News from ole joyful's place

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

The other day, maybe last Friday?, I was hacking burdocks between the barn and the north garden, when a young man came down from the house, asking whether I could help him.

He and a friend had come out our way, looking for the aboriginal reserve, and which way would he have to go to get there? Their directions had been wrong and they had run back and forth and up and down over a number of roads on their electrically powered bikes ... until their batteries ran down.

So, they needed to charge their batteries, which could be done in about 20 minutes, and the cost would be about 3 cents, or some such which he told me as we walked toward the house.

So I got one plugged in from the garage, and one from the back porch ... they said that they could both charge from the same wall plug, but, as they were both a few bricks short of a load in the mental department, I wasn't entirely sure to be factual enough to count on.

One of the stores selling native cigarettes is less than a quarter of a mile from my house, so they walked there to buy some, going to the third shop of the three on our road, where I used to buy for my friend.

On their return, I provided them with coffee ... but I had some mugs in the fridge keeping cold, but only one outside that fit into the "Cup-at-a time" machine that I use. So I made one coffee to fill that mug, and had a couple that were too large to fit into the machine, so made a second and third cup (I had to have one, too, of course) in it, while boiling water in the electric kettle to pour into the larger mugs, to heat them up in order that they wouldn't chill out the brew before it got to the recipient's lips.

They seemed to enjoy their visit, and thanked me sincerely as they made their departure to the city, about 30 kilometres/18 miles away.

The bush beans are in flower and I told the landlord's wife that we'd have some soon.

But it might not be a good idea to tell the neighbours, as the original story would be that she and he would soon have beans ... but as it got retold, it would likely be that, "have your heard ... that soon (she) and (he) were going to be "has-beens"?

Not a story that we would want to instigate having got started in the community about ourselves.

I have several gallon jugs that I use to carry water from the city for my drinking and some cooking purposes, upwards of a dozen of them ... but, though I had several in the car, have forgotten to fill them in recent visits to the city (or didn't know a place where I could fill them, as they won't fit into a bathroom sink).

I've gotten down to my last jug, so thought it a good idea to leave the heat in the afternoon of this near-to-hottest-day-of-the-year to come here for a visit with you folks. And to get water, though it's rather inconvenient filling them from a drinking fountain.

Hope you all have a joyful summer (if you're in the northern hemisphere) weekend.

ole joyful/fuelled

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joyfulguy
Original Author

10 years ago

Someone asked about my carrying water from the city for drinking and some of the cooking.

There are two wells on the farm. The one that feeds the house is about a hundred feet away, just this side of a lower level of ground, sometimes a watercourse after a rain, and the barn is a couple of hundred feet on the other side, with a barnyard, partly concrete, on this side of it, about upwards of a hundred feet from the well.

Old uncle, in his mid-80s, had had three hip replacements, all the left one, I think, and he had bad back, bad hip and bad leg, using a cane most of the time. He'd raised beef cattle, and had several in the barn, and we suggested that he get rid of the cattle, as he had no offspring from two marriages and was well off. He said that he'd got rid of most of them, but we said that one still had to go to the barn for feeding, watering, and occasional dealing with the residue, whether one had 2 or 35 animals there. When his wife was there, if he didn't show up after an hour or so of choring ... things'd happen. After her death in February about 14 years ago, some of us were worried that if he fell into a snowbank, with no one aware, he might not be able to get out. While we felt that rather improbable, I went back to spend quite a lot of most days with him for a couple of months, till his cattle went to pasture ... and I drank the water, as he did.

One day, when we went to the town for groceries, I picked up a bag of milk and put it on the checkout counter. On the way home, he wondered whether I'd like to pay him for the milk. He had rather a dry sense of humour ... and when dealing with such people, if he's serious ... and the listener treats it as a joke and replies accordingly ... it can lead to serious consequences. Actually, I laughed and said to him to not forget ... that when about a dozen or so neighbours came to help with threshing grain, filling silo or repairing a barn, etc. ... the farmer wouldn't dream of sending them home hungry. That was the last that I heard of maybe paying for the milk.

A couple of years later, following his death, when the farm was to be sold, they tested the water and fond it bad for e-Coli and coliform. There's another well, on the same side of the low ground as the barnyard, but a couple of hundred feet farther down, that fed the barn, that was O.K. for e-Coli, but bad for coliform, and later the landlord ran a pipe into his shop.

I drove out there, some over 10 miles, pretty well daily, for almost a year, sleeping there and making the place look lived in, until it was sold. I don't remember whether I drank the water then, but doubt it, due to the results of the testing.

My landlord said several years ago that he'd drunk from it, on occasion, without bad results, and I said that I had, as well, when watering the garden with a long plastic pipe from the barn, without deleterious effect.

There haven't been any cattle around for twelve years, so it'd likely be a good idea to test the water again ... but pollution in the ground has a tendency to persist for long periods.

Thunderstorm this morning ... so garden's just to be looked at, for a couple of days till dry.

Hope you all had a lovely, even memorable, day.

ole joyfuelled

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Comments (15)

amicus
10 years ago
Hope you have a great summer too joyful, I'm sure those 2 fellows were happy to get help from you! I hope your weather isn't as hot and humid as we're getting here in the Toronto area, almost 43 with the humidex! (109.4F to our American friends) Make sure you don't stay outside too long until this heat streak ends.
morz8 - Washington Coast
10 years ago
The two of you are having temps of 100+? Oh my, you should visit. I put on light jacket for my trip to the grocery store this afternoon.

We were invited to dinner at Lake Quinault last night and while it wasn't chilly, we almost had to be tethered to the deck...wind! Guests had been invited for 4 PM, and it was about 7 before someone suggested serving dinner. I'd had plenty of wind by then, more than enough.

Ed, I didn't know you didn't have drinking quality water at your house. Has it always been that way?

That was nice of you to take the time to charge the bikes and provide coffee, you're sounding like your usual self so I hope that means feeling well. How did the bean vines turn out, did you get them off the ground?
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PKponder TX Z7B
10 years ago
I'm glad you had a short diversion and a chance to chat and enjoy a cup of joe with those young men! It sounds like you rescued them from a long walk pushing dead bikes.

Please take plenty of cooling breaks from the heat. Is there air conditioning in your home?
hounds_x_two
10 years ago
Always good to "hear" from you! Thank you for checking-in.
jim_1 (Zone 5B)
10 years ago
The missus thinks that I am a bit daffy since I warm my mug with hot water before pouring in coffee. She, on the other hand, uses cold creamer and then will let it sit for 20 - 30 minutes before taking a sip. You do it the correct way!
cynic
10 years ago
Whenever I fill a vacuum bottle (commonly called a "Thermos®" I always fill it at least with hot tap water for a bit. During the coldest days when I'm taking it with me I would sometimes run a carafe of water through the coffeemaker (I don't get into the foo-foo Keurig® units. When I want coffee I want more than a pitiful little cup.) then put that into the vacuum bottle while I brew the coffee. Dump and replace with freshly brewed coffee and it lasts a long time if needed, although it usually doesn't take long to finish it off.

I'm surprised those bikes didn't have the little generator units on there that you could pedal and charge it.

Lost power on the hottest and most humid day here (Wednesday). Was only out 2-3 hours but I went for a drive to stay cooler until power was restored.

Was surprised to see you posting today. Usually Thursday is your posting day! Nice to see an update from you.
moonie_57 (8 NC)
10 years ago
A Friday treat!

Always love to hear your little stories, OJ. I need to expand my horizons. Usually I visualize your escapades in an English countryside, perhaps with an English accent. I watch too much pbs? :)
drewsmaga
10 years ago
Ed, I LOVE your posts! Life is happening with you and thank you for sharing!
chisue
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
You Do sound more like the Ed we know!

Who knows how a little kindness can grow?

Yesterday DH and I watched a French movie that we streamed from Amazon, "My Afternoons with Margueritte". Before you leap to conclusions (!), Margueritte is an elderly woman whose innate kindness makes a profound difference in the life of a no-longer-young man who had only experienced rejection by his mother, his teacher, his peers.
joyfulguy
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
The lads dropped in again a couple of days ago, when I was in the garden, had come out to buy smokes. I took them back to where the landlord cuts sod, showed them the width of the cut, and how it rolls up automatically, then a worker places it on to a skid, which is then loaded on the tractor trailer.

Showed them the spring-fed pond on the top of the hill, and that the landlord had pulled water from it a few days ago to pump through a large coil of pipe on a trailer, that pulls a little carrier back toward it, which sprays water on to the field, as the grass was getting rather brown due to all of the dry weather and no rain for an extended period.

He has stocked the pond and the men were interested to watch the fish ... one said that he'd love to bring his daughter out to fish, for catch and release: I asked the landlord, and he says it's O.K.

When we got back to the house, I asked where their bikes were - they'd walked from the cigarette shop. So I guess they carried a warm feeling from their earlier visit.

ole joyful
morz8 - Washington Coast
10 years ago
That's great Ed, it sounds like you've made some new friends - young men who recognize that knowing you is valuable. Just don't forget to save a bit of time for those of us who are old friends ;0)

That might be fun for the girl to learn to catch and release...and I'd be content just watching the fish too. Almost anything to do with water and I'm relaxed....
moonie_57 (8 NC)
10 years ago
I know i would enjoy visiting you too OJ!
moonie_57 (8 NC)
10 years ago
Im glad you can sit back and enjoy the view of the garden for a time and not have to work so hard. I love nothing more than to have a seat and enjoy looking at the fruits of my labor.

OJ i always love reading your life's stories. You make even the simplest event seem so interesting. Who knew hearing about milk and water could keep me spellbound?
sjerin
10 years ago
Me too! It's awfully good to hear from you again, OJ. Seems your uncle was a tough dude, and you too, I suspect.

News from ole joyful's place

joyfulguy
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News from ole joyful's place

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