December 8, 2021

Yesteryear
One year ago today: December 8, 2020, I hate that boom box.
Five years ago today: December 8, 2016, meet Trey Gowdy.
Nine years ago today: December 8, 2012, money has a character.
Random years ago today: December 8, 2010, cold makes me grumpy.

           You get one picture this morning after six hours of toil. It was two-step plan because we had to outwit a doggie that is smarter, it seems, than most people who live in California. It works like so, first all the spots where he could potentially hop over the fence had to be sealed of This means putting in over 100 feet of a single rail that raised the existing barrier by six to ten inches, depending on the lay of the ground. This is a separate operation from the photos you’e seen the past couple days where the fence is now a five foot high barrier.

           If you recall, a stand of bamboo in the neighbor’s yard is a great place for the dogs to hide if they decide. The rail is enough to keep them jumping the fence because they cannot see what is behind. They’ve each made that mistake once. So, now that jumping is out, what is left? The big dog is getting through the fence. Because of the rocky ground, he cannot burrow under.

           The plan, which worked, by the way, was to trick the doggie into revealing his secret. The big dog gets jealous if you pay too much attention to the little dog. So, the Reb goes deep in the bamboo and pretends she is playing catch with Sammy. I let the big dog into the yard and pretend I am raking leavies He hears the fun and sure enough, there he goes. There is a loose picket behind the old doghouse just big enough.
           This photo shows me pointing at the gap, how suitably blocked by a nice new piece of lumber. It missed inspection because it did not look big enough, but the Reb saw him wiggle through, the big sneak. Note all the bamboo now invading our yard.

Picture of the day.
Recycled garden hose.
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           This workday is another milestone for me. This marks a record stretch of work for me in Tennessee and in cold weather. Even five years ago, this amount of labor was unthinkable. There is a tradition, that if I work construction, at the completion of a project, I have a meal of things I just do not eat any more, as a rule. Yep, a cheeseburger deluxe with fries. The fence qualifies as a major project, so the Reb treated me to Red Lobster. The caliber of the burger is not as important as the ritual and I chose that location because they have a reputation for good coffee. It was.

           The Reb had a recording session over in Franklin, so this gave the pets and I a rare evening home alone. Curled up with a good book on events in Argentina in the 1920s, it was relaxing enough to get me to stay on another couple of days. I also fixed the statuette again, I have this plan. Since it is hollow, why not fill it up with that spray foam? That stuff gets solid enough to cut with a knife. I also repaired parts of the shed and tried to unclog the vacuum but didn’t have the tools. I told you I domesticate very easily.

           Remember the lawn swing, repaired past the point of no return. Most of it wound up in the fire pit, except the frame which now supports the unique house number. I thought the swing was 12 years old, just learning today that it was already an artifact when the Reb salvaged it long ago. I nearly brought a tear to her eye telling her that, in the new doggie fence, parts of that swing still live on. Pure sentiment, folks.
           One story I’m reading is the locust plagues in Argentina. Normally these insect hordes are associated with Africa, so I was intrigued to know they are a constant problem for agriculture in South America. How did I learn about this? The book I’m reading on metallurgy records a huge sale of stainless steel to that country in the 1920s. It seems, unlike the African pests, the American type cannot fly or leap higher than 18 inches. The Africa desert locust can fly and forms clouds as much as ten cubic miles.

           But the Argentine species is a ground dweller. The farmers buy the stainless steel in rolls and stake a the barrier around their crops. The locusts can’t get over the steel and it is too smooth for them to climb up. Isn’t that something. Of course, should there be any plagues these days, the climate change people will be right there. Most of them don’t know Fahrenheit and Celsius were the names of real people, but they are big shots on the weather. Did you know that climate change is the biggest dollar item for the UN. They get billions every year from donor countries to, I dunno, make faces?

ADDENDUM
           Webinars. The latest move has me watching a series of 12 webinars, and the thi time we see a complete split in rates of comprehension. This is about people, not the webinars. As always, the series begins and I’m surrounded by nodders, that is, people are not that bright (judging by their chat comments) but all pretending they get it so as not to appear stupid. Meanwhile, I’m continually asking for clarification, and it turns out the webinar people are working things very carefully and are reluctant to give straight answers.
           Soon, I get flak for holding up progress. A week goes by and what do you know. Now we are on module seven and guess what? I’m getting it and the rest are stuck. Now I want to move on and they are holding up progress. The sad part for them is they will never catch up now because they do not have a solid foundation. I’m ready to solve problems encountered in the rea world and they are still playing catch up with stuff they pretended to learn last week for show.

Last Laugh