Fuel is explosive

13,000 gallons of fuel explode on the freeway

down the street from my house...

and I miss it all while watching Weeds (season 4)!

.

(photo from Detroit channel 7 - WXYZ.com)

Home business part 3

I was SO excited to see that my avocado farm had FINALLY sprouted after 4 months soaking in a shot glass (of water) that I picked it up and it broke apart!

It may live... I'll let you know.

So much for making guacamole THIS year!

World full of geniuses

Mobile phone giants to make one-size-fits-all charger... ......in Europe.

The new standard charger will replace the more than 30 different kinds of chargers that are currently in use across Europe.
(news from June 29, 2009)

What about the rest of the world?

Reduce - Reuse - Recycle

Sun Pickles

While reading "A Way To Garden" I came across this refrigerator pickle recipe. I like pickles. Not so much the soggy grocery store kind that are mass produced by a huge corporation but the crunchy just made kind. So why not make some. Seems pretty easy. Just need a trip to the farmer's market for the cucumbers and some dill (since the dill in my garden mysteriously died a few weeks ago... hmmm).

.

The thought of all the little jars just made me quickly become bored with the idea. As I thought and sighed and paced the kitchen I noticed the sun tea jar up in the cupboard. (Insert light bulb pic here.) I haven't made sun tea in so many years I can't remember what it would even taste like. So it must now be a sun pickle jar. Minus the direct sunlight of course. But the sun is painted on the jar so it must remain a sun ____ jar.

.

Here it is: 1/2 gallon of refrigerator pickles souring on the counter.

(The sun is on the other side as not to hide the pickled goodness.)

Just remember: if I ever offer up some sun tea it may taste a bit pickley!

Bug on the screen

There was this bug on the screen today looking in to the kitchen. Maybe he smelled the pickles and didn't realize they aren't going to be ready for a few days. (More on that in a future post.) He just hung there motionless for a bit but then got a little agitated and started crawling around trying to get away from his close up.

.

So what kind of bug is he?

Or She?

Besides just creepy!

Next door's view

Here's the view from my next door neighbor's upstairs window. They should be very happy looking at the new color. VERY HAPPY.

Maybe I should charge for the view.

.

Today in alter ego history

Today in 1972 at a London concert hall
Ziggy Stardust takes the stage for the first time.

Chim Chim Cheree

SO the last thing left to paint on the house (the chimney) is DONE. NOT only is it painted Olivine (as is the rest of the house) but the motar has been painted a lighter shade I personally mixed with Olivine and Pure White (the trim paint). Many say "DON'T PAINT THE CHIMNEY" but it was painted by the previous owners and peeling. The easiest and most cost effective thing was to repaint it. Most cost effective because I seem to have miscalculated and ended up with almost 2 gallons of paint left............. SO OLIVINE CHIMNEY IT IS!

The utmost most funnest part was painting the 334 1/2 feet of motor with a 3/8" brush!

More Mourning

The "Pre-Easter" Mourning Doves are still hanging out. Today they watched me as I tried to relax in the lukewarm tub after a long day of painting trim and chimney grout.

They are wondering why THEIR tub doesn't bubble.

They are also wondering why I'm STILL not done painting the house!

As the farm grows

Another pepper growing.
This one is a Goat Horn.
A what?
Exactly.

But I bet it will be delicious!!!

Lukewarm tub

I found an issue with the solar "hot" tub. It's only hot when it's really hot outside. Go figure! It was a bit relaxing this afternoon at the balmy temperature of 83 degrees (the water temp) but isn't a hot tub supposed to be at least 100 degrees. When this thing worked like a hot tub I heated it to 102 usually. Oh well, it's just a bubbly tub-o-fun. Still refreshing!

Independence

Happy 4th of July.

Today we commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. See ya!

We do this by barbecuing anything that doesn't move too fast to catch, drinking a lot of beer and cocktails and lighting off explosives. Fun times for all.

Farm expansion

Found a peanut growing while weeding. (Insert light bulb pic here.) YES! Peanut farming. In 3 months I should have peanuts to roast and salt and make into peanut things for the nonallergic.

New every three for me

I've been flip phoning for 3 years now with my LG Chocolate (Flip Chocolate that is). Got it mainly for it's MP3 player which was rare in cell phones back then. I have to say I used the MP3 player a few times! Yup, a FEW times in the last 3 years. I really prefer to use my iPod Nano for music. That said it was finally time to use my "New Every Two".

Sure it's been well over the two but I have a very hard time making a new commitment. I've grown to like the this cell. It's been a good cell, as cells go. Sleek and slim. The battery even still holds a charge for days and days.

Tomorrow arrives a new era. The LG Env3. With a keyboard? Like having a notebook in my pocket! This is crazy talk. Yup, 4 years later I'm catching the wave of a QWERTY in my pocket. Slow? Maybe. Cautious? Probably. Touch screen? Slow down! Maybe next time.

And I will have to say that out of all the (few) phones I've had over the years the LG has held out the best. As I type this blog viewing it on a LG monitor I start to think this post is an advertisement for LG.

The migration begins

Southern Michiganders start to make their way "up north" for the big holiday weekend. You better hurry and beat the rush! Go go go. And DON'T forget anything.
.
Then they will rush back in bumper to bumper traffic to get back to their lives on Monday (or whenever they have to resume their lives in the south).
.
Do other states have a similar migratory pattern?

New web address

but the same exciting content!
Why the new address you ask? Don't ask. Just deal with it.

Deal with it like Mr. Sparrow deals with things.

Shown here perched happily on his roof back in March.

(His roof on his house that is attached to the side of the neighbor's garage)

Enter the neighbors who decide to side their place this summer.

SO yesterday was operation Sparrow Relocation.

And Mr. Sparrow dealt with it.

Spud farmer

An organic farmer friend of mine told a story on Memorial day about growing potatoes and how delicious they were. I figured what the hey. And less then a month later something has sprouted!

At least I hope those are potatoes that sprouted...

Sorry, blood pressure

Tuesday it was a BK lunch. Today a TB dinner.
I hope my doctor doesn't read this blog!











The Taco Bell was actually double the sodium from the BK. No wonder it came with a drink the size of my head and I'm STILL thirsty. Now I know why when I asked if the nutrition information is posted in the store I was told it is on the web site. By the time you visit the web site you have all ready taken a day or four off your life by consuming 2,835 mg of sodium, 44 grams of fat, 70 mg of cholesterol, 108 grams of carbs and 980 calories. At least I got some fiber and protein... mmm mm.

More fun spam

I receive some spam that is more poetic than spamotic. My first notice of this fun spam was back in February with the avocado pit story.

Here are some new ones:

Friday, June 26, 2009
Subject:
thermo powder reindeer
Message:
scotch neapolitan,
oxidate

Saturday, June 27, 2009
Subject:
He sits down with holy fears, the worship of god is honouring his gifts in other men.
Message:
The sun does descend, and I'll stop the leak in the chimney.
To the bells cheerful sound.

Does he speak of my chimney that I need to finish painting?

The artless wall

I broke my art awhile back. Just the glass in the frame. And then the mat warped. Now I broke it more.

Shouldn't fool with the art. Just let it be.

It's now time for new art.

Sad bare wall needs art on a budget.

Tomato 1

Homely Homer has his first offspring.

Where do I buy empty ketchup bottles?

Or am I making salsa? ¡Olé!

More buggy

This shiny white moth has been coming by to inspect the new house paint job. So far he has found no issues with it. Except that it's not 100% done yet. But it's been too hot and humid! Even the lukewarm tub is getting close to 100 degrees. Is it August all ready?

Sorry, gut

But every once in awhile I'm oh so weak...
(click the pick to see the Burger King 'nutrition total')
and at this point I figured what the &%@#...

How many days of healthy eating did this one lunch destroy?

As a side note I would like to add that the bill came to 4.76 and I gave the (middle aged) cashier 20.76 and got $17.05 back in change. Odd yes, but if I use this as a profit making scheme how soon would the food kill me?

Hose, as energy.

Hose is back!

This time not as art but as solar heat for the lukewarm tub..

Back in May I posted a pic of the art installation "Hose, on Pavers" as displayed on my backyard patio. It was showcased for 3 days in that particular installation until it was rolled up. Although Hose did reappear repeatedly in the last 5 weeks it's artful presence was never quite the same. Now art becomes power!

.

The POC Spa-N-A-Box from Comfort Line Products finally got on my last 'I-can-fix-it' nerve back in August 2007. After a little over two years of fighting to keep the hot-tub hot (and pumping water) I finally gave up. Sad, I know. Too many times having the excitement of a late evening hot tub soak be ruined because the POC heater reset button was tripped (the button that is hidden underneath the unit and not explained in the owner's manual and you find out about it when you call customer service). Since the thing heats up at about 1.5 to 2 degrees an hour it's best to go take a hot shower at this point. When the water stopped circulating the $36 for a new water pump and reheating the water AGAIN was one thing, but two months later when once again there is no heat and the reset button isn't tripped they say "Now you need a new power pack. That'll be $395. Would you like to put it on the same credit card as your previous fixes?" Ummm, no!

Jump to present day. Lots of time on my hands. It's getting hot & humid. Now what? I guess this "spa" could still make a fun mini-pool for the unemployed. Sure it would. With approximate diameter of 62" and a water height of 25" I figured it would cost about $3.80 to fill (assuming my water rates are the same as the last bill) and I can afford that. Sure I can. But can I sit in 62 degree water? No. Can I wait for the sun to heat the water to 80 degrees? No. So that's where Hose comes in. 150 feet of it. The idea is to circulate the water from the tub filter through hose and back in the tub. The output of the system seems to be 2-3 degrees warmer then the input. $3.55 for a rubber connector with clamps and Hose is now a solar mini-pool heater!

Summer Solstice

It's SUMMER!
(Officially as of 1:45 a.m.)

The Summer Solstice results in the longest day

and the shortest night of the year.

It also results in the

desire for summer ales!
.

mmm mm

Samuel Adams:

Brewer and Patriot

and probably lover of summer...

When bad things happen to good plants

Must have been a very stormy night last night! I forgot about my weatherman job so I wasn't prepared. But how does one prepare for such devastation? Where's FEMA? Where do I get the number for 911?

The Tiger Eye Sumac (a.k.a. yellow weed... well that's what I also know it as) had a slight incident in the stormy night. Sad.

Latest farm update

Homer was also planted along with 16 pepper plants of various types. Yes, 16. That's a lot of peppa but a sale is a sale. One of the pimentos has all ready started to give back.

That's going to be a lot of peppas. Did I say that all ready?

Fungus AmongUs

I'm having a mushroom

issue in the lawn this

year more than usual.

.

Maybe make soup?

.

Come on over and try

some out!

Bring crackers...

New career: Weatherman

The forecast I posted yesterday was correct. Both for yesterday & today. Well it was correct for the Detroit area. That's all I was casting for. I don't think I made that clear. It wasn't the forecast for the entire internet! That would be a little more tricky.

Tomorrow I call for sun. A bright and sunny day. A day worthy of chimney painting fun. Soon this painting project will be over. Then what? Stain the privacy fence? Woohoo... 75 feet worth!

The weather report

FYI: don't hold me to the tomorrow part.
I'll know more later on tomorrow.

Ketchup farm

Homer was only $1

so I couldn't resist.

.

I also had to fill in the

empty farm area

due to the spinach

harvest of yesterday.

.

Ketchup production?

Pasta sauce factory?

.

Endless business

opportunities.........

.

Suggestions?

June harvest

A lot of work went into this (somewhat huge) spinach salad with all the soil preparation, planting, watering, fertilizing, weeding, and then harvesting. Looks like enough for two! I'm just glad I'm not farming for a crowd! Don't have that kind of time.

.

The spinach salad made way to plant 12 pepper and a tomato plant. They would be good in this salad but I don't think greens will keep that long. Farming a complete salad all at once seems to have a lot of timing involved.

Godzilla mosquito

Mosquito in Portuguese means "small fly" but this thing is HUGE!

.

Just imagine how much West Nile fear this thing could bring.

But it's not a mosquito at all....

.

just a crane fly...

.

he doesn't even bite...

TV problems?

WHY
isn't
my
TV
working
today
???
.
WHY???
.
Is
the
computer
next
???


Did they finally do it? Did they finally turn off the old and force the country to bring in the new? I thought everyone had cable anyway. I guess they don't.

I want digital now. I feel like I'm being left out of this digital transition. I must have slept in. What am I missing? Is there more to enjoy? More than anyone could ever imagine? I have two analog TVs but I also have cable. What if cable goes off? Then I have nothing. No cable. No digital. No analog. All alone. (insert sad emoticon here)

I know I won't be missing the constant reminders of this transition. When is it going to happen again? I forget.

Today in fish history

In 1770 Captain James Cook discovers the

Great Barrier Reef off Australia

when his ship The Endeavour ran aground.

.

Cowboy wisdom

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
(Cowboy Proverb)
.










I've got my saddle.
On my horse.
He's called.... T-t-t-t-t-trigger.
Of course.
(Boys Don't Cry)

From paint to caulk

Almost as much fun as painting is caulking.

And who put a 'L' in that word anyway?

Can't we change it to cawking? or kawking?

.

These arrows times two sides equaled

hours of sticky silicone adhesive fun!!!

I almost got the hang of it... but not quite.

.

In hopes that one day this project will be done.

Monday, Rainy Monday again

There's a pattern forming here.



That's all
I have to say.



But the quick thunder storm was cool!

Not available?

So I'm wasting time and cruising YouTube thinking "I should be doing something productive besides wasting time on YouTube. I should go to Lowe's for the electrical outlet box I need for my latest outdoor project. Then I would have to shower. I guess I don't have to shower, it's only Lowe's. But I didn't shower yesterday either and I painted in the hot sun all day. Still, it's only Lowe's. Hey, I think I'll waste time looking at THIS VIDEO" that is presented to me as a choice on the YouTube home page under "Recommended" so I click on it and get:
This video is not available in your country.
Since when does the internet have boundaries?

Well in MY country I can at least watch a cat play with his new toy to the thump-a-da-thumpa of techno music!

A word about chimneys

A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the stack, or chimney, effect.

OR, as I see it...
the last thing I have left to paint on the house.

What kind of pineapple?

I planted this

over a month ago

and still

NO pineapples!

.

.

.

I really could go for

a Piña Colada...

Beer Warning - must read!

Read the labels... carefully.
I love beers. Especially I love summer beers. SO refreshing. The name 'Sunset Wheat' just pulled me into the warm feeling of summer. But why do we need beer with coriander? Why? Small, small print... only on the 6-pack cardboard box. Don't get me wrong... I'm a coriander AND a cilantro fan. I grow the cilantro in my yard and grind up the seeds for chili and other things that would call for coriander. But in beer? Unknowingly.... in beer? Gaaaaaaaa.

More things that are fuzzy

The annoying cottonwood fuzzies appeared just in time for me to start on the second coat of house paint. Oh joy oh joy. Their blowing in the breeze made it a bit more interesting... and resulted in a bit more swearing. Just a bit more. A tiny bit. Really, damn it!

Buggy, part 2

Last Saturday I posted that I would look closer for more bugs.

A bee.

(No birds, just a bee.)

Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila.

and no nom nom nom... just collecting pollen... I assume...

Monday, Rainy Monday

Rainy days and Mondays...
Gaaaaaa...



Orpheus
Fountain
.

Man
saying
"Gaaaaaa"
(I made this part up)