This one's for Jim. Just a Moment of my life frozen in time on Friday:
Had one of those 'sit still' moments, brought on by a red light. In my pocket was the First Reason I was going to Towne - a grocery list for Dennis and his friend (nice young lady) who were going camping. On the seat next to me was the Second Reason - consisting of Sera's flat tire. In the back seat were 4 pork chops contributed for dogs when Pete thought the meat had aged a day more than he wanted to risk. And I was chewing super-glue off my fingers.
It was 10:30 in the morning with a half-minute to contemplate the day thus far.
I started by driving 'the kids' to the campsite 8 miles away, but 4 miles are a narrow, dirt, winding road with speeds of 20 - 25 mph, so seems longer. They tossed up a tent and registered to reserve the spot, then I spun them back the other way to help Pete for a few hours. (Wise older folks learn to use young muscle when it's available.)
Plan was to get groceries and get home, but -. Sera called Pete before we got there, had a flat at home that wouldn't come loose. I went home instead to help. She had the lug nuts off, but the tire wouldn't break free, had the spare donut out. We tried inflating it first with a little gizmo that had banged around in my trunk some time.
Interesting gizmo, in that the switch was stuck so I pried it out and shorted across with a screwdriver to make it work... kind of. Tire wouldn't hold air. Tire wouldn't come loose. I went after a pry bar to convince it otherwise, but didn't need to use it. Sera in frustration squatted in front of it with her arms almost around it and gave a mighty jerk. It worked, though she landed on her back with the tire on top of her, missing the cardboard she'd put down to stay clean.
See, I have a bit more experience and was planning NOT to do it this way, figuring the pry bar would save my wrist from 'jerking out' too, but now Sera has her own experience to learn from - i.e., don't always believe the pictures in the manual and how easy it appears to be; keep a pry bar handy instead.
She headed off to work on the little tire and I offered to drop off the flat for repairs since I was going to Towne anyway. Betwixt this, she'd called brother Matt to get assistance if all else failed, so the phone was ringing; the youngest dog, under a year yet, didn't get let out during the tire exchange and left a pile by the door - suffice it to say one might think we had a horse in the house. These are the dogs the pork chops were for that Pete donated when I dropped off the kids.
The super glue "I opened the wrong way" the night before, coating all fingers successfully - which wasn't my intent.
This defines the moment that found me at the red light.
I didn't yet know the next few hours were aligning in equal pattern. I got home in time to call Sera with hours on the tire shop, stash groceries in refrig, change for 'professional look' for upcoming census appointment, then ran to pick up kids. They were packing for their outing while I caught the appointment... who wasn't home, anyway. While I was in that area, figured it'd be wisest to pick up the 3 bundles of wood and drop it off at their campsite (state park, approved wood only). Got home and delivered the kids to the camp.
Remember the dirt road? I hit some of the bumps left by a bad plow-job, the kind that feel like railroad tracks, going around one of the corners on the hill and this triggered my check engine light to go on. This isn't a light I've seen before, but everything else appeared fine; figured maybe something got knocked loose... or it'd resolve itself. Made the trip back a little more interesting than I wanted. Decided I'd let the car sit to sort itself out awhile before starting it again.
Luckily, this little light turned itself off and didn't require me to probe around where I don't belong - under the hood - or call my mechanic. Life finally went back to normal around here.
I think there was a spastic star moving through the universe, one of the monkey wrenches of time and space that grinds our gears. "Under the Influence" - Time just has a few extra warps in it to deal with. This is often mistaken for gremlins, but gremlins are isolated incidents, whereas spastic stars are like ripples of seemingly unconnected weirded bits.
Not sure if it's occurring more frequently; after all, we know it's always a bit weird around here!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Gads, the days just fly by...
Sorry I took a leave of absence... had a lot of things going on, some more interesting than others. In no particular order:
I began my challenge with the credit card companies, though I have yet to send the follow up letters and begin facing off with them -- gotta get on with this. The original notices went out early March, the checks have cleared, and I picked up copies from my bank... Ha! Three of them were 'cashed electronically' so my bank only had proof they were cashed, not actual copies of the checks. Luckily, I made my own copies before mailing them. :)
On this, I hate 'getting my hands dirty' with foul things like credit card scams, yet 'repayment in kind' is long overdue - what are they going to do, shoot an old lady? (Won't help, I stipulated my life insurance has been cleared of these debts in the small print, which they acknowledged when they cashed my final payments.)
For the rest of things -- I actually do seem to like 'getting my hands dirty' - when it's good dirt, like planting things or messing about in my lil' shed. Tinkering. Now that's a fine word! We'll come back to that in a bit.
Let's see... on cars, learned that the new thermostat was rated hotter than my little car liked, had to replace it after my mechanic tried trouble-shooting everything else (good guy, didn't charge me for the hours he spent trying to figure out why the cooling fan has been gremlin'd for the past year or so). Currently it either has a squeaky belt or highly annoying speedometer cable going, or both. Mechanic Shane has no fondness for tearing out the instrument panel to work on this, so I've been gathering my own information on it - not sure what it'd cost for him to tackle it.
For this stuff, I found out our library has Chilton's repair manuals and I can copy the few pages I need to locate 'stuff' - like Torx bolts (which Shane said just meant star-shaped, why not just use Philips I don't know). Then I was admiring an older Acura almost identical to mine... and the kid driving it showed me where a side bolt was snuck in to the panel! I might not have figured that one out.
Somewhere between these things, I had 'a weird tire thing' going on with occasional seriously-vibrating steering wheel. I let a blonde gal in a red convertible annoy me when she was tailgating and sped up when a 'case of shakes' occurred a few miles from home - aha! Smoke was rolling off the driver's tire when I pulled in the yard...
Instantly called Shane, carefully drove to his garage, caliper was fine -- brake hose was failing. Got that fixed.
Of course this stuff is happening during the time I took on the 2010 census position - need to pay property taxes up, according to the county. Ran this as much as possible along with the other position, which does eat up one's time. (Haven't written my Christmas letter yet, either.)
Hmm... also created a website for a new client, so those were income-type things to stay alive here in dollar sense.
Of greater interest, I planted peanuts. Now I'm trying to convince them they're in Georgia, not Minnesota. Started them mid-March after reading you could grow raw peanuts from the grocery store, then I built them some hot-boxes out of the old trailer windows still sitting here (and some would call them junk!). The only explanation for doing this is 'because I could' - and I wanted to see if I really could?
Sure, and when raspberry plants were offered for the digging on free-cycle, I loaded my car twice with plants anywhere from a foot to three feet tall, dirt and all. Had to carve out a small plot for them, but they seem happy. :)
Considering I don't have a green thumb (occasionally dirt and grease-caked brown), I'm impressed when the strawberries and rhubarb grow for me. These are all in tire planters, due to dogs & kids; strawberries are triple-stacked tires, because the ground has gotten further away for picking over the years. Have you also noticed this phenomena?
Sweet potatoes, purple potatoes from Colorado (or Montana, off of ebay), cucumbers and a small tray of tobacco growing... Since the yard is in shade, these are strategically planted wherever a few rays of sunshine meander through. I am always in awe that they're bothering to grow! If we get cold early, not sure if I can bring them all inside - yeeps! However... a few of them a tucked under an A-frame of 2x4's and wire, so I could blanket it with some of the tarps stashed about the place and stick a light in.
My latest obsession (seems I keep a few going at all times) is learning about alternative energy sources. This was heightened by "a birthday gift from Eric". What?? We don't lose power often and the weather wasn't that serious, but on his birthdate, May 13, we lost power for over an hour. Warning from the other side? Definitely a wake-up call, in that candles burning everywhere and Sera reading in bed with an oil lantern is highly unsafe -- and also difficult. Val was doing homework at the table with about 10 candles surrounding her papers; I won't mention this was about 10 o'clock at night and she should have had her homework done earlier.
I've been doing my own research and of course I don't know much about any of this. On the positive side of this, means I'm not limited in thinking to what the current experts say and I have a vastly open - (okay, skip the naive comments) mind. On the less-positive side of things, this means I need to not-instantly-build-a-Tesla-coil that could potentially fry everything within 100 feet of it. :)
I'm starting with the basics, things like salt water batteries and earth batteries and leyden jars juiced by static electricity. I have yet to create any awesome gadgets, but there's a ton of stuff on the internet to spark interest (pun intended). You-tube and instructables.com have a lot of experiments on them, one of my favorites is a self-generating water wheel with a sump pump
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9125003792513982191#docid=7002481194528799490
which makes me wonder why this couldn't be done with a shop vac and a wind turbine?
More stuff on Stubblefield of interest, http://www.icehouse.net/john1/stubblefield.html and a really awesome downloadable free PDF on all kinds of this stuff is http://www.free-energy-info.co.uk/PJKBook.html - homepage is http://www.free-energy-info.co.uk/ .
these are cool and simple to try - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY1eyLEo8_A&feature=PlayList&p=37AD218ED6DFD466&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh-DBUMt8VY&NR=1
Googling either on the internet or in You-tube for earth batteries, tesla, generator, energy, stationary bike hack... Yes, I have an exercise bike to hack one day! This is another great site to explore http://howtomakeapowergenerator.com/category/free-electricity/ and Tariel Kapanadze at the bottom is intriguing.
Question: We've all heard of water-powered cars, right? - Actually, hydrogen power, in that I think this is what the water is broken into (try googling Brown water or something). It's too cold in MN for this in winter, but... WHAT IF... someone took this idea and applied it to a gas-powered back-up electricity generator? Hmm... If I only had the experience and mechanical know-how to do this! I think I'd be willing to offer someone a generator (okay, the $225 models from Menards or something) if they hacked me one to run on water. Any interested parties?
I am a bit more intrigued with electromagnetic generators, and have been hacking speakers for magnets just to play around a bit. I will also share a recent relearning experience...
So I did get a 'free broken tv'. And I did remember warnings about electrical charges and such. And, yes, they do have warning labels all over these babies when you open them up. And of course I turned it on first to make sure it was broken (i.e. accidentally fully charging it again). I did use the rubber-handled screwdriver to explore, which is when I felt a fair jolt go through my arm -- luckily, I used the rubber-handled screwdriver. I immediately resorted to the internet for instruction.
Most sites said, "DON'T EVER DO THIS... but if you're going to, here's how -". I then used my wooden-handled, metal-tipped shovel to pry off the zapping piece thing (how technical can I get?) and gingerly salvaged a big chunk of something with a lot of copper wire that should come in handy when I start wrapping tesla coils. Parts saved.
Decided I'd pursue a much simpler idea and hack a hand-crank, LED flashlight. Problem with them is one needs to hold the flashlight and it's difficult to read in the dark that way. All I really did was open one up and add a length of phone wire (perfect, four wires to extend). I sewed the LED part into a cloth headband, but I really don't need to light up my head (though some may argue this point) - I need it shining on a book in front of me. Shifting the headband into a collar position worked beautifully, and the crank piece can now go into a pocket or next to a person.
These are just a few of the recent events, and it's hard to determine which one should be top priority TODAY. First things first, I'll wander outside and say hi to the plants, see if they want some water and if they're happy.
Sera is working on having me committed.
I began my challenge with the credit card companies, though I have yet to send the follow up letters and begin facing off with them -- gotta get on with this. The original notices went out early March, the checks have cleared, and I picked up copies from my bank... Ha! Three of them were 'cashed electronically' so my bank only had proof they were cashed, not actual copies of the checks. Luckily, I made my own copies before mailing them. :)
On this, I hate 'getting my hands dirty' with foul things like credit card scams, yet 'repayment in kind' is long overdue - what are they going to do, shoot an old lady? (Won't help, I stipulated my life insurance has been cleared of these debts in the small print, which they acknowledged when they cashed my final payments.)
For the rest of things -- I actually do seem to like 'getting my hands dirty' - when it's good dirt, like planting things or messing about in my lil' shed. Tinkering. Now that's a fine word! We'll come back to that in a bit.
Let's see... on cars, learned that the new thermostat was rated hotter than my little car liked, had to replace it after my mechanic tried trouble-shooting everything else (good guy, didn't charge me for the hours he spent trying to figure out why the cooling fan has been gremlin'd for the past year or so). Currently it either has a squeaky belt or highly annoying speedometer cable going, or both. Mechanic Shane has no fondness for tearing out the instrument panel to work on this, so I've been gathering my own information on it - not sure what it'd cost for him to tackle it.
For this stuff, I found out our library has Chilton's repair manuals and I can copy the few pages I need to locate 'stuff' - like Torx bolts (which Shane said just meant star-shaped, why not just use Philips I don't know). Then I was admiring an older Acura almost identical to mine... and the kid driving it showed me where a side bolt was snuck in to the panel! I might not have figured that one out.
Somewhere between these things, I had 'a weird tire thing' going on with occasional seriously-vibrating steering wheel. I let a blonde gal in a red convertible annoy me when she was tailgating and sped up when a 'case of shakes' occurred a few miles from home - aha! Smoke was rolling off the driver's tire when I pulled in the yard...
Instantly called Shane, carefully drove to his garage, caliper was fine -- brake hose was failing. Got that fixed.
Of course this stuff is happening during the time I took on the 2010 census position - need to pay property taxes up, according to the county. Ran this as much as possible along with the other position, which does eat up one's time. (Haven't written my Christmas letter yet, either.)
Hmm... also created a website for a new client, so those were income-type things to stay alive here in dollar sense.
Of greater interest, I planted peanuts. Now I'm trying to convince them they're in Georgia, not Minnesota. Started them mid-March after reading you could grow raw peanuts from the grocery store, then I built them some hot-boxes out of the old trailer windows still sitting here (and some would call them junk!). The only explanation for doing this is 'because I could' - and I wanted to see if I really could?
Sure, and when raspberry plants were offered for the digging on free-cycle, I loaded my car twice with plants anywhere from a foot to three feet tall, dirt and all. Had to carve out a small plot for them, but they seem happy. :)
Considering I don't have a green thumb (occasionally dirt and grease-caked brown), I'm impressed when the strawberries and rhubarb grow for me. These are all in tire planters, due to dogs & kids; strawberries are triple-stacked tires, because the ground has gotten further away for picking over the years. Have you also noticed this phenomena?
Sweet potatoes, purple potatoes from Colorado (or Montana, off of ebay), cucumbers and a small tray of tobacco growing... Since the yard is in shade, these are strategically planted wherever a few rays of sunshine meander through. I am always in awe that they're bothering to grow! If we get cold early, not sure if I can bring them all inside - yeeps! However... a few of them a tucked under an A-frame of 2x4's and wire, so I could blanket it with some of the tarps stashed about the place and stick a light in.
My latest obsession (seems I keep a few going at all times) is learning about alternative energy sources. This was heightened by "a birthday gift from Eric". What?? We don't lose power often and the weather wasn't that serious, but on his birthdate, May 13, we lost power for over an hour. Warning from the other side? Definitely a wake-up call, in that candles burning everywhere and Sera reading in bed with an oil lantern is highly unsafe -- and also difficult. Val was doing homework at the table with about 10 candles surrounding her papers; I won't mention this was about 10 o'clock at night and she should have had her homework done earlier.
I've been doing my own research and of course I don't know much about any of this. On the positive side of this, means I'm not limited in thinking to what the current experts say and I have a vastly open - (okay, skip the naive comments) mind. On the less-positive side of things, this means I need to not-instantly-build-a-Tesla-coil that could potentially fry everything within 100 feet of it. :)
I'm starting with the basics, things like salt water batteries and earth batteries and leyden jars juiced by static electricity. I have yet to create any awesome gadgets, but there's a ton of stuff on the internet to spark interest (pun intended). You-tube and instructables.com have a lot of experiments on them, one of my favorites is a self-generating water wheel with a sump pump
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9125003792513982191#docid=7002481194528799490
which makes me wonder why this couldn't be done with a shop vac and a wind turbine?
More stuff on Stubblefield of interest, http://www.icehouse.net/john1/stubblefield.html and a really awesome downloadable free PDF on all kinds of this stuff is http://www.free-energy-info.co.uk/PJKBook.html - homepage is http://www.free-energy-info.co.uk/ .
these are cool and simple to try - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY1eyLEo8_A&feature=PlayList&p=37AD218ED6DFD466&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh-DBUMt8VY&NR=1
Googling either on the internet or in You-tube for earth batteries, tesla, generator, energy, stationary bike hack... Yes, I have an exercise bike to hack one day! This is another great site to explore http://howtomakeapowergenerator.com/category/free-electricity/ and Tariel Kapanadze at the bottom is intriguing.
Question: We've all heard of water-powered cars, right? - Actually, hydrogen power, in that I think this is what the water is broken into (try googling Brown water or something). It's too cold in MN for this in winter, but... WHAT IF... someone took this idea and applied it to a gas-powered back-up electricity generator? Hmm... If I only had the experience and mechanical know-how to do this! I think I'd be willing to offer someone a generator (okay, the $225 models from Menards or something) if they hacked me one to run on water. Any interested parties?
I am a bit more intrigued with electromagnetic generators, and have been hacking speakers for magnets just to play around a bit. I will also share a recent relearning experience...
So I did get a 'free broken tv'. And I did remember warnings about electrical charges and such. And, yes, they do have warning labels all over these babies when you open them up. And of course I turned it on first to make sure it was broken (i.e. accidentally fully charging it again). I did use the rubber-handled screwdriver to explore, which is when I felt a fair jolt go through my arm -- luckily, I used the rubber-handled screwdriver. I immediately resorted to the internet for instruction.
Most sites said, "DON'T EVER DO THIS... but if you're going to, here's how -". I then used my wooden-handled, metal-tipped shovel to pry off the zapping piece thing (how technical can I get?) and gingerly salvaged a big chunk of something with a lot of copper wire that should come in handy when I start wrapping tesla coils. Parts saved.
Decided I'd pursue a much simpler idea and hack a hand-crank, LED flashlight. Problem with them is one needs to hold the flashlight and it's difficult to read in the dark that way. All I really did was open one up and add a length of phone wire (perfect, four wires to extend). I sewed the LED part into a cloth headband, but I really don't need to light up my head (though some may argue this point) - I need it shining on a book in front of me. Shifting the headband into a collar position worked beautifully, and the crank piece can now go into a pocket or next to a person.
These are just a few of the recent events, and it's hard to determine which one should be top priority TODAY. First things first, I'll wander outside and say hi to the plants, see if they want some water and if they're happy.
Sera is working on having me committed.
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