Coming soon

A Closer look at Garbage from an insider.

No Coal

This is the Coal Yard. So where is the coal ? That's what I want to know. I've been watching all winter, wanting to pick up a load of that unPC, greenhouse gassing, smelly old house warming fuel. It's dirty, but it burns so hot. You can leave what you don't burn outside, and it won't rot till next year, or many years. But there is no coal. When I stop by, the gate is locked. When I call on the telephone all I hear is an answering thing, promising to call me back, a promise never kept. At one time there was a mountain of coal under this machinery, now, zip.
A lot of people think burning coal stinks. Maybe it does. But somewhere in the back of my mind, a whiff triggers something. Something I can almost remember, but I'm not sure. Something out of the past. Something about Railroads and the Big City, and a River. Maybe it's lost now.
But it sure makes that stove feel good on a cold night.

Sunny Wood

The winter woods are a lot different than the summer, Duh. Here we would have cool shade, a welcome relief from the midday heat. Today, that bright sunshine feels really good. You can also see what's around you. I've seen a lot of deer tracks but of course no deer. They hide pretty well. The few green trees stand out and are a nice contrast to all the brown and grey. I was just out walking, and this view caught my eye and I thought I'd share it.
No snow here. I hear they have ten feet in the old country. I think I'd like to see some, but not that much I'm sure.

Out on a Limb

That blue spot about halfway up the tree would be The Fuzz. That green thing hanging below him is a chainsaw. You may wonder what any sane person would be doing hanging from a tree with a dangerous piece of power equipment, but don't mistake The Fuzz for a sane person. Those little blossoms we've been seeing do hold the promise of spring, but 20' is still 20'. Which of course means heat, which means fire, which means fuel, which means in this case, wood. Now it is true that wood can be obtained by driving the truck to our little wood lot in the country, but this wood is in our own back yard, kinda close like. And when one considers that my Sweetie has a desire for a bit more sun in this area, it all comes together rather nicely.
When one is in the woods, it is not usually real important how a tree falls except as a matter of convenience. One wants it close to the truck, but not on top of it. In a case like this though, it becomes a bit more critical. It's not so much how far the wood must be carried, but more a matter of not destroying one's house, or perhaps an important outbuilding. Once it is down, it's too late, it stays where it is. I think there is some sort of proverb about that. So we have a certain target area, that is a certain size, and a tree must sometimes be adjusted so it falls within those parameters. That is what is happening here.
In my younger days, (not that I'm over the hill yet) I got a hold of some cool things that one can strap to one's legs and, in theory, climb right up any old tree like a cat, or a squirrel maybe. It can be pretty exciting and I came close to killing myself a couple times. But that is another story. This time I had concerns about some of these limbs removing the windows in the West Wing. I also hoped to save our pitiful little pear tree. My well thought out plan was to remove most of these larger limbs and maybe take out the top before dropping the remnant neatly into the allotted space. All went according to plan until with one more limb to remove, I was betrayed by my chainsaw.
Operating a chainsaw in a tree is the sort of thing I tend to take rather seriously, nice and slow and deliberate like. I almost cut part of my foot off once, but that's another story too. But nothing like that happened here. This was merely a case of equipment failure. No matter what I tried, I could not get the thing to work. I checked the gas, I tried all the appropriate words, still nothing. There was nothing to do but return to the ground. Well, I needed the rest anyway. I probably don't have to mention, that on the ground, it cranked with the second pull. Such is life.We cut up the limbs, and will leave the rest for another day. Probably just drop it like it is. It looks like it will be OK now.
The Fuzz is a bit of a tree hugger actually. Here he is out on a limb contemplating his next move.

Getting the Point

For any one who has not had the pleasure, this is that infamous Brier Patch, the sort of place where that Rabbit of Renown made good his escape. This is the source of those delicious Blackberries that stain the fingers and faces of those Happy Summer Young'uns. But, note the

deadly spikes that defend these treats. These are the sort of things that draw blood from the unwary. See the seemingly insignificant yet vicious curve to the thorns. This diabolical feature is what makes them dig deeper the harder you struggle. And you struggle in pain.
Our son once flipped off his bike into one of these. His first reaction was relief at his seemingly soft landing. Then he tried to move. By the time he returned home to his momma, he was a bloody mess.
I hate to find myself in the middle of a brier patch.

Looking Down

So why do we even need such a thing ? I meen this isn't the Grand Canyon or even the New River Gorge. True enough, but we do have Hickory Creek here. To get into town from this side, one must somehow get across this natural barrier to travel. There is of course a road that makes the decent, crosses a bridge, and winds upward again. But this would not work out for a train. It could handle the down part I suppose, but that up stuff would cause a problem. And that is where this trestle shines. It may seem rickety, and may even sway and shake under the strain, but it is the only way to make an entire train pass though the air across the gorge.

There may be worse sounds that can come to the ear, but when one is on foot, halfway across one of these things the sound of an approaching train will sure get one's attention. I speak from experience. What if one is two thirds of the way ? Jumping is not an option. Should one run toward the nearest end, even if that is toward the train ? How does one run on cross-ties anyhow ? Very carefully I assure you. And don't look down.

Railroading Stuff

Across the road there is a hayfield. Across the hayfield there is a railroad. This is not like an Amtrak Main Line or anything, it is what is left of what was once the Southern RR. It used to pass though town and head for points west, but now this is the last stop. The rest was abandoned with the tracks pulled up and all. So now there are not a lot of trains. They still pass now and then, usually slowly with a lot of noise. Trains do have a certain fascination about them. Especially at night there is something almost spooky about them.
I remember, when I was younger, camping out at an old abandoned farm that overlooked a trestle. In the middle of the night you could hear the train coming and watch it crossing in the distance. It almost looked like a toy out there with it's headlight and all. Kind of lonesome and spooky. This is a trestle near here. At night you can hear the train crossing. It slows down to almost nothing, and eases carefully across. The thing looks kinda rickety, and I guess the crew thinks so too. I used to listen for the crash, but so far they've always made it. I guess I'm just paranoid or something.

Something Fishy

Who left the water running in the sink ? How did all these fish get in here ? There is something fishy going on here. Maybe someone should open the door or something. Apparently the drought is over.
This is not as bad as it looks, although it did begin as a tale of woe. We like to keep a few fishies around, but not the tropical easy to kill type. But even these hearty goldfishy types do go belly up on occasion. And so it was, that there remained but one lonely little fishy with a deformed tail. Poor fella. It was time for a trip to the fish store. This is always a fun place, not only are there many, many fishies, but kittycats, and fierce birds that will bite your fingers if you get too close. They even got creepy looking snakes and stuff. But we came to see fishies. We picked out a couple fancy tailed ones, but realized that the big old tank would look awful empty like that. But then we see the sign, feeder fish, 8/ $1.00. Oh boy. Some are really pretty, but alas, 8/ $1.00 is you no pick'em. But the charming young lady who waited on us, when she realized we planed to give them a "good home" (instead of feeding them to some monster), went though several tanks picking out the brightest and the best. And we did give them a good home (although it's not quite what it looks like in the picture).
Years ago we lived in a little house out in the boonies with holes in the floor and all that. It was hard to keep warm with only a fireplace for heat. Each night the fishies' water would freeze, and each day it would thaw out and they would swim around happily. But one fateful day, we thawed them out too close to the fire and made chowder. These things are hard to kill, but it can be done.

Snow Job

It's here at last. Yup, winter finally arrived here this very morning. This is actual snow, falling from the pre-dawn sky. Cool, huh ? Actually it's cold. So no school for the young'uns but I had to work. It takes a lot to stop us. Like one of the previous boss-men used to say, "Rain, sleet or snow, the man says you go". I realize this would not be impressive to all you yankees, but it's the best we can do.
By mid-morning it had degenerated to a sleet and rain mixture. I didn't see the seagulls at the dump today, but they would be hard to see in the snow and ice I suppose if they were stupid enough to be out in it. Now they're talking about an ice storm tonight. That's what causes problems. I did see a car slid off the road this morning though. They had the firetruck and all that stuff there. Yesterday evening they cleaned out the grocery stores. Around here we take our snow seriously.

White Crows

So what's the deal here ? We are like, about 200 mi. from the coast. So what's with all the birds ? Every winter they come. They seem to prefer the dump, or I guess I should say, "landfill". There used to be only a few, but now multitudes arrive each December and hang with us for a while. I guess they just like it here, plenty to eat. and a lake nearby for swimming. Once we had a guy who had never seen them. He was kinda dumb I guess and didn't know what they were. Someone told him they were "White Crows". You just can't trust some folks.
So why do they come all this way ? I don't know. Sometimes we go to the beach during the summer, I guess they go from the beach during the winter. Maybe they miss us. But if they're here, who cleans up down there ? All I know is if you have to get out of the truck, wear a hat.

Long Time Gone

I took a walk in the woods the other day. And as I wandered, I came upon this relic of bygone days. It seems this was once part of a thriving homestead. For those who are uneducated in these matters..... I wonder if a quiz would be in order ? Probably not. Yes, this was once a state of the art outhouse. I know all about these things on account of I, myself, recently made a visit to similar facilities right here at home. Of course, ours is equipped with walls and a roof. Be that as it may, there is a melancholy attraction to these remnants of abandoned homes one stumbles upon out in the woods. I always wonder, what kind of people lived here ? How long has it been ? Why was it abandoned ? How many cold nights did someone come here in a solitary moment, and just relax their mind, forgetting about the cares of the day ? Here one could sit in peace and admire the stars, listening to the crickets and the frogs of the night.
Here the old ways and the new ways coexist. I write these words on this electronical wonder, but step out into the night for peace.

Here At Last

Here it is, our first Daffodil. But lest we think too springy of thought here, the NWS has us lined up for all of 19' F tonight. They say the price of gas went down ( a little ) because of a mild winter. That may be so here, but it sure looked like it wasn't the case up north. I guess I'll never understand economics. I think they just get as much as they can mostly. And since we mostly drive, we mostly pay.
We did make it out to cut wood today. One of the advantages of a small truck is you can fill it quickly. One of the disadvantages of a small truck is it don't hold much. But the old back is acting up, so I guess it was a good thing to minimize the work. In this case the minimization was maximized. We brought strong, athletical son along, and an extra chainsaw. And then, those country boys were so inspired by young daughter's beauty that they loaded most of the wood for her. Daughters can be a good thing, you know. But so not to offend the tree huggers, what was cut was standing deadwood, nice dry oak stuff. Just what works best on those 19' mornings.

Coming Soon

As spring draws near, it seems our next bit of encuragement will be these wonderful yellow blooms. Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day. I've already seen some in town, but they don't count. This time of year our eyes crave that little bit of color, the tiny little blossom some where, the bright crimson cardinal sitting on a bare tree branch, something besides the lifeless brown and grey.
I don't know what these tiny blue blooms are, but they are another bit of spring on the way. So small they are easily missed in the grass like so many other small things that are there to bless us if we will only take the time to see them.
But of course, the cold weather is not ended. Tomorrow, God willing, we go on a wood cutting excursion.

The Deep Spring

If you ever actually buy anything from one of those mail order catalogues, you'll never lack for mailbox activity. I do get suckered into it from time to time. For years I had admired these tin signs for "Deep Spring Whiskey". Finally, my Sweetie gave me one for Christmas. Perhaps she thought this would shut me up. But now she has to look at it every day.
But hey, isn't it great ? I mean, it's got it all. The waving hats, the flags, the heroic soldiers, it's even got Robert E. Lee ! And best of all, how could you miss the poor wounded hero, being comforted and revived by this homespun Southern Beauty and our own Deep Spring Whiskey. Shoot, if we'd had more of this the war could have gone the other way !

Our Pink Flamingo

It is the middle of January. What is this tropical bird doing in our back yard ? Probably freezing it's tush. This birdie isn't here for the sunflower seeds, in fact it doesn't seem to eat much at all. Today it is around 40' F and drizzling rain, not real tropical. Birdie was a Christmas gift from Yankee Sister. (Many thanks) But it does remind us of our son basking in tropical Florida. It seems he was seduced by the dark side into participating in a grueling half marathon foot race, to be held in that tropical paradise. First reports indicate that he ran well. Congratulations to son and entire team for race well run.
Here ? we've been mostly laying low, staying warm and dry, and working on a few projects. The US Weather service thinks we'll get snow or something tonight, but I'll believe it when I see it. I wonder what that bird would look like with an icy overcoat.

Soybeans and Such

Been reading The Worst Hard Time. by Timothy Egan. Was a Christmas gift from my daughter in the Big City. Book is about the Dust Bowl. It sounds terrible. Books are good gifts, if a person can read. Anyhow, it made me think agricultural thoughts. So here is a picture of a soybean field near the house. We were taking a walk and came on this view of things. It was freaky how the rows of soybeans followed the row of power poles. This picture doesn't really do it justice. Actually, I don't really care for soybeans. When we were in Tennessee, we stayed near a place where they ate a lot of soybeans. They even made soybean "icecream". I do like icecream, but this is going a bit too far. My Sweetie was eating a lot of soybeans for a while, but they didn't agree with her and I think this is better.
Got my motorcycle back on the road. It had a flat tire. I took the wheel to the motorcycle guy and he found a nail in it. He said they wouldn't let him plug it, something about insurance or something. So I did as suggested and got a tire plugging kit thingie and fixed it myself. It cost less than $3.00. I took a little ride today, it was cold, but a nice change.

Our Winter Wonderland

Well, this is pretty much it for the blizzard. Some freezing rain, a few icicles, and a gloomy day. The icy coating on the garbage cans tends to make them slip into the hopper on the truck. This necessitates climbing up on top of the icy truck to throw them out. This is kind of unfortunate, but I guess it's just part of the job. Not enough ice to break down the power lines and reck general havoc, just an annoyance for the most part. So, no blackout, no candles and lamps, no soup on the wood stove. My Sweetie did make us some soup, but in the normal manner. All in all, a rather uneventful day. Sometimes that's the best kind.

First Daffodil

Yesterday, whilst working in town, I saw the first Daffodil of this spring. This is not said daffodil. This is a pile of ashes. Here it seemed spring was so near, so ready to spring forth and fill the world with glorious color, and now, winter is to return.
The ashes come from the wood stove. This is one more daily chore during this chilly season of ice and snow. One curious thing about hot ashes, is how long they can stay viable. Back in "The Days" this was a lot more common and we actually set a couple garbage trucks on fire with hot ashes. This sort of thing results in the hasty deposit of a large amount of garbage into the middle of a street. After that it was the street department's problem. One time whilst making our rounds, I came upon a burning can starting to ignite someone's carport. Plastic cans tend to melt in this situation. Less anyone think we are above this ourselves, we once set the back yard on fire with hot ashes due to poor communication. This resulted in the loss of a couple motorcycles among other things. We once set a garbage truck on fire with a bunch of chemicals from a swiming pool at the park. But that's another story.
But for now, winter is back, they're calling for snow and ice. Maybe they'll close school !

First Crocus

See how well things are going. Just two days ago only a few leaves, now this glorious bloom. Soon there will be more. Spring is on the way. My Sweetie just pulled some tiny carrots from the garden to go with our supper. Actually "they" say it will be in the 20's latter this week. So what, we're not out of wood yet, and the days are already getting longer.
The Blowout was just fine. Four glorious episodes of that Marvelous Magical Harry Potter, not to mention the Incredible Ron Weasely and the Lovely Young Hermione. These heroes saved the day every time. When things were looking their worst, they always came through in the clutch. Space constraints prohibit me from mentioning the many others who all had a hand in these exploits.
Well, another three day weekend is drawing to a close. Tomorrow it will be time to go back to work, payback time. Time to start a day behind and try to catch up. But that's the garbage business, just think of it as job security.

Blowout Mystery Revealed

Yes ! It's Harry Potter !
And not only will we watch three big adventures, but we will attempt ALL FOUR ! This will not be easy being as we are mere muggles and have no time turner. But we did train for this, in a way, by watching all the Lord of the Rings last year. That was a project, but of course, well worth it. So today we will follow four years in the lives of the infamous Harry potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasely, and their many friends and enemies.