Author Archives: Joel

That’s all I got cut to stove lengths today. I intended more and in fact was raring to go and had lots of wood left to be cut. But I had to quit… …because the switch on my chopsaw packed … Continue reading →

This is what the rats have done to my nice stone woodshed floor over the past 3 years. Needless to say my hopes for keeping them out of the back of the woodshed with hardware cloth didn’t entirely work out … Continue reading →

Within the roughly 4 mile2 area I consider the Gulch proper, we have some new neighbors. I’m not going to get into their particulars because I don’t think they’d like that but they have two unique features about them: Their … Continue reading →

Doomscrolling and doomsurfing are new terms referring to the tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing. Many people are finding themselves reading continuously bad news about COVID-19 without … Continue reading →

At first sight I was prepared to take this picture seriously. NBA Players Wear Special Lace Collars To Honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg You guys stay safe. This old man’s never going out there again.

When I got ready to move into the Secret Lair about nine years ago, planning to heat it with wood, I looked around at all the dead juniper everywhere and saw an embarrassment of riches – I really thought I … Continue reading →

And technology is my friend. Unlike yesterday the Honda started cold with one gentle pull on the starter and whirred happily as soon as I opened the choke. And this thing… Being unfamiliar with the prosumer or professional grades of … Continue reading →

So I was just cleaning dust off my game camera before putting it back out at the watering station, right? And… …my finger went right through the badly-fogged plastic that covers what I take to be the light sensor. Might … Continue reading →

It’s been a couple of days over a month since I lost Laddie, and life has pretty much gone back to normal. New, dogless normal. At least I’m no longer grumping in my chair all day and drinking too much … Continue reading →

Three years ago a VERY Generous Reader sent me my very own Honda generator, new in box, after life changes rendered it irrelevant to the reader’s future plans. I confess I was both excited to receive it and also – … Continue reading →

Autumn isn’t officially here till tomorrow but we do seem to be ramping up for autumn chores here at the Secret Lair. Both propane stations are locked and loaded, and… …as of Saturday all the spares are full. This is … Continue reading →

I mostly dislike having to buy things. I really hate having to buy things twice, but I suppose I did this to myself. I went cheap and shouldn’t have. When I got this bypass regulator both of the hoses that … Continue reading →

The running gag of the early part of the lockdown was toilet paper. Then it was any sort of baking supplies. Flour has come back, sort of. But if you need sugar you’d better take out a loan – and … Continue reading →

Always makes me a little sad when the days get shorter. This hasn’t been a great summer for me but normally I much prefer summer, heat and glare and all.

I was able to scrape out all the old thinset under the tiles I replaced on the kitchen/woodstove side of the Lair with scrapers and chisels. No fun, but doable. But what I mixed on the door side was somehow … Continue reading →

Struggling CNN Just Starts Stealing Headlines From The Babylon Bee

There’s an overall word for that and I have spent fifteen minutes or more trying to remember what it is. Annoying. Anyway – A few weeks ago I had to put on my Joel the Sexton hat after burying Laddy, … Continue reading →

Most important election EVER!!!

What’s wrong with this picture? I was bashing through the wash yesterday, in a bit of a hurry because I was late to meet with D&L for the Monday morning water run, when the rattletrap the 19-year-old Jeep has become … Continue reading →