Author Archives: Joel

I just read an article about Glenn Campbell on the anniversary of his birthday. And while I don’t actually give him much thought a linked video to Wichita Lineman made me chuckle to myself. The song was ubiquitous on the … Continue reading →

Neighbor D had a health setback yesterday, which disrupted my plans to go to the biggish town about 35 miles away and shop for (groceries and) a holster for the Arex. Poor me, right? Having typed that first sentence I … Continue reading →

Last summer there was this whole big story arc about a(t least one) nest of mice that I ended up killing one by one, starting with the adults and ending with the babies. But I never found the nest – … Continue reading →

At last night’s surprise party I received a few Joel-centric gag gifts that’ll probably never be used and one that’s already in use… …and a not-at-all gag gift from Ian, who came all the way up here to surprise me… … Continue reading →

Well, I can no longer say I’ve never had a birthday party. Total surprise. Details later.

Every now and then somebody asks for my bread recipe, and it has been a long time since I talked about that. So here’s the current version. Keep in mind that bread in the developmental stage is very sensitive to … Continue reading →

Seriously, I was thinking about it this morning. Tobie and I were out early… …and on the way home we saw our closest neighbor coming home in his new pickup, towing his flatbed trailer. It was a few minutes past … Continue reading →

I have so many flashlights I don’t know what to do. I have a really nice rechargeable I carried for years until quite recently, when I pruned down the stuff I keep on my belt. I have a sort-of-slightly-bigger-than-a-penlight that … Continue reading →

…to put the woodstove to bed for the season. It’s just been too nice outside for anything but play – till today when I’m relatively stuck indoors and so it was time for a good cobweb hunting and floor vacuuming. … Continue reading →

The return of pleasant weather has gotten me off my ass and out the door a bit more in the past couple of days, and loving it. Yesterday was a prime example… Start early – indeed, as soon as the … Continue reading →

I finally got a few consecutive hours of sunlight yesterday, and when I checked the tank it was clearly filling. Which eased my greatest fear – that the well pump would fail during its extended downtime – but didn’t answer … Continue reading →

April is a problematic month for the comfort of an old guy doing strenuous chores outdoors. It might work out great. It might do the other thing. Lately it’s been cold and windy and I was beginning to think I … Continue reading →

🙂 Tobie had kind of a rough evening. He normally checks out after the evening walkie and I don’t hear much from him till morning but he just couldn’t get comfortable. His bed wasn’t right and he was crashing all … Continue reading →

It’s supposed to top off in the forties today, with the same gale wind as yesterday. Murphy has made an unholy pact with the forces of weather.

Thanks to Generous Reader MM. I picked it up on the way home from the big town about 50 miles away. Tobie is not completely sold, he’s only lying there because I told him to, but I don’t think it’s … Continue reading →

I had to go to Wal-Mart today. For the first time in years. And it was loud. And there were too many people. And I got through it okay this time, really, didn’t actually hyperventilate at any point, but I … Continue reading →

My back went out again yesterday. While bending over to toss a couple of sticks into the woodstove. Which I was doing because… …that’s the way yesterday started. Today, naturally, it’s a gorgeous day. Couldn’t be better! Started out mild, … Continue reading →

Sigh. This, I think, is just because it got a little cold overnight. It rained all yesterday afternoon and at least some overnight, so snow first thing in the morning is not a surprise. It’s supposed to rain all day, … Continue reading →

Right. So back in late December we learned to our displeasure that the plumbers hired to install a whole bunch of water equipment at Ian’s Cave had taken it upon themselves to remove my shut-off valve from the tank at … Continue reading →

Two whole days of it, if the forecast is correct. Yesterday I washed a big load of laundry and got it out on the line for some serious sunshine… …and then I finished off all the dirty stuff this morning, … Continue reading →