Font Size:     

Category: lakehouse

Sat. Jun. 11, 2022 – I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream…

Hot, and humid, because Texas!  Well, EAST Texas anyway.   Cooler here than Houston, and probably more breeze.

Made it safely to the BOL last night despite the late start.  Everything in the back of the truck was still there when I arrived.   No one ever died because they put on an extra strap…

Among my pickups yesterday were two big solar panels.  They had been dropped and damaged during shipping, so I got them for $5.   The glass is shattered, but I’m hoping to salvage some or all of the cells, and the diode or MMTP on the back.   First and very cursory glance says I may just be out $5.  It’ll be interesting to put them in the sun and see what or if they put anything out.  That project is going to have to wait though.

All the normal stuff needs doing up here, and we need to make more progress on livability.   The garden needs some attention for sure.

Maybe I’ll taste the nut grass, and if I like it, I’ll just grow a garden of nut grass….    Probably easier that way too.   It’s a bit funny that the local electric co-op magazine has an article in it this month about local foraging.   They specifically cite grocery shortages and rising costs as reasons people took up foraging, and for more people to start.

Every account of prolonged conflict I’ve read had people eating grass.  I’d like to do better than that.  I intend to do better than that.  But if you need a little extra, NOW is the time to figure out the wild groceries around you, while there is still 911 and medical care 😉

There are lots of references available, and I don’t know one from the other, but if it interests you, there is probably a local expert to help you learn.   Just remember, if it was better or more efficient for feeding people, we wouldn’t be farming, and in a long term event, even the grass is eaten to the ground before too long.  Don’t count on living off the land——–

Stack up all the things!

 

n

Read the comments: 82 Comments

Fri. Jun. 10, 2022 – ah Friday, the end is in sight.

Gorram hot, and gorram humid.    Well over 100F yesterday in the sun, which was everywhere.   And the breeze was intermittent.  In the shade, with a breeze, very nice.  Anywhere else?  Gorram hot.  And more if it today.

Had a nice night at the pool, although I’d have preferred A/C and a book, but meatspace… and meet space.  Kid didn’t do well swimming, but she works at it.  There were several dads I chatted with from our old pool and it was nice to catch up.

Today I’ve got a bunch of pickups, ones and twos mostly, and almost all for the BOL.   I’ve got shopping to do too, I need more drywall mud.   I’m going to try molasses and water to kill the nutsedge in my garden plot.  It’s supposed to work while leaving the crops alone.  If I don’t spray it on the crops.  And if I can get some.

Then it’s load up the truck and head out.   Work for the weekend includes – scraping popcorn ceilings.  Painting out paneling.  Maybe some plumbing work in the bathroom, or the kitchen.  Cutting of grass, weeding of garden, and various and sundry other small and large tasks.

Gotta get pickups done and trucks loaded first though.

Make your own stacks, and stack them high.

nick

Read the comments: 83 Comments

Mon. Jun. 6, 2022 – D Day 1944.

National forecast has Houston in clear weather for the next three days.   Goes without saying it will be hot and humid.   Beautiful just a couple of hours north though.   Ah well, it is what it is.

Started yesterday at the BOL, did a bunch of work, and came home.   Now I get to do a bunch of work here too.  It’s all the normal stuff, plus the stuff that got put aside.   I don’t know what I’d do if I could actually catch up.    Up north I didn’t get back to my garden weeding, it was just too hot in the sun, so the carrots will have to compete with the grass for another week.    Here I’ve got grass to mow, gardens to weed, and maybe some blueberries to harvest, if the birds didn’t get them.   Plus a ton of stuff to move or put away, or organize.

Then there is all the stuff that needs fixing… and that is a growing pile too.   And the hurricane season has officially started, so there is all the normal hurricane prep to do.   This is not the time I’d have picked for rotating stored gas, but again, it is what it is.

It will be a short work day for me on top of everything else,  as D2 has a swim meet tonight.

Monday is not my fun day.

But hey, no rest for the wicked.

Do some stacking.  Don’t get caught lacking.

 

n

Read the comments: 106 Comments

Wed. Jun. 1 – almost half way through the year

National forecast has Houston in the “rain and t-storms possible” area, and maybe we’ll get some.  We are on the edge though, and that usually means “no”.   Beautiful day north of here yesterday, although it did get into the 90s.  Scattered dark clouds and a spritz of moisture from the sky greeted my in Houston when I got near my neighborhood.   Typical Houston “somebody is getting rained on” weather.

There was a lot accomplished at Casa de Nick, segundo.  Just getting window coverings on all the windows makes it feel more homey.   Staying the extra day was worth it.  Still lots to do of course, and all the major work still ahead.

Today is the first day of the kids’ at home summer vacation.  D1 is going to start doing some additional dog training.   D2 is … gonna do something.   Not sure what yet.   Lots of GS activity planned later, but some time to ease into doing nothing….

I’ve got a jon boat to pick up, and one other lot that I’m sending to my mom.  It’s a pole  thing that should help her get into and out of the bath more safely.  I won it cheaply enough that it is still cheap after I pay to ship it to her.  One of my siblings or their spouses can install it during a visit.   And of course I have all the normal stuff to do.  Even more of it, since I was gone 4 days.

Time to get back to work stacking up stuff.

n

Read the comments: 71 Comments

Tues. May 31, 2022 – headed home later

Starting the day at the BOL, with nice weather.   More sunny and hot is in the forecast.   Then home to Houston where it will surely be hotter.

Got a lot of work done over the weekend.   Still more to do, so much more, but some progress was made.

I set two of the posts for my garden fence.   The hydro-drilling instead of post hole digging worked, but there was a massive web of roots where the post needed to  be.  First post I may have to do over.   Second post I sharpened the end first, then drove it an additional foot with a sledge, 1/16 ” at a  time.   I don’t know if I’ll be able to move my arms today.

Did a bunch of other things.

Managed to spend a little time on the floaty thing in the water.   Water is 86F so very nice.

Don’t know how long I’ll stay today, family is headed out late morning early afternoon.

I’ve got a bunch of stuff on the list for the next visit.   I’ll be stacking stuff here.

 

Y’all get to stackin’ too.

n

Read the comments: 67 Comments

Fri. May 27, 2022 – headed into the long weekend…

Cooler in the morning, hot later, supposed to be clear all weekend for most of the country, as well as Houston.   Thursday started very cool and got plenty hot, 99F at one point in the sun, but cooled down again once the sun set.

I did pickups and auction stuff, but didn’t get the stuff loaded for this weekend.   I bought a jon boat for the BOL, and a scratch and dent wood stove.   Also some things for the house.  I’m excited about the jon boat.   Seemed nuts to be on a lake with no boat at all.  Now I need a motor.  At least it’s not quite a hole in the water that I try to fill with money….

The stove looks complete, with only a small bend on one corner.  Nothing to affect use, and even appearance will be minimally impacted.   The plan is to remove the massive fireplace and chimney, which are crushing the back of the house and blocking the view of the lake.   Later we’d add a woodburner off to the side.  I saw the stove in the auction, and the pictures were terrible, so I thought I’d take the chance.  It was crazy cheap.   Looks like a winner so far, and at over a 90% discount from retail.   I will sell it if I find a nicer one before we get around to installing it, but in these uncertain times,  I’ve got this stove at least, sitting in the stacks.  It’s massive overkill for the house, and larger than I’d want in the room but – – –

Take what you can get, and get it when you can.

Kids are done with school for the year, so now the summer stuff starts happening.  Starting with a weekend at the BOL.

We’re headed up at some point to do more work, and enjoy the weekend.  We will take time out to remember the real reason for the holiday.   Like usual, I’ll set up several place holder posts to open the door and turn the lights on, just in case I have comms issues, and commenting by yours truly will be light.

 

Keep working on getting your stuff in order.  The awareness that something bad is coming, and its name is famine, is starting to spread.  Some more stuff is going to become even more difficult to find, and more expensive as people start putting back a little extra.   Don’t wait for the crush.  Stack it up NOW.

 

And increase your personal vigilance.  People are getting angry.  Violence is increasing.  Anyone can get caught in it anywhere- this has always been true, but the likelihood is increasing.  Do what you can to avoid being a victim.

nick

 

Read the comments: 63 Comments

Sat. May 21, 2022 – home this weekend, plenty to do here

Hot and humid, again.  We’re in that season- summer.  Gonna be kinda monotonous unless there’s a hurry-cane or something… 83F when I went to bed.

Made it home yesterday in time for dinner.   Did a lot of driving for my pickups, and getting something for my non-prepping hobby added a couple of hours and lots of miles as it was an hour south of Houston.  The rest of the stuff was preps or for the BOL.

Got stuff going on today here at home.   D1 had a birthday this week, so we’re doing her thing today.  She mainly wants attention, so we’re going to try mightily to give her some… she wants family game night all day.  I hope I can keep my sanity.

If I can’t, I’ll take it out on shrubberies…   or other stuff in the back yard.   I’ve got quite a long list of stuff to do at home, so I can always take a break from Exploding Kittens ™ and do something.

I’ll be trying to take it a bit easy, as all of yesterday’s loading and unloading, along with 6 hours in the driver’s seat has my back hurting again.  Sucks to get old.  Sucks to be decrepit.   Never thought I’d live this long, or I would have taken better care of myself.   I tell myself that, but I know I wouldn’t have.  NO ONE believes they’ll be old and worn out when they’re young.

Look at your stacks.  Stack more where the stacks are thin.

 

nick

Read the comments: 46 Comments

Fri. May 20, 2022 – at the BOL, doing stuff

Fantastic day here in the north, sunny and clear.   Hot and humid later, but probably not as hot and humid as Houston.  I’ll find out when I get home.

Met with the electrician yesterday.  Our next step is to talk to the provider, a co-op, and determine how much capacity we can get, schedule, etc.

He’s proposed a couple changes that would let us do the work for the service and the septic, while taking longer to do the work on the grounding and outbuildings.  All the old will come out, and new will go in.  Except for wiring inside the house, that will stay but have grounds added, I think.  He’s pretty sure we’ll find the buried electrical when we start trenching for the septic 😛

Oh yeah, when I fired up the mower a huge doe ran across the yard.  She looked pretty panicked.   Did I mention she was huge?   Mmmmm, tasty deer…

Watered the garden.  No sign of raiders yet, but no shoots either.

I’ve got a couple of things to do here today before I can leave.  I need to remove the paneling around the current breaker panels so the electrician can see what he’s working with to land in the new panel, and I’d like to plant one more row of salad veg, with some squash, pumpkin, and watermelon.  That may not get done, if it’s hot or if I run out of time.

 

Gas was $4 at costco and there were weekend long lines at 1pm on Thursday.   I saw it as high as $4.39 at the HEB next to the freeway.  My 260 mile round trip costs double what it did a year ago.

Refilling all my hurricane gas storage will HURT this year.

Stash some stuff, stack some more stuff.

 

n

Read the comments: 65 Comments

Wed. May 18, 2022 – end of the school year is coming up…

Hot and sunny in Houston again.  Plenty of humidity too.   I didn’t see what the official high was yesterday, but I did notice my thermometer reading 95F in the sun.  That’s plenty hot.

I didn’t do much yesterday.   My back was killing me.  Did one pickup for the BOL on my way to my client’s house.  Fixed his issue, a control box stuck in an ‘off’ condition until pulling the power, waiting, and re-powering.  That was a weird one.

Spoke with his  wife, their kitchen remodel is pushing off a month or possibly two, due to not being able to get their appliances.  Those were ordered last year, for May delivery… and now they are saying August maybe but really probably October.  Even the very high end of the market is having supply issues now.

Came home and had a lie down.  Didn’t mean to fall asleep, just wanted to get pressure off my spine, but hey, I’ll take sleep when it comes.

Did an email exchange with my septic installer.  He’s starting to buy stuff for the system. Still can’t get the drip hose but feels confident about the other components.    I reiterated that we’ll pay for the stuff, and he should just buy it.

I’m bidding on some used construction materials for use here in the attic, and small projects at the BOL.   I’m thinking of raiding my neighbor’s open top dumpster for used 2x4s from their remodel.   Freaking 2x4x8 lumber is $7 at lowes.   I’ll be building with pallets and tarps soon if prices don’t come down.

Stack it while you can.  You’ll need it.

nick

 

Read the comments: 79 Comments

Tues. May 17, 2022 – home again, home again…

Hot and humid in Houston.   Probably nicer at the BOL.  I’ll deal, as long as it isn’t raining.

Did a long day at the lake yesterday.   Met with the A/C guy, got the compressor motor capacitor swapped out and the refrigerant level checked.    Worked on the garden.  Got a sprinkler set up, but not on a timer yet.  Did more cleanup and filled the pickup for the dumpster run.  Swapped out a couple more light fixtures.  Put some privacy film on the garage door windows.

That one was on the list from the first day.   It makes the door look better from the outside (there isn’t a row of black windows in the white door) and it makes it much harder to see into the garage and decide if there is anything you want to steal.

I also put up a new mailbox, and weed whacked…  even put a couple of plants in pots out front.

All little things but all important for curb appeal (lets the neighbors know we’re committing to the neighborhood) and to make the house look occupied.   They haven’t had issues with breakins or theft, but I don’t want to be the nuisance house either.   I do need about 4 entry doors though, between the garage, outbuildings, and dockhouse.  Even a soyboy could kick through the garage man door.

—

Today is for catching up on things around the house here.

There is plenty on that list.  Boy howdy.

If you can’t stack, organize, or maintain.

But if you can, stack it high.

nick

Read the comments: 86 Comments
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- // end of file archive.php // -------------------------------------------------------------------------------