Author Archives: Joel

Sprang for one in the autumn. Hasn’t been of any use so far but may pay for itself the first really cold windy day when the smoke in the stovepipe doesn’t know which way to go.

Consisting almost entirely of food goodies this month… Big Brother has been rotating his own disaster stores and sending the older stuff my way, which this month consists almost entirely of canned meat. Always welcome, sez I. Plus LB’s tithe, … Continue reading →

Can’t really see what’s going on out there, but it doesn’t sound solar-power-friendly. And neither was yesterday, so that. Plus stuff. So I might be back later, maybe not. In the meantime, rejoice and be exceedingly glad. It’s NATIONAL CHOCOLATE … Continue reading →

…on the prepper fora and elsewhere, it’s actually possible to internalize the notion that lighting a fire the easy way is somehow a violation of principle. Against the prepper code, or something. When I moved into the Lair and heated … Continue reading →

Funny, yeah. Funny as hell. But still. Wrong.

It would hit max creepy very quickly if they didn’t need me to give them the GPS data. But I’m pretty sure nobody around here has anything to worry about anyway.

The things that happen when there’s no camera… Little Bear wanted a second morning walkie, so we did that and then came back to the Lair by way of the clotheslines. We have this little dialogue that doesn’t always go … Continue reading →

Seems the dems are still trying to figure how Hillary lost a democrat state. “It was very surgical and corporate. They had their model, this is how they’re going to do it. Their thing was, ‘We don’t have to leave … Continue reading →

One thing in life I was never tempted to take seriously, growing up, was the chance of a fair election in Detroit. May as well ask gravity to pull things up. I see nothing’s changed. Records: Too many votes in … Continue reading →

Well, I ran the first two batteries through a second treatment at 4 amps, and got a result I’ve never seen before. Usually the Battery Minder either says the battery is charged and working or not charged and FUBAR. This … Continue reading →

Okay, maybe not a disaster. Disaster is when your house burns down. But quite a disappointment. Last spring, as I recall, a generous reader sent me a little Trio tablet he wasn’t using. All summer it got used for not … Continue reading →

Gun Control Thriller ‘Miss Sloane’ Has One of the Worst Opening Weekends Ever Miss Sloane, the gun control thriller starring Jessica Chastain, over the weekend posted one of the worst performances of the past 35 years for a movie in … Continue reading →

Protein is bad, cholesterol is good, carbohydrates are bad, eggs are bad unless they’re good – to the extent I ever paid any attention to government warnings about food, I always found them confusing. Honestly, I’m well into my sixties … Continue reading →

CHICAGO—The city of Chicago is steadily recovering from an overnight snowstorm that delayed hundreds of murders on Friday morning and will likely continue to push numerous homicides across the city drastically behind schedule, public authorities announced. “As we speak, maintenance … Continue reading →

A few years ago a neighbor solved one of my few remaining winter problems by pitching half a dozen pair of heavy canvas jeans. They all needed some patching and are far too heavy for summer, but just right for … Continue reading →

…the socially correct answer is always “Okay, thanks!” But it’s not yet clear who’s doing whom a big favor. Neighbor just wants them out of his storage shed. Can’t blame him. Are they of any real use? I frankly had … Continue reading →

Might turn out to be good stuff, not really sure. Might just be unnecessary work and expense. News at eleven. And I’m going slow, because for the past couple of months that’s the way I swing. Ol’ slow Joel. Back … Continue reading →

Seriously. Ask Landlady.

Cora is in custody for her own protection: Somebody shredded her comb overnight. I’ve known something was up with Cora for some time, because she has felt so unwelcome around the other hens she has actually taken to using me … Continue reading →