Author Archives: Joel

A funny thing happened a few days ago. M and I had been working on his dome that morning, and he, W and I were sharing lunch under the barn’s porch. W looked over at the next ridge and saw … Continue reading →

“It’s just no fun any more,” complained Arthur Pendleton, chief commentator for The Onion, America’s once-foremost satirical news site, as he finished emptying his cubicle drawers into cardboard boxes. “No matter how absurd and out there we went, the so-called … Continue reading →

Shock as Barack Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize US President Barack Obama sensationally won the Nobel Peace Prize last night less than a year after he took office with the jury hailing his “extraordinary” diplomatic efforts on the international stage. … Continue reading →

Hm. Y’know, I just took that a few minutes ago, and it was supposed to be a cute puppy picture. I think of him as my cute li’l furball, and he really is a sweetheart. But sometimes I see a … Continue reading →

THE REBAR IS FINISHED! Next ordeal step – The front wall!

I may have mentioned that we live in the desert, as deep in the boonies as it was convenient to go. We don’t live in a park, and our beasts are not lap dogs – though sometimes they want to … Continue reading →

Hey, anybody know how to un-stick the pliers on a Leatheman? Both M and I have totally horked our multi-tools up cutting tie wire. I tried spraying mine out with brake cleaner and then lubing it with Marvel oil. I’ve … Continue reading →

That makes three and a half. Three and a half confirmed rabbits that Little Bear has consumed. The three, he consumed in their entirety – stem to stern. The half, he got in a grisly tug-of-war over with Beauty. The … Continue reading →

…though technically it was Scots who did this. “Nanny State” Beer! [Anti-inebriation] Campaigners welcomed the 1.1% alcohol Nanny State but said the name showed a lack of appreciation of the problem Really? I’d say it shows an exquisite appreciation of … Continue reading →

With W and the Landlady forming one team and M and me another, we finished the second (vertical) course of rebar on M’s dome. Which leaves (only!) one more. Sigh. This one course took over four big rolls of tie … Continue reading →

After a long bout with a brain tumor, Magnus’ family was finally forced to give him a mercy death this morning. A series of seizures about five weeks ago left him a shadow of his former magnificent self, and another … Continue reading →

And ever so publicly! An update to yesterday’s Hardin, Montana post: Hardin Jail Entrepreneur Has Checkered Past He wore a military-style uniform, and as a gesture to local law enforcement offered up the use of three Mercedes SUVs. But the … Continue reading →

But has the alternative really proven such a big improvement?Click for the ad copy. Get a load of the price! H/T to BK Marcus

…This is weird. I mean, this is really weird. In the town of Hardin, Montana, a development group called Two Rivers Authority sold a bunch of bonds and built a 464-bed jail, for no apparent reason. It was finished several … Continue reading →

My friend put up a building(duh DAH dah dum)Wants to berm it with earth(duh DAH dah dum)Feels like I’m tyin’ rebar(duh DAH dah dum)Since the day of my birth!Cause I got the bluuuuesI got the desert suckage blues!I got them … Continue reading →

And on, and on. The first horizontal course being done, this morning we started the vertical course. In five hours we finished one side. Twenty junctions per bar, which means twenty wire ties per bar plus whatever we need to … Continue reading →

“The whole “two party” thing causes problems if both parties pass the laws they think are necessary when they are in power, yet nobody ever repeals the laws that they know in what passes for their hearts are wrong. “This … Continue reading →

Well, the rebar for M’s dome came, and there’s nothing for it but to get back to work. Sigh – 300 20′ sticks of half-inch rebar. Heaven, I’m in heaven. Not. First there are these panels of six-gauge mesh covered … Continue reading →

Having come up with an unorthodox solution to a part of the Lair’s insulation problem, M and I went to S&L’s house to pick up the interior siding. I’ll have to put up part of it to hold the clothing/insulation … Continue reading →

We spent yesterday morning at M’s place, putting up the burlap panels and rebar. Went to town for pizza, and on the way back we stopped at a big sign advertising a yard sale. They had a metric crapload of … Continue reading →