Category: lakehouse

Warmish, and a chance of thunderstorms. I really want it to stay dry, but ya can’t always get what ya want… It was warm all day Friday, with patches of sun, and also a bit of localized rain a bit east of my house. Drove through some, but really only a few drops.

I did a couple of pickups that were north of me and close together, then swung down and grabbed one west of me, and completed the loop by getting youngest from school. Then she was getting ready for her dance. Dang kid keeps growing.

Later I hit the chiropractor, then the grocery store. Prices in yesterday’s comments. There continue to be localized sales on stuff, which is a great way to add to the stacks. Pretty sure you have to be in the store to know about it though, so get out and look. I know walmart grocery does manager special markdowns on meat, and Commander Zero has mentioned his store doing it many times. Get it while you can.

Y’all know I’ve been pushing for you to get out and try new ways of buying and selling, and to practice in the secondary economy. Stuff like finding the markdowns is just one reason why. Dickering and making offers is another. Using cash is a good reason too. Get used to carrying and using it. It’s still king.

The auctions have lots of good stuff too, and new reseller storefronts seem to be opening up everywhere. Speaking of which, I won a meat cutting bandsaw last night. It’s not big, and it’s Vevor which is a chinese brand (but one that seems a bit better quality for tools and industrial stuff), but I have wanted one for a long time. I’ll take it to the BOL and park it with my buddy. Maybe some deer or piggy will fall my way next time, if they have a saw to make things easier. Mainly it’s a DEEP prep, and a seed for the future. Hammer price was $105, retail is almost $500 and a quality “real” one sells used at auction for $500-750. I’m hoping it will be money well spent.

Time to get busy selling some stuff too. I could use the cash for my solar project.

It’s always something.

Headed to the BOL after my meeting, I’ll be on a thin pipe the rest of today and tomorrow. Keep both eyes open, stuff could change rapidly… and change spooks people.

Stack what you can, and keep an eye out for ‘wish list’ and ‘like to have’ items, you might get it.

nick

Sunny and cool, still damp. Should be clear. It stayed clear most of yesterday with only scattered clouds. I was in shorts and shirtsleeves, so nice temps too. Hoping for more of that, rather than heavy rain. Most of the bayous I crossed were at normal or only slightly elevated levels so they are doing a good job of managing the flow.

Shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone here that I didn’t get as much done as I’d have liked. I picked up another 200w panel, and a dented in “gub safe” that is really just a heavy sheet metal cabinet. I’ll knock out the dents and add a lock, and use it for ammo or accessories. Maybe use it for the air rifles.

I was going to make a scrap run. I might have mentioned picking up a stove and oven for only $12 total. If not, I got the stove for a ‘garage kitchen’ or summer kitchen at the BOL. It’s an ordinary GE gas stove and oven. I also got a Whirlpool 24″ wide gas oven for $2. It’s black glass and kinda dated, and was only $2, so when my wife wasn’t interested, I thought I’d just scrap it. Then I looked a bit more closely and it works for either natgas or LP gas… you only have to flip an internal part and close an air shield. I’m taking it to the BOL to sell up there, or maybe putting it on Craigslist here. Propane appliances sell for good money. Even if I only get $40 or 50 to move it quickly, the ROI is pretty good, and I’m helping someone out.

I missed out on some auction stuff I’d have liked. Ate dinner and fell asleep in the chair while waiting for the lots to close. There was a nice small woodstove, and a smaller fridge, and a mechanical clothes washer. The woodstove sold for $55, the washer for about the same, and the fridge for $35. There was another fridge in the sale that sold for $7. It was an ordinary top freezer Hotpoint, a little on the small side, but looked nice and clean. WAY nicer than my current beverage fridge at the BOL. I don’t NEED another fridge but I’d probably have bid on it if I was going up to the sale to pickup anyway…

My point is that there are still some great preps out there, and there are sales with low prices. I think this one closed low because of the late Saturday time, and it’s a bit far from Houston proper, which reduced the bidder pool. Oh well, I’d have been glad to win the items, but then I’d have had to pick them up and get them to the BOL. On the plus side, the sale was about a third of the way to the BOL.

Today I’ll keep working the list, and maybe deal with a pop up issue or two. There’s always more that needs doing.

And maybe I’ll stack something. I’ll want to, and mean to, but might not get to it. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t!

nick

Ahem, cool to cold, clear for a bit. It was nice yesterday at the BOL with clear sky and sun, and a high in the mid to high 60s. Got cold quickly when the sun went down though…

I spent most of the day organizing the ‘big’ shed. I’ve been using it to store material for projects, and just dumping stuff into it. I took a bunch of stuff out, built some more of the steel shelves I got months ago at an estate sale with a bunch of circus stuff, and cleaned out wasp nests.

I made progress, is about all I can say. More to do later, but at least I have a better idea of what is in there, and there is room to move stuff from other places to the shed.

Today is ‘stuff around the house’ day, and maybe a pickup. Certainly I’ll be doing sorting and stacking for an auction drop off tomorrow, if my auctioneer agrees. I’ll be sorting in any case. Cookie time is coming and stuff needs to get out of the house to make room for cookies.

Really, all the auctions stuff should get out of the house, but that’s a task for another day.

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The stressors in the world and nation continue to increase tensions and the likelihood that it will all end in pain and bloodshed. Do as much as you can to brainstorm what that might look like in your area and for your life, then act accordingly.

Stack. Resources will help.

nick

Chilly this morning. Lot of moisture on the ground, so damp too. Stayed pretty cool all day Saturday, and really never got sunny either. Fortunately, I had work to keep me warm.

The fact that it was not work that was on my list was a bit unfortunate, but thems the breaks. Own property and you’ll end up doing stuff. In this case, it was dropping a tree before it fell on the adjoining lot.

I put on all my safety gear, chaps, helmet with screen shield, and ear muffs, and fired up the chainsaw. Got a little gentle mocking from my neighbor, but it would be really dumb to get hurt with the proper gear in the garage. Plus, we’re a long way from any good reconstructive surgeons. It’s one thing to take ordinary risks when you’re 2 minutes from the EMS response, quite another when the first help is 20 minutes away, and has a 20 minute mobilization response time, and then you are looking at lifeflight to Houston for anything major. Never mind the rehab time…

So 50 ft of oak tree is stacked by the fire pit. Funny thing is I brought a new electric chainsaw up here with me this trip. At home I find the electric is great for almost everything I can’t easily get with the pole saw. And I like to have tools with multiple fuel options, so when one came up in the auction cheap, I bought it and brought it up here. Used the gas one for this job though. If in some future time gas is hard to come by, the electric will run off solar and an inverter…

There are a lot of things that might not be life or death during grid up, that would be a really big deal off grid, or grid down. Safety gear is important. The injury you prevent is one you don’t have to treat.

I will mention that I forgot to bring my new logger style boots up here with me. I was thinking about that while tromping around in the mud and branches as I limbed and cut up the tree. The Under Armor tactical boots I usually wear up here are comfortable, but I wouldn’t say they were ‘sturdy’ or ‘durable.’

Footwear is a lot like gloves, cameras, or the right gub, something is better than nothing, but the right one for the job is best.

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I did have a nice little fire and some shortwave listening last night. Heard a show called CruisingTheDecades.com which played one pop song from each decade, 1910 to present. It was really interesting and I hope I’ll catch it again. One of the things I like most about radio is the serendipity and novelty. Of the 12 songs, I recognized 9,and enjoyed hearing all but one.
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Today I’ve still got stuff to put away, and it would be nice to spend some time with D1 and an air rifle. We’ll see how it goes. Kid has school on Monday so we will be headed home at some point.

Stack some safety gear, stack some tools. You never know when you’ll need them.

nick

Cool and damp but supposed to be clear for the next two days. Yesterday was overcast until it started drizzling in the late afternoon. Some places got a lot more than drizzle too.

Did my quick pickups, then headed home. Loaded the rest of the stuff on the truck in the rain. Didn’t get it all on board. The 40 gallon water tank on wheels will have to wait for the next trip. I have one up here already, but given my water situation at home it makes more sense to bring the second up here too. I waffled about bringing both new Portacool units up here,but only had room for the smaller one in the end.

I’m not sure what I’ll be doing today, there is a big list after all, but I’m leaning toward cleaning and organizing the shed. I’ve got stuff on the truck that needs to go into it, but no room. So it just moved up the list.

I’m also thinking that I might sit down with D1 and do some work with the air rifle. She had the Girl Scout unit on air rifles, so it should just be learning to work this one, and doing some target work. We’ll see about that. Mood and energy level are going to be determinants. Also I might not have brought up any pellets. I’m pretty sure my neighbor would have some if I forgot.

Might try to get some fishing in too. Don’t know if they like the rain, and all the new water flooding in or not. I’ll throw the crawdad pots in the water too, just as a test.

Plenty to do.

Y’all keep stacking. Weirdness abounds.

nick

*title is from a popular song lyric. Who is going to remember what a skate key is or why you would want one?? Lots of things like that in our shared culture.

Chilly and clear, then colder and colder until we all freeze to death. Or not. In any case, the forecast calls for more cold until the vortex hits, or the sun winks out, and it’s all because of global warming, or something. Not “winter” because that’s not climate… Yesterday started nice, but got pretty chilly in the afternoon. Colder after dark too.

I did some of my auction stuff. Then headed to my rent house to address the tenant’s issues. Cleared the slow bathroom drain. Found a hairball about 6 feet in. Looked at the security door not locking, and found that the house had shifted enough that the door frame was 1/2 inch out of square. There isn’t enough adjustment in the locking mechanism, so we’ll just wait for the house to shift back. The actual entry door still locks. Then I took a look at the clothes washer, which wasn’t agitating properly- mainly because the bolt holding it in place on the mechanism broke off and vanished. Unfortunately, after some more research, what is normally a straightforward and quick repair isn’t in this case. The bolt shaft seems to be still in the splined drive shaft, and that isn’t going to be quick or easy to fix. I don’t need a project either, so I’ll be shopping for another machine. Maybe one of the used appliance guys will give me some money for this one as all the other parts are still in good shape and worth money. It’s a Whirlpool and I am pretty sure we bought it used, so we got our money’s worth. I’ll swap it out soon enough.

Today I’ve got my non-prepping hobby meeting, then a couple of auction pickups, then I’ll be doing work around the house. I still have a couple of Christmas things up, and I need to properly store the stuff I took down already. As a point of reference, a nylon suit bag makes a pretty good storage bag for a medium sized artificial Christmas tree. Goodwill normally has them very cheap too. No need for a fancy-schmancy red tree storage bag… at least not for a $10 tree. It does look a bit more suspicious when you are carrying it.

On my way home from the rent house, I stopped in the Goodwill store in the Heights part of Houston. Nice tony area, with a younger, boho vibe… so the Goodwill gets some nice stuff. It’s worth a look when I’m in the area. I got lucky and picked up a pair of logger style Red Wing steel toe boots (4420), in my size, and in good shape with lots of wear left in them. All leather, with heavy rubber Vibram soles. Interior in great shape too. $15. Boots in similar size and condition are selling for around $100 on ebay, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less, but I’ll probably rehab them and keep them. Good sturdy footwear is an essential prep, and real rubber soles are hard to find. It’d be better if they were vintage and made in the USA, but they will make a nice backup to my other pair of logger boots. They are VERY heavy. They’ll live at the BOL. Duplication solves the issue of what to keep where 😉

I know that buying used isn’t everyone’s cuppa, but consider… do you really want to have or wear something obviously brand new when the economy is collapsing around you? Or does being the grey man mean wearing stuff that looks like it’s well used and not marking you out as different from everyone else. Consider the money savings too. Saving money means more preps, and more of the other things you’d like to buy. Consider that it might be a ‘nice to have’ or a backup, or duplicate of your existing preps, and not high enough priority that it makes sense to spend the money for new. Or consider that the new versions might be inferior to the older versions in terms of materials or workmanship. A lot of old tools are built much better than new ones.

There are things that make sense to buy new. If the hassle of replacing it is large, then getting the longest lifetime of use makes sense, IF the new will last longer than old. Things like HVAC units, and other infrastructure fall into this category. If features or capabilities are only available on new, and those things are important to you, then buy new. Sawstop technology on a tablesaw is an excellent example. There isn’t any real reason NOT to buy the Sawstop (for most woodworkers), the additional cost is far less than your insurance deductible even if they can save your fingers in the event of an accident. Imagine being maimed and thinking, I could be whole if I’d spent the extra money. Sometimes you want to be sure you aren’t buying someone else’s problems. Won’t guarantee you aren’t buying your OWN problems though.

The world is changing around us. Acknowledge that, embrace the good changes, reject the bad, and do the best you can with what you have.

Stack if you can, and do it in a way that is an efficient use of your resources.

nick

Cool but not cold. Weather warmed up before it is supposed to get cold. I was sweaty yesterday with just my shirt while working in the yard. It was 70F after dark… No idea what today will be like. Hoping for the rain to hold off, but who knows?

Did my stuff yesterday. Picked up a tumbling composter among other things. I guess I’ll give composting a try, at least at home. Since we’re here most of the time, and make most of our mess here…

Today I’ve got a couple of auction pickups, one is mainly PPEs, and the other is stuff for the BOL. The main thing I have to do is visit my rent house and look at a couple of issues the tenant has. There is a slow drain, which I’ll run the small snake down. Every plumber in town is out doing winterizing, even if you have a big issue, you probably aren’t getting routine service. The other issue she’s having is with the clothes washer not working properly. I’ll have to take a look at that and decide on a course of action. And there is a security door that doesn’t close or lock properly, so that will get a look too. Unfortunately my “bucket o rent house tools” is at the BOL, so I’ll have to spend some time getting stuff together for the visit.

I like to have tools sort of “clumped” around jobs. I’ve got an electrical work bucket. A networking bag. A plumbing bucket. And a bucket with all the tools for routine stuff at the rent house… but they are all at the BOL. Kinda ironically, I’ve been planning all week which stuff to bring back home now that we have so much of the work done up there. Didn’t do it though, so I’ll have to hit the stacks and put something together. As you can imagine, I have a lot of duplication in my tools, but this way I don’t have to bring everything everywhere every time. I do have to have access to them to make the system work though.

It’s sort of the reverse situation of what to bring up in terms of moving my stacks. What do I leave there, considering how far away everything is? It’s much easier to get stuff here, so that if I need a tool or a part, I can buy it here, but if I need something up there, it’s a big deal. If we had a big freeze here, like last time, all my fittings and extra plumbing bits are at the BOL, and I’d be in trouble here. For normal times, I would just bite the bullet and buy what I need here, but if things go sideways, there isn’t anything TO buy…

It’s a balance I haven’t found yet. We’ll see how today works out…

More stacks would help.

nick

Cold, warming gradually, maybe still clear. Barometer was way high on Monday. 35F when I went to bed after a nice day.

I got a couple of things done Monday. I finished the replacement door on the dockhouse, installing the threshold was pretty straightforward for once. Then I finally got around to replacing the 3 posts holding up the roof over the porch on the dockhouse. That job has been on my list for months. They are in place, lagged to the roof, and screwed to the concrete. Today I’ll spend a couple of minutes adding the hurricane straps and I’ll be completely done with that task. It’ll be the wife’s job to paint them. (the hurricane straps are probably overkill, but hey, they’re cheap and quick to do.)

I made a lamb roast for New Year’s dinner. Discovered I didn’t bring any mint jelly up here,but I’m the only one that really missed it. Also discovered there is something consistently wrong with the scratch and dent oven I got at Habitat last year. It goes out about 5 minutes after you start it, but then runs fine when re-lit. At some point I guess I’ll have to look at it, but it was a temporary solution. Who knows when we’ll be redoing the kitchen though, so I should probably check it.

Played Risk with D2 and my wife. It only took about 2 1/2 hours which has to be some kind of record. My impression was that Risk took days to play, but this is the first time I can remember actually playing. It’s been at least 45 years if I did play before. I lost. D2 followed, and W1 swept through asia, Europe,and North America in one turn to win…

Today I’ll be buttoning up, doing some more maintenance things, and sorting and organizing. Already changed out the US flag. The wind beats up the cheap printed flags pretty quickly. I’ve got a bunch from the auctions so I change them whenever they look bad. I appreciate anyone who flies it, but I do get frustrated when they are in poor condition. Sewn and embroidered, from a US company, is the way to go to have them last.

Traditions are important.

As is stacking.

Let’s get this party started.

nick