Four Miles but No Pork

Shop Teacher Bob, the vegan, and his vegetarian sidekick did the Pork Fest 4-miler yesterday. I haven't been running too much due to a sore back but I did about 50/50 running and walking. I could have run a bigger percentage but I felt good and wanted to continue to do so, so I left it at that. Usually no matter how slow I go, I'm still way ahead of a bunch of people. I think I ended up 107 out of 109 - that's a little different. Percentage wise, probably the prettiest bunch at any race I've ever attended. That's different also. Lots of very attractive women in the race and cute girls working the course. Most everyone seemed to be fit and tan. Might be why I was just two people ahead of the sweep truck. Tan but not really fit.

But maybe the most attractive thing I saw was a restored milk truck that was on hand for the parade - all about priorities, people. I did a post once before on trucks that featured a Divco milk truck - you can check it out here. This baby was painted up in the colors of a local dairy that's been around for years and years. And for the icing on the cake, as we were leaving, four or five semi tractors were coming into town to join the parade with one of those being an old Mack that was chromed up one side and down the other. Mirrors, stacks, fenders - you name it - this rig had it all. A B-61 Mack with the Thermodyne diesel and 5 x 4 trans might even be more fun than the Jaguar F-type. Who needs paddle shifters when you can double-clutch?

I welded up a little crack in a pair of laundry tubs that the wife sold at her garage sale after I got home. No, it wasn't a warranty job. She borrowed them back so our niece could use them. She's having an outside wedding with a country theme and wants to use them to keep drinks on ice. The aluminum is paper thin and, of course, corroded. I didn't have any aluminum cleaner, so it was file, wire brush and Scotch Brite the area. That doesn't really get down into the crack, however, and aluminum doesn't want to flow together, but rather, it wants to separate and ball up along the edges turning a crack into a hole. And as thin as this stuff is, a little hole can easily become a big hole. I put a series of tacks along the crack, filed the tacks down and then washed a bead over them. I also went over the crack from the inside of the tub just to smooth things up a little. Maybe not the prettiest job I've ever done, but it holds water.

I transferred the wine from the primary fermenter (plastic bucket) to the secondary fermentation vessel (glass jug) the other night. The juice is bubbling away, so the yeast is still working on the sugar and the peach juice. According to the directions, 2-3 weeks in this bottle, then siphon it into another bottle, check the specific gravity and if all's right with the world, bottle it and wait a minimum of a couple months. After that, start drinking. I've got apples starting to fall off the tree so I can clean up the plastic bucket and the fruit bag and start a batch of apple wine next. I've also got another variety of peaches that I might try. If I can get my grape vines under control, maybe a batch of grape wine next year. With a little luck, maybe a grape pie this year. While I've quit eating butter, I make exceptions if it's in one of the Missus' pie crusts.