Spirit of '76

 

Birthday yesterday - "Another day older and deeper in debt." Actually, doing pretty good financially. Starting on my second million - because I gave up on the first, as the old joke goes. Had a good day - went to lunch with a friend and then came home and mowed the back yard. Can this guy party, or what?

Taking stock of my situation as I normally do on my birthday, my life is damn good right now. After the heart attack in December, I figured I better get back on the program. My weight's down. I need to lose three more pounds and I'll be a middle weight again. I've been doing some Tai-Chi exercises to keep the muscles moving without a lot of pounding or strain on the joints. I've been doing a bit of strength training but my arms still look like toothpicks. I need to add more protein to my diet and cut out more sugar. I'm still a work in progress but all things considered, looking forward to a few more years, God willing. No way I'm going to be able to finish all the projects if I don't have more time. 

Fortunately, the mental game is still good. I've become a little forgetful like a lot of old farts - walk into a room and forget why. Still not bad, though. I've been weaning myself off the news. I like to stay informed but not much I can do to change the world. I did get my paperwork turned in for mail-in voting, mostly to benefit the Missus, but as long as I was at the courthouse I got mine as well. As long as you're over 65 you can get mail-in - beats standing in line.

The temperature is supposed to cool off starting today to something more seasonable. The heat index yesterday was 105 again. I waited until the sun went down behind the tree tops before I mowed, so it wasn't too bad - glad I installed the bottle rack on the mower. Going to mow the front yard today and hit a couple of licks on the oil tank job.

Life is good. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Prepare for the future. Live long and prosper!  

 

"Cool Down Daddy"

 

"Cool down Daddy, don't you blow your top!" Tough to cool down here lately. Temperatures have been in the mid-nineties with heat indices over 100. Pretty hot for most everyone, but elderly cardiac patients especially need to watch it. Just getting out of the sun helps but the humidity is a pisser just the same. Forecast calls for a heat advisory again today, but I've got things going on for most of the day at places that are air conditioned. 

 

The Missus and the "cleaning lady" are making great progress with the cleaning and organizing. The young lady handed off the spoon in the photo to me. It was tarnished to the extent it was almost completely black, so I did some work with the Auto-Sol polish and got it shined up. If you look closely you can see the Holiday Inn imprint on the end of it. The spoon is a souvenir from a trip to Elkhart Lake when the newly married love birds went to the Can-Am races in our brand-new Olds Cutlass in '71. 

I welded up the filler neck for the oil tank yesterday. I had a little trouble seeing what I was doing at first due to my glasses fogging up. I had turned on the AC unit about 45 minutes before I started welding but it was still 88 degrees and humid in the shop. It'll be fine, it's just not as pretty as I'd like.

I finished the trailer jack mount yesterday as well. When I was drilling the holes, I got three of them done and then I ran into a bit of trouble. I was using a 3/16" pilot drill, and when I was lining up the last one I brought the drill down on the center punch mark while I clamped the vise down. It developed a hard spot and I couldn't do anything with it. I turned the pieces over and drilled it from the back side. No big deal but it did indicate the material had some carbon in it. Because of that I stick welded the pipe to the plate with a low hydrogen weld - E-7018. Low hydrogen rods are for high carbon, high sulfur steels, by the way.

I've got the oil tank bottom and sides ready to bend. I used a chassis punch to make the 3/4" holes. The sheet is actually trapezoidal in shape, but it looks a little whacky due to the camera angle. One of the end pieces needs a couple holes punched in it. I'll get that done and then I can start fitting the pieces together. 

 

Jacks and Chairs

 

Went for walkies yesterday with Coach Jen - got 4 miles in - and she said her husband had a small job for me. I stopped by their barn later and he's making a jack mount for his camper. Needs the pipe welded to the piece and holes drilled in both of the flat bars. No biggie - I'll get it knocked out in the next couple of days. 

You'll notice the parts are sitting on the sheet for the oil tank job. I went out to the shop the other day to get started on cutting out the pieces and I saw a woodchuck run past the big door. I quick went outside and saw the bushes moving where he ran along the side of the building. The raspberries have been taken over with scrub brush and weeds, so I stopped work inside and started clearing a spot about two feet wide next to the shop. I didn't find a burrow, but a couple of years ago one actually chewed through the siding of the shop and found its way in. I need to just cut everything down and start over with the berries. Of course, it continues to rain and the mosquitoes are terrible, but I need to make sure the woodchuck isn't burrowing under the shop or coming through the wall again.

Meanwhile in the fun never stops department, the $20.00 recliner I bought not too long ago broke after the Missus body slammed it while forcing it to recline. I think I figured out how to repair it without too much trouble. Not much of an initial investment, but the upholstery is like new and it's American made. It just wasn't designed for the rough and tumble reclining method.  

 Need to mow again because it's only been a day - mow the front, mow the back, wait a day, and repeat. As long as it's dry enough. If not, I end up with big clumps of grass all over the yard. Usually, this time of year everything is brown, mow maybe once every week and a half. Always something.  

Architecture

 

Surly came down the other afternoon and gave me the highlights of his recent motorcycle trip - 1800+ miles into Canada and around the Great Lakes. The photo above is St. Andrew's church in Kingston, Ontario, rebuilt after a fire in 1889. The photo is one I glommed off the internet. The couple Surly showed me were taken at night and were much nicer. Anyway, as per usual, our conversation veered off to an architectural conversation including Brutalism

I was in Lowell, Mass. years ago on a grant from Eli Lily and did a walking tour of the city. Along the way our guide pointed out a building as an example of Brutalism. I had never heard of that style of architecture before and thought at the time that was a pretty cold description of the building. Later I realized Brutalism was a real thing, not just the guide taking a cheap shot at the building's style. Surly sent some links so I could be better informed on Brutalism. The only forms of architecture I'm familiar with are Gothic and the industrial buildings made of red brick, steam power, line shafts and big glass windows and skylights. 

The county courthouse where I went to make arrangements for mail-in ballots for the Missus and I in the upcoming election. This building was made in 1898 - beautiful inside and out. The church, the courthouse, the industrial buildings I'm familiar with, and the old farmhouse I live in were all constructed during the American Industrial Revolution. My house was built along with several others in my little village as a result of the railroad coming through. Would have been a great time to be alive for a guy like me. 

I need to fill in the void in my education on building styles - maybe find myself a book or two to study this winter.

Sad Day

 

Rest in Peace Dolly!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I made a lay-out of the tank on the 16 ga. sheet I'll be using. I wanted cold rolled but got hot rolled instead, so I'll have to grind off all the surfaces where I'll be welding, especially if I TIG weld the seams and all of the bungs. The layout doesn't have the top as part of it because he had the steel supplier cut that out to size. I don't have a finger brake, so I think I'll bend up the long sides and cut the ends out and weld them individually. 

Assembly procedure as follows:

Cut out all parts and drill holes

Bend sides

Tack weld end pieces and top together

Finish weld sheet metal pieces

Install all bungs and filler pipe. 

I haven't decided if I'm going to TIG weld the sheets or gas weld them. Likewise, I might TIG weld the bungs or braze them in place. Lower heat input with braze welding and I should be able to get a nice, smooth, leakproof fillet all around them.

I might try a couple of practice pieces before committing to either method.

Filler Neck

 

I did a little homeowner work yesterday and then made my first move on the oil tank for TVI. The weld-in bung is pretty short. It was designed to be poked down into the tank until it bottomed out on the flange so it would be only about 1/8" proud of the sheet. However, TVI wants it to be parallel with the bottom of the tank, rather than at the 8-degree angle of the top sheet. I'm going to weld the bung into a tube that I'll cut at the proper angle and then weld the tube to the top sheet.

So how did I arrive at the 8-degree angle, you ask? Let me count the ways. First, I checked the angle with a protractor. Second, I used the trig formula tan A= a/b and looked up the number in the Trig Tables in Machinery's Handbook. Third, just to get a little better with the calculator on my phone, I ran the numbers and figured out how to enter the second function on the tangent. The protractor gave an approximate 8-degree answer, the trig tables gave me the answer in degrees and minutes, and the calculator gave me the answer in a decimal format. Sounds like a lot of work but it only took me about 5 minutes. 

I'm still contemplating my sequence of operations for putting this thing together. There are quite a few fittings that need to be welded into the tank and each one of them will potentially warp the edge of the sheet. I'll give it a little more thought before I jump in.

Oil Tank

 

I think the safety posters only work if people can figure out the message, even at that, no guarantee.

I went to check out the oil tank job yesterday. TVI had purchased all the fittings and the sheet metal a while back, he was just waiting to get his engine back to check the fit of his pattern. We talked over a few other bike things and shot the breeze a bit - nice chat. 

Beautiful day, so when I came home I swapped out the mower blades and then cut the front yard. Did a bit of tinkering as well. Looks like the next few days are going to be nice - be a real blessing for the storm victims. I'm going to try and get some more outside work done while it's dry, myself. Maybe get out on the bike as well.

Buckets O' Fun

 

Real deal Rock & Roll

We've been reorganizing and doing a serious clean around the house. I went to Menards yesterday, bought a set of shelves for the laundry room, some buckets with the Gamma lids and some other items. The shelves are for the cases of water, soda, laundry supplies, etc. The buckets are for pasta and cake mixes. The air-tight lids will keep the pantry moths out of the food stuffs for long term storage. The laundry room will be this week's job when the cleaning lady comes back.

Cut the back yard after getting home - managed to finish up right before it started raining again. I want to cut the front yard today, but it might be too wet. This is usually the time of year when the grass is all brown and dormant. I did sharpen the spare set of blades yesterday, so rain or shine, I'll swap out the blades to be ready when it's dry enough to mow. I also poked around on the Jitney a bit trying to remember where I left off. If it doesn't quit raining soon I'll have to start on an ark.

Going to look at TVI's Harley project today. He sent his engine out to get rebuilt and it finally came back. He wants me to make a new oil tank for sure and maybe more. I'll find out this morning.

My Opinion

I'm not so sure this in an unpopular opinion. I went walkies on Sunday with Coach Jen - 4 miles. Stopped on the way home at CVS to pick up a prescription for Larry Joe Cocker and they had a new sign-in screen gizmo at the counter. I typed in my name and birthdate as required and nothing showed even though they had called and said his script was ready. The screen said if nothing came up go to the drop-off window. So I did but that's like no man's land. One of the ladies finally had pity on me and got me hooked up. I just need to remember to type the dog's name in next time. However, I might just bypass the counter and use the drive-up instead. 

I got my blood draw yesterday that I wasn't able to get last week due to the storm damage. Had to check in at the kiosk there as well. That went pretty smooth because I had already checked in online prior to my first visit. But this is also the place that couldn't do any business because even though they had power, they were dependent on the internet for all transactions.

A couple of side notes: 

All the roundabouts that have been installed up there actually are a plus when the traffic lights are out. So that's a good thing. 

I picked up the spare tire kit for the wife's new car yesterday while I was out and topped off the tank. The station I stopped at usually has donuts, but the bakery is still out of power, which is not a good thing. Not that I need donuts, but since I had to fast for the blood draw a donut was sounding good.

The parts I ordered for the quick-change rear on the Jitney project showed up the other day - oil, gears, gasket and studs for mounting the brake backing plates. Need to get the trials bike buttoned up so I can get it out of the way and then get the car back in the queue. Hard to find the time right now with the mowing and weed control, cutting and splitting wood, doctor's appointments, and all the rest, but I'm doing a little something every day.

This & That

 

Here's the young man that was in the photo a few posts back that was sparring when I went to Indy with Coach Jen. He won a split decision in his bout in Texas and ended up with a title of some sor. Coach Jen didn't know exactly the belt they were fighting for, but he beat the hometown champ, so he must have fought well.

Speaking of Coach Jen, she's selling Earth Magic Body Potions now. All natural products for both men and women. I'm thinking about trying some of the beard oil. Check it out, or better yet, order a little something and help her out.

I went out to the shop Friday evening and found a bunch of torn up foam insulating board on the floor. Looking up there was no doubt where it came from - a new hole in the ceiling. It didn't take long for a raccoon to get in there after repairing it. I had set the live trap and sure enough, had a 'coon in the trap. I disposed of the varmint, so now I'll patch the hole and reset the trap after doing a little work to keep the trap anchored in place. I'll also once again walk around the building to see if I can figure out how they're getting in. 

A little more rain in the forecast for today and tomorrow. Looks to be dry and pleasant for at least seven days after that. Let's hope so. We don't need any more rain anywhere in the state now.   

Prepping

 

As per Bob Dylan, a hard rain is going to fall and will continue for a few more days. As I mentioned in the previous post, lots of rain, downed trees and power outages. NIPSCO which is the power company for most of the customers north of the river, says 300,000 of them were without power on Wednesday. In fact, that was the worst power outage they've ever had. I had to zig-zag a bit on my way home after getting shut out for my lab test, but it would have been much worse had I tried to go north. Long lines at any gas station that still had power and I heard of a couple of stations that ran out of regular. 

So, my advice is first of all never let your tank go below half full and as long as you have a place to safely store it, get a couple of 5-gallon cans, treat them with Sta-Bil or something similar, and a funnel or pump so you can pour the gas into your vehicle. Most 5-gallon cans when full are going to weigh about 45 pounds and, depending on the spout on the can, it'll be tough lifting the can up and getting the gas past the flap in the vehicle's filler neck without thinking it through in advance.

Get some shelf stable grub to keep on hand as well - canned goods, rice, pasta, etc. Having a freezer full of food is great but depending on the ambient temperature and how often you open the door, frozen food won't stay frozen long without power. And of course, you need to be able to prepare the food. If you have all electric utilities, need a stove of some sort or figure on cold meals. Peanut butter on bread or crackers works well in the short term. I have a gas stove in the kitchen plus several types of camping stoves.

Water is a definite item to keep on hand. I have a well and a generator, I keep a few cases of water on hand, and I drove a well a few years back with a pitcher pump. You need water for drinking, cooking cleaning and sanitation. I keep some paper plates, bowls and cups on hand along with plastic utensils.

Fortunately, even though it's August, the temperatures aren't ungodly hot but weather disasters can occur anytime of the year. We had an ice storm years ago in March and were without power for 4 days. This was before we had the generator and the weatherman predicted the storm accurately, so I filled up the bathtub in order to wash up and flush the toilet. I have a small gas heater that's safe for indoor use, put a kettle of the stove and kept a fire going in the fireplace. It wasn't toasty warm in the house, but not uncomfortable, especially for a guy who has camped in all kinds of weather. 

The point of all this is: don't get caught with your pants down!  If you need meds, get some to keep on hand. If you've never done any camping, maybe try a couple of nights at a park to see what type of equipment you need to live unsupported for a couple of days. With all of my bicycle camping, I've got it down to a science - travel light and stay hydrated. Dress for the weather and carry a good flashlight and first aid kit. 

Most importantly, don't be a dumbass! If you have to wait in line for an hour to get fuel for your rig, or you don't have any cash on hand. that'll definitely put you in the dumbass category. The Governor has declared the whole state a disaster area so remember the Scout motto: Be Prepared.  

Jazz, Socks & Rain

 A little old school jazz - music to soothe the savage beast and all that. I need something on the soothing side after what I went through trying to buy some socks.

I went south the other day and went to Walmart to see about buying some socks since the two different orders from Amazon didn't work out. I found some with a high cotton percentage and the right length but they were just a little small for my big feet. Since they were what I was looking for, I decided to order the bigger ones online from Walmart even though I would have to pay the shipping cost - at least I would have the type of socks I wanted.

And this is what I got. Instead of 6 pair of Golden Toe crew socks, I got three size 14-16 Hunter Green  polo shirts. I filled out the paperwork and printed it out to take with me when I headed north to get some lab work done. However, I didn't realize the storm on Tuesday was as bad as it was. My first clue was going through the little town north of me and there was a line about a mile long of people trying to get into the gas station. The next station north wasn't as bad but backed up. The lab was closed, as was the college which was going to be my second stop. I abandoned the rest of the stops, except for Walmart, due to more rain coming down and all the traffic lights being out. I was able to return my socks and as long as I was there, I figured I'd check out the sock aisle.

 

And I got lucky - 12 pairs of 78% cotton crew socks big enough to fit me for $21.16 with tax. I did have to stand in line for a bit. The line wasn't that long but the lady in front of me was dragging two carts through the line and I figured since all I had was my socks, she'd let me go ahead. She never acknowledged I was even there but there's no law saying she should be courteous when shopping at Walmart. Besides, I was pretty happy to stand in line since I finally got new socks.

Celebrating the Missus' birthday today. Just going out to eat locally since there's still a lot of power outages if we try to head north, not to mention the roads that are closed due to flooding and downed trees. Birthdays aren't as big a deal as they were when we were young. The most important thing is we keep having them.

,

Storm Damage

 

It rained Sunday a bit and again Monday night into Tuesday morning. Tuesday morning rain was a genuine storm. Lots of thunder and lightning. I received a phone alert from the college later in the morning, even though I no longer work there, warning of a tornado and the chance of winds up to 100 mph. I don't think the storm managed to get to 100, but it sure did blow and rain. We lost power for about 5-6 hours, but the generator kept the lights on. It finally quit raining about 3:00 PM, but we got a lot of rain - especially when you add in the rainfall on Sunday and Monday.

As you can see in the photo, lost a big part of the elm tree in the back yard. The photo doesn't show it very well, but two large branches split off the main trunk, opening up a big gash. The trunk had already been compromised by the loss of another large branch a couple of years ago. I should be able to clean this up myself, rather than having the tree guy come back out since where it broke off is not too high up the trunk.

The windstorm seems to have pushed the old oak over a little more. If you look at the photo a couple of posts back, you can see the difference. Also, if you look at the right side of the photo you'll notice the end of the lower branch is now touching the ground. When I mowed the other day, it was about two feet above the ground. I might have to have the tree taken down. I had that one and the other one to the left of it trimmed a few years back so nothing was overhanging the roof of the house, but at the angle it's now leaning, if it goes down it might hit the corner of the house. I'll give it a good hard look and decide what I'm going to do. I'll hate to see it come down, but I'd really hate to see it in my bedroom.

Tomato

 

And I'm lucky enough to have both.

The first of many to come from the garden. I had another ripe one already, but it had some bottom rot so I tossed it on the compost pile. This one's a keeper, though. 

I've already picked some cukes, and the peppers are coming in. Just a small patch but I've managed to keep up with the weeds and the weather this year. Maybe expand it a little more next year.

I need to get back in the shop but I've still got some work to do with the logs in the yard. Clean up, splitting and stacking will continue as time and weather allows. However, I've got a guy coming by tomorrow with an aluminum welding job. Have to see what that entails.

Rainy Day Radio

 

Rainy day yesterday and the "domestic help" was here continuing with the kitchen cleaning and rearranging. I spent some time moving things and being close by without being in the way. Pulled out the computer for a bit and rather than feed my paranoia listened to some music. My buddy Kevin and I had looked into starting one of the low wattage radio stations at the high school, but it didn't look like it was going to get any support from the office at that time, so it didn't go anywhere. So today you get a few of my favorites. No classic rock or jazz in the lineup, just some nice, easy stuff for a rainy day - the Johnny Winters tune being an exception.

 

I don't think I've featured any of these here before - maybe the John Prine tune, but "that's all right mama." 

Tar & Chips

 

The Surprise lilies popped up the other day. You never even know they're there, then overnight they're a couple of feet tall and in bloom. Lovely.

I've been getting a lot of yardwork done but still a long way to go. It's been relatively cool, so I've been trying to take advantage of it. Ninety-degree weather is not for me but by going out on my bike in the morning and working outside late afternoon/evenings, progress is being made. 

However, the county hit the road in front of my place with a fresh coat of tar and chips yesterday. While there are some cyclists who relish riding gravel, I'm not one of them. After a couple of weeks, since everyone drives down the middle of the road, the chips will be pushed to the side and it makes it tough on a cyclist to ride when moving over to allow a car to pass. Plus, the cars and trucks don't always slow down, so they end up slinging chips on the bike rider. They also do the same when going by another vehicle in the opposite lane resulting in broken windshields. The fresh chips end by the railroad tracks just out of the photo to the left, so if that's all the farther the county is planning to go, that'll be the way the Missus will be going in her new car whenever she leaves the shack regardless of her destination.

 

Tree Trimming

 

The tree crew showed up yesterday morning. They took down two oak trees and trimmed up a bunch of stuff. In the photo the bucket man is trimming the branches away from the shop roof and then moved on to the big barn and did the same thing. He topped a couple trees in the front yard to keep them out of the power lines coming into the house as well. That should be good for a few years now - at least until the trees grow back into the power lines.

These will be the next ones to come down. They both are leaning as a result of a big storm that came through right after we moved in. There was another one to the right of these two that was uprooted. After it got cut up, I started counting the growth rings but gave up after getting to two hundred. The tree was probably at least 300 years old as are the ones in the photo. There's another one to the left of these two that has a trunk a bit larger. It'll be a shame to have to cut them down when the time comes but they both dropped a large branch in the last big blow. 

I've planted a bunch of trees since I've lived here and I've allowed some volunteers to grow. I've been cleaning up some of the scrub trees and undergrowth lately. The backyard looks like a park when it's trimmed up. I'll do a little more trimming and start splitting the pieces the tree guys left for me. I'm going to have a lot of nice firewood.

Boxing Day

I tagged along with Coach Jen to ATT in Indy today. The gym has open sparring on the first Saturday of each month. Not a lot of boxers there today but some really good sparring sessions. The guy on the right in the photo is a pro fighter with a record of 10-0. I've seen him fight several times and he seems to be the most relaxed guy in the ring you'd ever want to see. He's scheduled to fight another guy who's also 10-0. Should be a good bout.

I worked with one of the boxers. Jen told me he's a hard worker but due his short stature, he needed some help on getting inside. I showed him a couple of things to help with that along with a couple other things I noticed when he was sparring. I hope it'll help.

I had a good time today - watched some quality sparring, had lunch with Coach Jen and then a nice chat on the drive home. Beats working!

Lumberjacking

 

I cut up a big limb that fell a while back into short pieces for the fireplace on Sunday. I left the couple of pieces in the foreground because it was hot, I was sweating, and I could feel my heart beating. I rested up for a couple of minutes and took my pulse - 85 bpm. If you take the most common formula for determining maximum heart rate, mine works out to 220-75 = 145. 145 x 80% =116. So, if I go by the numbers, 80% of my maximum heart rate is 116 bpm, I wasn't even close at 85. However, it was hot and humid and I've learned not to push it, especially when the heat index is around 100. 

Yesterday it was a perfect summer day for working outside, so I moved the cut up lengths to the splitter and split them. The tree man will be here soon to take the rest of the tree down, so I'll have plenty of oak firewood for the winter. I'll take some of the next batch and put it under the shelter on the backside of the garage. The rest I'll stack with this pile and then tarp it after it has a chance to dry out a bit.

Other than some lifting, twisting and turning, splitting doesn't even feel like work - more like some of the Tai-Chai exercises I've been doing. I keep an eye on my fitness level by checking my resting heart rate. It was 56 bpm yesterday morning. Not bad for an old cardiac patient. Just need to watch the diet and stress levels to keep the arteries from clogging up again.

Sock it to Me

We've got a young lady coming in one day a week to help out around the house now. I figured she would be doing cleaning chores, but the Missus decided moving everything around in the kitchen would be the first order of business. I can no longer find anything, but who am I to argue? Anyway, the Missus handed me the little teapot in the photo and asked me if I could knock out a couple of dents in the side of the thing. I was able to fit a small ball peen hammer inside the teapot and work a little metal shaping magic on the dents. I filed off the high spots followed by sandpaper, Scotch-Brite, buffing wheel and a final polishing with some Auto Sol. It's not perfect, and if was a motorcycle part I probably would have done a little more sanding with a finer grit, but as the old saying goes, good enough for the girls I run with.

I ordered some crew socks from the Amazonians thinking that's a no brainer. However, such is not the case. I should have read the fine print a little closer. The photo looked like what I wanted, but even though they were sold as crew socks and work socks, they are more polyester than cotton, meaning they stretch to over the calf length. I was looking for socks that stick out about 1/2" above my 8" work boots. If I wanted over the calf socks, I'd be looking for some like Chuck Wepner had on in his fight with Ali. Actually, I used to wear those when I was training back in the seventies. I haven't seen those on any of the fighters in a long time. They probably went out of style about the same time as Wepner hit the canvas. Anyway, I still need some cotton crew socks, and who wears polyester work socks, anyway?

Pump She Said .....

 

And pump I did, and I don't work there anymore.

In the interest of finishing one of the many unfinished projects that have accumulated over the years, I drug out the pump for the dump trailer. It's been in the original box out in the barn for years, and, of course, the mice set up shop in the box. No real harm done to the pump, but the instructions had been chewed up. Because of that, I'm not sure which port is the output and which is the return. I bought the pump from Northern and they now have a retail store not too far from me. I'll take a run up there with the info on the pump and see if I can get the info. First, though, I'll send Haldex an email and see if they can help me. I've got a control valve and some hose fittings already. It shouldn't take much to finish it up. 

When I let the dog out the other morning, I saw this little deer sleeping under the pine tree. It's young - still has its spotted coat. I've seen what appears to be momma and papa around here as well. They all appear to be healthy. Lovely animals - very graceful when in motion.

The weather cooled down lately. I've been taking advantage of it and doing some outside work. With the heat and the rain, the weeds and brush have gotten away from me. The tree trimmer stopped by this morning to give me a quote on taking down a tree and trimming up a few more. It won't be cheap, but neither will be neglecting the work and having wires come down or a branch come down on the shop roof. 

Planning on doing another 20-mile bike ride in the morning. I've been a little concerned about being out on the road after reading the article on ghost bikes in my last post, and then I came across this one. Female boxer died while riding her bike in what appears to be a deliberate attack. Lots of crazies out there. No reason all of us, whether it's a car, truck, bicycle or farm vehicle, can't share the road.

Cool as a Jewel

 

I got the air conditioning unit hooked up in the shop. I raised it up a couple of inches to clear the legs on the press and to allow the drain hose to have a little fall to it. The warm air exhaust goes through the same hole the heater comes through in the winter. Pretty easy install. However, it's real close to the mill so I'll have to protect it from flying chips. I'm thinking a piece of 1/4" plywood maybe 6' high with a stiffener along the edges that I can fasten to the shelving unit should work. The nice thing about this unit is you can use it for AC, a dehumidifier or a fan. Should be a blessing when the temps are in the nineties.

The weather's been quite reasonable the last few days but the smoke from the Canadian wildfires has been pretty rough. I went out on the bike the last couple of mornings since the smoke wasn't too bad but it hasn't been very healthy for anyone spending time outdoors.

 I straightened out the windmill for the sister-in-law. You have to look close to see that it was bent up, but since it was pretty shaky before it got hit, I'm sure she'll be happy. 

Really good article about "ghost bikes" and what often happens when a bicyclist is killed while out on the road. Most everyone around my area is fairly courteous and gives me plenty of room. Of course, I try to restrict my riding to the roads less traveled and at a time when there isn't much traffic. I've often wondered why people who drive 15,000 miles a year can't move over 5' when passing a cyclist or a runner. Just have to be careful.

New Car

 

2026 Buick Encore - new car for the Missus. Traded in the 2014 Encore even though it had fairly low miles. 2027 models are supposed to have some type of "kill switch" that will sense when you're falling asleep at the wheel or driving erratically. From what I've read, the car manufacturers might not have all the details worked out yet, but they'll probably have the cars set up so it can be retrofitted at a later date. I think I can live without that feature. Even if that never happens, the old Encore was ready for brakes and tires. Plus, at our ages, the odds of either of us still driving in 12 years are pretty slim. Probably the last car we ever buy. My truck's a 2016 with only 54,000 miles on it, so it should go the distance as well.

Besides it being hot and humid, it's now smoky due to the Canadian wildfires. I installed a bottle cage on the mower to help keep me hydrated. I might have to stay off the bike until the smoke clears up, though.

I also bought a portable AC unit for the shop. I got the ceiling fixed from the raccoon damage and the scuttle hole installed. The AC unit will allow me to spend some more time out in the shop and I can use it as a dehumidifier as well. Should make things a bit more comfortable. 

Robert E.

 

The following quote from the Lone Star Parson:

Dear Dr. Scott:

Respecting your August 1 inquiry calling attention to my often expressed admiration for General Robert E. Lee, I would say, first, that we need to understand that at the time of the War between the States the issue of secession had remained unresolved for more than 70 years. Men of probity, character, public standing and unquestioned loyalty, both North and South, had disagreed over this issue as a matter of principle from the day our Constitution was adopted.

General Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by our Nation. He believed unswervingly in the Constitutional validity of his cause which until 1865 was still an arguable question in America; he was a poised and inspiring leader, true to the high trust reposed in him by millions of his fellow citizens; he was thoughtful yet demanding of his officers and men, forbearing with captured enemies but ingenious, unrelenting and personally courageous in battle, and never disheartened by a reverse or obstacle. Through all his many trials, he remained selfless almost to a fault and unfailing in his faith in God. Taken altogether, he was noble as a leader and as a man, and unsullied as I read the pages of our history.

From deep conviction, I simply say this: a nation of men of Lee’s calibre would be unconquerable in spirit and soul. Indeed, to the degree that present-day American youth will strive to emulate his rare qualities, including his devotion to this land as revealed in his painstaking efforts to help heal the Nation’s wounds once the bitter struggle was over, we, in our own time of danger in a divided world, will be strengthened and our love of freedom sustained.

Such are the reasons that I proudly display the picture of this great American on my office wall.

Sincerely,

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Regardless of how anyone feels about the "War of Northern Aggression", Lee was a tremendous leader and was obviously admired by another great general as the above quote proves. It's a shame there has been a serious effort to remove him from our history, along with many others. Having just celebrated the 250th anniversary of Independence Day, seems to me painting over the part of history that's uncomfortable isn't the answer. There are plenty of things that have gone on that we should not celebrate - Japanese internment, dealings with the native peoples and, of course the issue of slavery itself for starters, but we need to remember these things, not glorify them, but not sweep them under the rug either.

We're at a crossroads now. We need real leaders more than ever. People in positions of power who will take seriously the oath they've taken and bring the country back in line before it's too late.

    

Bike Ride

 

I went on the bike ride yesterday morning. The temperature was right at 69 or 70 degrees and overcast at starting time - perfect weather for a bike ride. The old Raleigh performed well, as always. I did, however, manage to pull the wire out of the sending unit on my speedometer. Since I was riding in a group, I didn't need the speedo or the odometer to follow the route sheet - just follow the crowd for twenty miles. I stuck the wire for the speedo back down in the sending unit after unloading the bike at home and it works still. I'll get some silicon or something and glue it back in place. As long as I'm careful in the future, should be good for a 100,000.

The "Rec Center" is planning on a few more rides this summer. If they are like the one yesterday, should be fun. Nice pace, good distance, and good people.

I put the decals on old Allis the other day - kind of like putting lipstick on a pig, as they say, but the old girl will look pretty nice once I paint the gas tank and battery box. Since the original lettering had the black letters outlined in white, I considered painting a rectangular white box where the lettering was going. No way I was going to try and outline the lettering. Just paint the tank and I'll call it good.

I modified the exhaust pipe on the trials bike to get it a little farther away from the float bowl. I need to dress up the welds a little still and then repaint the pipe. I'm going to order some pipe wrap for it and that'll keep everything on the engine safe from the heat and likewise my leg.

I cut up an old inner tube and glued a piece in the tunnel of the tank where it'll be hitting on the frame backbone. One more thing off the punch list. I need to fab up some type of return spring for the rear brake yet, but it'll be done one of these days.

Plan on getting back out in the shop a little bit today and maybe start cutting up the big branches in the yard before the heat returns this week.

Scrambler

 

 

I came across this on an Aermacchi Owners Group. Looks like what would have been called a scrambler back in the day. It appears to be a stock frame with the addition of a couple of extra tubes running from the steering head down to the top motor mount. Also, the forks have been swapped out. The stock forks had the axle mounts on the bottom of the tubes. Nice looking rig.

Another storm last evening and more hot weather coming in next week. Not only is the grass growing like crazy, but it's being taken over by a broad-leafed variety. The front yard was looking really nice earlier this year but big changes in just a matter of a couple of weeks. The back yard is worse. I'm not sure what the best approach is to reclaim it. I had spread some weed & feed this spring - no dandelions now, but the invasive grass is growing like hell wouldn't have it. 

The "Rec Center" where I was walking indoors after the heart attack is having a bike ride in the morning. No charge, various distances, 6:30 start time. Not sure I want to get up that early, but I'll load the bike up later today and if I can get my lazy fanny out of bed at 6:00, I'll give it a shot. The weather should be nice starting that early.

Going to do a little work in the shop today, finally, but I've got some "lumberjacking" to do as well. There's a couple of big limbs down in the back that have come down in the recent storms I need to clean up. I'm not having much success keeping up with the outside work while being cautious with my health. The ninety-degree temps with humidity to match can be tough on an old guy with a history of cardiac issues. I rode my bike down to the mailbox last evening after it had cooled down a little and had worked up a sweat by the time I got back. It's a long driveway, but not that long.  

Anyway, I'll keep on keeping on. Get done what needs to be done and play with the toys as time and weather allow.

Bike Things

 

If I was to contemplate working on another Sportster, I'd go this route. I saw one of these in orange and black at the Springfield Mile a few years back. Cuzzin Ricky and I stopped there on our way home from watching Silver Crown cars race at DuQuoin. There was certainly no shortage of bikes at Springfield, but I did a double take when I saw the XR1000. Cool as a jewel. Good racing both there and in DuQuoin. Even though I'm a die-hard bike guy, the Champ cars on a one-mile dirt track are the best.

Took the bicycle out for a spin yesterday morning and did a little sprint work. I hadn't planned that, but when the St. Bernard started chasing me, seemed like the thing to do. The dog was chasing me and the lady was chasing the dog. I didn't want to pepper spray the dog, but I don't want to get bit or knocked down. I've been through that before and that resulted in a broken collar bone and some serious bruising. The problem now, however, is I go past that house on every ride. 

I need to finish repairing the ceiling in the shop and maybe spring for a portable AC unit. The weather was beautiful yesterday but that won't last. The Missus' ankle is much better, so I can leave her alone a bit more now - time to get back to work.

Music Post

 

Hot again yesterday - not quite as bad as it was the previous few days, but not the kind of day an old cardiac patient should be doing much outside during the heat of the day. I did make it out on the bike early and put in six miles, though. I spent the rest of the day reading and watching television. The morning and afternoon shows were the usual programing - cowboys and cooking shows. Later in the day it became 250th celebrations and another rainstorm. I wasn't too impressed with the ABC affiliates programming, but the PBS show from Colonial Williamsburg was quite good. The Big Cheese from Williamsburg did a short speech tying the founders and the Declaration to what we should be doing now. I'm a big fan of history, but as they say, if you don't learn from history, you're doomed to repeat it, or words to that effect. 

The music above has a vague tie-in to yesterday's celebration, but mostly I picked them because I like them. The blog is my start page when I log in, and I'll usually play a tune or two before I check my regular spots every morning. I good tune is always a great start to the day.  

Cooler weather is forecast for the upcoming few days, so I'll be looking to get some things accomplished before it heats up again. The days are flying by now. Lots of work to do in the shop but with the rain and the heat there'll be lots of yardwork to do as well. No rest for the wicked.  

250 Years

 

Garden

 

"Knee high by the 4th of July" - that's from the days before the hybrid varieties hit the fields. This is the corn in the front field. I took the photo a couple of days ago and it has grown a couple of inches since. It's about 5 feet tall now, meaning we're pretty much isolated here being surrounded by trees or corn and humidity. The corn being the main culprit. I worked in the garden a bit last evening and it didn't take long before I was dripping with sweat.

Speaking of which, the tomatoes, peppers and cukes are doing well. The corn and peas have taken a hit from the rabbits and/or deer. The corn is an ornamental variety that I planted on a whim from an ear I had picked two years ago. It sprouted right quick like but mostly disappeared shortly thereafter. I'm going to replant it but I doubt if it will have time to reach to maturity. The peas have a fairly short time to maturity, so I should be OK there, as long as the wildlife stays away. However, the place is lousy with rabbits this year, but the grocery store always has peas in both the frozen food department and in the canned goods aisle.

Nothing much going on otherwise - just life as I know it. It'll be cooling down this coming week, so I'll be able to resume project work both in the shop and yard work.

-----------------------------------------

Since it's the 250th anniversary of our country, you might want to watch the movie about our founding by Hillsdale College. The Missus and I went to the theatre to see it, but now it's available on You Tube.

Also, since we're talking movies, I watched This Land is Mine yesterday on TCM. The movie stars Charles Laughton as a meek school teacher living in a Nazi occupied country who is put on trial for a murder he didn't commit. I couldn't find the complete movie but I did find an audio version. If you click on the link, skip ahead to 44 minutes and you can hear Laughton addressing the court. It's not as powerful a speech as it was with the video, and it loses quite a bit of the forcefulness without the set-up, but it's quite relevant to what's happening today just the same. If you get a chance to see the whole movie, I'd suggest you do so. 

---------------------------------------------

Wishing you and America a very happy 4th of July.