Dreamsickle

 

Passed the kidney stone Friday evening - glad that's over with. Saturday I ran some errands, stopped by the boxing gym to see what was going on and picked up some jam nuts for the shift linkage so I can get back moving forward on that one. 

I got the Dreamsickle down from the rafters where it's been hanging for a couple of years. The idea being that with the more upright seating position I might be able to ride without any chest pain. Since both tires were flat, I walked it out to the shop to get them pumped up. After airing them up, I hopped on for a shakedown cruise, got about a 1/2 mile from the house and the front tire went flat. The tube looked like it got a pinch flat but I had a spare tube, so it's ready to ride. I'm going to try some short rides and see how I hold up. Hopefully, this'll do it for me. 

It Has Arrived

 

The Missus and I went out for breakfast after my procedure the other morning. We've eaten there a few times before - the food is always good as is the service. The serving sizes are large, which apparently explained the size of many of the patrons. While I was chewing on my pancakes the Missus commented: " There sure are a lot of fat people here." Yes, indeed there were. Yours truly needs to cut down a bit on the intake. I've put on quite a few pounds since my injury. Since I'm not burning up calories, it would seem logical to cut back on my intake. I thought I had done that, but the scale doesn't lie. I got on the other morning and it said, "One at a time please." Ouch.

The price for our breakfast the other day was $34.20. Two decent meals and coffees. I read the other day the amount a family of four needs to earn now for a comfortable lifestyle is $100K. And that's in a state like Indiana. Taking the family out for a meal is starting to be a real luxury for a lot of people. It would be real nice if there were people you could vote for who have a basic understanding of economics and didn't sell their souls to the dollar after they got to Washington.

I bought a package of socket rails to organize the new sockets and got that done yesterday. Also, the clevis ends showed up in the mail yesterday. They're aluminum, so light weight and the black finish will look good with the polished aluminum linkage rods I'll make. Now that I've got the clevises, I can machine up the shift lever to the proper dimension to work with them. 

Didn't do much else yesterday except for some household chores and taking the dog for a walk, I've got a few things to do this morning and then I'll work on something project related.

Kidney Stone

 

And that's exactly what happened. The Missus and I got up at 5:00 AM yesterday morning to get me to my appointment for my throat scope. Since they knock you out, the Missus made the supreme sacrifice and was my driver. Scope went well, nothing to be concerned about with the results, and the doctor said he thought my chest might heal by itself given enough time. I took the results of all of my recent test to the family doctor later in the day to discuss everything - maybe an orthopedic guy next?

After coming home, had a bite to eat and then a damn kidney stone made its presence known. I walked the floor until about 2:30 and finally fell asleep. Woke up this morning and the pain was gone, thankfully, meaning the stone made it as far as my bladder at least. It also means I'll be in for another surprise when it leaves there. No fun what-so-ever.

I did receive my call sign from the FCC yesterday, so I'm a bona fide amateur radio licensee now. 

I'm going to take it easy today but planning on going out to the shop to do a little something at least.

This & That

 

The roses are blooming. I don't remember exactly what the cultivar is, but they're very hardy and fragrant. They produce hips that can be used to make tea and a variety of other products. The hips are very high in vitamin C. These require zero care - no special care like most roses do.

I cleaned up and sorted the sockets yesterday. The first three rows in the foreground are metric. A set of 1/4", 3/8" and 3/8" deep well. The ones on the zip tie are 1/4" SAE. The ones in the rear are 3/8" drive, a full set made by Blackhawk, a few oddball ones and a few deep well. There were also a few extra metric ones that I threw in the drawer with the rest of the metric tools. I've got all of these in the shop and in the garage, except the metric deepwells. I've only got one set of those, so now I'll have a set in both toolboxes and I'll put a 3/8" drive set in both metric and SAE in the bucket down the basement. Actually worked out quite well.

I got the fee paid to the FCC for my Amateur Radio license yesterday. When trying to log in it wouldn't accept my password even though I made sure to write it down when setting up the account. Since it wouldn't accept it, I tried to change it. Following the instructions on the FCC website, they said they sent me a link to use to initiate the change. However, nothing came through. I called my internet provider to see if it went into quarantine, but nope. Next step was to call the FCC help line. As soon as I told the man what I was having trouble with, he said the problem was on their end and they were working on a fix at the present time - try again in a couple of hours. I finally got through a few hours later and got the fee paid. Only thing left is my call sign.

Another test this morning to try and get the chest thing figured out. I'm not holding out much hope for a solution and I've got to be there at 6:25 this morning. Seems to me the same test could be given at 9:00, but it is what it is.

Sock It To Me

Tricky Dick doing the famous sock it to me guest appearance in 1968.

Here yesterday I had an old coffee can doing a socket to me guest appearance. I was working on sorting out some of the stuff I got from the wife's sister last week. In addition to the stuff in the photo, there were two 1/2 x 9/16 open end wrenches in the can. I really don't need any more sockets but I think I'll get a set of 3/8" drive sorted out and throw them in the Bucket Boss down the basement. I've got a 1/4" drive kit that has screwdriver bits and small sockets but occasionally I need something a little bigger for maintenance or project work. Just glancing at the pile I noticed there's both metric and English, so I think I can get a decent set put together. I've got an extra 3/8 ratchet in the shop. Not sure what I'll do with the leftovers - hate to throw them away. They're all a good brand - Craftsman, Blackhawk and Challenger. 

Couple of Firsts

 

The farmer was here yesterday planting. Rather than corn or beans, we're getting sorghum this year. That'll be a first for us. He was kicking up a lot of dust, but it started raining just about the time he finished. Since we're surrounded by farm fields and a trucking outfit, we're always fighting with the dust - the dust usually wins.

I took my Ham radio test last night. I missed two questions - one I had right the first time but second guessed myself when I went back over the test before handing it in. I should get my call sign as soon as I'm contacted by the FCC and pay the licensing fee. Not sure yet exactly what I'm going to do with the license, nothing for sure until I get a radio. One of my former students belongs to the club and he said he's got a radio he'll give me. Not sure exactly what it is but I've got to start somewhere.

Weekend Wrap-Up

 

I went to the fights in Indy with Coach Jen Saturday night. Seven pro bouts on the card, three of which were people we knew personally. One win, one defeat in a very sloppy fight, and another defeat when a slugger met a very skilled boxer. The show was promoted by La Jefa Promotions, Indiana's only female boxing promotion group. Good show and we had a chance to talk to a few people we know in the boxing game. Seems as if professional boxing in Indiana is making a comeback - nice to see.

I also received word from the Welding Instructor at the high school that the high mileage team was very successful Saturday. His two-car team placed first in one division and second in the other. Apparently, the piece I machined for one of his cars did the job, so I can take a wee bit of credit on that one.

I worked on the shift lever Sunday. With a bit of judicious filing and scraping, I got the shifting shaft to fit in the lever block like it was supposed to. The lever in the foreground of the photo is what it's going to end up looking like when completed, or something similar. I now have to figure out if I'm going to use Heim joints or clevises for the linkage. A little more engineering and I'll have the shift linkage taken care of. Hook up the rear brake and I'll be ready to finish weld the frame and paint.

Both grandsons were here Sunday. One cut the grass, the other brought down a welding job for his employer. Not much to it - made a couple of little hoops that needed to be welded on to rake handles. One aluminum, one steel. I forgot to get a photo, though.

Taking my Ham radio test this evening. Should be able to pass without much trouble. I might not ace it, but I'm confident in a positive outcome. I've been studying a lot.