That's A Wrap

Well, here we are at the end of another year. Have to tell you, it's been a shitty one just like 2020. 

Started off bad with the attempt to go to Arizona in March and finding the trailer leaking as we were set to leave. 

Then about May, I posted how my body was falling apart. Osteoarthritis has taken over and it gets harder by the day to walk. I use a cane all the time now and probably won't be long until I'm in a wheel chair. You young ones take heed. You are NOT as indestructible and bulletproof as you think you are. It catches up with you in the end.  

Camping and fishing did get better as the year went on though. Got two trips to Upper Lake and our July trip to Hope Valley. 

July began the fires. The Tamarack Fire as we were leaving Hope Valley. The Caldor Fire in August that had my son evacuated for 3 weeks. His house survived. He didn't make it to Upper Lake at the end of August though. Still evacuated at that time.

By the way, the leak in the trailer has been fixed (I hope). It survived the "Bomb Cyclone" and the "Atmospheric River" rain storms and no leaks. 

Sorry if I got a little testy about getting the Covid vaccine. People were needlessly dying and still are, most being unvaccinated (800,000 and counting). Case in point, my step-daughter went on a short trip to Target. Came home with Covid. Now her husband went to some friends house and found out they all had Covid and now he does to. Both have been vaccinated and still got it. 

Oh, and that mid-September camping trip to the coast. Westport RV Park. What a dive. 

A few jokes along the way. 

I got my fishing license for next year hoping it would be a better fishing year than 2021. 

Lastly the title of this post. I've been a Gary Larson fan for so many years I've lost count. The last far side desk calendar I had was the one with the picture below. Seem appropriate for the end of just about every year. 

"OK, folks!....Its a wrap!"

See you in 2022

I Didn't Know This

 

A Little Christmas Story............

When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce

toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the

per-Christmas pressure.

Then Mrs. Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which

stressed Santa even more.

When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were

about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out,

heaven knows where.

Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked,

the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.

Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot

of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drunk

all the cider and hidden the liquor...

Just then the doorbell rang, and an irritated Santa marched to the

door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big

Christmas tree. The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa.

Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would

you like me to stick it?'

And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the

Christmas tree......

A Sam's Run

Since Walmart is all over the place, I would assume that you know what Sam's Club is. A lot of people go to Costco, but we prefer Sam's. 

The day after  Sam's Run is usually a Food Saver Day. You know, buy in bulk, package is sizes you can use. 

We have a Food Saver. If you don't have one, you should. It's a vacuum sealer. There are a zillion different brands out there (everybody has to get on the bandwagon), but we've had the Food Saver brand for years. What it does is preserve food for a lot longer that just the packaging you get it in from the store. Food Saver says it keeps food fresh 5x longer than store packaging. It really lasts longer.  

Ours looks something like this. 

The one we have wasn't listed so it was probably discontinued. We've had it for several years. 

So, back to packaging. We buy 5 pound packages of hamburger and package it in 12 ounce portions. There's just two of us and we don't need more meat than that. We got Pork Chops and chicken pieces. Package Porkchops one to a package, chicken pieces 3 to a package. Today I'm packaging Basmati Rice. We bought a 20 pound bag and will package it in about 1/2 gallon amounts. No refrigeration needed. Probably have enough Basmati until we die. 

How about the garden last Summer. Ya'll haven't forgotten about Summer yet, have you? You like salsa? We packaged Tomatillos and threw them into the freezer. Tomatillo Salsa all year. We packaged peppers (several kinds), Cherry Tomatoes, Pasta sauce. You like Pesto? Make it, freeze it in an ice cube tray, then Food Saver it for use a cube at a time. 

Don't forget Kayaking, boating, camping, Fly Fishing. Seal some clothes in a package and you have dry things to put on in case you decide to take a swim and you know we do occasionally. The uses are endless.  

OK, gotta go. The Basmati is waiting. 

Merry Christmas every body.    

Yard Redo

Back on July 22nd, I did a post on the front yard. I mentioned we were using tens of thousands of gallons of water every month to keep the front yard green. 

I cut off the watering and put in a drip system for the necessary plants and trees. Then let the hot Summer kill the grass. I also used a bit of Roundup on the stubborn spots. This is what the yard looked like on that July day (22nd). Dry, crispy grass.  

 

Then we had plans to rent a sod cutter about mid-this month, cut all the dead grass out, put down landscape fabric and cover it with medium bark chips. It would look something like the picture below. This is the other side of the driveway. Save on water, etc. 

With plans in place, Katherine's daughter, her husband, and Katherine's grandson army volunteered, we were ready to hit the yard running (them not me) that weekend (December 11th & 12th). In case you're not familiar with army volunteering, it goes something like this: I need three volunteers, you, you, and you. Mother's can do that. 

Well, her daughter having not been out of the house in a couple weeks had to make a quick trip to Target. That's all it took for her to contact Covid-19. Fortunately she had both vaccine shots, but she still spent a week and a half in bed. Don't know what would have happened if she would have been unvaxxed.  

Needless to say, that weekend was cancelled and because of tax season (she's a CPA) the yard will now have to wait until Spring. 

So all my hard work killing the front yard is pretty much for naught and you can see by the photo below. Jeez, put a little water on it and it grows as if it's never been murdered by Moi. 

I'll just whip out the mower every so often and give it a hair (or grass) cut until Spring. At least it could have all grown back so it doesn't look like that.  

Stay safe everybody. 

Your English Lesson For Today

 Need I saw more?

I Really Dislike Winter

It's Monday morning 6:00 am. I'm up, the coffee is made and I'm planning on going fishing. 

Then I start thinking. Mistake #1. 

It's 41 degrees outside and the fog is so thick I can barely see across the street.

Down the hill at Lake Camanche North shore it's going to be a lot more foggy that here. Might be a tad warmer, but I doubt it. 

Then when I get there, I usually have to make 3 trips from the truck to the shore (only 20 feet or so) across the rocks just to get my gear by the lake. Check the picture below. Note the fog in the distance. From past experience, a day like today you won't be able to see your hand in front of your face out there.   

Not an easy trip for a gimp. 

Once set up, then sitting for hours in the cold, wet, nasty conditions. Yeh, I have a parka. I have gloves. I have a watch cap. I have hand warmers. And I would have had coffee, BUT. 

I'm just getting too old to sit out there and freeze my ass off. Might catch a fish, but then again, maybe not. 

I did renew my fishing license for 2022, but I think I'll have to wait until Summer or until there is a day when it's a little warmer. See, this is what I need. Sunshine, blue skies, warmth. 

So I'll go back to the coffee pot for a second cup and do a couple crossword puzzles. Those that know say, if you can do crossword puzzles you don't have dementia or Alzheimer's. Guess I'm good to go. 

I do them with a pen. 

Oh, did I tell you I'm a great grandfather again. Meet Azzie Marie Kautz. She was born 10/26/2021. that's her and big sister Mavis. 

Maybe I'll fish another day.