Take Me Out to the Ballpark

There is no professional baseball for us this year.  To be fair - our attendance is minimal in the best of years - so I'll just add this to my growing list of things that never happened this year because of the virus.  It didn't have to be this bad.  Crap.

That said - we had a ballpark tailgate dinner the other day.  

Old-fashioned wiener - you know - the kind with a real casing that 'snaps' with each bite, homemade pickle, baked beans and chips.  Frosty beer on the side.

Good grub if you can get it.  

Play ball!

Sometimes the Little Guy Wins

Years ago Jill and I had the notion to begin planting trees on our side of the county highway to contribute to a quarter mile of roadside beautification.  But not before I spoke with a mucky-muck guy at the power company about any plans to move the utility poles from the south side of the highway (where they are) to the north side of the highway where we are.  I explained to this guy that the last thing in the world I wanted was to plant a bunch of trees only to have the utility poles moved and the power company shear my trees in the weird fashion they are wont to do.  The power company assured me there were no plans to move the poles.

So we planted all manner of trees that look absolutely beautiful today and spent a few thousand dollars to bring the electric utility to our side of the road by tunneling beneath the roadway so as to have everything buried underground.  No ugly utility poles and overhead lines in our yard.

Wouldn't you know it - after all the planting and thousands of dollars of tunneling we were notified that the power company was going to upgrade the power lines and move the utility to our side of the road.  

Whoa!

I got on the line and spoke with any number of power company engineers gradually moving up the food chain to eventually land with some executive types where I politely explained that a considerable amount of time, labor and money was spent as a consequence of assurances that the utility would remain on the south side of the county road.  I had notes, dates and emails to back-up the chronology of those discussions.  I explained that if they wanted to move the utility they would have to reimburse me for the time, labor, money, nursery stock, underground buried line, etc. I also pointed-out that leaving the utility on the south side would save considerable money in relocation costs and all sorts of money in tree trimming - namely because if they made a casual observation there are thousands more trees on the north side of the extended length of county road versus the south side of the highway.

In the end they saw the wisdom of this layperson's explanation and upgraded the power line and replaced the poles leaving everything where it is - on the south side of the road.

I felt like how Old Testament David must have felt after slaying Goliath. Whew.


And this is basically why.  With all due respect to my handful of friends that work for the power company I had to share this.....

 

Changing of the Seasons

 

 

 

 Say what you will about my OCD - it makes for a tidy stack of stove wood. 

 

Impossible to get an accurate measure of dry volume unless it is stacked and well-stowed.  That would be one and a half cords.

 

Two-thirds of the way by my reckoning..

 

Raising a toast to heating with renewables.....

ALICE

In the news there is this.

ALICE - an acronym for “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed,” is defined as those households earning more than the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) but less than Wisconsin's basic cost of living. The report describes the basic cost of living and being employed in the modern economy the ALICE Threshold.  The old-school term for this was the Working Poor.

In Door County, 22 percent of all households fall within this threshold, while another 9 percent fall below the FPL.  One third of our countrymen.  For many of these families the cost of living may routinely exceed what they earn. And when funds run short - these households are forced to make difficult choices - such as deciding between child care, rent, filling a prescription or fixing a car. These short-term decisions have long-term consequences not only for these families but for our communities. The brutal reality is that these workers perform jobs that are critical to the functioning of our local economy.  

That statistic and others were reported in the state’s third ALICE report, released recently by United Way of Wisconsin in partnership with United for ALICE and local United Ways across the state, including United Way of Door County.

Those households are dispersed across the county. For example, 36 percent of the households in Brussels, 38 percent in Sturgeon Bay and 46 percent in Sister Bay fall below the ALICE Threshold.

A discouraging thought is that the measures in this report are from data collected in 2018 - pre-Covid and obviously before our previous robust economy fell into a deep recession.  If I had to hazard a guess the stats today would be frighteningly alarming.  Look no further than the avalanche of data that has revealed the extreme vulnerability of ginormous numbers of households that lived paycheck to paycheck and had no cushion to manage for the economic shock of of a shutdown.  Millions upon millions remain unemployed.  Our economy remains a train wreck and has yet to be back on track.  Work is more than a paycheck it is personal satisfaction and self-worth too. 

So, do the right thing and step-up to support your local businesses and lend a hand to those who could use a leg-up. And support your local United Way by volunteering, advocating and contributing.

Sunset

Big sky sunset here on the peninsula.....

Edit To Add  

Whoops!

And then this happened at 7:30 .....

Undone

Note to self.

If you leave the bathroom window open and the prevailing winds are out of the northeast there is a high probability that a steady breeze is going to unspool an entire roll of toilet paper.

 

Mr. Fix It

I seem to be dogged by plow damage.  It doesn't simply extend to my wintertime jousting with the county plow and my mail box but recently it extended to the picnic table.

In 1998 I purchased a tubular-steel-framed picnic table assembly from Menards.  That and five six foot lengths of 2X9 treated lumber.  I pre-assembled the table top at home and shoved it along with the rest of the framing, benches and hardware into the back of my Toyota 4Runnner and Jill and I drove it to the farm.  Upon arrival we assembled it and left it at our ancestral campsite along Silver Creek.

This was home - a stone fire ring and a picnic table.  Add a solar shower, tent, tarp, cooler, camp stove, gas lantern along with an outdoor privy and this was how we lived at the farm for a number of years.  It was certainly rustic but it did the job.

In any event, I never did entertain any expectations that the picnic table would last much longer than a handful of years.  Sure, the treated lumber was durable but the inexpensive Menards frame kit would likely rust away in reasonably short order.  

Not so.  That picnic table is still with us and lives outdoors year-round.  And it gets plenty of use for just about everything imaginable but eating.  It's a handy workspace for out door use.

Nevertheless, a couple of winters ago we mistakenly left it north of the driveway within range of the guy who plows our snow.  And before we could move it to safe harbor the first heavy snow of the season arrived and so did the snow plow guy.  Getting-up a head of steam and about a ton of wet snow he never actually struck the picnic table with his blade  but the mountain of wet snow did and it bent the frame leaving one bench and part of the table top cattywumpus and uneven.

While the table remained serviceable it didn't look good.  It was annoyingly cattywumpus. For awhile I thought about getting a new frame kit from a big box building supply store but never actually acted on the notion.  After a couple of years the appearance got under my skin just enough that I decided to do something about it.

Gathering various odd-sized blocks of wood along with a one-and-a-half-ton bottle jack from the machine shed in the short time of a couple of hot sweaty hours I had everything realigned.  It's not perfect - but a 22 year-old picnic table that lives outdoors is never perfect. 

 
I did notice that the tubular steel frame and brackets are a bit corroded and my forcing everything back into alignment (without disassembly) likely shortened the remaining useful life of the frame.  Nevertheless, the treated wood is solid and if the frame fails I'll fetch another one from Menards and assemble another table using wood salvaged from the old table. 

That aught to get me somewhere close to ninety years of age - and close to fifty years for the table. 
 

A Disturbance in the Force

As a self-described Chamber of Commerce Republican this is interesting to me. 

The US Chamber of Commerce is planning to endorse a couple dozen House Democrats for reelection. 

This really quite a quite a change-up for an organization that has traditionally allied itself with Republicans considering the Chamber has spent more than $100 million in support of GOP candidates over the past decade. 

This action has caused some serious consternation amongst both conservatives and the business community. 

Further evidence of Republicans joining the movement to dethrone Donald Trump? 

Who knows?  Nonetheless, this is the kind of disturbance in the force that gives you pause.

Friday Music

Willie Nile and Johnny Pisano sit down for a One On One Session at City Winery New York on April 7th, 2015. Watch the full session here.

The Rule of Law

This is a personal observation.

Federal, state and local authorities, both Republican and Democrat, have implicitly tolerated violence over the past several months for their own venal purposes as they jockey for political gain in the run-up to the November election. 

Let us not forget that it is the Rule of Law that is the foundation of a civil society. Violence erodes that foundation. 

Violence must be stopped. 

It must be stopped without reference to protest or self-defense, Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative or any other specious allocation of the Rule of Law. 

It does not matter whether this violence stems from protesters or armed citizens who appoint themselves as a substitute for law enforcement. We are not served by the voices that understand or condone those who take the law into their own hands with smashing and burning or violent vigilantism. These are crimes incited and committed by criminals. 

The state alone - accountable to the electorate in our democracy.- is solely responsible for maintaining the peace. 

What the heck people – isn’t this something we learned from childhood?

Solving An Age-Old Problem

If you are like me and were born with outdoor plumbing be grateful for being equipped to easily pee in your woods when nature calls.  No dropping the drawers for we of the male persuasion.  Hey, when you've acres upon acres of trees the world is your urinal.  That said - I also have a couple of comfy outdoor privies with contoured seating and panoramic views - but we'll save that discussion for another day.

If you're also like me - and have traveled here and abroad - there is nothing worse than being in an urban public space – a park, a botanical garden or a plaza - and being assaulted by the strong smell of cat box. I take that back – cat boxes don’t smell that bad. What I’m talking about is the sensory assault visited-upon us by public urination.  Guys (yes - guys) the Town Square in not your urinal.

I have witnessed the acrid, ammonia-like stink lingering in the city air all over North America and abroad. It is as old a challenge as civilization itself. You have to hand it to the Romans and their vast department of public works and civil engineering to introduce the concept of modern public sanitation. Yet this problem persists. And as a consequence of thinking out of the box there may be a sustainable solution.  

photo - GreenPee

This is the GreenPee – manufactured by the Dutch company Urban Sense - these colorful planters not only provide a location for pollinator habitat they also are a possible solution to urban public urination. These are being deployed in Amsterdam as well as additional Dutch cities and urban locations in Belgium. 

They reduce water use associated with traditional urinals, provide an alternative to the annoyance of public urination and can be equipped with a sensor that sends an alert when it is time to be emptied. The contents are fetched and subsequently converted to fertilizer and clean water. 

You can learn more here. 

In the mean time watch for a GreenPee coming to a big city near you.

Sunset

This was today......

 

Kitchen Tip of the Day

One of the advantages of a garden is the abundance of fresh produce that is at your beck and call.  If you cannot eat it fast enough - freeze it, pickle it or can it for a future date.  Freezer and bunker full?  Do like I do - make a weekly trip to the local food pantry with your surplus.  I returned this morning from church having dropped-off a plastic grocery bag (each) of fresh-picked green beans, cucumbers, sweet peppers and broccoli.  A flat of tomatoes picked this morning too.

That said, the gist of this post is to highlight the lengths to which you can stretch your culinary repertoire without being a food snob.

Today for lunch I took a couple slices of buttered (on the outside) whole grain bread, and topped it with sliced garden tomato and aged Renard's cheddar cheese.  I toasted the whole shebang in a skillet.

It is imperative that you cut it in triangles.  Serve with a frosty lemonade.  Pickles and chips are optional.  

Come February high crimes and misdemeanors may be committed over the lack of a fresh tomato this lovely.

Takes a Beating - Keeps On Cooking

Founded by William Coleman this company is known for producing a wide variety of camping and recreational use products. The first dating back to 1900 – the gasoline pressure lamp. 

The first pressurized gasoline camp stove was introduced in 1954 – the Model 413E. This variation was sold from 1954 thru 1961.  As a child I recall camping with mom and dad out of our venerable American Motors Rambler station wagon. Lacking a tent mom and dad bunked in the back of the wagon and I slept on the front seat. Dad hand-built screens to insert in the open windows for ventilation. Mom cooked on a borrowed and battered Coleman gasoline camp stove and I’d bet it was the first model 413E. 

I have pictures in my possession somewhere but I digress. 

In any event I brought these up out the basement last weekend thinking they might get some use this fall/winter. 

These are called Coleman Suitcase Camp Stoves. The smaller on top is a Model 425E manufactured January 1967. I purchased it used. The larger on on the bottom is a Model 413G manufactured April 1980. I purchased it new at Fleet Farm. 

They’re both two-burner models with the smaller stove capable of 14,000 BTU output on the main burner. If the secondary burner is engaged the output is 7500 BTU on the right and 6500 BTU on the left. The larger 413G replaced the 425E and not only boasts an output of 17,000 BTU (9,000 right and 8,000 left) but has a stronger grate capable of supporting heaver cast iron cookware. 

Both of these stoves have surface rust, dings and dents and plenty of scorching.  A camp patina I suppose. And they’ve cooked countless meals outdoors under a year-round range of conditions in both Canada and the United States. If only they could talk. 

I added some fresh gas and after tightening a loose fitting or two they both operate like champs. 

Manufactured in Wichita Kansas, USA - after 93 combined years of service – I figure the amortized cost per use is pretty small.

The lesson is:  hang-on to the good stuff - you never know when it might get put to use for a camping experience - or an emergency.  

Big Wooden Boat Retires

The third USS Ardent (MCM-12) is an Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship in the United States Navy. The Ardent’s homeport is San Diego, California and is part of the US 3rd Fleet.

She was built by Peterson Shipbuilders, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Her keel laid down on October 22, 1990, launched on November 16, 1991 and subsequently commissioned February 18, 1994. To reduce her magnetic signature Ardent was constructed with a unique glass-reinforced, plastic-sheathed wooden hull.  The Avenger-class MCM ships built by Peterson revived wooden-hulled ship construction for the modern US Navy.  Her maiden voyage from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin commenced on October 30, 1993 with a transit through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.

Following arrival at her homeport of Ingleside, Texas on December 15, 1993 - Ardent was forward deployed to the Persian Gulf in March 1996. She was transported to the Gulf via commercial heavy-lift vessel Sea Swift in order to prolong the engine life of the ship and reduce her transit time from 60 days (under her own power) to 30 days. The crew was flown from Ingleside to join the ship in late March. 

US Navy

Working from Manama, Bahrain she participated in anti-mine, anti-submarine and maritime security operations independently and in cooperation with multi-national partners. This eventually became her permanent homeport. 

November 3, 2013 Ardent departed Khalifa Bin Salman Port, Bahrain, after being loaded aboard commercial heavy-lift vessel M/V Eide Transporter to be returned to her new homeport of San Diego, California.  

While stationed in the gulf - Ardent’s mission was to clear the ocean bottom and water volume of anti-ship mines. A combination of stealth, endurance, and the latest mine countermeasures technology allowed Ardent to conduct sustained, full-spectrum, mine countermeasures operations in one of the world’s critical maritime regions. 

US Navy

Specific advantages and capabilities included the ship’s low magnetic signature diesel engines, a degaussing system and wooden hull, which reduce the ship’s vulnerability to magnetic-influence mines.  

A precise navigation system and high frequency sonar allowed Ardent to locate, plot, classify and report suspected mines with great accuracy.   

Three minesweeping systems (mechanical, acoustic, magnetic) were used to destroy mines.  Two rigid hulled inflatable boats are used to carry divers and mark suspected mines; and a remotely controlled mine neutralization system used to identify suspected mines and destroy them with explosive charges. 

A product of intense research and unique construction, Ardent played a vital role in the Middle East to maintain uninterrupted access to one of the world’s strategic waterways. 

Ardent is 224 feet in length, has a beam of 39 feet and displaces approximately 1,320 tons fully loaded. The ship is crewed by six officers and 76 enlisted personnel. 

Ardent held a decommissioning ceremony at Naval Base San Diego on August 17 and will be officially decommissioned on 27th of this month.  

US Navy

You can review the chronology of Ardent's active duty here.  

Thank you to the ship and crews of the Ardent for your service.  

- Factual content - Navy.mil

Mama and the Twins

We swapped-out SD cards on the trail cameras recently.

There is a solo Moultrie cam set to take 15 second soundless video vignettes in the middle of the property.

It is aimed east on a quarter-mile trail that I recently brushed-out.

There was this..... 

In Further News

2020 got you down?

Wearing you out?

In further news - last week beach goers at Durdle Door Beach in Dorset England formed a human chain to rescue a struggling swimmer from the dangerous surf.

BBC has the full story here.

Feel better now?

Found in a Forest

 It's a toiletree

Ben Franklin's Legacy

Two of rural America’s most enduring and most treasured institutions – the United States Post Office and the Volunteer Fire Department - were the brainchild of this guy.  

Don’t take my word for it – this is a historical fact. 

Neither the postal service or the fire department are businesses - they are services.  As a consequence neither of them lose money – they cost money. They both are essential government services to those of us who make our homes in rural America.  Rural folk never enjoy the level of government services that city folk do.  So cut us some slack.  As a matter of fact - of all government agencies - the postal service boasts the highest favorability ratings among both republicans and democrats.  And we love the volunteers who staff our fire department.

So I have to wonder about the political strategy at play here in Trump Country.   Will deconstructing rural mail delivery improve it?  Make it faster?  More efficient?  Less costly?  Is it a smart political strategy?  Will it win hearts and minds?  I dunno.

Probably no more than defunding and privatizing the volunteer fire department.

When you live a half-hour round trip from essential services the post box at the end of my driveway is an important daily destination.  Even the most ardent of Trump supporters are likely to take notice when a service they like and rely-upon fails them. 

And seriously, how do you gaslight dead chickens?

Sunset

Most excellent day today.

Slept-in a bit.  Got a walk in with the ladies in my life.  Productive non-profit day.  And it closed with this.

Have a terrific weekend everyone.....

Walking the Dogs

The Dowager Retriever is 103 years-old yet kicks-up her heels at the start of a daily walk - if only for a few moments before she is winded.  Gonna miss this stinky dog when she's gone.

From our walk today we noted this...

Stiff Goldenrod is beginning to come online

An ocean of big blue stem (this stuff is 6-7 feet tall and you can get lost in it)

Joe-Pye Weed in the rain garden out back

Blue Vervain in the rain garden too 

 

Friday Music

This artist learned to play the guitar at age eleven and eventually moved to Nashville at age 18. Unable to read or write scores his first real job earned him $25 a week as a song writer. 

This song was released in 1993 - became his highest charting song in the US and pretty much made him a household name. The rest is history.  

John Hiatt and Perfectly Good Guitar…….

Proof

A day does not pass without President Trump claiming – without any evidence – that November’s election is ‘rigged’ because of rampant mail-in ballot fraud. 

It also appears to have become the latest and greatest form of Faux Face Book Outrage.   

A few months ago I challenged my FB friends to furnish evidence of how a fraud could be perpetrated in Wisconsin’s vote by mail process.  Not surprisingly nary a solitary individual stepped-up to explain how it could be accomplished. Yet, the claims of fraud persist.  These same individuals insist it is widespread.

So let’s review how it works here in Wisconsin. 

If I wish to vote by mail I have to be registered to vote. 

I have to initiate the request in writing.

I have to provide acceptable photo identification. 

The ballot is mailed to me. 

After completing my ballot I seal it in a post-paid return envelope, sign the envelope (under penalty of perjury) and have my signature witnessed by another adult. 

Upon receipt by my Town Clerk the ballot is tracked and the signature on it must match the one on file with my voter registration. 

My address must match that on file with the registration. 

Edit to add:  Addresses for voter registration are updated via Wisconsin DMV for both drivers licenses and state-issued photo IDs.  If you move - and wish to vote - voter registration is updated for the new address and old registration/address purged from the voter rolls. 

One ballot per voter. 

That appears to me to be a rather solid system with all kinds of security measures.  So please tell me where the forgery, fraud, foreign ballot-stuffing, tampering, dead people, counterfeiting and ‘rigging’ of the election occurs?

Anyone? 

Please?

Sunset

Not half bad.....

 

Woodpecker

Meet Colaptes auratus - the Norther Flicker.

A common woodpecker around here this is an easy bird ID as the filed markings include a red patch on the back of the neck, black mustache, speckled breast topped with a black breast plate'.  Naturally, the girls do not sport a mustache.  

Wood pecker sightings have been on the up-tick lately with this summer being a banner season.  Likely a consequence of all of the dead and dying ash around here.  This is a cavity-nesting species and is the only member of the woodpecker family that prefers to feed on the ground.   

Which accounts for the photos taken by the trail camera of these birds picking-around on the ground hunting for insects.  They'll be departing any time now for wintering in the southern United States.

Of course these take-off shots are much more dramatic.

The Pumpkin Vine That Ate Toledo

I've grown pumpkins for carving, roasting on the grill or making pie filling. You can get a can of pie filling just about anywhere.  But where can you get a good roasted pumpkin seed?   If you're a fan of roasted pumpkin seeds you absolutely need to consider growing these as an option.  Not only are these pumpkins terrific for fall décor they are prolific seed producers.  Furthermore, their seeds lack the tough outer hulls of other more pedestrian pumpkins making them perfect for roasting.  On top of that the seed company claims they're a bush-variety and don't take-up large amounts of space in the garden.  

As for that last sentence I don't believe it.  Not true.

A month ago to photographed my two Kakai pumpkin vines.  Nothing spectacular, eh?  Not taking-up much space at all.  They're minding their own business.

This is from a few days ago.  They've morphed into a mutant thing that has taken-over an entire corner of the garden encroaching-upon the potatoes and the cucumbers.  

It's the pumpkin vines that ate Toledo!

Kermis

Kermesse, or kermis, or kirmess, is a Dutch language term derived from 'kerk' (church) and 'mis' (mass) that became borrowed in English and French, originally denoting the mass said on the anniversary of the foundation of a church (or the parish) and in honor of the patron. Such celebrations were regularly held in the Low Countries, in Central Europe and also in northern France, and were accompanied by feasting, dancing and sports of all kinds. 

The Dutch-American Village of Little Chute, Wisconsin, has celebrated Kermis annually since 1981. The Wallonian settlements in Door County, Wisconsin, also celebrate a Kermis with traditional Belgian dishes and events.  Kermis is often associated with the harvest and the life-giving bounty of food.    

I'm not of Dutch or Belgian descent - but we're celebrating our own Kermis here with a steady harvest from the garden.

The onions are in and curing on their tarp in the machine shed.

And another batch of COVID dill pickles over the weekend. 

Door By Air

Yesterday morning we met-up with my cousin at Cherryland Airport  who flew over from Shawano.  We had a nice tour of the peninsula by air followed by Sunday brunch at Hot Tamales in Sturgeon Bay.

Our ride - Cirrus SR20 - piston-engine, four- or five-seat composite monoplane built by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota

Approaching Death's Door

Washington Island Ferry

Cana Island - 1869 lighthouse remains in continuous use 

Ship Canal, Coast Guard Station (bottom), Range Lights, Sturgeon Bay (top)

Following the four lane to the farm 

House (left edge middle), the 'burned' acreage immediately adjacent, forested component extends thru the middle and ends at the corn field (middle-right).

Should have built a larger shed
 

Big pond (lower right) is surrounded by what we burned the first week of May.  North boundary is at the upper third of the photo

 Fincantieri S.p.A. is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe,

Tracing its history back to 1918, and located in Sturgeon Bay, WI, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) is an industry leader in the construction and repair of large ships.

 

Spargel

Late spring I undertook to reestablish my asparagus bed.  I  excavated the old one established fifteen years ago with a pick and shovel removing approximately six wheel barrows of soil and a tangle of dead and dying asparagus roots.  I also enlarged it a wee bit.  The roots made this a challenge - hence the pick-axe.        

This was followed by laying a base of six forty-pound bags of composted cow manure.       The root crowns were carefully spaced atop the manure and six bags of rich topsoil blanketed over all.  A cup of Jung Asparagus Food was dissolved in a sprinkling can with two gallons of water and poured over all.       

As the new shoots began to reveal themselves three additional bags of topsoil were added along with a layer of shredded wood chips as a mulch.     

As you can see the bed is thriving.      

No harvest in 2021 and likely less than half of the largest shoots may be taken in the spring of 2022.      

Fingers-crossed.

Creep

Meet Campanula rapunculoides – commonly known as creeping bellflower, rampion bellflower and rampion harebell.  

This is a perennial non-native alien from Europe and Siberia that is popularized by garden centers. Which is understandable as it is quite showy and easy on the eyes. There was a sizeable patch of it growing in the shady understory beneath our best apple tree.  

According to the interweb this plant is edible too. The tuberous roots are purportedly similar to parsnip and the leaves (when young) are eaten in salads. That’s it for the good news.  

This plant is bad news for valuable native plants if it escapes your garden or the confines of your yard. It will invade prairie plantings, woodlands, stream banks, oak savanna and everything else to spread, out-compete and crowd-out beneficial wildlife plants. 

So I nuked it with a double-strong batch of glyphosate solution. 

Death to the creep.