Author Archives: Joel

Seriously. June is the one month you can count on being dry. I’m told there are some hurricanes in the Pacific screwing up weather patterns all the way up to the high desert. I blame it on California. D and … Continue reading →

I put a window in the Lair’s bathroom to replace the high jalousie vents, so I could see what was going on with the chickens when they got upset without having to suit up and go outside. Now whenever I … Continue reading →

Today began the Great Secret Lair Siding Project in earnest. Finished the biggest part of the wrapping day before yesterday, yesterday was spent on laundry and a massive, destructive windstorm – that didn’t hurt the tarpaper, so I must have … Continue reading →

Found this somewhere and copied it on an impulse. It’s clearly supposed to be one of those “rules for real men” lists, yet quite a few have actually become hard rules around here without my really planning it that way. … Continue reading →

Down here in my hollow I’m protected from the worst of the wind but when it gets hot, as it is today, I do sometimes get dust devils off the wash and some of them can be impressive. One just … Continue reading →

Hey, I didn’t know Wendy McElroy wrote fiction. But there’s a newish anthology of “Libertarian” (sigh) scifi short stories, and Wendy McElroy’s in it, and her story and two others are available for free download. Hers is pretty damned good! … Continue reading →

On Monday, the acting chief of the TSA, Melvin Carraway, was transferred to a comfortable new sinecure (he’ll be at Homeland Security’s office of state and local law enforcement) after he successfully discovered the answer to a question that has … Continue reading →

Get a load of this bullshit. Among all the other bad stuff, there’s that one thing that’s been in the news, as if it’s the only thing wrong with the so-called Patriot Act… The legislation will phase out, over six … Continue reading →

Still the upper part to do, but for that I need another pair of hands. So I’ll schedule Neighbor D to come over and start with the siding. The clock is ticking now, because afternoons are still windy and one … Continue reading →

I just got an email from Landlady, reminding me that this is National Gun Violence Awareness Day…according to some bunch of idiots somewhere. And in honor of the day and to commemorate all our friends and family members who have … Continue reading →

We want to believe him. We need to believe him. He’s the commander in chief, and there is a legitimate need to adapt the civil liberties regime to the 21st century. I believe the first time I heard a president … Continue reading →

I have lived to see this. Not around me, but still. Go ahead and roll in your grave, Harry Jacob Anslinger, it won’t save you now. h/t to The Vulgar Curmudgeon. ETA: Oh, bother. One who should know says the … Continue reading →

And having had J&H’s batteries added to my responsibilities, since I’m now officially the caretaker there, I figured it’s best to just start a regular circuit of everybody’s powersheds and do it all on the same day. So…today I have … Continue reading →

Why did I think a 2-story cabin would be a good idea? And in an attempt to get away from lens flare I took another picture, and got photobombed by one of the many reasons I like it here…

…in case that hasn’t come across. And my older brother has often been a generous benefactor, not always in small ways. In 1972 I got my left leg torn off, among several other lesser major injuries. I was broke, of … Continue reading →

Evil alone is bad enough; evil and tacky puts me right off my feed. Really. What is it with Nazis at gun shows? I’ve traveled from state to state, lived in every region of the country but two, and have … Continue reading →

C’mon, you’re not even trying hard.

The second-worst outcome is, I was on the ladder when the door hit it on the way down. That one, I probably could have limped or crawled away from. Remember Darrel the Former Cop? The first-worst outcome is, I was … Continue reading →

…are bound to bring a smile to my face. “Today’s vote to allow the open carry of handguns is not at all surprising — this session has been an alarming show of politicking that caters to a gun lobby agenda … Continue reading →

Taking Czechsix’s good advice, I was able to get those facings up this morning. Took an hour and a half, but most of that was futzing with the ladder and the front stairs and getting hit in the eye with … Continue reading →