Progress and Art

Here we see this modern Machine.
It is used to sew clothes and other stuff.
I does a pretty good job.











But I would like to compare it with these older models.










Isn't it amazing how much attention was given to pure decorative embellishment.

This stuff is beautiful, but it was still quite functional. Sometimes it seems we lose something in the cause of progress.



This Blog is nonpolitical, but since this is an election year, I would like to point out that The Fuzz's inflammatory political views can still be found at http://fuzzypol.blogspot.com/.

The Fay Day

Fay hung around Florida a good while and left them lots of rain.
Then she* finally made it here and did it again, though not on the same scale.
She has helped out with the well, and the Fuzz cut the pump back on. Today, he measured a whopping 18in of water in that hole. You will notice the ripple effect down there. This is not some kind of Photoshop trick. It is Fay, herself, filling the well. That's the way it works with these shallow wells. Unfortunately it probably won't last long.
I'm afraid she did complicate things on the job though. She washed out the road into the dump.
Here you can see the extensive damage.
This complicated things since our trucks need to dump a couple times to work a whole route.
At first the folks out there told us they'd have things straightened out by about 1:00 PM. So The Fuzz tried to cram as much as he could into that truck in the hope that he'd be able to dump it. But alas, it was not to be.
Next we brought out some of the old "rear loader" trucks and filled them also.
By quitting time we had a number of full garbage trucks and nowhere to dump them. The Fuzz suggested dumping them over by the river, but nobody took his idea seriously.
But the trucks needed to be empty for the next morning. The landfill people said the road would be passable by 5:30 PM, so the boss man sent us out there to wait. By some fluke, The Fuzz got in the head of the line. He was the first one in, it was 7:00 PM.
But now every thing is OK. The garbage made it into the dump, and The Fuzz will get Overtime!

*The Fuzz thinks they should still name those things after women.

Dental Diminishment

Those Nectarines are Tasty, but a little harder than most peaches. After The Fuzz had one, his tongue noticed something unusual. To tell the truth, it was not all that unusual since he had experienced it before.
He does not blame the Innocent little fruit. He is only glad that there is no pain associated with this. There is really no reason to take any further steps in this affair, since this is only the latest Dental Diminishment.
I realize this could be considered a somewhat Gross Post, but, it's been a slow day.

Peaches?

My loyal readers with good minds for trivia, may remember back in April, when I posted a picture of "Some of Those Little Things" I believe I claimed were "Peaches".Well, it seems there was a bit of confusion on my part.
The other day, The Fuzz and His Sweetie were down in the yard looking for some of those delicious "Peaches". They were expecting soft, fuzzy peaches but found these Nectarines. Well, you'll have to look over my lack of Botanical Knowledge here. I mean, the tree had leaves like a peach and blossoms like a peach. And besides all that, it was a "Volunteer" and this was the first year it made! So I stand corrected.

Or do I? Whilst I was trying to find out how to spell "Nectarines", The Fuzz, ever in search of knowledge, Wikipediaed "Nectarines". It seems that we weren't as wrong about these things as we thought. I quote here:

"....fuzzy peaches and nectarines are commercially regarded as different fruits, with nectarines often erroneously believed to be a crossbreed between peaches and plums, or a "peach with a plum skin", they belong to the same species as peaches."

You can read all about there yourself, if you're interested. And so, I think we can be forgiven for our little misunderstanding of this matter. They might not be "Peaches", but they are still quite tasty.

Tattoos for Wimps

The Fuzz's Sweetie has been practicing the art of Henna Tattoo lately. But she was running out of places to practice. So The Fuzz volunteered. But most of the designs were kinda "Girlie" for such a macho guy. While not permanent, one has to live with this sort of thing for a while. So he got out a book of Japanese designs and found this little feller.
He's kinda cute, but not too cute. So he laid his self down in a comfortable spot and she went to work. She thought it needed a little something extra, so added the border around him. This sort of "Tattoo" has the advantage of being painless which is no small consideration.

Pretty Cool.

Here We Go Again

First it was Ohio. Then the Midwest. Next those folks down in Texas. Now Florida is hogging all the rain.

But you can see how things are here.

That little bit of Water down there is just a teaser. Those few inches are below the foot valve and not much use to us.

They did run a water line out though here, but because of our primitive "facilities" we can't really hook on. That would involve some major upgrades that aren't really justified at this point. And that is part of the reason for The Big Move.

But this is not the first time, or unexpected, and we have ways to deal with these things.

So when the pump could no longer suck up any water, The Fuzz sighed and cut it off. And when he got home from work, he loaded up the Old Water Barrel and made a water run.

He did want me to say, that if any of those soggy folks in Florida could send some of that rain, we'd be glad to have some.

State Capital

The Fuzz had to make a trip involving several Big Cities last week, including the State Capital. Unfortunately it wasn't to collect a big pay off from the "Education" lottery, but it did involve Education.

He had to take that Academic Son off to school.

So he got some time off work and they loaded up the truck and set off in search of Education and Adventure.

Along the way they had to make a stop in that other Big City we seem to end up in from time to time. This is the one with that Brand New Light Rail Line we rode on for fun. But this was a business trip to obtain a new bicycle lock that seemed to be unavailable at home.

And then it was back on the road.

When they got to the State Capital, The Fuzz had to leave that Academic Son here.
Of course his stuff had to stay also.

So it was time to climb the stairs. Academic Son had brought lots of stuff, or so it seemed, but his new room mate was there and they had help with this arduous task. This was greatly appreciated.

Those Big City People always seem to be up to something, especially in the State Capital where they have tax money to spend. But that old Tree Hugging Fuzz was glad to see that they were looking out for our Arborical Friends, although there doesn't seem to be many there to be protected.

American Pie

You may remember that The Fuzz was living in anticipation of a Pie, Apple, to be precise. I mean, what could be better than an Apple Pie? How about a bunch of Fried Pies? So when the subject came up, The Fuzz was quick to run out in the yard, and get some of the best looking Apples.

He also grabbed this knife and went to work. The Apples must be pealed, and then chopped up into little pieces, for the preparation of this wonderful delicacy.

His theory being, that if he would handle this part of the process, His Sweetie would take care of the rest. And she did!
This is the delicious Apple Filling here, still in the pot.

Next, she fixed up the dough for the crust, and filled it with the Delicious Apple Filling.

Then it was time for the Dangerous Part. Here you can see one of these delectable treats being lifted from the Very Hot and Dangerous Oil.

And here is the finished product.
Unfortunately, these are "Virtual" pies, so you can't Smell or Taste them. Alas, all that remains is this picture, but trust me, they were excellent.

A Fuzzy Techno Tip

Actually, The Fuzz is not here right now. But though the Wonders of Modern Technology, he will post this, even though he is (or should be) at work right now. Isn't Modern Technology great!
But on the subject of Technology, The Fuzz would like to share this Tip for Trash Receptacles.
In his line of work, The Fuzz has access to damaged and discarded trash cans. So he is well supplied. But in order to load these rather large containers onto his tiny truck, he must lay them down. This can cause the lids to open with unpleasant results. And so we present another of our incredible Techno-Tips.
Now this one is not complicated in any way. All that is needed is an awl like the one shown (or any similar instrument) and a common Bungee Cord. First, take the awl and push it though the plastic at point "A". Then repeat this action on the back side (not shown) of the container. The Bungee Cord is then slipped into the resulting holes. Thus, the lid is now secure. The arrow at point "C" gives a view of the bottom side of all this on another container.

And so, there you have it. One more of The Fuzz's Amazing Techno-Tips.

Rain

It's been dry here, but just lately we've gotten a bit of much needed Rain. When The Fuzz finally got up this morning, he found this stuff in the wheelbarrow.
A couple nights ago, whilst The Fuzz was out of town at the Home of a Famous University, the home place received almost an inch of that good stuff.
But last night, as the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled, we were blessed with almost 2in of that rain so necessary for the Garden and Well.
You will note the high level of water in this Spiffy Rain Gauge, Yankee Sister sent. The red tape about halfway up is at 1in. The arrow shows where we're at here. Much more and it would be off the scale. This is Good.
And since we're on the subject of moisture now, The Fuzz would like to share these dewdrops he found out there one morning. After all, this blog is about the "little things of daily life".

Burned Out

In the winter of course, we get rid of our paper trash in the Old Wood Stove. After all, paper is made of wood, right?
But in Hot Weather this is not a good solution. So we use the Burn Barrel.
Unfortunately this Burn Barrel has seen better times. In fact this is now a Two Piece Burn Barrel. Obviously this could be a Fire Hazard. So something had to be done.
The Fuzz's Sweetie has been busy these days rooting though his almost 30 year accumulation of stuff and she pulled out this old barrel. It had been used at one time for chicken feed, back in the days when we fed chickens.
But these days we don't feed chickens, so this barrel was a prime candidate for a new career as a Burn Barrel.
But there would need to be some modifications here. A decent Burn Barrel needs Draft. But since we're not referring to one of our favorite beverages here, The Fuzz brought out his trusty Pick. He uses this to dig holes in the extraordinarily hard ground around here. But it is also just the perfect tool for making an ordinary barrel into a real, first class, Burn Barrel.
Here is an inside look at The Fuzz's Modifications. The key here is Restraint. Just enough to get a good thorough burn with out attracting a lot of attention.
And I am pleased to report, that once again we had success. The new Burn Barrel was tested the same day and exceeded all expectations.

Always Something

Yes, It's always something.

When we went over to the Big City Airport to meet the "Young'uns", home from the Tropical Paradise, we were expecting considerable luggage. So The Fuzz drove his Cool Little 4x4 Truck. As he finally pulled up to the terminal, he noticed this Tiny Light on the instrument panel. What got his attention was that it was lit up.

Being part way into a fairly long (for The Fuzz) drive, this was not good. First, he did what it suggested, and checked the engine. It was still there. He then checked the oil. It was still there too.

The Fuzz's mechanical skills date to the era of carburetors and breaker points, so this kind of stuff bothers him. But he couldn't stay there, and since there were no scary noises, no running hot, and plenty of oil, he decided to go for it. It turned out OK and every one made it home once again.

The next day, he did a bit of research and found that this light is supposed to come on at a certain mileage to make him take it to the dealer and give them his money. Since he had recently serviced this truck himself, he feels this would be unnecessary.

And so, it seems that all is well in his mechanical world. Except, now he'll have to find out how to reset that durned light.

Movie Stuff - Samurai Shakespeare !

Been using Netflix for a while now. It's a good way to see all kinds of stuff. The other night we watched "Rashomon" by Akira Kurosawa.

"Rashomon, directed by Akira Kurosawa was well ahead of it's time, not only because of it's stunning visuals but the experimental setting and story. Instead of a plot with a bad guy and his victims, the story digs deeper into human mind."

This is worth watching if you get the chance. One thing about Netflix is if you get something from them, and like it, they'll recommend other similar stuff "you might be interested in".

And so we got "Ran". This borrows heavily from Shakespeare's "King Lear" so of course, everyone dies in the end. But this is Samurai Shakespeare !
But hey, watch 'em if you get the chance.

Another One Bites The Dust

Yes, literally bites the dust.

This one had been around for a while, but was beginning to act a little funny. It still sucked, but that is what is desired in these cases. However it had been getting louder and louder lately, and that is not desirable.

Then, the other day, as Young Daughter was cleaning her room (finally), it refused to respond.

And so, The Fuzz and His Sweetie went over to the Home Improvement Store. (It seems they can't stay away from that place these days.) There they found all kinds of High Dollar Machines but none that seemed to fill the requirements at a realistic price. They have a definite preference for these "canister" models, which I guess aren't real popular with the Home Improvement Crowd.

This left them with the unpleasant option of a trip to Wally World. But His Sweetie reminded The Fuzz, that the K-mart was still there, right across the street from Wally World.

And that's where they found this fine little machine.

In other news, the "Young'uns" made it back from that Tropical Paradise. Unfortunately, their *luggage didn't.
The Fuzz and His Sweetie picked them up at the Airport in the Big City, and took them and that Barkley Dog home. I "Borrowed" this shot from one of them just for this blog, so we all could enjoy a bit of that Tropical Paradise.

*Just for the record, the luggage arrived today.

Funny Money

This, just in.......



"a coin bearing the likeness of Homer Simpson instead of Spanish King Juan Carlos"

I like it.

The Root of the Problem

Here at the Old Homeplace we go in for a sorta "Natural" landscaping. So as you can see, this is not a "Park Like" lawn here. But of course even this Semi-wild type of yard must be mowed from time to time.

The other day, in anticipation of an approaching Apple Harvest, The Fuzz's Sweetie asked him to mow under the apple tree. Always wishing to please her, he did just that. And then, since he had the mower out and running, he thought to trim up a few more spots. That was when the trouble started.

When mowing around here, it is not unusual to chop up a few sticks or whatever. But this time as the rapidly spinning blade contacted one of these roots, it suddenly stopped. Something in the way this occurred caused The Fuzz enough uneasiness that he peeked beneath the mower "just to check on things". It was then that he discovered that his blade was, as they say, "History".
You will note in this picture how the old blade (Right) has a peculiar "twist" on the near end. And so it was time for a trip to the Home Improvement Store.

When he arrived at the Home Improvement Store, The Fuzz found a great many blades for a great many types of Lawn Mowing Machines. He had neglected to bring the damaged blade with him, so he picked out one that looked somewhat similar. Unfortunately it was a bad choice.

And so there was another trip to the Home Improvement Store for blade swapping. Again Our Hero found himself confused. But this time he had his old, unfortunate, blade in the truck. It was quickly retrieved, and compared to those in stock. And to his immense satisfaction, he found an exact match.

All that was left was for the skillful Fuzz to install the new, correct, blade. And he even got $3 back on the trade.

Kittens & Applesauce

Here's a look at our Current Crop of Kittens.The Late Puddin's Sister produced these. They seem pretty healthy....so far. Two Face was a good mother as you can see. Unfortunately, she has followed Puddin' across that Great Divide. What ever got him, seems to have gotten her as well. The Fuzz's Sweetie found her dead the other morning. But she did manage to raise these babies 'till they can survive without her, first. This is one reason we don't worry too much about having a bunch of kittens. Cats just don't seem to last long around here.

The Apples seem to be doing better. These are some kind of early green ones. This tree was here when we moved here many years ago. Someone had been trying to use the area for a garden, and cut it down. But it came back from the roots. One time, The Fuzz tried to graft on some Winesap shoots. They lived for a few years, but never did any good. But the rest of the tree did fine.

The apples are rather small, and not much to look at, but actually taste quite good.

The Fuzz's Sweetie has been making Apple Butter and Applesauce with them. She's pretty handy to have around.

We have another Apple Tree that we planted when we came here. That one's a Winesap (the source of the ill fated grafts). It's loaded this year too. Soon those will be ready and there will be more sauce, and The Fuzz hopes, maybe a Pie.

The Bark Is Back

With so many off to that Tropical Paradise, it was time for that Barkley Dog to make another visit. He does seem to miss His People, but he is coping. He is used to taking frequent runs with his Master, but unfortunately for him, The Fuzz is not up to that. They have made it out for a few walks though.

They missed a couple of days there, when The Fuzz was laid up, but he and Young Daughter took that Barkley and their own Stupid, Disobedient Dog for a nice long walk up the road to the grocery store this morning.

Along the way they saw a pile of "Deer Corn" someone had dropped off of their truck. I don't even know why I mentioned that here, but it was one of those "Little Things" you don't see every day. On the way home, they noticed that someone had scooped up what they could. I suppose the squirrels will try and eat the rest, and probably end up as more Roadkill.
Here you can see Barkley with one of his Favorite Toys,"Squeezzel". I don't know if that's it's real name, but The Fuzz calls it "Squeezzel" so I will too. Barkley loves you to throw Squeezzel and he's pretty good at catching it, so The Fuzz usually throws it a few times as he passes though the yard on his way to bigger and better things.

Watermellon

Exhibit "W"
Just what we needed on a hot summer day.
And we thoroughly enjoyed it.
All of us.

Fast Food

Does this seem a bit Big Brotherish ?

"The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to place a moratorium on new fast food restaurants in an impoverished swath of the city with a proliferation of such eateries and above-average rates of obesity."

A Nice Stand of Okra

It had been hot and dry here. Not real good garden weather. But the Okra is doing fine.
Okra does OK with hot and dry, which is a good thing with the way the weather has been lately. We have had a few messes already. The Fuzz's Sweetie fried up a mess last night. That's how we mostly fix it, roll it in cornmeal and fry the stuff.
Unfortunately, The Fuzz did not get to enjoy this culinary delight. When he woke that morning, he was not feeling well. After agonizing over whether to call in sick, or be a hero and "tough it out", he took the easy way, and went for the phone. It turned out to be the best move. His condition deteriorated rapidly at this point. The Fuzz spent a very uncomfortable day as a sickie.
It turns out that his "Backup" at work, had also called in that morning. This complicated matters for the boss man, but they did manage to muddle though somehow. I am happy to report that he was back on the job this morning.

Young Daughter has been on a bit of a Bead Binge these days. Here is some of her handiwork. This all started at the Beach. One of the communal activities was a Beading Bash. Well, it keeps her off the street.