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Category: personal

Wed. Apr. 27, 2022 – “We loin as we go.”

Cool and damp, but maybe clear?  Maybe not clear but not raining either.  Yesterday started overcast and ended sunny, so it’s possible either way.  I’m hoping for clear so I can do the stuff I haven’t been able to do.

Truck problems persist.  Something is badly wrong, and I’m hoping it’s the alternator.  That is on top, easy to get to, and relatively cheap.  I need the pickup running for so many reasons, but mainly to move stuff around.

I did some errands, and some troubleshooting, and messed around.   More of those same things on the schedule for today.

No further progress on the BOL work.   Frustrating to be dependent on others.   Yeah I know, I’ve been reading about the issues, and they’re not just happening to other people.  They are real, not theoretical, and they suck when they happen to you.

Busy week and weekend coming up here at the Casa De Nick.   Swim team is starting up with nightly practice, Girl Scout weekends are on the calendar, and all the normal stuff is happening too, AND the work at the BOL needs to keep moving forward.  It’s a bit challenging.

 

But, hey, no one said it would be easy.  Or cheap.

 

And in the wider world, the chip shortage will continue for at least another year, according to industry sources.  Standing up new fabs takes time, and it takes some of the chips that are in short supply.   Electronic Design magazine has several articles on the issue in this month’s issue, and there is some fascinating stuff there.  Like that it takes about 6 months for a chip to move through the build process, or that 70 countries are involved in a typical chip, either through materials, or processes, or design and execution.  I’ll link the article in the comments if I can find it online.  As a note too, based on my habit of watching how thick or thin the trade mags are, we’re in trouble in the electronics design and manufacturing sector as the magazine is down to ~30 pages.  The more general Machine Design magazine is 32 pages this month.  MD used to be hundreds of pages 10 years ago but has really slimmed down since wuflu has been ravaging the world economy.   ALL my trade mags are thin, some are VERY  thin.

If you need it, or will need it, get it.  Don’t wait, as it probably won’t be available later.  If there is something you must have to live, or do business, or conduct your daily activities, make sure you have a spare, and repair and maintenance parts.  Seriously, I’m behind the curve on some things and it sucks.   We might be very close to the point where suddenly everyone is buying anything just to grab onto something they hope to use or trade or sell later.   That truly will be ‘panic buying’ and it will kick off a major slide downward on the slippery slope.   Get your ducks lined up.

And stack all the things.

nick

 

bonus points to anyone who identifies the movie quote in the day’s title…

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Tues. Apr. 26, 2022 – everyone should know how to tell at least one good joke, and a couple of bad ones…

Cooler and wet today as a followup to yesterday.   It did finally rain yesterday.   It was about 3pm when it finally hit my neighborhood.  Temps dropped 10 degrees and the wind picked up.   We had some pretty hard rainfall, and the gutters filled up.   My gauge says only 0.43 inches, but it certainly seemed like more.

It was raining cats and dogs by the lake, so countrygirl begged off delivering my crazy thick and heavy fence pipes.  I’m ok with that.   Whenever they get there, I’m not ready for them anyway.   I did spend some time looking over the old victory garden stuff to see if it would help me plan my garden.   I have an approach, if not an actual plan… and maybe it will refine itself over time.  Still no word from septic or structure guys.   At home, we can’t seem to get an HVAC guy to replace our system now.  Waited too long maybe, because they aren’t calling back.  We’ve got a short window before it gets really hot up in the attic again, so I’d think they would be anxious to get as much done before then as they could.  Maybe they are, and I’m just not on their list.

I also did not get anything done with my pickup not starting.

I did play a couple of games of backgammon with D2 before having to pick up D1 from school.  She’s got afterschool activities going on, so I get to be the taxi.  Looking back, I can’t believe the amount of driving my dad did to pick me up from MY afterschool activities.  My high school wasn’t close to our house at all, and there was a lot of snow and ice involved during the winter.  It explains why I got a license and a car at 16.  Also why I had so many tickets and wrecks.

Today will be some prepping, as I’ve got meat to repack and freeze.  Then some auction stuff if it’s dry enough for me to pull stuff out of the storage unit, and if the pickup truck is running to take the stuff to the auctioneer.  Then some pickups that are all things for the BOL.   Busy day in other words, although some may slip if it’s wet.

I’m trying to stack all the things.   For some reason, a bunch of auguson farms 30 day buckets have been in the auctions here.  I’ve gotten 2 so far.   They are not worth the money as they are very low calorie per day, and pretty much all plant based, and mostly carbs and sugar from what I can see.  Still, at the price I paid, they are a decent addition to my long term stores.  In other words, half retail or less.

Stack it up, it’s changing fast.  And not for the better.

n

 

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Sun. Apr. 24, 2022 – sometimes, I just throw up my hands…

Possibility of rain today, with moderately warm temps.  Yesterday was fairly nice.   Sun, moderate temps, and not too humid.  Not many of those days left before summer really hits.

Slept in, didn’t get a whole lot done before I had to put my chef’s hat on.   Dinner was a success with the birthday girl, her friends were a  lot less enthusiastic about the lamb.  Which is a shame because it was pretty good.  I tried something different with the bread, and it worked out.  When I was in college, we’d sometimes eat at a steak restaurant attached to a wholesale butcher.  It was great food and cheap, and the meal came with “Roman Bread”.   I’ve been thinking of that bread for a while, and finally decided to try finding a recipe and making it.   The actual recipe from the restaurant was online, and it was straightforward.

It was as good as I remember, a hit with my wife, and the kids liked it.  The yeast I used wasn’t very vigorous (the packet was one year past best by date) but it’s a pretty flat bread anyway, and it rose enough.  The onions make it sweet, the rosemary makes it savory, and it has a great texture.  It’s not as simple as true flatbread or tortilla, and uses more energy and ingredients, but it’s about half way there between a loaf and flat…   I’ll be making it again, that’s for sure.   Variations might be great too, like grated cheese instead of onion, or chopped chives, or any number of other things.

The Roman Bread is a lot like fruit cobbler, in that little can go wrong, you can do variations, and prep time is minimal.

 

Someone mentioned it in comments, but I’ll repeat that the Texas preparedness tax holiday continues until Monday midnight.  As long as you order and pay before then, you get the tax back, or don’t pay it.   The list and limits are here.

 

The problem with my truck not starting may not have been the battery failing.   There was no juice, and the battery read 12.8v while connected, but a new battery failed to solve the problem.   Still no start, still not enough juice to run any accessories.   I will be troubleshooting that further today, I didn’t have time to look at it before, once I knew there was still an issue I just closed the hood and walked away.  Very weird though.

The rest of today will be me working the list.   And it gets bigger every day.

I encourage you, in the strongest possible way, to build up your food supplies.  Stack it high.

nick

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Tues. Apr. 19, 2022 – now the week can really get started

Clear and moderate again today.  Like yesterday I hope.

Didn’t get much done on my personal list yesterday.  My wife had a list for me, and the universe laughs in my face when I make plans…

So some will shift to today, and some will fall by the wayside.

And some other tasks will get added to the pile.   Stack up all the things, he said.   Stacked up all the tasks is what happened!

Ah well, life IS the stuff we do while we’re planning to do something else.

So, start the day at the desk, get out of the house, do some things, and come home and do some more.   Simple, and yet complex.

Like everything, including prepping.

Stack up the stuff you need.   Including the knowledge that you won’t get it all, and you won’t get it all done.  Journey, not destination, and it has its own rewards.

n

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Sun. Apr. 17, 2022 – Happy Feast of the Resurrection

Cool and damp this morning in Houston.   Dew is heavy on the ground.  I’m hoping for sunlight and warm soon.

 

To the readers who are believers and who follow this calendar, I wish you a glorious Feast of the Resurrection.   If you have to wait a bit, please remind me when the day comes so I can offer you good wishes as well.

 

If you are a believer of an older tradition… and celebrate Passover, I wish you well.

 

And if a believer of a still older tradition, Happy Feast of Hestia/Esther.

 

Whatever your faith or lack of faith, or even if you reject the idea of faith, I think we can all celebrate being alive, which is not guaranteed nor mandated, especially in these unsettled times.

 

If you are so inclined, don’t forget to prep you spirit, as well as mind and body.

 

nick

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Sat. Apr. 16, 2022 – got my workout yesterday

Continued cool and overcast with high humidity here at the BOL.  Well, probably.   It was humid enough yesterday for three days…   We had the windows open all day but ran the A/C at night.   Really glad for A/C to knock down the humidity.  The A/C here blows cold and strong.

 

See yesterday’s comments for some of what I got done.   Today’s plan is trim and carpet removal, cleaning and new lights and fan in another bedroom.  I have some garden stuff to do in between.  I might do some plumbing.  There is always more on the list.

At some point we’ll head home to prep for Easter.

It’s all prepping.

Take a moment this weekend and look at what you’ve got.  Add to the stacks.

n

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Fri. Apr. 15, 2022 – Good Friday

Clear and cool at the BOL.  Houston is on the edge of a system and may get rain.  I’ll be here for at least a few hours today.  I’ve got pickups in Conroe (one hour south) and La Porte (hour and a half south and east.)

 

I was going to do the pickups on the way home, but now my wife and kids are supposed to be headed out here for an overnight and work party.  Dang family, complicates everything.  (KIDDING!)  I should have picked up the La Porte items on the way here, since they are for here, but didn’t have the time.  I’ll be making time now….

It really has been too nice up here not to share.  Leaving aside that every toilet flush might be the last…in the previous 10 days it seems to have drained somewhat.  No idea how much until it backs up again though.

The joys of rural living.

And of providing your own infrastructure.  But, needs must and all that.

So stack up some knowledge and skills.  You’ll need it.

nick

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Thur. Apr. 14, 2022 – driving to BOL

Clear and comfortable today.  I hope.  Yesterday was overcast and some parts of Houston and surrounds got hammered with rain.  I never saw more than a drizzle.

Picked up a third of the pipes I went north for yesterday.   What looked like ordinary light weight fence posts turned out to be crazy heavy, schedule 80 galvanized pipe.   I only got six 10ft pipes on the truck and it was already caving in the roof.   I’ll either get a trailer for the rest, including the 20ft pipes, or have them deliver to the  BOL.   I did not know delivery was an option.  It might not be if the cost is more than renting a trailer and buying the gas.   The pipe is so heavy I might save it for the dock repairs and use pipe instead of pilings.

 

Today I’ve got two pickups on the way to the BOL to meet with the second opinion septic engineer.  Haven’t heard back from the first guy yet about schedule, or cost.  He’s got a reputation for good work but also for being hard to pin down.  Considering we’ll be living with the system for a long time, it makes sense to have another opinion.

So I will not be commenting or riding herd for most of the day.   I’ll likely spend the night up there, and drive home on Friday to get ready for Easter.   There I go, making plans.   Hope that doesn’t bite my backside later.

I’ve got a bunch of stuff to take up with me of course, and work to do while I’m there.  No rest for the wicked I’m afraid.

Stacking for two now, turning money into stuff.  It’s one strategy for dealing with high inflation.  Stack it up, while it’s still cheap.

nick

 

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Tues. Apr. 12, 2022- lots of driving today

Warmish, but maybe clearer than yesterday.  Maybe not.  One forecast has rain over us for the next two days at least. As usual, we’ll see.

Spent the day doing indoor stuff.  Had some banking in the morning, and early pickup for D2 in the afternoon, so that pretty much precluded getting out and doing anything that would take more than a single hour.  The early rain meant I wasn’t going to work outside either.

Today I’ve got to do most of this week’s pickups.   Since I’m going up to the BOL on Thursday, I’ll get the stuff that is up that way then, but I have to get the rest before that.  And I’ve got to sort and box a few bins worth of stuff to drop off at one auctioneer today, so there is that as well.   It never rains but it pours.

Add the shopping, and prep for the Easter weekend (not going to the BOL, D2 wants another holiday here at home, and no septic system…)  and it’s going to be a busy couple of days.

And there must be some shopping.  I’ve let my stocking levels of some staples drop because we’re eating less of them, and because we got busy and were out of town last week.   The result is fewer eggs in the house than at any time during the last two years.  Milk is similarly low, and there are a couple of other things, like supplements, that I let run down.  Of course I need EXTRA eggs now for Easter too.

Speaking of Easter, I better get a lamb roast out of the freezer.

No guests for Easter this year though.

Life goes on, even with the threat of WWIII, during a worldwide pandemic, with runaway inflation and the prospect of famine on the horizon.

Preps smooth out the ups and downs, and provide a great deal of comfort.  When they run low, I get extra nervous though, so there is balance in the world 🙂

Go out and stock up.   There may come a day when “Prepping, it’s what’s for dinner” saves the day.

Stack it up.

n

 

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Sun. Apr. 10, 2022 – day of rest. Trying to anyway…

Another crisp and clear day, cool but warming through the day.   It was beautiful.  Hoping for more.

It was 66F when I went to bed, instead of the two previous nights when it was 46F.  Perhaps winter’s last hurrah, and now we’re moving safely into spring and then summer…

Did my errands.   Did not go to the BOL.  Didn’t get any calls from the new septic guy either.   I hope he went by the property.  I hope he can design a system that meets our goals.

Went by my storage unit twice.  Got one auctioneer to commit to taking another load on Tues.  Found a couple of real good resale items.   All in all a good day yesterday.

 

Today I’m sleeping in.   I’m wiped out and need to catch up.  Can’t face the new world order on a sleep deprived brain.

Can’t  really face anything well, with a sleep deprived brain.

So talk amongst yourselves, until I bestir myself.

n

 

(and stack something)

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