Just Goofin' Around...

LAUNDRY ROOM WINDOW

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2007 jim otterstrom

The light shining through these bottles in our laundry room window caught my eye last week so I clicked a picture, and, a day or so later, played with the image a bit in Photoshop. Nothin' special, just goofin' around.

Boy, I've had a few interesting mornings lately...

Tuesday morning, I woke up early, stumbled down the stairs to use the bathroom, flushed the toilet, and went into the kitchen to start some coffee (yes mom, I washed my hands). That's when I heard the sound of a waterfall coming from the back of the house and ran back to find the toilet overflowing like some grand artesian spring!

I hate it when a day starts out like that, before you even get the crud out of your eyes...

I can't remember the last time the toilet overflowed, but it was probably before our adult kids were teenagers.

...then, there was Wednesday, our food co-op delivery day.

I got up early to print order forms to give our members Wednesday, so they'd have them for Julys' orders, and then went downstairs to start the day off right with a healthful bowl of the wheatless eight-grain cereal Peggy had just cooked up (Peg doesn't eat wheat).

As I dressed up my cereal with frozen organic raspberries, frozen organic blueberries, almond-cranberry trail mix, hemp-hearts and soy-milk, I splashed a little milk on the stack of order forms I'd just printed, so I cleared off the table before I ate to avoid making a bigger mess.

I was thinking about the busy day ahead of me, of sorting orders and totaling them up, and wondering if the truck would be late again, delaying my calls to the members who were waiting to pick up their goods, and also, about the welder who was coming by to fix a few broken things around here.

After breakfast, I set up a table and chair out by the gate, getting everything ready for the delivery, then swept off the 10'x10' slab of concrete there so the welder would have a place to work free of flammable material.

Well, of course, the co-op truck and the welder arrived at the same time (the food delivery was early & the welder was late), both requiring my immediate attention and cramping the three of us into a rather small space when you consider that cardboard boxes were stacked everywhere and welding was going on. While I was checking in the order, a few sparks from the welding bounced off the slab, starting a little fire in some pine-needles---nothing serious---and the fire was quickly stomped out, but it was an interesting moment or two. A bit later, when the co-op members began arriving to pick up their orders, I realized that I couldn't find next months order forms, the ones I had splattered the soy milk on.

Not wanting to waste paper, I looked all over the frickin' house, to no avail, even going through the trash in case I had accidently thrown them away. I knew the forms had to be right in front of my nose but I never found them and eventually had to print a new batch. That evening, when Peggy was reading the newspaper, she found my forms folded up in the comics section. Quite fitting, don't you think?

...then, there was this morning!

But first, let me begin with yesterday, and last night...

Yesterday, the Summer Solstice, was a very enjoyable & productive day here, with lots of clean-up and repairs getting done. A friend took a load of junk to the dump/recycling center for us and I greased up my newly welded pedal-stone and sharpened some tools. We worked outside until it was nearly dark before Peggy and I went in to make our solstice dinner together.

Spaghetti with Fresh Herbs & Turkey Meatballs and a Tossed Green Salad

Peggy had picked a bunch of fresh lettuce and spinach from our garden, along with some sage, oregano, chives, and chive flowers. We also had some fresh basil and thyme from the store (we don't have basil to pick right now, and, after several years of faithful service our thyme didn't come back this spring, probably because of our extremely dry winter).

Anyhow, to make a short story longer, I prepared the meatballs, chopping and adding sage, chives, chive flowers and garlic to the ground turkey. Then, just for fun, I threw in an egg, a teaspoon of horseradish, about 4 ounces of Feta Cheese, and some chopped olives. At this point, I realized the mixture was a getting bit thin & gooey, too many ingredients for the pound of turkey, so I added two crumbled rice-cakes and two tablespoon of quinoa flour (Peggy doesn't eat wheat).

Much better, now I could actually form the meatballs.

Once the meatballs were in the oven I went to work on the sauce. I started with a jar of organic garden-vegetable pasta sauce that we get from our food co-op, by the case, and chopped up the basil & thyme to add to it.

By this time, well after 9 o'clock, Peg had already finished preparing a beautiful green salad with celery, avocado, and tomato, so she helped with the spaghetti by chopping some onions and garlic for the sauce, grating some parmesan cheese, and boiling the water for the organic quinoa spaghetti, which we also get, by the case, from our food co-op (again Peg doesn't eat wheat).

Everything came together nicely and the salad, sauce, and meatballs were absolutely delicious. By the time we ate though, it was well after 10 PM, and getting quite cold outside, so we decided to eat our solstice dinner in the house by the light of a hand-dipped bayberry candle we saved especially for the occasion.

After dinner we made our bed out on the deck, and I poured some red wine and grabbed my guitar. Laying there, propped up with pillows, candle aglow, and Dallas at our feet, we watched a few shooting stars burn through the sky while I plunked out some soft little ditties I know, and shortly began drifting off.

A fitting end to a lovely solstice event. Almost...

For years I've had a hiatal hernia in my stomach, and sometimes, if I eat too close to bedtime, it causes me great discomfort, to where I can't sleep. So, there I was tossing & turning, trying to get comfortable, and keeping Peg awake. It was getting very cold and my fidgeting kept letting the frigid air under the blankets.

Understandably, Peggy likes her sleep, so we decided to move inside about half past midnight. Peg went to bed while I sat up reading, until my stomach settled down, and I fell asleep on the couch.

...and now, back to this morning.

At about 7:30, from my groggy restless sleep, I thought I heard Peg moving around, and called her name. Dallas, sleeping near me at the foot of the couch, heard my voice and started wagging his tail, which knocked over last nights unfinished glass of red wine, which then spilled all over the coffee table, several good books, and my new hemp t-shirt, before running onto the wool indian rug beneath the table.

All before I could even get my eyes open...

Sheesh!!!

I hate it when days start like that!!!

But it's all over now, and really quite funny, I think.

And what does the laundry room window have to do with all this?

Absolutely nothing! I'm just goofin' around, that's all, and laughing at three little episodes from my own silly life.

So, have a wonderful, funny, weird, or goofy day...

...or maybe a little of each.

I'm not going to let this relentless human comedy screw up my day, even if the joke is on me.

I've had much worse mornings.

SHIT HAPPENS!

A lot.

Back out in the yard to play...

Just Another Day...

Click on photo to enlarge (2005 Owl Crew work-shirt logo)

Tuesday morning...
May 16, 2006

After spending five of the last six nights hiking the San Bernardino Mountains, under a beautiful moon in search of Spotted Owls, I got home at 3 A.M. this morning and was fast asleep very shortly thereafter.

I woke up at 10:25 A.M. to a lazy morning of sunshine through the window, chicken-cackle in the yard, and a day all to myself.

Nothing pressing to do, except I have to pee, right now!

Stumbling half asleep down the stairs, I notice the crock-pot on high, burning the finish off the dining room table.

I try and cross my legs while hopping into the kitchen, grab the hardwood chopping block, put it under the slow-cooker, remembering as I go that I was supposed to take my blood pressure pill four hours ago.

Hopping back to the kitchen, dieing to pee, I bang my head into the open cupboard above the sink (god-dammit!), grab my medicine, and turn on the burner under the coffee pot, as I hear the knock at the front door.

It's Cheri, from across the street, asking if it would be alright for her to use my bathroom during the day while they put a new floor in hers.

I groggily answer yes, with blood dripping down my forehead, and ask if she needs to use it now?

“No”, she says, "I just wanted to make sure it would be OK before we get started", as Neo the bird-hunting cat sneaks out the door between my legs during nesting season.

Neo hides under my sons weight-lifting bench on the front deck, so I get down on my knees "kitty-kittying" him into coming close enough to grab.

Phew! Got’im.

I sit up, bang my head into the end of the bar-bell shaft, drawing more blood from exactly the same spot on my head, drop the cat, and pee my pants.

I tell Cheri "I gotta go, the phone's ringing, the coffee's boiling away, and I'm bleeding".

But I didn't mention that I pee'd my pants as she said, "Well thanks, and I'm so glad I didn't wake you".

I turn off the boiling coffee, answer the phone, "Oh sorry, wrong number", finish peeing, and wipe the blood off my head.

I look at the clock.

It's now 10:29 A.M.

Well, there's 4 minutes of my day out of the way, how's your day going?

;~\

SKUNKED!

Click on photo to enlarge

The Spotted Owl Survey is in progress again this year and Peggy, Dallas, and I have been helping out a bit.

I discovered just how out of shape I am on Thursday night when Doug (the ‘Mountain Goat’ biologist) led the way up a trail that gained 2,000 ft. elevation in about a mile or so. Fortunately it was dark, cool, and drizzly or I might have dropped dead right there. I can walk for miles on relatively flat ground, even at 7,000 feet, but the steep stuff is a real challenge at the end of my winter atrophy and fat accumulation.

Doug and I visited five owl territories between 6:00 P.M. and 2:30 A.M. Thursday, and five more on Friday, between 6:30 P.M. and 2:15 A.M. Thursday we found owls in three of the five territories, but Friday, in the badly burned territories near Lake Arrowhead, we found none.

By Saturday night my bones & muscles were begging for mercy, and Peggy wanted her turn in the barrel, so she, Doug, and Dallas went out and got more than they bargained for.

They visited seven territories between 6:30 P.M. and 12:45 A.M. and got skunked, literally skunked, and no birds!

I woke up when Peggy came in, hearing the shower going, and smelling this weird stench in the house that I thought was some bizarre herbal concoction Peg was brewing up. I heard Dallas whimpering outside the door so I stumbled downstairs, let him in, gave him a pat ot two, and crawled back up to bed.

But the stench was growing stronger, and now my left hand (the one I patted Dallas with) was reeking with the same odor. That’s when I realized what was going on. I went back down, put Dallas outside again, and by then, found Peg getting out of the shower to tell me of the nights adventures.

At the fourth territory, Dallas took off chasing some critter, when, at the last minute, Doug saw it was a skunk and yelled at Dallas to stop, but it was too late.

The skunk let Dallas have it full-force right in the snout, which stopped the misfortunate dog in his tracks, sending him wallowing and rolling his nose in the dirt to try and rid himself of the stench.

What I can hardly believe is that Doug and Peggy visited three more territories with that reeking dog in the back seat of the car before they headed home. That’s real dedication if you ask me.

Anyhow, Dallas is an outside dog now, for the foreseeable future, and he is obviously not happy with his new fragrance. We can’t pet him, we can’t even put his leash on to take him for a walk until the stench subsides a bit, so I’m going to check the internet to see if there’s a way to get some of the smell off of him.

As you can see in the picture, the poor fellow looks very regretful, and I guess I’ll try and leash him with my gloves on, so I can take him to the lake for a swim. At the moment we can’t even keep the windows open because of the skunky aroma blowing in from Dallas.

I must admit, that's a quite clever defense mechanism those skunks have come up with!

;~(

postscript

For the remedy see post below...

Taking the Cure...

Click on photo to enlarge

Madcapmum (Maison Madcap blog) sent us an e-mail with two links to veterinary websites that recommended wetting the skunked dog down with water and then spraying him with a solution of 1 quart hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and a teaspoon of liquid soap or shampoo (we used Doctor Bronner's Pure Castile Hemp Eucalyptus Soap). So before running out and buying 4 or 5 gallons of tomato juice for a bath in the long accepted folk remedy tradition, we tried this newer method with supplies we had on hand. I can still detect a very slight skunky odor to Dallas but it's at least 99% improved. We're going to take him for a walk now, and a swim in the lake, but we'll need to stop by the store and pick up some more hydrogen peroxide because now Peggy and I smell skunky! I guess that means we get to take a bath together tonight!
;~)

SKUNKED UPDATE -7:30 P.M.

Well, after Dallas dried off and swam in the lake, I regret to inform you that 99% improved has now been reduced to 50% improved. Dallas is a big and extremely hairy dog thus I suspect we need a gallon of solution instead of a quart, so maybe we'll try that tomorrow, and if that doesn't do it, maybe I'll buy a bike trailer full of tomato juice and see what that can do!

You'd think that after 40 years of living in mountains with dogs I'd have more experience with this sort of thing, but oddly enough this is the first time any of my dogs has ever been sprayed by a skunk.

Maybe You Just Need Glasses?

Nevermind clicking on photo to enlarge, it won't help...

OK, so maybe the problem isn't your eyesight.

I get a lot of compliments about my photographs here, but, as you can see, they don’t always turn out so good!

Yesterday a pair of Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) landed in the young Jeffrey Pine (Pinus jeffreyi) next to the solar waterfall.

I’ve seen Cedar Waxwings over by the lake but never in the yard before, so I believe they were attracted by the sound of the trickling water, as we have no ripe fruit or berries currently.

From the deck, I saw them land out of the corner of my eye, glanced over while picking up the camera, pointed, and pressed the shutter button in too big a hurry (before the camera focused), and bam, the birds were gone.

Damn!

Well maybe they’ll come back, but for now, there you have them, blurry Cedar Waxwings visiting Earth Home Garden.

Nice photo huh?

;~(

The Roosternator!

Click on photo to enlarge
Big Bad Arnold in the chicken yard today just waiting for me to make one wrong move!
I've had some roosters in my time but never one like him.
Arnold stands over a foot and a half tall with 2 1/2" spurs on his legs (more like curved bayonets).
He was given to us by the owner of the local feed store where someone had abandoned him in a cage on the front stoop early one morning.
For the first couple of days Arnold seemed docile enough, but on the third day when I went in to collect eggs (in my shorts) he came up behind me and buried one of those spurs about a half inch into my calf.
Luckily, I had the galvanized lid to the feed bucket in my hand and smacked him out of startled reaction.
I hit him so hard I was afraid I'd killed him, but he just bounced off the chicken wire fence, coming back at me like Mike Tyson.
I backed out of there real quick, with blood spurting from my leg and protecting myself with the can lid, which is now so dented it looks like it was shot up with a pellet gun because of Arnolds rapid fire spurring.
When he charges you the feathers on his neck stand straight out like a 12" dinner plate and you can see fire in his eyes!
We had to rig up a system of gates just so we can safely collect the eggs after Arnold goes out into the chicken yard.
I'll feel sorry for any chicken thieving critter that gets caught in the coop with Arnold!