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Monthly Archives: July 2016

New game camera!

All the neighbors have game cameras. So it seemed like a no-brainer for the abbey to have one, too, to learn more about the many wild critters who live here. On its first night, the camera was set up for deer, but no deer showed up. Instead there were only shots of Ken setting up […]

Pickling day

These are half-gallon jars. I wanted to make some no-heat, no-cook pickles to be eaten within the next few weeks as opposed to being preserved for the winter. This is an easy process, because the canning process is unnecessary — there is no need to use a water-bath canner or a pressure cooker. I also […]

Why is Ailes’ head on the block?

So Roger Ailes, an evil genius whose genius and whose evil can be topped by few (other than Dick Cheney), is being escorted out of Fox News. The cover story is that Ailes’ departure (which sounds like a firing) has something to do with sexual harassment. Horse. Wash. The right-wing money and billionaire money behind […]

Chicken crimes

I had been watching the first tomato for weeks, ever since it was the first bloom. Just two days ago, it had started turning red. It was to go into the ceremonial first tomato sandwich of the summer. But, this morning, Sophia the chicken followed me into the garden through a gate that I had […]

Everyday security and the criminal economy

Wikipedia commons Once upon a time, if a thug wanted to take your money, he pretty much had to be close enough to hold a gun on you. Not anymore. These days, somebody halfway around the world can steal from you. Estimates of the size of the global criminal economy approach $1 trillion a year, […]

Do you really want to know what time it is?

There is an old saying that has become known as Segal’s law: A man with a clock always knows what time it is. A man with two clocks always wonders what time it is. This is a nerd post. Sorry, non-nerds. Normal people, I’m going to guess, are perfectly OK if their clocks are within […]

The triplets

I have seen my resident triplets fairly often, but I had assumed that the odds were poor that I’d ever catch them close enough together for a picture when I also had time to run for the camera. But here they are. They were in the back yard eating grass and browsing along the edge […]

Who’s eating what at the abbey

The first squash are in. The tomatoes will follow soon. Everything in the garden is blooming copiously, and last night a good rain fell. I’m hoping for a good garden year. As for the figs, it’s highly likely that the squirrels will raid the orchard and get to them first. The fig wars should begin […]