Alligatorob's Diary

[alligatorob]

Today was a good day I ate well and feel good tonight. Spent the day finishing up the last still run. Ended up with almost 15 liters, but not all of that will be drinkable. Should get about 12 good liters. With the apricot and the first peach run I now have about 25 liters of firewater, as Cate calls it. Should be enough for a long time.

Yes that's a good point about the strength loss not being overall...just thought I'd throw it out there...but probably nothing so simple like that...

I appreciate your suggestion, and though it is a low probability thing I am going to ask about it. Simple would be great.

With the rest of your peaches are you able to freeze them or do you just share them out with neighbors? I still can't believe the abundance you have!

We do give a lot of them away, that's where most go. My wife does the freezing and other processing, but there is only so much frozen or canned peaches you can use... Lately she's been making peach leather, she cooks the peached down to a thick paste, spreads it on paper and puts them into a food dryer. Then she makes rolls of the leather. Those get frozen. I like the result. My job is fermenting or juicing. I may try juicing, but that's not a simple thing.

The farmer sells directly to higher end fruit stands, he picks them ripe and delivers right from the orchard to the fruit stand, people can buy tree ripened peaches just a few hours after picking. Result is he is very selective, doesn't take them too big or too small or if too ripe or not ripe. Result is he only takes about half the peaches... leaving us a lot.

Hope the good times keep rolling for you Rob!

Thanks Emily!

When you mentioned the Smothers Bros & I fell down the musical rabbit hole I have had this song in my head. Luckily I didn't watch this video though with all of the tight pants

Oh, the other My Old Man, LOL. Those pants do look tight...

 

[Llama]

Fruit leather would save a lot of space but it's also a LOT more calorie-dense as a result.

Fun song and interesting to see how different the physical ideal was at the time.

 

[liza3]

You and your wife sound like a really great team in getting all the peaches dealt with. Growing up we had a lot of fruit trees and I can remember the bit of overwhelm as everything needed to be dealt with!

 

[Cate]

My Mum used to have to deal with all of our excess fruit without Dad's help. She used to bottle it in an old-fashioned Vacola bottling unit. She did have 5 hungry kids to feed & we used to love stewed fruit. I still do. I'm very envious, Rob of all of your fresh fruit!
BTW. Bon Scott from AC/DC was in that film clip of the Valentines. He sang with them beforehand.

 

[Marsia]

I like your moonshine processing area. It reminds me of learning to pickle with my next door neighbor when I was little. I used to love making fruit leather and sending it in K's lunches. We made smoothies with the less pretty fruit and put fresh greens in the smoothies. I agree with Cate, an overabundance of peaches and nectarines sounds divine!

 

[alligatorob]

Yesterday was a good day, ate ok, exercised and I felt good. Don't pay too much attention to the dinner calories, ate out at a Mexican restaurant. I ordered a Topopo salad, which was good, but I also at plenty of chips and appetizer, to much a mix to try to estimate calories.

I spent over 4 hours in the gym total yesterday. Not planned, after finishing my morning workout the Tabata instructor talked me into coming back for more in the afternoon. They were doing a video and wanted to be sure the class was full. I think the video is for local advertisement.

Fruit leather would save a lot of space but it's also a LOT more calorie-dense as a result.

For sure, you take most of the water out. The rolls she makes are small, I am guessing equal to one peach.

Growing up we had a lot of fruit trees and I can remember the bit of overwhelm as everything needed to be dealt with!

Its a nice kind of overwhelmed though. Growing up the fruit I remember being most overwhelmed by was bananas. We'd get one or two bunches a year, problem is a bunch pretty much ripens simultaneously. Hard to do a lot with 50 lbs of ripe bananas... Citrus is a lot better you can leave the ripe ones on the tree for weeks or months before picking and still good.

My Mum used to have to deal with all of our excess fruit without Dad's help. She used to bottle it in an old-fashioned Vacola bottling unit. She did have 5 hungry kids to feed & we used to love stewed fruit.

Sounds like a nice memory!

I like your moonshine processing area. It reminds me of learning to pickle with my next door neighbor when I was little.

The fermentation is similar. I have pickled a few veggies from the garden. But it was a lot of trouble and we didn't end up eating them much. The most over ripe peaches you can get make the best leather. Same is true for fermenting.

 

[Llama]

We'd make jam, can, freeze, and sometimes juice or wine. I loved the bubbling of the giant wine bottles and the scent of them and I enjoyed licking the still-warm jam remnants out of the pan but otherwise the frozen and canned (why's is still called canning in English when you use glass jars?!) stuff was by far the best.

 

[Marsia]

why's is still called canning in English when you use glass jars?!

Because "jarring" means clashing or disagreeing and so jarring jam would mean discordantly squashed into a little space or delicious peach spread! Our language is such a mutt of different discordant things mashed together!

 

[liza3]

ts a nice kind of overwhelmed though.

That's true--nice to have an overabundance of fruit rather than no fruit! Especially when you guys are so good at all different methods of preserving it!

 

[alligatorob]

Today was a good day, ate fairly well, exercised and I feel good tonight. The camera folks were back, filming our cycling class this morning.

We'd make jam, can, freeze, and sometimes juice or wine. I loved the bubbling of the giant wine bottles and the scent of them and I enjoyed licking the still-warm jam remnants out of the pan but otherwise the frozen and canned (why's is still called canning in English when you use glass jars?!) stuff was by far the best.

I like the smell of fermenting wine as well. I think I will try a batch of wine this week.

Good thing we have Marsia, I had no idea why its called canning.

Our language is such a mutt of different discordant things mashed together!

For sure, but aren't most languages? Not that I'd know, regrettably I only really speak one, English.

That's true--nice to have an overabundance of fruit rather than no fruit! Especially when you guys are so good at all different methods of preserving it!

Thanks Liza, and you are right. I do what I can, always feel bad when some of the peaches go to waste...

 

[Llama]

jarring jam would mean discordantly squashed into a little space or delicious peach spread!

It was mostly a rhetorical question but since you answered it anyway I went and looked it up (because there are plenty of words with multiple meanings) and funnily enough jarring in the sense of preserving in glass jars actually does exist. (And the Wiki example used was precisely that of peach jam!) I'm sure you're right that the double meaning is why it isn't used much though.

 

[Marsia]

I think the question about English being more of a miss-mash than many other languages is a good Llama question. I only know a smattering of Spanish, Italian, French, Japanese, and Korean and all those seem to have spellings that are internally cohesive. You don't have to know which previous language pattern the word came from to spell it correctly, so I am guessing that English is more of a miss-mash, but maybe not! That's so funny that Wikipedia has the same example as I used. I was just pretending to know what I was talking about!

Rob, do you find yourself cycling harder or anything with the cameras potentially on you? Are you going to check to see if you get in the final advertising material? That would be fun to see yourself on an ad for your gym!

 

[Llama]

Not an expert whatsoever but always happy to bloviate about language based on personal experience and hunches

Most languages have a reasonably strict relationship between spelling and pronunciation and on top of that they adapt the spelling and/or pronunciation of loan words over time, leading to a more cohesive whole. English does so... some of the time? British English tends to keep(-ish) the original spelling and adapt the original pronunciation somewhat (more so the longer ago they adopted the word, which leads to us sometimes not knowing what exactly the original "foreign" pronunciation used to sound like) while US English tends to deviate a lot with both. In part because most US folks speak one language so they don't know (or care) what the original might've sounded like. Countries like Australia and Canada tend to mostly stick to British spelling (I think?) but their pronunciation is their own. Sometimes very much so.

I think the biggest difference between English and most other languages is that it's spoken in so many different countries and there isn't one "main" or correct version. Swiss and Austrian German deviate quite a bit from German German (which in itself has huge regional variations) but GG is generally seen as the norm, at least these days.

Which brings me to another point: many European languages didn't have official spelling until people started translating the Bible into their own languages. Whatever spelling the translators happened to use tended to win out.

Official pronunciation? That's way newer still. Proper pronunciation was whatever the upper class happened to use. the Viennese accent, which sounds decidedly lower-class these days, used to be the language of emperors. Iirc Charles the fifth was made fun of by the nobility because he grew up far from the central seat of government of the time and he spoke only French and Flemish at first. (He later learned German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, but Latin always remained a struggle.) Lower class folks just used whatever was normal in their village. That really didn't change until radio arrived and even then it was a slow process.
When I brought my first boyfriend to visit my grandparents I had to translate between them because even both sides trying their best to speak properly were unintelligible to each other. And they only lived 100 or so km apart.

Edited to add: I realize I didn't even answer the question Yes, all languages are a mish-mash and subject to change over time. Some try to stem the tide (the French used to be notorious for this) but in the end they never succeed. These days English is the popular language to borrow from. Before it was French, and Latin and Greek before that. See the hypothetical proto-Indo-European language if you go back far enough. We don't know what came before that, but I'm sure whatever it was, was also a mish-mash.

 

[Marsia]

Llama, I love your answer so much! I'm glad you went off on a tangent - it's really interesting! We learned Latin last year, and it was really satisfying learning the meanings of Latin words and where they came from and how they influenced English. It was really good using a book for homeschoolers though (which came with a way to download sound files so we can speak a little rudimentary classical Latin now!), as when we tried to use more complex texts, Latin got so complex so fast! I really admire people who can speak more than tourist-speak in a language and can navigate the complexities of real day to day speech!

Anyway, Rob, hope you find nice ways of using up the peaches. I used to have so many left over apples, and I felt bad, but some always either made it into the compost or I saved them and put them on the deer path for the deer in the winter.

 

[alligatorob]

Yesterday was a good day, ate well, exercised and felt good last night. I picked about 80 pounds of peaches and started a first batch of peach wine, could not get all of it into the fermenter so had to freeze about 10 pounds. This ought to make 24 liters of wine, or so.

The physical therapist measured my shoulder strength yesterday and it's a little stronger than 2 weeks ago. Not a lot, and no where near what it was, but stronger is better than weaker. I think the pain is continuing to diminish, but everyone says the weakness is a bigger problem. I have one more measurement, next week, and then meet with the doctor to discuss surgery... Not looking forward to this.

Rob, do you find yourself cycling harder or anything with the cameras potentially on you? Are you going to check to see if you get in the final advertising material? That would be fun to see yourself on an ad for your gym!

No, but I did try to straighten up my posture a bit. It would be nice to see the final product, but it would mean going to the movie theater, not my idea of fun. There is only one left in town, a big one and its walking distance from the house, so maybe... The grandkids go there a lot so maybe I'll hear from them.

I used to have so many left over apples, and I felt bad, but some always either made it into the compost or I saved them and put them on the deer path for the deer in the winter.

We have apples too, but only one old tree. However it is amazing how much one apple tree can produce. Saving them for the deer is more practical, apples last a lot longer than peaches. Here the deer mostly come in winter, when snow drives them off the mountain. By then the peaches are long gone, but they are good at finding the fallen apples.

Official pronunciation? That's way newer still. Proper pronunciation was whatever the upper class happened to use. the Viennese accent, which sounds decidedly lower-class these days, used to be the language of emperors. Iirc Charles the fifth was made fun of by the nobility because he grew up far from the central seat of government of the time and he spoke only French and Flemish at first. (He later learned German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, but Latin always remained a struggle.) Lower class folks just used whatever was normal in their village. That really didn't change until radio arrived and even then it was a slow process.

It would help if we at least had some consistent spelling in English. But no one seems to be in charge... so its not likely to happen. Ghoti, pronounced the same as Fish, is one of my favorites, gh, as in enough; o, as in women; and
ti, as in nation.

When I brought my first boyfriend to visit my grandparents I had to translate between them because even both sides trying their best to speak properly were unintelligible to each other. And they only lived 100 or so km apart.

It is impressive how many dialects and languages were and to some extent still are found in Europe. We have a few accent differences, but for the most part throughout the US and Canada, larger than Europe, we speak a very similar English. I believe the European example is more natural. Thousands of years ago I suspect language varied a lot from village to village. As you pointed out English is becoming our lingua franca, apologies to the French. English is a Germanic language, just like yours. However it is long removed from your German.

Llama, I love your answer so much! I'm glad you went off on a tangent - it's really interesting! We learned Latin last year, and it was really satisfying learning the meanings of Latin words and where they came from and how they influenced English. It was really good using a book for homeschoolers though (which came with a way to download sound files so we can speak a little rudimentary classical Latin now!), as when we tried to use more complex texts, Latin got so complex so fast! I really admire people who can speak more than tourist-speak in a language and can navigate the complexities of real day to day speech!

I agree, it is a very interesting topic. I like talking about it, or perhaps bloviating as Llama says... My level of expertise on the subject could not be much lower.

 

[Marsia]

Wow, I really hope you can get more strength back in your shoulder and avoid the surgery. So sorry you are going through all that. That's fun you grandkids may see you in a commercial. I remember how excited we were as kids when we knew someone in the news and things like that. You're going to have to throw a party with all the wine and hard liquor you're making! I think I could have given my left over apples to a food bank. I guess if I hadn't had appreciative deer, I would have figured that out better.

Language is so weird. I remember learning in grade school that Americans purposely spelled common words differently than the British spelling just to be different and rebellious. So when people were in charge of the language, they messed with things randomly! I always like reading those articles by Websters and other dictionary companies which talk about what words were added to the dictionary this edition and why. I often wonder what anthropologists and linguists will think of this era in the far future. I will bloviate no further on the topic, as I have no idea about any of this either!

 

[Emilyrose]

Great news on the shoulder strength improving. I hope the consultation with the doctor goes well.

Peach leather is a new one for me. I thought your wife was making you some new pants!

 

[Cate]

I hope the grandkids do get to see you in a commercial, Rob. That would be fun. G's brother is in a government ad to do with prescriptions & he plays the role of an old confused pensioner. He does it well! We don't see Tassie ads as our TV reception comes from the far north of Australia via satellite but I saw it via a link online.
It sounds promising that your shoulder is a bit stronger

 

[alligatorob]

Today was a good day, ate well, exercised and I feel good tonight. Did some yardwork and got the peach wine batch fermenting... I think nothing yet but by morning it should be active.

Wow, I really hope you can get more strength back in your shoulder and avoid the surgery. So sorry you are going through all that.

Thanks, I am hoping so too, but am not sure it will happen. We'll see.

That's fun you grandkids may see you in a commercial. I remember how excited we were as kids when we knew someone in the news and things like that.

It would be fun. I was actually on TV once, in Geneva, unexpected. At the time I was working on a project in Geneva and flew there a lot, usually on an Austrian air flight from Geneva to Washington Dulles. The airline decided to drop the flight and I was at the Geneva airport taking one of the last flights. A local TV reporter was looking for someone who flew on it regularly to ask what the impact would be. I was the only one in the area so I got interviewed. A number of my Geneva based work colleagues saw me, they were quite surprised. I heard about it, but never saw it.

Great news on the shoulder strength improving. I hope the consultation with the doctor goes well.

Me too, but realistically I am not sure my strength gain is much...

Peach leather is a new one for me. I thought your wife was making you some new pants!

Taste better than Levis.

G's brother is in a government ad to do with prescriptions & he plays the role of an old confused pensioner.

I suspect I could play that role pretty well also, would not take a lot of acting...

Language is so weird... I will bloviate no further on the topic, as I have no idea about any of this either!

Come on, it's interesting and I find the bloviation fun. Thanks to @Llama for that word!

See the hypothetical proto-Indo-European language if you go back far enough. We don't know what came before that, but I'm sure whatever it was, was also a mish-mash.

I've always wondered how that worked, could the ancestors of the many and widespread people today really have spoken on language? Seems hard to believe. Maybe its more the pattern of word and phrase exchange or something. Interesting to ponder.

 

[Marsia]

It would be fun. I was actually on TV once, in Geneva, unexpected. At the time I was working on a project in Geneva and flew there a lot, usually on an Austrian air flight from Geneva to Washington Dulles. The airline decided to drop the flight and I was at the Geneva airport taking one of the last flights. A local TV reporter was looking for someone who flew on it regularly to ask what the impact would be. I was the only one in the area so I got interviewed. A number of my Geneva based work colleagues saw me, they were quite surprised. I heard about it, but never saw it.

Wow, what kind of work were you doing in Geneva? Too bad you didn't get to see your interview! I really like the word bloviate. Thanks Llama! Yardwork and fermenting both sound very satisfying. Glad you had a good day!