The Steadfastness of Mom-Dog

Last weekend we were up in the foothills of the Sierras, visiting some of the little Gold Country towns connected by highway 49, named for the miners who arrived there a century and a half ago, hoping to strike it rich.
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Wham-bam toodle-oo, bamboo, and pictures, too — part four

So it works now. I have this nifty ”visual” toolbar in my WordPress “Write” screen, along with my “code” toolbar, and it makes it way easier to place photos in the post. No more hassling with pictures running off the screen, etc. Once I import the picture I’ve cropped elsewhere  I have a little box I grab [...]

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Out of the Bamboonies — part three

New little pointy-headed shoots of bamboo are peeking up in new places both in and outside of our raised bed. Being a weekend gardener/warrior (spawn of Schwarzenegger and Martha Stewart?), I rip out what I can on a Sunday, then am gone for the work week, and come back the next weekend to raise pick [...]

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Ka-WHUMP! Bark-bark-bark-bark!

Sometime shortly after 7 last night, we had finished dinner and were transitioning toward evening activities when we heard a loud “Ka-WHUMP!” from the street. We felt it, too, especially the dogs, who immediately adrenalized into watchdog action: “bark-bark-bark-bark!” and the alarm was sounded. Almost simultaneously, the sirens began.
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The root of the problem — part two

Bamboo stalks and leaves are easy enough to whack away and dispose of. It’s the rhizomes that wear you out.
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Bamboozled - part one

I am going to write to you about bamboo, and what is entailed in its removal. This is part of why I’ve been so delinquent recently. Or remiss, at least — time spent with pick and shovel more often leading to collapse in the easychair than tapping a keyboard.
But first, some happy news on the [...]

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Winters within and without

I’ve gloomed with a few of you about winter – pamplemousse, you in particular struck the chord last December, and a few of us have since mused darkly about the cold oppressions of the light-deprived end of the calendar year. On my morning dogwalks I’ve found acacias in bloom out by the boat ramp, so [...]

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An unplanned sabbatical

John Lennon once sang, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” So some of life has happened lately, a mixture of events that has preoccupied me.
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A message for azahar

I’ve meant to tell you, azahar, I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of the video you linked for me: the Man-Cold.
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Lost and Found in Portland

My grandfather was very afraid of getting lost while driving. He would not drive down to Minneapolis, later in his life, for fear of getting lost. It was because of him that I taught myself not to stress about these things. I am on vacation. Mrs. Ombud is in her beadmaking class (pictures to come). [...]

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