Weeding & Wiring

 

Did some more yardwork yesterday - pulling more weeds and cutting more brush. Plenty more brush to cut back but I'm making some progress. We got some rain in the afternoon, so everything will continue to grow at a good clip.

The wire, fuse holders and microphone extension cord came yesterday, so I drug out all the wiring stuff and put the power cord together. 

I soldered the fuse holders onto the power cord wires. I covered the solder joints with heat-shrink tubing but I'm going to wrap the joints with some electrical tape as well. On the other ends of the fuse holders are female spade terminals. I put a little heat shrink tubing on them as well to help insulate them if they were to happen to touch each other in the junction block. Now I can feed the wire through to the battery, cut the wire to length, install the required terminal and I'll have power. 

I still need to cut the antenna cord to length and install the fitting on it. I was waiting on that until I drug the soldering stuff out.

Won't be long now.

Busy Day

 

The financial guy didn't mention investing in precious metals during the meeting yesterday - you know, gold, silver, lead. He did pass along some valuable information for all of us retirees in attendance, though. 

Since the meeting was held at the local library, I looked through the new books and found a Joe Pickett novel by C.J. Box and a collection of stories by James Lee Burke, both authors I've read and enjoyed.

I did quite a bit of yard work after getting home since it was an absolutely ideal day, 75 and sunny with a light breeze. I pulled some weeds and sprayed some others, trimmed some trees, and policed the poop park. No problem with the chest at all - definitely need to shape up some, though. Doing nothing for several months is not the way to stay at peak fitness. Coach Jen sent me a text about a 5K tomorrow. I might put on the girdle and give it a go.

I did a bit more thinking about the scooter cannonball. The youngest grandson will be getting his driver's license soon. We could drive the 2,200 miles to Oregon - take 3 or 4 days. I could ride the cannonball with the grandson following along with luggage, tools, etc. When we get to Texas, load up and head home, or sooner if I would have to "abandon" the tour, like they say in the bicycle racing world. When we get home, I could hand the scooter over to him as payment for helping me out on the trip.

The other grandson made the Dean's List at the college. Like so many of my former students, when they find something they like and can get started on a decent career, they flourish. Really proud of him. He has the potential to become a real good craftsman.

Wire, fuse holders and microphone extension cord for the truck radio should be here today. The antenna folds down when I park the truck in the garage. However, it's not very stable. I think I should make some sort of saddle to support it when it's in the folded position. Doesn't seem worthwhile to put the antenna up just to take the garbage can down and then take it down again to park the truck back in the garage. Something else to think about. 

Update

 Info meeting this morning with the financial guy. He hosts coffee and donut meetings once a month during the summer to keep clients informed about what's going on in the financial world. It'll be interesting to hear his take on the present situation.

The scan on my eye indicated it has gotten a little worse. He gave me the option of deciding if we should schedule the surgery or put it off for a while. Since I've been on light duty for several months, I really would like to get some more done around the shack before I have to go back on the injured reserve list. Next appointment is in December, so I'll get it scheduled after that.

I started installing the new radio in the truck. I need some wire and fuse holders for the power cord to complete the installation, but otherwise, it's pretty much there. I need to see if I can get an extension for the microphone cord. I'll look on Amazon and see if I can find something. If not, I'll call the club president and see what he recommends.

Presidential debate this evening. I plan on watching a bit of it just to see how the two interact, but I'm not too interested in their position on things. That's already been determined by their time in office. 

On the Road

 

Not quite so hot fun yesterday - actually pretty nice day. Temps made it up to 86 around 3:00 in the afternoon, sunshine and low humidity. Spent most of the day on the road starting with dropping the dog off at the vet. Stopped off at Surly's to pick up a couple of things. Next stop the airport to pick up the tanks for the helicopter - still one small leak in both tanks, and then stopped by the college - looks like I'm working again this fall. I'll be teaching stick welding I & II two nights a week. Stopped at Menards to pick up some stainless screws to mount the antenna bracket in the truck bed, Aldi for some groceries, and then back to the vet to pick up the dog. Busy day, but nice to be out.

Eye doctor appointment this morning. I'll be finding out if it's time for surgery or if I need to wait a while longer. Not looking forward to surgery, especially since I've been on light duty for quite a while now. 

I've been doing quite a bit of thinking about the Scooter Cannonball. I still need to do more research before making a commitment, but I'm definitely intrigued by the idea. 

Scooter Cannonball & Field Day

 I stumbled upon something pretty interesting while perusing the internet of things the other day - the Scooter Cannonball. Seems they do a "Cannonball Run" every couple of years on motor scooters. 300cc limit, step-through frames and small diameter tires. Next year they ride from Oregon to Texas. I checked out a Kymco scooter at Speed City Cycle, where I bought my Royal Enfield. They've got a new 2022, 150cc scooter that lists for $2495.00. I'm sure Mike would give me a decent break on the price.

I don't know what the best way to get myself and the scooter to Oregon would be, or how to get home from Texas. Have to look into that before I put any serious thought into signing up. The rest would be a matter of cost estimation and taking a long hard look at the logistics. I think my experience doing long distance bicycle trips would be helpful. Pulling a trailer would allow me to carry all my gear without making the scooter work too hard. 

The trip would be similar to the Giro my buddy Bob did over in Italy. It's not a race but a rally - check points along the way. Need to be able to read a map and a GPS. Sounds like just the thing for a last great adventure. Sign-ups start today.

I went to help with the set-up for Field Day yesterday. For the HF radios, the antennas are long wires that are anchored in the trees. They've got an air gun made from PVC pipe with a fishing reel on it. They charge it up with air from a SCUBA tank, drop a heavy sinker down the barrel and then shoot a line over the top of the tree. They tie the fishing line to a heavier line and use that to pull the antenna wire up into the tree. If you look closely at the photo, you can see both the line hanging down and the air gun. 

Pretty interesting but hot out there. And it's going to be hot today again. There's a couple more antennas and some other set-up required which they're planning on doing at 8:00 AM again. I'd like to help, but if they don't start operating until noon, I'm not so sure I want to hang around in the 90 degree heat for 4 hours waiting to get on a radio. I might help with the set-up, go home and then come back later in the day.  

I picked up my new radio and the rest of the gear needed to outfit my truck while I was there yesterday. I'm going to try and contact Rich from Kentucky when I get on the air. He's been a regular reader of the blog for quite some time and quite the ham himself.

Heat Wave

It's been unseasonably hot lately- record setter on Monday, about 10 degrees cooler on Tuesday (only 87), back up in the nineties for the rest of the week. Monday was the dentist to get my crowns installed, and then delivering the tanks for the helicopter. The customer was quite pleased. Tuesday mowed the lawn and did a bit of reading. Wednesday a little yard work, bicycle ride and back in the shop for a bit - had to run into town first to get a new primer bulb for the trimmer, though.

Today, some more shop time and yard work. Tomorrow, help setting up the Field Day for the ham radio club in the morning. Saturday, 5K or 1 mile walk in the AM depending on the heat and how the chest feels, Field Day later.

Next week's looking like more of the same. Dog to the vet, eye doctor, meeting with the financial guy, maybe a few bike rides, maybe a trip to the fights. I don't know the details on that yet, but they need someone to help work the corner and wrap hands - hard to find a qualified spit bucket man!

The chest is feeling better but nothing on the agenda involves any pulling or heavy lifting. I still need to take it easy on some of the yard work but things have been growing like hell wouldn't have it. The grandson got a real job, so I don't know how often he'll be able to come down and help now. It's good that he's willing to work, however. 

Keepin' Busy

 

The sorghum's doing nicely after all the rain we received. 

Box O' Parts

I got the brush cutter assembled. The manual is a pain in the ass to work with. It's got several pages of drawings to help with assembly due to the fact that the actual instructions are in several different languages. You have to leaf back and forth between the illustrations and the written instructions and the book won't stay open to the page you want. I was impressed with the rod used to keep the shaft from turning while tightening up the nut holding the blade on. Imbedded in the casting is a little magnet to keep the rod from falling out while tightening the nut. 

I started fiddling with the helicopter tanks yesterday. Some of the marks indicating a leak were hard to see, so I marked them darker. I also made a blank-off plate for where the fuel sending unit goes. Since the holes for the sending unit are not spaced evenly, the arrow points to the hole matching a corresponding mark on the blank-off plate. The guy says he's in no hurry, but I want them out of here, so I'll get them welded up in the next couple of days. 

Helicopter Job

 

They all might not be crying mercy now, but the time's a comin'. However, I went to the dentist yesterday and it looks like I don't need to have another root canal. That was good news.

After leaving the dentist, I went to the airport and met the man building a helicopter - very serious project! He told me he's built two airplanes, so he's not a complete novice to this type of work but it looks a lot more complicated than the kind of stuff I play around with. Plus, he's been taking lessons to get his license - but he built his own simulator first.

I come into play repairing his gas tanks. You can see the two saddles on either side of the rotor. The tanks are brand new, but they've got quite a few pinhole leaks in them. I don't think it'll be too tough to repair all the spots, just time consuming. 

The garage/barn looked pretty good when I pulled in when I got home. I remembered it was Flag Day yesterday and got the flag out before I left. I need to trim back the hazelnut bush on the left and I still haven't made a railing for the veranda yet - just one more thing on the long list of projects that need to be finished. I've been doing yardwork lately, with plenty more to do yet. We had another big rain the other night and with the hot temperatures and sunshine in the forecast for the coming week, things will still be growing great guns.

Next week is officially Amateur Radio Week in Indiana by proclamation of the governor. Next weekend is Field Day, when the local club will be operational for 24 hours remotely. This'll be my first chance to get on the air. Should be fun. They start at noon on Saturday and go until noon on Sunday. There's a 5K practically in my backyard Saturday morning that I'm contemplating doing. If my running buddy is up for it, I'll put on my girdle and walk it - slowly, of course.

Haircut, Pizza and a Brush Cutter

 

I got up yesterday and got my bike ride in early since they were forecasting temps in the nineties again. Came home, did some chores and then loaded up the dog for a trip to the groomer.

There's a wood fired pizza oven set up on a semi-permanent basis now on the corner of the state highway north of town, so I stopped and checked it out after dropping off the dog. No pie by the slice but a 10" sausage or pepperoni is $15.00. Extra toppings are $1.00 each. Not a bad tasting pie. The only other time I've had wood fired pizza was when I was in Italy and it was better. No surprise there, though. 

They also sell homemade ice cream. I was eye-balling up the hit and miss engine they use for turning freezers while I was waiting for my pizza. It's bad enough I broke training with the pizza, should definitely stay from the ice cream. However, in the interest of science, I might be talked into trying a cup.

The brush cutter was waiting for me when I got home from picking up the dog. It was plain to see that Fed-Ex once again used the ultimate in care when handling my package. When I checked the tracking number the other day it mentioned something about a delay. Must have been when they were taping up the carton.

I pulled it out of the box, and it doesn't seem to be damaged. A storm was rolling in, so I grabbed the manual and headed in. I've got a dentist appointment this morning and then I'm going to check out a welding job. Maybe get the brush cutter assembled after I get home.

Saddle Up!

The new bike saddle showed up yesterday. Looks to be much better quality than the old one.

`It's not super light weight, but like the old song goes: it's built for comfort, not for speed. 

Instead of fastening onto the seat post with the mounting system shown above, my seat post uses a clamping system that grabs the lower rail. It's got one bolt to clamp it on and one to adjust the angle. The clamp didn't do a great job of holding the other saddle firmly because the two pieces of the clamp bottomed out on each other before they got tight enough to grip the rail firmly. I put the piece that actually gripped the lower rail in the mill and shaved .040" off the middle section. That was all it took.

I took the bike for a test ride and the old seat was a little more comfortable at this point, but I was riding in my bibs rather than padded bike shorts. Plus, these leather saddles usually take a couple hundred miles of riding before they loosen up and conform to your fanny.

The seat looks a lot better than the old one. I'll get some miles on it and then I might adjust the seat back a bit and the nose down a bit. I did get my three miles in on it yesterday, though. I didn't get much else done since it got up to 90 degrees. It usually takes me a couple of weeks to get acclimated to the hot weather - might take longer this year because I'm really out of shape. I'm starting to get that turned around, though. 

Bench Work

 

I finished painting the bench after a slight delay. First something came up, then it rained, and then we had several days of gusty winds. Since I painted the end pieces with oil base paint, I didn't want them to get full of wind-blown sand. If I had some help, I would have had them give me a hand and move the bench into the shop. But then I would've needed help moving it back later on - wasn't worth the aggravation and the job's done now.

I've got a couple of things ordered that should be coming soon. A new seat for the bicycle and a brush cutting weed whacker that has a saw blade on it. I made the mistake of planting some bamboo out by the railroad tracks a few years ago and it's taken over quite a bit of the property. If it wasn't for the "transitory" inflation, I probably wouldn't have spent the money but every day the dollar shrinks in value. Might as well buy anything I need now or may in the future before the dollar is completely worthless and that includes a ham radio. 

I went to the club meeting the other night and the President of the club had been to the "hamfest" in Ohio. From what I understand, he goes annually and if he sees a good deal he buys it and then sells it without any markup to club members. He called me yesterday and after talking a few things over, he said he'll have everything I'll need to mount the radio in my truck when I see him next week. 

That's about all the budget is going to take for a while. I just paid off a big dentist bill and I've got more to come. Shame I wasn't born rich instead of good looking.

Iron Butterfly

 

The instructor at the high school cut out a butterfly for the Missus with the new CNC plasma that came in to the school about the time I had my heart attack and then drug up. 

The Missus asked me not too long ago if I could somehow get it to glow in the dark - don't know where that idea came from, but Rust-Oleum makes a glow in the dark paint. They recommend an undercoat of a matt finish white primer, so that's what I did.

 

As you would expect, the can says the more sun the better the glow. I was planning on going outside to check it out and get a photo as soon as it got dark. It's supposed to glow 2 to 4 hours depending on how much it was charged up. Since it had been a sunny day, it should have been glowing at its best just after it got dark. Unfortunately, I fell asleep in the recliner and didn't get out there until much later. It was glowing then but not bright enough for the camera to pick it up, so I used the flash. Even if it never glows, it looks good now with fresh paint and it's one I can check off the list.

Surly came down and gave me a hand putting the air conditioners in the windows yesterday. Later on, Coach Jen and her husband stopped by and he gave me a hand getting the trials bike set up on the jackstands so I can get back on that project. I got the front yard mowed as well as a bit of trimming on a couple of shrubs. Productive day and good to have spent some more time outside.

Day at The Gym

 Coach Jen and I went to Indy yesterday for the 14th anniversary of American Top Team, a boxing and martial arts gym. 

While there we saw two of the biggest damn dogs I'd ever seen. The bigger of the two weighs 185 pounds, the other only 165. My little dog weighs a touch under 30 - big difference.

In addition to celebrating the anniversary of the gym, they had a "belt ceremony" for those who were receiving their new belts for advancing up the ladder in Jiu-Jitsu. There were three black belts giving out the belts and each one of them gave the students a hug and then threw them to the mat. 

Nice party, good food and fellowship. Coach Jen and I had a nice conversation on the drive down and back. She helped out serving the food and I had a couple of good conversations on their gym's training techniques. All in all, a good day.  

Opinion Page Review

 

I'm on the hunt for a new doctor - not too many choices in a small town, though. After I had my heart attack, I went looking for a Doctor of Osteopathy rather than a MD. They normally deal with a whole patient approach and rely less on just prescribing pharmaceuticals. I found one locally and started going to him but he drug up a few years back. He sent all of his patients to another practice in town but I'm not real happy with the service there. My recent problem being a prime example. 

Also, I received a call from the cardiologist's office Wednesday with the results from the stress test that I took about a month ago. Good thing the results were good. I read an article in the Epoch Times about a doctor shortage. Several reasons were given, none of which look too good for finding a solution anytime soon.

Two other articles in the paper caught my eye recently as well. The first is the recommendation of Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders that there be no smartphones before high school, no social media before age 16, phone-free schools, and more outdoor play and childhood independence. She gleaned these from the book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. I agree whole heartily with these recommendations, by the way. I was teaching in the high school as first pagers, then cell phones made their way into the schools, and I watched firsthand the effect the phones had on the students. 

The other article that caught my eye was about the ADHD drugs that are being prescribed to young people these days. Really good article about the effects of these drugs, especially on young boys. One of the scariest facts given is that "About one in three adults are taking psychiatric meds." That explains a lot about what's going on in society today.

If you're paying attention at all to what's going on, it's pretty easy to see that a kid who can't sit still shouldn't be exposed to the constant stimulation` of a smart phone or be prescribed a pill that doesn't do much more than dummy him up. No telling where this all ends, but having read both of these excellent articles, I'm betting nothing good's going to come out of this. 

Killdozer

20th Anniversary Today!

 

Rectus Hell, It Damn Near Killed Him

 Music to drive to the doctor by. I wasn't holding out much hope going to see another in a long line of doctors and tests. But lo and behold, I hit the jackpot yesterday.

The doctor entered the room carrying a book he held open to a page. A rather slight man of Indian heritage, gray hair, well dressed and professional in every way. We talked, and he poked my chest and stomach while I was lifting my legs. He said I'll be right back, left the room, and the nurse said he's getting another book. Sure enough, he comes back with another book opened to the photo above. He explained what happened and what I can expect for healing, and he had the nurse make me a copy to take to the family doctor. Nothing to it at all. I probably should have been angry that it took so long to get a diagnosis, but while I was fooling around getting all the tests done, I was actually healing up. He said it'll probably take another month or so of taking it easy but if things don't progress, come back and he said there's an injection he can give me. 

So Rectus Abdominus it is. You would have thought if I told the doctor I felt the muscle tear and pointed to the spot, a diagnosis would have been rather simple. The good thing about all of this is nothing was found on any of the tests I had done and Medicare picked up the tab for most everything. Light duty for another month and then ease back into it. 

Rack's done

 

I finish welded the rack for the Sportster yesterday and cleaned up the shop a bit. When I get some help, I'll get the new shocks on the Sporty and move the jackstands that are holding up the trials bike out of the way so I can make the linkage for the shifter and brake. In the meantime, I've got a list of piddly-ass things to work on as well as tinkering on the jitney some.

Planning on mowing some grass and resuming our Sunday walks today. 

Busy Day

 

The propane guys showed up yesterday morning and got everything set so I can hook up a couple more tanks to power the generator if the big tank runs dry. When the guy installed the generator, I had him put in a valve and a tee fitting, so all that was required was to run a line from the tee fitting up to the tank. I'm going to pour a pad or put some patio blocks down before I hook up a tank, though. He didn't have a cap to fit the tank fitting, but he did have a plug for the flare fitting on the line. He gave me the fitting for the tank and I was lucky enough to have a cap for the flare fitting end, so I stuck the fitting in a tank so I wouldn't lose it or forget where I put it. When I get the pad down, I'll roll two tanks over there and get one hooked up and ready to go for an extended power outage.

I got a coat of paint on the bench later on. Maybe get the end castings repainted tomorrow. The end pieces have been around for about 50 years. The slats have been replaced at least three or four times. They should be good for a couple of more years. If I have to replace them again, that'll probably be the last time for me.

I finish welded the rack for the Sportster with the exception of the plate that bolts to the fender. I started welding it up and noticed it looked crooked. Fortunately, I only got a small weld on there, so if I need to straighten it out, it'll be easy to cut the weld loose. Also, since the bike is shoved into the slot nose first, it'll be easy to check and I'll have the grandson help me pull it out so we can install the new rear shocks. While I am interested in finishing up the vintage trials bike, I want to get the Sportster finished as well. 

I got my three miles in on the bicycle yesterday, as well doing a few chores around the shack. Not sore but tired when 5:00 rolled around. Good productive day, though.