Author Archives: Joel

…It’s the first time anybody’s paid attention to my ass in a long damn time. Unfortunately it’s the wrong gender, not to mention the wrong species. Comet the colt has a new trick – he likes to bite you on … Continue reading →

I got busy and forgot to mention it, but yesterday I got an email from the lady who handles my mail drop telling me that I have two care packages, one from Claire and one from Donkeybuster. I don’t know … Continue reading →

The building has left Elvis! And for the first time in – well, basically, ever – Landlady’s property is trailer-free.

A brace of red-letter days! Yesterday I got back to the Lair late. After installing the new check valve in M’s well pump outflow pipe and (hopefully) fixing the system, I met with the fellow who’s helping me haul off … Continue reading →

Yesterday I spent nearly four hours catching up on my shit-shoveling, after the snow/cold of the weekend. Four hours of wading through mud so I could pry horse shit out of ice, since the ground thawed everywhere except where there … Continue reading →

When Preparing Your Family gave me a link… TSA screenings aren’t just for airports anymore Rick Vetter was rushing to board the Amtrak train in Charlotte, N.C., on a recent Sunday afternoon when a canine officer suddenly blocked the way. … Continue reading →

Now confiscating cupcakes? Rebecca Hains said the Transportation Security Administration agent at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas took her cupcake Wednesday. According to Hains, he told her its frosting was enough like a gel to violate TSA restrictions on … Continue reading →

Seems like a silly question, right? I mean, how hard is that? On the grid, you think of water as this unlimited commodity, like air. My house might have plumbing problems that limit me temporarily, but the guy next door … Continue reading →

Saw it over at Claire’s. Merry Christmas, y’all.

It triggers, even after a decade, the same reflexive spinal-level twitch you’d get from the sound of a running Husqvarna being lobbed into a playpen. The topic isn’t even that interesting … maybe it’s because right now my Husky is … Continue reading →

After snowing most of the day, right around 4:30 in the afternoon yesterday the clouds parted like somebody opened a curtain. It was uncanny. Right before sundown, of course: Not enough to do the solar panels any good but enough … Continue reading →

Around 4:30 in the afternoon, just before sundown, the clouds parted like somebody opened a curtain. It was uncanny. Not in time to do the solar panels any good of course, in fact just enough to heat them enough that … Continue reading →

Maybe a good thing the internet guy didn’t move the dish, since I have no electricity at all now. Haven’t seen the sun for more than a couple of minutes in days. This is as gray and snowy as I … Continue reading →

Kim Jong-Un Privately Doubting He’s Crazy Enough To Run North Korea Although Kim’s birthday is already recognized as a national holiday and any criticism of him is punishable by indefinite sentences in re-education camps, Kim suggested that the stress of … Continue reading →

Okay. I measured and recorded the water level in the cistern yesterday morning: Almost but not quite empty. Did it again yesterday at sundown. In between we had fitful sunshine, but enough direct sun that the pump should have pumped … Continue reading →

…is that the service guy does show up – even on time – and then comes up with a very creative reason why the work you need done can’t be done that day. Or at all. So the guy actually … Continue reading →

I just got a call from the installer. Now I have to go and rescue him, and lead him in.