Where's Hazel? Pet Hazel. Hazel needs her dreadlocks
trimmed.
Twelfth Night
Turning off the candle in the window and the lights in my
Yule Branch. Take down all the greeting cards that
accumulated on the clothes line. Time to get back to
volunteering at the food bank and fixing things at The
Cat Drag'd Inn to be roadworthy for the annual drive
to Quartzsite.
This morning in my crossword: GRIMALKIN
Hurricane Hazel-Rah has learnt she is a grimalkin.
William
Least Heat-Moon rates local eateries in his /Blue
Highways/ travels as one, two, three, or four calendar
diners. The Cat Drag'd Inn is now a three calendar
inn. I should have no trouble keeping track of special
days this year. According to one calendar, the flush
toilet(3rd) and popcorn(22nd) were invented in Febter and
the Vernal Equinox is 19 March, the
earliest in over a hundred years.
Speaking of Popcorn
The General Coverage Radio/CD player on the bridge as well
as the Optical Drive in The Cat Drag'd Inn's MikeMachine—the
mainframe in the computer room—have been acting out of late.
Behaving out of sorts one might say. After a long battle too
lurid for grown-ups, tho a ten-year-old would have had the
solution right away. When the CD player failed completely I
was finally obliged to replace the radio. Originally
purchased in 2007, this Sony had played a lot of music,
outlasted two sets of speakers, and been eclipsed by Mobile
Entertainment Centers with more features than you can shake
a thumb drive at. Once I was on that track then replacing
the Optical Drive in the MikeMachine became just one
more line on the purchase order. Enter Entropy (def-4).
The Optical Drive part was easy. Plug&Play as the saying
goes. And a good cleaning out of all the floobydust as well.
Thanks to Mike for his help with that part. For the Sony
radio/CD player I contacted Crutchfield
in Charlottesville, VA. I've purchased several
other radios from them over the years. Great company with
very excellent customer support. And let me be perfectly
clear that the ensuing saga was in no way
Crutchfield's fault.
I chose another Sony with the hope that the power/speaker
plug would be the same (too much to hope for) and seller
promised two day delivery to Tonopah. Three days later
Postal Service Tracking indicated my radio was at the post
office; they didn't say anything about a flood.
The Box is in The Puddle?
Postal tracking reads from the bottom-up; the photo shows
the box, as received at the post office, before I opened the
outer carton. Despite the degradation of the biodegradable
packing peanuts (when these peanuts get wet they shrivel up
and disappear) the inner box had only one little dent and
the radio inside was not damaged. I suppose that is all that
really matters but...
January 16, 2020, 7:13 am
Delivered, Parcel Locker
TONOPAH, AZ 85354
Your item was delivered to a parcel locker at 7:13 am on
January 16, 2020 in TONOPAH, AZ 85354.
January 16, 2020, 5:38 am
Arrived at Post Office
TONOPAH, AZ 85354
January 15, 2020, 3:24 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
PHOENIX AZ DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX
January 14, 2020, 2:05 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
GREENSBORO NC DISTRIBUTION CENTER
January 14, 2020, 12:28 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
RALEIGH NC DISTRIBUTION CENTER
January 14, 2020, 7:05 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
RALEIGH NC DISTRIBUTION CENTER
January 13, 2020, 11:16 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
RICHMOND VA DISTRIBUTION CENTER
January 13, 2020, 9:06 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
RICHMOND VA DISTRIBUTION CENTER
January 13, 2020, 7:51 pm
Accepted at USPS Origin Facility
EARLYSVILLE, VA 22936
January 13, 2020, 2:26 pm
Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item
EARLYSVILLE, VA 22936
...my experience with the post office is that usually when
mail is damaged in transit the carrier makes some effort to
repack the remains or attach a note of apology or
consolation; at the very least the label will say “Received
this way...” thus pointing the finger of blame elsewhere.
Prob'ly the most damning frustration of this “postal”
treatment is that there was no attempt at repacking or
over-packing on the part of the “Postal” Service. There was
not even any “Sorry About That” sticker.
What has 4 letters, sometimes 9 letters, but never
has 5 letters.
The cross-quarter day following Midwinter falls on the first
of February and traditionally marks the first stirrings of
spring. It aligns with the contemporary observance of
Groundhog Day. I hope you had a good Imbolc and palindromic
date 20200202--happens only once in a thousand years.
I'm mostly ok. Next up will be my bi-annual (or maybe
tri-annual--I've lost count) dental checkup and cleaning.
Medically ok except for an occasional bloody nose. Even my
back is feeling good. Met with Kay (the mother of one of my
long ago boy-friends who now has an 11-year-old son. I guess
my friend and I have not seen each other in that long
time...) ...and we spent a day out around Saddle Mountain,
driving and walking. She is of the adventurous sort, camping
in the back of a pickup, plastic bag for a toilet. Still
have not spent my savings on a new set of batteries for the
bus. I'm having buyer's remorse before the fact this time.
Need to rethink that plan.
Imbolc is a good time for cleaning. Spring Cleaning like
Battery Buying is another idea that floats along in the sea
of Structured Procrastination where I keep falling off the
surfboard. I cleaned Hazel-Rah's litter box and vacuumed the
rugs. That was as far as I got. Today is Food Bank and
Geezer Discount Shopping. 32f outside right now; I have to
remember to start the TinyTruck shortly so she will have
plenty of time to warm.
Next week is the Yuma Ham Fest, I will go there and try to
unload a few more things. All those mag-mount antennas, the
ancient square wave inverter, sundry other leftovers, went
on the Free Table at Quartzfest and disappeared quick
enough. I cleaned up several sacks of trash along the road
to town there and found a neat little solar USB charger and
one of those collapsible trash barrels, helped out with
license exams, baked a banana bread, and stayed on for a few
days of the Geocache Ralley that followed Q'fest.
Planning A Head
My Theme Music for this past year is Steve Key singing 33-45-78
1979 must have been a significant year or popular theme as
there are scads of lyrics that include '79 tho few if any
make much sense. Now is the time to submit your entry for
next year's Theme Music. Entries so far include Eilen Jewell
- 79
Cents (The Meow Song) and the top
contender: “I Don't
Look Good Naked Anymore” Any other entries?
Where Has All The Gluten Gone...
Remember that song? …Gone to somewhere, every-bite
(byte?)... Well, now we know where all the Gluten is. Did
that fact never occur to your sensibilities? Gluten-free
this and gluten free that... Where has all the gluten gone?
Bob's Red Mill has all the gluten
ready to sell by the sack to all of us who want to
have our gluten and eat it too.
That Was Zen, This Is Tao
Seeing his Zen master on the other side of a raging torrent,
a student waved his arms and shouted out, "Master, master,
how do I get to the other side?" The master smiled and said,
"You
are on the other side."
Battered Battery
 I almost
shamefully admit to my negligence. For the first year of so
of The Cat Drag'd Inn's 660 Amp-hour house battery
installation I watered the cells monthly. That meant
crawling into the battery bay and with the aid of a mirror
and electric torch carefully dribbling steam-distilled water
into each cell. Eventually I found and installed a watering
manifold necessitating only that I squeeze a bulb until the
float valves in each cap closed. Then, additionally, for 3-4
years, dutifully annually disconnected and removed the 420
pounds of battery to clean, load test, equalise, rotate, and
reinstall. For the last 3-4 years the batteries were lucky
to get their monthly watering. Now I have spent the big
bucks to install no-maintenance AGM batteries. No more
watering, no more corrosion. I pay fairly close
attention to the instruments and there are limits set on
high voltage and charge current. But already I miss being
able to hear the wet cells boiling and the lack of ability
to measure electrolyte specific gravity.
Taking Root
From time to time the thought intrudes: What about hanging
up the keys. What about putting down roots. This past week
another step was taken in that direction: Permanent
connexions for Water and Propane. Winter quarters for The
Cat Drag'd Inn has for some years now included a water
pipe laying on the surface. Propane for heating and cooking
comes from portable bottles which I carry to the local
propane store for refill. This week Paul proposed that I
hook up to his 200 gallon propane tank so he brought in a
trenching tool and we put water and propane pipes under the
surface to permanent hookups.
Random Observation: Whenever I play solitaire
the cat wins.
Making light of a serious Pi Day...
For this link: Thanks Mike! Renowned bush poet S.J. Paterson
presents his latest work. The
Ballad Of The Dunny Roll 13 Mar – 2020
And for those who have no internet I have transcribed the
poem here:
S.J. Patterson – The Ballad of The Dunny Roll
The year was 2020, early March or thereabouts,
off the back of quite a summer plagued by bushfires and
droughts.
So the nation was exhausted, many folks weren't thinking
straight.
Which goes some way towards explaining #ToiletPaperGate.
It started with a virus, some say China was the donor.
They called it COVID-19 but we called it My Corona.
And we saw the illness spreading and the cruise ships
quarantined
and we sanitised our fingers as we lined up to be screened.
Then in amongst the panic, someone headed down to Coles
and loaded up their trolley full of toilet paper rolls.
We'll never know who did it, what their motive way or why.
Or what brand of roll they hoarded, was it scented or
two-ply?
All we know is in that moment, when they took it from the
shelf,
they unleashed a chain reaction as a nation shat itself.
Now we've faced wars and cyclones, we've survived them all
as one.
But a toilet paper shortage? Well, it made us come undone.
For the people started hoarding all the last remaining
sheets.
There were punch ons in the aisles, there was panic in the
streets.
“Me crack's in need of wipin!” Someone cried in desperation.
What else can I bloody use to solve this situation?
Some stooped to using gum leaves. Others left it on the
floor.
Many wiped with plastic bags and returned them to the store.
While others rocked on the verandah with a shotgun fully
manned.
To protect their precious stock, they'd rather die than use
their hand.
And the cheeky bidet owners with their derrières unhurt?
Well they rented out their bathrooms, $20 for a squirt.
But the greatest single irony throughout this sordid farce,
you get Corona in your nose and lungs, not shooting out your
arse.
So we'll never know when faced with a pandemic level
slaughter,
why we spent our cash on poo tickets instead of food and
water.
'Cause history will tell you how the virus was contained.
But the rush on toilet paper? That can never be explained.
And I wonder if the Anzacs were infected by some jerks
who'd fight over a dunny roll instead of fighting Turks.
'Cause it seems to me it could just be a true blue Aussie
trait,
to panic in a crisis and steal bog roll from your mates.
Spring-Quinox
Food bank food was a little short yesterday. Toilet paper at
risk there as well. Shopping at Fry's and WallyWorld: On the
entire bread shelves in Fry's there was one loaf of raisin
bread, in Wally's three sacks of hot dog buns. Same
situation with dish soaps. Paper towels and bathroom tissue:
 nada,
period. Nita reports her sister is planting these seeds in
her garden and expects a cash crop in a few days.
MedCram Lectures on Coroniavirus Pandemic
MedCram is a go-to resource to get clarity on challenging
medical topics. Memorable illustrations solidify the most
important concepts. Entire
playlist of Corvid-19 videos (42 videos so far).
Are you scared yet?
"I'm in the age group that has a one in seven mortality rate
if I get it. If you're not worried, you're not paying
attention. But I'm not scared. I firmly believe that the
steps that we're taking will extend the time that it takes
for the virus to make the rounds. I think that, in turn,
will increase the likelihood that we will have a vaccine or
we will have a prophylactic antiviral in time to cut off,
reduce, or truncate the spread. Everybody needs to remember:
This is not a zombie apocalypse. It's not a mass extinction
event." --Larry
Brilliant, Epidemiologist
On a lighter note:
Last
Week Tonight with John Oliver on Coronavirus
(HBO). As coronavirus spreads to the US, John Oliver
discusses what’s being done to fight the illness, what’s
gone wrong, and how to stay safe.
Got to get this posted before the news changes. For better
or worse, remains to be seen.
|
2020, Spring Equinox —
Greetings Virtual Travellers and Pen Friends: 
