Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hello, my name is Birch. I belong to James Lileks, who has the day off. I decided to write his column. On behalf of all of us in the dog community, I beg you to listen: Terror Boom Bomb Time … Continue reading →

Drinking water costs .25/gal and isn’t that hard to transport in the quantities I use. But Monday morning before the weekly water run… …if there’s a gallon or less left in the water bottle I’m using, I’ll go around and … Continue reading →

My poor old holster… I got it in late 2015 and have worn it nearly every day since, and it shows. That’s what it used to look like on the front. But it’s not just aesthetics that bug me: It … Continue reading →

Hey, remember two years ago when Tobie joined us, and he was lay-down-and-piss-himself afraid of Jeep rides? Well… That was then. This is the now, in which the four most sacred words in Tobie’s vocabulary are “go for a ride,” … Continue reading →

Seriously. I don’t care if it’s birds nesting in the porch rafters or APCs full of feds, I’m thinking of getting up and kicking him in the nads.

…I really like electronic gadgets. Especially simple specialized ones – and here in the 21st century they show up in the damndest places, like… …bicycle tire pumps. Seriously? Is this necessary? I’m reminded of a line from an Asimov story, … Continue reading →

…How seriously you take the request depends on what it’s carrying on its tail. Speciesist? I think not! It was eight in the morning and I was already sweating. It’s gonna be another heat wave day: I visited D&L’s strawbale-and-earthbag … Continue reading →

Summer has arrived! Temps over 90o, cloudless sky with sun beating down like a weapon. We’ve been hanging around indoors – nice to have a couple of ceiling fans now that can stir the hot air around – but I … Continue reading →

The Spring wind hasn’t backed off at all, filling my game camera with thousands of pics of waving junipers… …and filling my sinuses with dust and pollen. I’ve spent most of my days emptying tissue boxes. With a few forays … Continue reading →

Summer solstice today. Of course the official start of each season never made any sense to me: I’ve always noticed that if you haven’t roasted to death by the official start of summer or frozen to death by the official … Continue reading →

I mentioned being excited about getting meat in the Crockpot right, and it was not just because I have all that frozen pork to deal with and I’m tired of eating shoe leather. There was also… This. Elk sirloin. A … Continue reading →

Or, “It’s your hoe, don’t be afraid to take a file to it.” So this morning after our walkie but before it got too hot I went out to hoe some weeds from the driveway and the drainage ditch that … Continue reading →

Saturday evening I was invited to supper with S&L. Tobie had such a good time. He loves to meet new people but because he so seldom has the opportunity he gets … rather excited. Big puppy hurling himself about can … Continue reading →

For the first time in almost a year. One of my two kitchen bottles sucked dry on Saturday, and a single big bottle isn’t too much of a disruption on the Monday water run. I paid $3.80ish/gal all winter: Now … Continue reading →

On Monday I was in the crappy little food market in the crappy little desert town nearest where I live, and I saw a package that I thought was funny and also perplexing… “What,” I wondered, “could popcorn possibly be … Continue reading →

This time in conspiracy with my boots, oddly enough. I was coming home from town and working my way through this one sandy patch with a lot of washboarding when I felt the pedal tug on the top of my … Continue reading →

You can see the Lair in the middle ground, just beyond the wash. Tobie and I mix it up in different directions on any given morning so as not to be always walking over the same tracks. Depending on how … Continue reading →

Got back from the Monday morning water run. Headed for the Jeep with my water and groceries, and… …had to chase a bullsnake out of the shade. I had no doubt this was the very snake L had told me … Continue reading →

“Check the simplest possibility first.” Instead, when I hooked the solar heater to water and it wouldn’t flow… …I jumped to the conclusion that something was kinked or gummed up in the rooftop box.

I showed up at their place yesterday for the monthly trip to the Palace of Food, only to find him nearly unable to get out of his chair. He’s been having trouble with his right knee, which had a joint … Continue reading →