I have only been putting this project off for..., oh..., five or six years I guess. The house fire was in late January 2020..., "luckily" only the roof got destroyed, though there was a lot of smoke, ash and water damage as well. This Back Porch was partially enclosed with clear plastic sheeting on the walls and roof..., and the section of the roof close to the house suffered some melting. So as a "temporary" fix I fashioned some feed sacks other plastic pieces to direct the rain water from the roof to the side of the house where it would not collect on the floor of The Porch. Last week in the FNCI I mentioned that the weather forecast was for dry and warm weather for the next week..., and my three resident kitties..., and their friends thought maybe it would be a good time to initiate a more permanent "fix" so we wouldn't have to stumble over the various pots and pans that were strategically placed under the various drips.
Above are the damaged pieces that I had to remove. All those clear plastic pieces made for a nice green house effect that Julie made use of to grow tomatoes there for a couple years..., but I didn't need a green house, so I used mostly tin and just a few pieces of the clear plastic to let in a bit more light in the replacement roof.
Getting the roof replaced was bad enough..., but cleaning up kitty hair is a thankless effort..., as is cleaning off the accumulation of many years of pollen, moss and mildew build up.
That wasn't the only project that the damned nice weather called for. I patched a hole in the bathtub..., no not in the house..., the one in the Northwest 40 pasture that I use as a water trough for Charlie Horse. I thought it was just a little pencil size hole at first glance..., but a little probing enlarged it by a wide margin. I have my fingers crossed that the patch will hold. I fired up the lawn mower for the Little Puppy Yard out by The Saddle Bar(n)..., and touched it up with The Weed Eater..., then moved on to The Big Back Yard..., then on to The Gravel Driveway. I got a good chunk of driveway done before I ran out of gas..., and The Weed Eater as getting low on gas too..., I think 😀
Somewhere in between all that I managed to get the regular chores done and even pulled some scotch broom and washed the Tacoma..., the Tundra is a future project..., and the damn weather forecast may make it the not too distant future.
Today was fairly easy..., mail and grocery run. $5.90 a gallon at the first gas station in town..., the other two are a bit slower..., but not for long I suspect. I have mentioned that I usually load up on Walmart beer to save $3.00 a case when I go to Port Angeles..., and if Wally hasn't raised his prices I will now be saving $7.00 a case over the Forks prices. I did manage to nab a half price Rib Steak ($11..., use today or freeze). I did have to pay full price for my other one.
For your Friday Nite Music Video I have several reasons for picking this one by Josh Ritter. He grew up in Moscow, ID and I have several of his CD's. This one has some lyrics of Idaho rivers..., though we always called The Lolo a "creek" and not a river..., and I tend to think of the Priest and the Payette as lakes more than rivers..., but the Snake and the Salmon are famous to more people than just Idaho folks. And the last reason for choosing this song is..., I once wrote some song lyrics of my own called, "One More Mountain to Climb..., One More River to Run" and posted it here on the blog.
Here's the link to Josh Ritter and "One More River to Cross" I don't think that it is included on any album yet.
Lyrics:
The Chacos, the Brazos, the wide Rio Grande,
One more river to cross,
The Rogue running green through a cottonwood stand,
One more river to cross,
I’ve tried to be good for most of my life,
And never do wrong when I knew what was right,
So when I cross over my heart will be light
One more river to cross.
I was twelve when I first crossed the Cumberland Gap,
One more river to cross,
And except for in memory, I’ve never looked back,
One more river to cross,
The Snake and the Salmon,
The Priest, the Payette,
The Lolo, the Bravo, the San Bernadette,
I’m tired but I still got one left in me yet,
One more river to cross.
My one true companion is carrying me,
One more river to cross,
And when I cross over, he’ll go roaming free,
One more river to cross,
Out where the paints and the ponies run wild,
Through endless green valleys, ‘til one day he finds,
A river and crossing it back to my side,
One more river to cross.
Well..., the weather forecast for at least the next week is for dry and sunny weather..., so I planted a couple rows of spuds on Thursday. About all I can do for a while is watch and wait for some green vegetation to show up. Glad I did it yesterday when it was cool and overcast..., I would have been working up a real sweat in the sunshine and 70 degree day today.
I am often asked why I only plant potatoes. I have never been a big vegetable fan anyway and The Garden was started as a hedge against a great financial collapse that was predicted by many to befall us in the 2008 era..., and some say we are headed in that direction again with a 39 trillion dollar national debt. So..., while I enjoy a corn on the cob every once in a while..., it doesn't provide anywhere near the nutritional value of the lowly spud. Just Google it up...,
Potatoes are nutrient-dense tubers, providing110 calories, 26g of carbohydrates, 3g of protein, 2g of fiber, and 620mg of potassium (15% DV) in a 5.3 oz skin-on serving. They are an excellent source of Vitamin C (30%–45% DV) and contain Vitamin B6, iron, and antioxidants. Naturally fat-free, cholesterol-free, and low in sodium, they are highly nutritious when baked or boiled.
Vitamin C:Acts as an antioxidant, supporting immune health.
Fiber:Found mostly in the skin, aids digestion.
Antioxidants:Contains compounds like flavonoids, carotenoids, and phenolic acids.
Health Considerations & Tips:
Cooking Methods:Baking, boiling, or steaming preserves nutrition. Deep frying (chips, crisps) significantly increases fat and calorie content.
Glycemic Index (GI):Potatoes generally have a high GI, but cooling them after cooking increases resistant starch, which lowers the GI and improves digestive health.
Nutrient Retention:Cooking with skin on retains maximum vitamin C and B6.
They'rerich in vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. Potatoes were a life-saving food source in early times because the vitamin C prevented scurvy. Another major nutrient in potatoes is potassium, an electrolyte which aids in the workings of our heart, muscles, and nervous system.
Secondly, as potatoes have a high carbohydrate content,they can help increase serotonin levels in the brain, a neurotransmitter linked to well-being and happiness. Eating tubers can therefore help improve our mood and encourage a feeling of happiness.
Potatoes are often highlighted as a top contender for survival food. They are rich in carbohydrates, provide some protein, and are a good source of vitamin C and potassium.
Nutritional Profile: Potatoes contain a variety of amino acids, and while they are not a complete protein source, they can sustain an individual for several weeks, if not months, when prepared in sufficient quantities.
Historical Context: During the Irish Potato Famine, many people relied heavily on potatoes for sustenance, underscoring their viability as a survival food.
Variety: Potatoes can be consumed in numerous forms—baked, boiled, or mashed—making them a versatile choice.
However, while potatoes can keep you alive for a while, they lack certain nutrients, particularly fats and some essential vitamins, so relying on them long-term would lead to deficiencies.
I should mention that they store and keep well with a minimum of work or trouble. While most of your other vegetables require canning or dehydrating..., I clean up the taters, make sure they are well dried and put them in brown paper grocery bags and store them in my Saddle Bar(n). They generally keep from one harvest to the next. Yeah..., if you are only going to grow one crop..., potatoes are hard to beat..., but as noted above..., they do lack a protein and fat and other essential vitamins. Bring on the Rib Steaks 😀
I don't know how many times I heard my dear ole Dad say, "You can live on just meat..., if you take a bite of fat with every bite of lean." I was never sure where he heard that..., until recently I found this...,
In February 1928 a Canadian Arctic explorer called Vilhjalmur Stefansson walked into Bellevue Hospital in New York City and announced, to a committee of distinguished physicians who had been waiting for him, that he and his colleague Karsten Anderson were going to live on nothing but meat for the next year, under their direct medical supervision, and they could measure whatever they liked.
The committee was thrilled. They were going to watch a man kill himself in the name of science.
Stefansson had spent eleven years in the Arctic living among the Inuit. He had eaten what they ate, which was meat and fat from caribou and seal and fish, with effectively no plant matter, for the entire duration. He had not died. He had not got scurvy. He had, in fact, been rather well, and had come back to a country that did not believe him about any of it.
So he had offered himself as the experiment.
The committee included some of the most prominent nutrition researchers of the era. They were, by their own admission, expecting Stefansson to develop scurvy within weeks, kidney damage within months, and various nutritional collapses across the rest of the year.
Stefansson and Anderson spent the year eating beef, lamb, veal, pork, chicken, the occasional fish. They ate the fat with the lean, in roughly the proportion of an Arctic seal, which is to say very fat indeed. They ate organs. They ate marrow. They drank water and coffee. No vegetables, no fruit, no grain, no sugar.
At the end of the year both men were in better health than at the start.
No scurvy. No kidney damage. No vitamin deficiencies. Stefansson's blood pressure had dropped slightly. His cholesterol had dropped slightly. He had lost a small amount of weight and reported feeling better than he had in years. The committee published the results in the Journal of Biological Chemistry in 1930.
There was one short period early on when the supervising physicians, trying to be helpful, gave Stefansson lean meat without sufficient fat. He immediately developed the symptoms the Plains Indians had called rabbit starvation: nausea, weakness, the feeling of being unable to eat enough. He politely explained the problem. The committee, slightly chastened, increased the fat ratio. The symptoms vanished within forty-eight hours and never returned.
The experiment was the cleanest possible test of the hypothesis that humans require plant foods to survive, conducted under hospital supervision, by sceptics who expected the subject to fail.
The subject did not fail.
The subject thrived.
Almost nobody has heard of it.
It is not in the textbooks. It is not in the dietary guidelines. It is not mentioned by the nutritionists who confidently assert that a varied diet including all food groups is essential for human health, despite the existence of a hospital-supervised year-long experiment that demonstrated otherwise nearly a century ago.
When the data does not match the model, you have two options. Revise the model, or ignore the data and hope nobody looks too closely.
We chose option two.
The paper is sitting in the library.
Waiting for option one.
I guess "fat" has a bad connotation..., so people tend to think that lean meat is better for you than the fatty Rib Steaks..., and the only hamburger in the store these days is "Lean" or "Extra Lean". But there is a reason that your body stores fat instead of eliminating it from your body like it does the other undesirables..., it is trying to do you a favor by storing stuff that your body actually needs..., the trouble is that your body stores all of it that you shove down the pie hole..., and there appears to be way too many pies going down there. I haven't absolutely cut out all sugar..., ice cream is about my only weakness in that area (but very seldom)..., or if I don't want to play the prude when someone offers me something sweet to eat.
The other thing I try to avoid is white flour. I have read that a rat or mouse can live on sawdust and wallpaper..., but will die in short order if it tries to live on white flour. I only buy 100% Whole Wheat bread..., the 100% being the key..., simple "wheat bread" is not 100% whole wheat.
100% whole wheat bread is considered healthy becauseit uses the entire wheat kernel—bran, germ, and endosperm—providing high fiber, protein, and essential nutrients (B vitamins, iron, magnesium) that refined white bread lacks. Its high fiber content aids digestion, promotes satiety, and helps regulate blood sugar levels, preventing spikes.
Key Health Benefits of 100% Whole Wheat Bread:
High Fiber Content:Unlike white flour, which removes the fiber-rich bran, whole wheat bread helps maintain regular digestion and provides a feeling of fullness, which aids in weight management.
Stable Energy Levels:
It has a lower glycemic index, causing a slower, more gradual increase in blood sugar compared to white bread, providing sustained energy and supporting insulin sensitivity.
Nutrient-Dense:It is a good source of vital nutrients, including B vitamins (folate, niacin, riboflavin), iron, zinc, and antioxidants that are removed during the refining process of white bread.
Heart Health:Regular consumption is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers, largely due to the fiber and nutrient content.
How to Identify Real Whole Wheat Bread It is important to check the label to ensure it is"100% whole wheat"or"100% whole grain"as the primary ingredient. Some breads labeled "wheat" or "multigrain" are actually refined white flour with minimal whole grains added.
Well..., that's about it for your nutritional lesson for this FNCI..., I am not sure if Jimmy Buffett really tried a vegan diet..., and I am sure I never will..., 😀
Well..., come Sunday I will chalk up trip number 74 around the sun..., and I plan to celebrate it with some Mexican beer that I acquired a taste for on a little vacation down that way. That's not the way I used celebrate back in the day..., when I used to buy a keg of beer and give away free kisses to all the girls..., and invite all my friends to an outdoor party at Fraser Park in Idaho where I was born and raised. Those days ended when I moved to Forks, WA in 1987. After I "retired" from logging in the late 90's and found employment that offered more benefits..., like paid vacations..., I used to take a week off to cross the Cascade Mountains back to Idaho and celebrate with all my friends and family back in Idaho..., and buy a keg of beer..., and dozens of fresh oysters to share with all those old friends..., but I did have to curtail the free kisses since I was hooked up with Julie by that time. I documented the history of those parties on this Blog a while back...,
Here's a picture from one of the later parties when the venue was Dave and Kathy Daniels' Ranch at Heywood Meadows.
Hope this rainbow view from The Front Porch is a good omen for the next trip around the sun for this old cowboy. Things are shaping up good around The Ranch..., the grass is greening up..., the daffodils are blooming..., the apple trees and rhodys are budding..., the geese are squawking north in good numbers..., The Garden is shaping up..., Charley Horse is shedding his winter coat..., and the dogs won't let a bill collector on site 😀
I tried hard to find a Sam Neely song on Youtube for your Friday Nite Music Video...,
Young and Free
How many ties have you leaned on back
Dreamed about the days
Knowing you can't turn back
And sit in the sun
Waiting for the night to come
Knowing you're still so young and alive
Lord it's a shame when you ain't got the time
To drift on back to the nursery rhymes
Cause those were the times
That are best in my mind
Lord it's just a crime to let them die
(Chorus)
And I want to live the life I used to live
And I want to be always young and free
How many years have you wasted away
That you wouldn't trade for just one day
To be in the past but still it couldn't last
Cause you can't take back what's here today
(Chorus)
...,
but I couldn't find it..., so I will settle for this one..., Rosalie.
You have probably heard the old saying that, "Bad things come in threes"..., well..., this is the third electricity problem in about a month. The Public Utility District decided that a new power pole was needed out in the Southeast 40 pasture area this Thursday. It didn't cost me any money..., just a few hours of power outage. The first issue did cost me a pretty penny though. I guess after 30 years even those electric installations installed by certified and licensed contractors and fully inspected by the state of WA can wear out..., and that was the issue with the RV hook up that we initially had installed for living arrangements prior to acquiring the double wide a few years later. Once that rehabilitation job was completed a couple weeks ago..., I had a problem with the RV outlet that I had installed myself after the fire in the double wide necessitated the move to a smaller park model trailer. The first night I was all settled in to watch a movie before dinner when the power went out. I soon discovered that the park model was the only area affected..., and discovered a tripped circuit breaker in the main panel. It was dark at the time and I just feed the dogs by candle light..., and could have cooked us all dinner on the propane stove..., but thought that trying to drink up the beer in the fridge before it got warm was a better plan. I dug out an extra blanket for the night after that was accomplished. The next morning I got the propane Mr. Heater out of storage and warmed up me and dogs and reset the breaker..., and thought I had solved the problem. After a couple of hours..., it tripped again. I thought maybe the two electric heaters were overloading the circuit..., though I had been using them all winter with no problem. Hoping that it was just a bad breaker, I went to town and got a new one..., and everything fired up..., even the two heaters..., until later that evening the lights and TV went out again..., this time I dug out the old sleeping bag after dinner. The next day it was back to the hardware store for a new RV outlet box. The old one..., though only a few years old and rated as outdoor worthy had rusted out and shorted out. Hopefully the new box will last longer..., and everything is back to normal..., if I haven't jinxed myself by saying so 😅 And I have had all three of those bad breaks..., I assume.
Saturday..., April 4, 2026. I mentioned in last Friday's FNCI that the weather forecast was for warm and dry weather this week..., and I was dreading it. This was the picture from the South end of The Garden..., and damn it was looking dry enough to do a little work on.
Tuesday..., April 7, 2026..., so I got to work on it. I turned that section and it was drying out nicely. That light brown streak is the compost pile.
Friday..., April 10, 2026..., I put the rototiller to work..., but I think I got the worst of it..., and the shovel was never far out of hand. The compost section is still pretty soggy..., I have been spreading it out in layers every day and am hoping that it will dry some more and I will be able to hit it with the rototiller again before we get more rain.
4/4/26..., this is the view of the West side of The Garden where I planted the two rows of spuds last year.
4/7/26..., I got it turned with the shovel as well.
4/10/26..., since this section was planted last year it will get a rest this year and a good dose of compost..., that Charlie Horse is steadily supplying..., when he isn't supervising.
For your Friday Nite Music Video..., here's a new one I found for an old favorite of mine that I have shared many times...,
I took this picture above on 4/2/26 to compare it to the one below..., taken on 4/5/25 last year..., after I used the little Cat/Backhoe to doze back the berry bushes that were threatening to take over.
I wouldn't want to get the little Cat/Backhoe out on the grass yet this year..., it is still pretty soggy..., I can tell because Charley Horse insists on testing it regularly by galloping around the pastures..., and leaving the divots for me to replace 😖 But the weather forecast is for some drier weather for the next week or so..., damn it..., that signals WORK in the forecast as well. Checking out other old pictures I see that I had The Garden ready for planting in late April and had some green shoots popping up in early May. What muscles I have left are already signaling sympathy for the days ahead.
Speaking of sympathy..., I felt a little of it from a piece about Facebook and their claimed ability to not be able to identify minors using the site..., by one of the bloggers that I regularly read. Karl Denninger at The Market Ticker voluntarily deleted his account a few years back..., and recently tried to open an account again. Our situations were not exactly the same in regard to how we got banned..., but the results were identical.
For those who say that's "unreasonable" explain why Meta, when after a decade or so post-voluntary closure of my Facebook account by myself (not them due to some "violation") when I tried to set up another one they claimed I was "inauthentic" despite the email address I used for registration being one that has been under my exclusive control for two decades, and when challenged they upheld their "finding" as finalwith no means of dispute or manual review by an identified person who I could speak with. My purpose for signing back up was to view and interact with Marketplace, not for other general use, and I can reasonably surmise they know exactly who I am, they also know that I have written many pieces for publication that are very critical of the firm and rather than simply state "we refuse service to you because we dislike you and do not want you on our property" they lied. Well, if they can do that then they can certainly block, with a high (but not perfect) degree of reliability, use by those who are not of legal age.
Yeah..., I have received plenty of advice about "just open a new account" or start one with a different name or something. I am pretty sure that won't work for me any more than it did for Karl.
The Oscars were awarded recently and when some of the older movies that had won Best Picture rolled around the media "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" mention brought to mind a few things. First I am glad I read Ken Kesey's novel before I saw the movie..., and I remember the evening when I was rather breathlessly finishing the novel and I had the Eagles first album on the stereo..., and this song was spinning. I still cannot think of one without thinking of the other. It's not one of their hits..., or one that rolls around on classic rock radio..., or even on my Pandora station. But maybe after I tune it up on YouTube and post it here for your Friday Nite Music Video..., maybe it will...,
