Category Archives: Uncategorized

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 →

Nice cool morning for a walkie… The cliff roses are in full bloom. These are the only really aromatic flowers in the Gulch, so right now everything smells like too much perfume. The yucca are just beginning to bloom. In … Continue reading →

Monday morning water run got cancelled. Don’t know if it’ll be rescheduled for later in the week or no. No problem, I have plenty of drinking water and plenty of groceries but this did provide an excellent excuse to go … Continue reading →

Every spring I have to get my wind back before I can take long dog-less walkies. Because I hate cold, and mostly cocoon through winters. The dog helps with the conditioning process but he can’t come on real expeditions. When … Continue reading →

A gift from Ian I’ve been milking for well over a year… Shared a glass with a guest in January, leaving one shot in the bottle. Finally figured what the hell, may as well polish it off. If you fancy … Continue reading →

Busy day. Did laundry and yard chores till 11:30 when I had to run meet D&L for the long drive to the Palace of Food. Didn’t actually get home to the Lair till 3:30 because I walked a bunch of … Continue reading →

Tomorrow is Senior Day at the Palace of Food, which has become a monthly ritual with D & L & I with the continuing deterioration of the crappy little food market in the crappy little town nearest where I live. … Continue reading →

The woodstove has been put to bed for weeks now… …but I left the pilot lit in the bedroom heater for that occasional frosty night. But now it’s May and they’ll become rare enough that I don’t need to spend … Continue reading →

4:53. Near as makes no difference, it’s time for supper and evening walkie. And you better believe he knows it. Seriously, this dog’s sense of when the important stuff is supposed to happen verges on uncanny.

I don’t buy chicks at the local feed store, having done it once and run into severe quality control issues. But I welcome the sight of new chicks as a sign of Spring. And Phoebe, who’s been hanging around for … Continue reading →

This is the approach to the Lair from the wash on a pretty extremely typical Spring day… As you see, excitement galore. On the one hand this is exactly the way I like it: People come here and exclaim at … Continue reading →

I really prefer BDUs in the summer. But the older I get the more wearing surplus camo at my age seems a little silly. So when I got a chance to send a little non-essential money Amazon’s way I began … Continue reading →

Once again, nothing much going on here. Weather’s much more mild, befitting late April. Wind is trying to scour the earth bare, also befitting late April. I’m just doing chores and reading books. I’ll try to find something blogworthy.

This is the front of the crappy little food market in the crappy little desert town nearest where I live. In the spring, the front columns are always infested with chickadees. Apparently the columns are constructed of concrete blocks with … Continue reading →

Never have I been so happy to have an appliance fail me. Last December I had a problem with the bedroom heater, which (after over ten years without overnight heat) I love beyond measure. It just wasn’t reliable anymore for … Continue reading →