JULY 2020
Wednesday 2020.7.29
Not Driving Enough
I went outside to start my car on Monday, not needing to go anywhere, but just to confirm my suspicions it would not start. Yep. Out came the battery charger. The last time I started that car was June 30. It seems like a battery should stay charged a lot longer, but mine is an old car. Even though it has less than 70,000 miles on it, it's a 1993. It's old. There is probably a little short somewhere, or a switch that is closed, something that slowly drains the battery. I really need to get into the habit of going for a short drive once a week to keep the battery charged. The problem, of course, is the risk that I might really need my car someday and it won't start.
Not That It Matters
Yesterday was my birthday. I'm 69 years old. I don't make a big deal of my birthday. It's just another day in the calendar. The one "observance," if I can call it that, is that my twin brother and I traditionally send email to wish each other a happy birthday. I hear from him and his wife during other times of the year, of course, especially if something momentous happens, but our birthday is always a day to write.
We're more like twins (fraternal) than I realized. In his latest email he said Florida's governor DeDantis (my twin and his wife live in Florida) is almost as big a moron as Trump. He also read Mary Trump's book and he watches MSNBC. I wasn't sure where he stood along the political divide; now I know.
And Also Not That It Matters
Yesterday morning I used up the last of my liquid half and half. In an earlier blog entry (7/22) I mentioned getting powdered milk and cream to mix my own dry half and half. It works reasonably well. If I use only a little, like a slightly rounded teaspoon, the flavor is close enough to the liquid dairy product to enjoy in my coffee. It doesn't taste exactly the same, and there is a slight after taste, but it's good enough, especially during this time of wanting to stay out of grocery stores until it is safe to venture forth again.
Light Up the Barbie
I need to cook on my grill more often. I have a pile of firewood and usable food in the freezer. My cast iron skillet fits perfectly in the center whole of the grill grate (or I can insert the grill center piece). I won't do a video. That's too much work. But why not enjoy some outdoor cooking and eating during these summer months?
So yesterday I lit some oak I previously cut into chips the right size for cooking. I skewered some shrimp and scallops. I also took some frozen broccoli out to thaw a little. Into the skillet went the vegetables, pushed to one side, and then a skewer of shellfish to the other side. The lid rested on the tips of the skewer, leaving a gap to let steam out but also let in a little smoke to flavor the seafood.
The meal was delicious. However, here is another reason to use up my firewood and not stock any more — smoke. By the time the wood burns down enough to stop smoking, the flame isn't hot enough to do any significant cooking. And, a lesson learned: Start the shellfish early. The broccoli was well cooked before the seafood was cooked all the way through.
I'm also working on an idea…
What About a Solar Cooker?
I want to use up my firewood. I won't get more. The guy across the street who has piles of split oak on the lot where he stores his tree-trimming equipment doesn't like me anymore. (No big loss — charcoal briquettes are inexpensive at Costco and easier to cook with.) I'd like to retire my firewood rack and maybe sell the electric chainsaw. I'd keep the grill to use with briquettes. Maybe I can use it as a fire pit to burn up the excess oak.
I watched videos of solar cookers on YouTube. Some look very promising to use during summer here, especially because the sun usually shines all day every day. Even when it's overcast during the morning, that usually burns off before noon. Solar cookers are expensive, but they might be worth it in the long run. If I do some videos for my Mobile Home Gourmet channel, those videos might eventually pay for the cooker. It's an idea.
Even during the winter months when the sun is lower in the sky the solar cooker will work well enough to slow cook some meals, like a pot of Texas Beef Chili or some beans for some Pasta Fagioli, as long as the sun is shining. Some cooks mentioned slow-cooked ribs. Yum. One cook said she sets up her solar cooker when there is snow on the ground. It still gets hot enough inside to cook. Start in the morning and let it cook all day.
Happy Birthday to Me!
And so, after watching several videos about solar cookers on YouTube I settled on a model I couldn't live without. It's more of an oven, but the videos had me convinced this is the new way to cook. (New for me — solar cookers have been around for decades.) It won't replace my microwave oven and corn popper for making popcorn, but it should work for many foods. I even saw videos in which cooks baked bread in it. According to several people, the oven is good for everything except frying. Focaccia?
Addendum
I do feel a need to add one more point about solar cooking. I'm not a survivalist. If Yellowstone National Monument blew up as a super volcano tomorrow, I'd be satisfied I lived to be 69 years old. Most of the solar cooking videos were made by people who are "off grid" survivalists. That's fine. I love being independent and self-sufficient too. But I don't advocate that lifestyle — other than to say during this time of a COVID-19, social distancing, and face masks, it does seem important to do what we can to survive this pandemic.
Sunday 2020.7.26
Say Cheese
How much can a person stay out of grocery stores and still eat foods s/he likes? I don't make pizza often, but I do like to keep pieces in the freezer. A friend and I meet online once each week during lunch to talk about news and politics. We used to work in the same office. Now I'm retired and he's working from home.
I like having a slice of pizza to munch on while we talk. Most of the ingredients are easy to get from places like Amazon. And a friend shops regularly at Costco; he'll pick up a 25-pound sack of flour for me if I ask enough times. What about Mozzarella cheese? That could be a challenge, as it is best kept refrigerated.
I chose to experiment this week. There is a retailer that offers large blocks of the cheese — 3 pounds each — through Amazon. It ships from Wisconsin, the cheese capital of the USA. They ship FedEx. Amazon provides a link to the retailer. A check of their web site settled my mind. Cheese is perishable; so they ship in insulated packages with frozen gel packs to keep the cheese cold. I feel confident my mozzarella cheese order will arrive in good condition.
My plan is to shred the cheese, seal it in poly packets of about 5 ounces each, and store it in the freezer. I froze shredded mozzarella in the past; it freezes well. When thawed, it works as well as fresh cheese on pizza. I'll let you know how it all works out.
Oh Joy, Oh Rapture
The mozzarella mentioned above arrived on Friday morning. What a surprise! According to the tracking number, it wasn't supposed to arrive until late this week. As expected, the cheese was shipped in an insulated box with a reusable freezer gel pack. As planned, I shredded it during the afternoon, a section at a time, heat-sealed it in 5-ounce(ish) poly packs, and stored it in the freezer. It should keep for months. One less reason to go to the grocery store.
There must have been slightly more than 3 pounds of cheese. Do some arithmetic with me. Three pounds is 48 ounces. Divide by 10. That's 4.8 ounces per portion. 4.8 ounces is 136 grams. Using my digital scale, which has always been very accurate, set to grams, I weighed each portion to within half a gram and ended up with 11 portions, the last of which is 3.7 ounces. I have enough mozzarella in the freezer to make pizza for quite a while. I'm happy.
The Down Side
I am still staying safe at home. I haven't stepped into a store since last month. But there is a down side. With all this staying at home, mostly sitting in front of my computers or my TV, my lifestyle has definitely taken a turn toward the sedentary. I used to ride my bike to the stores, often several times a week.
I decided to rectify that problem this week. I went out for a joy ride on my bike. I brought my face mask with me, in case I might need it, but it wasn't necessary. I rode west along the avenue, away from the stores, out to the Ritz-Carlton Bacarra Resort. A short loop through their parking lot (quite full) put me back onto the pathway back home.
It wasn't a long ride, but it was some exercise. I need to ride more often, riding for longer distances, to build up my stamina again, especially while the weather is pleasant. We haven't entered the warmest time of year. That will probably be in September; so it feels good to get outdoors and enjoy the cooler weather while it lasts.
Largesse
A neighbor pruned his plum tree way back a few years ago. This is the first year the tree started producing abundant fruit again. He told me to come over and pick as many as I want; he has more than he can use.
I thought this might be an opportunity to use my Breville juicer again, as I hadn't been to the store to buy fresh fruits and vegetables in a while, due to the pandemic. Now I have a jar of pre-prune juice. You know what that means. When do I drink this stuff, and how much? Timing could be important.
Weather
It's a little early to be talking about winter weather, but this week NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) issued a La Niña weather watch for Southern California. The probability is almost nothing to consider, 50 to 55%. If we settle into a La Niña pattern this winter, there will be less rain and more fires.
Finally, That Organization Project
As expected, on Wednesday, after I published my blog, I finished all the cleaning up I wanted to do. I was done by the evening. Maintenance of this web site should be much easier, and it should take up a little less space on the hosting service's server — 180MB instead of 252MB. Size isn't an issue. I think they allow my site a few gigs of storage space. I simply like the smaller footprint.
Wednesday 2020.7.22
Cleaning Up
I'm still cleaning up old photographs from the Blog Archives. Monday I did 2016 and then I started on 2017. I should be done by the end of today.
I noticed one problem that I chose not to fix. There are references and links to a YouTube channel I tried starting — Vlogging the News. That channel never went anywhere; so I deleted it along with all its (few) videos. Cleaning up those links is too much work for old blogs that no one reads anyway.
In the process of reading all those old blogs I found the information that explains why I put pictures in them. I had read a book about using Pinterest to promote a web site or YouTube channel. It was recommended to include photos in blogs. Even go back and add pictures to older blogs. The author says the photos will get pinned and drive traffic to your web site.
I occasionally get a notification from Pinterest that someone pinned one of my photos, but it's usually the one on the recipe page in the Recipe Archive, not from a blog. So I believe I'm doing the right thing by clearing out all those old photos.
Power Failure
The cleaning up wasn't helped by the electricity going off. It wasn't off for long, about 15 minutes, then about a half hour later it went off again, but that time for only 3 minutes, and then it went off again for a few minutes. I walked around the trailer park a little and met a couple of my neighbors. Their power was off too. Amusingly (although I didn't say anything) I wondered, "I hope it's not the new video card." It wouldn't be, I know, but it was something to chuckle about.
As for the new video card, it is running hot too. The heat alarm kept going off. I closed all open programs. Nothing was running but the Windows operating system, and still the temperature was high. I even set up a secondary fan blowing air onto the card. It didn't help much.
I was left to conclude it must be the power of trying to run two 27-inch ultra-high definition monitors. I compromised by unlatching the computer's side panel and letting it remain slightly open, letting heat escape. The temperature is better. It's 37°C on this computer (one monitor) and 49°C on the other. Both computers are using the same EVGA Hybrid card.
I'll still leave all the filters in place because I don't want the radiators to gather dust. However, with the side panel open, there will be dust in the computer.
Another Stay-Safe-At-Home Food Experiment
As I've been saying, I'm trying to stay out of the stores. Although the COVID-19 infections here are still relatively low, they're still climbing and the best way to keep safe is to stay inside my own home.
I like coffee. I don't drink a lot, but I do enjoy it everyday, usually one cup in the morning and another in the afternoon. I like half-and-half dairy creamer in my coffee. For those in other countries who might not know the product, it's supposed to be half milk, half heavy cream. We like it in our coffee.
The dairy product isn't going to last for long. Even ultra-pasteurized has a refrigerated shelf life of only six to eight weeks. What should I do?
I ordered two powdered dairy products from Amazon. They are Hoosier Hill Farm Whole Milk Powder and Heavy Cream Powder. I checked the labels. The ingredients list no other substances, just whole milk and sweet dairy cream solids. I mixed equal amounts by weight, half and half, in a jar and stirred a well-rounded teaspoon into a fresh cup of coffee. It takes some extra stirring to get it all dissolved, and the flavor isn't exactly like fresh dairy half and half, but it's close enough to satisfy me.
I'd rather have the real thing, but during this time of survival mode because of the pandemic, this mixture will be good enough. In fact, after a while I'll probably become so accustomed to the flavor I might not want to switch back to the dairy creamer.
Sunday 2020.7.19
2015 Done
On Wednesday I mentioned an organization project I had started, clearing out all the old photographs I used in former blogs. Who is reading my blogs from 2015? Anyone? The problem with all those old photographs, besides taking up space, is that they add a little difficulty to the maintenance of this web site.
As I said on Wednesday, the task isn't as simple as deleting photos. I need to read every blog and remove or change the wording that refers to the photographs, such as, "Here is a photo of my landscaping." I cleaned up those references.
Along the way I found a few errors too — some typos, some erroneous header tags, a few missing tags, etc. Those are all cleaned up as well. And before I was settled, I also did a check for broken links. None of those were found.
I also cleaned up 2014, but not the entire year. I started adding photos in April 2014. So, nine months to edit rather than 12. Now I'm ready to tackle 2016.
When done, I think the new practice will be to remove all photos whenever I move a current blog into the archive. That should make maintenance a lot easier. I will have removed dozens of folders and hundreds of old photographs.
As for all those old pictures: I have backups. I'll archive them eventually.
A New Toy
Another one.
I've made clear my goal to stay out of stores as much as possible. I'm not the only one. I've heard from others who are shopping on line rather than going into stores. I wear a mask, but I don't like it and it doesn't make me feel safe. The mask is for the sake of others. As more of us try to be conscientious, others will follow (except maybe in red states, but that's another issue).
On Wednesday I received a microwave popcorn popper from Amazon. It's silicone. It requires no oil. Simply put ¼ cup popcorn kernels in the bottom, place the lid lightly on top, and nuke for about 3 minutes, give or take a minute depending on the power of your microwave oven. It works.
The one thing that really surprised me was the lack of oil. I assumed all popcorn requires hot oil for popping. I thought those microwave popcorn envelopes available in stores had a block of fat in them, maybe shortening, that melted and popped the corn when hot. I was wrong. It's flavoring oil.
To save on butter (fewer trips to the store) I ordered a jug of popcorn flavoring oil to use with the popcorn. You can also pop with it. I tried it, adding some to the bottom of a pan and popping some kernels. It was awful. The flavor was good enough, but the popped corn was tough and chewy. By contrast, the popcorn that comes out of the silicone popper is light and fluffy. Besides those two products, I also ordered some popcorn salt (a little goes a long way — it's way salty) and a large jug (8 pounds) of Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn.
That picture of me in the graphic above is a fluke, by the way. I was saying something in the video and that frame makes me look like I am surprised or wowed by the popcorn in the bowl. I liked the shot so much, I chose it for the thumbnail.
And I should probably say something about my hair. I used to plaster it down with styling gel for videos because it's naturally curly. Most of you know I meet regularly with friends online to discuss the news. One of them, also named Dennis, has curly hair and he just lets it go. No fussing. I looks good enough; so I decided to do the same. I'll also let it grow out some. I might start looking more shaggy in future videos. One person said it looks jaunty. I like that.
And a note about cheese popcorn. I have a jar of cheddar cheese powder. After coating the popped corn with some of the oil, I sprinkled some powdered cheese onto it. It was excellent. And it doesn't take much. For me, less is better.
Wednesday 2020.7.15
Phew!
First, if you saw Sunday's blog, let me assure you I was pulling my hair out trying to get that blog published.
I mentioned on Sunday the failure of Computer-1. That's the computer from which I upload the files for this web site to my hosting service. With that computer down, no uploads. However, after many attempts to get the configuration correct on this computer, I was finally able to upload the updates. I keep this one off line because it has all my web site files and videos on it. Even though I do regular backups, I still don't like risking this computer. The best virus protection is to keep a computer away from the internet.
Having successfully uploaded my web site files, I decided to research video cards. The one in this computer is an EVGA Titan X Hybrid, liquid cooled. However, after switching the card back and forth between computers, I must have done something to upset the balance. A strange noise was coming from its fluid pump. I fear that means an imminent failure.
So I ordered two video cards, both EVGA Titan X Hybrids. I'll put one in the failed computer and save one for this computer. I've said it several times — it's always good to have a spare. This spare, however, was expensive, nearly $1,300 with tax.
I'm not upset though. As I said on Sunday, I never really liked that fan cooled video card. It ran really hot and I suspect that was the reason it failed. It eventually cooked itself. If I hold it up to my nose and sniff, it smells burnt.
More Organizing
I mentioned earlier my project of cleaning out the old photographs I used in old blogs. Along the way I discovered when I bought my Microsoft Surface laptop computer — March 2015. I don't know how much that matters. The only part that needed to be replaced was the keyboard. It has been working fine since the day I bought it.
One task that is part of this organization project is to read through every one of those archived blogs. I need to remove or adjust wording that refers to photographs that were removed. It has been a trip down memory lane. I've been working on the year 2015 and that was the year I removed all my lawn and replaced it with sandstone and Dymondia. Seeing all those old photographs again reminded me of all the hard work I did. It wasn't too long ago, only five years, but I can't imagine tackling such a huge project again. Just trimming the Dymondia now wipes out my body for several days.
Another advantage, if I can call it that, is that reading all those blogs lets me do some proofreading. I've been correcting errors. Why? I doubt anyone looks at those old blogs. However, I might as well fix typos when I find them. While I was awaiting the delivery of the video cards I ordered (see below), I finished most of 2015.
And I've been organizing more than this web site. Once again I've been working in the shed, clearing out stuff I probably should never have saved. One example: an old battery operated drill with a battery that no long holds a charge (nickel cadmium) and for which there are no longer any replacement batteries. That drill is at least 30 years old, maybe older. The plastic and steel went into recycling. There are bins nearby for disposing old batteries. One less piece of junk taking up space.
I am making space for bulk grocery items I might buy online rather than at the store. During this pandemic I'm trying to limit by grocery shopping as much as possible.
Video Card
There are a couple things to report here.
1. The new video cards arrived today. The cards are supposed to be easy "plug and play" components; so it should just pop in and then the computer will work perfectly. Right? Well, not exactly. A small amount of configuration was necessary to get everything working correct; but it was minor, thankfully.
2. I mentioned having swapped video cards between computers to troubleshoot the problem. The good card began making a noise in its pump and I expected it would fail soon too. Thus I ordered two video cards. Meanwhile, that sound went away. I'd like to believe it resolved itself, but I suspect the pump might have failed altogether and the card is being cooled by liquid passively circulating in the line. I might need to do something heavily graphic, like watch a movie on this computer, so test the card for failure.
Finally, How About Doomsday?
This might keep you awake at night. Are we stumbling toward a worst-case scenario? Some recent news reports say the antibodies that result from a COVID-19 infection might protect a person for about 30 days, then fade. What if a vaccine is effective for only a month or two? Would people need to be vaccinated monthly to stay alive? What if, in the long run, the only survivors are those who remain asymptomatic, despite multiple infections? Would their offspring inherit the earth?
Sunday 2020.7.12
Banned
Sadly, I had to ban a longtime subscriber's comments from my YouTube channel this week. He has been writing occasional comments for years and he was always pleasant. He's a forever Trumper, which I don't mind. However, as Trump's polling numbers have been going down and Biden's numbers going up, this subscriber's comments have become more insulting and abusive. I felt his latest comment crossed a line. I decided it was time to "hide" his comments.
For those who might not know, YouTube has a feature that allows content creators to hide someone's comments. The person can still write comments and see those comments, but no one else, including me, ever will. And that ban is effective across an entire channel, hiding all their comments — past, present and future.
The idea, which I think is a brilliant one, it to discourage those comments. Often when a troll writes something disparaging they are hoping for a response. If no one sees the comment, no one responds, and after a while the person will hopefully go troll someone else's channel.
I've banned hundreds of people, mostly from my Mobile Home Gourmet channel, which has 400 videos and therefore gets the most comments. But I never had to ban someone who has been a subscriber for many years. People change. I understand. My channel, however, was not created to provide a forum for people to pander to their own ego.
What was the offensive (to him) video? It was my latest Kitchen Vlog in which I discussed, among other things, wearing a mask during this pandemic. The mask thing seemed to be the tipping point for him, which tells me he is someone who refuses to wear a mask in public.
And, you might be wondering why I didn't warn him to cool his rhetoric. A response is what trolls look for, which might encourage him. It's better not to respond; just click the Hide Comment icon. Bye.
An Ode to Hoover
Not Herbert, the other guy.
I know William Hoover didn't invent the vacuum cleaner, but I give him credit for making it famous. I appreciate the appliance — in my case a shop vac I use outdoors — because it's time to start trimming the dymondia ground cover again. I do it once or twice a year; otherwise, it grows over my sandstone, hiding it from view. Trimming makes a mess, but the shop vac cleans up all the little bits easily. I tried a rake and a broom and dust pan, but the vacuum works best.
Trimming is tiring work, but I have a natural stopping point. When the trash bin is full, I'm done. It will take several weeks to do the entire yard. Meanwhile, I've had cuttings rooting and those are ready to plant to fill the bare spots.
Winging It
I don't often cook spontaneously. I prefer to work from a recipe, usually one of my own, because I enjoy consistency.
Several moths ago I bought a couple racks of pork ribs, portioned them, and sealed them in vacuum pouches with some marinade. I stored them in the freezer.
I've never been happy with the flavor. I've done better. These ribs didn't have the flavor I've enjoyed in the past.
Friday evening I winged it. While the ribs were cooking in the air fryer (220°F for two hours, turning every 30 minutes), I drained the marinade from the pouch, placing it in a small skillet. I added a couple tablespoons of tomato sauce (pasta sauce), a little splash or Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce, and a little honey. I simmered it, stirring often, until thickened. Then, about 10 minutes before the ribs were finished, I mopped about half the sauce on the ribs. When plating, I mopped on the remaining of the sauce. The ribs were delicious.
Cleaning Up
A while ago I mentioned having reorganized my Blog Archives. I was thinking of doing the same to the blog photographs, and then I thought differently about it.
Here's the simple story: Several years ago I read some advice about writing blogs. Include pictures. Even go back and add photos to older blogs. I did that. I never noticed any difference to my site's popularity. People visit, but they come to either read my latest blog or to look for recipes.
So I decided to start removing, a few at a time, the old blog pictures. The archives will still be there and I'll still add photos to my latest blogs, but the old photographs can go. That will make maintenance easier.
And, Finally, Uh-Oh
Computer-1, the one on which I upload these web site files to the hosting service, isn't working correctly. No mouse pointer appears on the screen, although other indicators say it should be there. I tried switching to another track ball (remember that spare I bought a few weeks ago?). No go. I tried re-seating the video card, which sometimes comes a little loose, breaking a connection. Nothing.
Trouble-shooting defined the problem. By switching VGA (video graphics adapter) cards between my two computers, I isolated the card as the problem. And that's why I always build in pairs.
I didn't mind, really. I never liked that card. Back when I built these computers five years ago the hybrid liquid cooled VGA cards were coming out. Everyone wanted one. Sales were limited to one per customer. So I bought one for this computer and a different card for the other. It's a high-end card. Besides occasionally vibrating itself a little loose, it overheats a lot. I probably finally cooked it, or at least part of it. I'll order a hybrid card this week.
Wednesday 2020.7.8
LED for my Light Sculpture
The new light bulbs arrived. Why does this matter? Because I really have been searching for a long time, like years, for LED replacements for the incandescent bulbs I use in my light sculpture (see last Wednesday's blog entry below).
Really. All my former searches were always in vain. I wanted bulbs the same size because size really does matter. Large bulbs wouldn't have fit. And that's why, when I at last found the bulbs I needed, I ordered $150 of them. I purchased 40.
There is one little negative issue, but it is easily resolved. The LED bulbs have black printing on the globe, near the metal base. A little dab of buffing polish on a rag and a little rubbing removes the text.
In Wednesday's blog I mentioned looking for bulk packaging, but I didn't find any. Actually, these were bulk packs. Each box contains four bulbs, each in its own blister pack, like you see hanging from pegs in the hardware store.
As I mentioned last week, I'll continue to use the sculpture with the existing incandescent bulbs, but as each one burns out, I'll replace it with an LED. The sculpture is used a lot during winter because it gets dark so early. It lights my living room in the evening.
Although the LED bulbs look duller, they burns a little brighter, even though they use less electricity — 1 watt compared to the 7.5 watts consumed by the incandescent bulb. And, being LED, it burns cooler. I can handle the bulbs when lit. The package says the bulbs will last 15 years. I'll be nearly 85 years old.
Shopping by Internet
I'm sort of getting into this online shopping thing. Little by little I'm adding and subtracting things from my Grocery List on Amazon. My favorite whole bean coffee, Jose's brand Columbian Supremo, which I always bought at Costco, is available through Amazon.
The down side is the wait. If I run out of something, I go to the store. Ordering online requires more planning ahead, anticipating needs. And many of the grocery items on Amazon are not stocked by the e-tailer; they're stocked by other distributors and sold through Amazon. Some ship quickly; some don't.
The 12-pack of canned whole baby clams arrived yesterday. Today I'll make a batch of New England Clam Cakes. Those are good for snacking. For other snacking I ordered a jar of Orville Redenbacher's popcorn and an interesting silicone popcorn popper that works in the microwave. The reviews were good; so I thought it would be worth the experiment. I might do a Kitchen Vlog about the thing when it arrives.
Latest Read
I read another book this week — Will He Go? by Lawrence Douglas. The author considers the possibility that Trump might not leave the White House willingly if he loses the election. Here is one excerpt from the Introduction:
Asked to assess the magnitude of the risk that Trump represents to orderly succession, most of the experts I consulted soberly gave it a nine on the proverbial one-to-ten scale. A former senior advisor to President Obama reflected for a moment, then gave a different answer: "Do we have an eleven?"
It was an easy book to read. I read it all in one day. One discussion I appreciated was that of the peaceful transition of power when a new president is elected. The author interviewed some who are well familiar with the president. They agreed there wouldn't be a peaceful transition if Biden wins the election. It isn't because Trump is a hateful and belligerent person (although some might disagree with that statement) but rather because he never served in any political position in the past. There are certain expected norms in Washington, even if they are not written in the Constitution, and the peaceful transition of power is one of them. Trump is simply not acquainted with those norms. The submission of one's tax records is an example.
Sunday 2020.7.5
Hoarding
I filled my freezer again. I think it was the end of 2017 that I made a New Year's Resolution to eat all the food in my freezer because it was packed so full. I did it again — packed the freezer again, that is. But this time it was for a different reason.
I made one of my perilous trips into Costco last week. In my mind it's dangerous because the cases of COVID-19 continue to climb in this area and I think of grocery stores, especially the big-box stores, as among the places where the virus is more likely to spread because those stores attract people from out of town. I not only wore my mask, I wore disposable gloves too. And when I arrived home I changed my clothes before putting away my groceries. Finally, wash the hands.
Now my freezer is full. This will be a test. How long can I stay out of Costco if I eat only the foods I have on hand in my cupboards and in the freezer? If you see a date, July 1, on my freezer door in any future videos, that's a reminder to keep to my goal. Call it a mid-year resolution.
Grocery Shopping Online
As part of my effort to stay out of stores, I am starting to experiment with online grocery shopping. I placed my first order on Friday.
I've heard from people who do most of their grocery shopping online. Of course, it's not going to work for perishables, like cartons of milk, but for canned goods and boxed dry goods, I don't see any reason not to. And with free shipping from Amazon, why not?
There is a down side, of course. Local businesses need the customers. More and more brick-and-mortar stores are seeing sales decline because of online shopping. I see how that hurts area stores. But I can rationalize it by saying I am nearing 70 years of age and during this pandemic I need to take as few risks as possible. When a vaccine becomes available I'll start to return to normal.
What did I buy? Canned clams because I really enjoy an occasional snack of my New England Clam Cakes. I used to make them and give most away to neighbors. There is one family up the street who loves them as much as I do. However, during this time of social distancing I've been placing the extras in ziplock bags and storing them in the freezer. As for the shelf life, the last cans I purchased in the store had a "use by" date of December, 2022. I started doing a little more reorganizing in the shed, planning ahead.
And, because one thing leads to another, I created a new wish list on Amazon — Grocery List.
How about this? As I said above, online shopping wouldn't work for perishables like milk. I like half-and-half in my coffee. (For those unfamiliar, here in the USA we have dairy product that is supposed to be half cream and half milk. We like it in our coffee.)
Hoosier Farms makes two powdered dairy products — full fat milk and heavy cream. In dry powdered form it has a long shelf life. What if I were to mix some of those two powders, half and half, and store in a jar for my coffee? Just stir in a teaspoon or so. There is also canned sweetened condensed milk. I used to enjoy that in my coffee. These products are all available on Amazon, and are thus on my grocery wish list now.
Huh
It's not about views on YouTube. It must be about something else. In April my channel received more views than in December, usually my best month. I assume more people were home because of the pandemic and therefore watching YouTube videos. However, my revenue for April was only about half that of December. I can only assume there was less advertising during the spring, maybe because many businesses were closed, and therefore YouTube had less ad revenue to share with content creators. So even though I am retired, the pandemic is affecting me financially too, albeit in a small way. The December numbers this year will be interesting to see.
And, Finally, Random Numbers
I'm really liking this procedure for selecting featured recipes with a random number generator (see last month's blog). Maybe I'm getting lazy in my old age, but I like not having to think about it. This week's number was 279.
Wednesday 2020.7.1
Observance
It was nine years ago today — July 1, 2011 — that I began my retirement. During the past nine years I have been waking up each morning without the sound of an alarm clock, getting out of bed to make a cup of coffee, and then spending most of the day at home, but still collecting a pay check in the form of a pension each month. I never complain. I am a happy man.
Another Observance
This year the local observance of the nation's July 4th Independence Day holiday won't take place in the community where I live. As in many locations around the country, the celebration was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The park from which the fireworks are typically launched is only a short distance from where I live. I would therefore sit on my deck in the evening to watch them. This year, however, the evening will be quiet. No rocket's red glare; no bombs bursting in air. I'll miss the bright colorful display. It was something to look forward to each July. However, I won't miss the noise.
Reading
On Monday morning I finished reading John Bolton's book The Room Where it Happened. During the latest meeting of our news discussion group my friends asked if the book is a "snooze fest" as reported by some in the media. My answer: "Yes."
In my opinion, too much of the book is filled with Bolton's boasting about his accomplishments while serving as the National Security Advisor. No one, of course, is going to write a book in which they repeatedly criticize themself for their failures; however, some humility on Bolton's part might have made him more likeable. Second, the book was filled with too many details. It was almost a day-by-day, minute-by-minute diary. I might be exaggerating there, but the book might have benefitted from a little brevity. Again, returning to his boasting, it seemed like Bolton was using every detail to demonstrate how excellent an advisor he was to the Trump administration.
Finally, my impression of Bolton as a war hawk who believes any serious international negotiation should first begin with the dropping of bombs has not changed.
Next Up
This week I started reading the book Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy by David Frum. I read his previous book, Trumpocracy. I like him as a writer. To give you some feel of the book, in the Introduction he writes, "President Donald J. Trump did not start the pandemic, of course. But at every step of the way, Trump has acted as if guided by one rule: 'How can I make this trauma worse?'"
Frum says most of the book was written prior to any knowledge of the coming pandemic, and therefore the content is already outdated. That is one problem with reading books about Trump during this time. Prior to this year, Trump was seen as an awful president. Now, with the events since the middle of March, I believe Trump will be discussed in future books as the worst president in U.S. history.
I've made that claim in the past. I believe it more now — and more than ever, I doubt too many conservatives would disagree with me. There will be some, or course, but I see their numbers dwindling. The real reckoning of that number will happen in November when the votes are counted.
Light Bulbs
I just spent $150 on light bulbs. I have a light sculpture in my living room that uses around 40 night light bulbs.
The bulbs are incandescent and it is becoming more difficult to find them at a reasonable price when I need to replace one. Another bulb burned out yesterday evening.
I've been looking for LED replacements, but all the ones I found so far were too large. That changed yesterday. Westinghouse makes LED bulbs the same size, 1.3 inches (33mm) diameter and the same wattage, 7.5W (although they use only 1 watt of electricity). They come in packs of 4 each (I looked for bulk packaging, but I didn't see any); so I ordered 10 packs.
The problem with bulbs like this is that they aren't available long enough. The manufacturer keeps altering them to keep up with changing style demands. Here today, unavailable tomorrow. Obviously, I want all the bulbs in my sculpture to look the same. So I made up my mind I would buy a lot of them if ever I found what I needed.
I'll continue to use the sculpture with the existing bulbs for lighting, but when one burns out I'll replace it with an LED. And I'll probably order a couple additional packs because it's always good to have a few spares. Jake can relate to that.
And, Finally, Here's a Thought
What if both the president and vice president were to become sick with COVID-19 at the same time? What if they were both in intensive care and needed to be intubated, which requires a medically-induced coma? Who would run the country? According to the Constitution, it would be the Speaker of the House. Can you imagine the turmoil in the Senate if Nancy Pelosi became the Acting President of the United States?