Forecast calls for another great day just like yesterday. It started at 68F and got into the high 90s, and then below 70F again at night. It was sunny and clear with the most cloudless sky I’ve seen in a long time. I’m hoping for today to be the same, if maybe a little bit cooler. Then I can really get some work done!
I did get some stuff done, although I didn’t start the day with pressure washing in mind. I started attacking a pile in the driveway so I could get to part of the house and spray for insects. Dead leaves, damp earth, and darkness do provide habitat for the local fauna… had to relocate two toads and a pair of earthworms. Once I had the stuff out of the way and saw the filth, I had to do some additional cleanup. And when it got hot, I decided to keep cleaning. As a plus, the area I started with will need to be clear when the plumber puts in the whole house instant hot water heater, if we can find anyone to do the work. At least I have a jump on that.
I’ll have to get stuff rearranged and put back today, ahead of any rain in next week’s forecast. It won’t hurt to find some more stuff for auction either.
All the stuff under tarps and plastic sheet needs new protective sheet. The sun breaks down all the plastics these days. Save the oceans I guess. I found one bucket, two translucent gallon jugs, some poly rope, and the plastic sheet were all either brittle or turning to dust. If you leave it in the sun, it will be destroyed. If you need it, you better have some put away for later.
Buckets, jugs, rope, plastic sheet and tarps, these are prepper staples. It might be a good idea, if your planning horizon is long, to have some that AREN’T plastic. The poly sheeting might be hard to substitute, but the other stuff has good material choices available. Canvas or nylon fabric might substitute. Cloth painter’s drop cloths are very sturdy. The stuff they make billboards out of is available as surplus online from billboard companies. It’s very durable and designed to resist the sun. It might be that a return to old materials like tar paper is called for. It’s certainly cheap enough to have a couple of rolls stuffed in an attic space or between ceiling joists.
If I had the room, I’d put a pallet of 3/4″ plywood, a pallet of 8ft 2x4s, and a couple hundred square feet of roofing shingles in a barn… Add a couple of boxes of appropriate fasteners too. If I lived on that sort of a property, a few rolls of chicken wire fencing would probably already be in the pile. Some stone, chicken wire, and actual pallets and you could improvise Hesco barriers. I’ve seen pics of small scale versions of the Hesco barrier used to define seating areas at a restaurant, and I’ve seen stone delivered to the jobsite packaged that way. Improvised bastions, delivered to your door! Of course, that’s something you are more likely to see in prepper fiction than real life.
One of the things you might be called upon to provide for yourself is shelter, and having the stuff to maintain your current situation is a good thing. It might also mean you can build small animal cages, window covers, or other useful things around your home.
Think about long term and worst case. Even if after considering it, you decide it’s not something you are worried about at this point, the exercise of ‘wargaming’ it will be good for you.
There are more things you can do when you have the supplies, than you can do without them. Stack up what you might need.
nick
What did I do to prepare today? I made sure that a young man at the beginning of his career as forester got a decent scoped rifle. I had and have wonderful mentors, and this was a little way to pay it forward, while keeping potential friends and allies armed and friendly…
RickH, thanks for all your work on the new look. I haven’t looked on the desktop yet, but it’s looking good on Chrome on Android. Thanks for getting text to the left margin. One tiny wish… could you perhaps increase the spacing between lines a hair?
I am about over this knee replacement surgery stuff. I still have pain/discomfort most of the time. I have been informed that it will last three to six months. I am barely over the two month mark. OTC pain relievers don’t work. At least Nyquil puts me to sleep for a few hours at night but I don’t like the feeling when I wake up. Maybe I should get a fifth of Jack Daniels which might have the same effect and certainly taste better. Probably cheaper.
I have also been informed that I need the other knee done in a couple of years, maybe sooner. The thought of going through this again makes amputation a viable consideration. 🙂
And in other news. Today is my last day doing the broadcast for the church. They still do not have a replacement, not my problem. I am out of town next weekend and will visit other churches over the course of October. Just to stay away.
I informed the church of this issue nine months ago. Leadership always had other priorities. Maybe thought it would never happen where I would leave. With the recent knee surgery, the wife’s heart attack, I have decided my time left is my time, not anyone else’s time. I will no longer be tied to a schedule involving the church.
Some stone, chicken wire, and actual pallets and you could improvise Hesco barriers.
At the last job, at the test site out in Taylor, we had movable plastic construction barriers protecting the small buildings and trailer holding the equipment.
Empty, the barriers are easy for two men to move and hook together with steel poles.
Filled with water, the barriers don’t move. I saw them stop a big UHaul truck moving at 90 MPH that did a lane change too fast.
I assume the plastic is UV resistant. In two years, I never saw the company replace a barrier.
If the site is idle, the company moves a couple of barriers to block off access to the site from the public road going by the property’s entrance, and you can get a good look from the right-of-way.
Justin Lane. South end. Taylor, Texas.
Good for you, Ray. In my case, the church changed pastors, and did not want to continue with video. Saved me the trouble. All good things come to an end.
Sorry about your knees. I had a (now deceased) sister in law who had bunion reconstructive surgery on both feet at the same time, against her doc’s advice. She was strong willed, and said it was such an adventure that she would definitely not have done the second one after the first. Lots of pain that only responded to strong narcotics. She said she lost several months of her life to it, but the outcome was worth it.
I can only imagine something as major as a knee. I would also bet your medical team still tells you you are doing fine. Imagine those who are not doing fine. Sometimes that is the only consolation we have.
But, but, but, the Sun can’t do that! Only Man can cause global warming!
Hang in there, Mr. Ray. My late Mom had both knees done. Then redone when both knees failed. It took a year after the second replacement for the pain to stop. Here’s hoping in a couple of months the pain recedes to the point you don’t notice.
@Ray Thompson
If your medial team has not included a specialist in pain management, see if you can get a referral.
Sounds like a good plan to be away from the church for s while so they can work out their video problems.
Most plastics deteriorate because uv in sunlight breaks chemical bonds. Protection can be provided by chemical additives. Such are expensive and so only the minimal protection is added for the application. When it’s used up, the damage starts.
Some pigments provide uv protection. Carbon black is the common one for plastics. Again, damage accumulates over time. The thinner the plastic the faster the damage—a molded article last longer than a film/sheet.
Plastics that are naturally more uv resistant are more expensive.
The best way to protect plastics outdoors is to shade then. One methods is to use cheap sheeting which can be replaced as it crumbles.
If your medial team has not included a specialist in pain management, see if you can get a referral.
VA. The surgeon is going to dump all of the followup on the GP.
The problem isn’t that VA doctors are bad, just extremely lazy. The specialists spent most of the pandemic sitting idle or “working from home” while still collecting checks.
A gem of the plugs administration:
‘DISGRACEFUL admission’: Mayorkas’ explanation for why the Biden admin opposes the wall is absolute BULLSH*T (watch)
Illegal crossing is a tradition? This guy must buy his meth from the Haitians crossing.
Speaking of turd world citizens, I read plugs is sending 1,000’s of Haitians to San Antonio. Maybe they can set up tents on all those McMansion lawns in The Dominion. I’m sure all the ProgLibTurds there will embrace them.
Speaking of turd world citizens, I read plugs is sending 1,000’s of Haitians to San Antonio. Maybe they can set up tents on all those McMansion lawns in The Dominion. I’m sure all the ProgLibTurds there will embrace them.
Send them up here to Austin. They can camp in The Domain, the Progs’ simulation of Downtown San Francicso/Seattle … except with less feces.
Various news outlets are reporting the camps as being empty. They went somewhere.
Up and moving. I’m just not getting enough sleep during the week.
It is a beautiful day. 83F at the moment, but rising.
I dont’ remember how long my knees hurt when I did them, but I didn’t need the total knee, just cartilage removal. If you Dr says you are still responding on the normal timeline, you’ve just got to hang in there. Try different pain meds as you may respond differently.
There is the possibility that there is something gone wrong that is causing the pain. My wife’s uncle had a staph infection in his knee following his surgery. You need your DR to consider that there might be something wrong and to actually LOOK. They might be dismissing your reports of pain as drug seeking behaviour. Make it clear it’s not.
WRT your church, you did more than your share. Time to put down that burden, especially since it has become a burden.
IDK when I first came across this story, some time in 2008 I think, since I remember sitting at this desk reading it. Personally, I found it focused the mind marvelously, although I didn’t actually buy the marbles. I got distracted and forgot for a while. Thanks for the reminder.
http://www.yorku.ca/mmosher/1000_marbles.htm
FWIW, I’ve got about 1500 marbles left, if I follow dad’s footsteps. 1000 if I’m only average.
Time to make the kids some waffles.
nick
The Locust Class’s latest tool to “compete” in the housing market. I hear more annectdotal stories lately about all cash offers buying houses around my neighborhood.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90626724/this-startup-helps-homebuyers-make-all-cash-offers-when-they-dont-have-enough-money-in-the-bank
Not likely. That place has armed security. The irony, since people like super-brainwashed-lib Spurs coach Gregg Popovich live there.
Rick, I appreciate the work and the updated look!
@greg, there is a company selling those water filled jersey barriers for only $375 each on sale!
Quick Facts:
In event management, we typically don’t fill them so that they are easier to move. They work just fine as directionals when empty. We’ve used them as ballast to hold down tents in high wind instead of water barrels when filled with water.
In a ballistic situation, they are concealment, not cover. They will not soak up damage, but they will certainly soak you 😉
n
Interesting article on what happens behind the scene at Goodwill.
@Nick, I’ve been meaning to ask
1. On average, what’s the best time of day to score at Goodwill?
2. Best day of the week?
3. Any seasonal variations? 3-day weekends?
@~jim, I haven’t found any particular time to be better than others. I find plenty that other people have missed no matter what. That said, you want the most stuff available to look at.
At the ‘bins’ or the outlet store, I think mid morning or mid afternoon is better as most of the bins are full, or have been refilled. Ideally you want “fresh” merch. There are youtubers who insist on being there right at open, but I don’t see the point. Why fight with all those people? The key is to be looking for stuff they aren’t.
They buy nike shirts, I’m buying Columbia, REI, PFG, Orvis – especially orvis, or the original vintage outfitters like eddie bauer. They buy sports branded sneakers or basketball shoes, I’m looking for men’s dress shoes, Allen Edmonds, Alden, vintage Florscheim.
I’m looking in the bottom of the toy bins for loose lego, weapons and accessories, vintage action figures, they’re buying plush.
They are quick scanning jewelry for gold or silver, I’m looking for vintage bakelite bracelets and turquoise.
They buy CAT work boots, I’m buying Frye, Red Wing, Danner, Chippewa, and vintage brands.
They’re buying plastic cowboy boots, I’m buying Tony Lama, Lucchese, or any exotic leather.
They skip the jackets and rainwear because it’s hot out, I’m buying technical outerwear from Norway, Sweden, and US outfitters.
They buy (or rather DON’T buy) duffel bags, I buy Eagle Creek, Eddie Bauer, anything with YYK zippers…
I also look for euro brands, bosch, miele, mammut, b & o.
Just lately I’m grabbing small appliances, either to sell whole or part out. That Kuerig has a lot of fast selling parts…. so do all the Shark, Dyson, Kirby, Kenmore, and other name brand vacuum cleaners. The power heads, hose assemblies, dust cannisters, and accessories are all worth good money.
The book flippers scan and only want new looking, with jackets. I look for OLD, no UPC, no jacket, first edition, unusual subject or recognizable title. (and FAR TOO MANY kids books for the brats 🙂 ) Manga, comics, and sets will get a second look from me too.
I’ll always look at LP records. I’m looking for unusual artists or subjects, old blues or R&B, sometimes jazz, anything foreign or import only. I want hand drawn cover art, no UPC code, and ideally not an artist I recognize. Most LPs are worth a couple bucks, but some are worth hundreds. There are a bunch in the $7- 15 range though.
The key is to have more knowledge than the next guy, to spot the diamond in the muck. Sometimes it’s taking a chance, but the cost is generally low. I’m still working thru the 12 pounds of jewelry I bought a couple weeks ago…. that was $16 risked. All I have to do is find 36 pieces worth a dollar and I’m even. The treasure hunt is worth that much!
Also, it’s worth concentrating on a couple of things you like. Vintage toys come to mind. It’s why I don’t look at lady’s shoes. No interest, no knowledge. There is always a learning curve for anything new that I try to buy.
If you have time, it’s a great way to make some side money.
n
Another thing to consider if you are at all crafty, buying at the bins or thrifts for MATERIALS to use for something else.
The bins are full of curtains for example, (which you could use as curtains) or you can think of them as big pieces of (usually) very nice cloth. If you’ve priced upholstery fabric, or any fabric for that matter, it’s crazy expensive. My bins will often have bolts or rolls of fabric too. Vintage fabrics, especially ones that are obviously so (space age, atomic age, MCM) are in demand and get good money.
I’ve bought so much leather for craft and art projects as clothing at thrift stores and the bins. A leather overcoat is pretty much a lifetime supply! Heavy leather bags, solid leather belts, suede vests or pants or jackets, all are sitting in my leather crafts bin.
Old board games get new life thru crafting too. I have an idea I’ll make a Scrabble board with all vacation themed words, frame it, and gift my sibling for the beach house. Other people make tables out of the old game boards. There is a brisk but probably not too lucrative market for game pieces on ebay… I always pick up loose dice, especially specials.
Stacks of vintage books get turned into lamps.
Heck, there are plenty of old lamps to be refurb’d and sold. I’ve picked up a couple that have to be 100 years old. I find solid brass and marble lamps all the time. People have no idea the difference between a Pier One resin lamp and a 75yo brass one.
There is a whole subculture on youtube that upcycles thrift store furniture. Some of them are REALLY good. Some are not.
I think, and I tell anyone I think will benefit, that there is money EVERYWHERE. You just have to know what you are seeing, and be willing to do something about it.
With a little effort, you can make far more than minimum wage for part time work, and enjoy the hunt. Occasionally there is a big score waiting, but you won’t find it if you aren’t out looking.
n
(I see a couple of groups of what looks like high school kids at my ‘bins’ in the late afternoon. They buy mostly clothing. I also see the same solo women most times I go. One older lady just buys antique stuff, mainly smalls. She says she’s selling and making money like crazy. She’s VERY animated when talking about it. There are other generalists like me, but I’d say most of the thrifters and resellers have a solid niche they work in. It does help limit what you’re buying.)
Stacks of vintage books get turned into lamps.
Heck, there are plenty of old lamps to be refurb’d and sold.
–to expand on this, with an example…
At my outlet, books are 3/$1 or 50c each. Doesn’t matter the size…. and most of the book buyers are not looking for big old books. Buy 6 interesting looking big old books, buy a lamp to cannibalize for $5, put them together as a stack of books lamp, and put it on Etsy for $50. I figure about an hour’s work.
$30 profit!
The numbers might not be exact, but if you enjoy the work, it beats fast food cashier and doesn’t really require much artistic ability, skill, or knowledge.
n
@greg, there is a company selling those water filled jersey barriers for only $375 each on sale!
To be effective, you need the steel poles that connect the barriers together.
I saw the system stop a UHaul moving at 90 MPH side swiping the barricades, but one of the steel poles impaled the truck through the passenger side of the cab. The vehicle was probably a total loss, but who knows.
Both thumbs up to everything Nick is saying about thrifting. He’s giving a college course in a nutshell that can enable anyone to make a living with it. My single addition to his advice is to be repetitive. That is how it really pays off, when you just go out every single week – whatever day/time works for you. The weeks you don’t find anything are when you pay your dues for the weeks when you strike gold.
And, by thrifting/garage saling repeatedly, you learn that “there’s always more”, so you get to where you don’t feel greedy about it – there’s enough for everyone, it doesn’t matter if you miss something, yours will come around later or next time.
As Nick said:
” I find plenty that other people have missed no matter what. ”
So we don’t have to be first in line at estate sales, or knock old ladies out of the way. Ours is waiting for us, on the last day, after everyone else missed it. 🙂
Doing it regularly also helps keep you from panic buying because you learn to tell the difference. Or, like Nick points out, you learn that there are always lamps. Always books. Always brand name clothes. Etc.
Thanks Nick. Man, do I ever miss Eddie Bauer. Now it’s just a name and I suppose most folks under 50 don’t even know the kind of quality it stood for.
All things and stores being equal, I find Tuesday mornings to be the least busy. I hate shopping! Not just people, but the endless variety, most of which is crap to begin with. You gotta love capitalism thought, because it sure beats the alternatives!
I’ve never any Eddie Bauer. But I did have an Izod polo shirt. White. It never stained. I wore that thing at least once a week for years until the stitching in the armpits failed. A little hole is one thing, four inches unstiched was another.
I have the alligator around here somewhere. <—- weirdo.
The local Goodwill is a dump. Smells funny. And it’s depressing to see what looks like Grandma’s entire kitchen like the kids just dumped it all.
Books? Not many and chewed by silverfish. CDs and DVDs are just shoved on a shelf, I think $5 each, but just junk that if it was on TV you would skip the channel.
But I go looking once in a while. Maybe I’ll score a set of Britannica…. NOT the index in one book, a set of ten summary books (for dummies to copy for their “research papers”) , and maybe 25 more books. Pre 1974, I think. I can hope.
A little shopping on Big River today….
100 3ml syringes with needles: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YMKQKKX?tag=ttgnet-20
To go with this: 500 ml bottle of Ivermactin for $79.95. May be a better price elsewhere, I got tired of shopping. But if you sign up for their mailing list, you get a discount that covers shipping. https://www.leedstone.com/ivermectin.html
No, I’m not saying This Is The Way. It’s just a way.
Ugh. I don’t like stores like that either. Our local Goodwill is overpriced. I do not shop there at all. But, there are other thrift stores and I do shop at them.
Our public library sells all their donated books & those they are removing from the shelves “for a donation” (I usually pay $1). And local people are in the habit of donating all the books to them instead of the thrift shops/Goodwill. They probably sell more books than they check out. I go in there every chance I get. Always an interesting selection.
Reminded me of this: https://youtu.be/MFZavCkl9mY
Ah, the Carol Burnett Show, absolutely brilliant writing.
We’ve fallen very far.
n
The local Goodwill is a dump. Smells funny.
— so does target and so does walmart. I almost can’t bring myself to enter a walmart it smells so bad. And my favorite used bookstores always seemed to smell like cats…
It’s still worth a quick pass thru on a semi-regular basis. Any hard goods will be washable, and clothes too for that matter. Although I will admit I stopped going to Salvation Army thrifts around here because of the same issues, bad smell and high prices.
Our goodwills all smell like Prell shampoo. Don’t know why. We have a very aggressive and powerful Goodwill org in Houston. They just remodeled most of the stores, combining several local smaller stores into fewer double sized stores. They are all laid out like regular retail now and they do a good job of ‘merchandising’ the displays.
WRT them having high prices, it’s been my experience that it goes in waves. A new manager will come in and see all the resellers making money off the stuff, and will raise prices. The resellers stop buying, stuff sits, piles up, and ends up going to the outlet. Then the prices come back down.
Nationally the Goodwill stores are much more likely to pull prime items for their online auction at shopgoodwill.com than they used to be. They are also better at pulling items for one of their feature areas or boutiques. Even in an otherwise expensive store there are still bargains to be had and money to be made. No one knows it all, and stuff gets priced low all the time. Just pass on the expensive stuff.
n
@pecancorner, you are in the Austin area? Somewhere north and west? or DFW?
Austin has the GIANT Goodwill outlet on the south and west side of town and it is always worth an hour or two. I’ve pulled absolutely unbelievable stuff out of there. Antique gun stuff, antiques, high end audio gear, a $300 used pair of men’s shoes, camping gear, electronics, christmas stuff…. I miss stopping in once a month while in Austin for other pickups.
On the other hand, now I’ve got 4 outlets in Houston, and one is on my every day driving errands route, one is on the way to two of my surplus auction houses, and the others are in parts of town I get to occasionally.
I rarely even stop in the regular stores anymore, preferring to take my chances at $1.19 / pound at the outlet….
n
Ok, here’s another part time crafty business, perfect for Facebook marketplace, etsy, or a craft show/farmers market, etc.
Buy old alphabet blocks at estate/thrift/yard sales. Buy old wooden yard sticks at same…
Cut the yardsticks to one foot lengths, glue the letter blocks to the yardstick to make child names (ideally to order, but I’m sure having the top ten in stock would work too). Or glue blocks to spell “Best Teacher” or “Teacher” or “mom”.
Orient the blocks so it sits on a desk like a name plaque or add a loop of craft wire and orient the blocks so you can hang it on a nail on a door or kid’s wall.
Put some curly Qs in the wire, add some beads you picked up at the thrift or from broken necklaces, or from beading kits at an estate sale, or even paint some metal washers with nail polish and put them on the wire for decorations.
Do them to order and I bet you could get just less than $20 for each one….
n
btw, did this with my mom when she was visiting as gifts for the kids.
Austin has the GIANT Goodwill outlet on the south and west side of town and it is always worth an hour or two. I’ve pulled absolutely unbelievable stuff out of there. Antique gun stuff, antiques, high end audio gear, a $300 used pair of men’s shoes, camping gear, electronics, christmas stuff…. I miss stopping in once a month while in Austin for other pickups.
Austin/Round Rock also has a Goodwill on 620 where the drop off door sits right in front of the gate to the fancy lad neighborhood full of 5000 sq ft houses.
The last time we dropped things off, the loading dock had a newish-looking washer dryer pair.
I’m in Brown County. I do go to Austin … and drive past the purpose-built Goodwill store in prime frontage on 620 at Lakeway. That tells us how much they rake in …
I’ve never stopped there but I’m sure they have nice things. When I do get a chance to go to Austin, it is to see the grands! If I do any shopping it is at World Market or TJ Maxx or HomeGoods in Bee Caves. 😀
Edit to add: and of course, the obligatory visit to HEB and Randalls. I feel like such a rube when the kids ask if there’s anyplace I want to go “Gosh, could we go to HEB?” LOL
I’m in Brown County. I do go to Austin … and drive past the purpose-built Goodwill store in prime frontage on 620 at Lakeway. That tells us how much they rake in …
Lakeway? Too far west.
We are in Williamson, midway between 183 and 35, the “Twilight Zone” where Austin, Round Rock, and Cedar Park boundaries mingle.
The area used to be more middle class, but the middle school is desirable.
We couldn’t qualify for the mortgage if we had to buy our house today.
No matter where you live, a disaster can find you.
https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/least-3-dead-dozens-injured-after-amtrak-train-derails-montana
Could have been a train full of toxic chemicals.
n
Could have been a train full of toxic chemicals.
Or a train of Warren Buffett’s tanker cars carrying oil instead of using a pipeline
Whether or not the train is Warren’s, BNSF makes all the tanker cars and leases/sells them to other railroads.
Costco run today.
Their PR has done a good job of making people believe there was a national “shortage” of TP again this weekend, but the limit was 5, and the store had plenty of Charmin Blue in stock.
I didn’t check prices. Maybe I should have.
We don’t have a problem with TP, but we needed Kleenex. We were out of luck there.
Also, the Kirkland Organic canned green beans and corn are missing, but Del Monte was back at Costco … at the organic price of $10 a 12 pack.
you won’t just live in a box, everything in it will be from boxes too…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-9969387/Cardboard-furniture-new-trend-sweeping-interiors-world.html
I guess the baby duck author doesn’t realize her apartment full of IKEA furniture is already full of cardboard.
n
added- and I’ve seen better looking stuff on instructables.
you won’t just live in a box, everything in it will be from boxes too…
The homeless camps inside the city limts are already living in the future.
Except they do have tents with Academy logos to keep the rain off the box mattress.
And some made from “free” FedEx and Priority Mail boxes.
Speaking of which, plenty of eBay sellers using those boxes and the envelopes as packing materials.
wrt books:
1) If it has a bar coded ISBN, pass unless it is a technical book (college texts are not).
2) Understand grading as done by AABA professionals, not the pathetic self-important garbage promulgated by Amazon and eBay
3) 90% of the value of a very collectible fiction book is in the dust jacket, and grade matters
4) Understand first edition, first printing, and number line. Post-type, the distinction is largely meaningless for most books First edition /first printing of Harry Potter second and subsequent books was 50,000 plus. Dozens of printings, and all were “First Editions”
5) Nobody under 40 gives a crap. If you don’t already have a clue, leave it.
6) Scanners. Used to be a way to make a bit more than minimum wage. Now it’s like getting the tea bag in the camp after it was used three times.
7) Books are not rare, precious, or desirable Check the dumpster in the back of your local Half Price Books
Maybe I’ll score a set of Britannica
— you and me both! Years ago my siblings sold my parents’ 1965 Brittanica set. Maybe got $5. I have been looking ever since. I’d go one or two years later and not too much earlier. That is the sweet spot for modern science and lack of 70s eco woke dumbing down. My dad read the whole set cover to cover at least twice. Couldn’t beat him at Trivial Pursuit, plus he lived thru most of the questions on sports and pop culture.
They come up in estate sales more often than rarely but not as commonly as they might. It’s the right time for a set from that era to be in an estate sale. They bring good money now, if they’re in good shape (haven’t been in the garage or basement.) Lotta people looking for an offline reference that can’t be stealth edited. That’s the only reason I can think of for the number of bids. The smell of those pages is like aroma therapy for me.
n
So roughly 200 gallons – good perhaps for gray-water storage if you set them up in a semi-permanent arrangement? Even if you half empty one to use 100 gallons for toilet flushes, the barrier will still weigh 800 pounds.
Wow. Just wow.
Yeah, it was pretty impressive. Especially when he started thru the second time. I’d find him in the game room, sitting in a rocker with volume L* open in his lap when I got home from a party or the bar. He was smart, and a lot like the father in Swiss Family Robinson in that he always knew what plants were around, history, natural science stuff. He was a Mechanical Engineer, got his degree from U of I on the GI Bill after Korea, worked for two steel mills for his whole career, and never stopped learning. All his interests were outside work, focused at home and on us. It was pretty great looking back, and now that I have my own kids, SO MUCH of what he did and was makes sense to me that didn’t before.
Of course there were times when it wasn’t great, mainly caused by alcohol or my stupidity, but in general, it was great.
n
* or whatever volume he was on. And the set from 1965 (or possibly ’66, they were married in ’65 but moved to the house he died in in ’66) was an imposing set.
Books are not rare, precious, or desirable
–my inner bibliophile wants to object but…. I can’t really.
Part of my desire to own physical items comes from my concern about the digital ones going away. Whether it’s bitrot, obsolete media, or 1984, or George Lucas meddling, or netflix deals expiring, or Soros removing every trace of blacks from our history and daily life (someone is, no Aunt Jemima, no objectionable comedians (when was the last time you heard Richard Prior?), no indian on my butter package, no Redd Fox, no vaudeville, etc,) I want a copy that won’t change in the middle of the night.
I can read books from 200 years ago with a bit of effort (mainly the f/s thing). I can read books from 400 years ago with a bit more effort (nonstandard spelling, idioms no longer in use, other cultural referents.) If I could read the language, I have no trouble understanding the thoughts and ideas of the Greeks, from 2000 years ago, and examples of written work still exist.
There are even older forms of writing that SOMEONE can read.
But can you open your dissertation done on Write in ’86? Or Q&A? I can’t even open word docs from the early and mid 90s except to pull out the text and lose all the formatting.
But printed words, if they exist, they can be read by humans.
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