Author Archives: Joel

Morning started out normally and irritatingly enough. Coldest in a week, so naturally this morning the fire didn’t want to cooperate. Don’t know why it does this sometimes, probably variation in firewood quality, but sometimes the fire lights easily enough … Continue reading →

Ghost has been staying at the Lair all week while S&L are visiting family for Christmas week. This makes morning walkies all the more inescapable because he doesn’t accept excuses the way LB does. I woke to an at least … Continue reading →

(Oops, sorry. Another wall of words. I swear this is becoming a year-end tradition around here. I don’t do it on purpose, sometimes I just blather.) It’s a beautiful clear morning here at the Gulch. Weather’s been shit up till … Continue reading →

I was just now cleaning out the spam locker when I came upon one with the following offer: Finally! A way to ignore someone’s tweets without unfollowing them! And I thought, but I already do that every day.

I plan to spend the first week in January in the city where it’s warm and there are alleged to be these things called “hot showers” I’ve heard about. This is a big deal. I haven’t been further from the … Continue reading →

No names, no pack drill. I won’t paste the email text here because I’m really not trying to embarrass anybody. But I received two emails from a person essentially wanting an unpaid internship at TUAK. Now, TUAK makes no pretense … Continue reading →

Seriously, you must – carefully, to avoid ocular damage – go look at this. If I had $50, I’d get one for Ian.

The republicans are going to screw you on Obamacare. Congressional Republicans are considering holding off on repealing some of ObamaCare’s taxes, according to lobbyists familiar with the discussions. I know, right? Who could possibly have seen that coming? Of course … Continue reading →

It appears we’re heading into one of those gloomy weeks that can happen even in the desert, in the winter. I’m putting the wasteful “Big solar panel array, itty bitty battery bank” approach to a proper test. And it seems, … Continue reading →

Because in discussions elsewhere I’m learning that’s kind of a thing, and not just among obvious New Agey flower children. Personally I don’t celebrate the solstice as such, but I note its presence in the rearview mirror with pleasure. Bonus … Continue reading →

I was rearranging a few things this morning after the frost thawed. You want to see something that always eases old Joel’s mind? All my propane bottles – except the one attached to the cabin, which is maybe half full … Continue reading →

We may have to spend the next four years looking at Melania Trump naked. Calvin Klein Sends a Bold Message to Fashion Designers Who Refuse to Dress Melania Trump “…unfortunately, at this time, what Melania and her world represents, I … Continue reading →

In winter I get antsy when the propane supply gets low. So when Big Brother slipped me a bill this past weekend, I took the first opportunity to fill empty bottles and cans. And also fill the chicken feed barrels… … Continue reading →

This can was visibly bulging at top and bottom, which gave me a moment’s pause*. But it’s freeze dried, right? I mean, it might deteriorate but it’s hard to imagine fermentation. Plus, “Packed in Nitrogen Atmosphere,” by which they apparently … Continue reading →

Landlady’s house is rather small. It’s got a nice snug living room, a nice snug dining room, a nice snug kitchen, a single bedroom and a monster closet. In the living room there are (were) two 4X6 rugs AND a … Continue reading →

A few years ago Claire sent me this very warm hat I didn’t get much use from, because it was just a touch too small. Once in a while it would come in handy, like two years ago when the … Continue reading →

I wasn’t aware until this morning that snowflakes had such complex emotional lives. Why, just yesterday I stepped on and presumably squished a whole bunch of them and didn’t think anything about it at all. But now I learn that … Continue reading →

I actually slept through the night, which I haven’t done since I took that fall and messed up my rotator cuff. Even though it doesn’t bother me much during the day it still keeps me awake at night – but … Continue reading →

Didn’t occur to me till this morning that I’ve never in life actually cracked one of these cans open. So let’s just say that the can was still pressurized (“packed in nitrogen atmosphere”) and while there are rust spots on … Continue reading →