@Mik said: This is my favorite, and I've had Henkels, etc. I paid $16 for it in 2017 [image: 61EYcJmGtTL._AC_SL1000_.jpg] How do you keep it sharp?

I love higher order insects.

That's nice. They say it's a increasingly bad problem in the U.S., too. My intermediate goal is definitely to be alone. I know I'll need six months or longer to decompress and reorient myself. Then we'll see.

@Steve-Miller said: But the garage would be so worth it!

[image: 1773006974082-img_0970.jpeg]

Bless him. May he rest in peace. And all day I thought it was this damn time change. Huh.

Spring won't start until March 20th. Even now it's what I would consider early summer weather. 83° or 84° can easily end up being 86° or 87° inside. Nothing noteworthy here until Thursday when it will be 75° with heavy rain and moderate wind.

@Steve-Miller said: Have you visited that store, Al? Yes, I have. I was in Philadelphia on business once and finished in time to visit the store and meet Rich in person. A second visit was a piano party that he hosted there a number of years ago. Big Al

Even though the angles are set by the block, the angle is really determined by the steadyness of the hand. The other thing with rods is that they are good at maintaining an edge, but tend to introduce a wavy edge more than a flat over time. I didn't notice until I started using the rolling sharpener. One issue with the rolling ones I didn't think about was that many thinner knives won't stick up over the magnetic block without some fooling around. Not a dealbreaker, but something to work through. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJRF3S7T?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1 I went with a cheap one first to see if I liked it. The better ones offer the option to replace grits.

@wtg Oh my. What a disturbing story. Glad to see it’s working out for the kid.

I'd take one of the grand pianos. I'll have my private secretary call them Monday. Upright & grand pianos https://share.google/nUhoCgM4ODZUqqQuQ 🤪

Darn. I like his stuff less now that I know that.

Not exactly a bloom, but we emerged from winter this week and I found this little tree. Yikes! [image: IMG-5311.jpg] It’s a dwarf weeping Altas Cedar. It came through the winter of ‘24-‘25 just fine, but the cold snap this winter may have killed it. What? Don’t cedars grow in Alaska and stuff? Nursery guy says it’s probably fine - that it will drop the brown needles and grow new ones. Sure enough, the branches are still pliable so maybe there is hope.

I'll read this! I couldn't sleep, at all, last night. It was insomnia, not a disturbance in the neighborhood. (My neighbors on their best behavior). So, I took two naps today. I had to do it. But how will I get to sleep tonight? And then tomorrow we have that stupid time change, meaning it will be in effect tomorrow morning.

Where's the drummer emoticon when you need it?

Apple and justme were the two people who welcomed me to the old Coffee Room so many years ago. It's been quite a trip since then. Big Al