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Wed. Feb. 8, 2023 – Hey Joe, where ya goin’ with that gun in your hand..

Dare I say “warm” today?  It was 69F when I went to bed and that is arguably “warm”.   So lets go with that- warm and wet today.  Overcast and rain possible.  Yesterday was “warm” and certainly damp.   Overcast and mixed clouds until dusk then misty drizzle for a while.  Yuck.

Did some pickups, won some items, dropped off about 30 pounds of lego at the auctioneer.   I put it in gallon ziplok bags, each about 1 pound.     I tried for a mix of small pieces, minifigs, and bigger plates.   I also tried to keep stuff that should be together as a kit together.   Since I scooped it out of surplus bins, that last part is kind of hit or miss.  🙂   I’m hoping to do better than just the bulk rate of about $8/pound.   If it sells well, I’ll package another 30-50 pounds for the next auction.

One of the pickups was an equatorial mount for a telescope.   It’s a bit smaller than I thought, but seems nice enough.   It’s sturdy and the ‘scopes are light.   The limits are probably going to be whatever kind of mounting plate I figure out, and how sturdy the tripod ends up  being.   Tripod is definitely a deficiency with the cheap chinese ‘scopes, every one I’ve seen was very flimsy.   Fortunately I’ve got a dozen surveyor type tripods that are very sturdy and I think I can figure a way to mod one of them into something suitable.   Oh, and the mount has a little motor drive that is optional (it’s essentially a friction drive for the knob) and eventually it would be nice to figure out how to power and control that.  Projects.  I just can’t help myself.

For that matter, it would be nice to find the computer control for the little table top Meade ‘scope, then we could use that to “steer” us to an object, and look at it through the bigger ‘scope…   or maybe that’s all too  much fussing.   Dunno.   Very new to the whole thing.   We’ll figure it out.

Today, I need to keep knocking some stuff off the list.   I really haven’t been feeling it, but sometimes you just have to power through.   Getting a bit more sleep will help.    Actually getting stuff done helps with a virtuous feedback loop.

There’s an old saying that if you want something done, give the job to a busy man.   That only works to a point though.   The trick is staying under the saturation point.    Prepping is like that.   When you do it, and it works, you want to do more…   but sometimes you  just can’t muster the effort.   It’s ok.  It happens.   Move on, get back to it, and stack some stuff.

 

nick

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Mon. Feb. 6, 2023 – another day another dollar…

Cool, and damp, probably clear.   We should have another day or so of clear which will be nice.  It was gorgeous yesterday.

Wife and D2 were at a camping resort for Saturday evening and Sunday morning, with relatives.   They had fun.  I was home with D1, who mostly stayed in her room and read.  Everyone is home and ready to go back to school today.  Which is fine with me.  I’ve got my own stuff to get done.

Freezer pickup and some other auction stuff being top of the list.  Freezer selling coming soon after that.  Sometimes I bite off more than I can chew in an effort to ‘share the wealth.’  We’ll figure something out.

Figuring it out is my main strategy for pretty much everything.   That and having a bunch of stuff on hand so I have options.

Prepping is about giving your future self options.   Options let you avoid unpleasantness.   They let you  function when others are frozen.  They can save your butt.

Stack up some options.   For health, cooking, water treatment, sanitation, and repair.

You’ll be glad you did.

nick

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Fri. Feb. 3, 2023 – 02032023 – silly old bear…

Well it’s cold and wet again.  Supposed to clear up and warm up a bit later, but we’re starting in the same place.  Misty drizzle most of yesterday, although the overcast was brighter.   Seemed plenty cold to me, maybe mid 40s…

I ended up spending the day indoors, clearing out room for the Girl Scout cookies.   In the process I did some other cleaning, some auction stuff, and some ebay.   The single biggest thing was getting 20 or more pounds of lego into 1 pound bags.  That’s not all the lego I have, it’s just the lego that was in the foyer.   I’ll drop it at the auctioneer’s when I pick up a couple of lots.   I won some books about maintaining some things…

I also won another telescope.   Bloody hell.   It’s a 10 inch dob, and is the LAST scope I’m buying this year.   Pinky swear.   It was cheap without a mounting base.   The base often shows up in the auctions as they ship the stupid thing in two boxes and the shippers can’t keep track of both.  Worst case, I’ll slap a base together from plywood.   I’m not in a hurry though, so I’ll let the universe have a few weeks to solve my problem.   There weren’t any on ebay yesterday, which is a bit of a surprise.   I’ve seen them for months as I watched other lots go by.   This time, my lowball bid of $175 won.   With tax and fees, I’ll be around $220.  That leaves a lot of room to buy a base or make one.   It should let us both look at the sky together, and that should be more fun than swapping off.

Some of my day got eaten by the scanner and what was going on at a Houston school.   It was a bit harrowing to just listen without knowing where they were or what exactly they were facing.  Details are in yesterday’s comments.   Especially coming on the heals of me reading the Uvalde report, it was gratifying that they seemed to be aware, motivated, and in command, and got the guy out of the school without issues.   Hopefully they’ll do an AAR and learn from the event.   And hopefully the school will figure their security situation so an armed man can’t run in and hide from cops.  FFS.

Having the scanner on and running all the time in the office has clued me into a number of breaking news type stories, as well as ordinary law enforcement activity in the city and my neighborhood.   Knowing what goes on around you is valuable.  Knowing what’s normal, let’s you key into when something is not.   Takes practice, like anything.

Today I’ve got stuff to pick up.   No plan to go to the BOL this weekend, but that could change.  If not, there is still a huge list here, and it just keeps getting longer.    Clear weather will certainly help.

Work your list, always be improving your situation, and stack the things!

nick

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Wed. Feb. 1, 2023 – 1/12 of the way…

Cold again.  Wet again.  Overcast again.  Dreary again.   Jeez, it’s the third day of this cr@p and you’d think it was the third year.  It’s winter FFS.

And I’m SOOOOOooooo not looking forward to John Ringo’s prophesy in The Last Centurion coming true so I can enjoy my kula bar.   We don’t want to live in a John Ringo novel.

Spent yesterday doing some things, and going some places.  Ok that’s already old.   Did my errands.   Some of them anyway.   Tried not to tempt the universe by announcing my plans, but I got stuck anyway.

I did get some more stuff out of the toy room/library/future GS cookie warehouse, and the foyer.  More will leave today.  Wife is serious about having my stuff out of the way so the cookies can be dealt with properly.

Tried a new thing for dinner, a Kraft cheesy box meal, chicken with rice and broccoli.   Used two cans of Costco chicken.   Did the optional crushed Ritz cracker topping, toasted brown under the broiler.  It was really good.  Like an old school casserole.    Kids and wife liked it a lot.   Always nice to have another way to use my primary stored protein.

Today will involve some grocery shopping.  Maybe Costco but certainly HEB.  I am out of eggs after we finish this carton.   I could use some more cream too.  And fresh veg if they have any that look ok.  Baked beans in cans.  On sale meat…..   the usual.

Between shopping and cleaning, I’ll try to either do some more organizing at my storage unit, or list some ebay stuff.   I might put a couple of the freezers on craigslist.   I think I’ll hit up a few more friends first though.  Meatspace, after all.

Do what you can to help your friends get ready.  Stack up some good will.  Doesn’t have to be specifically “prepper” just want them to think of you in a positive way.   “Man, Nick really helped us out that time, I’d hate to see anything bad happen to him…”

Stacks of food will help too.

nick

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Sun. Jan. 29, 2023 – rainy days, stuff happening anyway

Cool and wet, possibly COLD and wet later.   Wasn’t bad yesterday, but it was wet and gloomy.   I think we’ll get more of that today.   We got actual rain last night, not just misty drizzle like we had during the day.

I slept in, then did plumbing.   Had to McGyver a piece.   No one had the reducer I needed, but they had one with threads.   Threads I could remove with power and hand tools….     It just took longer than it should, and entailed a trip into town.   Stock at the hardware store and at Tractor Supply was wide but very shallow.   And there were big holes where they hadn’t gotten any new stock in a while.

Walmart looked pretty well stocked, but only with the stuff they have, which does not include plumbing fittings.     They had a lot of stuff on Clearance too.   I worked slow but got the drain installed.   Got the supply ready to connect today.   Turn off the water, cut the pex, insert and crimp new T fittings, turn it back on.   I love making changes to pex, it is so easy.

Still need to drop the gas line into the wall, and change out the romex to grounded 2 wire for the outlet in the wall.  Then button it all up and pack for home.

That’s the plan, but we all know about plans…

Watched “The Producers” with wife and D2 since it was raining and we couldn’t have a fire.   It was the Mathew Brodderick, Nathan Lane version and it was really good.  I love the original movie with Gene Wilder, but the new book and music (written by Mel Brooks) did a great job of freshening up the story while keeping the best parts.   The movie did a fantastic job of melding the stage action with the “film” segments to tell the story but still capture the feel of a Broadway show.   D2 is turning into a theatre geek too and laughed out loud throughout.

Stack up the good times.

nick

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Fri. Jan. 27, 2023 – busy day, lot’s to do…

Cold and clear, but damp.  Was cold Thursday morning, and cool most of the day.  I did take my jacket off in the afternoon.  It was 38F when I went to bed.   It’ll probably be around that to start today.

Got very little done on my list yesterday.   Did have a lovely  lunch with a reader.  Long chat took up most of my afternoon, and that was an excellent way to spend the day.   It does mean I have a few more things to do today though.

Like a whole bunch of pickups scattered all over the place.   I’m going to delay one to Monday for sure, ask about delaying another that is way down south, and hopefully just get one in the neighborhood, and two that are on the west side.  I’ve got a list of stuff I need to get at lowes too, which I probably should have gotten yesterday.

Plan is to head up to the BOL later today, catching a pickup in Conroe on the way.   That’s gonna take actually leaving the house, and running around all day.  Wife and kids will follow after school/work.

Then the work begins!   I still have plumbing to do to get the laundry machine drain and supply connected, and as long as the wall is open, I need to get the gas line in too for the dryer.  Even if I don’t connect it to the manifold yet, getting it into the wall is important.   Wife and kids will be painting.  And if I run out of plumbing, I can hang doors, or change out light fixtures, or any of the other things on the list…

The day starts with getting the wife and kids out the door.  So that’s first.  Then I’ll start my running around.

I’m stacking things.   Mostly at the BOL, but I am stacking… you should too.

nick

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Thur. Jan. 26, 2023 – another day, another dollar

Cold, and damp.   37F when I went to bed, and probably starting the day from there too.   It did clear up yesterday although it stayed chilly.  And once the sun went down, it got pretty dang cold.

I did get a couple of pickups done.   Went by my secondary and moved some stuff around to make room for some other stuff.   Just a quick stop, as I couldn’t shut off my truck and be sure I could get it started again.    Rust never sleeps, and neither do other forms of corrosion.   A vise grip pliers from my mini car toolkit saved the day later on.  Details in yesterday’s comments.

Mini toolkit- 6″ vise grip, phillips screwdriver.  Flat screwdriver, medium sized.  6 in one screwdriver.  Slip joint pliers.  Diagonal cutters or wire stripper- minimalist.  6″ adjustable wrench.   Roll them up in a shop towel to keep them quiet, or put them in an old snack mix can…   That little kit helps me all the time, although it mostly helps me disassemble stuff for transport and not to repair my truck.  The ‘snack mix can’ is a heavy duty steel can for japanese bar mix that I happen to have saved a dozen of.   You could use soup cans, especially if you could find a set that slightly nest… and wrap a couple of feet of duct tape around the can.  If you don’t carry a knife (and why not?) add a thin stanley knife or a wallpaper knife with break off blade tips.  The idea is it all fits in a can to keep it neat.

Admittedly, if I’d looked under the hood sometime in the last few months, I might have seen and headed off the whole problem.   Stitch in time, and all that.  But I didn’t.  I do have replacement terminal clamps in the stacks, which should save a trip to the store.  Might try putting the treated felt washer on it this time.

It’s always something.  In this case, having an understanding of the systems involved, having done the previous repair, and having a tool with me that could be pressed into service,  all helped turn a potential issue into a non-issue.  I wasn’t prepared for this exact problem but I was prepared for some sort of problem.

And that is the best you can hope for, that your preps help solve the problem.

Knowledge, and stuff, stack them up.

n

 

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Sun. Jan. 22, 2023 – 01222023 – meaningless fun with numbers!

Cold and damp again.   Never really got any warmer yesterday, and stayed overcast.   Got a bit cooler when night fell, and was 50F when I went to bed.  Clear would be nice even if it was chilly today.

Spent the day with the wife and kids watching tv.   Had fun.

Didn’t do anything else.   Had fun.

I’ll probably pay for it later, but had fun.

We’ll see what happens today, but I’m betting on NOT a full day and night of TV viewing, at least not for me.  Too much stuff to do.  Still, had fun.

Sometimes that what needs stacking.

nick

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Sat. Jan. 21, 2023 – sleeping in- it’s not just for teens

Cool and damp.   It was 54F when I got up yesterday, it was 54F when I ate lunch, and 54F when I went to bed.  I’ve got a feeling it might be 54F today…    National forecast says ‘clear’.   Yesterday had Houston on the edge of a system and we did get clouds and some rain.  Not much, but enough to get the cars dirty and the streets wet.

Lots of accidents on the roads too, far more than I’m used to seeing.   Oh, and a full on ladder in the number 2 lane of the toll road.   People, secure your freaking ladders in your truck beds.   They’re not free, and the life you save might be worth a whole lot more to society than your ignorant self.  No one ever died because someone put an extra strap on a load.

Did my pickups.   More antennas.   Hamfest is coming up in March, so I’m starting to look at what I have and what I want to sell this year.   “Most of it” is the answer I’m getting.  Also got some first aid supplies, and some cleaning stuff, and  a finger brake or pan brake.  That’s a tool for folding metal.  I have always wanted a small one, and now I have one.

Bought a couple of things in the auction too.   Nice looking hunting tool in 30-06. ‘nuther kayak.  Must be off season for kayaks, several have come up and sold for reasonable prices.   Hard to say no to $90 for what was originally a $1k boat.  I managed to though.  Couldn’t say no to $80 for a $650 boat.   We still can’t all kayak at the same time, but we’ll get there.   I should use my vinyl cutter to make labels for the kayaks with our name on them.   Hmm, another project.  Maybe later.

Chatted with another buyer while waiting for my stuff.   Real nice guy, we had a lot in common.  We are bidding on the same type of stuff though, which isn’t awesome.  He was headed to his next pickup at an auctioneer that was my third pickup of the day.   Small world, but perhaps not too unlikely given that we both bid on auction stuff.   There is definitely a culture for those of us who have been doing it for a long time.

I can’t emphasis enough that I think everyone should be out there looking for alternative markets, be it thrifts, estate sales, in person or online auctions, flea markets, swapmeets, or whatever is going on in your area.   Maybe it’s a farmer’s market, or a monthly craft show, but there is bound to be something going on.   The money you save is well worth the time invested, as is access to stuff that might not be in stores, or might be of better quality that what is currently available.   A whole lot of commerce is moving into the secondary economy (as I’ve taken to calling it) or ‘p2p sales’ or the ‘informal’ economy.   It’s a sign of a failing state, but it’s a fact of life too, and the only way for people to get what they need when the official marketplaces are dried up, or inaccessible.  It takes practice and awareness to be successful in it, just like all things, so get started.

It’s the weekend.   I’m sleeping in as it’s the first one in a while with no extra things on my plate.  Then I’ll start working the list again.   And going to the grocery store- because I didn’t get there yesterday.  It’s not like we’re out of anything, but we don’t have the next carton of eggs in the fridge or the next jug of milk and that makes me nervous.   Plus, I’m out of beef jerky and soda.

Stack some stuff.   Stack it high, then find something you missed and stack that.   And go to a garage sale this weekend.   Never know what you will find.

 

nick

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Thur. Jan. 19, 2023 – time to continue making progress…

Cold and damp.   50F late last night and I’m thinking that will continue into this morning.  It is supposed to be clear for a couple of days, so probably a front moving in, dropping the temps and moving out the clouds.   I’m no weather liar, but that’s the story I’m running with today.

I did make a bit of progress yesterday.   I installed a new faucet and drain in the bathroom.  I’ve got another to do, and then I need to diagnose what is  wrong with the shower mixer.  Oh, and re-tape and spackle the ceiling where water leaking caused damage.  Wife can paint the ceiling at that point, whenever she gets around to it.

I also got a couple of things listed on Craigslist.   It’s still around, and good for selling some stuff.   I never did get motivated to do FB marketplace.   If I have something to sell very locally, I’ll ask my wife to ping her sell/swap groups in the neighborhood.   I might try to move a freezer that way if I can’t come up with a buyer myself.  I got a couple of things listed on ebay too while I was at it.  Also sorted some stuff.

All in all, progress was made.

Which is good.   Now for a whole metric buttload more….

 

Stack progress and successes one atop the other, as well as food…

nick

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