Month: July 2023

Hot and humid, little chance of rain. The window thermometer in the kitchen read 112F yesterday afternoon. The sensor is always in the shade. I’m inclined to believe it. Holy Moly it was hot. REALLY hoping today isn’t as hot.

Did get some stuff done yesterday. Took the rebar to the scrap man. 442 pounds at 5c/lb netted me little over $21. Better than nothing and it had to leave the BOL some way anyway. Still, that’s a bit more than half of what steel was bringing just a few months ago. Would not have been worth making the effort if the effort was much more. Two cut off blades were used… a third would have broken the bank.

Did a quick pickup and stopped at the Habitat reStore on the south side of town. Their prices have gone WAY up, and their stock has gone way down. This store used to always have tile, doors, and paint, as well as new cabinets. They have only a few of those items now. I’m still looking for doors for the BOL, and not finding any deals. I want to try the reStore that’s north of Houston again because they always have used cabinets, and some doors. I want some cabinets for the laundry area at the BOL, and the key to buying used is to keep checking for new arrivals. I might get to there today since I’ll be on the north side of town anyway.

Or I might not. I still have to get the tire I found half inflated checked and repaired. I still need to go to HEB for the stuff I buy there. I still need to hit Lowe’s for the electrical stuff I need, and I still have a couple of other things to do at the house too, before heading back to the BOL. The net-net on all that is I’ll probably head up on Wednesday.

Some of the Costco run, and part of the HEB groceries will be added to the BOL stacks. There is always something to be added, or refreshed. Your own stacks are probably the same, so give them some love this week… Stack it up.

nick

Hot and humid in Houston. Whoddathunkit? The rain did cool things down a bit, for a while, but it’s summer, and summer is hot and humid. It would be nice if it stayed below 100F and 89%RH

Yesterday I tidied up and headed home from the BOL. I have a pickup truck bed full of scrap iron used as rebar. That will go to the scrap man later today, if I get to it. And I’ve got a tire to run by my tire guy to find and fix the link. It’s small and slow, but I really don’t want to get stuck changing it somewhere in 110F sun.

But first, I’ve got my non-prepping hobby meeting. Meatspace. One of the guys who is also a ham is supposed to be giving me an antenna at the meeting. And we’re planning for our regional tradeshow/swapmeet/convention which I should attend as I’m a committee chair this year. In other words, stuff to do.

So I won’t be sleeping in, trying to clear some of the fuzz out of my head. The intense focus and effort of the past two weeks has me stumbling around and not thinking straight I’m so worn out. Maybe tomorrow. Or maybe I’ll sleep when I’m dead.

I also need to shop. I’ve been gone for 2 weeks, took about half the fresh stuff in the house up to the BOL, and no one does any real shopping while I’m away, apparently. Nor do they restock the bathrooms even though they have been walking past the bale-o-TP for a month. So I’ll be stacking this weekend. If not tomorrow, then Sunday, at least the non-Costco parts. I don’t go in there on weekends if I can help it.

So stack some stuff, lest you find yourself with empty refrigerators, and no wipes for your bottom…

nick

Hot and humid again. Brief respite after the storm yesterday, but back to normal summer now. 90s, for temps and humidity, but it will start nicer.

Well, I finally finished the major projects and some of the ‘since we have the machines and dumpster here’ projects too. There are some follow on new projects, like stairs from the house down to the yard and lake… since I took out the broken concrete and brick stairs, and some landscaping, like grass seed at a minimum. I did complete a massive amount of work.

So onward. Home for a couple of days, then maybe back with one child. Other child has camp, and wife suggested I could head back up. Hmmm.

Today I’ll be getting some good measurements for supplies to build the stairs. I’ll be looking for cheap and quick alternatives when I get home to my fast internet. Maybe a salvage set, or something industrial will pop up. Stranger things have happened.

Then I’ll be packing up and closing up. Oh, first I’ll fuel and wash the rentals. Do NOT want to get charged, although how realistic is it to expect construction equipment to come back clean? I’m certainly not hand detailing them, but I’ll hit them with the pressure washer and knock off most of the red mud.

It’s been a long couple of weeks and I’ll be glad to be home, if only for a few days.

Been stacking up skills, and improving my position. Been showing the locals I’m not afraid of hard work, and can get things done. Those are good things.

Stack good things.

nick

Hot and humid. Cool enough to start, but broiling under the sun later in the day. Highs yesterday were mid 90s. Probably get the same today. I’m blessed that most of the work I’m doing is in the shade.

I continued working on the side patio. I’ve been grabbing a task here and there as I drive the machine back and forth to the piles of dirt and the work area, like leveling the area in front of the entry door, or pulling a root ball, so MOST of the regrading of the front yard is actually done, or very close to done.

I should be able to finish the grade and backfill on the side in the morning, leaving a few other ‘could do’ ‘would be nice’ and ‘you’ve already got the machine…’ jobs. Pulling down the concrete steps from the house to the yard is technically one of those optional tasks, but it needs to be done and I’ve got the machines…and the dumpster still has room in it.

The machines are crazy useful.

And I’m getting pretty good at fixing pvc pipe that was/should be/will be buried, after breaking it.

Still have all the dock electrical to do, but don’t have the panel. Wife has approved doing that next visit. I need to secure it before I leave though. I’ve been here a long time. It’s a bunch of massive projects. Time to finish and get home.

Always working to improve my situation. If I can’t stack, I’ll work… but stacking is good too.

nick

Hot and humid, but maybe a little tiny bit less so. I’ll take a 4 degree improvement, yes I will. It was slightly less hot yesterday, but there was less of a breeze so it was actually kinda nastier in toto…

Spent the day on the machines breaking concrete and moving sand. Joy. Getting near the end though.

Today the septic guy is coming by to get the stuff I broke back together. Dumpster swap is supposed to happen too. Thankfully I didn’t have a ton of rubble to divert to a pile, only a couple of buckets full. I sure hope I erred on the side of caution and the dumpster isn’t too heavy.

I have an enormous pile of sand to get rid of. There will be some sort of ‘free sand’ offer locally, at some point. Somewhere between 60 and 80 cubic yards enormous. And I might be underestimating. Imagine two open top 40 yard dumpsters worth…

Had another neighbor come by and ask the details about what we’re doing and how the house leveling worked. Dumpsters and earth moving for a couple of weeks will get attention, I guess.

So more connections and conversations. Good things to stack up.

Stack some of your own, while you are contemplating the freedoms we’ve lost over the last 10, 20, and 40 years.

Celebrate Independence, in every thing you can.
nick