Author Archives: Joel

Big Brother, long on the road, decided to make up for lost time with a veritable shower of care packages…

So day before yesterday all hell broke loose around here, just as Landlady was about an hour out from her first visit in three weeks. We got her in yesterday morning, with a big adventurous Jeep ride through the Gulch’s … Continue reading →

I’ve waited for today to put together an Amazon order, because today was care package-heavy and I was going to feel really stupid if I spent money for something somebody already sent me. Right? Hey. I fully own that I’m … Continue reading →

Okay, so the morning needed an early start because in our last exciting episode we left Landlady in a fleabag motel in the town nearest the Gulch. This had to change -if only because she had a car full of … Continue reading →

Two best-of-decade floods in a week, and today’s was the best. The flood not only jumped the bank, it held it down and violated it forthrightly. I’ve got bushes that will never be the same, and I’m quite worried for … Continue reading →

Remember those guys who had this great plan to repeal Obamacare – just as soon as you gave them control of both houses of congress and the White House? There was no willingness to restore the healthcare industry to some … Continue reading →

I am, at heart, a lazy bastard. Much of the work I do is to save me from the kind of back-and-forth drudgery I hate and am not really built to excel at, and that’s the kind of work I … Continue reading →

…and I hope this is just a mock-up because if it isn’t it’s the worst book cover I’ve ever seen in 60 years of bibliophilia… It’s not due out till September but apparently it’s yet another concise explanation for how … Continue reading →

…now you might want to ask your robot vacuum cleaner if it has a warrant. See, none of those other devices can move around the house on their own power. If my TV is in the living room, I know … Continue reading →

So yesterday not only didn’t the wash flood, it never rained at all. Didn’t see that coming. Here’s another thing I didn’t see coming… The battery went flat completely out of the blue. I’d blame corrosion on the battery posts … Continue reading →

All the siding is up! I’ve got some caulking to do after lunch but the flashing and drip edge is complete. There was a problem with the roofing right at that front corner where it attaches to the cabin. I’ve … Continue reading →

The wash never did flood yesterday, and if the forecasters on the radio are right – wouldn’t be wise to plan as if they’re right – the whole “apocalypse every afternoon” thing might back off for a couple of days. … Continue reading →

Have you ever tried to hurry an old dog? A dog that never cared what you think even when he lived with you – but now he doesn’t? So I finished the day’s siding work, and I put the tools … Continue reading →

I literally took Sunday off and yesterday there just wasn’t time, what with the Monday water run and the horrifying storm and flash flood. I did some sealing work inside and even used up a little insulation, but nothing that … Continue reading →

When I last checked just before dark, the wash was still running far above anything you’d want to cross in anything less than an amphibious vehicle. So Ghost was left alone in S&L’s house since just past noon yesterday. That … Continue reading →

Offered without comment…hee…

Hee. As of this past weekend, an industrious vandal is trying to warn the locals about the very people they’ve hired to protect them. Around midday on Sunday, Addy Free was returning home from his work as an assistant registrar … Continue reading →

I’ve lived next to this wash for going on eleven years, and I’ve never seen it do anything like this. Oh, my kingdom for a better camera. I’m standing as close to the end of my driveway as I can … Continue reading →

Oh, my god. …for far too long, government has gone along, tilting the economic playing field in favor of the wealthy and powerful while putting new burdens on the backs of hard-working Americans. Says the wealthy and powerful senator who, … Continue reading →

You know what’s worse than huddling in your chair waiting for the afternoon storm to stomp you flat and burn the roadkill to ashes? Trying to pretend to sleep through it. I had to get up early to go do … Continue reading →