Starting cool and wet, and warming to steamy if I’m unlucky. Last night was nice and cool.
Started Friday at the BOL. Decided to head home to watch the house and manage the freezers, while wife and kids would bug out to the lake. So I set up a big dehumidifier and some fans, sprayed down all the exposed wet walls and floor in the dockhouse, and hit the road. I brought 25 gallons of gas and two propane bottles with me, a chainsaw, some parts, and my PPEs for chainsawing… Stopped half way home to top of the truck and buy some other stuff at Tractor Supply. Bought another 5 gallon gas can because they had plastic Spector jerry can style cans on sale for 20$ which is a good price.
I bought some 2 cycle oil too. Won’t be doing that at TS if I can help it. Their oil was 12$ to treat 5 gallons. Their premix was 25$ a gallon. Crazy high compared to Lowes, but might not be available at all in Houston, so I bit the bullet. Yes, I already had some, but more is good.
Got home, got the Honda 3000i running on propane. Got my trusty Generac running briefly but the carb is shot. Ordered on from amz to arrive Monday. I’ll try messing with it today and tomorrow anyway, but I’ve got the backup coming.
I’m writing this at 1130pm and the gennie has been running to power the fridges and freezers since about 7. They are cold again/still. Several people on my street have gennies running, one guy even has his landscape lights on. I’m shutting down overnight though. Can’t hear mine from the street, but I don’t want to waste the propane. I don’t have a good idea of runtime on a BBQ bottle…
Today will be cleanup, getting power sorted and organized for the long haul. I think it could be weeks before we’re up again. Ike had us running on generator for 14 days. At least we have running water, and while the gennie is running the instant hot water heater runs. I might set up one of the camp heaters but they use propane too and it might be hard to get later.
Speaking of, TS had MrHeater refillable one pound bottles, and the setup to refill them. Bottles were ~20. They had an extensive MrHeater display with lots of accessories. Watch for a closeout when the seasons finally change, or pick some up now…
I’m using my lappy and my cell as a hotspot so posting might be sparse. Share if you have any info or news as I’ll probably see it here first.
I did not expect a big storm this early and I’m not really ready. Paying the price for that…
But hey, the stacks are paying off once again.
Stack some of your own.
nick
Lights or no lights, he’s running the gennie to keep the freezers cold, so people can hear it. It’s not exactly quiet, or secret.
I’d let the gennie go quiet while I slept, myself. Freezers and fridges can coast overnight. Let the others run their gennies and attact attention.
The first and second nights, everyone should have some lights available. It’s after that the normies will begin running out of batteries and candles and gennie fuel and extra FLASHLIGHTS.
The outrage is building. Big Mike is coming.
Look at what the White Devil Governor in Texas did this week…
If Garrettt Foster hadn’t been “pigment challenged”, I doubt you would have seen that pardon out of Governor Abbott, but the story still feeds the outrage.
I didn’t even realize that Foster was white until this week. Local (corporate owned) Faux News and the other media outlets in town only ran tape of the sobbing non-challenged girlfriend.
What was the impact of the storms on the Subcontinent colonist neighborhoods?
They’re the wildcard right now because most have arrived recently and have no memories of the hurricanes or even the 2021 freeze.
The difference with the disasters here is that Texas invented “swimming naked” as Warren Buffett terms it. The state and local governments waste money on nonsense until they’re caught and politicians’ soup bowls in Austin are threatened.
Driving my wife home from a medical procedure the other day, we ventured through parts of North Austin I hadn’t been through in a few years and noticed yet another recent Generac commercial grade generator installed at a water tower/cell site, conspicuous in the newness of the electrical equipment.
Today’s Tyler Durden cowardice.
“That’s a bingo”
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/germany-deports-7-ukrainian-soldiers-displaying-nazi-symbols
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5pESPQpXxE
Ja, ze old days are coming back, but ve don’t want the pussy out of the sack yet.
Oh, ja, cat out of ze bag.
Good Germans, have your armbands ready.
Hey Cowboy Slim – you lurking?
If the flights pan out were in your neck of the woods in mid-late September. A wedding instead of another funeral for once.
Explain the difference.
In the immortal words of the great sage Al Bundy, “Four Weddings and a Funeral? That’s five of the same thing!”
Scottie Scheffler Shoots 5 Under After a Morning Spent in a Jail Cell
Hi-fives fans wearing tee-shirts with his mug shot
https://hotair.com/headlines/2024/05/18/scottie-scheffler-shoots-5-under-after-a-morning-spent-in-a-jail-cell-n3788615
Louisville Sheriff: “Hello?”
Scottie Scheffler: “Yeah, hello, it’s Scottie. I’d like to reserve my usual room for the next two mornings.”
Louisville Sheriff: “I dunno…”
Scottie Scheffler: “Tell you what. Let’s get a photo of us together for the Sunday tee-shirt.”
Louisville Sheriff: “He! That sounds great! Would you like to place a breakfast orde?”
“How can he run, When walking is hard?”
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2024/05/18/donald-trump-has-another-brutal-post-about-joe-biden-n2639241
Second-funniest video I’ve seen this morning.
The first was Doug Flutie and Frank Thomas flogging for GNC, with the tag line “And she’ll like it, too.” from The Big Hurt, then:
“just text BALLER to 456789…”
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/05/gay_dr_who_actor_may_have_driven_away_half_the_show_s_audience.html
Need a cameo fro Juicy Swallay.
“Explain the difference.”
A funeral is a happy event because the honored guest is leaving this vale of tears, hopefully for a better place.
Can you tell I am part Irish?
It’s noon Central and I’m getting 240/400W on the solar panels lying flat on the ground.
By the tree shadows about 100 miles north of you, maybe tilt a little towards the East. Just to experiment.
I saw a “NO MA’AM” t-shirt at the big anime show in San Antonio last Labor Day Weekend.
Kinda brave since that place is Prog Central all weekend.
I have a thing to do on Monday. Call the folks at SS.
The funeral home said there’s a death benefit. It’s not much, just $263 (or whatever) but you have to ask for it, so call them. The same number lets you talk to the folks for survivor benefits. Maybe I qualify, I think I do. I hope I do.
My SS is up to $973 after the last COLA. His is a thousand more. So, yes, an extra 12 grand a year is worth the effort.
There’s also the fact that his SWB aka AT&T retirement of $1000 a month is going away. So, without the SS survivor benefit that’s $2000 a month out of the income stream.
If it doesn’t work, I have a budget in my head to get by on my SS and savings.
The house and six months of insurance on two vehicles was $3200. The vehicles are roughly $600 per six months. That will change when he’s dropped off the policy. $3800 a year for insurance plus a couple grand for property taxes isn’t going to work. Call it $6000 a year because the rates only increase.
Yeah, I’m not sure I want to get by on $500 a month. I think I can. I want to be able to do more than pay insurance and property taxes and electric bills. Just silly things like critter feed, groceries, gas, beer, and whatever.
I’ll know soon enough how it’s going to work.
“So, without the SS survivor benefit that’s $2000 a month out of the income stream.”
Correction. $3000 a month.
The wISP is getting another run of fiber to one their main towers. The current fiber is 1GB, the new is 2GB and can go to 10 or 20, I forget.
They’re swapping out radios too. Stuff that makes my NanoBeam pair look like a toy. Yesterday he said:
“@everyone Okay, I’ll sweeten the pot, ANYONE who pays ANY amount in towards their account, whether you owe a bill or not, no matter what it is, we will match it with an equal credit provided you pay over zelle. Good only for today folks. Help us, help you, and we all win.”
Kind of a no brainer to send $500 to have a $1000 credit on my account. That’s almost 11 months pre-paid.
Just rattling the cage?
https://hotair.com/jazz-shaw/2024/05/18/drug-testing-prior-to-presidential-debates-n3788618?cx_testId=1&cx_testVariant=cx_undefined&cx_artPos=0&cx_experienceId=EXIO3RTI8YOF&cx_experienceActionId=showRecommendationsJ4L53UH0FR2M9#cxrecs_s
Well, there’s always the rectal e-stim option.
No. Biden’s on something.
The point of the debate is to give the Dems grounds to have Biden free his delegates to vote for a replacement at the convention.
Jimmy Carter may have been a disaster of a President, but he did the country a huge service refusing to turn his delegates loose at the convention in 1980 to allow Uncle Ted a shot a the nomination.
Camelot dies hard.
>>The point of the debate is to give the Dems grounds to have Biden free his delegates to vote for a replacement at the convention.
Ahh, now the big spread between two debates makes sense…
When Mom went to the nursing home her 2004 Ford Freestar van had a bluebook value of $400. Just now the Edmunds / Carfax value is $2800.
I was told I should sell it. Nope. It’s paid for. It has a new battery plus pushing a grand worth of new tires. The dogs can get in and out easy for trips to the vet. It has Purple Heart plates. Just in case my Frontier has a problem,, I have spare wheels.
I can use the van like I used my Volare wagon. And you know? If the weather is nasty wet and I have to buy critter food right now, the van is a winner.
“The point of the debate is to give the Dems grounds to have Biden free his delegates to vote for a replacement at the convention.”
Neither Joe nor Jill will agree to release delegates absent a cataclysmic health event. And it would take a
CarringtonClintonEpstein-level event to keep Harris off the stage.The drug test request is reasonable given what the nation sees on tv: bumbling doddard except when days of schedule preparation produce 45 minutes of mania.
Trump’s best strategy is to make a few reasonable demands–remember, Team Biden tried to set all the rules, including having no audience in the tv studio–that back them into a corner and blow up the agreement for the first debate.
The fallback is simple: With all the speculation about Biden being replaced, it would only be reasonable to set the first debate later, after he has secured the nomination in Chicago. Trump could state openly that the Dems need to have full commitment before he will invest the time.
If there’s no June debate, Stefan-the-Pustulous and the rest of the In-The-Bag-For-The Democrats crowd will crow that Biden made Trump back down–if they are stupid and want to burnish FJB’s rep ahead of Chicago. Trump should just offer to do the debate if the DNC will sign a contract that if the nominee is not Trump they will pay him $1 in a prime-time news conference carried by all the networks.
@paul
Make sure you drive the van at highway speeds for 10-15 minutes each month (after checking tire inflation). If it’s not parked inside, invest in a can of tire protectant spray for the new tires.
I did that for my aunt but there was some reason she did not qualify. Maybe it was because she was on Medicaid in a nursing facility. I really do not remember the reason. It was not worth my time or aggravation dealing with the SS office.
Getting IRS power of attorney, guardianship thru the VA, having her declared incompetent, getting guardianship for SS, was an arduous venture. Not for the weak or unprepared.
Remember buckeroos and buckerettes, a regular POA is not valid for the IRS. A specific POA through the IRS is required. Then get prepared for regular audits. Even when no tax is owed and no refund is due, a net zero return, will still get audited.
@Jenny
Yes, I have no plan for otherwise. Very happy that you have a plan for wedding rather than funeral. Be great to visit again!!!
Yeah. I have to work on running truck and van enough. I’ll figure it out.
Van and truck are parked in under a roof.
I try to run either enough to get full heated. So, no, a mile to the paved road is not enough.
https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2024/05/18/crockett-tries-to-make-money-off-fight-with-mtg-n2174375
The shirt (-r) says “poor trash” would be more accurate.
Yeah. I have to work on running truck and van enough. I’ll figure it out.
I drive my 2008 Highlander to lunch on Tuesdays to get the battery charged and disturb the spiders.
The fishing trip has been awesome. Yesterday, it was cold though on the water with 60s F but the wind was gusting to 50+ mph. It went right through my two shirts, vest, and my insulated rain jacket. Our guide had to rerig me three times since I suck at casting in a wind.
One more day fishing and we fly out on the 6am from Helena to Salt Lake City to Houston.
That will keep the battery in a constant state of undercharge. In your climate, it might last 2-5 years. To get double that, use a maintainer while it is parked. The one I mentioned yesterday will do that.
Some of the latest opinions suggest it takes a slow charge at approximately 14.5V at 80F for at least 48 hours to reach 100% charge. That voltage also can equalize the cells if used for long enough time, although higher voltage for short term, usually a half hour, might be safer.
Some newer computer controlled chargers can do all of the above, including equalization. Be sure to get one that has temperature compensation if the battery is outdoors.
@CowboyStu
Yay!!!
Regarding funerals vs weddings. Weddings have better alcohol. Funerals have better food. Both have way more emotion and bad behavior than I like.
Man I worked hard today. Joined a group of 20 folks opening up a campground. These folks are volunteers with a contradance group. Good music and mildly athletic not quite square dancing. More fun than you might expect.
Anyway, the camp belongs to a different organization, and to get greatly reduced rate the dance folks put in sweat equity prior to their annual dance camp.
Sweat equity – clean the many cabins, toilets, kitchen, etc.
Also a LOT of grounds work. With the 11+ feet of snow this winter there were many many many fallen trees and snapped limbs blocking trails and generally being dangerous or in the way. It was a perfect Alaska spring day and there was -no- way I was going to do indoor chores with the wimmen folk.
I had brought most of my tools.
I grabbed my chainsaw and trooped into the woods with the guys before I got corralled into comet and sponges and hot water.
We dealt with a lot of trees. Three folks working the chainsaws, and two other women helping pull the branches into the brush and stacking the logs and rounds we created. And I think all five of the chainsaw crew ran a saw at one point or another. I love Alaskans.
It’s the most fun I’ve had this year. There was good food and a nice decompression drink at a local watering hole after.
Home, with dinner in my belly, gonna post and hit the hay.
Ran the Honda 3000si for slightly more than 12 hours on one bottle of LP gas. BBQ bottle. Load was two upright, two chest freezers, and one kitchen fridge/freezer.
Some lighting and chargers.
Did a lot of tree debris clearing. Then did it at my rent house. Came home and spent a couple hours trying to get neighbor’s new last year gennie running. Failed. Told them to buy a new carb. The thing was full of varnish, and the float valve doesn’t shut off. Did what I could on site to clean it, tested it, but it didn’t work with gas. Same as my Generac, lots of fuel leaking out the carb.
If they really turned on 400K+ people yesterday, IDK where they are. They weren’t between the beltway and the inner loop on the west side…
We were supposed to have been fixed today, but the text was wrong. Still on the gennie. I don’t run it at night, the freezers coast fine. IF it would run the A/C I’d think about it.
Time to write it all up and hit the hay. House is warm tonight, it was nice and cool yesterday. Joy.
n
Good luck. I hope you get a competent, helpful employee. Might be worth investing some time surfing the SS website, to see what they say about survivor’s benefits. That way, you’ll know the questions to ask.
He was a disaster, but for strange reasons. He’s too nice. He is a great human being and therefore completely unsuited to DC politics.
Wise woman.
Many (most?) small towns here have one day a year where volunteers pitch in to do all the things the town has no money for. Ours was yesterday, and I spent the morning weed-whacking the recreational area around our little town pond. About 50 people turned out. In return, we got fed and watered. Well, it wasn’t water. My liver might need some time to recover.
Sounds like a good, but not too emergent, test of your preps, Nick. Well done!
I’m at the BOL, and there is so much going on. This is a region where it is cold and windy in winter. When spring and summer arrive, everything starts happening at once, indoors and mostly outdoors. Last weekend, two local Musikvereine” had concerts and parties. I was invited to join one! The neighbouring families invited me to a party celebrating their childrens’ first Holy Communion, and the local motorcycle racing team had a start of racing season party. There was a cycle race passing through the village yesterday. Walkers everywhere. Tables on the pavement at the “Frittenbude”. Life is going outdoors…
On Friday this week, I was invited to a retirement party. I drove a few neighbours home. Someone there invited me to come along to his male voice choir rehearsal next week. I haven’t sung for years, but I will give it a go.
Meatspace, baby! Not anonymous, like in the city, but community. I like it a lot. I dropped in to the pub yesterday evening, and was greeted like the prodigal son. I caught up on the local news. W1 and I are childless, and our families are far away. I think it is important to develop a social network, especially as I hope we will spend our twilight years here.
Today our village is competing against the other local villages in a “Game without Borders“, although not for TV, like the original. I am invited to go and cheer them on. I’ll try to get there, but W1 will be arriving home to the BOL after a trip to see her parents, so I had better get the house clean before she arrives!
A very happy and blessed Whitsuntide to you all!
Brad, you posted while I was writing. That sounds like village life here too!
W W I I I in ten easy steps…
https://www.the-sun.com/news/11399681/10-ways-world-will-spiral-into-nuke-ww3-putin/