Writer Annie Dillard described the wonder and strangeness of a total solar eclipse. Even scientists express awe as they examine data. I’ll be outside the totality zone for this month’s nation-covering eclipse. Everyone says that even near totality (which I’ll see) is a million miles from the true magic. Until you’ve watched the sun completely disappear by day, leaving only a glowing corona, you don’t know the glory of an eclipse, so they tell us. Where will you be on August 21? Anybody traveling to get a better view?
Author: Claire
Best air rifles and pellet guns for SHTF. In places where cannabis has been legalized, the DUI laws regarding THC blood levels are often insane. Completely out of touch with the reality of what’s an intoxicating level and what’s not. Although the laws are bad, there’s good reason for the badness: It’s impossible. Los Angeles just “won” the 2028 summer Olympics. Nick Gillsepie tells Angelenos: run like hell before it’s too late. And that’s without even talking about the effects federal “homeland (achtung!) security” will have on the city. Another city from which to run like hell. Oh, Baltimore. A…
A few days ago we had to halt new signups for Claire’s Cabal due to petty vandalism. We’ve just created and tested a new process for joining. So if you’re interested, have at it. Enter the Cabal through the above link, click on Join us, then answer the questions on the form. Cabal membership is now free for active, productive members.
Doesn’t look like much, but it’s pretty exciting to me. Today The Wandering Monk returned to resume construction. First order of business: begin framing the new screen porch. Here you see the framing near the beginning, with the Monk holding the screen door in place. My original plan was to use a door I salvaged from the landfill. Then the lumberyard put this very nice vinyl door on sale (roughly half of Home Depot’s price for it!), so I repurposed the salvaged door and grabbed this. This entire phase of the Great Foundation and Screen Porch project should be more…
Can we forget all the seriousness and strife for a moment and have some partying dogs? These are studies for a larger piece I may or may not do. There may be drinking, carousing, and disembowling of stuffed toys. There will probably not be poker playing.
The Wandering Monk has missed or miscommunicated about a couple of neighborhood appointments this week, so neighbor J. texted to see if I knew where and how he was. She added she thought she’d seen him on a bike, disappearing down an alley beside a certain building in town. Ninety-nine percent sure, she said, although we agreed that was highly unlikely. Then today I went past that building, and there was the Monk’s doppelganger. Same lean build. Same angular features, same dark hair in a ponytail, same doo-rag around his forehead, similar face. Except that this was clearly the evil…