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Category: personal

Mon. Nov. 28, 2022 – home and working the list

Cool and damp, but probably no precip.   Lovely day yesterday at the BOL.  Sun came out and dried up all the rain, and the itsy  bit-sy ……….

Anyway, enough of the silliness.   No one called me on my “insert clever remark” joke?  I’ll take it as  you guys hoping to spare my feelings for a dumb mistake, and not a failed joke.  (I don’t actually have a template for posts, despite the familiar (some might say ‘well worn’) shape.)*

There, you see?   It was a kindness, not a bad joke.   The power of an author knows no bounds.

Anyway, enough of this silliness.   I did get stuff done to advance the ‘livability’ of the BOL.   Still plenty to do, but the master bath has made progress, and  the master bedroom.  Having a Christmas tree up makes it more homey than you’d think.

Now to really get to stacking up there.   I’ve got piles (stacks!) of stuff to take up.   The difficulty will be in deciding where the balance should be between the amount of stuff here and the amount of stuff there.   That will be a temporary issue if everything holds together long enough for me to get to parity….

So stack some stuff at your place.  Then stack some more at wherever you’ll end up if things go sideways.  You won’t regret it.

nick

 

*and here I would have dropped the close parenthesis and made a ‘failed to compile’ joke for the programmers in the audience.

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Sun. Nov. 27, 2022 – Put something clever here…

Cold but clear today, if last night’s weather holds.  It was 47F when I went to bed.   Of course it’s damp too, so it really feels cold.

Spent most of Saturday prepping and texturing the ceiling in the master bedroom and bath.   It looks ok.  Better than popcorn anyway, and certainly cleaner.  Considering that it’s been about 20 years since I ran the texture gun, and I didn’t do a whole lot o that even back then, I’m happy with the result.   My wife will be painting it today, primer (Kilz) then ceiling paint.

I’ll be buttoning up the property and knocking some more small jobs off the list.  We’ll probably stay here most of the day, then head home.

I’ve got a load of trash, some metal for recycling, and 2 LP gas bottles for refilling in the truck.  I’ll have to bring up some more bottles if I am going to be running the patio heaters, they go through gas like crazy.

I will have to ask the propane guy up here if there is a way to get set up for refilling BBQ bottles off the big tank.  My guess is “no, no, and HELL NO.”  Can’t hurt to ask though.

Lake is up quite a bit.   Supposedly we got more than two inches of rain the just the last two days.  With the area that feeds the lake, that made a large change in water level.   Guess I missed my chance to replace some of the dock posts without standing in water… oh well.  Gotta prioritize.

I’ll be moving some stacks up here, and some shelves to put them on the next trip up.   Time to stock the BOL a bit better.   Time to get a safe up here too.

Do some adding to your own stacks.   Don’t wait for the New Year’s Resolution.

nick

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Sat. Nov. 26, 2022 – gettin’ stuff done

Cool and damp, but maybe not raining today.  That would be nice.  It stayed damp and misty all day yesterday.

So I only did a little bit outdoors.  I did break two more slabs of concrete from the front walk and move them to the pile of free concrete rubble.   Don’t know for sure, but I think some of the pile might have gone away.

Spent some time chatting with a neighbor 2 houses down, who I don’t see often.   And chatted for a bit with my fisherman friend.  I even got a few minutes to practice fishing between little jobs.   But mostly I was scraping ceilings.    [that should be enough sentence fragments for a while… maybe I’ll do a run-on for balance]

My wife found the telescope last night as we were putting away the movie night stuff, unfortunately it’s been cloudy so I didn’t reveal it to her on purpose, since there was nothing to see, but she was surprised.  “Now THAT’S a big telescope!”  Maybe we’ll get a break tonight and it will clear up.    It would be nice to at least look through it this weekend.

There were a few more boats on the lake yesterday and the level is up, so they could use the community launch ramp next door.  Otherwise I might not have noticed.  I expected more people to come up for the holiday weekend, but it’s anything but “busy”.   I’m happy enough with that, we weren’t looking for a busy lake or a lot of people.   So far none of the holidays have been particularly busy that I could see.   Maybe on the other side of the lake the experience was different.  In any case, I’m pleased.

Turkey and leftovers were tasty.   Today D2 declared it was the best turkey every, although she prefers the “normal” way I make ribs.   Hooray for that.  Now to learn about smoking as a preservation technique and not just for flavor.

Maybe I’ll try salting some pork too.  Hmm.  Always good to learn new skills.  Most of my chat with my fisherman friend was about making sausage.  Time to start stacking up some more skills…

And in case those skills don’t work out, stack some more food.  It’s pretty cheap now, and will likely be very dear later.

nick

 

 

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Thurs. Nov. 24, 2022 – Thanksgiving Day (US)

Thanksgiving Day.   I wish you all a wonderful and fulfilling day.

I’m thankful for the time we have.  Time to spend with friends and family, time to prep for what is surely coming.   I’m thankful for the good times that created the resources I’m using to get ready.

I’m thankful for family to share the burdens and the love.

I’m thankful for friends, here and in meatspace.   I’m thankful for the companionship and camaraderie I find here, as well as the help with a wide range of issues.

I’m thankful for the continued support of Barbara and Rick.

I’m thankful for the trust Bob showed me when he first asked me to contribute here.

And I’m thankful for everyone who comes here as a reader or commentor, regularly, or just occasionally.   You all make it what it is.

Enjoy the day.

Save me some pie!

nick

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Wed. Nov. 23, 2022 – now we’re gettin’ somewhere…

Chilly and damp.   MAY get some rain, but I hope not.

Yesterday’s rain continued until about 10am, then it was part sun for the rest of the day.  Around dusk, I drove through some very light drizzle north of Houston, but it didn’t get the stuff in the bed wet.

Did my pickups.   Made it here and had a relaxing movie  night with the family.

I was listening to a couple more episodes of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on the drive up.  These are recordings of the radio show from 1946 starring Basil Rathbone.  It’s surprising how good they sound, how BAD organ music sounds on the recording, and how different the world was.   The sponsor, Petri wine, has to basically teach the audience about wine, when to drink what, and even what “dry” means.  The only wine they are selling is port, sherry, and muscatel.  But ‘every Petri wine is a good wine.’   It was a simpler time.  But, it was also a time when the audience had a much better vocabulary and understanding of the spoken word.

Today, I think you’d be hard pressed to find 3 people in 100 who could listen to a half hour radio show and understand it.

Speaking of today, the turkey started defrosting last night and will go into some sort of brine today.  If I have to head to town and the grocery store for anything I’ll be looking for cheap whole chickens or cheap ribs to throw in the smoker with the turkey.  If I’m going to run it for a day, I should fill it.

While the turkey is thawing, I’ll be working on the master bath, plumbing first, then popcorn ceiling and more carpentry.  It would be nice to get it back together and working (albeit without floor covering) this week.   Some more plumbing in the kitchen would be nice too.  And a myriad of small things might get done, or not, as the spirit and time move me.

Stacking up the improvements.   And sand bags.  For some reason the universe is putting sand bags in front of me this month.   So I’m buying them.  I’ve learned not to ignore something like that.  I’ve picked them up at Goodwill, and at auction.   I’ve got plenty of sand here…

If you see something you don’t usually see, especially if it’s something out of the ordinary, take a good long look, and see if there is a message there.   Could be coming from your subconscious, or elsewhere, but it’s always worth paying attention,  especially if you notice it more than once.

Maybe it’s something you need to stack.  There are lots of things I’m sure.  Or maybe it’s just someone you need to call, or maybe something you need to avoid, or embrace.   Live in the moment, you can sleep when you’re dead.

Stack stuff.

nick

 

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Tues. Nov. 22, 2022 – 11222022 – maybe today…

Cold again, and damp.  Hopefully not wet.   It was dreary and wet most of yesterday and although the total wasn’t 1 inch it wasn’t 0 either.  I really need a clear day to drive up to the BOL with an open pickup bed full of stuff.

I made 2 of my three pickups yesterday with 2 to do today.  The two today are on my way out of town, so that’s a plus.  I was chatting with one of the auctioneers, an owner in the company, and he is very much a Like Minded Individual.   He’s been prepping for years.  He’s got HUGE stacks of stuff, industrial quantities, due to where he is in the supply chain.  He has been stacking the good stuff for years.   I had a suspicion he was right of center, because of all the Tr ump stuff that is in his auctions, as well as the posted signs about guns being welcome in their facility.   Didn’t expect to see the stacks he quickly showed me… he’s better set up at work than most people are at home or their BOL.  More than that, he’s got TRIBE.  Large family, all on board, pretty much a compound to retreat to.  I’m impressed and a bit envious.

He commented that he thinks everything in the world will be different in 18 months.  I agreed.

We are not alone.   There are a LOT of people out there doing what we’re doing- getting ready to take care of ourselves and our friends.   We will get through whatever is coming.

Being prepped up and having stacks of needful things will help enormously.

And having somewhere to go if things get out of hand locally will help you too.   Which is why I’m dumping huge sums into a place in the country.  You don’t have to go my route, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to figure out where you can go.  There is a lot of property around the small towns that is for sale cheap, and there are sheds, campers, storage buildings, truck trailers, conex boxes, single wides, and even tents to live in cheaply if things fall in the pot.   Better to have something than nothing…

So get to stacking, and find somewhere to go if you have to.

nick

 

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Mon. Nov. 21, 2022 – got more stuff to do before I can do the other stuff…

Cold and damp.  Maybe wet.  It was 47F and raining when I went to bed, and it will probably be the same  this A.M.   The rain started in the evening and continued past midnight.  It was a very slow, light drizzle.

I slept late yesterday and messed around the rest of the day.  I did get a little bit of stuff sorted, but mostly I wasted time on the internet with my friends.   Then I watched some repair and maker videos.  What a dreary day.

Today I’ve got stuff to do.  My wife is working, so her plan is to shop for Thanksgiving dinner later, and head up on Tuesday.  Since I’ve got the kids today, I’ll be running errands, doing a pickup, and then NOT heading up the the BOL.  I guess we’ll do that together on Tuesday.   We’ll see how it all shakes out.  She’s taking Tuesday off, but will work from home at the BOL on Wednesday.

I need more PEX, some other stuff, and to load up the truck.

But if it’s raining I am not sure what I’ll actually get to.   Ah well, flexibility.  Right?

Stack something, even if it’s only IOUs to yourself.

n

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Sun. Nov. 20, 2022 – 11202022 – just didn’t happen

Cold and wet.   Low 40s to start, and if it keeps raining, to continue as well.   It was 42F when I went to bed.  Rained all day Saturday.

And partly because of the rain, I never really got anything done.   I got things started, but not finished.   I’m definitely not ready to head to the lake for a week, especially with a big meal in the middle.

Wife got home ok, said Vegas was about like always, and crashed out.   I ended up puttering around the house without much forward movement.   I spent a lot of time cooking, between pancake breakfast for the kids and the double meatloaf dinner.

I did take a look at the garden.   Watermelon vine is still there, still has flowers, but no fruit showing.  The lime tree in a pot that I thought was frozen has leaves on it.   The grape vine grew about 8ft, and still has leaves.  The herb garden is finishing out with the basil budding, and the rest either disappeared, or just small plants.  It’s enough to make me buy another couple flats of canned veg…

Plans.  Hah.   No plans for you!

We’ll see how today shapes up.  There isn’t a burning need to get to the lake today, and I’ve got stuff to do in town on Monday.   I may just plan to go up then, and let my wife have a quiet day at home.  Plans.  Hah.

There is comfort in plenty.  Stack some plenty.

nick

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Sat. Nov. 19, 2022 – and now Nov. is slipping into the rear view mirror…

Cool and raining?  Certainly cool.   Rain started in the evening, just when I had stuff in the back of the truck.  Only fairly light drizzle, but still rain.   I’m hoping we don’t get any today.   I need to do some stuff before we head up to the BOL.

Wife is in Vegas for work but should be home later today.  We’ll have to decide if we are heading out today or tomorrow.  It will probably depend on how bad her flights were and how heavy traffic on the show floor turned out to be.   I have no interest in packing the pickup truck if it’s raining.  Telescopes and rain don’t mix.

I did a couple of pickups yesterday.  One was a little cast iron wood stove.   It’s cute.   There are some chips in the casting along the back edge of the top that you don’t even notice in real life.   Other than that, it’s new in box.  I don’t know if I’ll end up keeping it or trying to flip it up by the BOL.  For $90 and local pickup, I couldn’t say no.

I filled two more propane bottles.   The third was rusty and too heavily pitted on the bottom.   Even my ghetto propane guy wouldn’t fill it.    $11 per bottle, which is back down to what it was a couple years ago.  These two bottles will be headed to the BOL.  I’ve got a lot of bottles.   I pick them up whenever they are cheap, like at garage or estate sales.  And I’ve got a lot of stuff that uses propane.   Patio heaters, turkey fryers, grills, smokers, a gennie, hot water heater, Mr Heater heaters,  maybe something I’m forgetting…  In any case, I recommend having a bunch of them.  If I had to make a specific number, I’d say two for each use.   That way you don’t have to keep moving them around.  Minimum would be one for each use, and only install the ones you are using, keeping the rest for spares.  Oh yeah, get the refill kit for the one pound bottles too.  I’ve got lots of them floating around, and stoves, heaters, and lanterns that use them.

I like propane and propane accessories.   It’s a lot easier to store than the equivalent in gasoline (although I store a bunch of that too.)

Today’s plan is to get more stuff put away, get some stuff from Lowe’s for the BOL, pack and do laundry for a week away, and decide when we’re headed out.   Wrangle the kids, and welcome the wife home fit in there somewhere too.

Bit of a busy day….

Stack stuff!

 

n

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Fri. Nov. 18, 2022 – flexibility. it’s not just for russian gymnasts

Cool and clear, warming later.  Small chance of rain.  No chance of snow.  ‘cuz that would be cray-cray…  It was nice most of yesterday, once it warmed a bit.   Long pants and layered tops, but the jacket came off in the early morning.

Did my pickup.  Did a drop off at my auctioneer.   Got 5 or six bins of stuff out of the house.  Got some stuff for the BOL.  No not another freezer!  🙂  Prices are going up even in the secondary market.  I’m losing bids for stuff I would have won last year.

Fortunately, there is very little that I actually need to meet my goals.   I feel like the minimums are pretty well covered, and I’m just building out at this point.   Not that I feel READY for whatever is coming, but I don’t feel doomed.  Which probably just means I’m kidding myself or massively underestimating the bad thing.  I am trying to not bid on stuff I’d like or that I want, just because it’s available.  7 or 8 auctions closed last night and I didn’t win anything.  Didn’t even bid in most of them.

What I did win, I got for an accessory included with the antennas.   That mesh network crypto mining thing I asked about last a week or more ago must really be busted, there are a bunch of antennas in several different auctions.   I don’t need a bunch of 900mhz antennas, but the lightning arrestors might be handy.   They are certainly cheap enough to just grab.  And we will be having our local hamfest in March, so I have a place to easily sell them.  The 900mhz antennas might even sell there, hams have allocations in the band.  Easy to store some meter long sticks.

Today I’ve got to get out to my client’s house.   I wasn’t able to connect remotely.    I watched the video again, but don’t see what I missed so I’ll have to go through it step by step.  Fortunately, now we have the bandwidth on site to watch the video while I’m at the rack, logged into the machine.  That’s to get the VPN running.   The port forwarding is straight forward.  I just have to check my notes and do it.

Be open to opportunities outside your normal range.   Look for alternatives to your normal purchases.  Look for alternative ways to uses what might be available.  And keep stacking what you know you will need.

nick

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