Should start cool and warm later, maybe even into the 80s. It was nice at the BOL in the afternoon, following the somewhat grey and windy morning. Sun even came out around 4pm.
I got some stuff done while I was there. Because of issues with the drive belt coming off the PTO, when I went out to mow yesterday I decided to go ahead and replace the belt before mowing, despite the lowering sky. Because my life is fractal, you can probably guess at the sequence of events…
I had three new 42″ belts, because they were a dollar in an auction, but I had mis-remembered as what I needed was a 46″ mower deck belt. Gah. So I figured that instead of a new belt, I’d take a look at it and see if I could figure out what changed and why the belt is coming off… And I did. Wear. LOTS of wear. Holes that were wallowed out, bolts that weren’t tight, guides in the wrong place. So I took apart, cleaned, greased, and replaced what parts I could. Last year my buddy gave me his old mower, because the deck was shot, but it turned out to have lots of stuff I could use to rebuild mine. Some washers for spacing, some grease instead of rust, some parts that weren’t half worn through, and some time, about 3 hours, and I had the deck back together and in better shape than it’s been in in years. Seems to run better too.
Mowed the rest of the yard, trimmed it too. Then went to check on the garden. Peas are doing well, much better than the variety we planted first. Peppers and tomatoes are doing well. Potatoes are growing like weeds. Something is eating the leaves off the turnips. I thinned out my radishes. Planted the cukes and zukes I brought up there. Went back to my place and planted the blueberry bushes on top of a sand pile. That’ll have to do for now. Decided I didn’t know were to put the mint, or the other herbs, so I brought them home again. I’ll either pot them or put them in dirt here. We’ve been getting over an inch of rain each week up there so irrigation isn’t an issue yet. It will likely be an issue eventually, so I am still moving forward with my plan to make a water wagon to bring lake water to the garden. Plans. I’ve got ’em.
The next thing on the list was more poking at the irrigation pump. I decided that a)the suction pipe wasn’t tight enough in the pump inlet, b) the intake was down in the silt, and c)there was air trapped in the suction pipe preventing the pump from priming. I lifted the intake, cut and rotated the pipe to make it tighter then glued it back together, and adjusted the level of the pipe to “burp” any air trapped in a high section… and that worked. We’ll see if it keeps running this week.
Unloading the truck, putting stuff away, and then prepping to leave took the rest of the day, and part of the night. This was a quick trip and I’m actually surprised that I got as much done as I did.
Today I’ve got catching up to do at home. Auction stuff, domestic bliss, stacking… hopefully I’ll have a somewhat productive day. Oh, doctor’s appointment right in the middle of the morning too.
But it beats working for a living.
Stack stuff. Just ‘cuz.
nick
It sounds fabulous, Jenny? Are you sure it’s a bodhrán? 😉
Sorry for your loss, paul.
Today’s Tyler Durden cowardice protecting honesty about the latest news from Stark Industries.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/tesla-slash-global-headcount-more-10-electrek-reports
I had a Sears lawn tractor, 46” deck with three blades. I was mowing and one of the spindles seized. Lot of smoke from the belt. I removed the deck, ordered three spindles, and went to replace the spindles. However, none of the mounting holes on any of the spindles had threads. None of them were tapped. I had a friend tap them. I also ordered new idler pulleys. Put everything back together and it worked.
The annoying part was the cost of the spindles and pulleys. The spindles were $150 each and the two idler pulleys were $10.00 each. After all my effort I discovered that Sears sold a complete deck, spindles, pulleys and blades for $425.00. Grrrrrr.
Condolences Paul.
My condolences Mr. Paul. Many of us vent here after losses. We are here for you.
I’m back in SA. Ugh, I may have to fly back to Kakafornia on Thursday to help with a gig. One of our main contractors is still recovering from a gall bladder removal and may not be able to make it.
Condolences Mr. Paul. Nothing I can say would make it any better.
Condolences Mr. Paul.
In kinda related news, it is amazing how quickly major life changes happen. My MIL, who lives 6 hours away, lost her husband to dementia last Christmas. Today she is signing a contract to build a house 6 miles from us. Her existing house is in great shape, so I don’t anticipate any issues selling. She will likely close on the new house late August to late November. It will be a good thing having her close by. She is in great shape, but is 78, so we can make sure she has the help she needs.
@ITGuy1998
Wheelchair accessible?
@paul
I agree with the above comments.
No matter how you slice it, it sucks.
Take care of yourself while you take care of the details. Vent here as long and loud as needed. Every bit helps.
Hmmm. I’ve been thinking of building a mower deck for my old Alis Chalmers Model C – no new-fangled three point hitch on it! For $425 it would be cheaper to buy than build, tho I might have to step up the pto speed, i am pretty sure it’s the old slow(425rpm?) type.
But honestly, too many projects these days.
@nick
Nice wpork on the mower.
@Denis
Reasonably sure it’s a Bodhran. Sounds and plays like one. More so than the painted fancies that get passed off as bodhrans. It has those new fangled modern tuners but I’ll forgive that. Here’s the WaybackMachine cached site for the maker.
https://web.archive.org/web/20160715001247/http://www.bespokebodhrans.com/
Mine is red. Metal plate inside rim proclaims it to be from this maker.
Preach!
@drwilliams No, not wheelchair accessible, though the the lot is flat. I could make entry into the house from the garage by a very small ramp easily. Bathroom is the only big issue, and she doesn’t have the budget. We will deal with the issue if it comes up. Choose your battles…
Too many doesn’t even come close to capturing the true extent of the problem….
N
@Denis
fabulous… are you sure it’s a bodhran
Omega. That went right over my head, didn’t even ruffle my hair -laughing- what a dork.
“Too many doesn’t even come close to capturing the true extent of the problem….”
Testify, brother, testify!
How effective was the Iran attack? One view on it.
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/iran-breaches-anglo-zionist-defenses#media-e8aedbe6-7e68-4659-ad51-db25acab33c3
I’m kind of feeling thatright now. I wasn’t even sure I had any projects lined up for this summer. Now I have three, all pretty substantial. All three involve a lot of digging, pouring concrete, etc.. Given that these are “spare time” projects, it may actually be tough getting everything done by Fall. We’ll see…
The biggest project is putting a 30 meter trellis in front of a really ugly wall that belongs to the apartment building next door. The posts will sit in a new flower bed (with concrete edging. The challenge is that the ground isn’t level, and won’t be level: the center is about 15cm (6 inches) lower than the ends. But the posts foundations and the edging need to be absolutely level, or it would look completely wonky.
@Paul
I’m sorry for your loss.
>> No, not wheelchair accessible, though the the lot is flat. I could make entry into the house from the garage by a very small ramp easily. Bathroom is the only big issue, and she doesn’t have the budget. We will deal with the issue if it comes up. Choose your battles…
@ITGuy1998, plenty of small items can be done for little or no money now that will make the new house elder friendly, with doing the same later costly if not impossible.
Some of these include 36″ interior doors , flat doorway thresholds, positioning of electrical outlets and switches, counter heights, toilet height, bidet hookups, front-load washer and so on. Even a prefab step-in shower instead of a tub shouldn’t cost that much more.
>> @ITGuy1998, plenty of small items can be done for little or no money now that will make the new house elder friendly, with doing the same later costly if not impossible.
Some of these include 36″ interior doors , flat doorway thresholds, positioning of electrical outlets and switches, counter heights, toilet height, bidet hookups, front-load washer and so on. Even a prefab step-in shower instead of a tub shouldn’t cost that much more.
Also, take some photos/stud layout measurements in the bathrooms – will make future installation of grab bars much easier.
And if you have a cooperative builder, get some CAT and/or coax cables run.
Plenty more ideas on the interwebs – e.g. https://houseplans.co/articles/planning-for-retirement-house-plans-for-seniors/
My buddy in Alabama had to turn on the grid for his batteries in his solar system to charge yesterday. They had four days of very little sunshine so he was using more power than his 19 kW solar panels were providing and the batteries ran down to his minimum. He normally runs his farm off the grid.
Hi Paul, so sorry to hear about your partner passing away. Like JimB said, hug your dogs, they will miss them too.
Uncle Sam says, “Pay up sucker!”
I worked on our personal taxes until 4 am in the morning last night. Almost all Saturday and almost all Sunday but I did not skip church. I figured out that Uncle Sam will be sending us money back so I filed a income tax extension using the Turbo Tax website at 4am and called it a night.
Thanks for the suggestions. I didn’t mention that she is upgrading the master bath shower to a step in and changing the toilet to an elongated bowl with a higher height. So she is thinking correctly – she just has to stay within a pretty strict budget.
As for pics – yeah, we’ll be doing that. I’ve built two houses, and have done that for both. It’s amazing how it comes in handy 10 years later…
Even in starter homes (how insane is it that a house that is 250k+ is considered entry level now), the builders are now wiring in cat6 and coax. It’s all home run to a closet. I will assist in specifying where the runs will go.
“FIRE & FURY – Israel warns of ‘imminent’ revenge strike as Iran vows to unleash ‘1,500 missiles’ – risking all-out war in Middle East”
https://www.the-sun.com/news/11092635/israel-iran-missile-attack-catastrophic-escalation-war-middle-east/
You know, Iran is a bully. And the best thing to do with a bully is punch them in the nose.
Of course, revenge is best served cold. Israel should wait for the best opportunity to hurt Iran hard.
I would hit Iran in the pocketbook, their oil fields.
It’s all home run to a closet.
– and then cut off 3 inches after it enters the media box… Don’t let them do that!
n
I don’t know how SS is going to work regarding spouse benefits. I think I can get by with my SS and the 401k giving me $800 a month. I’ve been planning for such. Because you know, plan for the worst. . But to suddenly have to do it? Oh, hell no.
Hi Paul, it is too early to think about such things.
But, I do have a suggestion, go back to work at HEB part time. I have a 50+ year old friend who is spending more money than he and his wife make. I don’t know the details but I suspect property taxes on the house and his property insurance which have doubled and tripled around here. So, he is working four evening shifts at HEB as a checker. He does not want to do it but he has to. He quit for a while and then came back.
I think that you can make $17,000 per year before the income impacts your current SS checks. Please check me on that though. Once you hit 67, you won’t have to worry about that limit affecting your SS income. I think that you are below 67 ???
Plus, it will give you some social interaction which we all need to thrive on.
Today’s Tyler Durden cowardice protecting honesty about the latest news from Stark Industries.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/tesla-slash-global-headcount-more-10-electrek-reports
I am actually a little underwater on my Tesla stock. Oh well, I am a long term investor and their hands free driving seems to be the best in the marketplace at the moment. Plus, everybody and their dog is moving over to the Tesla Supercharger network and that is a cash cow for them.
@ITGuy1998
Wheelchair accessible?
No joke ! ! !!!!!!!!!!
My mother is in a wheelchair and my daughter is in and out of wheelchair. I have a portable ramp for my back door threshold that I have machined for our house. It is aluminum and weighs 70+ lbs.
One of my friends at church is dying of stage 4 gastro cancer at age 69. His son told me yesterday morning that my friend was in a wheelchair two days last week. Luckily, their house is a one story with no elevation changes except the front porch and garage. They are going to make a tough decision about stopping chemo today.
Double lucky, his oldest son works out of his home so, his home is now with mom and dad. And mom’s 90 year old dad. It is a crowded house.
– yeah, they saw her coming. WTF was she thinking buying an $80K vehicle?
n
@Paul, I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your best friend and life partner.
If you have friends/family/church/social club/neighbors, now is the time to allow yourself to let them help. You may not feel up to it and may end up with too many casseroles or whatever, but help in a time of need can definitely ease the healing process.
Fortunately I’m still way up on TSLA. If plugs or any Dumbo wins the White House, EV stocks will rise.
@drwilliams No, not wheelchair accessible, though the the lot is flat. I could make entry into the house from the garage by a very small ramp easily. Bathroom is the only big issue, and she doesn’t have the budget. We will deal with the issue if it comes up. Choose your battles…
Oh gosh, please make the bathroom wheelchair accessible. All houses should be this way. 36 inch doors, etc.
My wheelchair bound mother has not taken a shower in three years since all of their bathrooms require a step up or a step down or a step over into the shower. Mom uses wet napkins to clean off daily. Yes, it is gross.
Mom has a withered leg that will not support her in the slightest. All she needs is a shower that she can transfer to a wet/dry wheelchair and roll into the shower. I have preached on this but my parents do not want to spend the money to rip out a bathroom and rebuild it wheelchair friendly. The cost is about $40K or so.
The unrepentant waste of oxygen got far less than she deserves.
still not taking responsibility.
Given the judge’s statement I bolded above, I don’t see how the trial against the bad baldwin can go on. “[but] for you, she would be alive.” That doesn’t leave any room for BB to be culpable.
n
Three years ago 2% paper was still available. The dealership really hosed her.
I’m guessing that the F&I weasel was female. Girls stick together, but a woman in the finance room can be just as dishonest as a man sitting in the same chair.
The vehicle isn’t worth $74,000. Even if she pays off the balance, she’ll be negative, and the finance company will garnish wages if they can.
– he’s not an “influencer” he’s a content creator. That said, his latest video about why he left NYFC after living most of his life there is pretty damning.
Louis Rossmann left NYFC over a year ago to come to Texas because of high taxes and insane business fees, permits, licenses, and fines.
n
That story is not unique.
GM, Ford, and Stellantis will not survive as currently structured.
Millenial Moron. I wonder what her financials were? She and her husband must have had some good income.
Wife: Honey, I just bought an $84,000 car.
Husband: I’m calling OJ.
Speaking of OJ, someone put together a YT montage of Norm Macdonald’s OJ jokes from SNL. What a gem. I miss him (not OJ).
Unfortunately, they don’t change their voting habits.
He’s probably already made up his mind to vote for Collin Zachary in the US Senate race.
OJ got Norm MacDonald fired over those jokes.
Even disgraced, OJ had lots of friends at NBC, including Bob Costas and Dick Ebersol.
yep, definitely sending us their best. How’s that vigorous cultural enrichment looking?
n
Yes, they will, when plugs deems them “too big to fail.” The goobermint will lend them $$ without any requirement at all. The Dumbocrat way.
It could be a final “gift” before plugs assumes room temperature. They may buy Stellantis outright because ELECTRIC VEHICLES!!!
Unfortunately, they don’t change their voting habits.
– louis is staunchly conservative. Granted he has the taint of NYFC on him, but I don’t think he’ll be voting commie.
n
Tesla lays off ‘more than 10%’ of its global workforce
“Woman Reveals How She Snuck Ivermectin into Hospital to Save Dying Father”
https://www.infowars.com/posts/woman-reveals-how-she-snuck-ivermectin-into-hospital-to-save-dying-father/
“A woman, whose father was dying from severe COVID complications in the hospital, detailed how she snuck in ivermectin treatments to him, crediting the medication with saving his life.”
I don’t know if this is true or not but it sounds true.
“Victor Davis Hanson: “This will be the end of us””
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2024/04/victor-davis-hanson-this-will-be-end-of.html
“This may be the most important video you’ll watch in weeks, possibly months. It’s only 8½ minutes long, but it encapsulates the disastrous situation in which our country now finds itself. I can’t emphasize too strongly that you should not only watch this yourself, but circulate the link to your family and friends, because this is what’s coming unless we turn our country around in very short order.”
“Why are those controlling President Biden using him to advance so much of a destructive agenda that it will likely end America as we know it? If someone wished to destroy America, could he do anything more catastrophic than what we currently see and hear each day? What would an existential enemy do that we have not already done to ourselves?”
The problem is, we got ourselves in this mess willingly. I do not see many options to get ourselves out of the mess without violence and bloodshed.
“Happy Tax Day! Your Earnings Paid For Cats On Treadmills And Egyptian Tourists”
https://thefederalist.com/2024/04/15/happy-tax-day-your-earnings-paid-for-cats-on-treadmills-and-egyptian-tourists/
“Plus 30 percent of our individual income taxes are merely paying the interest on federal debt.”
Lovely, just lovely.
Hat tip to:
https://thelibertydaily.com/
The Federal Government already bought GM and Chrysler once, cancelled the bond holders’ paper, and gave the stock in the “new” companies to the unions.
Ford also got a bail out near the end of the Shrub administration, but that was very quietly done.
wrt
Didn’t Jack do this every year at GE, and he was hailed as a management genius for it? Pretty sure…
n
What’s left of GE these days?
I still see morons putting “Six Smegma Black Belt” on their resumes.
Oh. Sigma. Sorry.
not sorry.
When I was working corporate the initial SS (ominous when abbreviated, donchano?) training was limited to The Chosen Ones (hmmm, now that you mention it, there was a Boys From Brazil vibe), who were then tasked with rolling it out to the hoi polloi.
After looking at the PPT slide with the doom-y statements of the form “your old quality program is like a bazillion jets crashing at O’Hare every minute” I buttonholed one of TCO’s and told him that some of the numbers weren’t right. He was sure they were, which didn’t persuade me, but since I had a permanent spot on the Doesn’t Suffer Fools Gladly list, I was never “honored” with a training opportunity which would have forced the issue. I did some sleuthing and confirmed that the slide in question was the unknown-origin product of merging two Motorola slides, and was widely circulated in many companies and had apparently never been questioned.
All those belts, and not enough working knowledge of statistics to ID a problem and fix it.
https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2024/04/15/doocy-takes-apart-bidens-dont-foreign-policy-in-epic-exchange-with-kirby-n2172814
Kirby is just another FLC who is probably already working on his MSNBC offer.
Look no further for a litmus test:
https://redstate.com/streiff/2024/04/15/ana-paulina-lunas-gambit-to-stop-fisa-goes-down-in-flames-reauthorization-bill-heads-back-to-the-senate-n2172824
https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2024/04/15/doocy-takes-apart-bidens-dont-foreign-policy-in-epic-exchange-with-kirby-n2172814
Kirby is just another FLC who is probably already working on his MSNBC offer.
FLC = First Line Commie ?
A gang of Robber crabs invade a family picnic in Australia.
OK, that is awesome. I would have advocated eating them myself.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_crab
Gotcha, Jenny! 🙂
>> https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13301383/south-american-gangs-armed-los-angeles-highways.html
Are there little yellow “Diamonds on Board” stickers on their rear windows that clue in the gangs??
And if stopped, the jeweler should propose a quick game of “Rock, Knife, Gun.”
Teaching my class of teenagers today. Eleven of them, one is missing with no notice or excuse. But the ones who are here seem to be concentrating and working. One guy with serious ADHD – he has a lot of potential, but he is terrible at staying “on task”. Write a little program – nope, he’s off playing with his virtual machine setup.