On February 15 2015 I posted “a View From The Farm” on SST explaining that I had just moved to the country from the city and opining about what I saw happening to American foreign policy at the time. This is an update, I would have posted more earlier except for one reason I will explain later.
But first, the farm. Since this is the Third country place I’ve owned and I’m getting older; I subscribe to the dictum “”If there is a power tool for the job, then buy one”. First purchase was a little Kubota diesel tractor with digger and loader attachments. This is a perfect choice for me, everything is balanced and works nicely. I then found out why – it’s optimized for cemetery work – digging and filling graves. That was followed by ride on mower, a new chainsaw and unpacking all my tools, my friends, that had remained in storage for about Ten years..
So armed, I commenced the task of, as I thought. “tidying a few things up”. This has, naturally, involved considerable expense. In order to keep my partner happy and productive, this has so far included: replacing the less than tasteful blue vinyl kitchen benchtops with solid timber along with the stove, sink, dishwasher, wood heater and hot water system. After that I’ve added solar hot water and a nine kilowatt solar electricity system.
In the garden. I removed Nine Cyprus pines that in my opinion had been strategically placed to incinerate the house in the event of a bushfire. We then started on cleaning up the pool and tennis court and began to construct a vegetable garden, about the same size as the tennis court, with raised beds and suitable fencing to keep out the kangaroos and wombats. We have some help in all of this from the Three sons and daughters in law we have between us and we have Four spare bedrooms just in case.
Ah yes! The wild life. We decided not to buy cattle last Spring as they were expensive and we had a very dry season with not much feed. However we are home to a permanent group of about Twenty Eastern Gray Kangaroos on our place although numbers fluctuate. I can see them grazing as I write this. Then there are the wombats who are inoffensive – provided they don’t decide to dig under your house. They are stubborn animals. Then there are Red, Fallow and Sambur deer who visit us in groups of around Five to Ten most mornings. As for the birds that visit our bird table; Cockatoos, Magpies, Rosellas and my especial favorite the King Parrots some of which I can feed by hand.
All in all a desirable location and retreat. We have a snow fed river on our boundary, so we have pumping rights for our gardens. That has proved vital because we had a very dry spring and all our new garden plantings were at risk. We have great neighbors. We help each other and enjoy their company, well almost all of them. We have one “miss crabby face” schoolteacher near us who complains to the council about all of us at the slightest opportunity, my turn came one Saturday when I was zeroing the .308 and the .223 and she called the police telling them I was massacring wombats!
However so much for domestic bliss.
Then on 24th February 2016 my partner was diagnosed with breast cancer. Quite advanced, but hopefully successfully treatable. Some SST members may remember my late partner died of cancer so I have some skills, I hope, in supporting her through the treatment and surgery that lies ahead of us. One comfort is that the pair of us are covered by platinum level medical insurance for the princely sum of about Six thousand dollars a year, and my partner and I are both satisfied that she is getting the best care from a top flight team of surgeons and oncologists in a perfect setting. Our friends and neighbors are supportive.
. “If you want God to laugh, tell him your plans” is the Jewish saying. so now everything is on hold and we live one day at a time. This years trip to Europe, already booked, is cancelled. I guess it just goes to show that at our age we need to be conscious that one day all this merriment is going to end. Hopefully for SST members and our leader Col. Lang, not before we see some resolution to the mess that is American middle east policy. My personal hope is that Donald Trump becomes President and uses his undoubted business skills to clean out the Washington stables. I guess to make a positive observation, things are so bad in foreign and domestic policy these days that there are many and obvious areas for improvement in the economy and society generally if only the legions of politically correct commissars can be ejected from their cosy positions.
Sir,
I pray your partner makes a swift recovery.
This unfilial son has a 68-yr. old mother who is suffering from glaucoma but he ain’t much help.
Best wishes for a reasonably good passage through this traumatic experience, and a safe arrival at the end of it.
walrus
We are your kin now and will do all we might do. pl
Walrus,
You will both be in my prayers. Your little piece of paradise should prove most therapeutic. In fact, my wife is jealous of your wombats.
Walrus,
Wishing a speedy recovery for your partner.
David
Walrus,
I am glad your partner has you. My husband Rob was there for me, through all my treatments, sixteen years ago. Tell her from me that now there usually is “life after cancer” and not to give up hope.
With best wishes to you both,
Sherry
Walrus, Wishing you both peace & good health.
Best wishes for you both, Walrus. I hope we in Committe can make thr burden of your journey a little lighter.
Lovely to see you make a post, it has been a while and you have been missed. I am very sorry to hear of the cancer and please let here know she has many friends she was unaware of and who wish her well.
Jonathan.
Walrus,
Best wishes to you and your partner at this very trying time.
I think I will hardly alone in having regretted that you had not been commenting more recently; and I also particularly liked ‘if only the legions of politically correct commissars can be ejected from their cosy positions.’
Who knows, it could even happen.
Best wishes to you and your wife, and for her speedy cure and recovery.
Thanks Walrus for this excellent post. And as a prostate cancer survivor hoping for the best for your partner. IMO, however, D.T. is a proto-facist who cannot and will not ever be explaining his decisions. HRC tries to but mostly fails. Sir Robert Menzies of Australia was a visiting fellow at U.VA. Law School and spent a year there. The best of the best of the kind of politicians that democracies occasionaly produce. IMO of course.
How is Sir Robert viewed Down-under?
Walrus,
Best wishes to you and your partner.
My whole heart goes out to your wife and to you. I pray that she is completely cured.
Your piece reminded me of the early Hemingway in its evocative details.
All the best,
Richard Sale
All the best for the speedy recovery of your partner. My mother is a cancer survivor and while the surgery and treatment sapped her confidence she is now hale and hearty well into her 90s.
All the best Walrus, to you and to your beloveds. Looking forward to your insightful comments in the future. I share all the sentiments and feelings stated above.
God bless y’all.
My thoughts are with you and your partner – hope all ends quite well.
Your “farm” sounds like a dream come true.
I have also been missing your comments and have gone back a few times to several during Obama’s first presidential campaign where you “nailed” his persona.
Best wishes..
Walrus:
I hope she makes a full and speedy recovery and a return to normalcy.
WRC,
Explain what the hell a “proto-fascist” is. You sound like an SJW right now.
Hope it works out the best it can, Walrus.
Walrus,
Bless your wife and you and may her recovery be speedy and complete.
Best wishes and prayers for both of you.
Mr. Sale,
You are mistaken, sir.
I have (unfortunately) yet to marry.
It’s my mother I’m talking about – it’s yours truly lacking piety.
PostScript: P’raps your message was meant for “Walrus” instead?
What in blazes is an “sjw”?
I agree with you ’bout the ‘rapefugees’ tho.
(Dumbass European ‘liberals’ with their crackpot notions about ‘multiculturalism’…)
Wiki Extract:
Fascists believe that liberal democracy is obsolete, and they regard the complete mobilization of society under a totalitarian one-party state as necessary to prepare a nation for armed conflict and to respond effectively to economic difficulties. Such a state is led by a strong leader—such as a dictator and a martial government composed of the members of the governing fascist party—to forge national unity and maintain a stable and orderly society. Fascism rejects assertions that violence is automatically negative in nature, and views political violence, war, and imperialism as means that can achieve national rejuvenation. Fascists advocate a mixed economy, with the principal goal of achieving autarky through protectionist and interventionist economic policies
Father’s words: “Enjoy every day.” Sounds like you know. May your wife get well.
Proto meaning primitive or original this this instance.
What can I say to someone in your position? Good luck! You need it more than I do.
You’ve done all the right things… really hope it works out.
Amen to that. Anyone but Hillary.
YT
Social Justice Warrior. pl
Merci beaucoup, M. Col.
Here they are:
http://sjwlist.com/Main_Page
My thanks.
I’m sorry to hear about your partner’s illness, Walrus. I wish you both the best of luck.
Walrus,
Best wishes and a speedy recovery for your partner. I hope you both can enjoy the bit of agrarian heaven you are making. Useful place if SHTF.
Ishmael Zechariah