Never talk to muffin trees!

Has been broiling here in Appalachia this last week. Brought the dogs in even when they wished to be out. Chickens seem ok. They’re under the shade of trees. Some digging out holes in their run to keep cool.

Last week our old girl got snakebit. We’d just spotted a copperhead the week prior -the first venomous snake we’d ever seen anywhere near our place. Relieved she bounced back quickly. Swelling down after a day. Glad to have had some leftover antibiotic that kept the nasty wound at the bite from getting worse.

Do make sure you’re on them long enough. I was inadequately treated and had complications for years and later developed a serious neuromuscular disorder. Recommend an infectious disease specialist. GP’s are out of their depth.

There was a young man that said “damn”

For it certainly seems that I am

A creature that moves in determinate grooves

I’m not even a bus, I’m a tram

Have sometimes heard Bradbury accused of purple prose. I never minded his detailed imagery one bit. Especially in the pre-digital age before everyone insisted on everything being so damned concise.

That sounds very cool. I’m totally ignorant of the hardware requirements. What sort of minimum setup would such an install take?

It’s sorta playful, but seems like it could get out of hand. Mostly goes for the wheels. The playbow must be a powerful piece of dog language. There’s a consistent misunderstanding when anybody tries to tie their shoes here.

Yes!

My crazy dog has always wanted to bite the push mower whenever it moves. I suspect he thinks it growls at him. He’s fine until it starts moving, then he goes crazy. Naturally he’s contained for his safety when mowing takes place.

Same goes for headlamps and their sketchy durability. Could scarcely get one to last more than a year before some switch or battery door failure. Sung the praises of Thrunite when I found them. Terribly disappointed at the discontinuation of the TH-20 design. Taking either 14500/AA batteries was just great.

Much the same for us. The toxic attitudes here in Appalachia are shocking. We’ve sure tried to give back and make ties, but authentic ones have been exceedingly rare. Something awful in the zeitgeist here now that makes it nigh impossible for folks to get along for the simplest tasks/clubs/gatherings.

A scale model of Devil’s Tower, Wyoming. It would mean something.

“and POTENTIALLY tell me to go fuck myself.”

Oooh. Catharsis.

Kentucky Route Zero came to me at a shaky time in my life. Such that it was full of impactful moments. Maybe made more so by myself living in the often grim, beautiful and haunted place that is east Kentucky -and of course late stage capitalism.

Orchids to Dusk is another that inspires awe. Though it is entirely about looking for a nice place to die.

If you are in the U.S. and have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore nearby, there are often lots of “dumb” flat screens to be had for a song. If you don’t mind a slightly older bit of hardware.

You can sharpen the cartridges on a piece of fabric. Have to experiment a bit to see which works best. The texture of some old cotton Columbia hiking shorts has been ideal. Maybe it doesn’t result in like-new sharpness, but can make old cartridges passable for some time.

You do have to admire that sort of commitment though.

I can speak to the jarring part.

I’ve been collecting cheap mason jars for years whenever I find them. An often overlooked use of them is the long-term preservation of bulk, dry foods. Like lentils, oats, rice etc. These are easily cooked and in tandem with a pressure cooker opens up a lot of quick meals.

We often purchase 25lb sacks of stuff we eat lots of. (Look into Azure Standard to see if they have a drop point near you -huge savings in shipping of heavy food).

Many do not know that dry foods such as grains or beans inherently contain insect eggs that will eventually hatch and consume your food -or at least make it way less appetizing. A way around this is to store in mason jars that have been evacuated of air. This is done either through an electric pump appliance such as a vacu-sealer, or manually through a hand pump you can purchase cheaply through places like Amazon.

Love to find the half-gallon jars as they are high capacity. Dry foods so stored will last for years with little degradation in a near vacuum.

Has saved us a lot of money over the years. Another plus is that we always have staples put back for months.

Still remember a print ad for The Grudge “Runs circles around The Ring!”.