Author Archives: Joel

Regular commenter Phssthpok (please don’t ask me to pronounce that) suggested that since I installed mine over a year ago, a long-term Vogelzang review might be in order. That sounds like a good idea.

…Letting the government run everything has worked out so well for education.

I’m tempted to say that everybody has chronic fears, but I can’t do that because I don’t know everybody. Maybe it’s only me. One of my more bothersome fears made last winter more of a misery than it had to … Continue reading →

…sometimes you have to do something drastic. Yesterday morning, after the news about that amazing donation that will keep my eyes working was relayed to me, I was in a mood to celebrate. So I performed the Secret Lair’s answer … Continue reading →

Total amount: $5,000.00 USD Currency: U.S. Dollars Confirmation number: [redacted] Purpose: Joel’s eye surgery Contributor: [redacted] Message: Please get your eyes fixed. God has an affinity for eccentric desert dwellers. Okay. I believe I will. ETA: Appointment made. Believe it … Continue reading →

…at last we’ve got a morning without clouds. And I don’t know if it’ll last (the forecast said rain) but I looked up at the sun as it broke over the ridge to the ESE, crystal-clear in the perfect blue … Continue reading →

Now, see, this is the way I like to wake up in the morning, via Claire: Men of good will habitually assume that other men are much like them. They, being animated and guided by what C. S. Lewis called … Continue reading →

“A man dressed in soft garments?” I actually thought about that line this morning after doing something I have never done before in seven years in the wilderness: I dropped in to visit Darrel the Former Cop. Regular readers may … Continue reading →

How to make chicken sweaters I’ve got that one little hen who’s never gonna be allowed to grow her feathers back. But instead of doing this, I’m just gonna eat her. Claire tried to teach me how to knit while … Continue reading →

…they at least had the excuse of having no choice in the matter. This is Ann Kuster, US Representative for the New Hampshire second congressional district. (Yeah, I looked it up. I’d never heard of her either.) She has been … Continue reading →

How the ATF Manufactures Crime After a bungled sting attracted the suspicion of the Milwaukee press earlier this year, reporters started to examine similar enterprises in the rest of the country. What they found astonished them. Among the tactics they … Continue reading →

Started stoking the stove at seven, when the boyz wouldn’t hold their water for one more minute. Took till nine thirty before the indoor temp reached 60, and it wasn’t because Uncle Joel was being afraid of fire. This was … Continue reading →

Going through some old photos, I came upon my first glimpse of Little Bear, back when he was just 7 of 7… How things change.

And I saw that and thought, “Really? I didn’t know Objectivists were permitted a sense of humor. Particularly not about Rand or themselves.” So I clicked, and all was explained. Parody and ridicule can be done purely for humor, or … Continue reading →

My neighbors and I have made a game out of comparing low temps, max wind gusts, and resulting damage reports. And when you compare what’s really happening with what the weather forecast says is supposed to be happening, it doesn’t … Continue reading →

So yesterday was overcast nearly all day and the day before that was no prize for a guy who gets his electrical power from the sun. But my batteries are in good repair and I was careful about usage, so … Continue reading →

…or maybe I shouldn’t say that too loud. Looks like just about everybody else got nailed by this big storm, but so far all we’ve had is a dusting of snow, and now the clouds look like they may want … Continue reading →

Some weeks ago, a kind contributor sent me a whole bunch of canned meat to help see me through the winter. I’m only familiar with one of these products, so I was interested to see how it went. Maybe you’ll … Continue reading →

When we set up the big chicken house last summer, Landlady bought some little plastic and brass nipples that go in the bottom of a bucket for watering. Work great! Except the chicken house gets colder than I’d hoped, with … Continue reading →