Recent Comments

1. about 3 hours ago on Phoebe and Her Unicorn

   Back in the 1970s, I kept my horse at a ranch in Oregon where I helped out on weekends (training horses, teaching riding, etc.) Several time I went along with the teenage crew to pick up hay—once from the field where it had been baled (I was very proud that 30 y/o lady that I was, I could toss a 50 lb bale 3 high onto the truck), and again from a barn where I was very proud of stacking it in an interlocking, 7 high pile, and tying it off securely with a recently-learned truckers’ hitch. Oh, to be 30 again when I was young and strong … and able to ride ahorse and sling hay bales!

2. 3 days ago on Phoebe and Her Unicorn

   Artisanal hay: Curated timothy and alfalfa blended hay, grown in boutique hayfields which are monitored 24/7 by teams of weeding and feeding specialists who pull every weed by hand, and feed specially formulated fertilizers at scientifically precise intervals. It is harvested at its peak level of flavor and nutrition and delivered immediately in specially air-conditioned trucks to maintain it at that peak. It is meant to be eaten within 12-24 hours of harvesting.

3. 3 days ago on Zack Hill

   I used to HATE paying bills—filling out checks, finding stamps for the envelopes, getting everything to the post office, and (back in my “poverty days”) deciding who got paid in full this month and who could be put off with a partial payment. Then, about 20 years ago, with a comfortable and steady income, I set up bill pay with my bank and haven’t looked back. Now all I have to do is examine each bill as it arrives to make sure it says “No payment required” (because I try to maintain a 2 month cushion) and post the info to a spreadsheet whenever I get around to it. I occasionally need to increase the regular payment, or make an additional one, but that’s quickly done. When I started, 20 years ago, I said I’d quit if the bank ever messed up, but that hasn’t happened (yet).

4. 3 days ago on Dick Tracy

   Better yet, in addition to keeping silent, don’t confront your victim face to face—come in fast and silent, preferably from behind. As a writer myself (unpublished) I know it’s tempting to have that dramatic confrontation. But, unless the plot requires that the victim survive the murder attempt (as may be the case here), save the big speeches for some other time.

5. 4 days ago on Dogs of C-Kennel

   We used to have a cat who (like most cats) liked to catch and (noisily) eat large crunchy insects, which was ok, except when he did it right outside the open patio door … while we were eating dinner.

6. 4 days ago on Zack Hill

   Back in the sixties a friend was picking me and two other girls up for an excursion in her VW beetle. She took the corner too shallowly and bounced off of the curb and flattened her tire. So we four girls (yeah, 4 girls in a VW beetle—tight, but it was a short trip), jacked up the car and replaced the tire. All OK so far, but then we couldn’t get the jack to lower … so we four girls lifted that little car off of the jack and back down to the pavement, packed up our tools, and drove off in our clown-car wannabe!

7. 4 days ago on For Better or For Worse

   They already have bought plane tickets from Winnipeg to Vancouver! But why not go all the way by train? Canada’s got some of the most spectacular railway scenery in the world. It’s expensive, but gas, motels, restaurants, and plane tickets are expensive too, and the experience of train travel might just pull Elizabeth out of her sulks.

8. 5 days ago on Phoebe and Her Unicorn

   On a hot day, the sparkles are made of ice crystals. As the breeze blows through them, it cools the air around the sparkler.

9. 5 days ago on Dogs of C-Kennel

   How does he do that with fat fingers and no opposable thumb?

10. 5 days ago on Family Tree

    Plant a bunch of pollinator attractors and call it a Butterfly Garden. Brag that it’s an ecological asset!