New Meal:

Above is the harvest of potatoes this year.. Below is a meal that Carol made with some of those potatoes.
 

We have been contributing to a Catholic organization that schools and houses Indian children for more years than I can recall. They recently sent us a cookbook and Carol told me to pick a recipe so I chose this one. It is spicy but very tasty. 

250 YEARS:

 

Happy Birthday America !!!!!!!  America may not be perfect but it is the best country - bar none. As an 8 year U.S. Air Force veteran this country holds special honor for me.

Having served during those 8 years in an elite unit and special operations unit if I were more mobile today I would still fight for our values. I can voice my opinion about how great this country is. To the naysayers I say one of the good things about living in our country is the freedom. If you love communism so much exercise that freedom and go live in a communist country and quit downgrading our superior country. 

wildfire:

 

Even though we are no longer living in Colorado I keep up on what is happening out there. Currently they are plagued with wildfires that are destroying thousands of acres. We were evacuated in 2018 around this time of year for the Spring wildfire. It burned 107,000, acres and we were out of our home for 15 days. We were blessed because after the evacuation time we had a home to return to.  Others were not as fortunate as it burned 141 structures and left only ash.

The Weather Service measured the temperature 1/4 mile from our house at 4,200, degrees. We were right in the heart of the burn area and our home and property were the only one in the vicinity spared. I remember the horrors of that fire like it was today. We tried to evacuate the day before when it was safer to do so but one of our dogs couldn't get in the truck due to a disability and when we finally got him in the truck the message we got was it was then to dangerous to evacuate. 

Noon the following day the sheriff told us it was safe to evacuate and we loaded up and headed out. We were driving through embers and sounded like hail hitting the truck and we could not see through the thick smoke where the road was. About half way we encounter a fire fighter who told us the fire had closed the road behind us and it left us no choice but to go forward. 

Everything on both sides of the road was burning and the drivers door was so hot I had to move away from it. Our dogs had large saucer eyes and stayed in the center of the truck. Carol was in the Jeep a few feet behind me and couldn't see the emergency flashers on the truck, but we both managed to get out safely. As I see the photos of the current wildfires those memories are vivid and I feel for those going through it today. 

Those fighting the wildfires are some very brave people and God Bless them for what they do. Some of our neighbors we did not see again. rather than rebuild they simply left leaving their dream behind. Thanks to the Red Cross as they fed us, gave us necessary clothes and toiletries and kept us safe. I saw and felt the anguish on my neighbors faces and as they silently moved on. Wildfires can seriously change or destroy lives. Please pray for those going through the experience right now.

Heat Index:

 

Now with the heat index around 117, through Friday it was not a good time for the HVAC to go out. Called the repairman and he said that it was the compressor and the unit was 20 years old. He said it was the practical thing to replace the entire system as to replace a compressor on an old system is not worth it. It will take some time to get AC so we are relying on ceiling fans presently. 

Seems to replace an entire unit is going to be a pretty big job. Looking into options but as we evaluate our satiation it looks more and more like the practical solution is to replace the entire unit.  

Dangerous Wild Animals:

 

We lived remotely for over 26 years and we saw on a regular basis bears, mountain lions, Lynx, bobcat, coyotes, and occasionally a wolf. We learned to live with them without incident - however that did not make them any less a wild animal. Mostly when we came in close proximity to them they would evaluate us to see if we were dangerous. If not they would still maintain a reasonable distance but for the most part were non aggressive. 

I have been seeing these human/wild animal encounters constructed through AI, on various internet sites. In reality they are far fetched and totally unrealistic. Mother bears are extremely powerful and if a cub were trapped under a tree the mother could get that tree off the cub. I have seen a bear with one paw lift a huge rock to look under it. Same with mountain lion strength. I have seen a mule deer carcass draped over a limb of a tree that a lion hauled up there with its jaws.  

What they would not do is stand calmly by and let a human do what they are more than capable of themselves. If they came back to deliver the human a flower or fish, that is just ridiculous. Same with bringing a wild animal into your house. They would not lay down on a rug and go to sleep. I have seen what a bear is capable of in houses they broke into. 

My complaint over these human/wild animal AI posts is that most people haven't the slightest concept what wild animal behavior is like and believe some of these posts and that wild animals are friendly and will let them come near their babies or them. These are very realistic posts that could easily fool people. 

That would add strength to the concept of natural selection but it would be fatal. These posts are so well done that young people, or those who have not learned to live among wild animals would not know the difference. Someone could be so swayed by these gentle wild animals they would get close for a selfie or to pet them. Anyone with an ounce of common sense would know better. Sadly common sense is not so common anymore. 

Garden Status:

 
The eggplant at the top of the photo above is getting a little larger each day. 

Wax beans are still producing and before long we will have another mess. Something I didn't know was the bean forms as a small circle and as it grows it straightens out and fills out from the stem to the end of the bean.

Tomato's are growing fast and we have around 20 of them on the vine.

Rhubarb is going well and in a container. Last year I put out three rhubarb root stock and something ate all three. This year I put a root stock in a large container and next year I will cut the bottom out of the container and bury the container half way into the ground to keep the critters away from it. 

Container gardens can produce a good amount of vegetables. 

Eggplant:

 

I have never grown an eggplant before but one was given to us and it has grown greatly and now has a small eggplant on it. So far - so good. 

Perspective:

 

When people have specific agenda's they often get so polarized in same that they can't or won't listen or hear opposing facts. Such people are going to find it hard in life because of their myopic and dogmatic opinions. Most find it very hard to adjust or alter their opinion. 

Harvest:

 

This is the second harvest of wax beans from our 12 plants. There will be more to come. First time I have ever planted wax beans but when we went to buy them last year and they were $5.00, a can. I  thought why not give it a try. Next will be the egg plant which is also something I have not tried before. I have been unsuccessful growing tomato's in the past but our 16 tomato plants are loaded so they will need to be harvested soon. I should have staggered the harvest planting of the tomato plants as they may all be ready at the same time. NOTE:  "remember for  next year".

New Computer:

Going crazy with this new computer. My old computer was a laptop like this one but the battery area would get so hot I couldn't keep it on my lap as it would burn my legs. I was afraid it would burst into flames. I can type reasonably well but the laptop would get so hot I was afraid it would burn my leg. So hot it would be painful and to type a blog shouldn't be that painful. As soon as I can get control of this new one I will do better blogs. 

 

Potato Harvest Day:

 

I had a plastic barrel on the deck that I planted potatoes in and the day to harvest came today. Not bad for a patio garden in my opinion. This will be several meals. 

Herbs and flowers

Bruce usually writes on this blog but once in awhile I post something. Today it is my herb garden and flowers!

I started these seedlings in the Aerogarden that my sister gave us for Christmas some years ago. They all did really well and now are in one of the three window boxes that are on our deck. Savory, Basil, Parsley, Thyme, and Mint (the oregano didn't produce).

The other two boxs on either side of this window box have flowers!

Peaches:

 

I'm not an expert on peaches but I know when they taste good. When I was a kid, we had a peach tree in our back yard and those were okay but nothing I would look forward to eating. In fact, it was the only tree in our yard. We now live two miles from the Georgia border and the peaches we get from the peach state are something to look forward to. The same as the ones that come from S. Carolina. I do not recall eating any from N. Carolina or if I have, I did not know where those may have come from. 

I can tell that the ones from Georgia and S. Carolina are fresh because from the fruit stand to my mouth they are very tasty and have good consistency and texture.  The ones we bought when we lived in S. Colorado were never fresh and we would have to put them on the shelf and wait days for them to ripen. If we bought more than 3-4, they would always ripen at the same time and before we could get through them, they would have gone bad. 

When Colorado peaches finally came in, they would disappear from the shelves quickly, so you had to time it right to get good peaches. Mostly they were imported from California or another country and would be hard as a rock until they would finish ripening and then they would be pretty tasteless. It is a pleasure to live where we do and get home grown fruit and vegetables and not have to drive 45 miles one way to get them.  Maybe a little thing to most but to me it is just another reason I love living where we do. 

Water:

 

One of the things I miss most from our mountain home in Colorado is the pure fresh well water. It tasted like no other water and was clear and pure. Our well was 215 feet deep as I recall and the water was crystal clear and tasted wonderful. We are on shared well water here and there are six other families on the well, but it does not have the same refreshing taste. I sure do miss that sparkling well water from our past home. 

The Value Of A Woman:

 The value of a woman: The saying goes "give a woman a house and she will give you a home." I have found this true in my case anyway. When we moved to the mountains of Colorado the house was pretty bare but my wife, in no time, turned it into a comfortable home. Our house was just a building, but my resourceful wife turned it into a home full of love and memories. She has done that wherever we have lived.

Women multiply and enhance whatever is given to them. I have found this completely true, at least in my case. This nonsense spouted in today's world about all the different sexes/genders and men can be women and so forth in my opinion does nothing but demean women. There is another saying that behind every successful man stands a woman. Also, true words in my opinion. 

There might be a rare exception to the successful man part, but there are men and there are women. And then there are fools who think there are numerous sexes, thinking they can change creation.  There is another saying that if you repeat a lie long enough people will ultimately consider it true. And another saying that you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. Pity the fool's as they walk among us. 

Repurposed Blinds:

We had wooden bifold slatted doors, but they kept falling down so we took them out. We wanted the laundry room hidden and out of sight and we remembered that we had taken these shades down from the sliding doors we recently had replaced with French doors. 

Homesteading in the mountains of Colorado you have to be self-reliant and learn how to repurpose. It is a hard habit to replace and since we had not thrown the blinds away, so we put them across the laundry room opening. I think, they look nice and better than just having the laundry room open. 

Remember:

 

Memorial Day.

Frogs:

 There is an old metaphor That says if you put a frog in a pot with hot water that it will jump out but if you put a frog in a pot of cold water and then slowly increase the temperature it will stay in the pot until it dies.   

That metaphor may or may not work I have never tested it but it makes sense and as I look around I can see it applied in numerous areas' yet today. Particularly in the decline in morals in society today. The decline actually started years ago and is just not being more apparent. I write this so those who are disturbed with the things going on now, if you but think back it started long ago. 

People didn't say anything then and now it seems so out of control that people are afraid to say anything now fearing they will be labeled or cancelled. Now is the time that we must stand up and speak out or soon we will be denied the opportunity.

Stress:

 Today people seen to be stressed out from numerous sources.  Stuck in heavy traffic, the cost of rent, gas, rude people, inflation, war and threats of war, the list goes on and on. I see people racing through life and seeking peace and happiness. Doctors tell people they need less stress in their life and prescribe Rx to help them achieve it. It seems everyone has stress of one kind or another. Maybe an answer is not the stress but how it is handled. 

Did you know that a piano mother board has 40,000 pounds of stress on it from the tension of all the strings? Yet out of all this stress comes some of the most beautiful music known to mankind. Maybe relieving the stress isn't as important as how we manage the stress. Finding a quiet place where you can go and have a talk with God is a way to transfer the stress you experience to Him providing that you leave it with Him and don't carry it away yourself.

Maybe then you can be at a place where you can help others who are also stressed out. In my many years I have never turned a stressful situation over to God that he couldn't handle. As I look back on those stressful times, I'm still amazed at not only the solution but the outcome. Things I found impossible were not impossible for God.

Talk to God about your situation, tie a knot in the end of your rope and hang on.

Tine For a Laugh:

 

Politics:

 I don't want to post political issues on this blog site but I just asked Alexa what the current rating approval of congress is. She said that their approval rating is 10%. Alexa reported that 86% of people disapproved of congress.   Our Echo Dot has been wonderful source of entertainment for us. The $30.00 we spent for the Echo Dot has been one of the best investments we have made.

The AI aspect that has been added or updated is super. Alexa went on for over 5 minutes citing statistics and facts about congress. She had many funny things to say about the issue. We like Alexa for playing music and questions on gardening and cooking. This question was especially entertaining.

Hummingbirds:

 When we lived in S. Colorado, we had a particular hummingbird that we called Henretta, and she was always the first to arrive each year. We knew it was Henretta because she had been chased into a window and I carried her around for a long time waiting for her to recover. When she did recover, she ended up with a palsy which made her stand out from the other hummingbirds.  She was the first to arrive and the last to leave. 

This year she arrived just as we received 30" of heavy wet snow. She would feed and then perch on a shelf under the eve's where she could enjoy the sun and was protected from the elements. Homesteading remotely like we did we were able to better connect with the birds and animals. 

. 

Henretta lived a very long life for a hummingbird and one day I noticed she didn't look very good and she perched on her normal place at the feeder. I stood there with her as she took her last breath. I talked to her as she died and then gently took her down and buried her in a place that was special. Even something as small as a tiny hummingbird can hold a very special place in your heart.

Feast Or Famine:

 We live in an area that is a temperate rain forest - rated such due to the amount of rainfall we receive each year. This year has been unusual so far. We have had minimal rain and in fact have been in a drought zone for several weeks. That ended yesterday as we received 6" of rain in the last 24 hours. That much rain on dry ground tends to create issues as it washes out places as it finds its way down the hill. We are forecast to receive more in the next several days. 

I have a pile of limbs to burn and have my permit but up until yesterday we were in a red zone and could not have outdoor burning. Now it is too wet to burn, and my permit is only good for two weeks. Also the grass and weeds are now growing so fast we can almost see them shoot up. Not complaining as it is so green outside that I spend too much time admiring the freshly rinsed trees and bushes. My garden is also growing in leaps and bounds.   

Interesting Tradition:

 We received notice that our bank has a customer appreciation day.  We were not able to go last year but this year we did attend. We didn't know what it entailed but since we had some banking to do anyway, we went to see what it was all about. The tradition is that they hand out tomato plants. We ended up coming home with 6 plants to go with the 6 we already have. It is a different tradition but typical of small town in the south's way of life. 

Love being back in the south where people are real, friendly, polite and down-to-earth folks that our country was built on. It was the same way when we first moved to S. Colorado but then we got an influx of people moving in from Texas and California and attitudes changed. People came for the simple neighborly life and unfortunately brought their attitudes and demands along with them. I sincerely hope that does not repeat itself here.   

Mistakes In Life:

 Mistakes - we all make them as we go through life. I have made more than my share. Some I manage to regret and some I just laugh off. As an example: My ex-mother-in-law had knit me a beautiful cardigan sweater like the photo above. I really liked that sweater and one day I wore it to play golf. As sometimes happens in Florida I was caught in a small gentle rainstorm. We were used to getting a little wet occasionally when we played golf, but we usually kept playing as long as it wasn't a downpour or lightning was involved. 

We usually dried out as the game progressed. As we played one of our group mentioned that I was pulling my sleeves up frequently and I suddenly realized my cardigan was stretching out. It was down to my knees, and the arms were about a foot longer than my hands. I should have been more aware and taken it off to protect it. I really miss that sweater, and it was never restored to where I could wear it again. That was a big mistake which I really regret.

Other examples where I laughed it off are less serious and both related to a department store next to where I worked. The store had a bargain basement where I used to go to occasionally. A buyer had to be acutely aware of what they were buying as some of the clothes had defects. One day I bought some seriously marked down 'hang ten' shirts. I had worn them several times when a friend asked why the little feet symbol was inside out. I had not noticed they were sewed on backwards. Big laugh. 

Or the time I bought a very nice pair of dress slacks. I was with my co-workers at a restaurant paying my bill when someone ask why I had to dig so deep into my pocket to get my change. I realized that one side pocket actually ended at my knee. I had to lean sideways to get to the bottom of my pocket. It never occurred to me that my keys and change was rubbing against my knee when I walked. We all had a good laugh at that. I stopped shopping at the store next to our office building as I just wasn't smart enough to find these flaws.  

Dan and Bruce's Great Fishing Adventure:

I was working in Jacksonville, Fla. and stopped at a small fishing shack along a creek. I was looking for directions to a witness I had been looking for. It was early morning and as the man was giving me directions a boat pulled up and had us come over to look at the fish he had caught. He had half a dozen largemouth bass in his live well and all were 4-5 pounds or more. I ask him what he was using for bait and he said dry ice. 

 He used a small tobacco sack, and he run his line through it with a little weight on it and tied a treble hook on it and said he put a piece of dry ice in the sack and just threw it out and let it sit on the bottom. He said the bubbles drove the fish crazy and they would pick it up to move it. When he felt it move he would set the hook. He told me it seemed to work best at night. 

Those sure were a good-looking bunch of bass and his technique sounded just crazy enough to possibly work. Besides I had just read an article in an outdoor magazine about using Alka Seltzer in a similar way. 

I gave my fishing buddy Dan a call and told him about it and he said he had some little bags at work, and he would grab a couple. I told him I would buy some dry ice. He would hook up his aluminum flat bottom boat and pick me up just before dark. We launched after dark and drifted down the creek tossing the unusual rig into every good-looking spot we saw. 

When I would chip the dry ice small chunks would fly off and hit the bottom of his boat and make a zinging sound as they skipped around the boat. We fished for about 5 hours with nothing resembling a bite but cooled the water temperature with 5 pounds of dry ice considerably.  Sometime around 2 AM, after several hours of silence I said, "I think we have been fooled like a fishing type of snipe hunt", and Dan agreed so we headed back to the launch ramp before the shack owner came in. 

Now it is funny but back then it wasn't that funny as we both had to go to work with only a couple hours of sleep. That trip was about as funny as the time we ran up on an underwater stump and stuck the boat right in middle. All we could do is go in circles around that stump trying to get free, - in a snake infested creek. But that is another story for another time. 

Two of My Favorite Pic's From Facebook:

 

Springtime Flowers:

 

We know it is truly spring when the iris are in full bloom. Small patch of iris and there are more buds yet to open. 

Peace And Quiet:

 The renowned Samual Clemments (Mark Twain) had a habit of going fishing with his pole but no hook on the end of his line. That was the only way he could get any uninterrupted time to himself. It is a long-standing tradition that when you are fishing that it is impolite to disturb the fisherman. Sitting along a riverbank with a fishing pole is not only calming but restful.  The famous Mark Twain did not put a hook on his fishing line to not catch any fish and not to be disturbed. 

Sometimes just being out in the fresh air and sitting along a riverbank or a lake or stream without the matter of catching fish is just pure relaxing. 

It's a Puzzle:

 

Some things just do not make sense to me. One such incident happened recently.  I ordered some tarter cleaner for the dog's teeth, and I got an acknowledgement promptly from the manufacturer which I found out came from China. I was able to track my order as it left the factory, went to a distribution center, where it was put on a transport and arrived in California. Then I was able to track it across the U.S., and we received it promptly and in good condition.  

At the same time, I ordered a hose from the local Walmart store to replace our leaky one. It took a few days to get my order acknowledged and a tracking number. The tracking indicated we should receive the hose tomorrow and now it says maybe by Friday. 

It is all here in the U.S., and it has been at the same location for several days. So, my puzzle is how can I order two items - one from the U.S., and one from China and the one from China comes halfway around the world in half the time and the one in the U.S., comes from within our country and the vast difference between the two. The one from Walmart takes twice as long and we still do not have it. 

Remote Homesteading:

As I have posted before, we moved to N. Carolina from 9,800' elevation in S. Colorado. We received (according to HUD) 264" of snow each year, fortunately not all at the same time. Our winters were sometimes 6-7 months long. Our nearest neighbor was one mile down the road. We lived there for over 26 years full time and heated our cabin with a woodstove. We burned anywhere between 9-12 cords of firewood each winter. 

That being said we worked hard all year long and while it was stuck in the back of our mind that someday we might have to move somewhere else, that was less strenuous. It always remained hidden in the back of our minds none the less. We had seen others move to our community and not be able to handle the weather conditions or the strain of that type of life. Few made it as long as we did. 

Two and a half years ago we came to the conclusion that we couldn't continue with that type of lifestyle any longer. It was necessitated by medical reasons. Prior knee injuries made it so mobility was more and more severe coupled with other unrelated issues. It was hard to leave our homestead that we had put so much labor into, but it was also evident that medical treatment was over a one-hour drive away and we were not getting any younger. 

One had to be self-sufficient to live our chosen lifestyle and there were not adequate services around to take over the responsibility of things we were used to doing ourselves. So now we need to sit by, and watch others do what we are used to doing ourselves.  It was hard to leave our mountain homestead, but I think it is even harder to have others do what we were used to doing ourselves. 

Klaus - 11 Yrs Old:

 Klauss is 11 years old and still gets around well but his back legs tend to tire sometimes, and this was one of those times. Usually when he gets tired, he just sits down but this time he was exploring in the back yard and sat down in a depression and was up against the fence. When that happens, he needs help getting back up. If he had been headed in the other direction, he could have gotten himself up. It is his right rear leg that sometimes gives him trouble like in this case.

Thankful Times - Sad Times:

 This photo was taken after the Spring wildfire of 2018. We were thankful that our property and us survived the horrible wildfire, but it was sad to the snow full of ash. When the sun hit the grey infused snow it would get so hard that you could walk across it without leaving a footprint. The wind would blow the ash off trees that were dead and turn the snow grey. 

We were thankful that no human lives were lost and ours was one a very few homes survived. A total of 124 structures in our community were not so fortunate. Friends and acquaintances moved and left the ashes of their dream behind and those of us remaining had to deal with the mud slides, ashes on everything and a subtle loneliness coupled with many dead trees and the hazard they presented.  

Spring In The Smokey Mountains:

 Dogwoods are in bloom along with the redbud trees. 

Ants:

 I ran across this on Facebook and thought it was very interesting.  I have known of humans that were not this smart. 

What an amazing discovery! Scientists have discovered that ants, after collecting the grains and seeds that they need for winter break those seeds down into halves before storing in their nests because breaking them in half keeps them from germinating even through rain and the most perfect germinating conditions. But scientists were stunned when they discovered that coriander seeds stored in the ant nest were broken down into 4 pieces instead of 2 pieces. After lab research, scientists discovered that a coriander seed will still germinate after being divided into two, but it won’t germinate after it’s divided into four parts. So how do these tiny creatures know all this? Humans know very little, there's a lot to learn from other creatures.

Water Pipe Fixed:

 Water pipe fixed and ready for use in 24 hours. It was not much of a job once I got the box out.  CPVC pipe is pretty easy to work with. Once you have the new pipe, glue and something to measure and cut it with it is just a matter of putting some glue on the joint and put it together with a couple twists to make sure the glue is evenly distributed. It is much easier than sweating copper pipe. 24 hours and it should be solidly glued together and ready for use.

I even bought a section of insulation that should protect it from freezing again unless the temperature gets really cold. Job done!

Broken Water Pipe:

 The photo is hard to understand without some explanation. During the last cold spell, we had this pipe that was our outdoor spigot freeze up. The pipe cracked and when I turned the water on it shot out. I have the repair parts but I am waiting for the CPCV glue to put it back together the right way. 

I don't know who installed this pipe, but the faucet wobbled back and forth, and I was afraid when someone would turn it to hard it would break off at the pipe. The spigot was not attached to anything and was just floating free at the end of the pipe. It was boxed in, but when I took the box out (as seen by the photo - where it is cut out from the deck- it was just a hollow box with zero insulation. 

Not only was it void of any insulation but there were numerous couplings where it had been repaired several times in the past. The small white pipe down below the deck is where the water feed comes out for the outside fixture. I can't believe that someone thought just putting the pipe in a wooden box and not securing the spigot would keep the pipe from freezing or breaking. 

In addition to that there was a drain valve below the box that when you would open the water from inside the basement it would spray all over you when you closed the outside valve. If you could actually reach it to open it. I will extend the drain lower where it is more reachable and put a diverter on it where the water will be directed away from the person who is draining the system and not on them. 

I shouldn't be surprised at the poorly installed plumbing as when we first moved here the pipes froze and when I checked the outdoor shut off valve it was just lying on the ground when normally they are buried below the freeze line. Someone had just piled rocks on top of it to protect it. I made a box of closed cell 2" foam insulation to enclose it and ran a brood lamp to it with a temperature control, and it has not frozen again. 

We are discovering defects one by one and making necessary repairs as needed.