkhole story, that happened a few years ago. Sticks in the mind.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/13/us/florida-sinkhole-reopens
A large part of the S. California coast is getting really battered. It’s been in the news, the last couple of days.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/whole-beach-gone-big-waves-182542462.html
There’s some big plans to rework the Chehalis downtown traffic patterns. It’s supposed to “revitalize” us, or something. Maybe could have used the money to fix the potholes in the side streets?
I’m also very leery of off the main roads, intersections. I don’t care if they’re two way, or four way stops. I treat them all as uncontrolled. Probably due to an accident I had, in Seattle, way back around 1969. I had the right-of-way, but, a 2 ton Seattle City Light truck, apparently didn’t heed the stop sign on the cross street. I saw him at the last moment, slammed on my breaks. I still slid into him, right between his wheels. It crunched the whole left side (driver’s side, here), of my little yellow Volkswagen, that only had 350 miles on it. Luckily, I always lock my door, as I hit it so hard, it bowed outward, and blistered the paint. The window came in on me. Anywho. City of Seattle paid big bucks, to restore my little car back to almost new, condition. Hence, I’m leery of any off the main roads, intersections. And there’s a few main intersections, that due to buildings are pretty “blind.” I really slow down for those, too.
LOL. That “Dumb Ways to Die,” is really a hoot. They missed selfies and scenic cliff views. 🙂 Although, judging from the age of the post, it wasn’t such a thing back then. Did you see the number of views?
Often, some business or another, wants payment by poking around in my bank account. Not happening. Credit card, or nothing. My phone is like that. Every month they ask if I want to switch from a credit card payment. Nope. Besides, I like to know what my checking account balance is, at all times.
Ah! I think I see. A case of, “Do what I say, not what I do.” 🙂 Always a bad look.
Local papers are the way to go. You may even want to look at their on-line versions. Maybe, even a billboard? Here, we have these new fangled electronic billboards. Frequently rotating ads, along major roads. There’s even one, between here and the Club. But, I suppose they’re pretty pricy. Though I’ve noticed even local small businesses, use them.
First you tell me you don’t have applesauce, and now you’re telling me you don’t have pumpkin pie? How about sweet potato pie, which is a reasonable facsimile. Sort of. Pumpkin pie, with vanilla ice cream on top, or whipped cream, is the bomb. Perhaps you should introduce it to Australia. Your fortune would be made! 🙂
Between here and the library (about 10 blocks) are two or three Mammoth sunflower “fences,” lined up along a property front. They’re about three meters tall. Mine are just over two meters tall. I saw one lone European honey bee (or, a close cousin), working one over, this morning.
My green beans are hardly up the trellis, but I noticed some blossoms, this morning.
Our high yesterday was 82F (27.77C). Our overnight low was 55F (12.77C). Our forecast high for today is 72F. OK. I guess it’s official. I saw, and heard, a large flock of geese, heading south, this morning.
Also, you may remember the cyst or boil, or whatever it is, that appears on my back, every fall. How depressing. I think this is the 8th or 9th year. So, coming up, a couple of weeks of trying to get a bandaid on, where I can’t quit reach, or see it. And rounds of scrubbing out the back of my shirts, before laundry, to get the stains out. I’ve recorded both geese and cyst, on the calendar. Never thought to track either, before.
It sounds like you’re getting your big summer projects, lined up. A summer kitchen! How cool. Lew
Chris:
I don’t think I have heard of treating timber with used motor oil. It seems like it would work. I know you already know about charred wood, but I wouldn’t think it would last as long as oil, certainly not below ground. It’s a lot of work to do, also.
That’s one hefty boot, and handsome, too. Is that what you wore when you were a volunteer fireman? Thanks.
These were green beans, and so young and tender that I did nothing to them but simmer them in water for a little while; no herbs or anything. Then I ate them just like that.
In the first 1 minute of this video, you will see a Solar Kiln for drying firewood. I had never heard of such a thing, but saw lots on the internet when I Iooked. Some even had fans inside, like I would guess Martha Stewart would :). I think thosepanels are like on a greenhouse. One minute is enough to get an idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkAHw6TkVUI
Looking forward to your summer kitchen!
Pam
Chris:
And with the solar kiln: Go to here to see it with the doors open. You are looking at the back in what I first sent you and can’t see the greenhouse panels.
https://youtu.be/VkAHw6TkVUI?t=192
Pam
Chris,
The 50ish year prognostications I’ve seen related to climate change suggest several things for this area. First, longer and drier summers. Second, wetter winters with less snowfall. Rainfall in Spokane, for example, might have annual rainfall increase from 16.5 inches to nearly20 inches. with snowfall cut in half or worse. Third, this will have impacts for summer water levels in the rivers, including the Spokane.
Regarding the aquifer in that scenario. The aquifer begins in Lake Pend Oreille near Sandpoint, Idaho. Flows into the aquifer would then be concentrated into fewer months due to decreased snowfall and less summer rains. However, more inflow than currently during the wet season. Apparently, the aquifer travels about 60 feet per day. The aquifer is fed by the Spokane River at places upstream of Sullivan Road in Spokane Valley. That Post Falls Dam we discussed some time back regulates river flow through that area. My prediction is that as the river flows become even lesser than this year there will be some negative impact to the aquifer eventually, perhaps becoming apparent in a decade or two.
The joker in the deck is AI data centers. There is a local fight about one of these right now. Both electricity and water are huge factors. Knowing how local government works, by the time the public hears about a “proposed plan”, said “proposed plan” is past the proposal stage. I think that after one giant AI data center is located here, more will inevitably follow. Nasty effects to the aquifer will happen quickly once that happens.
This winter? I wouldn’t be surprised with it wet and warm or dry and warm. Less snowfall than normal in either case. The last 5 “giant el ninos” have all dropped less than average snowfall, some of them less snow than last year’s meager 20 inches. I think wet, warm, low snowfall.
We went to our favorite pub for dinner tonight. We shared their nachos, which are pretty good. Their salsa is very good. The Princess got her hair done late in the afternoon, so it was time for a meal out. I’m stuffed.
Oh, our physics pub discussions? Usually, we split into two groups. One group talked computers, the other astrophysics. I often sat in the middle and mostly drank beer, ate peanuts, drank beer. Occasionally the astrophysics group got into things I liked, such as the aurorae or even venturing into geophysics. I felt more at home with those things.
Recently read an article about the shape of the geoid, a geophysics staple. We spent three weeks on that in my senior level geophysics course. I found it to be exceedingly dreary and boring. I wasn’t alone. Somebody (NOT me!) asked the prof if there was a purpose for this. He answered that knowing the shape of the earth and the heights of mountains as precisely as possible helped with the design of missiles and such. Which got the come back from the same student (still NOT me.) “So a nuclear missile misses its target by 3 meters. Does that really matter?” The prof conceded that it really didn’t. Eventually we moved on to more interesting things like earthquakes, vulcanology (without Mr. Spock), oil and mineral exploration, and some basic planetology.
Reading that article recently brought back memories of boredom, glazed eyes, and wishing that I had a giant coffee to ward off sleep during that class. Yes, the article made me sleep. 😉
I understand the point of the Total Perspective Vortex. Yes, that was funny. Still is. Maybe it’s just me, but the idea that I am just one tiny living being on Earth which is simply an insignificant planet in a backwater solar system in an otherwise nondescript galaxy in a rather ginormously infinite universe never really bothered me. Maybe that has something to do with my late summer evenings on my parents’ front porch, staring into the sky at Antares, about 550 light years from Earth. Even at 9 years of age, I knew that was a mind-boggling distance, and that many stars are much further away. I quickly realized that I am rather insignificant in comparison with a universe of that size. Yet I know a few people who went through existential crises when they first realized that fact as adults.
Thanks. The Ravenous Bugblatter Beast is another favorite. That’s one that should team up with the Killer Rabbit and a Vogon Constructor Fleet.
Morse Code? That’s all I used. I had used a borrowed transmitter for a couple years. I used a straight key, not a paddle. Dad brought the straight key back from Germany after World War 2. I routinely sent and received at 15 to 18 words per minute, although my license only required 5 words per minute to qualify.
That borrowed transmitter had power input to the antenna between 50 and 90 watts. I had contacts all over the western USA and one contact from Minnesota. It was fun.
I bought a good quality shortwave receiver 25 years back. Still listen to it some. When the conditions were right, I could listen to 27 Mhz CB folks from Mississippi and Tennessee. I think some people still use them, but not like they used to.
No rain today, but the wind wasn’t anywhere near as nasty as what had been forecast. Rain expected Saturday night into Sunday morning.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
Checking out the solar kiln… … Yeah, the setup looks pretty good for that task, and the boards sure would dry out nicely with all that free solar heat. Candidly, the dark grey wood shed we constructed here in March / April, would kinda work the same and you may note that the folks had to install vents, lot’s of vents. We get firewood down to about 14% moisture content, and I’ve tested kiln dried lumber used in furniture at around 12%. The digital meters are a useful device. And I looked upon their timber mill with a sense of envy. 🙂
That solar kiln did resemble a greenhouse, yup. Dark roofs would have a similar effect, but truly, milled timber can cure outdoors in the weather if stacked neatly with air between the boards. It’s just a slower process.
The old timers used to mix the old motor oil with fresh diesel fuel and then paint it on the parts of the posts below ground level. It’s a toxic mix, and it’d be a tough fungi or insect critter which could survive in that stuff. On the other hand, diesel is pretty expensive and in my travels today noticed it had edged back up to AU$2.64 / Litre (or US$7.02 / Gallon). It sure did make me thankful for the little petrol powered small engine Suzuki Dirt Rat. The even littler Dirt Mouse was out of action because it had a flat tyre (tire in US parlance), discovered this morning.
What a poop! Changed the entire course of the day, because it’s a twenty minute drive one-way to the local lovely tire folks to drop off. Whilst I was out and about, I went a bit further again and nabbed another load of fertilisers and some other stuff. I’d planned to have the day off any and all work, but getting a tire fixed is work, and not done for enjoyment! 🙂 Had to go back and pick it up again later in the day, and it’s nice to have a local mob who’ve I’ve used for almost two decades.
Got the summer kitchen all sorted out too this afternoon. Looking sweet, and working even better. Fried a Tortilla Española (Spanish Egg and Potato Omelette) this evening outdoors. Yum! But best eaten cold, seriously.
Lots of paid work was required to be done as well, so we threw our hands up in the air, accepted reality, and just did what needed doing. Mind you, the weather was superb. Oh well.
Nope, I can’t recall the brand that we got as volunteer firefighters, but the leather wasn’t as comfortable as these ones. Even small fires are challenging for the more usual boot soles, as you’d have discovered. The firefighting boot may have been this one: Work Series #997. It also came with a leather protective shield over the laces, and a side zip, both are good ideas.
Lovely! Blanched garden fresh beans are a delight. Yum! Just got my seed order in the mail today. Silverbeet + Radish + Open Pollinated Corn + Buckwheat. Keen to get them in the ground, although it is a bit early for corn and buckwheat.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Thanks for the in-depth local analysis of the current prognostications. 🙂 Did you know that from my perspective, your Spokane River is quite large. That’s my thinking as well, if river flows decline, then so to will the aquifer, because I get the impression that it is replenished from the river and vice versa and isn’t some large and ancient water basin. These things are complicated. The map of the aquifer shows it sits in the lowlands where the river runs: Spokane Valley–Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. It’s been my observation that as we edge ever closer to 2030, predictions have naturally been pushed out to 2050, which probably isn’t a good look. Oh well, not how I’d do things.
Those behemoths are an issue down here in the big smoke too – and they use dam water and a desalination plant (which also requires much-o electricity). The awful thing in your case is if the water once used for cooling, gets pumped back into the aquifer. But truly, the economics of those things make very little sense to me, so I have some doubts that all the ones on the plans will be constructed. There seems to be a lot of disagreement as to their effective economic life for the chipsters. Is it 6 years, or only an average of 3? Hard to know, but I reckon we’ll find out. And the dive into debt bingeing with that lot, is an issue.
Interesting, and time will tell what happens with your winter climate, or summer here, but the media sure is hyping this one up. Smoke from the Indonesian fires is drifting south, and may actually reduce the evaporation in the Indian Ocean in the short term – where a lot of rainfall here originates. We’ll see how it goes. Mind you, a storm is arriving late Sunday from the cold Southern Ocean, 10mm they reckon.
🙂 Sounds like a fun day you two had. Always wise to make time for quality nachos, and yeah salsa can vary, so if it’s good and fresh = yummo! That’s today’s equation.
We’d planned to take today off any and all work, except the Suzuki Dirt Mouse had a flat rear tyre. Took it down to the local tyre mob (lovely folks) to get repaired. There’s heaps of life left in the rubber, it looked like a chance bolt ripped into it. Oh well. Anyway, whilst driving around the place I picked up another load of fertiliser and grabbed a replacement tap (spigot) for the chicken enclosure. The brass thread had stripped – who even knew that was possible? Got the summer kitchen ready to go, and the Editor did mostly paid work. Not quite a day off, but mustn’t grumble, and back to work tomorrow.
I like geophysics too, a very practical way to view the world. There is an interesting utoob channel ‘OzGeology’ about this corner of the planet, and there is some fun stuff to be seen. Around here living on the side of an extinct super volcano, it is hard to ignore the forces of nature! Those discussions would have piqued my interest as well, and I appreciate the tangibility of the subject matter.
Now that is a subject which has not crossed my path before (geoid), and may not again. I resisted the many articles of deep rabbit holeness, and survived. Yours was a most fine observation as to the lack of accuracy, yeah, who’d notice? I see that they’re not boning up on their Star Trek lore, and this is to their detriment. There may even be an exam you know! 😉 Oh far out, but you’ve discovered a tried and true method of sleep: “After article, he felt entirely somnolent.”
Man, I used to love sci-fi, and still do, the ones that focus on narrative and people, and where tech is a background incidental bit player. Unfortunately, that is old school stuff, oh well. Antares? Sadly I’d not be able to pinpoint it’s position in the sky at a particular time, but Venus, now that lady is hard to ignore for she is putting on a rather bright showing in the sky this month.
Like the missile missing its target by 3m, does it really matter how large and epic the universe is? I can appreciate the wonder of that, without hankering for more. I’ve heard that desire too: ‘about getting off this rock’, which is a bizarre way to view the only hospitable planet in the solar system. We’d be pretty quickly dead anywhere else, so probably aren’t meant to be there.
Hehe! A fine trio of trouble you’ve painted there. Talk about a seriously bad day meeting all three at once, and would the Vogon poetry be the worst?
Well done you, and did you find that learning morse code was similar to learning another language? It is a fun hobby, and I used to enjoy the old CB gear and chats.
There’s been some interesting changes in that 27MHz sphere, down here at least. They’ve introduced FM (in addition to AM, and SSB) – which would be heaps clearer, and also radio to radio computer communications. It’d be dial up speed, but still, an interesting development.
Always nice to dodge a wind storm and hope you get the rain over the weekend. It was a really lovely day here, I’m guessing around 18’C. Nice to feel some warmth from the sun.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Hey, there’s a good reason not to move to that sunny state! Holy carp, but that makes a lot of sense, weak acids hollow out the limestone bedrock. The caves would be pretty, but that isn’t the point. That bloke who disappeared into the sinkhole in that article suffered a pretty nasty fate, and on a long enough time frame, may even end up fossilised. In the news today, someone discovered a rare fossilised feather at Hell Creek: Fossilised dinosaur poo contains stunningly preserved feather. I’ve always wondered how out of all of the dinosaurs, the birds survived that day and subsequent decade.
Whoa! You know, there was some video footage of Nick’s alleged house and you could see the waves crashing under it. Very few constructions can hold back the ocean. I wonder at what point a lot of ocean frontage property gets abandoned? Chucking huge rocks onto what’s left of the shoreline is a temporary and seriously expensive measure. Check out some of these photos from down under: Sea level rise threatens more than a quarter of a million properties as bill surges to $855b.
People always get in my ear about the fire risk, but at least that can be reduced with a lot of hard work, but a rising ocean, I don’t think so man.
Ha! Potholes, don’t talk to me about potholes! Just ripping off Marvin the Paranoid Android there, but we have the same issues in this state as what you mentioned. I’d imagine that Peak Oil and rising energy prices would impact upon bitumen production as well? I’d suggest that things will get worse on that front.
And today, on that note, my one day off was hijacked due to the little Suzuki car having a flat tire. Not much else to be done, so I took the car down to the nice local tire folks and left it with them. Repaired nicely, and picked it up later in the day. Given the plans for the day were shot, I went a bit further down the road and picked up another load of fertiliser and some hardware. I can’t recall if I mentioned it, but the other day they were almost out of blood and bone meal and I grabbed the last bag. Needn’t have worried, there was a full pallet of the stuff today.
Got a replacement brass spigot for the chicken enclosure. It was really weird because the original handle was threaded and couldn’t be shut off properly. Never seen that before, but noticed that in the big box store they sold two types which looked identical, but one was slightly more expensive. Went with my gut feeling there. 😉
The fix up took a while for a simple garden tap replacement. Oh well, when things go smoothly, it is a cause for celebration! Actually, the summer kitchen is all set up now and we tested it with a Tortilla Española (Spanish Egg and Potato Omelette). The chickens are on the lay right now, and we have five dozen eggs in the pantry… Ook! Well, had two each boiled with lunch, and they were very tasty. That’s the fun side about eating in season, until late January, there are lots of eggs.
Presumably politicians love delivering new projects, rather than maintaining the existing stuff? That seems to be the case down here as well…
Holy carp! What a story, and you were lucky to walk from that interaction with the truck. You would have been seriously battered and bruised though I’d imagine? And you did get lucky locking the door then, for if you were physically thrown onto the road, the chances would be slim. Like you, I’m wary of intersections as well, and the old timers used to warn of the dangers of crossroads. Things are faster nowadays, but the peril is still there. Your sort of incident, really never leaves you and in some ways, trust is gone don’t you reckon?
Hehe! We shouldn’t be laughing about the song, but it is funny in a macabre sort of way. If we converted it from bright primary colours to black and white cartoons, I believe Mr Gorey would have enjoyed it too. 🙂 And yeah, that’s a lot of views. Yup. A local artist has a song which has racked up 2.7 billion views. It’s quite iconic, and was done over two days. I’d have been rather emotional after that stretch of time too. Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra) [Official Music Video]. Definitely filmed the old school way, no computer graphics, and it shows. Clever stuff.
Well, that’s a bigger and bigger issue, and forms part of all those long terms and conditions we don’t quite get around to reading but agree to anyway. Some companies down here demand payment that way. It bothers me that stuff, but most people seem pretty chill about it all. Dunno. The goobermint recently introduced a change a few months ago – I may have mentioned it – but it forces us professionals to process similar transactions straight from client bank accounts. I can’t but help imagine that this may be the start of something larger.
Exactly! And it was job related too, which made no sense to me at all. Why did they take the risk? Baffling.
Yeah, nah, nobody is going to look for the sort of services we provide based on a billboard, maybe. I’d probably prefer to come across as solid and dependable, and just that we’re there, if you know what I mean. What I mostly hear from new customers is that they just couldn’t get in touch with their previous mob. It really is that simple and common. I’ve never quite understood how to phrase that point of difference in an ad. Do you have any ideas on that front? As to billboards, I have observed that other firms ‘sponsor’ local footy or netball teams, and have their signage as part of that around the sports fields. It’s not as expensive as you’d imagine.
No! Sweet potato is one of those vegetables favoured by the low-carb folks, so I doubt it’ll be well received as a dessert ingredient! 🙂 Hehe! I’m being serious. The truth I believe is that the tuber has a moderate amount of carbs, but I’d stick to the more usual potatoes grown in quality soil, which can reach around 11% protein, I believe. Much depends upon how the tuber was grown though, and most would be far less than that number I reckon given how carp soils are these days.
Two of your NFL teams played locally today, and I believe a hundred thousand capacity crowd viewed the game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground – not a bad turnout for a weekday. The weather was glorious for the game, although I didn’t follow any of it, just heard about it on the news.
When mammoth sunflowers get big, they sure do end up huge. I know not how people grow the plants that tall, but it is an impressive sight, yeah.
Beans are fast, and may surprise you over the next couple of weeks (although sadly your growing season is coming to a close). Oh hey, on that note, the summer seed order arrived in the mail today. Yay! I’ll trial buckwheat this summer, and see how it goes.
Oh poop! You’ve been a stalwart with that cyst over the years, and hope it dries up and stops bothering you.
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Yucatan has a lot of sink holes. They’re called cenotes. The Maya used to throw in a lot of bling, and people, to keep the gods satisfied. National Geographic did extensive articles, years ago, on stuff recovered. Florida has some sink holes, filled with prehistoric bones.
That was quit the article about prehistoric feathers. Scientists will be taking a closer look, at dinosaur poop. 🙂
That was quit the article about coastal erosion. All those multi-million dollar properties. Oh, well, I suppose if they can afford them in the first place, they can afford the losses. In our articles, I saw several mentions of Dana Point. Which is a neighborhood close to Laguna Beach. (Interesting factoid, for your next pub quiz. Why Dana Point? Richard Henry Dana, Jr. Wrote a very popular seafaring tale, back in the 1800s. “Two Years Before the Mast.”) Back when I was managing a bookstore in California, one of my young employees, and her brother (I think they were Trustafarians), bought a house in Dana Point. I went to their housewarming party. Not on the water, well up the slope. But still, a great ocean view.
But I digress. I wonder why the article thinks carbon emissions will peak, in 2040? And, of course, insurance was mentioned.
I try and stick to the side streets that are less damaged. Not that any of them are less damaging to an old man’s bladder. 🙂
So much for a day off. But, you got a lot of domestic stuff, taken care of. Today is a “make coffee” day, and a “make oatmeal day.” Walnuts on the rotation schedule, after lunch.
What did I read, recently? Big new projects are sexy. Maintenance, not so much.
Yes, I hit the door hard, with my shoulder, which caused the bowing. Oddly, the bruise showed up on my opposite shoulder. Physics, or something. The window was safety glass, so it “cubed.” I can still remember, I stepped out of the car. Had my shirt tucked in my pants. Pulled it out, and glass, that had gone down my collar, rained down. Often, when I get to an intersection, and another car shows up at the same time, I wave them on through. Even if I have the right of way. I’m not in that much of a hurry.
That was quit the song of angsty young love. I liked that line about “can’t we still be friends.” I used to hear that, a lot. Early on, I established a policy of giving a firm “No,” to that question.
Younger people seem chill, and just shrug off glitches and nonsense on the net. And with the software. Hardware. “That’s just the way things are.” Doesn’t seem to cross their minds that it’s not necessarily how things need to be.
It’s the 25th anniversary of 9/11. So, a lot of media coverage. A lot of it makes the point that anyone under 25, missed out on the impact of the initial event.
“We respond to inquiries?” I think I’ve mentioned, that my friends daughter who is an estate agent, is quit successful. Because she’s responsive. Yes, advertising at sports events, sounds like a good idea. Captive audience. 🙂 But, you’ll have to think of some cleaver graphic, to catch attention. Maybe, a close up of your grinning teeth? 🙂
NFL? Basketball? Baseball? Not a sports fan, here. I stopped by the Club, last night. to visit with the counter person. There was some game on, but, presently, the big screen is well away from the counter.
There is a suggestion page, on the Club website. The pantry was mentioned. So, we talked about that. I said it would come back, as soon as the “bones” of the Club had settled, a bit more. And, I get the go-ahead, from the powers that be.
Also, there’s been some talk of banning dogs from the Club. I was assured, that isn’t aimed at well behaved dogs, like Dawg. LOL. I told them I’d just do what other people do. Get on-line and get a bogus service dog certificate, and even a little bogus service dog coat for her. 🙂
How to grow the big sunflowers? Well, you just put the seeds in the ground … 🙂 I harvested my one zucchini, last night. Big green is about a foot long. I see there “may” be some action on the yellow zucchini bush. Maybe, two coming on. I only saw one pollinator, buzzing around the garden. I picked my first tomatillo, this morning. Or, more like I picked it off the ground. Last night, I picked all the ripe cherry tomatoes. A lot of them, were split.
Our high yesterday was 68F (20C). Our overnight low was 48F (8.88C). Our forecast high for today is 69F. It’s supposed to start raining, early tomorrow morning. But currently, as they say, the clouds look “pregnant with possibilities.”
Might be a popcorn night. “Supergirl” is in the stack. It didn’t get very good reviews, but I think, as with “The Bride,” there’s a bit of misogyny going on.
I checked the library “new, on order” pages, yesterday. “The End of Oak Street” popped up. You might remember … dinosaurs, the suburbs. I figure the library will receive it, in two or three months.
And, an article that might disturb your sleep. 🙂
https://tech.yahoo.com/ai/articles/asked-ai-could-kill-humanity-155428972.html
I read somewhere else, that a company stopped its a i from furnishing instructions for a bio weapon. Well, as long as they’re on the job, I suppose all is well. Though website moderators seem to be an endangered species.
And, an article to help you sleep better. 🙂
https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/where-on-earth-is-safest-from-global-catastrophe
Although the folks from “On the Beach” might disagree. Lew
Chris:
Ah! A solar kiln is overkill. You did such a fantastic job with your latest firewood shed – who am I to instruct the master? I just love seeing practical things.
Yes, the timber mill is pretty impressive, but they have had trouble with it. It was bought, not made.
I noticed that our petrol had gone up 30 cents per gallon since last week. I don’t usually think to look at diesel as my son buys that. Well, a flat tire is not so bad, if it happens at home. I think you were having it repaired?
Spanish Egg and Potato Omelette – eaten cold! I hope to hear more of that. One of the nurses at the assisted living told me how she fries potatoes as I don’t do that very well. I tried it and they turned out great.
Those are nice boots, too, but I liked the first ones best,
Way too early for corn and buckwheat. You might save some corn seed to plant in mid-summer to see what happens. And you might want to invest in mineral oil. Oh, boy – it’s going to be interesting to see what eats yours.
I was trying to pull up a largish volunteer wineberry plant that had come up (sneaky thing) among the thornless blackberries. Wineberries have a lot of thorns. I had my gloves on, but but the thorns kept jabbing my arm and it really stung. Turns out there was a fat 3 inch (7.6cm) long, lime green caterpillar covered all over with spines on a blackberry beside me. Every time I moved I bumped my arm against him. I am so sad because I didn’t think, just squashed him. He was darned impressive, though luckily it turns out that he was nothing endangered. The blackberries don’t need their leaves right now; I should have let him alone.
Pam
Chris,
The Spokane River is rather large by many standards, although it is tiny compared to the larger Snake River to our south. It is dwarfed by the mighty Columbia River. Let’s not talk about other huge rivers like the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Or, in Alaska, the huge Yukon River.
Oh, I forgot to answer a question of yours. Yes, the word “Spokan” allegedly means “Children of the Sun” in the interior Salish language. There is some doubt about that. I always forget to ask the few interior Salish speakers I know.
Yeah, I’ve looked at the potential ecological impacts of those huge data centers. Not good. Worse if they dump the used water back into the aquifer. Ugh. It’s also looking to me that the entire thing is getting overbuilt or will be soon. Reminds me a bit of the dot com boom in the late 1990s. We all know how badly that ended. I remember the joke in 1998 and 1999 was about the mythical company dogpoo.com. And the debt to build them, as well as the tax perks a lot of local governments are using to lure them to their area. Not good.
Brass threads strip. I’ve had that experience too. Sometimes I think that wooden threads are more strip resistant than brass threads.
A bolt in the tyre sounds a lot like a stray metal flake in the radio circuitry. At least you used your head, still replaced the tap but also obtained other goods you needed. So not a complete bust of a day, right?
The club’s show chairman (who is also the vice president), needed some materials to take to a new print job for printing. I thought I’d left them in our little closet where we have our meetings. Got the key to her, but no, the box wasn’t there. It was in the back of my Subaru in our garage. Oh well, she drove over and picked it up, returned the key to me. And she was quite sane about my memory lapse. I was the one who used some words not fit to be written in this forum.
The geoid. First time I heard about it was in that geophysics class. I took several graduate level geophysics courses in Las Cruces. A few engineering courses in Cheney, WA in preparation of petroleum coursework in Alaska. Yet, the second time I ever heard about the geoid was when I read that article recently. So it’s a very esoteric subject even amongst geophysics people, I guess. I’ll have to remember to find geoid articles the next time I’m having insomnia issues. 😉 “After article, he felt somnolent.” Indeed.
Recently at the grocery store, the check out clerk was a young man who is very good at his job. And friendly. But he was nearly grumpy the other day. Another friendly customer and I were in his line and helped cheer him up. Checker and I agreed that the worst time of year for him is the Holiday Season. Super busy, everyone is in a rush and gets rude. We decided that the proper motto for the dread Holiday Season is, “It’s the Holiday Season! Shut up and be happy!”
Once you’ve pinpointed Antares, you will never forget what it looks like. Big, reddish, bright, but variable in color and intensity. Interesting to observe as a result. An old star likely in the last phases of a star’s life. It’s distance of 550 light years was enough to make me sense the vastness of the universe, etc. Then, several years later, I discovered that I could see the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye when away from the city lights. Whoa, nearly 300 times further away yet still visible.
You nailed it. A nasty trio. One would gladly kill you. Another would gladly eat you. The third would drive you past insanity when reciting his beyond horrid excuse for poetry. With a Vogon reciting poetry, one would probably welcome the intervention of the Killer Rabbit or the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast.
Yup, learning Morse was similar to learning another language. I spent a lot of time with a shortwave receiver tuned to commercial shipping channels conversing in Morse. They were usually between 12 and 15 words per minute and their Morse was immaculate. Really got a feel for it that way.
They’re saying maybe another half inch of rain this weekend. That would be nice. Saturday will be the day I transplant some succulents from my neighbor’s yard to mine. Neighbor wants grass, no succulent invaders. I want variety with a lot of succulents. Should be a good day for outdoor work.
DJSpo
Hi Pam,
From what I’ve observed, the moisture content of timber reduces the moment a once vertical tree, becomes horizontal. 🙂 The root systems and trunk act like a giant water pump, and when cut, well, it’s like the garden tap in the chicken enclosure which needed replacing the other day. If it doesn’t work, nothing happens on a water front. 🙂 Dunno about your part of the world, but I leave timber out in the weather to reduce it’s moisture content, and only bring it into the firewood sheds once it’s been cut and split and has a much greater surface area.
And thank you so much for the kind words. 🙂 Lovely! On that note, today we split up the remainder of the boulder I’d begun working on the other day. Then at least 30 large rocks were hauled back up the hill, and a rock wall was completed. Candidly, by 4pm, my brain shut down for a little while. The sun shone and the weather was sweet. How are you enjoying your proper bright green autumn? Dare I use the word, ’emerald’ to describe the colours at your place?
Ah! Interesting, and such large powerful band saws do awfully hard work. And everything has to be just so with the thing. I’m unsurprised that they had trouble with the machine. I’ve got a chainsaw mill, which is very basic and doesn’t produce such nice lumber as shown on the video. And the hardwood species here do my head in sometimes. Need they be so tough?
Same here with petrol / gas costs, that’s about what they jumped over the past week here. Tell you what though, taking the flat tire into the shop yesterday, I was astounded by the volume of traffic. You and I may economise, but does everyone else do so? Dunno. Some of your sons machines would enjoy a drink of diesel, but nothing here uses that stuff. On a geological note, there is more petrol to be had than diesel, but diesel is needed to extract petrol. All very confusing… 🙂
Oh yeah, trust me, the Spanish omelette is better consumed cold than hot, and I’ve no idea why that would be, but it is. I’ve done the tests in this instance, but you may differ in your opinion. Ah, for your info, the potatoes (and other vegetables) are first roasted for an hour before they are fried. Much tastier. Frying potatoes from scratch requires a lot of oil, and I’m not into that, much easier to cook them first using another method so as to soften up the starches.
😉 My thoughts exactly. The first boots were the ones I chose. The second are more practical, but are they more comfortable? I don’t believe that is the case. Honestly, I’ve no idea how old fellas in the volunteer firefighting brigade do 12 hour shifts. I don’t work that hard for myself.
Thanks for the advice, and despite the warm weather today, your advice is the wiser path. Too early for buckwheat and corn, but not too early to get the growing beds ready for planting out next month.
In past years, only earwigs have been an issue with corn. The excessive bird life down here tends to hunt and eat all insects, so they’re not much of an issue. However, the birds themselves can be a problem of major proportions! Ain’t no easy path…
Ah, wineberry is of the Rubus family, lovely but pesky, and thorny, as you noted. Ouch! Honestly, I know it is of the raspberry family of plants, but the photos looked like blackberries. The barbs on the canes sometimes leave little chunks of stabby stuff in the skin, which is a nuisance and irritant and has to be removed.
Oh poop, the poor caterpillar, and these are the risks critters take in all of our gardens. Glad to hear that it was not endangered. Must be something in the water because I chucked some more crazy paving up above the gabion cages and noticed something scuttling into the dense foliage, although I know not where it originated.
Antechinus. I believe the little marsupial was consuming squooshed stuff on the rocks I’d just placed down.
Cheers
Chris
Hi DJ,
Yeah, exactly, big watersheds, tend to shed lots of water creating all those wonderfully huge rivers which make the land far from your coastline where rainfall is low, habitable for humans. It’s quite ideal really. Once you’re in the inland on this continent, the mountains are flat and the land is arid (but hardly desert, except in some minor areas). And weather systems can travel from one side of the continent (the north west) to the other (the south east). It’s complicated, but fascinating.
That’s what word on the street suggests is the origin of the name with the Salish speakers, but as you noted, truth may lay elsewhere. Theoretically speaking, it could equally as well refer to the massive swamp which refills the aquifer in your locale.
Man, I’m definitely getting dot com and pets com bubble vibes, but hey, what do we know? 🙂 Businesses have to make sense, or survive on tax payer coin. I’m sure there are other paths, but are they sustainable?
That garden tap with the stripped brassed threads really threw me. I’d never seen it happen before and interesting to hear that you’d experienced them. Oh well, sort of easily replaced. Dunno about you, but sometimes I walk away from such repairs wondering what else I’ve missed! It’s a bit frightening, still that’s what spare parts are for.
Because everything is a long way away, whenever a trip is done, we plan out the route and do all necessary stops. Petrol was AU$2.24/Litre (US$5.96/Gallon) yesterday, and at that price, it’s not something to lightly waste. Although there was an extraordinary amount of traffic on the roads yesterday. Baffling.
Ha! Man, we’ve all been there with that memory lapse. It happens, as does the occasional bout of potty mouth. As the old timers used to say, too err, is to be human.
Glad you appreciated my witticism! Heck, I still can’t comprehend what a geoid is. Although, rocks, I know their kind. Continued to split an almost perfect boulder this morning. It produced lovely flat surfaces having been a chunk of granite that had smooshed off an even larger buried boulder. Anyway, after that we brought 30 rocks back up the hill, and me now somnolent. But! I did finish a rock wall which had only partially be completed before firewood, firewood shed, and forest clean up work. Feels good. The other side of the path needs completing now. The aim is to create a large garden bed for seed raising purposes.
Yeah, it’s the holiday season, you’re meant to be having fun! Or that’s the theory.
That Andromeda Galaxy is on a collision course they tell me, and it’s clearly visible in the dark rural skies here. On the scale of things to worry about, that cosmic crash is quite low. Seems like Andromeda has an even closer dwarf galaxy M32 creating a bit of local weirdness – although the universe is probably far stranger than our minds can comprehend.
I like how your brain works. It’s like that old fairy tale about the woman who swallowed the fly. Our ears would quit bleeding from the Vogon poetry, whilst the Killer Rabbit may finish us off and void on our corpses. 🙂 I wish they’d all desist and practice their ambitions in another locale!
Ah, interesting, and very clever to learn morse code from masters of the art. You would get a feel for the meanings.
🙂 Happy days for you with the return of the rain. I’m with you, more plants, of greater diversity, is a great idea. And succulents are survivors.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
The Cenotes are amazing looking and would have be such an important source of water. I noticed that the big crater where the Mount Everest sized chunk of rock hit the planet 65 million years ago is also in that area. Who knew that there are some in the south eastern corner of the state of South Australia? Guess that’s why they call it the limestone coast. I’ve visited some caves in that part of the continent.
Alas for the ancient critters, quite a number fall into those holes, down here too. Makes for an interesting collection of bones.
I must say that it amused me that the scientists called the fossilised poop, coprolites. It’s poop, just way older.
Yeah, some of the houses at Dana Point looked as though they were at risk of falling into the big drink after the ex-tropical low. And plenty had rocks on the seaward side. Ook! Is there even insurance for that risk? Oh my! Sounds expensive… And yeah the views might get even better further back up the slope, for a while.
Beats me why, but I’ve noticed that as we edger nearer to 2030, pundits are now substituting the much bigger number of 2050. It’s got 20 more, so must be better. Man, I seriously doubt that honest conversations regarding adapting to changing circumstances are being widely had.
Really? I’d not heard of that effect, with your shoulder injury in the accident, but take your word for it. Honestly, you are lucky to be here after that close call. And that incident would challenge a person’s bladder, but at least you’d have been much younger.
How did the oatmeal work out? Didn’t do a whole bunch of cooking today, which is unusual. Yesterday made up for that. Are you noticing that the price for oats is up? Coffee is the stuff of a focused mind! 🙂
Agreed with your cogent analysis as to infrastructure works. It’s spot on.
On that note, I did actually complete a rock wall project today. It’d been half done for months whilst other projects took precedence. We headed down below to the forest edge and finished bopping up an almost perfect chunk of granite boulder. It split really nicely and easily. Then we brought about 30 rocks back up the hill, and I installed them whilst the Editor did quality control. No point doing the work if it looks like total rubbish. By 4pm my brain shut down for a bit! 🙂 The weather was brilliant today, just a lovely early spring day.
There’s no upside to the friends bit, and sometimes I reckon I’ve heard that one when ex-partners want to keep you on the boil as a plan B. Ain’t happening. It was pretty angsty yeah, but a clever bit of art too.
Exactly! Man, I’ve got friends who don’t know that 10% unemployment is a possibility. How could they know what it means? On that day you mentioned, I remember going to work and being told WWIII had started and I just ended up thinking about heading home again instead but we were glued to the tv instead. What a day that was. How could the younger folks know the shock and context?
Hey, I’ll have you know that I’ve been going to the dentist regularly ever since I was a young lad! 🙂 Honestly, I’d not want people to become jealous, so may skip on your clever idea. Thanks for the laughs. Your friends daughter is onto something with that approach.
Good to hear that the Club counter (in whatever state it is currently in) is now manned. Wise to not rock the boat, better for the folks in charge to ask, knowing it’ll happen. Dunno about you, but I’ve made the mistake of helping out, when nobody wanted the assistance.
H, is no average dawg, she’s a little lady of the finest breeding and clearly would be welcomed at the Club, maybe. But best to have that plan B you mentioned. 😉 One must cut the Gordian Knot from time to time.
Very funny! They won’t grow here. Alas either the recent rain or over watering caused the tomato splits, or that’s what I reckon. What do you think may have split the skins?
Still nice weather, and watch out for flying storks given the weather is pregnant. That’s what they used to say.
Go on, was Supergirl worth the popcorn? I hear you though, wasn’t the character part of the original magazine series?
That End of Oak Street film is still showing at the cinemas down here. I’ve not been able to find any cinemas nearby playing the ‘Tony’ film, which is a bummer. Other avenues were explored, but also to no avail. Oh well.
He’s a big one for media hype and stunts I believe. I wonder how all those firms keep burning through the cash. That’s what disturbs my sleep, actually no it doesn’t. Running out of spare parts, that bothers me. Yup.
Pah! Only someone who has no idea how infertile the soils are down under, and lacking in phosphates, would pen such an article. Surviving, then starving to death, is probably not fun. I did notice one of the researchers was from our friends across the small sea, and wondered if they were misdirecting such interests? Surely my mind isn’t that cynical?
Cheers
Chris
Yo, Chris – Yup. Dinosaur poop by any other name, is still dinosaur poop. Paraphrasing Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” as applied to roses. 🙂 And then there’s dinosaur chunder. They slapped a fancy name on that, too. “Regurgitalitge.”
https://boingboing.net/2022/09/21/fossilized-dino-vomit-discovered-in-utah.html
I think that Mr. Greer has talked about how end-of-the-world dates keep shifting into the future. Sort of like fusion is ten years I the future. For the past 50 years.
Yes, I make my oatmeal and fruit, about every four days. So, for awhile, I just have to hack off a piece, add banana and almond milk, and I’m ready to go. I tossed my last Winco receipt, but I think organic rolled oats was about $1.40 a pound. Might be wrong about that.
The Great Wall of Chris 🙂 I saw a trailer for an older movie. “The Great Wall,” Sci-fi. 2016. Library still had a copy or two. It’s in transit . I keep teasing you about building a folly, a tower or something. Now I’m thinking, a stone maze. Your rock work is top of the line. Also, your stairs. Any of those left to do?
I was working at the Centralia library, on 9/11. The web was in its infancy, so, early information was a bit hard to get.
Well, so far, the Club counter is a couple of substantial folding tables. And the candy display cases. It works. But a “real” counter is in the works.
Rain can cause tomatoes to split. I cut the tomatoes off the vines, with scissors. I leave the stems on, until just before use. That seems to head off, some of the splitting.
Our high yesterday was 66F (18.88C). Our overnight low was 52F. (11.11C). Our forecast high for today is 70F. I think we had a bit of rain, overnight. And, we’re supposed to get a bit more, after 5pm. We’ll see.
The Supergirl movie was worth a bowl of popcorn. What I’d call “light entertainment.” There was quit a bit about her origin story, and also the dog, Krypto. Back in the day of comics, besides the monthly Superman run, there were runs, short and long for other characters. Supergirl had her own series. I seem to remember even a run of Jimmy Olsen (cub reporter at the Daily Planet.) Then there was the Kryptonion city, that was shrunk and put in a bottle. Hmmm. The world of Superman was just as extensive and complicated as Star Trek.
Good to know they’re on the job. Yeah, sure.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/10/health/anthropic-bioweapons-report
I think I’m going to have to get a white noise, machine. I checked on E-Buy, and they’re really not all that expensive. I usually turn on my air conditioner, when I take a nap. To cancel the noise in the hallway and parking lot. But, the season is changing, and I won’t be able to do that, soon.
And, another reason has cropped up. I hear piano music, coming from somewhere. Clearly, a recording. I think it’s my weird neighbor, who I’ve only caught glimpses off, maybe, three times in two years. Just meandering, repetitive phrases, over and over. 24/7. Last night, I closed the door between where I sleep, and what used to be the bedroom. I could still hear it. So I turned on just the fan, of the A/C unit. That provided me with enough white noise, to get to sleep. But, still, a machine would be cheaper. Apartment living. Lew
Chris:
That’s an interesting analogy: Roots “act like a giant water pump”. Perhaps that’s where the heart of a tree really is. We leave our firewood outside to dry, too; there is no other place.
“Emerald” is indeed the word, sort of strange after such a dry, brown summer. Farmers are getting in one last cutting of verdant hay. They had only had one other cutting thus far.
I think if one expects to live hundreds of years, one had better be tough.
Very confusing is a good way to put it, in reference to petroleum. I saw today that Saudi Arabia’s main pipeline, that is so necessary since the Strait of Hormuz is choked off, has been attacked and is shut down. I don’t know how bad that situation is, but I feel sure we have edged ever nearer to 1973.
That sounds like a very good idea about frying the potatoes by softening up the starches first.
What a charming little creature! One does hope his eyes don’t pop out. And one also hopes he likes bugs. Or not, since you don’t seem to be completely inundated with them like we are.
Pam
Hi Pam,
Trees are amazing, imagine the effort it would take to lift water 300ft into the canopy of a giant Californian Redwood or Eucalyptus Mountain Ash. Makes me feel tired thinking about that, that’s for sure. Had a quieter day today, just pottering around doing this and that. An ice cream was acquired and consumed. Yum! 66’F and cloudy today. It’ll rain tonight.
I’m sure leaving firewood under cover as it seasons speeds the process up, but with the tree species down here, green wood burns very poorly due to all of the sugars in the timber, so it’s probably no big deal and like you, I leave it out in the weather. I’m not actually sure of the details as to what the seasoning process is, but know that it’s necessary. Of course, once the stuff is aged, then it’s best to store under cover so that it remains dry. You lose energy trying to burn damp firewood, and you can hear it sizzling as the moisture boils off. Not ideal for the steel in the flue and combustion chamber either. 🙂 Ook! We did burn out the steel in the first wood heater through carelessness, so the above info was hard won.
Yeah, it’d be an abrupt turn around in your part of the world, from the dry to brilliant green. The weather can be fickle, which makes growing things all rather complicated. Out of curiosity, how many cuts of hay would they expect in an average year? Probably only two here, one early for spring grasses and then the other late, which would produce lower quality hay from drier plants.
Oh! I’d not thought of the trees that way, but yeah. They have to be tough to survive the centuries.
I read that news as well regarding the pipeline. If I were cutting the proverbial Gordian Knot and wanting to bring the mischief in Europe to a close, that’d be one way to do it. A lot of trouble though. We’re of one mind, and yes, that’s kind of what things look like. Well, there’s a lot of wasteful activities done in our civilisation, so there’s plenty of fat to cut, but there’ll be heaps of pain from this stuff as well. I dunno, we were always going to get to this point sooner or later.
Spotted an Echidna (a sort of ant eater and one of only two Monotreme’s left which are mammals that lay eggs) strolling through one of the garden beds. The dogs were ordered to leave it! And they did.
They’re lovely little marsupial mousies. Far more polite than the imported variety whom disturbed my sleep for three weeks. Sorry, the pain is real, and I’m a bit in awe of them, like their cousins the much larger rats. I’d not want to be on a subsistence food basis with not being to go down to the nearby supplier and pick up cement to construct sturdy rodent barriers. You went through something similar several years ago (from memory)?
Cheers
Chris
Hi Lewis,
Ah, a rather choice use of the English language for dinosaur barf. The other technical word the article introduced was: ‘bromalite’, which is seriously asking for tech bro jokes to be penned. Maybe, it’s just how my mind works… 🙂
Apparently that changing of predictive dates is a thing. Dunno about you, but all we’re asking for from oracles is a level of accuracy, which they’re notoriously reluctant to supply. I recall the craziness surrounding the whole Mayan calendar thing in 2012, and it seemed stupid to me. The problem with extending such dates out to 2050, is that I’ll forget the predictions by then, if I’m even still around. Man, I can’t get a pension until 2037, and given the way the loose spending goobermints seem hell bent on blowing up currencies, I’ll probably still have to work after that! 🙂 Ah, welcome to the wonderful future.
But yeah, that fusion thing has been talked about for my entire life. I recall as a young bloke wondering how hard could it all be? They had force fields on Star Trek after all…
Sounds like a well tested and most excellent routine with the oatmeal. Actually the toasted muesli is about on the same cycle, every four days, bake another batch. Hang on, I have to convert this oats business to Aussie and metric. Hmm, US$1.40/pound = AU$4.40/kg. That’s a good price. We’re paying around US$1.91/pound now for non-organic, but clearly well grown rolled oats. Mind you, you’re in harvest season right now so that could push prices down due to over supply.
Actually on that note, the farmers are having a freak out down here about diesel costs – for good reasons. You may note that I do not use that energy source. Deja vu for grain farmers as diesel price soars ahead of harvest. The article mentions the volume of fuel used for some machines and farms, and it’s a lot.
🙂 Thanks for the analogy and praise for the rock work. I’d imagine that the ancient Mogols were an incentive, much like the Romans found the mettlesome Scottish / Picts. Takes a lot of labour to construct proper rock walls, but they’re worth it. Please do keep teasing, and one day if I get bored, we may construct a mortared stone cool-store. It’s not a bad idea. There are no plans for further sets of stairs at the moment. We’re sort of hoping to get the immediate area around the house sorted out – but more on this subject tomorrow.
Ah, that day was right up there in terms of super weirdness when you discover that cosy somnolence is perhaps not the wisest of paths. The net was connected in those days to the workplace, I just forget now whether we watched the events unfold online, or on the TV, and maybe even both. Little work was done, I remember that. What interested me about the day was that the vast echo chamber of information on display. The talking heads in the media had little information to offer, so they repeated the same talking points over and over. Plus it was weird that blame was pinned, even as the towers burned. The whole thing made me feel sad.
Candy has a different meaning in your country, maybe? Down here it refers to confectionery made mostly from sugar cane (or corn syrup) but down here that would exclude things like a Mars bar, which is described as a chocolate. A gentleman in this particular instance, must never raise the metaphorical skirt and ask the hard question: How much cocoa is present? Talk about a blush worthy response! Hope the first incarnation of the Club counter works a treat, as I expect it will.
I’ve also heard that about leaving the stems on tomatoes, and truly don’t know. Indoors, tomatoes will ripen until about early June (your December) and then I don’t want the mildly fermented fruits. The Editor will hang on for a week or two longer, but my palate is somewhat more sensitive.
No way! It was the same temperature here today. 66’F but cloudy and just delightful. Headed to a nearby farm gate to grab a bag of potatoes (we’d run out) and discovered they were AU$15/5kg or US$21.42/12.1 pounds (US$1.77/pound). The farmer knows what he’s doing, and sometimes I get stuck in a chat with him, or his brother. Their mother used to be a neighbour up around here a couple of decades ago. Oh my, the gossip I’ve been told makes me blush. Hey, I didn’t ask for all those conversations…
The dog Krypto had quite the role in the most recent Superman film, if I recall correctly. Often saving the day. I liked Jimmy Olsen, he had a dose of common sense with a dash of alertness about him. Ooo, I see that the BBC has re-released a remastered series III of Blake’s Seven, a dark sci-fi from way back in the day, which I quite enjoyed. Spoiler alert: In the final episode, it all ended badly.
Ha! How any business, even as big as a goobermint, can continue to loose oodles of mad cash, is a subject which is beyond my ken. At first, it felt possible, but later, much later, the ugly results were recounted to the crowd who stared on with eyes which reflected their sense of disbelief.
People use those anti-noise machines on aircraft and also in your situation. They’re meant to work and I’ll be interested to hear what your experience is with them. I’ve lived in flats too (multi-level apartments without a lift) and the worst I dealt to was a couple who were very loud whilst copulating, often. I’d have preferred the piano, but have also known the super loud television at all hours of the night. Dunno, but I got the impression that neighbour used to get stoned watching the box and regularly fell asleep. Sent me loopy, as I’m sure I’ve sent folks loopy. The noise cancelling equipment might not be a bad idea, although it may also cancel out alarms.
Ooo, you’ve got a Boo style mystery on your hands. Is there really anyone in the apartment, or has it been sub-let to another person? My mind works in mysterious suspicious ways, sorry, and ook! I better get writing!
Cheers, and seriously, writing is calling!
Chris
Yo, Chris – I think after the Y2K non-event, I wasn’t very disturbed by the whole end-of-the-world Mayan calendar thing. It did yield one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time, “2012”. 🙂
I haven’t been tracking rolled oats, very closely, but it seems like not all that long ago, they were mostly under $1.
That was quit an article, about the farmers and truckers, vs diesel prices. I noticed the truckers mentioned “…extra repair work, due to roads…” Not a direct comparison, but a thought occurred to me, while reading the article. Like recycling, if there’s no money to be made …
“Candy counter” is just a catch all term, that covers a multitude of sins. 🙂 Maybe because candy, chocolates, chips counter, is rather ungainly? 🙂
It’s interesting what passes for “dark chocolate,” content, can be found with a bit of hunting around. Most of it is 40-45%. The tip off is usually because there’s no % of cocoa, mentioned on the wrapper.
Our high yesterday was 64F (17.77C). Our overnight low was 54F (12.22C). Our forecast high for today is 66F. It started raining, late yesterday, and is still drizzling, this morning. Will clear, this afternoon, and tomorrow will be fairly nice.
Well, the farm gate gossip keeps you up on what’s going on up on your mountain. Just remember. They’re probably gossiping about you, when you’re not around. 🙂
I don’t remember “Blake’s Seven” being broadcast, here. Sounds like a pretty complicated series.
As far as goobers losing oodles of mad cash … there’s been all that mad talk about sending every adult $5,000. Some talking head made the observation that it would “only” add another trillion, to the national debit. On top of the four trillion. I got the feeling his whole attitude was, “What’s another trillion?”
Sublets are a no-no, in this here institution. Before I took H for her midnight stroll, I wandered the halls a bit, listening at doors. While on our walk, I did some outside recon. Yup. It’s the empty apartment, underneath me. Empty, as in, the tenant is gone, but may, or may not return. I think some device was left running. If Little Mary Sunshine shows up tomorrow, I’ll have a chat with her about it. Lew