Cool and overcast.
Thursday was both cooler and overcast. I did some cleanup in the driveway, which mostly involved dumping out water from any place it accumulated. I’m pretty confident that we got slightly more than 12 inches over the last few days. Three different containers had that much water in them.
I managed to get a bunch of little things done. Mostly cleaning and organizing, but also ordering some stuff. I ordered the weird N size batteries for one of my night vision devices, and moved that case out of the house into the garage for storage. I ordered the switch for the drain cleaner machine I bought. I have to clear our main kitchen drain line twice a year. The machine will pay for itself in one year or less. I’m hoping the current snake is a good size to work with my pipes. I’ll see when I use it I guess. One less thing to call a specialist for, or make the trip to the rental yard.
I received the power switch for my new mower, just in time to cut the grass this weekend. Hope that goes in without difficulty.
The national security situation continues to fluctuate locally. The rioters in STL went right to shooting and firebombs this time. That’s an escalation. Riots in other uninvolved cities too.
I never did hear what our local disturbance was about. The coppers did chase the guy around my neighborhood, and the FB group says “low speed chase”. The disturbance at the neighbor’s house a couple of nights ago seems to have been a domestic. His girlfriend was the one in the squad car, and she hasn’t been back around since.
I did a bit more research on the possible lake house, and surrounding area, looked at some historical topo maps and current maps. There is a 2 acre lot for $24k with lake ‘view’ that also caught my eye. There are smaller lots for $9-14K 1/4 and 1/2 acre, unimproved, in the same area. If there are lots still around this lake, there are probably lots around others not too far away. You might be surprised if you go looking. Better to have somewhere definite to go, if you have to go…
Speaking of my lake house stay, I had a couple of lessons learned to share.
–the matches I’ve been carrying in a tube in my Dopp kit for the last few years didn’t light. They weren’t damp exactly, but they weren’t dry either. I didn’t have a lighter due to air travel restrictions. I DID have a bunch of fire starting stuff in my wife’s car in the ‘bail out kit’. The commercial fire lighter sticks that look like square slim jim sausages work very well, even if they are years old. I will be adding some of the big brick of lighters to all sorts of places, including my carry on bag.
–I have been carrying one of those cheap hotel corkscrews for years. Used it for the first time last weekend. It was pretty flimsy, but got the job done. Happy wife, happy life…
–I like to carry my little shortwave radio on trips to the country. I forgot it. I was a tiny bit disappointing.
–one of the neighbors was a ham with a big antenna setup. They aren’t subtle, if it ever turns out to be a liability. If I needed help, I would consider a fellow ham before random strangers. Conversely, I’d be willing to help if approached by another ham.
–I know NOTHING useful about fishing in Texas. I need someone to help me go through all the fishing gear I’ve accumulated and help set me up for salt and fresh water fishing. Some lessons would be useful too. The kids have expressed interest in fishing, and I’d like to be able to encourage that.
–Modern kayaks are inexpensive and fun. I looked at a map once and discovered that I could get from my folk’s house south of Chicago, all the way to Peoria IL and beyond by water… probably all the way to New Orleans although I didn’t map that.
–there are pipelines everywhere. If you know what to look for while driving you will see the markers, and the cuts through the forest. Pipeline rights of way might be an easier and less traveled path if you ever had to walk out, or ride a dirt bike, or atv. Look for them if you think things might get that bad.
–I had no cell service at all in the rental house, except one room upstairs. My wife has a wifi calling app so she barely noticed. I don’t. It was radio silence for me. I don’t think I’ll be ebaying the cell booster I have sitting here at the house.
–I’ve been stacking stuff for a second home for a long time. It would be nice to actually use it. This lockdown has proven the wisdom of having stuff, and backups to the stuff, to me and to my wife (not that I needed convincing, but she’s always been skeptical past a certain point.)
Well, that’s it for now, I’ve got auction pickups and gardening and repairs to do. Maybe I’ll get some of it done…
Meanwhile, keep improving your position, and keep stacking.
nick
