Sunday, July 19, 2026

Taylor farms and the shitsplosion panic of 2026.....

I'm sure my good readers have heard of the explosive projectile diarrhea illness spreading around the country. 7000 confirmed cases of truly impressive unauthorized colon purging. I understand it began in California where most disgusting sick things begin, but has spread nationwide.  The culprit seems to be 'Taylor Farms', the largest supplier of produce in the nation.  I behooves us to know who buys their product so we can avoid a few days playing rocket man.

From an AI query:

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Who does Taylor Farms supply?

Taylor Farms supplies a vast network of major **US supermarket chains**, **quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains**, and **institutional buyers**. The company is the world's largest salad and fresh-cut vegetable processor, distributing fresh-cut fruits and vegetables to nearly every major retail group in the United States.

**Retail and Grocery Chains**

Taylor Farms products are sold through major retailers including **Walmart**, **Target**, **Kroger**, **Aldi**, **Costco**, **Sam’s Club**, **Whole Foods Market**, **ShopRite**, **Wegmans**, **Lidl**, and **Amazon Fresh**. Their private-label produce often appears under store brands like Walmart’s **Marketside**.

**Restaurant and Foodservice Clients**

The company supplies fresh lettuce, salad kits, and other prepared foods to numerous fast-food and casual dining chains, such as:

*   **McDonald’s** (supplies slivered onions and salads)

*   **Taco Bell** (supplies shredded iceberg lettuce)

*   **Chipotle Mexican Grill**

*   **Subway**

*   **Wendy’s**

*   **Burger King**

*   **KFC**

*   **Pizza Hut**

*   **Olive Garden**

*   **Red Lobster**

*   **IHOP**

**Institutional Buyers**

Taylor Farms also distributes produce to **California school districts** through third-party partners like **Golden State Foods**.


Update on the maintenance insomnia and Trazodone thing...

Doc and I settled on 50mg of Trazodone to start off.  I tried 25mg, 50mg, and 100mg with and without adding in melatonin, then I reported out to the doc and we agreed on 50mg as needed. She's a REAT doc who listens.

What I'm experiencing now is probably what normal sleep is for most people.  When I sleep, I sleep well without gratuitous waking 20 times a night.  The 2am agitated wakeup every single night is a thing of the past.

What I'm noting is I sleep really well, but if I need to wake up I do.  Example, last night I woke at 1am with an angry gut. I know it came from my booze and food choices last night.  A bathroom run, some tums, and just laying there to let it pass, and I was back asleep at 3am till my regular 6am wake time.  I call that a good result.  It may look sad on the graph, but two weeks back that would have been miracle sleep.

So, 12mg melatonin and 50mg Trazodone (as needed) seems to my sleep time sweet spot.

One downside.  Getting real sleep, I'm in the best mood I've been in years.  The Wife is... concerned.

Mother of all meme dumps.

 























Saturday, July 18, 2026

7-18-26 Memeapalooza

 W:  316.0          BS: 150

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Recommendations: Desktop publishing software (able to incorporate images) that is NOT on-line. Works on a standalone computer not connected to the interwebs.

Any ideas? I used to enjoy Publisher for created stuff, but I want my material to be MY material.

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Friday, July 17, 2026

Next up on the cast iron conversion. (Updated!)

The Griswold fry skillet got one more polish, and a wash and oil coat.  It's out on the gas grill as I type this.  Next up on the agenda, a Lodge griddle.

Her loveliness gave me this some years back.  She did this because she loves me, and wants to make me smile.  She also did this because she's a hooker for pancakes.

I never got this one right. It's rough. I never got it seasoned right despite multiple attempts.  Mostly it just hangs on the pantry rack, used occasionally for grilled cheese maybe.

Today, after putting the skillet on the grill, I loaded the 80-grit and started on this thing.

Hory Cow Batman, this little beastie is rougher than my ex-wifes personality.  No wonder I made no progress trying to make it work.  This does not speak well for Lodges quality control.

After a couple 80-grit discs used up, I considered getting out the big gun.  My angle grinder.  For SURE that will remove material, and no doubt.  Still on the fence with that one.  The last thing I want is to install a big power tool gash on the surface.  No coming back from that.


(Update)


Here are the two pieces after polishing and three rounds of seasoning on the grill.  I like where this is heading, but not quite there yet.  The surface is smooth and slick, but the seasoning is light and not entirely uniform. I'm thinking a light scrub, and then back to seasoning for at least 3 or 4 more rounds.

A day in the hood...

 So far today at Castle Bovine Exhaust....


My lushest garden Evar.  A friend asked about it and I told her the two secrets. Lot's of rich aged mushroom soil compost. Like 50% of the garden soil is that black gold.  Add some wood ash and call it perfect.  The second secret, each part of the garden gets 30 minutes of light rain early every morning it's not already raining.  30 minutes on a timer so it's honest.  Not drenching, just a light rain or drizzle.  The ground stays moist on the hot days, but not soaked. The plants love it.


I think it's going to be a hella year for tomatoes.  Every plant is loaded with fruit.


Now, about that Canadian air pollution they are sending at us....  I really think we should fire up the military, spend 20 minutes conquering Canuckistan, and then put their damn fires out.  After that, give them back their socialist shithole and walk away.


The air (Code Purple?  WTF?) is thick and hazy.  It makes the eyes itch and burn a bit, and smells like burning Canuck sweat socks after losing a national hockey match.  Other than that, yuck.  I'm staying inside today.  Got the garden stuff done before 8am and the rest of the day can suit itself outside.


7-17-26

 W: 318.2            BS: 117

Today:  87 degrees and air thick with Canadian air pollution.  What the heck is a 'Code Purple' air alert?  Is Barney coming by?

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6 hours and 44 minutes sleep, and I feel rested.  What voodoo is this?

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Thursday, July 16, 2026

I wonder if it's like that?

Long long ago, in a previous lifetime, I had pennies to rub together.  Enough that when half-brother Wankerbrain asked to borrow $10K, I actually thought about it.  I turned for advice to the only person who could have an opinion...Mom.  She said he had always paid his debts and thought him good for it.  I honestly didn't even know him, but I trusted Mom so I made the loan.

Fast forward a few years and I get a phone call.  Wankerbrain's attorney called to tell me the twit was going bankrupt and I was on the list of creditors to get screwed.  Wankerbrain didn't call, his lawyer did.  The only time I heard from him after that was when Mom died and he kept calling and asking for a death certificate. I finally realized he had taken out life insurance on her.  Dick.

Moving on a decade or three, and the half-brother found my address somehow and e-mailed me from where he was hiding down in the Caribbean.  Wanted to know if we could reconnect.  I told him "I'm game. One thing though... first you return the money you stole from my family".

Never heard from him again.  Hope I never do.

I wonder if that is how Trump feels about those people 'Wanting to just move on' after all the evidence coming to light about the 2020 election fraud.   "Sure, we can get along just fine, but first return what you stole".





Weirdly satisfying

I've been meaning to give this a try for years, and suddenly there I wuz...

A $3 drill kit with an assortment of abrasives hit my door this morning.  When I finished my self-appointed chores, I allowed myself the surprising pleasure of.... polishing a cast iron pan.


5 grit changes and 20 very messy minutes later, I arrived at what I think might be a good finish. Not really mirror, but at least 10x smoother than it began.  It reflects so much light it seems to glow now.


I washed it, dried it well, and rubbed oil all over it.  I'm not seasoning today with the heat and humidity what it is.  Running the oven at 450-500 is contraindicated just now.  That means Herself would hit me.  Again.

I'm looking for a slick and non-stick surface once all is well and done.  Eventually I'll do all the cast iron except the Dutch oven.  I might have to put together a lye bath for the really ugly old pans to get the cooked on coating off.

We will see how this turns out!