This time of year in Oregon, a lot of people burn off their slash and junk piles, which in my case includes left-over building debris and fallen tree branches I’ve retrieved from my own trees or the forest. Faces often appear out of my slash pile fires so I thought I’d share a few from my most recent fire. First is this face of a man facing left, second is a gorilla facing right, and third is a sitting dragon looking right. — Dave.
This photo is from 1974, taken by Richard Blunt, who is now the Food Editor for BHM. Tony Lamb, then 69, is at left, and Dave Duffy, then 30, is at right. I was interviewing Tony to write a book called The Retirement Threat with him. It sold about 70,000 copies and had 7 different printings, including a hard back, soft cover, large print edition, special Penguin Books edition, etc. I couldn’t find it through a Google search. Now I am 68, nearly Tony’s age then. My daughter Annie, who was 9 years from being born when this photo was taken, is now age 30 and has been running the editorial side of Backwoods Home Magazine for 3 years. Where does the time go?
Here’s what the book looked like. These are, from left, hard back, soft cover, and G. K. Hall Large Print editions:
I’m working on deadline in Corvallis, where Annie lives, so I thought I’d better make up a Corvallis mixture of my specialty — garlic, oil, and balsamic vinegar. This will take a few days to steep before it’s mellow enough to go on toast. I could just mellow it by tossing a tablespoon in the frying pan before dropping in my eggs.
I made a batch for brother Hugh when I visited him a few weeks ago. Yesterday morning Hugh had another knee surgery in his ongoing battle to get walking again. The batch I made for him will help his health. It was primo! I feel like Johnny Garlicseed, dropping batches of garlic, oil, and balsamic vinegar all over the place, spreading health as I go.
Forget the Presidential election, someone broke into Cedar Bend Golf Course last night and drove the golf carts all over the greens and creeks like they were in a bumper car derby. My golf cart ended up in the creek, with its steering broken so the steering wheel just turns freely, doing nothing, and the windshield was knocked out. Judging from the dents on the front, it was used as a battering ram against other golf carts. It was similar for another 20 or so carts.
Three of the greens were messed up with golf cart wheel markings and holes destroyed. Several members’ clubs were thrown into the creeks. Lots of damage that is not covered by insurance. Rats! All the work at our local course is done with volunteer labor. These volunteers, all men and women of modest means who just want to pay golf, have just had a great many hours added to their volunteer time. What a pain in the ass!
This is why elections are important, and why we must maintain a civil society agreed to by a majority of the population. No matter who wins, some sort of civil society must prevail. Otherwise, I won’t get to play golf.
My wife says I smell like garlic. For good reason! Every morning I have an egg on whole what toast, but I fry the egg in my special concoction of two teaspoons of garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar mix. It takes about a week of soaking in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the garlic to get “just right.” So delicious and healthy! — Dave
Lenie and I picked up our new puppy yesterday, a 7-week-old Chocolate Lab named Damon. Our marvelous old Black Lab, Molly, had died the day after Christmas last year so we’ve been looking forward to this day. Damon, as you might suspect, is a little chewing machine, especially attracted to sneaker laces and computer wires.
My brothers, Bill (right), Hugh and I are enjoying a visit together for the first time in several years. Hugh is recovering from a series of surgeries involving his right knee. He got a knee replacement but it had to be removed due to an infection.
My son, Robby, and I flew here after the Self Reliance Expo in North Carolina. We had to cancel out of the TMEN Expo in Pennsylvania next week and will instead fly back to Oregon Thursday. My apologies to those who had planned to come to the TMEN Expo to visit with us.
After suffering through several days of a withering headache brought on by surgery to the root of a tooth my dentist is trying to save, I finally gave in and asked him to prescribe a pain medication more powerful than Ibuprofen. It’s the second time I’ve had surgery on this tooth in the past year, and I hope this is the last. I have very sensitive teeth, am easily sidelined by pain, but need this remaining chopper or I have to start looking at fake teeth.
While I’m trying to tolerate this, I thought it would be a good idea to play golf to take my mind off the frayed edges of my nerves. But my left knee, which has needed replacing for a couple of years, flared up and nixed that idea. It is now trying to overtake the tooth for the pain gold medal. I limp as I walk. Is that sick, or what!
It’s a pain getting older. Older brother Hugh, who is currently coping with a knee-replacement-surgery-gone-bad ordeal, and I are testifying to that universal truth. It’s not that we have neglected our bodies. Just the opposite! We’ve spent a lifetime drinking the best Irish beer and Italian wine, exercising regularly, and reading the great poets. We’re just succumbing to the traps age has laid in our path.
I’m 68, Hugh 74. We’re fine examples of how to live your life. Enjoy every moment, be productive, always do the best you can. But you grow old! That’s just part of life!
But there’s more to this story. Right now I’m drinking a glass of good merlot. It It takes the edge off pain like nothing else can. I can relax for the first time in several days. The Romans understood this medicinal quality of wine. That’s why their civilization advanced to areas where they could go grapes.
