Author Archives: Joel

Or – well, not here here. Somewhere far upwind. Normally they don’t bother me… …but on top of my allergy woes this is a misery. My eyes are so sore and swollen I can barely see.

My favorite Kypling poem, by means of Leslie Fish and friends…

Found him coiled up outside Ian’s door when I came up for my evening shower. Mature bullsnakes are docile as can be but babies, being less the masters of their world, can get salty when scared. Still don’t have any … Continue reading →

Hanging out, not getting anything done but filling handkerchiefs. Not sleeping very well. About semi-conscious the past few days. May is still my favorite month – but I’m reminded of the downsides. Still… …even if I can’t smell the flowers … Continue reading →

I don’t know what the visuals have to do with the song, it’s just the only video I could find with the right audio. Happens to be my favorite Leslie Fish song.

I was just reading some two-year-old posts about when Tobie came to live with me, since it’s been almost exactly two years. Came upon the story of how he told me he wanted his own bed… Generous Reader MM promptly … Continue reading →

The most famous is “Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.” But only slightly less well known is this: “When your gigantic bag of free food has been replaced with a mousetrap, don’t stick your … Continue reading →

Never fails: May is my favorite month but sooner or later some species of amorous plant is going to get my nose streaming. And here’s me out of any real antihistamine, and Monday four days away…Wait! I can do this … Continue reading →

Oh, there’s something in the air and it’s got my nose running day and night. All last week was rainy, and now it has turned clear and hot. Something’s spreading pollen and it has gone straight to my sinuses. Surprised … Continue reading →

I sometimes wonder if the managers of the crappy little food store in the crappy little desert town nearest where I live have even bothered to quantify how much of what ought to be their business they’ve driven to the … Continue reading →

Tobie may not be the champion counter-surfer of all time but he has every other dog in my personal experience beat hands-down. And so… …Precautions are required. I always have to bunker the eggs anyway. You bet he can reach … Continue reading →

Seen during today’s morning walkie…

This really annoyed me… I needed my digital caliper for the first time in a long time, only to find its battery dead. Okay, no sweat: the battery didn’t owe me anything and I have a Plan B dial caliper. … Continue reading →

One other thing happened during this morning’s bike ride. I’ve had to watch out while going past the goat peoples’ property because their dogs (there are now three but that won’t last) have taken to chasing cars and of course … Continue reading →

Hardly beautiful, will probably rain later. But it’s still cool and first thing in the morning there’s no wind to speak of. And for the first time this year I rode the bike from Ian’s to town to Ian’s, no … Continue reading →

It’s like some weird tradition at this point. The bucket trap on my porch* never catches just one mouse. I get why they’re attracted to it: If you have a bucket of water sitting around overnight in the desert further … Continue reading →

These little barrel-shaped cacti aren’t very common around here but I seek to know where they are in my stomping grounds because a) they are absolutely paved with the most evil spines ever: Surgically fine and brittle and hooked and … Continue reading →

I was reminded just now of a story I heard a long time ago. Looked it up so as to get it right… Nasrudin was caught in the act and sentenced to die. Hauled up before the king, he was … Continue reading →

I know this will come as a complete surprise and I hope most of you don’t lose faith in me and my friends as building contractors. But yeah. The truth is none of us had a freaking clue. It’s a … Continue reading →

Say what you will about the pear tree, it’s certainly hardened to local conditions. In 2011 and 2012 we planted a whole bunch of fruit trees in what was supposed to be a veritable food plantation on Ian’s property. We … Continue reading →