Author Archives: Joel

Hi. Little Bear here. Yeah, I know I’m not supposed to be able to use the keyboard but what He doesn’t know won’t hurt Him. I’m careful not to drool on the keys too badly and we’re fine. Happens all … Continue reading →

I occasionally enjoy Art of Manliness, but not all the advice offered is of, er, equivalent utility. 🙂 Okay, not much has any real utility at all. But it is fun to read from time to time.

One of Little Bear’s new favorite places is the Lair’s rear entranceway, where he’s relatively safe from being tripped over in the dark. Little Bear’s a gigantic dustmop of a dog who’s never had a bath in his life. And … Continue reading →

I woke up yesterday feeling somewhat better, it says here, but that went away by mid-day and while I never got actively sick that bloat and pain in my belly returned. Had nothing to eat all day but a little … Continue reading →

And hungry, which I’m currently approaching cautiously with a little dry toast. Tried the same thing sometime mid-day yesterday and only brought back the nausea. But I must have dodged the flu, which was my big fear. Back when I … Continue reading →

I made a big pot of bean soup yesterday and it didn’t sit well at all. Up till 3:30 throwing up, woke at 7 and started throwing up again. Still don’t know if it’s bad food or if I brought … Continue reading →

No idea why American women don’t do this. Rape would go the way of polio overnight. Cologne mayor thinks she can stop migrant sex attacks with ‘respect’ wristbands As many may know, New Year’s Eve 2015 was a disaster for … Continue reading →

Happens every winter with mature hens. They moult, drop their feathers and grow new ones, and almost entirely stop laying eggs. I expected it, predicted it, try not to be bothered by it. What does bother me is that six … Continue reading →

…can be fun! Scored a spare-spare propane bottle. Now I have two at the front of the cabin for the bedroom heater, two at the rear for the cookstove, and a good one in reserve. That way I don’t feel … Continue reading →

…if you see it doing this… h/t

Yeah. I said that. Because I’m a putz. Turns out he was just hiding out in the pumphouse, giggling, waiting for me to notice. I need a gadget. Maybe an app. Maybe go oldschool with a really loud gong. I … Continue reading →

Got this from Landlady this morning… The Honeymoon is Over: Chicken Honesty When we finally got our first flock of chicks, each fluff-ball was socialized daily, fed from hand and given a special name best suited to his/her personality. Special … Continue reading →

We’ve had a fairly extended cool spell, with night temps at least dipping briefly into the teens and sometimes substantially colder than that for eleven straight nights. Very far from record cold, but cold enough that I can stop saying, … Continue reading →

I used to really enjoy reading Dave Barry, back when his column was in the Detroit News. That was a long time ago, I kind of lost touch with him as a humorist for several years, and now when I … Continue reading →

h/t

Is something I used to hate far more than freezing in the light, which is just sometimes part of a day’s work. Waking to cold, not having the juice to push back the dark with any authority…There were years when … Continue reading →

Pittsburgh police responded to the call about a fatal accident in Homewood at about 8:50 a.m. “…so I went back to bed.” Police: Man found dead under van that fell on him while trying to steal wheels Before you trust … Continue reading →

Spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon just moving things around from where they are to where they ought to be. Brought firewood to Landlady’s place, at last. Moved some stuff she wanted moved from her barn to Ian’s Cave. … Continue reading →

…it’s good to have neighbors around, I guess. When the ground is freezing, it’s best if one of them has a backhoe. I’m afraid Neighbor L is in the process of losing the second old dog in far-too-quick succession.

There were advantages to a chimney fire phobia: When you’re cleaning your stovepipe every 4-5 days it never gets very sooty. I could knock the whole job out while the bread was rising. Should have considered that before I started … Continue reading →