picture from japan

LOTR updated




Parki's here! Haven't seen him yet, though...he arrived around midnight, I think, and I had to crash before then. From the dishes by the sink, I assume that he and Jeff were up late talking. I'm hoping to get him to post a Guest Blathering while he's here.


In case any of you missed the update to my Blatherings yesterday, be sure to check out the husband-wife blogs of my friends Reid and Luisa. Luisa's is brand new -- it's highly enlightening to get her perspective of a particular event compared to Reid's report on the same. I'm hoping their sons Ronnie and Michael eventually start up their own weblogs, too... :-)





Did more experimenting with our new camping oven yesterday...whole wheat biscuits. Hey, and they actually turned out okay! I fiddled a bit with the recipe, and gave the earlier attempts to Randall The Seagull. Actually, I've discovered that Randall is actually more than one seagull; I've just been assuming that the seagull that occasionally hangs around our cottage looking for a handout is always the same seagull. By the end of my baking experiment this afternoon, there were SIX seagulls out on the lake near our dock. Hm.


I wanted to experiment with my chicken goulash recipe (all from dry ingredients, including dehydrated chicken), but the blackflies were starting to come out for their late afternoon snack.





Jeff and I were looking at stats of electricpenguin.com recently, both through his stats program (Summary?) and the one provided by Samurai Consulting. For those interested, electricpenguin.com currently gets an average of about 12,500 visits/month, 65,000 downloaded pages/month. Most popular usage time: 10-5 pm EST (a lot of surfing from work, I see :-)). Most popular entry pages (in decreasing order): these Blatherings, my LOTR report, the message boards, the main Electric Penguin page, The Dandelion Report, Blatherchat, Harp Resource, OVFF Web site, and my comic strip. Most popular search strings this month so far: "dandelion", "monster mash lyrics", "the key of R filk", "debbiecam", "harp clipart", "pegasus", "school photo" (oh dear, that reminds me that I forgot to put up my Geeky School Photo page...must do that eventually), "Anabukin-chan", "blatherings debbie glasses", "debbie", "goatee", "harp teachers", "fragile sticker", "hockey monkey", "sushi magnets", "Dorsai", "Kim Holzer Leeds'", "Sherly Temple", "albert faille" and "anabukin-chan". Top 22 of 58 countries of users accessing electricpenguin.com these days are: U.S., Canada, Germany, Australia, UK, Singapore, Sweden, New Zealand, Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Norway, Italy, Russian Federation, Switzerland, Chile, South Africa, Japan, Israel and Ireland.


The Internet is so cool. I mean, how else could I be sitting up here at the cottage accessible only by boat, and still be able to exchange news daily with my Dad in Japan, browse postings by friends around the globe, collaborating with writers I've never met, all for the cost of a local phonecall? Despite all the stress and heartache I went through with the sale and eventual demise of Inkspot, I still love the 'Net. :-)


Today's Blatherpics:


- My dad has been teaching in Japan for the past couple of weeks. He e-mailed a photo of the class (Grade 3-4, I think); yesterday was his last day there.


- My whole wheat biscuit experiment.


- Jeff doing some prep for our hiking trip.


Today's Poll:

Are you reading this at work?

odn

My friends Reid and Luisa both have online journals. It is HIGHLY amusing reading them both, one after another. If you have a chance, do check out their versions of "what happened this morning". Parents with kids will especially appreciate these two perspectives side by side. :-) :-)


I accidentally spilled dehydrated milk into Jeff's hiking boots early this morning. I've cleaned them out, so hopefully he won't notice.


re: leftovers poll question a few days back. A leftovers anecdote of my own I forgot to mention...several years ago, some friends and I had a weekend-long party at my father's place while he was in Japan (with his permission, of course). Weeks after he came back, he noticed an unusual odor coming from one of his infrequently-used kitchen cupboards. Opening it, he found a plate of dessicated turkey dinner. =:-O


re: suet/raccoon fiasco (see yesterday's entry). To give the knife an extra twist...I stepped out of our sleeping cabin this morning to find a chickadee pecking at the pitiful crumb of suet left in the feeder. Figures.


Rained yesterday, so Jeff and I had another "laze about the cottage" day. To assuage my self-imposed guilt (I'm still not used to being on sabbatical), I chopped some kindling and restocked some firewood before settling completely into slug mode. Parki is coming to visit for the weekend (arriving tonight); hope he's not too shocked at how completely inactive Jeff and I can be. :-)





I'm not sure if I've mentioned the Outhouse Daily News before, a cottage publication I started years ago. Click here to see what the very first issue looked like. Circulation: 1. Jeff's the president of the Canoe Lake Leasholders' Association this year, and asked if I would write a brief history of ODN for the upcoming leaseholders' newsletter. For your interest, I am also posting it here:

---

HISTORY OF OUTHOUSE DAILY NEWS

By Debbie Ridpath Ohi


For as I long as can remember, I've been an editor of some sort. As a child, I produced Family Weekly, a one-page publication which I posted on the wall of our bathroom at home. In addition to the most recent exciting events of our household (such as the fact that my mother was making chocolate cake for dessert that night, or that our dog had thrown up on the living room rug), the publication also contained hand-drawn cartoons, short stories, and poetry. I recruited my young sister and brother as editorial assistants. When they had proven themselves appropriately committed, allowed them to have columns of their own.


My editorial aspirations continued over the years through high school newspapers, a publication for my university friends, newsletter for management trainees at TD, even a monthly news update when Jeff and I got engaged (title: "The Nuptial News"). The largest circulation I've had was nearly 50,000 people, with my electronic newsletter for writers, Inklings.


And, of course, there was Outhouse Daily News (henceforward referred to as "ODN").


I began ODN in the summer of '89, when Jeff and I built our cabin. I started ODN partly because I wanted to chronicle our stay at the Park that summer, and also to provide more interesting reading material in the Ridpath outhouse than the knot-tying poster which JBR (John Ridpath) had posted. The knot-tying poster is -still- in the outhouse, but ODN isn't. People started taking issues down to the main cabin to peruse at leisure, and that's where the ODN collection remains to this day.





The Underwood typewriter was quirky, tending to skip when the weather got too humid. Each issue was generally one half of a 8.5 x 11" sheet of paper. Starting the second year, we photocopied a template to use at the cottage, with the title at the top, and a tagline at the bottom of each page: "We know a good story from a hole in the ground."





Although ODN was only supposed to be a one-summer project, the reaction from its readership was so positive (plus it was more fun to produce than I expected) that I decided to continue it. Everyone contributes, with Guest Editors creating issues when I'm not at the cottage. Issues include hand-drawn illustrations and cartoons, poetry, memorable quotes, in addition to the regular cottage news.


The Underwood typewriter died several years ago (as did Len's Flea Market), but the handwritten ODN continues strong. Format remains the same: one page, succinct news, occasional illustration. It's fascinating to read through the eleven years' worth of issues. Much laughter, cause for reflection, and a few tears.


A few excerpts from ODN:



"Last night we had roast beef for dinner cooked by Chef Harry. It turned out wonderfully even though a beetle fell in the gravy." (July 18/89)


"Jeff and Debbie arrived at around 3 pm to find Newf, Calvin and Rick planning an elaborate gourmet feast for the cottagers' party (a Newfoundland "scoff"). And what a meal! Polish mushrooms, melted cheese on salami rounds, toutin (fried bread), moose and caribou shishkebab, bass, trout, cod au gratin, salmon stuffed with crab, cod tongue (Newf makes the best cod tongue in Newfoundland, or so he says), moose stirfry, scallop kebob with bacon, baked beans, blueberry pie and icecream, wine, Screech. Newf presented a 'salt and pepper hat' to JBR. Other people included Holly & Roy with sons Graham & Peter, Missy & David Sharpe and Bucky and Matthew, Misty, Don Lloyd. Rick played guitar while he and Newf sang. Newf danced, too. There is enough food left to last until Thanksgiving." (Aug.29/97)


"JBR'S WISDOM FOR THE DAY: While it may be true that familiarity breeds contempt, without familiarity nothing would would be bred." (July 25/89)


"Outhouse Daily News Mourns Passing Of Its Co-Editor: We will sincerely miss the contributions of Chrissy Cat. No longer will her paws delicately select random letters from the typewriter keyboard to brighten the news of the day. a memorial service will be held for Chrissy tomorrow morning, 9:30 a.m., at the dock. All are welcome. The mice will be conducting a celebration memorial service by the dock, 10 pm. BYOC (Bring Your Own Cheese)." (May 18/90)


"CONVERSATION OF THE DAY


JEFF: Deb, how about we spend some time here next summer, say

about Aug.7-Sept.15?


DEBBIE (after a pause): We can't.


JEFF: Why not?


DEBBIE: Because we're getting married.


JEFF (after a pause): Oh yeah." (Aug.8/90)



"Debbie Tucker discovered a dead mouse tangled in her bedsheets

this morning. She did not scream or faint, much to her credit.

Casey denies planting the mouse corpse as a test of his beloved's

stamina in the wilderness." (Oct. 7/95)


"Jeff and Debbie are delighted to be the first to hear some of JBR's new stories from his trip. They are also looking forward to seeing how these stories evolve during repeated tellings in the coming years." (Jul.1/95)



Today's Blatherpics:


- Jeff and I share a romantic moment at the cottage.


- The current pile of ODN back issues.


- First issue. Click here for a bigger picture.


- Wedding announcement issue, by Harry.


Today's Poll:

Have you read an entire book at one sitting (picture books don't count for this particular poll, sorry :-)) during the past month?

outwitted!

Comic updated yesterday




In one of my earlier entries, I proudly declared my suet feeder to be critter-resistant (except to birds, of course). Jeff expressed strong doubts, and even made the brazen prediction that my feeder would be pulled down within a few days. I laughed at him.


Shortly after posting yesterday's entry, Jeff came out to the boathouse and told me to check out my feeder. Apparently he had been woken by the sound of the raccoon on the roof, and then saw it wrestling with my feeder. I snuck out to watch.









Wow...I had no idea that raccoons were so tenacious, and had such agile paws. This furry guy -really- wanted to get into the feeder. He'd alternate between sticking his paws into the cage and pulling out little bits of suet to munch on, and trying to get the cage open and/or off the tree by pulling, shaking, gnawing.









In the end, he managed to pull the cage off one of the nails I had hammered into the tree, finally leaving it dangling, suet partly eaten. He even started using the free nail as a paw support so he could get a better grip on the suet cage (see top photo).









Last night, Jeff and I heard a small commotion outside the cabin. Peeking out the window, I saw -two- raccoons fighting over the suet. One was slightly smaller, so I assume it was the female. The male gave up after a short while, but the female persevered.


And here's what I found early this morning:









Sigh. Even though the raccoons were not successful in pulling the feeder down, I must give Jeff points...I had no idea that they could be so resourceful. And I consider myself outwitted by a raccoon.


An Aside...


Yesterday, someone posted the following complaint in Blatherchat:



"How on earth do you think up these idiotic questions for your daily "polls?" Surely you can think of something more intelligent to ask..."



In reference to my bathing poll yesterday, for example, she pointed out that "there are a great many people in the world who don't have the luxury of running water. Or live where they have a reliable source of clean water. And a great many more who live in regions where water is extremely scarce and it is therefore a great luxury to bathe. So I imagine that going six months without a full bath or shower would not be a hardship for many, since that is normal in their lives. And I bet they'd love the million for doing so."


In case others have strayed over from Inkspot or my LOTR page, perhaps I should insert a gentle reminder here: This is my personal journal. It is not meant to address the socio-economic issues of the day, nor intended to be particularly deep or thought-provoking (though it may do so on occasion...be assured that this is almost always by accident). It was created primarily as a personal and creative writing outlet, and secondly for the interest of those who know me. If others are entertained as well, so much the better. Anyone else is probably better off looking for an online journal which has more serious aspirations.


Today's Blatherpics:

A raccoon takes on the challenge of getting into my suet feeder. In the third photo, note the attempt to chew through the chain holding the suet to the tree!




Today's Poll:

Have you ever gone to see a movie by yourself? (on purpose, not just because your friend didn't show up)

yet another sunrise

Comic updated

LOTR updated




Hey cool, theonering.net mentioned my LOTR site. I had wondered where all the new postings were coming from... :-)



"You get to see an experienced writer respond to the book for the first time, and then there's the responses to her from other people. It's great to see a skeptic getting gradually drawn in to the story."



No way, I refuse to be drawn in! Never!!!

(Well, maybe just a little.)


Geez, more people to lynch me if I end up not liking the rest of the trilogy. =:-O


Spent most of yesterday hiking. This time we took loaded packs (more training for our backpacking trip in August!). Jeff took a full-size trip backpack; I took a regular daypack. I plan to gradually increase my pack size and weight over the next few months.


We went out to Rainbow Lake again and set up a tent for afternoon napping as well as cooking gear and supplies for dinner. The bugs were pretty bad in the woods, especially the blackflies. I dislike blackflies more than mosquitoes mainly because they tend to swarm, you can't hear them coming, and their bites hurt. They are also very good at finding openings in your clothing and getting under your hair. And if they're really hungry, they tend to ignore insect repellent.


We decided to have dinner back at the cottage instead of at the campsite, but took a nap first. On the way back, I wore my bug shirt. Looks pretty bizarre (see below picture), but works like a charm. The see-through mesh allows air to pass through, and is ultra-light. I'm bringing this on our backpacking trip, just in case. I got enormous satisfaction as mosquitoes and blackflies hurled themselves at my face, only to be foiled by my bug shirt.









Cloudy and cool today...Jeff and I have agreed to have a "laze about the cottage" day. My proposed itinerary for today (in no particular order):


- Read LOTR.

- Nap.

- Do more experimentation with outback oven, maybe do chocolate brownies.

- Nap.

- Practise guitar/songwriting.

- Nap.

- Work on comic.

- Nap.

- Play around with Flash some more.

- Have a sauna.

- Nap.

- Do some e-mailing, other online stuff.

- Nap.

etc.


Hmmm...looks like my Action Task List is a bit heavy on the napping. It might be more time-efficient to lump all the mini-naps into one Daily Objective of a mega-nap this afternoon. But will this leave time for making chocolate brownies? Perhaps Jeff and I should do a F2F ("Face To Face Meeting"...thanks for this term, Helen!) to facilitate implementation of more proactive goal-setting priorities.


I was highly amused by the results of yesterday's Blatherings poll. Of the 19 people that have responded so far, 16 had something in their fridge that was past its prime. Bob Esty added the following anecdote:



"True story. A friend of mine got a roast goose for a holiday, forgot about it, put it in an unused refrigerator, and then left it unplugged. For six months. They finally moved the refrigerator outside, pulled out the hinges on the fridge, and ran!....:-("

From Seanan:



"Several years ago, when we lived in The Unholy Slum of Eternal Darkness (i.e., the Village Green Apartments), we had a housewarming party. At some point during the housewarming party, a two-thirds full gallon container of orange juice got shoved behind the curtain in the upstairs study, so that it (the orange juice) was completely out of sight, yet subjected to full sunlight at the same time. We found it about six months later. The seal had been secure, so it wasn't moldy...just fermented. The juice had seperated into sedamentary layers, and it smelled like someone had been making screwdrivers. Had we possessed any common sense, we would have thrown it out. Instead, we moved it out of the sunlight, into a cool, dry place, and kept it for about another eight months. At the end of this time, it was a thin, clear orange liquid; it smelled strongly of alcohol; and it tested in the DVC chem lab as being approximately twenty-seven proof. Then we moved, and Alex made me leave it behind as a 'gift' for the new tenants of our apartment. Here endith the lesson."

From Paul:



"This is just too good an opportunity to put in a favorite old quote from George Carlin: 'Leftovers are great, because you get to feel good about yourself _twice_! You put it into the fridge, and you feel good, because you're _saving_ food. Then, six months later, you throw it away, and you feel good, because you're _saving_ your _life_!' :{)}"

Today's Blatherpics:


- Yet another sunrise.


- Me in my bug shirt. The face panel is folded up (Jeff said it made me look like Mickey Mouse and insisted on taking this picture to prove it), but can be pulled down for Full Upper Torso Protection. :-)




Today's Poll:

If you were offered a million dollars to go for six months without bathing, would you accept?

the art of sitting quietly

LOTR updated

Sent in my article yesterday, woohoo! Just waiting to see if my editor's happy with it...if she is, then it means my sabbatical can truly begin (no work commitments in the near future). Many thanks to Amanda Snyder, by the way, for getting my book on the "Staff Recommended" list in her store! :-)


The hummingbirds are out, so I mixed together some sugar-water for the feeder. Spent about half an hour watching them, gradually edging closer. I was wearing a red lumberjack shirt, and the occasional hummingbird would check me out, buzzing around my head like a giant bumblebee, hovering and doing fly-bys. Hummingbirds are bizarre, fascinating little creatures. Their wings are a blur, flapping at about 50 times a second. They have to feed every 10 minutes or so (hey, even I'm not that bad). Pretty vicious, too...extremely territorial, dive-bombing and jabbing their long bills at each other.


And fun to watch. :-)









I'm re-learning the art of sitting quietly. Sounds easy, but it's difficult for someone who is used to multitasking heavily, always having something on the go, wanting to be productive every single moment of the day.


This morning, I spent over an hour watching the sun rise. I tend to wake up at 5 a.m. these days, no matter what time I get to bed the night before. The first couple days, I headed right into the boathouse to start a fire and have some tea. Now I find myself drawn down to sit on the dock and watch morning happen. Good way to start the day.









I've been doing some experimenting with camp cooking, in preparation for our hiking trip with Alison and Jeff later this year. We'll be hiking 10 days, and therefore want to pack as little as possible. Food is an important component in trip enjoyment for me (I know you all find that a surprise), so I've started experimenting. Bought an Outback Oven (tm) at Mountain Co-op along with some dehydrated food (powdered eggs, powdered shortening, etc.).


Some of my experiments have worked, some haven't. I keep detailed notes. My breakfast mix has worked pretty well: quick oatmeal flakes, dry milk, brown sugar, banana chips, wheat germ, chopped dehyrated apple. Add hot water, stir for about a minute, and YUM.


My first baking attempt in the oven yesterday was a miserable failure. I was trying to make bread rolls, but they ended up being inedible. :-( The problem was caused by the powdered shortening I used instead of using regular cooking oil. The result was a non-Newtonian liquid (collodial suspension...I talked about this in my April 30 Blathering). Cool to poke at, not cool for baking. But I haven't given up! I'm going to give bread rolls another go later this week.


And HEY, my suet is still up on the tree despite Jeff's earlier predictions of doom. He's now saying that it will take the animals a few days to figure out how to get it down, that they're probably plotting about it even now. HA. We'll see about that...


Today's Blatherpics:


- 5:25 a.m. this morning. That's the sun peeking through the mist.


- Hummingbird at feeder.


- Our "Outback Oven" (tm). A shielded "pot parka" goes over top to help heat circulate evenly around the cooking food.


Today's Poll:

At this moment, do you have anything in your fridge that you know is past its prime? (i.e. squishy cucumbers? doubtful cheese? a jar of some mystery substance way in the back that you'll end up throwing out?)