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Pot Luck

by: JayinPhiladelphia

Sat Oct 27, 2012 at 07:55:52 AM PDT


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Pot Luck is a refined BYO with an extensive menu, situated amidst the gently rolling hills pictured above.  Please do not fear the levitating fruits, vegetables and crustaceans which by some fantastic coincidence of fate just so happened to be arranged in such a manner as to spell out the name of Jill's blog at the very moment this photograph was taken.*  They don't bite.  Hard.

It's an open thread, too.

*Yes, that's a real photo.  Little known fact!  It's from just outside of Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin.  I swear...
JayinPhiladelphia :: Pot Luck
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Pot Luck | 60 comments
Well, I got my 50s! (4.00 / 2)
Starting tomorrow.  That's the good news.

The bad news is they're bringing a giant hurricane, and three straight days of heavy rain and wind starting tonight, right in along with 'em.  Argh.

Rutgers lost. Sorry, Jay. (4.00 / 2)
Ducks demolished Colorado 70-14. And the demon Trojans of USC got beat by Arizona 39-36. Oregon State's game does not start until 7:30 tonight.

Also, #2 Florida was beaten by Georgia. Will this drop them out of the BCS top 5? Kansas State won big. So, I'm guessing they move up to #2 and Oregon moves back up to #3. Does that sound about right, Jay?

[ Parent ]
Realistically... (0.00 / 0)
...RU was never going to get a chance to play for the national 'championship,' as even if they did end the season 12-0, I doubt they'd finish any higher than 4 or 5 in the final standings.  The schedule strength just isn't there for the computers.  

Sucked to lose, of course, but it was an out-of-conference game so that doesn't affect the ultimate goal.  Big East champs for the first time, and the Orange Bowl.  That's still in reach.  In a way, maybe the loss will help, since they can't be so complacent anymore about games they feel they 'should' win.  Use the Army game to tighten things up there, and then beat Cincinnati, Pitt and Louisville.

Yeah - it'll be Alabama at 1, K-State 2, Oregon 3.  If They all finish undefeated, that would really suck.  Oregon would definitely be left out in that case.  Not that K-State wouldn't deserve to play for it themselves, but so would Oregon.  The scenario I wish for though is that LSU beats Bama next week, then loses to Mississippi State while Texas A&M slips past a deflated Tide team.  Let the SEC cannibalize itself for once, and let Oregon - Kansas State play the best title game of the decade!

Temple just looked bad today.  They have no depth, and they really look to be tiring as the season wears on them.  Pitt isn't a good team at all, and they crushed Temple today.  That game was over by half time, despite a half-hearted comeback attempt in the third which ended when a Pitt defender literally just took the ball out of a Temple receiver's hands as he went down.

[ Parent ]
Just to mess things up more for the Ducks, Notre Dame (4.00 / 1)
just beat Oklahoma 30-13. So, #8 OK drops out of top ten, and #5 ND moves ahead of . . .? Who? Oregon? Oregon and Kansas St.?

So far, Utah and Colorado have added nothing to the Pac-10 or 12 conference. Well, they have helped to bring down the quality of Oregon's schedule.

Even if AL gets beat, if K St., OR and ND stay undefeated, I bet K St. plays ND in the championship game.  

[ Parent ]
Beavers lost to Huskies 20-17. (4.00 / 1)
The cinderella season is over. Oh well, it was a good run.
[ Parent ]
I don't think... (0.00 / 0)
..Notre Dame will jump Oregon, though they'll close the gap considerably.  They're pretty far back.  The Irish were farther behind Oregon in the BCS than Oregon was from Florida last week.  And ND's problem now is that they don't play any good teams again until USC in the last week of the season, and USC may only just barely be a top 25 team by then.  ND peaks this week, while Oregon's schedule gets much more respectable.  Oregon's still got Stanford, USC and Oregon State.  Three ranked teams, and another likely ranked opponent in the Pac-12 title game if they make it there; while ND has Pitt, Boston College and Wake Forest.  BC is 2-6, and the others are 4-4.

I only have to wonder if Kansas State jumps Oregon in one of the human polls after their win last night.  I'd still vote Oregon #2 myself, but of course I don't have a vote.  I'd be most worried about Kansas State finishing undefeated and leaving the Ducks out, since the Big 12 doesn't have a conference championship game anymore for the moment.

[ Parent ]
Saturday Night at the Movies (4.00 / 2)

Who cares what symphony you see?


And our block is spotless... (0.00 / 0)
I just went out and had to clean out a couple stormwater inlets off the alley which were choked with plastic bottles and food wrappers, but aside from that we're ready.  Finally fixed that outside screen I'd been meaning to get to for a few days now.  Clean block for a change.  Looks like tomorrow will be the worst for wind, and the heavy rain starts tonight and stays until... Tuesday night?  48 hours of bleh.

The Thriftway on Aramingo's parking lot was packed to about 4 times the capacity I've ever seen it when I just passed on the bus earlier.  My 'stocking up' consisted of picking up a couple of soups, a bunch of greens, garlic and onions, and a bag of black licorice from Reading Terminal Market.  Those should knock out the final remnants of whatever viral mutants have been partying in my throat since Monday.  RTM was easy to move around in while I was there, as usual for a late Sunday morning.

My work is done, now I can watch the Eagles in peace!  :)

Oh, and cider. (4.00 / 1)
Picked up some apple cider and some Asian pear cider while I was there, too.  The forecast for later calls for hot apple cider w/ PA maple syrup...
[ Parent ]
Asian pear cider!!! (4.00 / 1)
Sounds like food of the gods!

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman
[ Parent ]
Yeah, I've never tried it before... (0.00 / 0)
Couldn't pass it up at $4.50 for a half gallon at the Fair Food Farmstand.  Call it my splurge for the week.

It's from these guys up in the Lehigh Valley (PA).  They do Asian pear wines, apparently, as well.

[ Parent ]
Rodale... (0.00 / 0)
Oh, ha.  That Rodale!  Makes sense, I knew the name (and the PA connection) sounded familiar.

Joel and Ruth, a trained botanist thanks to her Rodale family roots (her father was J.I. Rodale, the organic farming icon and founder of Rodale Press in Emmaus), traveled extensively in Japan in the early 1970s to source components and forge relationships with suppliers. At the end of most meetings, a peculiar fruit would be served and shared as a sign of friendship. It was new to the Spiras, yellowish in color, sometimes speckled, round and firm. It tasted juicy like a pear but was crisp like an apple.

The couple, now in their 80s, were entranced and vowed to bring the fruit to Pennsylvania. Their company, Subarashii Kudamono (Japanese for "wonderful fruit"), was born in 1973 and is now the third largest Asian pear company in the U.S. by acreage.

The Spiras are committed to old-school growing methods, which include giving trees 10 feet of growing space, allowing for 360 degrees of sunshine, hand-pruning and thinning, and handpicking the fruit only when it's ripe.


[ Parent ]
And SEPTA shuts down... (0.00 / 0)
...all service for Monday.  Buses, subways, the El, trolleys, regional rail and the Norristown High Speed line.  'State of Emergency' takes effect at 5 PM today.  I wonder if that was to allow everyone enough time to get back home from the Eagles game?  Heh.

I should try to knock off some of my to-read pile over the next 36 hours or so, while I'm stuck inside.

Reports I am getting from friends in the east are not good. (4.00 / 1)
Emergency managers are being told that power could be down for as long as 2 weeks in Maryland, Pennsylvania and parts north. Also, the storm surge may well come right up the Delaware River and flood Philly neighborhoods. You're not anywhere near the river are you?

Have you got flashlights and batteries and non-perishable, don't need to be cooked food?

This storm sounds like it will really clobber the eastern and mid-atlantic states. Be careful, please.

Not storm related, but how is your dad doing?  

[ Parent ]
I'm more than a few blocks west... (4.00 / 1)
...of the 100-year floodplain (about 60 years ago, according to the locals, the Delaware reached just west of where I-95 runs today; that was the last major flood in this part of the city), and probably at least 8 feet or so north of there elevation-wise.  My main worry is something loose and heavy flying through a window (everybody around here secured their trash and recycling cans, and the roof decks all appear emptied and / or secured as far as I can tell), but aside from that we'll be okay here.

I'm told power hardly ever goes out in storms in the rowhouse neighborhoods, as the dense blocks do a good job of keeping out the worst of the wind.  It's the sprawling far northeast section of the city, and the suburbs, that mostly have such problems in these storms.  Now it's just time to see what happens tomorrow, I guess.

I've got a couple flashlights, my battery-operated lantern (which came in handy when I was without power for a week last month), my new (finally!) modern cell phone so I can get email and weather and news and whatnot just in case we lose power for a bit, and enough food for a couple days that'll be okay.  No panic, worst case scenario is to just make it through to Wednesday morning.  ;)

NJTransit (they operate all public transit throughout the entire state of New Jersey) and MTA (NYC) have shut down their entire transit systems, as well.

.....

My father finally moved out of the 'critical care' unit early this week, and they're moving him out of that hospital altogether and into an inpatient physical rehab place on Monday.  Hurricane or not, they say.  Okay, I guess!  He'll be there for a month or so, and they say he should be walking on his own again in a few months, but he may need a cane.  That's better than a wheelchair or a walker, of course.  Health-wise, everything's coming along well.

[ Parent ]
Great news about your dad. (4.00 / 2)
Now about you and the storm. Be careful, please. And update us when you can so we know you are okay.
[ Parent ]
I second that nt (4.00 / 1)


"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman
[ Parent ]
power always goes out here (4.00 / 1)
Even more than across the street so I must be on another bid. Flooding I've never had. Oh and I have no car its being fixed. I got the last flash light at Home Depot Sat.I'm ok for food

Good news about your Dad

[ Parent ]
Good luck! (0.00 / 0)
And stay safe.  My parents and my sisters always lose power in these things, or in any storm really, as well.  I hope the folks around here are right, and that we're not without power for long, or preferably for no time at all.

They're moving my father from the hospital into the rehab right now, in fact he's probably there already, so that's good.  He should be settled in there well before the worst hits.  And at least he's out of that depressing hospital ward.

Gotta remember to brew a pot of coffee tonight instead of tomorrow morning, so I can heat it up on the (gas) stove if necessary tomorrow.  Seems like half the bars and restaurants and corner stores in East Kensington and Fishtown are open today.  Port Richmond too, I hear.  Center City is probably a ghost town, but we're rockin' over here in the River Wards as always.  ;)

[ Parent ]
fill up your bathtub w/ water too (4.00 / 2)
just in case.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman
[ Parent ]
Great advice (4.00 / 1)
I went through Hurricane Georges in Key West and the storm wrecked the water treatment and we had untreated water for days after the storm.
[ Parent ]
Had to fill a few large pots... (0.00 / 0)
I only have a shower stall, no tub.

Have the pots on the kitchen floor, out of the way, so I don't stumble over them by mistake.  Besides, the kitchen floor was watered enough earlier today by the fun and exciting new leak which sprung from the ceiling a few hours ago!  Argh.

[ Parent ]
Jay, Lee, anyone in Sandy's path, how are you (4.00 / 1)
faring so far? Everybody still have power? Nobody flooded out, I hope?

Please keep us updated on your status, as much as time and electricity allow.  

[ Parent ]
Still here... (0.00 / 0)
...just staring at the teevee now.  About to drift off to bed.  Lights flickered once, and about 18 square blocks just west of me near the El went out (tree), but we're still fine here.
[ Parent ]
And we're still good... (0.00 / 0)
...around my way.  Rain stopped, but it should start again in the afternoon and continue overnight.  Little windy.  SEPTA will be back up in a few hours.
[ Parent ]
Good to know you're okay. (4.00 / 1)
Parts of Philly, I heard, are w/o power. Lucky you are not in those neighborhoods.
[ Parent ]
And transit's back up... (0.00 / 0)
...except for a handful of bus lines (including two in my neighborhood, argh), and regional rail (all SEPTA commuter lines are currently shut down due to fallen trees).  All trolley lines (our streetcars) are back up and running, as are the subways and the El.  No tunnel flooding.

The Delaware made a bit of a mess at Penn Treaty Park, apparently.  One building collapsed on Frankford near Girard.  That one 18-block-ish area I mentioned last night is apparently the only spot around here that lost power.

Sun's peeking out here and there at the moment, but the rain will be back soon and wind gusts of up to 35 MPH will remain for the rest of the day.

Sunny and dry, lower 50s, tomorrow and through the weekend.  Sounds like good cleanup weather, at least!

[ Parent ]
I'm back (4.00 / 2)
lost power for about 12 hours. But many folks where I am still have no power I have internet and tv phone is all fucked up and cell service is really spotty But I have food and heat and the tubes
[ Parent ]
Thanks for letting us know, Lee. (4.00 / 2)
Glad you're okay.
[ Parent ]
Impressed with SEPTA... (4.00 / 1)
119 of SEPTA's 121 bus lines are back up and running normally, with small detours for the next day or so where necessary due to fallen trees.  Regional rail service on all 13 lines resumes tomorrow morning on their regular schedule.  Fantastic job!
Jay, sounds like Philadelphia is back in business. (4.00 / 1)
Have did your family do with Sandy? Are they all okay? Did your dad get safely moved to the rehab center?
[ Parent ]
For the most part... (0.00 / 0)
...it was a non-event here in the city, though the northern suburbs, particularly Bucks County, seemed to get hit hard.  I didn't really notice any damage at all while out around the neighborhood here yesterday.  We got lucky.

A number of banks, including mine, are still having problems with their phone and computer systems.

NJ got it bad.  My family in North Jersey is still without power, and they were told it may not be restored until Monday.  I think it'll be up sometime today though, as the traffic lights and whatnot are up again by them as of yesterday, they say.  

School is cancelled all week across most of the state, and NJ Transit is still shut down.  No trains or buses, except for in Camden County (South Jersey, Philadelphia suburbs).  The post offices up there are all messed up, as many have been shut for days now with no power.

One of my sisters went down to Virginia with her husband, her son, and his son to stay with his family through the weekend.  I suppose that's one way to get around a week-long blackout, eh?

They took my father into the rehab on Monday morning before the worst hit.  He's okay in there, but even the hospital lost power and was running on emergency generators for about 36 hours or so, from Monday night until Wednesday morning.

NYC subway is still down, they had major flooding in a number of stations.  PATH (Newark / Jersey City / Hoboken to Manhattan) will be shut down until at least next week.  Ferries and dollar vans are the only mass transit from North Jersey into NYC right now, which I'm sure means traffic bedlam and tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people simply not being able to get into work at all.

[ Parent ]
I'm burb northwest of city (4.00 / 1)
neighbors across street still wo power. And friends nearby still without power. Lots of downed power lines.

My daughter flew into Laguardia ahead of the storm and then got stuck trying to get here.Yesterday she took 2 buses from Queens to get to JFK and took a limo here. She was supposed to fly out of Newark which was closed until last night. Anyway she's flying back out of Philly

[ Parent ]
Well, I made an offer on a place today (4.00 / 1)
It's bigger than this place, with a bigger house, and a modular building on it.

Should know by mid week next week what the seller's opinion of the offer is. If the seller accepts my offer, I'll have the septic system inspected and have the well inspected and flow and potability tests done.

I did a layout and contingency plan to see how much it would cost me to move and it'll cost me only $1,000 or so. I'll have to get rid of the horses probably, but I can do that. I'll be keeping the cattle, goats and chickens. Fortunately half of the broilers are already outside and the other half are ready, I just haven't moved them out because I don't have a pen built for them.

It's going to take some work to move, but I think it'll be for the best in the long run.

So keep yer fingers crossed for me y'all.

Normal people scare me. But not as much as I scare them.....

So, Harold's kids decided not to sell? (4.00 / 1)
This sounds like it could be a good thing for you. When you say it is bigger than Harold's place does that mean it has more acreage?

I would never have guessed that your moving costs would be only $1,000. That is amazing.

When will you hear whether or not the seller has accepted your offer?

[ Parent ]
I should have a yea, nay or counter offer by the middle of next week (4.00 / 2)
One of Harold's kids doesn't want to carry a contract with me. I've been accused by him of steeling a fishing pole that I don't think was here in the first place (I think they took it with everything else two years ago after Harold's service in Molalla), and a gun (the kids took all of the guns back then too, along with the gun safe and all of the ammo). I have a .22 rifle, but I traded that for a pig to a neighbor a few months ago. Plus, one of the kids wants the saddle back that I got from the estate. I took some things from the estate including a truck, rototillers, the tractor and its implements, the saddle, a freezer and some TVs in exchange for a portion of the estate's cost of Harold's funeral (which I paid cash for out of my own pocket). I also passed on claiming some of the death benefits from California that I believed I was entitled to from LA county (Harold and I were together as domestic partners for long enough that CA would have recognized me as being entitled to those) and let the kids claim all of them.

I was pretty pissed off when I heard the accusations. I can't get financing and I don't have enough cash to cover all of the offer I made on this place to the kids. If just one won't sign, then regardless whether the rest do want to sell to me, they can't legally. The best I could do is buy interest in this place, and I won't go down that road.

The place I made the offer on is almost 10 acres (this place is a little over 6 1/2), the house is 400 sq. ft. bigger than this place, and while it doesn't have a barn or shop building, it does have a modular classroom building that, according to the county people I've talked to so far (I've got one more person to talk to in the planning department) I can retain it if I repurpose it for agriculture use (I'm going to use it for plant production and equipment storage). That building is as big as the house I'm in now.

The house has an electric forced air furnace and is on a well and septic system. I'm reasonably confident that the well and septic are good but I want them inspected anyway because if they aren't or the water from the well isn't potable, then the county won't let me live there anyway even if there's water enough for irrigation. But if that water isn't potable, then I can't use it to irrigate crops.

Fortunately, I haven't set up any of the greenhouses, and I can move the tent frames I use for the hay and what not and the tunnels. So all I'll have to do is put up shelters for the cattle and goats. I'll be placing the horses in other homes (my neighbor behind me was interested in Rose and Melora a few months ago, and I'm hoping that they'd still be interested in Melora if I was to give her to them if they take Flash too, for Rose, they'd have to negotiate with Harold's kids). So I really won't have to buy any new structures. And the place is only about 3 miles from here, so that's a big plus. That's why it'd only cost me around $1,000 to move.

As much as a pain as it will be to move, I really like the other place a lot better than this place. And it has way better parking, which is a plus for holding workshops and putting up a farm stand.

Normal people scare me. But not as much as I scare them.....

[ Parent ]
gosh (4.00 / 1)
People get so weird when there's a death. We're dealing with that kind of thing in my family too. But I'm at least glad you've got a place to go AND that you like it better than your current place.

I was under the impression that you were really a great horse lover though so I'm surprised you're taking it so well about finding new homes for them.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

[ Parent ]
And, moving this time of year (4.00 / 2)
I won't loose any income from lost sales or production because everything I grow this time of year can be grown in containers and I just received over 2,000 one gallon pots, plus a bunch of bigger nursery containers, a couple of months ago from a nursery salvage. So now I have a couple hundred large containers plus over 3,000 one gallon pots and probably close to 8,000 smaller containers that I can start and grow my winter crops. All of those crops can move with me to the new place. So, come March, I'll still have crops to sell.

Gotta love that container gardening.

I don't have to start the in ground crops like corn, squash, cucumbers, beans and peas until February and March. December is when I need to start the onion sets, but those are in containers, as are the root crops like carrots and radishes. So this is the perfect time to move. If I had to start all of this in March it would be a disaster.

Normal people scare me. But not as much as I scare them.....

[ Parent ]
People get really weird when someone close to them dies. (4.00 / 1)
Who knows what is going on with Harold's kid, or why he thinks you stole a fishing pole? It's all weirdness.

Sounds like the new place would be a much better situation for you. So, I hope it works out for you to get the new place. Maybe it would be good to put distance between yourself and Harold's kids. Even if they sold to you, there's a chance they would never really consider you the true owner.

[ Parent ]
Yeah, I think you're right (4.00 / 1)
I don't understand what's going on with the whole missing gun and fishing pole thing. It makes no sense to me, especially after how I've behaved with regard to other things here. I didn't even move the furniture around because it wasn't mine and I really would have appreciated being able to use the living room last winter. And there's an old riding lawn mower here that doesn't run. It's still sitting right where Harold left it in the back yard 3 years ago. Thing doesn't run and I was having to mow around it ever since. Why is it still there you might ask? Because it needs to go for scrap and I was told that they wanted $25 for it and no scrapper will pay for it. They'll take it for free, but not for a fee.

Plus there are power tools here that one son thought I had bought. I told him no, that still belonged to them and if he wanted to take them back to California when he was up here a month or so ago, he could have. There's a table saw, chop saw, drill press and band saw, 2 of which I've used over the past two years. If I was going to take anything of theirs, it would be those. Not a gun or a fishing pole. Hell, when I go, I'll be leaving those here and I'll have to buy new to replace them.

Go figure....

Normal people scare me. But not as much as I scare them.....

[ Parent ]
you're moving? (4.00 / 1)
Oh my god! And I thought you love your horses!

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman
[ Parent ]
I do love my horses (4.00 / 1)
but it's probably going to come to the point of either having the horses or having the farm. If I keep the horses I probably won't have enough money to buy property and move. If I buy the property I probably won't have enough money to purchase the property that I need to farm, or I'll have to purchase a piece of property that's so small I'll either be able to keep the horses and have to quit farming and go back to work doing something else, or I'll have to place the horses in other homes and continue to farm.

I'm not talking about sending the horses to slaughter or anything like that. But I've got to dedicate all of my money to aquiring a place and that won't leave anything for the horses. It's down to a matter of survival.

If Harold's kids would accept a cash offer of $145K for this place I would be able to stay, the horses could, etc. But I don't think they'll accept that. So I have to move.

Normal people scare me. But not as much as I scare them.....

[ Parent ]
Memories. (4.00 / 2)
From when I was eight years old until I moved out on my own, I spent every August in the quieter northern area of Seaside Heights, New Jersey. This view facing south that reminds me of many after dinner trips to the Casino Pier was different then. The boardwalk was only twelve feet wide, there was no skyride and instead of boardwalk attractions there were sand dunes and beach grass to the right. Instead of benches alternating between ocean and people views, the benches were like the old railroad cars where you could flip the back so it faced either direction. Nobody had come up with the term OCD yet but when I walked to the attractions, the benches behind me alternated in perfect order.

Once you got to the pier there was a wonderful carousel inside the Casino Pier Arcade. I don't think I've ever been on it. must have thought I was too old even when I was eight but I was the Skee-Ball master on rainy days.

Underneath the Casino Pier, oh I have a few memories from under there. Not as many as I'd like to have but a few.

Now here is a place that brings back many fond memories. Sausage and Peppers only taste right to me in the salt sea air.

And it helps explain the reason I'm shaped the way I am now.

No but seriously, you may not recall Brian Williams mentioning "Lucky Leo's" this week but it struck a note with me. My album collection began with winnings at the big wheel at Lucky Leo's. I think "Big Brother and the Holding Company" was my first.

I think the Funtown Pier is entirely gone. I saw a photo from above with the Ferris wheel lying in a pile of junk.

 

And the Casino Pier before the roller coaster went into the Atlantic Ocean.

A little house I used to live in. Actually the only single family house I ever lived in. It was only August and it was only ten years with a few comebacks during my young adult years. I guess that is gone too.

So many memories, rainy days on the front porch, I even remember reading Slaughterhouse 5 there and hearing "I'm Your Captain" for the first time. I remember opening crabs fresh out of Barnegat Bay, Dad grilling in the back yard, years later doing the grilling myself. All seems so lost now.

It's so sad, Eddie. So much is lost. (4.00 / 2)
Physical stuff, buildings and boardwalks and such. And good memories become sad and melancholy.
[ Parent ]
Thanks for sharing, Eddie... (4.00 / 1)
All I can say is 'sigh.'
[ Parent ]
Back from Jersey... (0.00 / 0)
What a difference a state makes, indeed.  Or at least a few dozen miles, anyway.

Gas rationing is in effect, lines from the pumps run thirty cars deep and back out onto the highways.  Police officers are stationed at the pumps to keep order.  Separate lines for people on foot with fuel cans to run their generators, a couple dozen deep.  Blacked-out stretches of highway three, four miles at a time.

My sister's house still doesn't have power.

Tanker trucks with police escorts making their way to roped-off gas stations with hand-scrawled cardboard signs ('No Gas').  By the time they get to their delivery there's a line of six or eight or ten cars formed already, fed by rumors of imminent fuel.

That's what makes me nervous about living in a high density area like a big city (4.00 / 1)
People aren't used to privation and when the supply chains are disrupted all sorts of bad things start happening. Because so many people are packed into such a small area the supplies don't have to be distributed over a huge area, but because so many people are packed into a small area, you need to bring in a huge quantity of supplies all the time.

Kind of damned if you do and damned if ya don't situation as far as cities.

Normal people scare me. But not as much as I scare them.....

[ Parent ]
Ducks win! Oregon beat USC 62-51. (4.00 / 1)
Kenjon Barner ran for 322 yards and scored 5 TDs. He set a school record for rushing in a single game.

Our redshirt freshman QB, Marcus Mariota, threw for 4 TDs.

The Beavers game just started. They had the 7:30 (PDT) game tonight.

Next week Cal, then Stanford, then the Ducks (4.00 / 1)
finish up with the Beavers in the Civil War.

Looks like USC does not have a lock on the Pac-12 South championship. UCLA could win it and be the team that faces, hopefully probably, the Ducks in the conference championship.

It took Notre Dame 3 OTs to beat Pitt 29-26. Will Oregon finally jump back over the Irish to 3rd in the BCS this week?

[ Parent ]
Yeah, ND peaked... (0.00 / 0)
...last week.  They're not gonna pick up any computer points by beating BC and Wake Forest, and Oregon already beat USC (ND's final opponent) so ND can't gain on them there either.

If Oregon wins out, I think they're gonna play in the national championship.  They'll jump Kansas State, and possibly even a one-loss SEC champion, with their schedule the rest of the way.  IF they win out, of course.  The Ducks have three ranked opponents (Stanford, Oregon State and UCLA / USC again in the Pac 12 Championship) over their last three games in that case, that will certainly be enough to break into the Top 2.

Oregon fans should definitely root for Stanford and Oregon State the rest of the way.  Except for when they're playing the Ducks, of course.  Heh.  A USC win over ND would be a huge help for the Ducks, too.

[ Parent ]
Scenarios... (0.00 / 0)
Tough to tell which is better for the Ducks - UCLA winning the South (but losing to Stanford so Stanford can stay in the Top 10), or USC winning the South and Oregon beating them again.  UCLA would have less losses, but USC would probably be ranked higher in the computers.

And Oregon State at Stanford is a monkey wrench one way or the other, too, now that I think about it...

(We can talk like this, but don't let Chip Kelly hear. ;))

[ Parent ]
And all these considerations... (0.00 / 0)
...combine to make college football the most fascinating and sometimes simultaneously infuriating sport to follow, eh? ;)

Btw, I just realized the fatal flaw in all those projections above - depending on the Beavers to do anything that makes sense whatsoever.  If history is any guide, the Beavers stand just as much a chance to fall flat on their face every game from here on out, including a loss to Nicholls State, then somehow beat Oregon in double OT in the Civil War.

So there's that, too...

[ Parent ]
Beavers won last night. Beat Arizona State 36-26. (4.00 / 1)
The Beavs could so easily be the team that throws the monkey wrench into the Ducks season. Hope not, but sure is possible. The Beavs, usually because they are out of contention, relish being spoilers for the Ducks.
[ Parent ]
After some thought... (0.00 / 0)
...I believe the best scenario for the Ducks would be -

1.  Win out.  If they don't, nothing else matters.

2.  Oregon State beats Stanford next week.

3.  UCLA wins out, and takes the South.

This way the Ducks will close out the season against a #22-ish Stanford team, a Top 10 Beavers team in the Civil War, and then a Top 10 UCLA team in the Pac-12 Championship.

Definitely enough to jump Kansas State and stay on top of ND if they win out, and possibly even enough to challenge Alabama for #1 (assuming the Tide win out).  Although all that ultimately matters is just getting to #2 to play in the title game, of course.

I think this is the Ducks' year.

[ Parent ]
A UCLA win over USC? Won't that trigger a massive (4.00 / 1)
earthquake in Southern California?

I saw part of the Ala-LSU game last night. And after these few years of watching Chip's fast-paced brand of football, both teams struck as lumbering and slow and so boring. Of course, they also have some humongous players, the kind of guys who could maybe wipe out half the Ducks offensive line by simply falling on them.

Although, if Kenjon or D'Anthony got through both of them could scamper right into the end zone. Still, the offensive line would be pancaked.

[ Parent ]
Also... (0.00 / 0)
How's this for crazy?  There's a real potential for there to be six (!) undefeated teams left at the end of the season.

Alabama, Oregon, Kansas State, Notre Dame, Louisville and (bowl ineligible) Ohio State.

[ Parent ]
I read an article the other day that discussed how (4.00 / 1)
all the major bowl games are salivating at the chance to get Notre Dame this year. The Irish have a national and fanatic fan base that could spell big $$$ for whatever bowl gets them.

Did I ever tell you how I learned football, other playing in the neighborhood? Every Saturday when I was kid Notre Dame football was televised. And, as a good Irish-Catholic schoolgirl in the midwest, I watched religiously. I got schooled at the Ara Parseghian school of Irish football. So, I have a soft spot for the Irish. And if the Ducks weren't in it, I'd be so cheering on the Irish.

[ Parent ]
Well I got a call from the realtor this morning (4.00 / 1)
The seller has accepted my offer on the property. If the well and septic system pass inspection I'll be paying cash for the property (no loan) and will have enough money left over to carry me until March when I have crops to sell.

If the well and septic pass their tests, closing will be on the 5th of December and I should be completely moved and have the house here cleaned up by March when I can start selling the crops. And the only debt I'll have left is around $2,000 on my credit card (as long as I don't have to dip into that), which I should be able to have paid off in a year or so.

Then I'll be able to call Dave Ramsey's show and scream "I'M DEBT FREE!".

Keep yer fingers crossed y'all!

Normal people scare me. But not as much as I scare them.....

Great news, Joanne. Just a month until you are a property owner. (4.00 / 1)
I think this will be such a good thing for you, having your own place free of any lingering familial problems.

Keep us informed as things progress, please. When will you know about the well and septic?

[ Parent ]
They're giving me just 2 weeks to get the tests and inspections done (4.00 / 1)
The potability test takes 10 days (and the lab only does the test one or two days/week which I assume means they only accept samples or set them up on those days). I should probably see if I can find out how a potability test is done. Being as how it takes 10 days, I'm assuming that they culture samples from the well, but I don't know.

Anyway, as soon as I sign the papers and put up my earnest money and give them the bank statements proving that I have the funds to purchase the property, the seller will have the house dewinterized and I can call PGE and have the power turned on so that the well can have a flow test and the septic company can come in and pump the tank and test the pump for that.

Tomorrow's going to be a big paperwork day I think. With only two weeks to get all of this done, I've got to get on the ball.

I also have to contact the building department and get started on the process for permitting and repurposing the modular building for ag use. At closing I'll be able to go ahead and get that done. It's a nice big building. I'll have to build a ramp to the front door so I can get the rototiller, generator and other heavy things in there.

I'm excited. My lawyer told me Congratulations! so I think he's looked at the papers and seen that they're in order.

I'm excited!

Normal people scare me. But not as much as I scare them.....

[ Parent ]
Pot Luck | 60 comments
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