In the olden days, people around here built garages (or perhaps they were originally carriage houses) on steep, otherwise useless, hills. The front of the building faced the street while the rest of the structure stood on posts. These great old garages had magnificent 4 x 12 treated floors you could have parked a tank on. But the combo of wooden understructures and unstable soils of the hills doomed the buildings. Ninety or a hundred years later, most of them are gone and those that remain look like this: Until a couple weeks ago, this one was still completely shingled…
Category: Rural and small-town living
Life far from freeways, Starbucks, malls, and other benefits/distractions
Today we were between rainstorms. In the same way the Inuit are said (even if inaccurately) to have 200 words for snow, the NorthWet ought to have a word for this. Something like “interrainum.” Be that as it may, by late morning I was also between interviews for this cannabis article I’m working on. I’d just wrapped up one at the coolest retail store and didn’t have another until tomorrow. The day was already pleasant and just about then turned bright blue. I took the dogs walking on a river trail. We moseyed along in comfort, no fleece-lined jacket for…
… I was still living in the flatlands. The contents and setup of the bag were premised on the scenario that a flood, earthquake, or tsunami would drive me and the dogs into the nearby hills. We wouldn’t have to go far, but we might have to stay out there quite a while. The only nearby buildings big enough to serve as shelters were all either in or across the zone of most likely damage. The neighbors, mostly poor and unprepared, might be liabilities. Camping solo was in the cards. That was then. Two and a half years ago I…
Various non-news, non-link musings follow
How other people see the ‘Net
So there I was last night, all set to prep a links post for today. And — boom! — down went Firefox, taking with it all my tabs.
Maybe the Intertubz is trying to tell me something, eh?
The background on the “arsons” the Hammonds were accused of. And more on the vicious prosecutorial overreach. This looks very much like Ruby Ridge all over again — the liberal self-righteousness against the “armed nuts,” the prejudicial distortions in the media, and the handful of citizens standing alone against a bullying fedgov — except that (knock wood) no one yet has died. (H/T GL)
Uh oh. Those infamous “armed anti-government activists” are at it again. Tsk tsk, says the New York Times. ADDED: For those who have trouble with NYT links, here’s CNN’s take on the protest. In the spirit of the holidays, part I: “love” the homeless whether they want your imprisoning love or not. (H/T jc2k in comments) In the spirit of the holidays, par II: bleed you, Bill of Rights be damned. Microsoft, I do not believe you for one little teeny minute. (H/T 4 2 MJR) Nine of the most isolated towns on earth. And sometimes don’t you wish you…
A few years back, a reader and friend gave me a Kimber Pepper Blaster II. I’d seen them favorably reviewed in S.W.A.T., and knowing that S.W.A.T. has a no-BS review policy, I was sold. I’m a believer in “two is one and one is none,” but I can’t afford a second carry gun, so this seemed a good backup choice. Besides, I wanted something non-lethal against aggressive stray dogs. Of course, you don’t go out and just use pepper sprays. You carry them around until you need them — or until they go bad and you try to use them…
After the glorious comment thread on the original Name that Cottage post, here are the 11 happiest names: Mo Saoirse “My Freedom” in Irish; pronounced mo seer-sha; Suggested by Pat Dripping Cedars Inspired by Kent McManigal’s suggestion, Dripping Leaves Casa Solana (or just Solana) “Sunny spot” or “sun room” in Spanish; From Seibert Shadowleaf Suggested by Vince Hardyvilla Beth’s modification of Chris’ suggestion Peek-a-View Inspired by Lady Locust’s suggestions Chrysalis (or Chrysalis Cottage) Suggested by capn Sunray From A.G. Nestledown A late entry from TJ Madison Adnamira Carraig Cottage Both from my original list. Adnamira means “flowing water” in an…
Although my house has a boring number and that gets packages and plumbers to the door, I want it to have a name. It’s a great old rural custom, even for dwellings that don’t rank up there with Pemberley. You know … “Take the lane past Rose Cottage” “Oh, Miss Smythington? She lives out at Bide-a-Wee.” I’ve been calling it Ye Olde Wreck in my BHM articles, but hopefully that name won’t apply a few years down the road. Something a little more evocative would be nice. I toyed with names last summer but couldn’t settle on anything. So maybe…
Of the new Omni-bust budget deal Jim Bovard sez: “Republican congressional leaders are like a football coach who believes the secret to winning is to punt early and often.” Rand Paul sez stop the bill — and he has some fairly decent ideas for alternatives. OTOH, Marijuana.com sez there are a couple of decent provisions in the 2,000 page monster sellout. On the other other hand, the USPS announces a completely unsurprising but curiously retro policy on carrying publications that contain — gasp! — ads for the dreaded Demon Weed. One wonders why they couldn’t have just kept their mouths…