Veterans Day

 

Veterans Day today. Everything we've got in this country is due to 250 years of the efforts of our veterans. Thanks to all who've served to protect our freedoms. Things are a bit on the shaky side these days, but you can't blame the brave men and women who have served. And I won't be surprised if things turn kinetic, the veterans will rise to the occasion to save the Republic.

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I missed the anniversary yesterday of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Since I've been nursing some back trouble, I haven't been out in the shop, therefore, no radio. I did get some reading done. I finished up the Jack Reacher book I picked up recently. I didn't realize there are a bunch of those, so I went to the library on my way home from the chiropractor and picked up a couple more to read. I'm scheduled at the chiropractor for my fourth visit on Friday, by the way. The pain isn't all that bad, but it wakes me up at night and it's just plain annoying. I've got things to do.

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I put the new basement shelving unit together yesterday - needed to do something besides ride the recliner. I noticed a small wet spot on the floor. Seems it's coming from a copper supply line for the sink. Not from a soldered fitting like you'd suspect, but from a small crack in the tubing itself. Not a big problem, but another annoyance that comes with being a homeowner in a house originally built in 1898. 

Back Slow Down

 

I went to the dentist yesterday and when I sat down in the chair, I Want to be Sedated came on the speaker. Rather ironic, because first of all I was just there for a cleaning, and second of all I don't get sedated whether it's a filling or a root canal. 

I went to the chiropractor Thursday evening and I'm going again this morning due to a serious bout of sciatica. I'm not sure what brought it on, but I imagine it was a result of many things rather than one single thing. I'm pretty sure there was no way out of this other than professional help. This one isn't the sharp, stabbing pains I've had in the past, but it was keeping me from getting a decent night's sleep. Should be back to normal, for better or worse, in a couple of days.

I bought some shelves for the basement that I'll tackle soon. I want to move some things around so I can get a jig saw and a "baby" milling machine set up down there. Rather than irritate my back or chest, I'll wait and get some help on that. 

I need to replace some siding on the dormer. I didn't realize it was that bad until I was up there a few days ago. I'm going to have to give that a few days until I tackle that also.

Still need the radiator replaced in the tractor also. The weather's been nice, but that can change at any time now. 

Election's Over

 

I was thinking the exact same thing when I cast my ballot. However, I'm of the opinion if you don't vote, you don't have the right to criticize. I've given up believing we can vote our way out of this mess - Fourth Turning and all that. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. As Brother Johnny used to say, we're boned.

Boogaloo

 

I rode my bicycle down the lane to get the mail on Saturday and came across something rather interesting on my way back to the shack.

I found a pair of sunglasses and a bottle of whiskey that still had about a half dozen shots left in it. Not sure how or why they got maybe 50 yards down the lane, maybe just the rural version of Boogaloo Down Broadway, or in my case, boogaloo down the driveway.

The unseasonably warm weather has been nice for the flowers and shrubs, the trees have changed colors and most of the crops in my neighborhood have been harvested. Still got some warm weather on tap but looks like it will be accompanied by some rain the next few days. I've still got a couple of things I'd like to get done outside before it gets real cold, but I think that'll happen. 

The remote starter switch came yesterday. All I need now is a battery and I should be all set to raise the bed on the dump trailer project. I checked on batteries last week at Menards. A deep cycle battery was about $110.00 but I've got a lawn mower battery I'm going to hook up initially to trouble-shoot the hydraulics. 

I signed back up at the rec center yesterday. I'm planning on getting over there three days a week to get in some walking miles and some strength training. I'm signed up for a 5K on Thanksgiving weekend. This will be my first event of the year - lot different than when my buddy Kevin and I were running years ago. If I remember correctly, I did 13 races and Kevin got 15 that one year. Mostly 5K events and a couple of half marathons, but those days are long gone. 

Working on getting the basement workshop a little more user friendly. In addition to the maintenance on the little lathe, putting in a shelving unit and a better light over the workbench. I can go down after dinner and do something constructive instead of sitting in the recliner all evening.

I watched the interview of the Essential Craftsman with Hillsdale College president Larry Arn. It's long at 1:20, but interesting. If you've got some time, might be worth your while. You might want to check out some of the You Tube videos by the Essential Craftsman first to see what a carpenter/ blacksmith has to offer.

Best of the West

 

The Missus and I went to Shipshewana Wednesday for the Best of the West show featuring the Sons of the Pioneers and Riders in the Sky. When I bought the tickets, I wondered what the deal was with the Sons of the Pioneers, since I've seen them in old cowboy movies from the forties. It turns out they've been performing for 93 years with the performers changing as they leave the group and are replaced as necessary. The current group we saw put on a great show of classic tunes as sung by the original group back in the day. 

They were followed by Riders in the Sky who likewise had a couple of new members. We had seen them once before many years ago and the years have taken a toll on them as well. Ranger Doug and 2 Slim were the original members still with the group. Ranger Doug's yodeling isn't as crisp as it used to be, but he said they've been performing for 49 years. The replacement for Woody Paul is a world class fiddler, and they've added an accordion player. Their music is still good as is their comedy.

The show closed with both bands on stage singing a couple of tunes and then wrapping it up with, what else, Happy Trails. 

The show was at the Blue Gate Theater, and we stayed next door at the Blue Gate Inn. With the package deal you get an all you can eat Amish style dinner and breakfast. The theater is a great place to see a show and Shipshewana is a nice place to visit if shopping is your thing.  

Lack of Fruit

 

The before photo of the big chunk of the elm tree that blew down a while back. You can't really see the extent of the damage on the trunk from this photo, but I need to consider having the tree taken down along with one of the big oak trees.

I finally got around to cutting up most everything I could reach from the ground or the stepladder yesterday. I'll have to get the extension ladder out to complete the job. 

The maple tree has changed color, but the lilac behind the house is still blooming, as is the neighbor's. The persimmon trees have dropped all their leaves, and it looks like the 'possums and 'coons have left me enough fruit to make a couple of loaves of persimmon bread. I usually like to wait until there's a frost before picking the persimmons, but it might be better if I pick them in the next few days, looking at the long-range forecast.

It's been a strange year for the trees. I had almost no fruit on the apple, peach and crabapple trees. The deer come in the winter and eat the apples that have fallen on the ground. I mowed underneath the trees Sunday and I did hit a single piece of fruit. Usually, it's kind of a slimy mess. While I don't miss that, I wasn't able to make an apple or a peach pie this year. If I was counting on the fruit trees to help carry me through the winter, I'd be in real trouble. Likewise, no raspberries or gooseberries either. Definitely something to consider from a "prepper's" standpoint.

I got the last hydraulic hose made up for the dump trailer yesterday. That project is nearing completion. The pins I made for the hydraulic cylinder have rusted quite a bit. Not surprising since they're made from plain jane carbon steel. My "eyeball" measurement says they're 1" OD. I think I've got a piece of stainless on the rack. Probably should make a pair and be done with it. 

Busy, Beautiful Day

 

Some illegal immigrant decided to show his appreciation of living in this country by taking a sledge hammer to the monument of the flag raising at Iwo Jima. It wasn't the bronze one but an important one just the same. He managed to break one of the heads of the Marines off and do other damage as well. The last few years statues of famous people of this country's history have been defaced and torn down, as well as names removed from buildings and military installations. Did they think removing the statue of Christopher Columbus in Chicago or Robert E. Lee in New Orleans was going to make everyone sleep better by erasing the history of America?  History ain't always pretty, but whether you like it or not, have some respect and try to think of these historical events in the time period in which they occurred.

Busy day yesterday. I started off with a kidney stone, fortunately it passed without too much pain. Trip to the massage parlor after that, followed by lunch with TVI. I delivered his oil tank for his HD and we shot the bull for quite a while sitting on the bar stools. After lunch, Cuzzin Rick and I picked up another load of scrap.

After that, I "installed" my new garage lights. Not much to the installation - unscrew the regular bulbs, screw in the new lights. It did answer the age-old question of how many welders does it take to screw in a light bulb, however. 

I should have taken a photo of the lights when they're turned off. They look like a ceiling fan with six blades, each blade being a LED light. The pair of them was $25.00 with the shipping and they are brighter than the sun. Nice white light and the individual "blades" are adjustable from the horizontal to the vertical position, which makes it easy to point them to light up the corners.

The light on the far left is just a regular 60-watt bulb. I've got a LED bulb that's an incandescent replacement I'm going to install. Things are bright enough in there now that installing another of the fan type might be overkill.