Cold this morning, and colder tonight. Supposedly we’ll be freezing, but I hope not. It was colder yesterday but not freezing during the day. It did get colder as the day went on. It was 40F at midnight with some breeze.
I did very little yesterday to advance my list. I did have a relaxing day although it wasn’t as relaxing as laying around reading while the heater runs.
Today I have to make some progress. My hobby potluck is out of the way, and I have a clear path to do my stuff leading to Christmas, New Year’s Day, and the end of the year. I have gifts to buy, gifts to wrap, and gifts to find in the back of the closet. I’ve got cleaning to do, maintenance, and shopping. Normal stuff in other words. It may be normal, but it still needs to be done.
I’ve been stacking tasks, but now I need to use my stack and get some done.
Stacking is always easier. 🙂
nick
Monday. No work today. Hurray! Still lots to do, though.
Christmas Gifts. I suppose I should do something about those. W1 is good about this, and usually lets me know what she would enjoy having, so I get that, and she pretends to have forgotten about it by the time it appears under the tree. Her main gift is here, and just needs to be wrapped, and I have another, smaller, gift for her, that will I think be a pleasant surprise. I should probably still look for a couple of stocking fillers, CDs and such…
W1 looks after small gifts for her parents and siblings, and I am not involved, which is convenient for me. I don’t exchange gifts with my siblings, who will get non-season-specific gifts whenever I see them.
I like a particular desk calendar, so W1 gets me a new one of those, and usually some CDs, and I am happy each year.
W1 and I will go and sit in the woods for a couple of hours this afternoon. I with a rifle, and she with a camera.
I saw some smartphone video here of the Sydney murderers committing their atrocity. Other footage shows one of the murderers using a straight-pull rifle with a red-dot sight, and one or both of them also with bandoliers of shotgun shells. While watching, I was struck by the fact that, if the person capturing the pictures had had a rifle, rather than just a phone, the whole event would have been over in a fraction of the time, with so many lives saved and suffering averted. Miguel calculates it would have required 60-yard shots to end the attack.
Wishing you all a good day. If you don’t have safety equipment, get some, and learn how to use it.
Here’s a more season-appropriate good-news kind of story. Spotted at ace.mu.nu
https://x.com/fopminui/status/1999100923407425852
@denis, my thoughts exactly. Maybe the wolves of australia will cast off their wooly coats and take back control of their lives.
FWIW, I practice @ 30 yards* for a supported strong side headshot. If I can get that, I can get the COM shot. And I can do it with my short barrel Shield. I never want to be the one who has to take the shot, but as the guy in the mall food court proved, it can be done, and will save lives.
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32F exactly by the thermometer on the south side, 33.6F by the one on the north side. The north side is next to a drafty window and might read higher because of leaking heat.
At least it’s dry and the roads look good.
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coffee is filling the cup.
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n
*longest shot at the indoor range I’ve been going to
Part of yesterday’s “find the cause of the rubbing noise on the honda Oddysee” I discovered that there is uneven wear on the tires. And they are almost due for replacement.
Which is good, because kid has worn the sidewalls off the passenger side. No logo or brand name, no tire info, just matte rubber. The curb in front of the house doesn’t look that black so she must be rubbing them EVERYWHERE she parks up against the curb.
I think that falls into and “unknown unknown” when it comes to things I needed to teach her. Isn’t it obvious that rubbing the curb is bad?
n
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/irobot-crashes-after-filing-bankruptcy-chinese-owner-emerges
– so presumably they spun off the military robot, killer dog robot, and all the rest prior to this point?
Or do the chinese get the killer dog robot too?
n
Set of curb feelers for Christmas
Doesn’t wok.
Lobot dog too clunchy…
n
About 7F this morning when I went out to open the chicken coop. They all came right out, though several went back up before too long. The thermostat is set for 24F, I think, and it did not trigger until the birds had come out. Fat little butts produce plenty of heat.
Not much paying work for me to do at the moment. End-of-year slowdown, probably, though a number of people are talking about general tech-sector slowdown or even a broader economic slowdown. I don’t know either way. Except for what I hear on podcasts or happen to see in light net surfing, I haven’t been paying much attention to much beyond my property – too busy with family issues and keeping things going.
America Needs to Get Real About its Surging Somali Crisis
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/12/america_needs_to_get_real_about_its_surging_somali_crisis.html
There is a lot to unpack here, but focus to start on the quoted passages.
A subpopulation with an average IQ of 67 cannot contribute to a high-tech society. They cannot produce teachers, doctors, auto mechanics, or other educated jobs necessary to elevate themselves from their own history. They will be a drag on society And consume disproportionate amounts of public resources.
We cannot afford a public policy that invites and perpetuates a lower class. The experiment foisted upon us by the Senates most famous rapist and murderer and pushed further by the radical left has failed. We need to call it a failure and undo it immediately. If the PLT’s don’t like it, from the pols to the anti-constitutional judges to the Antifa street soldiers, we can round them up and deport them, too. Perhaps they can create a new viable government in Somalia and disprove our rejection.
The upside is Somali inbreeding is producing dumfuks who can’t do shite. The downside is they are breeding like roaches.
But their vote counts just as much as yours. Even if they aren’t citizens. Or here legally.
You may be using a nonstandard definition of “upside”.
Headed out to do some stuff.
Looking for the wife’s new macbook air, 13″ 16/512 and I have my choice of microcenter at $1050, costco at $1000 plus 3% back, or ordering with shipping. The downside is limited color choice at each store.
I don’t want to go to the nearest apple store, even if I knew where one was, and IDK if they’d beat the prices anyway.
Any thoughts? before I leave?
n
RIP Mary Jo Kopechne.
The recent “Chappaquiddick” film is remarkably even handed and resurrects the possibility that the girl suffocated in an air pocket while Kennedy and his handlers attempted to deal with the fiasco themselves instead of contacting law enforcement immediately after the accident.
We went to Costco to buy my daughter’s MacBook Air last year.
in Dallas, NFM has a nice Apple selection without the Apple Store’s sales pressure. The usual NFM sales pressure is absent as well in that part of the store.
Geico Gecko Synergy!
The downside to NFM is the extremely tight return period.
Good for you, Nick! That indicates you have been practicing with your tools.
We have a 50m indoor range. I will definitely be testing what I can hit at that distance with a sidearm. I never got into the 50m “free pistol” one-hand bullseye game, but I expect I can probably hit what I am aiming at with a standard piece and a two-handed stance, or supported. Best to find out.
As carry is forbidden here, anywhere I would have access to a sidearm, I would likely also have access to a longarm. A 60m COM shot with a rifle is comparatively trivial.
Where arms are forbidden, it is well to be armed.
“I’m Gonna Say The ‘Thing’ Nobody’s Saying About Rob Reiner’s Murder”
https://www.cypher-news.com/2025/12/im-gonna-say-the-thing-nobodys-saying-about-rob-reiners-murder/
What do you want to bet that the Reiner’s oldest son is antifa ? I am just guessing but…
Demoncrats are dangerous, stay away from them. And demoncrats are dangerous to other demoncrats.
Hat tip to:
https://thelibertydaily.com/
I finally serviced the house septic tank this morning. The fire ants got there before me and had a mound around half of the finishing tank lid. They got themselves hosed down with half of a can of raid roach and ant spray. Whatever it is, they die immediately when sprayed upon.
https://raid.com/en-us/products/aerosol/ant-roach-killer-26
And I used the last of my septic tank chlorine tablets. I am out now and GOODNIGHT, the Norweco chlorine tablets are $241 for 10 lbs at Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Norweco-Crystal-Chlorine-Tablets-Aerobic/dp/B07CJN4ZB1
Home Depot had the off brand at 10 lb for $99. Looks like we are going off brand.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-CHLOR-TABS-10-lbs-Aerobic-Septic-Tablets-Drain-Openers-Chemicals-47010/205050999
“Musk’s net worth hits $600 billion, Forbes says, as SpaceX preps for IPO”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/musks-net-worth-hits-600-202225085.html
“Dec 15 (Reuters) – Elon Musk on Monday became the first person ever worth $600 billion, Forbes said, on the heels of reports that his SpaceX (SPAX.PVT) startup was likely to go public at a valuation of $800 billion.”
“Musk, who was the first to surpass $500 billion in net worth in October, owns an estimated 42% stake in SpaceX, which is preparing to go public next year, Reuters reported last week.”
“The SpaceX valuation would strengthen Musk’s wealth by $168 billion to an estimated $677 billion as of 12 p.m. ET on Monday, according to Forbes.”
Wow. And what would we do without him ? He is a bright and shining star to our economy. 200,000+ jobs??? And our enemies are jealous beyond belief at his accomplishments in dependable electric cars, dependable spacecraft, dependable satellite internet, etc, etc, etc.
“Tesla stock pops as Robotaxi testing with no safety driver confirmed”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-stock-pops-as-robotaxi-testing-with-no-safety-driver-confirmed-164047565.html
Stay out of Austin.
In your position I would go with Costco. They have a much better return period and warranty. I don’t think lack of color selection is that big of a deal.
You might also try B&H Photo to see what their prices are for the same item with other color options. Based on my search the Costco is the better price. However, if you get the B&H credit card you will save the tax, which in my case is about $100, beating the Costco price.
Even with the better final price from B&H, I would still go with Costco for the extended return policy and warranty.
Monday bedtime. We saw no game out in the woods, and we got cold, so W1 and I went to the local favourite restaurant for an unplanned but warming meal, which was nice. I even warmed up enough to have “dame blanche”* for dessert, which was a rare treat indeed. It is nearly Christmas, after all, and I am on holidays…
Spent a couple of hours after dinner helping a friend with a motivation letter for a job application, which was a useful change of pace.
Up early tomorrow to take W1 to a medical appointment, so I might have to leave the matins slot here to SteveF and the chickens. Seize the day, wrong timezone (boy)chicks!
Goodnight, all!
* Dame Blanche: vanilla ice-cream with hot melted chocolate and whipped cream. Decadent, but sooo good.
Part of yesterday’s “find the cause of the rubbing noise on the honda Oddysee” I discovered that there is uneven wear on the tires. And they are almost due for replacement.
Which is good, because kid has worn the sidewalls off the passenger side. No logo or brand name, no tire info, just matte rubber. The curb in front of the house doesn’t look that black so she must be rubbing them EVERYWHERE she parks up against the curb.
I think that falls into and “unknown unknown” when it comes to things I needed to teach her. Isn’t it obvious that rubbing the curb is bad?
n
I had a friend in high school who bounced her 68 Mercury Cougar off the curbs on the road every 100 feet or so. We teased her about it all the time. She just could not keep the car going straight. Your daughter may be having the same problem. Plus females reputedly do not have as good of 3D sense as males do.
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/irobot-crashes-after-filing-bankruptcy-chinese-owner-emerges
– so presumably they spun off the military robot, killer dog robot, and all the rest prior to this point?
Or do the chinese get the killer dog robot too?
n
“Watchdog” by Will McIntosh
https://www.amazon.com/Watchdog-Will-McIntosh/dp/1524713872?tag=ttgnet-20
Whoa whoa whoa! You just knock that crap off right now! Women are better than men at everything. Everything!
So many truths in that article. One of the Dumbo mantras is “disown anyone, even family members, if they voted for tRump.” TDS is real and will end the Dumbocrat Party.
Many gamer grrrls will disown you and call you Oil Software Hitler after that comment. I’m sure that does not bother you. It would not bother me.
“Ford takes $19.5B charge in hybrid pivot, cancels F-150 Lightning EV, launches new battery storage business”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ford-takes-195b-charge-in-hybrid-pivot-cancels-f-150-lightning-ev-launches-new-battery-storage-business-210713166.html
“Larger EVs will be cancelled in favor of smaller EVS, hybrids, and EREVS (extended range EVs)”
“As part of this plan, the next iteration of the F-150 Lightning will shift to an EREV architecture and be assembled at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Mich. EREVs are essentially EVs that use an onboard gas engine as a generator to charge the vehicles batteries.”
Wow !
A GM Volt.
As promised, the link to the story on the dog.
https://www.wate.com/news/you-ask-6-investigates/anderson-county-couple-discover-puppy-scam-after-attempting-to-meet-with-would-be-owner/
Trying to find my Xmas lights.
They used to be stored in two large white boxes that I repurposed from brother printers, which is what I was looking for, but apparently I moved everything into a single large black tote last year.
Some things are still missing, the wreaths, weatherproof timers, & such.
It would be easier and probably quicker to just go buy more
I put up cup hooks on the eaves and around the windows, years ago, so putting lights up is quite easy once I find the them…
“ Last Call for Mass Market Paperbacks”
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/99293-last-call-for-mass-market-paperbacks.html
“The format credited with making books more accessible via low prices and widespread availability will all but vanish from the publishing scene in a few weeks”
No !
Have you looked here?
How does Tommy Boy still have a job?
Venmo doesn’t allow chargebacks like Paypal. I don’t think Zelle does either.
I’m not sure about Apple Pay.
When my iPhone forced the issue of the upgrade to iOS 26 last week, Apple Pay was the first thing the newly installed OS wanted to set up after rebooting.
No thanks.
Perhaps, but long-time drug use and a few failed rehab visits is more than enough reason to off the ‘rents.
Wow.
I started with Edgar Rice Burroughs and E. E.”Doc” Smith in the late 1960s, when they were still well under a dollar.
I think they were $8-$10 last I bought, but don’t think I’ve bought one in the last decade.
“They used to be stored in two large white boxes that I repurposed from brother printers, which is what I was looking for, but apparently I moved everything into a single large black tote last year.”
When you get to a certain age it is unwise to move things out of the storage box/shelf/corner, room where they have long-resided without:
A friend tells me this is true.
I just received from my text from my niece who lives in Tacoma.
She works in Kent and they’ve been given a mandatory evacuation order by the authorities. She said it’s taken her 25 minutes to go 5 miles. Fortunately her own house and the road to it is all uphill, away from rivers & streams.
But, she says, people are stopped in the streets and cursing at each other.
25 minutes to go 5 miles south from Kent in the direction of Tacoma. How is that any different from a normal afternoon rush hour commute southbound on I-5?
President Trump Ups Ante in War on Drugs With Shocking New Classification for Lethal Narcotic
https://redstate.com/katie-jerkovich/2025/12/15/president-trump-ups-ante-in-war-on-drugs-with-new-classification-for-lethal-narcotic-n2197158
Brilliant.
https://redstate.com/wardclark/2025/12/15/ignored-warnings-australian-government-now-blamed-for-beach-massacre-n2197152
I see the mass market paperbacks in airports and at Walgreens, but their days have been numbered since Target sold B. Dalton to Barnes & Noble ~ 40 years ago.
I read the son was in rehab 15 times, all failed.
Never waste an opportunity to promote a conspiracy theory.
We’ve imported too many people from cultures based around a “strong man” decision maker at each level of the society who rules a group by coercion or, in a lot of cases, physical violence. Muslims are the most obvious example, but Colonists and certain SE Asian groups with the Number One Son concept aren’t far behind.
Colonists increasingly have their own developments similar to the Muslims, but they fly under the radar. The one that immediately springs to mind is Santa Rita Ranch north of Austin.
A lot of ebooks on Amazon have paperback copies that go for $24.99
You won’t be able to afford POD books at that price soon. Add to that, Bezos lets you buy a license for an ebook that can be withdrawn at any time. Gee, you authors out there, why do you think people pirate your books?
You will own nothing and like it.
Trump’s Oil Tanker Seizure: Another Shocking And Unprecedented Act That Isn’t Shocking Or Unprecedented
https://thefederalist.com/2025/12/15/trumps-oil-tanker-seizure-another-shocking-and-unprecedented-act-that-isnt-shocking-or-unprecedented/
and this:
https://redstate.com/katie-jerkovich/2025/12/15/president-trump-ups-ante-in-war-on-drugs-with-new-classification-for-lethal-narcotic-n2197158
(note: same link as earlier post above)
and this from The Federalist article linked above:
Note that, first, Senator Paul a physician and not an attorney, failed to do his homework (not unusual in his case) and there is no “someone” in the instance of a stateless oil tanker.
But the question now, for Senator Paul and the rest:
How should the United States respond when a maritime vessel registered to a sovereign nation enters port in Canada or Mexico and proceeds to unload a cargo of WMD?
Would a mild response consisting of a 10KT air burst be sufficient to express our outrage?
I don’t know what Rand Paul is. He’s not a Redumblican even if he puts an (R) after his name. I call myself a Conservatarian, a conservative leaning to libertarian. I won’t go full libertarian because they can’t get anything done. Never go full libertarian.
LAUGHING OUT LOUD!
CNN’s Jake Tapper Says He Constantly Covers Trump’s Missteps Because He Dropped the Ball on Biden
Sure, Jake. I assume his job is on the line at CNN. Maybe Fox will hire him since he is NOW fair and balanced.
Remember, he said the plugs’ admin told him plugs was sharp as a tack. He just believed them. No investigation or confirmation. Sure, Jake, sure.
The fire extinguishers arrived today. Six year warranty. Discard and replace after 12 years. Don’t have your receipt? No problem! We’ll go by the date embossed on the bottom of the extinguisher.
Yeah, I’m hanging on to the receipt. Just in case. Like I’ll be able to find it when needed. And I suppose if I do need to invoke the warranty, I’ll have to ship it to them and heck, probably cheaper to just buy a new unit. Because here we are at the end of 2025 and guess what my shiny new extinguishers are dated? Then again, the one I’ve really looked at has a serial number on the label.
One is already under the kitchen sink. One will go out to the EDC. I think one for this room and one in the bathroom closet. Don’t know yet.
Wow.
I started with Edgar Rice Burroughs and E. E.”Doc” Smith in the late 1960s, when they were still well under a dollar.
I think they were $8-$10 last I bought, but don’t think I’ve bought one in the last decade.
I just paid $10.99 for a MMPB.
I am fairly sure that I paid $0.75 for an ERB (Mars ? Nah, probably Tarzan) book back in 1974 or so. Ok, Mom paid $0.75 at Gerlands Grocery.
“New memos show how corruption probe into Clinton Foundation was killed: ‘We were told NO by FBI HQ’”
https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/we-were-told-no-fbi-hq-how-investigation-clinton-foundation-was-allowed
“Drip, drip, drip: A newly-declassified timeline exposes how the FBI’s investigation of the Clinton Foundation was hamstrung by DOJ leaders while the inquiry into Trump-Russia collusion hoax marched forward. This isn’t the first tranche of evidence pointing to political interference.”
So much corruption in the federal government.
Tapper used to be on with Cutie Pie regularly. Maybe he wants a regular appearance slot to shill books again.
I heard Gingrich on Hannity driving home last week. Of course the former Speaker had a book to push.
“Valero Is Taking a $1 Billion Dollar Loss Just to Get Out of Commiefornia by April, 2026”
https://rumble.com/v730z4g-valero-is-taking-a-1-billion-dollar-loss-just-to-get-out-of-commiefornia-by.html?mref=1wxk5&mrefc=2
I am surprised that the other 4 or 5 refineries do not shut down also. California law makes them turn over all profits as taxes.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/12/valero-eats-1-1-billion-loss-to-escape-newsoms-toxic-california/
Be a shame if a couple of the other refineries had to shut down for some maintenance about mid-summer, proving SEI true just before the midterms.
Mass market paperbacks have to go to advance the licensing model. They have to go because they can’t be retconned or bowdlerized to meet the outrage of the day.
They have to go because they LAST and can be given, exchanged, or sold–repeatedly.
They have to go because they don’t generate recurring monthly revenue.
—————-
Didn’t get my pickup done. The guy came to me at closing and admitted the stuff wasn’t pulled and ready and then asked me to come back tomorrow. It’s several pages of stuff so I will go back tomorrow and jump the line.
Hit the Costco for the Mrs’ new timewaster. Between the discount and the rebate, she will have to live with “midnight” as a color. Also did my shopping and got two bales of Charmin. Onsale for only $26. Which is $8 more than just a few years ago.
Speaking of which, I pulled a bale out of DEEP storage and it’s weird. It doesn’t soak into the bowl water and flush away. It stays on top of the water. The water flushes away from below, leaving a cloud of paper, high and dry. It’s probably from 2020 or 2021… It will eventually soak up the water but it takes a lot longer than modern paper.
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Dropped a package at the post office. Padded flat rate priority envelope is now almost $12 even with my discount. Crimminy.
————-
Dropped the Ranger at the mechanic. He’ll have it for a couple of days. He was shocked that there wasn’t more than a scrape in the dirt on the rim where I got hit. I showed him the pics of the other guy’s car…
n
Dropped a package at the post office. Padded flat rate priority envelope is now almost $12 even with my discount. Crimminy.
“Amazon reportedly considering dropping USPS and building a competing postal service”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-reportedly-considering-dropping-usps-162235953.html
You ain’t the only unhappy person.
POD quality is awful.
I pirated the Kindle version of “Atlas Shrugged”. The estate wanted $20 at the time, and the official Kindle version, scanned and OCRed from a print copy, is riddled with more typos than the version available for those sailing the high seas.
I’ve heard that the BBC is retconing Jon Pertwee “Doctor Who” episodes in support of the new Sea Devil-centric series currently airing only in the UK.
I’m over “Doctor Who” and Russel T. Davies.
I paid nearly $7 for media rate to mail an old paperback to my mother-in-law.
I went in expecting $2-3.
God forbid we just trash the book, however. We would never hear the end of it.
Coverage of the WA State flooding. Kent and Auburn are mostly warehouse districts and cr*phole housing, but the Sounder commuter heavy rail run by the Geico Gecko’s rail subsidiary offers a 20 minute ride into Downtown/Pioneer Square regardless of traffic.
Or did.
https://apnews.com/article/pacific-northwest-levee-floods-washington-446e4f8f027550db1afee2a214450de8
Plastic from the wrapper of the bale probably leeched into the paper.
I’ve seen plastic do strange things in the Gulf marine environment. We left a pair of Rollerblades out in the garage in Florida for 10 years, and when we started cleaning out the garage ahead of the move to WA State, one fell off the shelf, onto the concrete surface, and shattered like glass.
Yes, she’s working at some sort of light industrial place, back office stuff I believe.
She only transferred up there a few years ago and I haven’t been up to visit yet, and probably wouldn’t have gone by her workplace anyway.
I have that color on my MB PRO. It is durable and does not attract fingerprints. I would recommend a protective case.
“I’ve seen plastic do strange things in the Gulf marine environment. We left a pair of Rollerblades out in the garage in Florida for 10 years, and when we started cleaning out the garage ahead of the move to WA State, one fell off the shelf, onto the concrete surface, and shattered like glass.”
Many urethane formulations contain plasticizers that are subject to migration and other effects. The most spectacular failure I had with a perfectly good pair of Ecco shoes was when I had some wet dirt clinging to the soles and wrapped them in a plastic grocery bag before packing them. When I got home I didn’t remove them immediately and then forgot they were in the bottom of the closet. When I finally did take them out the soles were disgustingly sticky chunks and a $150 pair of shoes went in the bin.
The Hunter Thompson quote is fun, but scroll down to the “Boys with the time machines” meme:
https://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=417625
Discovery at Pompeii confirms long-lost secret that built the Roman Empire
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-15376233/Pompeii-built-Roman-Empire.html
I added the missing word in the second paragraph of the article quoted above.
Later there is an unfinished line:
“Hot mixing left behind lime clasts with cracks and porosity, and was used both for”
that’s a mystery.
Better to go to the source, which is not referenced in the DM article:
Pompeii offers insights into ancient Roman building technology
https://news.mit.edu/2025/pompeii-offers-insights-ancient-roman-building-technology-1209
This is a follow-up to the Masic team’s earlier work, and is a significant step in advancing our understanding of roman engineering.
Construction terminology talks of concrete having 7 or 30-day cures. These are standard time periods used to test materials and do not accurately describe the multiple complex chemical reactions that occur. Anyone who has had to demo plaster and lath construction or concrete that is 100-years old knows that both materials get tougher and harder over much longer time periods than a mere 30 days. The longer you can keep fresh concrete from use, the better.
The Dragaeran masons in Adrilanka have to deal with that all the time.
a perfectly good pair of Ecco shoes
– it had nothing to do with being wrapped in plastic, it’s just what happens with the material they used instead of rubber.
If you remember back to when my dad died, I wore a pair of ECCO shoes to the celebration of life, and by the time I walked across the parking lot, they crumbled and smeared into goo.
That led me to youtube to find out why, and to the whole subculture of rebuilding and repairing shoes… and learning what GOOD shoes are made of. And then talking about it here.
Those plasticizers have a limited time before they suddenly and dramatically fail. I had a very expensive pair of work shoes (steel toe) made in Canadia, that had the same thing happen, soles turned to goo, just sitting in my closet for a couple of years.
I’ve had boots with vibram soles but EVA or PBA or whatever that plastic is as a midsole, and when it fails the rubber vibram sole detaches.
I’ve railed against it here from a prepper pov, I know there are benefits to modern materials, but longevity and durability aren’t on the list. Real boots have leather and rubber and no plastic.
n
My brother and I rewired our family house. It still had the original wiring from the DC days, repurposed for 120V AC. Most of the rubber and lacquer (?) insulation had crumbled off. How it never caught fire is beyond me.
The house was over a century old when we did it. (Over a century and a half now. OFD’s house on the lake had few if any years on our house.) Lath and plaster, with horse hair worked into the plaster. Cutting rectangles for modern outlet boxes went through jigsaw blades at a great rate. IIRC, we got about two outlets per blade.
Night time for nick.
Hopefully we won’t freeze tonight.
n
We are 38 F here on the south side of the Houston metroplex and predicted to be a low of 37 F in the morning. No freezing tonight here. But since you are on the north side, you will probably be cooler.