Sunday, May 11, 2025
Busy Weekend
Friday, May 9, 2025
Gone Like a Cool Breeze
Retired once again - this time for sure! Had a light night and was able to bug out early - through the front door I might add. Same set of doors I went through when I hired in there the first time 13 years ago. Head held high and no looking back.
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Trailer & Retirement
And this right here is why the average middle class wage earner never gets ahead of the game. You bust your hump going to work every day, but every day your dollars are worth less. There's definitely something wrong with a system where the government borrows their money from an outside concern and then has to pay interest on it while devaluing the purchasing power. If I would have purchased an item for $1.00 on the year I was born, 1950, to purchase that same item this year it would cost $32.30. A little bit of fiscal responsibility certainly wouldn't hurt.
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Finishing the Trailer
I did get a little more done on the jitney and took care of some paperwork for the college gig. I got my last evaluation of my job performance last week. It was positive, so at least I'm finishing on a high note. I'll be glad to get rid of this one, as well.
I've got some boxing stuff lined up, project work, of course, and a few other things to keep myself busy - going to the bike shop to pick up some bearings for the neck of the trials bike today. I'm thinking about dusting off the old tap shoes and learning the Shim Sham. It'll be good from both a physical and mental angle. I want to do a little more black and white photography, camping, fishing, traveling, etc. Make up for a couple of lost years due to covid. Plenty to do, and hopefully, the good health to enjoy the freedom to do whatever I choose to do.
Sunday, May 4, 2025
New Battery
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Weekly Reports & a PSA
Busy day Monday. Started off with a bicycle ride. I got about 2 miles from the house and a gust of wind blew something into my eye. Not sure how it happened since I was wearing wrap-around sunglasses but it must have been some fertilizer or lime from the farm field. Burned like the dickens and the tears were flowing like Niagra Falls. Decided to head home after that.
The rest of the day went better, however - barber shop, steel supply, drugstore, grocery and bank. Sharpened the spare mower blades, swapped the old ones out, then mowed the front yard. Fed and watered the chickens and called it a day.
Tuesday a little lighter on the chores. I bumped Monday's chores back a day, so did those. Cleaned up the poop park and then "mowed" it with the string trimmer. Went to the new Harbor Freight store by the college for a cheap 1/2" breaker bar. I kept one in the garage just for changing the mower blades but it somehow came up missing. Menards after that to pick up the hardware for the trailer job, Aldi for a couple of things and then went to work. Only three more nights to go now.
I'm planning on working on the trailer job today but I don't know how much I'll get done since they're forecasting rain. If I get rained out, I'll work on the fork legs on the trials bike. I've got another little job I want to finish also.
I wasn't able to get my air acetylene torch working after getting a fresh bottle, but I swapped out the tip and it works fine. I'm thinking maybe a spider crawled up into the tip and built a home. I'll blow it out with the air compressor next time I turn it on and see if that takes care of it.
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Public Safety Announcement: Lots of slow-moving farm vehicles on the roads now. Take your time and have some patience when you come up on one. They drop dirt and debris when leaving the fields sometimes, so you motorcyclists take it easy on the corners. Also, the homeowners are mowing grass and throwing it out on the roadway too. And let's not forget all the animals that are on the move when the sun goes down.
Be careful out there my friends!
Monday, April 28, 2025
Shakin' All Over
Saturday, April 26, 2025
Racing With the Devil
Thursday, April 24, 2025
A Bit Of Progress
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Arbor & Sickles
Sunday, April 20, 2025
Threaded Things
Saturday, April 19, 2025
Captain Hornblower
Thursday, April 17, 2025
Trailer & Training Plans
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Getting Close
Monday, April 14, 2025
Bike & Hike
Sunday, April 13, 2025
Good Day for Working
Friday, April 11, 2025
Dogs, Welding and Arithmetic
National Pet Day today. I celebrated by taking Larry to the groomer - he showed his appreciation by shaking all the way there and then refusing to look at me on the ride home.
It's National Welding Month - I celebrated by getting a flash burn on my eyes at work the other night. One of the occupational hazards of working with a bunch of rookies.
And speaking of rookies, many of the students I encounter at the college are stone cold rookies when it comes to being able to do math and/or read at anything close to grade level. I'm placing much of the blame for this on the schools. I taught 36 years at the high school level, 8 years at the community college level and I haven't seen any improvement in the student's abilities to read or do math problems typical of what is required for the trades since I started way back in 1976, but still they graduate from high school.
In Indiana, in order to graduate with the Core 40 diploma, you must take Algebra I & II and Geometry. Integrative Math I, II, and III can be substituted. I'm not familiar with Integrative Math, so I can't speak to that, but requiring two years of Algebra is pointless for the majority of people entering into the trades. It's bad enough they can't do simple math problems associated with a trade, but they don't seem to think it's an issue. And unfortunately, their reading skills aren't any better. However, there is hope for a solution, and it comes from Mississippi of all places. The Magnolia State has shown tremendous growth in their reading and math scores. Let's hope other states do something similar.
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Fingering it Out
Monday, April 7, 2025
Floorboard
Goodbye Sadness
Sunday, April 6, 2025
Working the Projects
The shifter boot came Friday - came with a polished stainless ring and hardware to bolt it down. I made a pattern for the riser mount but I might need to modify things a bit. The bottom is 6" square and the top is 5" in diameter and about 6" high. I might just roll up a 5" dia. cylinder and see how that would look. I'll make the floor pattern before deciding on what to do on the boot.
The book in the photo is the 1947 revised edition - the first edition came out in 1941. The author was a professor at Purdue. It's an excellent book that I refer to occasionally. In this case I couldn't remember how to revolve things to get my true length lines for my layout. I took an engineering graphics course at Purdue a long time ago and I've still got that textbook and several other books for helping do layouts and solving the odd-ball problems I come across in my project work. If you don't have a similar book in your library, you should keep your eyes peeled at estate sales or yard sales for one. If you can find one, it'll probably be cheap enough to take home and keep on the shelf. You never know when you might need to make a truncated cone or a square to round transition piece like the one above.
I got the trials bike frame ready for paint. Depending on the weather today, I'm hoping to get it painted. The primer can be recoated after about an hour. If not, you need to wait 48 hours. I'd rather not do that, so I'm planning on firing up the heater and getting the shop good and warm and low in humidity. If I can accomplish that, I'll get some paint on it. While the shop's warming up, see to the other parts above and get those taken care of. Maybe get a little walk in as well.
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Bike Frame
The footpeg mounts get welded in today and then I'll do a bit of grinding, sanding and cleaning to get it ready for paint. While doing that I should be able to find any spots I may have overlooked that need welding.
Still waiting on the fork seals but I haven't got the fork legs cleaned and polished yet anyway. The shifter boot for the jitney should be here today or tomorrow. I picked up some poster board the other day to make a couple of patterns for the floorboard. When I went to pick up my fresh argon bottle on Monday, he was out of my size, so he gave me a smaller one. The delivery truck won't be there for another week yet, so I'm going to weld most everything I can in the meantime. That way I'll empty the small one and pick up my regular one, pay him for both and everyone will be happy. Plus, I'll have a lot done on my projects.
I talked to the travel agent the other day about a trip to Hawaii. It's not going to be cheap but it'll allow me to finish my quest to see all 50 states. Actually, it's more like pee, rather than see. By my rules, the only way you can claim to have been in a state is to mark your territory by "taking a leak" there. So when you see the old Johnny Cash song I've Been Everywhere show up on the blog, you'll know I made it. Meanwhile, back to work.
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
College Mopes and TIG Fingers
I ran across this the other day: The average college student today - by Hilarius Bookbinder
Pretty much the same thing I've been dealing with lately. The fact that they don't know the basic things that everyone entering college should know is one thing, but the fact they don't seem too concerned about it is what bothers me. I know what a good welder should know and the conditions of the industry now. You try and tell them that it's a jungle out there but they don't seem capable of cranking it up and doing their best to prepare for a career. Oh well, 12 more days and they're on their own as far as I'm concerned.
Sunday, March 30, 2025
Music, Magnolia and Motorcycle
Friday, March 28, 2025
Alchemy - Turning Cold Rolled Into Gold
Monday, March 24, 2025
Out of Gas
I went over to the steel supplier yesterday morning to swap out my argon bottle only to find a note on the door they will be closed all week. Apparently, they went on spring break.
However, Surly and one of the grandsons came down with a welding job and some stuff to clutter up my place rather than theirs. The grandson is taking care of the welding job. The kid's going to make a good craftsman one of these days.
Big vise Surly picked up at an estate sale. You can spin the jaws around and it becomes a pipe vise. He got it for a steal. He didn't need it but the price was right and it'll go in the grandson's hope chest.
I did a little work on the trials bike, even though I couldn't do any welding. I got the piece made for the back mount of the skid plate. As soon as I get the argon I'll get it tacked on.
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Looks like the Department of Education is done for and the power will return to the states, as it and most everything else should be as per the 10th amendment. There's been a steady downward trend in our rankings compared to other countries ever since it became a stand-alone cabinet in 1980. I'm not sure how well the states will do if you look at the condition of many of them, however. I've only got 14 days left in the system now. After that, I won't have to worry if college students can tell time or work with fractions. I'll just stay home and work on my projects.
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I came across something very interesting on a couple of spots I browse. On last Thursday's post at The LoneStar Parson, he reports on what has been found underneath the pyramids of Egypt. It's wild what they found and only adds to the mystery of why they were built and by whom. And I'll bet you a dollar to a donut, those guys could do some serious math.