TubaOrNotTuba

The whole idea of music on demand is wonderful. Particularly for someone who grew up when I did. Yes there was new music even then but the access was so limited. Essentially for someone living in a small town the local radio station played music for the youth over a two hour period each evening complete with commercials. Other than that you were on your own. And the music that was played was very limited. When you hear the expression Top 40 that actually meant something. There was another little note. That two hours of new music happened between 7:00 and 9:00 in the evening. Concurrent with primetime television. You had a choice. You could listen for new songs or watch new programs on TV. A limited number of programs and there was also a lot of commercial time. We all knew the ads. If you decided to watch TV then you did not stay up to date on the latest music. When the subject would come up at the lunchtime table you were out in left field. Talking about the most recent western program or the most recent detective program just did not have the same appeal. And if you wanted to own new music you had to spend almost all of your available money. Those little 45 RPM records were worth a couple of hours of salary. A brand new LP was more akin to a week’s wages for those of us that worked after school. It definitely limited access. For those of you who can now turn on your satellite receiver and have the channel of your choice I doubt that you realize just how fortunate you are to live in this period of history. We would have killed literally for something like YouTube.

It is time to roll my chair back from the desk and look at where I have been. Specifically going back 40 years ago. I owned a computer. All 27 lbs of it and I was as proud as one could be of overweight software and hardware. Believe me, a five and 1/4 inch disk might seem large but it held very little data. I carried around plastic boxes filled with diskettes that cost me more than I like to remember. There was no real way to get a deal on things that no one else used. If I found a box of diskettes on sale at the local RadioShack I put my money on the counter. I realized that without diskettes I just had a heavy paperweight. For those that wonder, the machine was a KayPro 2. I still have it downstairs although I have not turned it on for a long time. I have a fear of something breaking forever. If I were to restart that computer I will be back in the days when you loaded one program at a time and used it until the job was done. My word processor was WordStar and I loved it because I finally had something that was more efficient then a leaky ballpoint pen. I came across a video this afternoon where someone else was testing out old hardware. The sounds were so familiar. Even the click of the keyboard brought me back to those first days where my desk was a steamer trunk and I would be on the floor beside that to do my work. Ergonomics were a word from the future. I have gone through many machines since but we always remember the first, do we not. That machine brought me from knowing nothing to being the local expert and it got me a job at a time when my good looks would not have done so.

We have daylight. Just ignore the rain. We have a rescue mission. Somewhere outside are the remains of a feeder. For the hummingbirds. Destroyed during a late night attack by those raccoons that have adopted us as their prey. So far destruction count continues to rise. Bird feed dispensers seed canisters other stuff that I haven’t seen yet I imagine they’re on a mission to destroy. Over 10 years we have seen the gentle side of nature but now we’re on their radar. Attack bandits. And all I can do is pick up the pieces. Over and over again. I have no urge to fight back. According to my childhood books these are gentle creatures as a lumber from place to place checking out their world. I am just incidental. Another creature tasked with providing food and entertainment. It makes me want to put up ropes so they can move from place to place without bothering with the lawn. If they ever figure out that there is food under the circus surface we are doomed. I can only wonder how they found us. I had thought that the trees would provide cover for our base. They must have other networks in place. I want to know who are the accomplices of the coons. Are there birds that bring messages? Is there a radio network that I have not yet found? Or is it just bad luck on our part. If I hide away all the things I have added to the front yard maybe these bandits will move on. Looking for another target. I would not mind.

Along the way I have heard the expression cheap as dirt. Please do not believe it. Put that expression into the discard pile and carry on. We were over to the local gardening centre earlier and believe me they sell the product as if it were gold. Not going to compare prices here but a dozen big bags of potting soil is an investment. Dirt! Nothing could be further from the truth. Now I know you could get out there with a shovel and scrapes and from the side of the highway but that stuff tends to require a lot of additional care. Adding peat moss or fertilizer or other elements that will make that cheap dirt into something valuable. We have simply taken a shortcut. Load up the car twice and bring home your own version of gold. We have also learned along the way that you will have to replace this soil at some point. Using it in a garden will end up with a concentration of root material that you could compost but who lives that long. If I had my choice we will go straight to hydroponics. You know the drill. A little water a little sunlight some expensive chemistry and you can grow almost anything within reason. We have tried and the lettuce is excellent. Hardly the quantity you would want if you were trying to sell to the general public but the thought is what counts. And so we are preparing for another goal at gardening. I can get back to fighting the various pests that make having your own food supply into a true challenge. The reason for all those supermarkets is that most people lose patience as the hunger pangs increase. Just letting you know before hand.

Anyone who makes it through school without losing their sense of needing to learn more comes to some conclusions. First of all a mathematics textbook is useless. In direct opposition the best book in your collection is probably a good dictionary. A book with lots of words that gives you some really necessary information. Like the correct pronunciation and the meaning and finally the etymology of the word like where did it come from. I have come across a series of videos on YouTube of course. Some people who take great pleasure in underlining vocabulary. If you went to a school with a standard sense of education you probably did a little of this but for most people once you escape your desk you then rely upon what you might have recalled from those earlier times. Very few people keep a big dictionary in their home. I did for a number of years. A book that required two hands just to lift it. And what I remember is that it was an infrequent source of information. Too much time to get what would then be a single nugget. Much like panning for gold I assume. Knowing the correct pronunciation and meaning an origin of any given word makes it easier to use that word in context. I still try alloy have not opened a dictionary in a long time. What about you? Where do you get the paint for your speaking? And listening? If you cannot understand what is being said to you then there is no communication taking place. I will continue to watch my chosen podcast which brings me into middle corners of my education that have been worn down through time. And I will attempt whenever possible to use a word in the right way.

Our new monuments to technology are almost here. In fact trucks have been reported not far away. What am I talking about? Well for what seems like an eternity but is only two years we have been living in a construction site. There are seven new windmills coming in. Large ones. Requiring a lot of changes to the ground around here. Truckload after truckload of fill. And when all the laying in of dirt is finished and the foundations have been properly poured and cured. And who knows what else. We will receive some new towers. Brought in by ship to Georgetown and then trucked over land to this area. Oversize and slow going. I am listening intently but there is also some plowing going on in the field next to here. A lot of noise with little to see. I just want to make a mark on my calendar that the first of the windmills might arrive today. I have no idea how long it takes to erect something of that size. Is there a need? Probably but not for us. These towers will be used to furnish electricity to the grid. No real gain for the people locally other than the bragging rights. Also it assures that there will be no new homes near me. A win for the side of my mind that says I am a hermit. They will probably have to keep the roads clear in the winter time just in case. In spite of reading the engineering studies I am still unsure what to expect. There is not supposed to be much more noise but after two years of big trucks I have lowered my expectations. I guess that somebody wants this.

About 12 hours have passed. There has been no other details provided. I’m going to assume that our first conclusions were correct. Sometime last evening in the dark of night we heard two gunshots. I am not an expert but I’m going to guess that this was a shotgun. And the conclusion that comes to mind is that a neighbor was upset about nighttime visitors. Specifically skunks or coyotes. We did smell an order that is far from perfume. Again jumping to conclusions without any other evidence. In the decade that we have been here we have not heard much gunfire. There is some local hunting but I hope that takes place in the morning or evening not in the middle of the night. I think there are rules about that sort of thing like being able to see your target. Anyhow we will listen. The local telegraph will let us know if anything really out of the ordinary took place. And if it continues we will escalate. I am sure that the local police are interested by night time gunfire. Even if it is only to chase varmints. I have probably watched too much television. I believe that there is crime all around me. Mainly against biting insects. Can you shoot a tick? Asking for a friend. And if anything else of interest happens you, dear reader, we’ll learn the details at the same time that we do. Not my fault that people failed to let me know of their intentions to repel invaders. Again, back to my first conclusion. This probably involved a skunk who got too close to a chicken coop. Protect those eggs everyone.

What was that? A funk sound. Nothing important. Another bird hitting the window because it had not evolved to the point where recognized that something was in its way. We used to have the same effect with larger insects until we subscribe to a service that comes and puts a chemical barrier in the way. Gets rid of most of the flying and crawling beasties. Other than the June bug which is a kind of beetle that seemed to get here earlier each year. They also run into things. In a decade we have had only one worrisome incident with insects. That would be the wasps that decided to nest inside the BBQ. One season. They have not returned since allow I maintain that watchful eye. A lot of life out there. It goes with living away from pollution in the city. Instead I have trees and grass and a steady blowing breeze. What I always wanted. I have never lived far away from nature. Even during my decades in the city there were lots of trees. I tried to imagine occasionally what it must be like to live in the real city were all those features have been wiped out. For now I agree to pay for someone to come and put out a minimum of protection against the worst of it. And then I sit back and let the seasons pass me by. Did you know? The winters are getting easier. And the summers are getting warmer. You can talk about global warming but I only see the temperate side. A good choice in terms of geography. And as I look out my window I realize that I have won the lottery. Things could be so much worse. If you will, this is a reward for showing up to work on time year after year. I wish as well for my children. And friends.

Last afternoon we had a visitor in the front yard. Hours before sunset. One of those masked seeds bandits that shows up here looking for a free supper. Usually they arrive long after dark and the only way we know there on the property is when we hear the bird feeders being attacked. Yes given the chance it will destroy or carry a bird feeder home with him. We have had to go looking for covers later. Why this stands out is that we have been here for almost exactly 10 years. You can go back and check the date that we arrived in the evening with the sound of coyotes in the background. Just to note that there were coyotes the night before last. We live in the country far from the noise of traffic. Animals including birds are one of the values we traded in when we decided to move out here we have an abundance. Turns out that our decision to not cut down the trees between the house and the highway was a great one. I will not be out there with an axe anytime soon. But back to our raccoon. The feeders were rescued and brought back inside for the rest of the night and peace returned. It is not that they are terribly noisy but they can be destructive and they’re canley able to figure out things like how a bird feeder is attached to the pole. Something about those paws. In fact of all the animals that drop in for a visit they are the only criminals. The mask is not a joke. And yes we have photos although I am not going to post them here. I keep waiting for the day when all can be revealed. Just take it from me that living in the country comes with different issues then being on a small property in the centre of a city. Fewer neighbors of the two legged variety and a lot more Taylor unable to converse.

With any good story it can take many years to get all the details. In fact some details will never become known despite the best efforts of those telling story. Today I watched a new documentary. Dealing with a famous musical festival held almost a lifetime ago. The subject of record albums and movies and books. And for me the best detail from today’s video was just how much the whole thing was an act of faith. If you are going to hold an expensive weekend with a lot of friends you will need some money. Go ahead. Sell tickets if you will. If you do not sell enough tickets you will need to have the bank at your back. A good checkbook can do wonders. In the aftermath of the festival all the details were being put in order with the bank a document fell on the table. A note to be signed by the festival promoters promising to pay their bills. And here was the fascinating detail. When that document slipped out of a Manila folder all of those around the table could see the clearly it had never been signed. In the world of finance no signature no deal. We’re talking about debts that were over $1,000,000. Big money back in the day. Their promoters were present and they realized the flaw. And they still paid their bills. Try to imagine that happening in the current context. You do not need to look far. I enjoyed the documentary because it showed that all big things require a little faith on the part of those involved. Including a music festival on a hillside in the mud. I will probably watch this again because I’m sure that there are other details that I missed on the first viewing. Also I had no money in the show. It happened in a world that was far from where I lived a very long time ago. Only the songs remain along with some electrical cables still buried in a field.