cooking - free soup!

Well, almost free. It depends on how you rationalise it.

So, my free soup today is a hodgepodge of ingredients. Basically, it is a Garbage Can Soup, but with the added bonus of costing virtually nothing.

The stock is from water that I boiled potatoes in, extra starch to fill you up and thicken the soup. Water from carrots I boiled. Extra keratin for your skin, hair, and nails.

The main vegetable is zucchini (courgette to those of you on the verge of brexit). This I got from the one neighbour. She does a great vegetable garden every year. However, she does not like zukes when they get big; so, we usually get a crack at them. I used some on the weekend to make zucchini steaks, but still had lots leftover. Perfect for soup.

Then, I had a cooked cob of corn left over. I cut the corn off and threw that in to the pot too. Really, this is free. It was $7.00 for a baker's dozen, so really it was the thirteenth, free, cob.

Next, it was broccoli, I think it cost $1.50-2.00 for three heads. They had been in the fridge for a long time. Still good, but not for long. I know many people would probably bin it if it was them. Not me, perfect for soup. I cut up all the stalks and threw them in. The tiny florets I cut will go in near the end.

I had also pulled out some homemade salsa that we froze. Again, perfect to perk up soups, or pasta sauce, etc. There were some dregs in a couple of jars of odd items in the fridge, still good, but not enough for anything. In the pot.

Then radishes. They were getting soft. It was what was left from my Dutch-Egyptian Salad. I had already used the green tops for another soup. In they went. One carrot in the fridge. Really? One? What do you do with that? In you go!

More zucchini. And I still have some left.

Then a couple of potatoes. Idaho Russet Burbank potatoes. (Ignore Michael Pollan's ravings. He really does not know nearly as much about food as he thinks. Sorry buddy.) What the boy and I consider the best potatoes in the world. I use them for all types of dishes. The amount you get in a bag and the cost? Basically free for a couple of potatoes.

I also threw in some jus left from a lamb roast. Since I threw that in, there were a few small lamb skewers and a small piece of steak in the fridge. Cut it up small and some protein in the pot now too.

I cut up some cauliflower for the boy's lunch for school. Not much left really. Cut it up, stems and all. The florets will go with broccoli ones near the end, the rest in to the mix.

Seasoning: A few dashes of Worcester sauce and Indonesian soy sauce, hardly worth pennies. A bay leaf, white pepper, granulated garlic and onion, Spanish paprika, and some Herbes de Provence, without lavender thank goodness, that a friend brought back from France and gave to me. I buy most of my herbs and spices in bulk as I use quite a bit. So, really, the amount I used verses cost: free!

A couple more things from the fridge not worth saving for something else. The pot is almost completely full. And I have not added the florets yet. They may not go in until a couple of bowls are eaten first. We will see.

Soup made from free stuff, items saved from other cooking processes, leftovers, many varied items that alone would not be enough for a meal for even one person, and foodstuffs that were "going" which only really can do well in soups or stews. So, free soup. Easy peasy, nice and easy. This soup will feed us at least three times, more in fact. If I had to put a price tag on this pot of deliciousness? $10.00? So, less than a buck a meal per person. If you add bread or a salad, it becomes a super-meal. Pretty good. Eh? blbbl

i cannot feel my left arm

So, sitting outside while the boy is at a Scout Troop planning meeting. I have opted to not participate to avoid any undo influence on their young minds while they lay plans for the upcoming Scouting year.

My left arm is killing me, yet numb at the same time. Very hard to type on my phone. I got stung by a wasp while cutting the grass yet again. I have discovered the approximate location of their dastardly lair as well. It is in the cedar hedge at the front of the property. On the opposite side from the last one that was in the hedge a few years ago.

The first one was truly sinister. An exterminator was called in after my clumsy attempt to deal with it. I was cutting the grass on the lawn tractor, when we had a lawn tractor that would cut grass, and I noticed a couple of wasps hanging around the hedge. They were somewhat bothersome. I investigated and saw several, but no nest. In my brilliance at the time, I got out the hose. Yup, I was a wasp eliminating genius.

Well, wasps and bees used to, metaphorically, cringe at my presence. I would kill them whenever they were near me. I could actually punch them out of the air. I would lay a bunch of fives on them and then stomp them while they were laying dazed on the ground.

It all started when I was very young and we were frolicking in a sprinkler in our front yard back in Hamilton. Then a bee got agitated and was buzzing us looking for a target. Everyone scattered and everyone, but me, ran across the street. I started to freak out. All the other kids, including my brother, were shouting for me to run across the road. I started crying and they kept telling for me to cross the street. Then it happened. The bee found a target. Me! Right in the small of the back. On my spine! I started wailing and ran down the street on my side. My brother caught up to me, stopped me, calmed me down and removed the bees guts off my back.

He then asked why I did not cross? I answered: because I was not allowed to cross the street on my own. He laughed. I cried. We went home and iced it. It was really swollen. For days. And it hurt. From that day I killed every bee and wasp I could.

So, one time, I was walking down a side street and there were a few bees buzzing around minding their own business, but that was not good enough for me. I started whacking them. Five, six, over a dozen. Then I lost count. Not one actually attacked me. That was the day I realised I was being very stupid. I was killing bees and wasps because one bee felt threatened and did what it did because that was its only real defence mechanism.

I stopped being the destroyer of striped stingy insects. Oh, I still got stung, but I did not freak out. Usually, I gave them a wide berth for all our sakes. Normally, I just let them move on their merry way. If they end up in the house or the gazebo tent, we use a spider catcher to, well catch them, and then release them in the open. However, I would still do foolish things from time to time though.

Like when I got the hose out on the hedge. I figured I would drive off those few wasps milling about the hedge so I could finish cutting the front of the property. Well, I got the hedge with the hose. Wisely, I moved the tractor to the back of the house. When the water hit the hedge, the wasps hit me. I saw one right in front me. While I turned the hose on him, two stung me in the right side of the neck and another one stung me twice in the chest. Over my heart!

I screamed like little girl and ran. And ran. And ran. About one hundred metres. I was chased by about a dozen wasps before they gave up. It was about ten or fifteen minutes later before I could approach the house. Every time when I tried to make tracks back towards the house, they would pop out of nowhere and make a go for me. Finally, for whatever reason they ceased their aggressive defence.

When I got back to the house, there were hundreds of wasps milling about where I put the hose to the cedar hedge. (Sorry, Blogger crapped out and I lost three paragraphs, back at home and computer. Trying to remember what I typed already.) There was no finishing the front now. As I cut the back, I licked my wounds. Apparently, the wife saw the whole thing. When I explained what happened, she laughed at me, and in a very polite way, called me a moron. She also called an exterminator. He took care of the wasps, but good.

The wife showed me a small piece of the nest. It was bigger than an Aussie Rules football. A small piece! The nest was apparently riddled through over half the hedge. I had never seen or heard of anything like that. It was not a swarm, hive, nest, or colony. It was a nation! A civilisation. A proto-world of wasps. I could not believe it. There were hundreds of dead wasps around the hedge. It was absolutely wild. There were probably thousands, or more, living in the hedge, before the wasp nation was snuffed out. Since then, until recently, we have not had any major issues with wasps. Sure, some here and there. Various types, mostly yellow jackets. We also have quite a few bees of many types. Especially honey bees. The neighbours on the other side of the back of our property have hives and make honey. Sometimes they give us some. It is very good. The boy and I use it in our tea when we are really sick. We feel better in short order every time.

So, this time, I am not messing around. I have been stung while by the same area of the hedge a few times in recent weeks. I suspect a new nation of wasps is being formed. The wife emailed the same exterminator. We are just waiting to hear from him. Plus, there is (or is it: there are?) a bunch of wasps making another nest. At least they look like wasps (big, huge, freaky ones), but the structure they are creating looks like a honeycomb bees nest. It is attached to the side of the shed right where the roof meets the wall, right by one of our fire pits. I cut a wide berth around them too today. That nest/hive was not there yesterday, so that should be taken care of jiffy quick. That one I could zap myself, but since we are getting the one out front taken care of by a pro, he might just as well do that one too.

So, each time I have gotten stung in the last year or so, the pain is greater, the swelling more, the duration of it all longer. This latest one? I was stung at the top back of my left arm, just under my shoulder. It is red and swollen from my shoulder (so above the sting), all the way down to my elbow. It is also very warm, and also very numb, and also very painful. This happened about eight hours ago. The sting I got before this one caused my muscles around the sting to cramp up for about five days and it hurt like a right bugger. So, I expect this one will last at least a week.

I read somewhere that even if you are not allergic to bee or wasp stings, you can become allergic from repeated stings. I am going to ask my doctor for a prescription for an epi-pen. The last thing I need is to choke on my own tongue. Although, I am sure some people would think it a relief. I cannot help but wonder if this is some kind of stinging insect karma and it is payback for all those striped foes I killed in battle so many year ago.

Regardless, those two nests we have now must go. Like I said, I generally leave bees and wasps alone now, but not when it is a safety concern. It could be dangerous when they are that aggressive and in the way. Oh yeah, one exception to leaving them alone except for outstanding situations like what we have now: drunk wasps. Yellow jackets love rotting apples. Apparently, they get drunk. The last thing I am going to allow is a bunch of drunk wasps fly around my yard. (The apples fall off the neighbours' apple trees. Well, now just one neighbour has an apple tree and it is mostly out of the way of our yard now after some trimming.) They go in the organic waste bin, apples and all. At least those guys die happy and oblivious. Lucky buzzers. blbbl


(N.B. I am pretty impressed with myself. I told at least five related, yet distinct, stories, all couched one inside the other. Just thought I would toot my own horn. Cheers!)

(N.B.II. Blogger on my phone did some weird-ass editing. It changed and deleted entire words multiple times. I have reread this post several times to fix/undo what Blogger did. I am not sure I caught it all. I will read it again tomorrow and fix anything I missed. Feel free to point out anything that is super weird. Grammatically or word-wise, not the contents. I already know that is weird. Cheers again!!)

new theory on the expanding legion of evil

Originally, I thought the squirrels that formed the Expanding Legion of Evil (ELoE) were born and bred right here in my town. That may be true for the originals from the very beginning of this past spring. However, over the last several weeks, the boy and I have observed never before seen adult squirrels making incursions inside our borders.

I have a theory now as to where they are coming from, which may perhaps include the originals from the beginning of the assaults. They have come from foreign lands by forced expulsion. That is correct. These are non-native squirrels to our town.

You see, over the years there have been many squirrels in and around our yard and they have been largely benign. Yes, I know that the bird feeders are new this year. However, the assaults did not start from the first moment the feeders went up. Also, there is plenty of fodder for them the gather and eat, without having to go through the pains of getting on the feeders and being chased away repeatedly.

Rural and semi-rural squirrels behave in a more natural or wild manor generally when it comes to food gathering. They will pull nuts and berries off of trees and bushes, access targets of opportunity that require no great expenditure of energy, such as spilt birdfeed on the ground or nuts left out for them. Such as Ginger, the orange tipped black squirrel. Not once did I see her on any of the feeders. She just feed on the ground from what was spilt by the birds or my loading up the feeders. She has also been here for the past two summers, although I have not seen her in recent weeks.

The other squirrels would repeatedly climb on to the feeders and then run a short distance away when shooed, either on the ground or in the trees, usually the trees. Now they run at the sight of me in the window. Except, when I see ones I have not encountered before. It normally takes two or three days for most of them to flee in my presence and by then or as much as five days of interaction with me, they flee far and wide or are often gone from these parts.

So, who are these new squirrels that I have never seen before and have been coming in a trickle, especially the last few weeks? They are not babies or juveniles. I am quite certain they are city squirrels. They behave like city squirrels, not country squirrels.

What the hell is this guy talking about?

Well, let me tell you.

City squirrels are so very used to easy meals. Why look for nuts and berries on the trees and shrubs, when there is all this stuff in miniature outdoor grocery stores: bird feeders, and yes, even squirrel feeders. When I lived in the city, I had a crew of grey squirrels that I somehow worked out an agreement with. I would provide them with nuts and seeds and they would not tear my garden apart. They also chased away interlopers, primarily really stupid and aggressive black squirrels. It was a tidy arrangement.

Now, normally, in rural areas, no such brokering of deals is necessary. There is plenty of food and territory and the squirrels and chipmunks, and skunks, and such, keep to themselves and are generally wise enough to stay away from people and their contraptions.

City squirrels on the other hand are surrounded by people and all their nature paraphernalia and are constantly loosing natural sources of food and shelter. Naturally these cunning rodents will raid feeders and move in to garages and attics. That is often their "nature" now.

Again you ask, what the hell is this guy talking about?

Well, basically, urban and rural animals often behave differently. This easily applies to the likes of squirrels. Rural squirrels when either suspecting danger or in fact are in what they perceive is peril, will flee horizontally. That is, making distance between them and the threat. It also gives them the option to continue to flee as there is further ground to flee along. Yes, of course these hillbilly squirrels often climb in to trees, but observe them, they will still move horizontally from three to tree or if need be, flee along the ground.

Urban squirrels flee vertically. They are just getting out of reach; that is it. Since many urban areas do not have much of a canopy and the fact that urban dwelling humans mostly just shoo away the vermin, they go vertical and wait out the giant pink sacks waving and yelling at them. If one of these sacks does not leave in short order or they continue to wave and shout, the urban squirrel will wait them out or go higher in the tree. Why? Because, there are so many goodies down there and the sacks will eventually leave. Plus, they have gotten lazy, the squirrels not the sacks, but that is probably true for them too. Why work to flee when they know they can come back very shortly and empty that feeder. Then they will move on to the next one, and so on.

What the hell is......

Hang on.....

So, the very first squirrels that began their incursions at Hacienda Rooster general fled horizontally for a short distance, then went vertical. So, it is hard to tell exactly where these guys came from. They may have been an urban/rural alliance and blended their defence tactics.

Now shortly after this all began, I started seeing more and new squirrels, as many as a dozen, even more, at times. Often one squirrel would be on each feeder eating and shovelling seed on to the ground, while their legions gobbled up the windfall. Because there were so many they would scatter and ultimately flee in to the trees and then try to wait me out. I would have to choose which one to drive off. By the time that was done the others would have also fled, but some would come back in short order. These returnees, I am certain are displaced urban squirrels following their usual pattern of going for the easy source.

Funnily enough, it is not so easy often as to placement and often the precarious nature of how some feeders are set up, particularly mine. However, I believe urban squirrels get so habituated to raiding feeders they can no longer stop attacking them even if they are hard to get to. They have evidently lost some of their more natural foraging skills through a loss of habitat and big pink bags opening up self-serve cafeterias.

Since coming back from the Scout Jamboree there are normally between one to three new squirrels every week. The seem to appear sometime on the weekend. Now, here is my theory to the origins of these urban refugee squirrels. Some assclown in the city has had enough of the squirrels around his place for whatever reason and is using cage traps to capture them and is releasing them in the country, where he thinks they will be happier and better off. Well, not around here.

For various reasons, when people do this, they are often not helping these creatures and are often putting a death sentence on them and other animals. If the expulsion works at all. Some animals that are caught in traps and moved, such as skunks and raccoons have been known to return right back to where they were captured. They have been known to travel easily as much as 20-25 km (12-16 mi); sometimes they may even travel as much as 40 km (25 mi).

Why would they do that? Well, that is their home. That is where they live. That is their territory. They know how things work there. They want to be at home and many will try to get back. My brother many years ago was expanding his house, not extending, expanding! His roof was taking forever to finish so it was fairly easy for animals to get in if they wanted. So, one day he discovers a raccoon in the new, but yet unfinished, attic space. He used a cage trap, caught and released it in a nearby conservation area. Then he caught another. Then another. For some reason, he was driving further out each time, he never explained why. But he told me one day that he had caught over twenty raccoons. I had done some research about this for some reason, who knows why. I told him that most likely he had not caught over twenty raccoons, but had caught the same raccoon over twenty times. He argued with me and told me that the last few had been taken out over twenty kilometres away. I explained what I knew. He was surprised in the least. The raccoon(s) only finally went away when the house was finished and sealed.

Another example of homing. Not long ago I was working at a gas station as a pump jockey extraordinaire. One day a truck pulls up for gas and there is a large box, or if you will, a cage shaped item, with a blanket over it. First thing I asked: What did you guys catch and is it still alive. Oh, a skunk from the back of my property, the third one in the last week or so. Really? Yup. You know it is probably the same skunk you have caught each time. No way, I drive it out at least 15-20 kilometres in to the bush. Yup, they will come back even over 25 kilometres sometimes. No way, I don't believe it. That's fine, see you in a couple of days with the next "new" skunk you catch. He went in to get something to drink and his buddy says to me: You know I think you're right; this guy (the skunk, not the trapper) seems to know the routine. He is not freaking out or anything, last time he was sleeping in the cage. I never saw them again though. I fear that skunk may very well had an untimely demise.

One thing that I do inform people of when they say they will trap and release whatever pest animal it is, is that first most municipalities have a by-law that will not let you displace an animal more than one kilometre from where it has been captured. Obviously, dangerous, or potentially dangerous, animals such as bears and coyotes must be moved further. Different situation, different by-laws and laws. There are various reasons why you cannot move them further than that. Many, if not most will come back. You are damaging the natural environment by removing an animal out of its native habitat. Those that do not return to their original territory can harm their new environment by displacing or killing other animals that otherwise would not have been affected. They also may spread diseases that are not native to their new environment damaging it in that way. If they do attempt to return home, they may also spread disease in their travels, or even pick up new diseases and spread them through their journey and introduce it to their home environment.

So, I am pretty sure these squirrels are coming from Ottawa. I am also pretty sure as to where they are being dumped. There is a road that ends near the top of my little street that used to be a "semi-major" rural highway. It is still used for commuting in to the city. Its northern terminus is right in the heart of Ottawa, it also connects to several other major urban roads. City people often drive down this road toward, into, and through my town for country drives or to go to farmers' markets and the like. So, I think this urban assclown had had enough of his city squirrels, but could not bring himself to exterminate them, regardless of the fact that I am quite certain that that is illegal. So, he had the brilliant idea of capturing them in a cage trap and releasing them in to the country. Hey, it'll be better for them anyway, he probably thought. Remember this guy is an assclown. I can picture exactly where he is dropping them off, on or beside the bridge at the end of the road. Also, most likely in a clouseau-esque fashion.

What he does not realise is all the above mentioned possible repercussions. Ginger may very well be gone due to disease or displacement plus the other original squirrels from this immediate area are most likely gone as well. These guys were crazier than crap-house rats, but they were entertaining and stayed out of my stuff. I have not noticed them for weeks either.

Now these latest new squirrels, which always appear on weekends (including this past one) are often gone in under a week. I do not know if they are dying from disease, accident (country people tend not to swerve around little animals, but will just keep driving straight, sometimes they will swerve - if the little critter runs out of the path of the vehicle that is), have moved on, or have hopefully returned back home with the new skill sets they have learnt out here in the "country" and are driving this urban assclown absolutely nutty.

I will tell you one thing. If I ever see this knob releasing squirrels near my town, I will follow him home, get his address, and then I will get a truck load of nuts, berries, and seeds and dump them in his yard. That'll learn 'im!! blbbl

more outdoor skills for the boy

So, the boy has developed very good outdoor skills. Commonly known as bushcraft or woodcraft. He can set himself up quite well in many "wild" locations here in Ontario and similar environs. He has good firecraft skills, shelter making, can cook (when he wants to), and many other woodcraft skills.

He also is fairly adept at medieval martial art (MMA) skills, particularly liking pole-axe and dagger, but is no slouch with a long sword. He has taken up the longbow, something he intends to pursue for some time. He does have his own bow in fact. So, his "martial" skills are developing as well.

He has long had an interest in learning to shoot. So, today we went to my "club" which has a legally sanctioned range and I took him shooting. He tried his hand at rifle, shotgun, and pistol. He has a natural ability. He just needs to sharpen his skills. He needs to learn to better steady his hand and control his breathing, but he showed better skill than some I know who have been shooting for a long time in just his first visit. His training in MMA and the bow probably did not hurt.

He is even interested in hunting, not to mention fishing. Not sport hunting. He and I see no need for the pursuit of only trophies. He would like to learn what closely resembles subsistence hunting: hunting to eat. He knows that meat and fish do not come from a factory, but from animals that are harvested for human consumption. Yes, we know most meat and fish are processed in an assembly line fashion. That is one reason he and I are keen on securing our own meat for the dinner table. It is just better for you.

He is some ways off yet to just go out in the bush and bring back the main course for supper, but there is a hunter apprenticeship program in Ontario to help nurture the skills required. It is supported by the government of Ontario and several conservancy and hunter education groups. It is intended to enrol him in this program in short order and work towards developing the skills necessary to become a competent hunter. I still need to look in to how to go about all of this, but hopefully he will shortly be seeking and receiving tutelage from competent instructors to expand his skills outdoors and enhance his experiences. It is great that he wants to take advantage of these opportunities to be in the great outdoors. I wish I had the same drive when I was his age. blbbl

EMP?!?

I really do not post about politics or current events as a general rule. However, Kim Jong-un's (KJu) rhetoric and actions of late are over the top, to say the least.

We know North Korea (DPRK) has atomic bomb capability and very possibly hydrogen bomb capability as well. We know they have various range delivery systems that have been tested successfully and possibly delivery systems that could strike North America and Europe. It is highly debatable if the DPRK currently has the capability to "miniaturise" these destructive explosive devices. However, that is a matter of time.

Honestly, I am not afraid of nuclear conflagration becoming a reality. What does concern me, is that today, KJu threatened the world with an Electro-Magnetic-Pulse (EMP). I will not go in to the specifics about what an EMP may or may not be capable of, I am not an expert. Look it up if you want to know more. I do know more about EMPs than possibly 90-95 percent of the global population. Maybe not. I have known about what was originally considered a side effect of nuclear warfare for a very, very long time. Long before governments took it seriously. If they do now. Let me put it this way, I have known about them for well over half my life, probably closer to more than two-thirds of my life.

What I do know, is that regardless of what various people in the scientific community, different governments, military personnel, and just plain whacked out dictators and lunatics say about it, no one actually knows what will happen. Most have a pretty good idea. I have come across legitimate information, that counters certain claims of electronic failure and other popular beliefs, that you would be hard pressed to find now.

What is certain? Fear, chaos to varying degrees, and panic will definitely be a result. Many people will be hurt and killed. People will suffer. Regardless of where an EMP may occur.

I am not a "peacenik", warmonger, doomsayer, prepper (etymology 2 in the link), survivalist, or any such thing. Yes, I am a "be prepared" / "always ready" kind of guy, but I do not have a bunker or thirty years worth of food.

I am really an ordinary person who is trying to understand the madness of this all. Saying that, this is my post: I have been reflecting all day about this from when I woke up and had newsflashes from the BBC and the Guardian on my tablet. I am not panicking, worrying, freaking out. I am deeply concerned that these types of threats have been made. I am concerned that the pursuit of such technology, still in this day, goes on. I am concerned that there is no easy way to put an end to the happenings in the DPRK. I have a pretty good idea what I would do, but I am just an ordinary citizen of this planet; without influence or power.

That leads me to another concern. Those that may have the influence and power are not doing a whole hell of a lot to allay anybodies fears, etc. Nor do they actually seem to be doing anything to put an end to this ridiculous situation. Obviously, much more may be going on without the general public's knowledge. However, I have an uneasy feeling that it is not. That does not mean that we are moments from armageddon.

No, it does not. What I actually think may be possible, in increasing order of likelihood, and my opinion on that may change as I source out more information, but here it is: 4) EMP over somewhere in or near North America, probably way off target. Probably not going to happen; 3) EMP over Guam or possibly Hawaii. Very unlikely; 2) EMP over Japan. Remotely possible; 1) EMP over the Korean peninsula itself. 

This last one, yeah, I do think is most likely. KJu does not really care if he knocks out his own country's electrical grid. If we believe everything we think we know, what will that change? The general population is pretty screwed anyway and the elite of the North probably have what they believe are hardened enough facilities and bunkers and supplies and whatnot to maintain their privileged lifestyle, especially KJu. The big prize is that he screws the South over. Come what may after? What does he care. He will still probably be negotiated with and probably be given an entire revamp of their infrastructure as an appeasement.

Will any of this actually happen? I do not know; very likely not. Everyone must take their own counsel and do/prepare as they see fit and are capable of doing. Personally, no matter what I think, I am quite certain no one person can influence what the major players may or may not do. We must hope they are all smarter than how they have come across so far.

If you are on your way home one day and your car suddenly stops and your mobile phone or GPS is not working either (that is: dead, done, finished) and the power seems to be out everywhere, make sure you have some pliers or a wrench. Quite possibly, if you disconnect your vehicle's battery and reconnect it, you just may be able to hobble on home and hope that is the worst of it. If not, hopefully you have a good pair of walking shoes and comfortable clothing in your car and walk on home and hope that is the worst of it. That is just common sense. And remember an average bathtub holds around 380 litres (100 US gallons, 85 imperial gallons). blbbl

them squirrels is organised

I knew those squirrels were running an OP. The feeders were raided before I was out this morning. I refilled them, only partway now. So, I usually add some birdfeed everyday now. Anyway, I was outside all day and only saw a newer one today with a dirty orange body and the rest black (no name for that one yet), but not near the feeders and he ran away.

So, then I come inside to organise dinner: steak, grilled potatoes, corn on the cob, and zucchini steaks. I am not inside for ten minutes and I look out the kitchen window and one of the original founders of the Expanding Legion of Evil (ELoE) is on a feeder giving it all its got.

They have gotten far too crafty. I have a theory too as to where the newer members are coming from, but I will save that for another day. Except to say, that they most likely have been inserted from another locale by a selfish city person.

Anyway, time to put dinner on the grill and resume Squirrel Patrol (SP). Hope everyone who has a long weekend this weekend is having a great time. Heck, even if you are not having a long weekend, I hope you are having a great time. Cheers! blbbl

folies bergère - but without all the asses up in the air

So, I do not have enough material to finish the front of my fence off, which sucks. The second set of hinges I bought for the double gate I am putting in are far too wimpy for the gate's size. Fortunately, I can use it for the small gate that is going on the other side. However, I do not have enough pickets to finish the other side. Now, it looks like the fence is coming down from disrepair, since there is half a gate with a piece of lumber under it. Not to keep it level, just to keep it from swinging freely as the other gate is not there to latch to. However, from the street it looks much like a disaster.

The squirrels, of the Expanding Legion of Evil, appear to have figured out my pattern of movement, as there was zero Legion activity for two or three days; I think they were watching me. Now, they appear to swoop in moments after I am not around and are often gone by the time I get back outside. The only evidence of their presence is the wildly swinging feeders and the sound of them leaping through the trees. I think they may have a Observation Post (OP) set up somewhere. They may even have two of them as the two main feeders they assault are generally advanced upon from two different avenues of approach. I have caught them a couple of times on both simultaneously, which just makes it difficult to determine which flank to defend.

This morning, I was shaving in the shower and then as I was in the middle of my upper lip, the double razor blade hung-up and ripped a chunk out of me. It would not stop bleeding. I had to use a styptic pencil. That was charming. I had to apply it three or four times. Very ouchy and it burned. When it finally stopped, I had this huge clump of congealed blood in the middle of my upper lip. I looked how Hitler may have if some one cut off his moustache with reckless abandon. Not that I look like Hitler, just that the goop was in the middle of my lip. I had errands to run and such. I cleaned it off. Better.... but now it looks like I ate a bunch melty chocolate and did not wipe it all off. Attractive! Too bad I did not bite my tongue in the process, a speech impediment added to my new look would have been the perfect capper.

My lunch has consisted of a piece fudge (orange creamsicle flavour), homemade pickles, and a Pal-o-Mine candy bar. Healthy and nutritious! I am off to pick up the boy from his last day working at the zoo. I wonder what will happen next; other than ridiculously high fuel prices because of the flooding in Texas. It always amazes me how the petroleum industry will use any and every excuse to jack retail pricing up as fast as they can. Yet, when the same logic is used when the crisis or whatever is over to ask why prices have not come back down quickly, they spout crap about it takes 45 or 90 days or whatever for all the changes to filter through back to retail. I find it magically amazing that pricing can go up at light speed, but cannot come back down any faster than a two legged tortoise!?

Back from the zoo. On my way to pick the boy up, there was a tiny traffic flow reduction. I would not call it it a traffic jam, not even a traffic jelly. We are all lined up on this two-lane road, waiting patiently. Well, most of us. Suddenly this assclown in an ancient Pontiac Sunfire comes racing down the right-hand gravel shoulder. Some people obviously are more important than others. Then another knucklehead. Then a third, this one a firefighter. These guys always bitch and moan about people being unsafe. Guess what, now you guys can shut-up about it; you have no leg to stand on, due to one of your brethren being selfish and careless. Then five more vehicles whip on down. Whatever, they all probably saved a whole minute or two of time at the risk of causing an accident.

Get the boy, no attacks from lumberjack-ninjas or anything like that. Stop to get gas, nearly a quarter of dollar more than three days ago. As I am pulling in to the pumps I see a whole bay wide open. Sweet, I can pull to the end and have an easy egress. Nope. Some jerky-woman, driving a Volkswagen, what else, tries to race in and cut me off. If she let me in, she could have easily pulled past me and in, but no. Whatever. As I am filling up, some salesman-type guy, you know the breed: wearing a cheap, flashy suit that they think is sharp, driving an Audi, which basically is an overpriced Volkswagen, pulls in between the two bays, which are now full. He now is blocking my exit, unless I back up and go around the whole gas station to get out. What. A. Dick!

I finish filling up, just after the Volkswagen jerky-woman, who is a nurse by the way. So, Ottawa's EMT/medical type people are obviously a very selfish, ignorant lot. Anyway, she gets in to her bönehead-mobile. Then, she pretends to be sorting herself out. So, I am in a position if I do not want to back up because of the Audi assclown and drive all around the gas station to get out, I have to either wait her out until she gives up and backs out, which would be far easier for her, or I have to wait for the assclown. Well, I look in to the convenience store (ha, kind of an oxymoron right now) of the gas station and the guy is just getting up to the cash. I look at the jerky-woman, she is till pretending to be sorting something out. Really?! Well, I back up, drive around the gas station and another assclown is in front of me making a right turn like I need to, but he seems to be afraid to make the turn because it takes forever. Finally he does. Then who pulls in to the road and cuts me off from turning? The Volkswagen jerky-woman. Really?!

I make my turn expecting the whole time driving home that the Audi assclown is going to whip past me and then pull back in and cut me off. Surprisingly, to me anyway, this does not happen. However, at every all-way stop I pull up to, no one seems to remember how they work. I guess long weekends just make people stupid drivers. Anyway, finally home. Going to throw some chicken wings in to the oven, cut up some veggies and have supper. Our friend from Vancouver, who the wife visited earlier this summer, is supposed to crash with us tonight, so things to do. blbbl