Hank

I really don't need most of the fancy electronics that come with new cars and trucks, which is a good thing since my new truck is a bare bones model. No back up camera or lane departure warning, no GPS to tell me where I'm going, just the basic radio with a CD player, which is step up from the old Dodge with the tape player, however. I do like my Sirius radio, though. I've got a wide ranging taste in music and the new radio accommodates that nicely. It took me a bit to get the installation completed but I've got the presets all programmed and I'm back in business. Where else are you going to be able to hear all three Hanks, jazz, blues, bluegrass, and classic rock without commercials? It's a luxury I'm willing to pay for - especially since I'm going back to work and will be spending more time in the saddle again.

Cuzzin Ricky and I went out for breakfast the other morning and we got the sidecar off the horses afterwards. I got the shop cleaned up a bit and rolled the Rickati into the shop. My back's about healed up, so I'll take a good hard look at the bike and try to remember where I left off six years ago and finish whatever  needs to be done while I've got the motor in it and then send it out to my buddy. Hard to believe it's been that long since I brought it home from the high school but other than my wife's health issues, it's been a great six years. Even going back to work at the college has been great, in spite of working more hours than I had planned on for a few of the semesters.

The weather's been unusually hot lately. The weatherman says Chicago averages 17 days per year of 90 degree or warmer days and we've already had 15. Typically the hottest time of summer is the end of July and the first of August, so we're going to be looking at some more heat yet this season. That really slows down my productivity on the outside projects but I am going to try and get my three projects with wheels underneath them finished this year. I got the motorbike done, so only two more to go, but the year's already about half over. It'd be nice to have some decent progress to report here on the blog and be nicer still to actually have a couple of the bike projects to ride and enjoy. By now the road to Hell should be paved like an Interstate highway with all my good intentions.

Stay cool and save your money. Hard times are coming.