Like Sherman's March through Georgia

 

The Ukrainians you follow in Poltava are now in trouble.  Power, food and fuel in the Oblast have been utterly destroyed.   Every gas station in Poltava has been destroyed.  Stores across the country are devoid of refrigerated and frozen foods.  A lot of dry staples are also no longer available.  The Russians have destroyed 70%+ of Ukraine's cold & dry warehouses in response to the Ukrainian Wildberry and Ozon strikes.  The Russians are also being hurt, but not to the extent that the Ukrainians are getting hurt.   -From a Friend of the Blog

The friend of the blog also provided a link describing the creeping escalation of the Uke-Rus war. 

As logistics crumble, volume often becomes the limiting factor and not weight. A truck that carries packages of potato-chips or breakfast food cereal can usually carry far more weight in terms of flour, rice, beans, cornmeal, lard, sugar, raisins and dried milk than they did of potato-chips.

Those staples are also shelf-stable.

"It can't happen here"

Yeah, well, there are bad actors bending every effort into hacking their way into the information systems that are the brains for the US distribution systems for fuel, food and other merchandise. They don't need to drop bombs. They can either crash the system or to insert random amounts for 5% of the items that are scheduled.

Mrs ERJ will be giving a Millennial a cooking lesson today. He will learn how to turn rice, lentils, onions and celery into a savory main course. It can also be used as a side-dish to stretch out other meals. Basic recipe here. 

Lentils are a good first-thing to teach because they cook quickly.

At the most retro and primitive level, a double-handful of wheat can be put in a 3 quart pot, soaked over-night, drained in the morning, covered and left to soften for 14 hours. Then covered with water and brought to a vigorous boil, pulled off of the heat and nested in a box filled with straw for an hour. All in the same pot. Just wheat, water, time and enough fire to bring it to a boil. 

A lot of fuel is used to rehydrate the grain when using traditional methods. If you separate the rehydration from the cooking, you need less heat. A single slat from a pallet would do if you know how to build a fire.

It is worth noting that one of the Youtube channels I follow is of a family who market-garden to supply vegetables to a "farmers market" in the big city. I think she will be getting very good prices IF she can transport  her vegetables to the market. The war on logistics compresses supply chains.

 

Tip of the hat to anon Friend of the Blog. 

Grab-bag

I used a step counter for two days and then lost interest. I put it down and now I cannot find it.

I had no idea of where I fell with regard to the magical 10,000 steps a day. The first day I wore it I hit 16,000 steps and the second day was a recovery day and I hit 13,000 steps.

What I quickly noticed is that walking a mile is approximately 2200 steps while running the same mile is about 1600 steps. If you are only looking at steps, then walking is more "activity" than running. Furthermore, walking for twenty minutes is about 2000 steps (with most people not hitting 3mph unless working at it) while walking up-and-down a flight of steps might log 640 steps.

Protein

It was suggested that eating more protein might speed my recovery and reduce the discomfort during my off-days. 30 grams of protein thirty minutes after a "heavy" work-out was mentioned.

Looking at my diet, I am ridiculously short of the 140 grams of protein per day a 200 pound "athlete" might consume. 

What do you guys and gals think?  Any favorites for protein-rich, post workout meals?

Giant Foxtail

The sparrows were feasting on the Giant Foxtail seeds in my garden. Alas, that means that the seeds are viable. They would not be bothering with them if the seeds were not filled with carbs, protein and fats.

More paper-wasps and hornets

***AI was consulted during the writing of this section. May contain errors or manufacturers may change inert ingredients***

For a variety of reasons, paper-wasps and hornets frequently build their nests in and around security cameras.

There are many products that can be used to kill the stinging insects from a safe distance. Most, but not all of them, use a highly volatile petroleum distillates as a base. However, some of the most common ones use mineral oil as the inert carrier. 

Even though mineral oil can improve how the insecticide "prints" on the feet of hornets that were not in the nest when you sprayed it, it has several disadvantages. For one thing, it can stain the siding of your house and it can leave a hazy film on the optics of your security camera that attract dust and decreases the "sharpness" of the images.

For instance, Hot Shot Wasp & Hornet Killer advertises a 27' range but it uses mineral oil which can stain siding and leave a hazy film on the lens or lens-cover of your camera.

Raid Wasp & Hornet Killer is another widely available product with an advertised range of 25' and it also has a mineral oil base.

Even organic products are not necessarily free from staining or that hazy film since some of them contain canola oil.  

"Medicare for all"

"Medicare for all" is one of the main talking points for the Progressives this election cycle.

Most people our age worked 45 years and had 2.9% skimmed off as taxes to fund Medicare. Half of that 2.9% was visible and showed up on our pay-stubs. The other half was extracted from the employers and was a cost of labor that was not available to pay as wages to retain productive employees.

There are currently about 70 million people receiving Medicare benefits. The Progressives propose to increase that to 350 million or by a factor of five. Is the plan to increase the payroll tax to 15%? If the median household income in the US is about $60k, then we are talking about dinging the average household for $9k/year. Will that be enough? The unsubsidized cost of Obamacare for a married couple is about $24k/year.

I know that "Boomers" have a reputation for being resentful, but where is the fairness of paying into a system all of your working life and just as you start getting the benefits, those benefits are extended to "...all", even the guy who slipped into the US without documentation? 

This and that

 

Before

After

14 pounds of tomatoes and a zucchini the size of a baseball bat. I added canned tomato paste, five teaspoons of citric acid and dried "Italian herb" mix. It was pretty watery as I put it into the jars so I added a tablespoon of Augason brand dried vegetables to each pint.

Gardening fail

On Friday, I picked a half dozen eggplant fruit for a family we see at the gym. They didn't show up. I left it on the counter and now it is wilted and now it is not pretty enough to give away. Who knew eggplant fruit dehydrated so quickly?

Rain

We are looking at an all-day rain. So much for running outside.

One of the finest bit of wisdom I encountered came from a Beginners' Book on Running. The author stated "Our bodies lie to us all the time. They tell us how horrible it will feel to run. Run anyway. Start slow. Give it ten minutes. If your body is still screaming after ten minutes then stop running. If you feel better after ten minutes than it did during the first 45 seconds, then you can probably keep running." 

That wisdom applies to more than just running. Our minds hate uncertainty. Doing something new or different than what you are doing right now is a source of uncertainty.

Give yourself permission to push the mower for only ten minutes. Or tell yourself, "I will go out an pull weeds for ten minutes and then I will stop if it hurts. You don't have to work at top speed. Show up. Do what you can as your mind and your body adapt to the new environment.

After ten minutes, your brain and body might decide that switching tasks is undesirable and tell you "Maybe you should go into the house and grab a hat and bottle of water so we can do this a little bit longer."

Following my own advice, I put on a 40 pound ALICE pack and walked the stairs for 15 minutes. I stopped because it is time to shower before heading to church.

Maybe I will knock out another 45 minutes after we return. 

Thoughts on sprinting

Sprinting is a very specific gait. The heels never touch the ground. The center of mass for your trunk does not bob up-and-down but should move through space arrow-straight and not yaw.

Since your legs are attached to your trunk and since you are violently accelerating them 180 degrees out-of-phase, you must compensate by violently throwing your arms to counterbalance your legs to achieve that arrow-straight trajectory.

Good sprinters have massive shoulders

There may be times when I have to accelerate and move like a rocket. That means I will be sprinting. It is something that I can train for.

I asked AI "Who is Eaton Rapids Joe?"

Overview of Eaton Rapids Joe

Eaton Rapids Joe is a pseudonym for a writer known for his contributions to political fiction and short story anthologies. His works often explore themes of secession and dystopian narratives, reflecting a unique perspective on contemporary issues.

Writing and Themes

Key Attributes

• Genre: Political fiction, short stories
• Themes:
  • Secession
  • Dystopian futures
  • Social commentary

Notable Works

Eaton Rapids Joe shares his writings on his blog "Eaton Rapids Joe" where he engages with readers through various musings and book reviews. His stories are typically presented in bite-sized formats, making them accessible for readers who enjoy short narratives.

Community Engagement

Eaton Rapids Joe is part of a broader community of writers and readers who appreciate political and speculative fiction. His work contributes to discussions around important societal themes, making him a notable figure in this literary niche.

What are the main themes of Eaton Rapids Joe's political fiction

Eaton Rapids Joe's political fiction primarily explores themes of individual estrangement from society and the impact of larger political forces on personal lives. It often critiques contemporary political issues while reflecting on historical contexts and societal decline.

How does Eaton Rapids Joe's writing reflect contemporary political issues?

Eaton Rapids Joe's writing reflects contemporary political issues through plays that engage with ideological divides and identity politics in theater, as seen in works like Heroes of the Fourth Turning, which portrays conservative perspectives sympathetically. His work aligns with broader trends in political theater that challenge mainstream narratives and explore moral foundations within societal debates.

********

I have no quibbles with any of the above although I would substitute "empowerment" for "estrangement" and "...notable..." is not as impressive as it used to be, not with dozens of spiders sifting through every keystroke logged on the internet.

The consultation on an educational orchard

The reader who asked for a "consult" on the orchard that was going to be planted as part of a high school's science program communicated with me.

He and his wife are way ahead of the curve. There was very little I could tell them that they had not already considered. One factor that I thought was exceptionally cool is that the school is a combination middle-school and high-school. Kids in 7th grade can start experiments and will be around long enough to see the results.

The only thing that, perhaps, they hadn't given thought to was touching base with the maintenance people responsible for mowing and spraying herbicide near their orchard. I suggested that near the end of the school year to ask them what their favorite beverage is and to give them a case of it. If day-shift like Diet Mountain Dew and night-shift likes Dr Pepper...then buy a case (24 cans) of each and personally present it to them.

That changes the dynamics. It shows that you appreciate that the orchard complicates their jobs. It demonstrates that you know and honor the importance of what they do. You become real people to the under-appreciated people who could either be extremely protective of your efforts or resentful of it. 

The opposite of discipline is not freedom, it is dependence

The opposite of discipline is dependence  -Seth Capehart

The Siamese-twin of dependency is resentment.

Dr Capehart makes the point that medical science is very good at keeping the husk alive but cannot keep it healthy without your cooperation. It is entirely possible to be feeble and miserable for fifteen years before the Grim Reaper comes to harvest you.

I am not talking about people like my readers K and H who had strokes and are heroically battling. I am talking about the person who passively expects technology to fix all of their problems with no contribution from the patient. They swoon and demand that others catch them.

I had conversations with "grasshoppers" and heard them tell me "I am going to live-large until I can't and then I will commit suicide. I have my doubts. Why would she, in the eleventh hour of her life, do something so out-of-character?

Like the old thrill seekers are known to say "I would have taken better care of my body if I had known I was going to live this long."

World food status

Not all doom-and-gloom for 2026! Next year might be different. 

USDA forecast 

Stockpile carried over from previous year 

2026 production 

United States, incorporating data from the most recent NASS Crop Production report from results in a reduction of 1.77 million MT for total coarse grains production (from 2025). Note that the corn belt started getting rain in late-July after months of low precipitation.

For Russia, strengthening indicators of plant health—measured using normalized difference vegetation indices (NDVIs)—across a number of coarse grain producing-regions contribute to raised barley and corn yields and an overall larger production outlook. If realized, Russia’s 2026/27 corn harvest will be record large at 17.2 million MT. Favorable conditions for crop development were experienced across much of Russia’s winter grain belt, as well as the Urals and Volga regions of the spring crop production zones.

Partially offsetting production gains for Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa (Zambia is projected to harvest a record-large corn crop)!!!, coarse grain production for the European Union is cut significantly this month, on extreme hot and dry weather that has further eroded coarse grain yield prospects for a number of countries,
including France. 

On the basis of newly-released official data from Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento (CONAB) and Instituto Mato-grossense de Economia Agropecuária (IMEA), 2025/26 corn production for Brazil is raised 2.0 million MT to 140.0 million. Larger 2025/26 production is attributable to a sizable boost for the second (safrinha) crop corn... 

Today 

I am picking tomatoes and canning them as soup-base. They are going into pint jars. ***Update: 18 pints of soup-base just finished up in the canner with another pint or so for us to enjoy tonight***

My stretch goal is to dig another row of potatoes and to till the patch of ground they were in.

Lifting notes

A screen-grab from the video. Probably my best side.

 

I wore long compression socks. No issues encountered. After my usual warm up I did one set at 205 pounds. Then two sets of 215. Then one set at 225. I attempted to take video but was not successful. 

Exercise notes

I went for a 2 mile run yesterday. I loaded up with technology. I strapped on my $13 wristwatch AND I carried a step counter.

The first half-mile was a struggle. My legs felt like bricks with no spring. i was chugging along. The time was 7 minutes and some-odd-seconds. The mile mark was 13 minutes and some-odd-seconds. The two mile mark was 25 minutes and 11 seconds.

The step-count was 1620ish steps-per-mile or 6.6 feet (2m) per stride.

The last mile of the adventure was the walk-back. I walked the first 1/4 mile to payback some of the oxygen debt. The I sprinted the distance between two utility poles, about 80 yards, and then walked the next 160 yards. I did that three times.

The first sprint was a replay of the first 1/4 mile of the run. It sucked. My left calf was complaining that it COULDN'T do it. It was a liar. 

Tomorrow is a lifting day. Note to self: Remember to wear long compression socks. 

Grocery delivery

The next item on the agenda was to work in the garden with Quicksilver and Mrs ERJ to pick up potatoes and put them in 7 gallon, fabric planting-bags. Then the three of us delivered them to "Brooke" and "Kristin".

By an incredible stroke of good fortune, "Brooke" and Quicksilver's cousins were at home. Not only that, but their pig had given birth to 11 piglets five days earlier. Quicksilver was a hero for delivering the potatoes. She and her three cousins played with the baby pigs for the next hour. 

It took some fancy dancing, but we were able to leave without buying any of the piglets. The main thing that saved us is that they were not Hampshire or Duroc crosses. Small-framed, heritage breeds are not my cup-of-tea. However, if anybody is interested in Kunekune pigs, I know a guy... 

The "Kristin" drop-off was a fly-by affair. I parked, trotted over and left the bag of potatoes on their front porch. Mrs ERJ texted after we left informing Kristin of the gift.

Apples and pears ripening early

The apples look like they are almost two weeks ahead of my expectations. Time waits for no man or woman. 

Cash flow

Unexpected truck repairs and the work done by the contractor both experienced mission-creep. I am dragging my feet sending off a purchase to Amazon, primarily to ensure that it lands on next-month's bill. The order I would have hit the "send" button on two weeks ago is still twiddling its thumbs, waiting.

I am seeing some advantages. I have more time to question "Do I really need that?" and "Do I need that many?". Another advantage is that there are some small items that benefit from the free-shipping option of a larger order. If I only made one purchase a month, then I can think about how I want to solve a problem and give the solution time to evolve.

A simple example: The Ruger SR22 and the Kel-Tec P-17 are very similar in size but not identical. A polymer holster designed for an SR22 might need slight modifications to securely hold a P-17. Those modifications can be made with a laminated mandrel inserted into the holster and the judicious application of heat from an electric heat-gun. Having a month to think it through results in the most elegant (i.e., easiest for a lazy person to make) mandrel.