THIS IS A HEADER - scroll down one page to begin blog--->

This blog is formatted for a full screen desktop monitor.
VIDEO HAS NO SOUND.

===============================================
THIS BLOG IS NOT FORMATTED FOR ANDROID.

TMOR (to my overseas readers): this blog
DOES NOT represent any average American life-style.

Warning. This blog has evolved through many phases and earlier posts did not allow for links that go dead or change. I never intentionally link to sites that require memberships or similar. Same with sites that don't pass my stringent filtering system. Thus, I encourage readers to NOT follow any links that attempt to redirect, use cookies, or are obvious wrong material for this publication, which is rated PG13.

A reminder to the reader this is not a political blog, but commentary on human behavior. I am not for or against any political party. Liberalism is not a political party, but a social cancer. It is wrong to steal money and it is just as wrong to elect people to steal it for you. One more thing, never argue with a man who buys his printer ink by the barrel.

April 20, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 20, 2025, having a sip.
Five years ago today: April 20, 2021, remember Frankspeech?
Nine years ago today: April 20, 2017, ingenious.
Random years ago today: April 20, 2008, never seen the dust.

           We know what April showers bring. In Florida, it’s appreciative birdies. This view caught the morning sun just right, you can see besides the birdbath, there is a spray to emulate a natural waterfall. You can’t leave it on all the time or it attracts larger birds.

           You’d think it was easy to find lab supplies in Florida. It must be a racket the way they’ve got the market closed up. Minimum blank slide order in Winter Haven, $324. And try to find glass covers. You cannot, by ordinary means, filter out LabCor, they can erase the “minus sign” from your search criteria. No, I don’t want to talk to a rep in El Paso. I want to know if you have a used microtome in stock that I can buy today. It’s Monday and my coffee maker packed it in.
           A perfect 78°F morning, I got the van ready for the inevitable call to Miami. The small “back-up” battery of last trip did not work out, I’ve got the two newly-located units on the charger. It’s now mid-morning and you’ll get lots of photos today. Another early start got the pressure sprayer loaded up and my patience worn thin scraping resin residue off the windshield repair, see addendum. I’m in the yard again, finding all manner of neat things I’ve forgotten over the years.

           Here is a typical battery recharge setup, but two of the units are likely beyond help. The charger has that new-fangled “recondition” setting but it only works when there is some residual charge. The two small batteries have been sitting since 2022. They are sealed. I’ll leave the charger on a few hours to see if they kickstart. This morning was all about small chores like this, I’ve reached a type of plateau.

           Except for a tightness across the chest muscles (not my heart), the rest of me seems to have stabilized, a welcome consistent level all day long. I have a calendar from the hospital that shows January 2027 as the time line for full recover. Did you know, that is also the date by which all cell phones sold in Europe must use the same, improved, user-replaceable battery.
           On-line age filters are usually hacked within 120 seconds of being deployed. The first laws against “surveillance pricing” block only food retailers and delivery outfits. Real estate agents have been doing this for fifty years, the old “leave your name and number” scam, where the price depends on your credit score. No, I don’t feel sorry for stupid people, who may suddenly after all have something to hide, it would seem. BWAAAA-ha-ha-ha-ha . . . . . . . . .
           Earth.com reports a plant-based serum that grows hair. Unfortunately, the hair is green and some folks don’t like the smell of coconuts. Any my taste cells are still wonky. They wear out after less than six or seven bites, up from three or four. The solution is to haul out my old casserole cookbook.

Picture of the day.
Hijacked South African building.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Here is a kitchen shelf I slapped together. That is the uninsulated back wall I’ve been getting to for years, and now must put a shelf in the way because, fact is, it may wind up right there for a long time. I’m saying I have no idea how long this could wind up being temporary. The kitchen floor has been a year. So you know I wasn’t snoozing in the shed, I also made this small glue box. See picture around here somewhere, note the pre-laser lettering, GLUE. Kind of a nice touch. These bottles usually get 2/3 empty before going bad, this box keeps them easy to drain because the shape can hold them upside down. It’s a pity this town has so few parties I can devote paragraphs to glue bottles.

           Then again, don’t blame the wrong people for dull times. It wasn’t senior citizens who shut the County Fair down until suppertime. The van is ready for another trip and we have this month’s $60 travel budget, so think of something. The museum cost only a $10 donation and we feast like kings. I returned via Punta Gorda, I’m saying with the right attitude, we could make this trip into mini-adventure, what say you?
           Think about it. Generally the van is ready for two days on the road, so three is nothing if just over to Miami. There has to be something to do more rousing than glue bottles, but hey, I tried to get JZ to play drums twenty years ago. Did you know I can play a forty minute set with just bass and drums? The trick is finding a drummer who can hold it together.

           I required a short siesta, taking half the time to read. One issue I followed is the “right to repair” battle, tractors so packed with software that turning a wrench voids the warranty. Then I see this article about a Canadian company building new units from refurbished Cummins diesel motors. Brilliant, even I have seen those units run forever.
           Taking another look at my south facing roof, I’m again lured by the huge drop in solar panel and installation costs since 2020. I wrote a six-page letter on the topic, centered on the latest “plug-in” style, a.k.a “balcony power”. I’ve not kept up but I know enough that 4/5ths of the new power generated each year is now solar--partially because nobody is building new conventional plants outside of China. The new panels are portable but I’m not planning on moving. They plug into your existing home wiring but cannot be used in a blackout. (Feeding power back into the grid could electrocute repairmen.)
           Where I am most interested is I knew a few years ago that these panels required a microcontroller to interconnect with home wiring—and until I studied microcontrollers personally, I would have been leery of such voltages. Now, I’m comfortable with them, but still suspicious, preferring to let others find out what could go wrong.

           Last for now, a boost to my brain cells, I got up this morning and was able to easily figure the coordinates for some Sight Reduction navigation plots. Mentally flipping the triangle over, then back again once I get both moveable points (the North Pole does not move). Mind you, I can only do this in the northern hemisphere, so you and your yacht in the south seas will have to wait.
           No, I don’t play any Pink Floyd bass lines. They are great, but they came into prominence right at the poorest, brokest, most devastating era of my life. I have picked the riff to “Money”, but found the rest of their material too over-orchestrated for my tastes. It was a musical dead time for me and by the time I picked up the bass again, I had met the Reb and country music was beginning to throw me challenges. Country bass can be simple, but getting the right sound isn’t. Pink Floyd was just never in my repertoire.

ADDENDUM
           I built model airplanes up until maybe ten years old. I did not research and paint them, I just liked building. But only WWII planes, I did not care for later jets or big bombers. One I never cared for was the B29 Superfortress. And today I found a documentary that explained why in terms I never thought of. The thing was a beast, killing more crew than the enemy. It was ordered off the drawing board and the flight manual was written by those who escaped crashes. I was just a kid, but knew the plane was a loser simply from all the hype.

           Now I find out the plane was far worse than all that. The engines, which liked to catch fire, were mounted in magnesium housings, which likes to burn. There were innovations, like pressurized crew cabins, computer controlled turrets (analog), and ground-mapping radar. These would be fine, if this was a prototype. It was not, it was taken almost directly into combat. I laughed at the Chinese bases where the supplies had to be flown over the Himalayas. I learned today it took six flights to ferry enough material to fly one bombing mission.
           I knew as little as most Americans where the island airfields were built, Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. Fact is, I learned more about them from studying navigation some sixty years later.

Last Laugh

April 19, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 19, 2025, old RAM chips.
Five years ago today: April 19, 2021, full K-cup deployment.
Nine years ago today: April 19, 2017, gimme 5 mouse clicks . . .
Random years ago today: April 19, 2010, Canan, Arduino, & early Trump.

           Read today’s addendum to know why I’m happy. Not energetic, in fact, I’ll make a pistachio pie and call it a morning. I truly don’t know if I can make today worth a thing. I could work some boxes, which compares well with what the rest of “over 40” central Florida does for excitement. The birdfeeder was empty this morning, so up goes the game camera—but the birdies could really just have been that hungry. Let’s get outside since the only other action here is I have some cherry jello setting up in the fridge.

           Fooled even myself —I got lots done, plenty of good exercise and it is just noon. The neighbor started a motor at 8:59AM, so I fired up my air compressor. Before I knew it, there I was busy as ever without even thinking of therapy limitations. There was lots of light work, one aspect of carpentering is you accumulate scraps. I avoid some clutter by trimming everything down to the same size and burning the rest. Yep, my mess is organized.
           Here is something you’ve never seen, [which is] a bit of usual for this blog. It is a saw pony graveyard. These are relics from the early days when I was seeking something to sell. This was designed in Tennessee with some built here to test modifications. The lumber was untreated, so this is the result of a few years in the Florida weather. The legs rot away from ground contact, but are easily replaced to make handy work benches that last long enough. These units were sturdy enough so they’ll get painted.

           I filled the birdfeeder, cleared some space, and tidied up, committing to no chore that could last more than a few minutes. But, hallelujah, I did not need any breaks. Did not even think of it. That’s a quantum leap, boys. Here’s a view of that Tennessee bench that never did get repaired. I am salvaging the spindles from the old chair back. They are all the same size and tapered, so just maybe I can repurpose them as caddy handles.
           Shortly later, here is one of the scrap wood caddy handles in place. Works fine for around here. These are made using as much standard cuts and sizes but are a different concept. The bad lumber is evident, the build requires staples, brads, and screws, something I will try to get away from. The brads are a rare (around here) 2-inch length, needed to pierce the lumber around the handle bracket and lock the handle in place. There is no glue, the brackets must be screwed on, as the largest brad that won’t poke through can be yanked apart. Back in the ‘50s. this was called “empirical design”.

           It’s sadly a forgotten trade secret, to build something that works and lasts. Today, everything has all the strength and endurance cut away right from the design stage. The last three generations of engineers would not know any other way. Finally, there is a short video on a question I’ve asked for years. How do all these mall shops stay open when nobody is ever seen buying anything? My conclusion is they are a front for something.

           Taking a bit of inventory, I have not brought in any new pallets in a while. The supply has dried up, which compounds itself since that causes me not to go check as often. I’ve also grown fussy about the pallets and get tempted to build a device that pulls them apart at the site after hours, leaving the junk. I tend to take only the best pieces. I now have some competition though I’ve never seen them. I shall not be prying anything for a while. For now, I’ve lots of scrap and no pallet wood.
           My LifeVest began beeping, saying it cannot be used and to contact the head office immediately. I’m duty-bound to report all this, but personally I hope they are saying the lack of issues means I don’t have to keep wearing it. Somehow I know I’m winning some ground back. The numbness in my fingers has abated well in the past 48 hours. My leg sore is finally diminishing. I an delighted how my energy lasted all this day.

Picture of the day.
Ball screw.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           By noon, I’m still chugging along fine, but decided to quit while ahead. How about as heavy a meal as can be managed? Here’s my shaker of umami, the primary ingredient is salt. I opted for a bowl of chicken fried rice with this and curry. No sense making more until the taste buds convalesce from that January anaesthitic, I won’t let you forget. One bowl, that’s all I could scarf, that is, maybe 2/3 of my quota. I settled for a helping of the jello. I am really off my tracks.

           How about another prototype? This is one of those carts for a small oxygen tank. The tanks must be too heavy for some, it is a sturdy little contraption. So what give here? It’s ground magnet. That round disk is a super magnet from an old 15” bass speaker. As seen here, it is resting on top as I rig up a better mounting underneath. Like a small broom, the magnet sweeps the ground of the three locations where I confine most of my work. I’m expect a lot of drill bits.
           Because nobody has yet designed one that stays in the drill They are too busy gluing their palms to city pavements. If you search for info on this topic, there are plenty of GenX sites who actually tell you to replace the drill. It would seem between them this is a valid option, get it, people with brand new drills don’t search as often, duh. It makes sense in a millennial sort of way.

           Remaining cautious, I opted for a documentary and some pistachio pie. I can better taste “soft” food, so why not. The video was about PT boat design and their employment in the Solomons. The worst loss was from running aground, 18 boats. Only two from enemy shore fire. The USA built 600 of these, sending some to England and the Soviets. Add in some Bearded Viking videos, he builds small projects I like to view and the guy has a sense of humor. Adadabbaglue. He found a lot of wood in abandoned lots along with his wife, as he puts it.
           Has the US really put an Iranian tanker out of business? A shot through the engine room is the rumor. A Chinese robot has run the Beijing e-Town marathon at three times the speed last year. This is not good news for people who have nothing but athletics, and they are everywhere. The Iranian “Shahed” drone, with the lawnmower engine, is being cloned out of cheap Chinese plastic and, says the Ukraine, makes great target practice.
           LiveScience (no link due to security issues) has finally published the spectrometer study of dark matter. It isn’t really dark, but anyway, it suggests the distribution of matter is not entirely random. They released a map showing 47 million galaxies. Not stars, galaxies. I’m settled in and watching a DVD called “Over The Red River”. Worse acting, a string of clichés. The old noble savage Indian on about his land stolen from “sea to sea”, oceans that he heard in legend only and could not point to, but does play a mean Chilean flute. The lady with no food crossing the desert, can this get any worse? At least it is half over and nobody has turned queer yet. But the painted desert backdrops are the worse ever.

           This is, by a large amount, the longest idle time of my life. Even including the busy times a few hours like today, I’ve never done so little for so long. Oddly, the Internet came to the rescue, because otherwise I would be in the library. A subject that’s interesting this time around is bushcraft. Videos of people who make temporary outdoor survival shelters. Some of them are kind of permanent, so I like the ones made of branches and twigs. Blizzard survival, though I never plan to witness anything like that ever again. And they call that a blizzard?
           I don’t know why they got my attention, especially the fold up stoves they carry along. Complete with stovepipes and they always have a pan full of meat to fry up. Myself, I’m okay with weenies and beans. And what is with the flint and steel? If you are taking along all that camping gear, throw in a lighter or some matches. One guy was making burritos. What’s next? Pizza?

ADDENDUM
           It only took 15 years, but I woke up this morning with one of the final navigation steps figured out. Up to now, I had memorized the vague steps and carried on, like 100% of the people I went to college with. It was the confusing process of looking up the LHA or MA (same thing). I always had to do it twice because of how frequently I got it exactly backwards. And this morning it clicked, it made sense. In my brain, I turned one of the triangles upside down, and there it was. I won’t be able to employ it until I find my Sight Reduction booklet, but meanwhile, let’s learn something new. Because it is Sunday.

           It is 07:57:17 on the morning of April 19, 2014 and we have chosen the star Schedar because, if it were visible, it would be in the northern sky. We have not taken a sextant reading, that is not our purpose here. In one of those blog coincidences, I see I’ve chosen this day before, exactly one year ago. The arithmetic gets crazy, the star is above a point W675° 80.3’ and N56° 37’. That’s equal to W316.3248° and N -56.5929 Googlespeak. Now over to the map.

           We are in Russia, in some bushes by a farm field. There are low-lying treed areas nearby with what looks like snow in the shadows. This is way northeast of Moscow on the Volga. We have a nearby town, Gorodets. No, make that a medium size city, with a stadium and many apartments. Populaton 30,000. Let’s delve further.
           The place was once abandoned, but is now near a big hydroelectric dam and famous for wood carvings and embroidery. Lots of carved window frames. The road across the Volga dam is the only connection to the outside except the railroad. Their Craigslist page is full of insults from the Ukraine, who appear to call them Rooskies.
           There appear to be no pubs or nightlife in Gorodets and I could not find a picture of one single young pretty woman, not even the usual ads for Russian brides. Maybe Gorodets is the Russian version of Lakeland, Florida. Get out as fast as you can after you turn 18.

Last Laugh

April 18, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 18, 2025, dimethylsulfide.
Five years ago today: April 18, 2021, Friday jams, I dunno.
Nine years ago today: April 18, 2017, prettier works for me!
Random years ago today: April 18, 2013, fun in Savannah.

           Yes! Another of those silent central Florida mornings. Just the faint clock ticking, how I love it. I like noise in the evenings and we shall see, as y’day was quite the day-long adventure. This brought on a good snooze and the tiniest uptick in energy levels—meaning a potential fun day, if only building boxes. Breakfast is mushrooms, onion, pork chops, and an egg, you should also indulge. Limitless coffee, of course. I had decided on a new toy, a small brad nailer. (See addendum for details.)

           It took me years to get around liking this tool. For now, I have to trot out to the shed and hit the compressor switch. Enough of my projects use the smaller 1/2” and 3/8” brads that I’d like something in my desk drawer. This is where I discover Wal*Mart has over 400 different nailers, see for yourself. Categorized by idiots so you can’t find what you want. GenX logic, well batteries are electric, so file some under battery and some under electric, and put some or none under both. Put others under hobbies in the sewing section. When they say “Attention, Wal*Mart shoppers,” they are not announcing, they are, in their own way, dispensing advice.

           I warned myself about the slowdown and today was duh-yup. One hour to mail two letters and two hours for groceries. That’s where the Ramen pic is from—I thought Ramen was a brand name, not a flavor. So, does this mean Ramen noodles are Ramen flavored? If such thoughts have room, it’s time for me get some things going in my social life. I’ve had gate arrays on my brain for two days now, can’t shake the matter. Think of it as a big cluster of gates, which are hard-wired, so you don’t actually program those. Gates have inputs and the trick is to time those inputs and let the gate do its thing.

           Relax, you are in no danger of being captivated, what happened is just before I went under, I had done a lot of deep reading concerning registers, whose inputs are controlled by hard wiring, not software. And I still have never yet built a successful working flip-flop circuit. Forty years ago I could have been rich, fifty years ago they would have carted me away in the cookie truck. Like navigation, I can pass the test, just don’t ask me to make it a job.

           The commonly available gate array is the Alchitry, shown here “programmed” to flash an LED around once per second, look close. I use the term “program” loosely, as it is C-like code that incorporates all the worst features of the language. Worse of the worst is code statements that do not spell out what is going on—you are “supposed to know” what it does.
           They claim the code outlines what you want, in this case flash the LED. They lie, for there is no such command. Instead you have the unit count to 49,999,999 and reset itself by overflowing. Got that? How you do this is, well, that’s part of what you are supposed to know.

           I could not find a brad nailer except one over-priced Ryobi. It was declined for having a non-standard battery pack. Talking to the sales guy, it may not have been Wal*mart that stopped carrying the 18V batteries on me. It seems Ryobi had some contract disputes and it was they who walked away. Strange nobody said anything, but that’s around the time Wal*Mart began stocking Hart instead of HyperTough. Don’t quote me, this was just a talk about battery packs.

           Seeking anything positive today, I noticed the open (it’s not like open, but does not form a healing layer) leg wound is finally healed level with the surrounding area. If it follows the other leg, that is potential I surely welcome. Energy level today maybe 30%, though I did get a haircut. The blog that dares to feature leg wounds and haircuts. What has become of my time?

Picture of the day.
Casement Park, an Irish fiasco.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           This imposed idleness for most of the day has me reading technical material to stay focused away and that means more navigation. I memorized the steps to use Sight Reduction but did not understand it. I decided to finally tackle it. I can now faithfully do the chore in the western hemisphere but guess what? I don’t have my copy of the tables. They did not match the examples in the books I have to study, so I set them aside before I moved. Like many things around here, if you don’t get used, you get lost. It will turn up, I mean, it is a book full of numbers hardly any use for anything else.

           How about a new box design? I have several handy caddy boxes, you’ve seen them. Large tool boxes, but also some smaller units like these shown here. They are kind of small for tool boxes yet are handy for “single-use” tools, like socket wrenches that outlast the plastic trays they come in. These have a lineage direct from the S-box, which is the forerunner of the Z-Box.
           I have the time to explain, if you want. The standard boxes are made from pickets. I also have pallet lumber and often find good pieces too narrow for a full size box. That is what you see here. The boxes are shallower making them easy to fit under a chop saw to make the 45° miter cuts, see pics. Using the same lengths makes these easy to cut using the Z-box templates. What’s happened is I’ve made smaller boxes that are not as wide. Yes, I’ll get you some pictures, you’ve seen them sort of already. They are not that different, you’ll see.
           They are thinner wood and I have to design the end cuts for the dowel. These are, as yu can see, added on to the finished box. I do not like the models that cut special pieces for this, they are a headache to cut or repair. The samples you see here that I am touching are too heavy duty, yet the handles have to stay at least 7/8ths inch for sturdiness. I should have got this done today, instead I kind of sat down and wrote letters.

           I think Trump has lost his way, but election time will swing him around. Part of the problem is his anti-corruption accomplishments are not heralded by the mainstream people. Here’s an example. EBT cards no longer buy junk food. H-visa workers are not easy to import. Small Business Administration loans are no longer automatically renewed. Is that addressing corruption? Ask 7/11, who are closing almost 650 stores in the USA between now and the elections. It seems 235 judges appointed by Biden are by auto-pen. That’s one thing Trump could be holding in reserve. Fire them all a month before the mid-terms.
           Ouchee-wa-wa, I just saw the hospital bill. This does not include the extras, such as doctor visits and extended care. $211,000. I know some of it will be negotiated down but the system now has an interest in my survival. The doctor’s portion, of which only two were surgeons (a total of seven doctors during my stay at intensive care) was $80,000 and we know the room was $2,100 per day. These are approximations, with staff and medicines running as much as another $3,000 per day. Tack on 50+ blood samples and lab tests.

ADDENDUM
           Brad nailers require careful shopping. Many are actually electric staplers and that is not what you want for tacking small pieces. (Brad nails have a small head, pin nails don’t.) (I have seen hand-staplers advertised as “cordless”.) Staples have a direction and must be aligned for really small parts, also leaving a visible mark. I always use the brads in conjunction with glue, to hold the pieces in place where clamps or weights are unwieldy. There is another advantage that with brads, almost any glue is good enough, including the cheapest dollar-store brands. With pin nails, glue is a must, the only advantage is the pins are easy to paint over.
           The smallest brad you normally want is the 18ga. Less is too weak and can easily bend enough to poke out the sides and more is enough to split your wood. There are many models of brad nailers, the least handy are the type with an external wall-wart charger. Not only do they have no standard plug sizes or polarities, you have to go hunting for the unit. Cordless, battery, and rechargeable are not the same. I want a cordless, which is charged using a USB cable.

           Most common error with these cordless nailers is going too fast. You need a full second between shots to let that battery recover. I had an electric that I wrecked this way, thinking A/C meant I could zip right along. I broke the plunger in some way that it got too weak to bury the nails. I have tools that lasted twenty years, but I did not learn to respect them all at once. The next issue is the type of nails—and be careful, some units say brad but they are small crown staples.
           Avoid those that require specialized ammo. That includes T15 staples and many of those so-called “5-in-1” units. They say brads, but folks, JT-21 wire staples are for manual guns only, unless you like prying out every tenth staple that bends or does not bury. Another rule of thumb is do not plan on the maximum size of nail, that is, if the spec says 1-1/4 inch, you will be lucky if it sinks a 3/4”. Watch for models that have a hand rest or cushion (called “bump-nailers), it means you need two hands to push on the gun, which also means pushing on your work. And they are hard to use in any orientation except flat down on a work bench.
           One facet I don’t discuss is [finished box] appearance. I do not build much where I am concerned with pretty, so I don’t care about exposed nail, screw, staple or brad heads. I consider them a mark of good workmanship. Besides, it takes maybe an hour’s practice to learn to make the heads nice and evenly spaced.

Last Laugh

April 17, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 17, 2025, $110k isn’t much.
Five years ago today: April 17, 2021, $14,367.
Nine years ago today: April 17, 2017, second-most often.
Random years ago today: April 17, 2008, a village called Corkscrew.

           Drat, here is the failed windscreen repair, or at least failed so far. I tried several on-line sites that claimed to give instructions but as usual, they were a-hole sales pitches that showed ideal conditions. Only after I did the job shown here did I find a video that explained the need for window jacks, q-tips, and a resin curing device. Up yours, GenX. You people are really going to stew in your own juices as you let the empire collapse when it all starts going wrong on you. I regret I won’t be around to witness you lot vote and protest the system into maintaining itself.
           Nearby should be some birdies at the feeder. My presence is enough to keep the rodents away, but later I fix what I can so the birdies, large and small, can feed in peace. At this time, there are three regular visitors. The cardinals, the woodpeckers, and another tiny pair, maybe wrens. This is important, as the squirrels scare away my preferred morning company.

           It is past my statute of limitations for real names, so this morning I have a true story from around 30 years ago. During a silent period, when there was no journal. I was living in Venezuela, south of the Orinoco in Cuidad Bolivar. It was all the adventure I could afford, and one of the characters I met was Anselmo Gilbert Montez. You’ll find a few mentions of the guy, he was an American Apache who when AWOL in Alaska during the Vietnam war. He was hiding out in Venezuela convinced they were after him.
           I explained to him many times about amnesty and that he qualified for American pensions, but he was trapped, working as a travel guide only because he spoke around six languages. I was in no financial position to get him out, but was able to get him to the America Embassy in Caracas, that was the last time I saw him. He had a brother in Arizona, who I contacted, but the brother was an ex-cop who took everything I said as a lie and refused to even consider contacting Gilbert.

           Well, I am now the same age as Gilbert was then, and Gilbert is the first person I knew who had this type of heart operation. Except his was in a Venezuelan hospital and cost 1% of mine. Watching video of myself from the game camera, I see the similarities now. I have the same behavior patterns. What reminds me most was Gilbert was always asking if I could buy him the building materials to make his own house, which I thought at the time was well beyond his physical capabilities. Today, I realize he could have done it at the same speed as I am moving along.
           Odds are all the hundreds of photos I had are long lost. I clearly see his motive—he had passed his prime earning years still paying rent. He was stuck, and anything he could do to quit that drain would have been a godsend. He was already not in the best of health otherwise and that was some 25 years ago. I wished I could have helped more. I chummed with him and often looked him up for breakfast because I knew he was not eating. All the priceless photos are gone, I had no secure place to keep such things until I bought this place. But Gilbert, I recognized the necessity of a place of my own two decades before it caught up with me.

           Now look at myself. I’m the guy who decided 23 years ago to document “my remaining life” and to put it on-line, a somewhat new concept at the time. Everybody was trying (by 2004) to be famous or first as the initial round of billionaires became household names. A digital camera was part of the deal, I did not know how much time I had, and a million views was not even considered. I do believe that will be achieved next year, proving again it takes twenty years to be an overnight success.

           Here’s a view of the squirrel tube being emplaced. This [area of the yard] is the focal point of the night critters as well. What will we find? My double is fitting the tube to be sure it is long enough and can later be floated rather than attached. Visible are the metal flanges on the arbor posts.
           I got out to the shed another two hours, finishing some boxes and repairing my latest small caddy. I busted a piece drilling brittle lumber too hard. I’m slowly gaining on the mess that accumulated over the previous year, I realize now I was gradually winding down to where I found myself needing heart work. I see it now.

Picture of the day.
Off season at Disney Cruises.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           So much for these nocturnal creatures, our first raider is not what we expected. This is raw footage from just moments ago. He or she was looking at the birdfeeder, but that was always an impossible leap [for a raccoon, not a squirrel]. Then he checking out the tube, which is too long for any yard-size animal to get past without sliding [off]. The plan is any fauna that tries to position for the leap will have to let go of the top rim. That will land his arse either on the hard ground or in a satellite dish of water. Watch how even the raccoon decides to have a swig before giving up. A classic view for you.

           I heard a new term for Flat Earth adherents, I think it is “fligger”. Up early, you get lots of reading today because I’m already played out—after making coffee and an onion mushroom omelet. And writing two letters, Hersh & JZ. Nobody else left except the e-mails and that is too industrial for long acquaintances. The back yard is again full of birdies and a funny thing, the neighbor cannot hear the owls. I think his ear has tuned them out, they are very active almost right outside his back door. I’m going to improve the new anti-squirrel tube so that it sways instead of bolted to the tree. Today, I’ll probably write about every little thing.
           The game camera has caught me walking around the yard, is that old man really me? Stooped and waddling, half-speed, and looking like he needs to have a chair. Has not had a haircut since January and wearing that [medical] harness plain adds ten years. No, you don’t get a see. I hate the way I’m looking these days and it happened to me instantly. So there, I said it.

           Let’s not let surgical emergencies dampen our spirit or ambition. Two refills and I’m going outside for a while. Once more there is that heavy machinery pounding sound a long way off and and there must have been some big air show over the last week, lots of jet sounds. And that old WWII airport at Eagle Lake has been busy. I did not like the slow evaporation rate of my satellite dish bird feeder, so I found the smallest drill bit and made a tiny drain hole. It works great but took less than a day for a swarm of wasps to find the drip. They don’t bite or I’d know it. Mrs. Red Cardinal is becoming somewhat tame to my presence.
           Ha, we got a lucky shot, this is not a great shot, but you can see the squirrel land partially in the dish. There are only a few drops of splatter. He wisely takes a sip as he ponders his future without his stolen breakfast.
           I’ve also been reading small sections of a big electronics repair manual from the Thrift in Clewiston. It is accurate to say one aspect I like about electronics is there is nothing like it in nature. A circuit must be designed entirely from scratch if you want it to function. Need a pilot light or a signal? You must build it into the circuit, again, nothing is there by itself.

           Nor is there anything much in the news once you quit following the nonsense about Hormuz. I like playing the “Circuit” word puzzle but lately failing because I don’t know about brilliant and original new games like disc golf, duh. Who recalls my recent look at phased array radar? Sure enough, an open source (free) version has appeared on Hackaday. 3D printed, it has a twenty-mile range. And how about a 3D Stinger (anti-aircraft missile) for $96. I told them this would happen.
           And hold on to your old 3D printer. Seems the new ones will soon be full of surveillance software to monitor if you print things like gun parts. (The issue is NOT gun parts, but of non-elects telling you what you can't do.) There is also some kerfuffle over gate arrays, which I have not learned. FPGA, that is field programmable gate arrays, a fascinating development I just don’t have time to study. But I can tell you that it centers on how many electronic operations are similar, like a register or flip-flop. You could program each logic gate (the simplest flip-flop requires 5 gates), or you could use a standard array of gates, and “program” them to do your bidding. It’s nothing new and you can visualize it.

ADDENDUM
           One cannot avoid politics since the day Trump arrived. There are problems now that voting won’t cure and the one I find most curious is the reaction to war. Not the war, or wars, but the reaction. As mentioned, there is no common visible effects of a war going on, just gas prices and even then there is no evident cause and effect. The gas prices have soared over most any excuse. This war is different in one sense—it upsets a lot of notions about the whole good guys vs bad guys dichotomy. The Chinese were paying for Iranian oil in yuan rather than petrodollars, and that is just the first indicator the NWO would get into the act. It is China, not the US, that gets most of it's oil from Iran. Strange how the two places on Earth with no oil, China and Israel, are involved.
           Closing Hormuz cuts of the Chinese, not the world. Expand this to society and some say what is really happening is Trump destroyed the New World Order. He did it in America, Europe, and now the world, say the pundits. I’m more cautious, saying he has not yet crushed the liberals, but if they don’t steal the next election they may never recover. So, are we witnessing just another Gulf war, or the final throes of the Deep State’s New World Order? Don't ask me, I'm just a bassist with opinions on what's interesting to myself.

Last Laugh

April 16, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 16, 2025, still needs new tires.
Five years ago today: April 16, 2021, Jag, most successful.
Nine years ago today: April 16, 2017, tea & DVD.
Random years ago today: April 16, xxxx, WIP

           Here’s some yard pics. That’s all I got after 13 hours in the sack, good restful hours. But not so much so Mitch, my oldest pal from high school. The guy is a rugged athlete, that’s him taking a selfie y’day in a window reflection. Note the heavy duty Tryke and cross-country gear. But every year in the previous ten, he gets the flu or a cold or some form of lung congestion. And this sort of news is of great concern to me lately. Go figure. In that photo, it was 5 below zero, centigrade.

           For me, a hearty breakfast and outside to check the bird feeders and take pictures. That the only treat I have for the blog this morning. I decided to take a mini-inventory of the exterior around here. Some things I finished, others show here may never be. These are generic photos, I’ll go get a coffee and have a go at explaining them. This is a post-operation archive, I’ve planned more—but this reveals how far I’ve gotten behind.

           The shots are a bit blurry, my fault. First is my best bird-feeder being filled. It is resting on boards that have lain in the sun for years and now need throwing out. Next photo is the back “picture window” and house siding that never did get painted. If you look at the low right corner of the windo, you can just make out the game camera on a tripod. Forgetting to turn that camera off is the source of a lot of the clips you see of me pottering in the yard. Then, the other side of my privacy fence, showing the shovel and hoe and sometimes lots of other yard tools when I’m not too lazy to hang them there.
           How about the Roman AC pipes. Remember these? The pipes heat in sunlight, shown here, and draw cooler air from ducts on the other side in the shade. Some are painted black, this experiment showed this system does not work on a small scale. However, they do contribute well to a lower temp inside the silo on a hot day, so I left them in place. It’s neat, on cool days they make no difference. The silo is majorly braced against all but fierce hurricane conditions. The next photo shows my back fence which is being taken over by vines. It’s nice so I don’t want to take down some structure shown here—but the vegetation is heavy and that fence needs bracing.

           Even harder to see is the red table saw, because of all the stuff piled on top. This was the saw I had hopes for, but the blade wobbles after a few minutes use. I may convert it to cut a standard side rabbet and move it out of the lean-to. Because that space has proven an great spot to work on lumber too long to take inside the work shed. The last two months have been the most ideal winter weather since I got here and I’ve missed most of it.
           Then, shot of the long narrow window on the red shed, showing part of the tin bent up for an awning. I had intended to put a small work bench on the inside, but never got around to moving the shelving to make room. That’s shelves put in when I first got here to store stuff from the move. A lot of that stuff is still there. The last pic is the overhang on the scooter shed, unsupported and dangerous if anybody stood up there. This is where I’m clearing space for the grey table saw with the bad fence I’m trying to repair.
           End of morning archive. How am I doing? Way down here I’ll slip in another concern that I probably nothing, but still. I have, on the back of my legs, marks from the hospital bandaging that should have rubbed off by now. It’s not just chance, as the marks are more than one layer deep. Like motorcycle rash, it discolors the tissue itself, but it can be removed, if a bit painfully. Work with me on this, but tomorrow, not right now.

Picture of the day.
Sand dunes in Idaho.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           The on-line term for the business lootings in Caliornia is “street take-overs”. It’s fine because California is getting what they voted for, however they’d best not export it. Not just gas stations and groceries, the gangs are raiding auto parts and what looks like large pharma outlets. America does not have to live like this, folks, it is not like the looters are starving or ill-done by.

           Here’s the battery I mis-remembered. The one I thought I was donating to the club, resulting in a wasted bracket removal last trip. Is this old age, or information overload, or a result of recent events—I did not recall this battery until I found it. Yet I knew which battery I had been thinking of. I’ll put myself on report.

           It was three more hours in the sunlight, a truly good sensation on how pale I got in the past three months. Part of it was this latest anti-squirrel pipe. The over-anxious feeder gave himself away as I was setting up the game camera to catch him. Indeed, the spry guy was able to make the nine-foot leap to the birdfeeder by launching from this tree trunk. Now he has this green pipe to contend with. Let’s see how long this round lasts in the never-ending Squirrel Wars.

           Then I moved the KIA into the shade. We are going to attempt to fix that windshield crack with the $15 kit from an Autozone that has not been looted yet, ha-ha.. I’ve memorized the instructions, which were surprisingly good, and will do as best as a layman can with ten pounds of heart monitor hanging on his waist. Check back later, but I got another $15 says this does not work.
           Again, I skipped the prescribed exercises in favor of light work and was on my feet another three hours this afternoon. The game cam catches me crossing the yard and [I see] I’m a long way from myself. Here’s today’s quick report. It requires a third to half of my perceived daily energy for logistics, for instance, breakfast today sapped my morning. I was outside for quite some time, but that slowed me to nothing. What a crazy recovery.for a guy that tries to plan ahead.
           Still of concern. Mild paralysis of left & right ring and pinky fingers. Slow-healing leg wounds. Numbness on left thigh. Mild gout. Tightness in pectoral muscles, sometimes fading to a temporary sharp pain in spots. And, after end of anti-ulcer pills, lots of fast and slow stomach issues making life very uncomfortable.

ADDENDUM
           Let’s have a show of hands, who is the best at following written instructions? Now that’s settled, let’s look at the windshield resin repair. It has two modes, a splatter and a crack. We are concerned only with the crack, you’d think the thinner, the better. Wrong. It says to park in the shade and slowing daub the resin along the line, watching from a 45° angle until the crack disappears. It does not disappear until a wider part of the crack, and even then, only in short sections, maybe 10% of the crack.
           Then, it says, apply pressure from the inside (making it a two-man job), wiggling out air bubbles, air being the reason you see the crack. The bubbles are there, but they do not work out under pressure that you must make sure is not enough to extend the crack. It may well be my crack is too fine to let the resin soak in, but it would be dumb for them not to mention that. I tried a second application with no success. Finally, I put the “curing strips” across the crack and parked in the sunshine like they said. Probably most of the crack was still visible at this stage. Let it cure and I’ll examine it.
           If it still shows, I will try the old crazy glue tactic of urban legend.

Last Laugh

April 15, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 15, 2025, contemptuously feeble.
Five years ago today: April 15, 2021, eggs, my way.
Nine years ago today: April 15, 2017, research yes, progress no.
Random years ago today: April 15, 2014, a motorcycle tow sighting.

           Happy Tax Day from an unusually silent IRS who are not doubt aware the current president wants to disband them and reduce the tax form to "the size of a postcard". Let’s begin today by looking at what the world considers news. The Brits are investigating law firms that were fabricating asylum claims for queer applicants. Pope Bob has allocated Vatican space for Muslims. That’s it, the rest of social media is people flinging insults. Here is a can of beans . A brand I never heard of, the Ser!ous Bean Company. Says here the 23 flavors of Dr. Pepper, of which I know only one. So, I’ve decided to do a theoretical star sighting. April 15, 2014 at 10:00AM exactly, and choosing the star Gacrux, which I never heard of until now.

           The geographic position of the star was W165° 10’W at a declination of S57°12’. (For those curious, that is an Aries GHA of 353° 30’ and Gacrux SHA pf 171° 40’.) Converted to Google, that is 165.1600° by -57.1920°. We are in the ocean almost directly south of New Zealand, where we’ve been before. I see an island, let me zoom in. Both McQuarrie Island and Campbell Island seem familiar, so skip to the next nearest, which is Aukland Island. It’s the biggest in some volcanic outcrops. Uninhabited, cold, no natural harbors. Some Polynesians were there around 1300 but wisely got in their outriggers and paddled right back.

           Sorry, another morning of doldrums that cannot be shaken. Here is the transparent tube earmarked for the seismometer. It is clouded because of morning dew. I may just rig something up for now to see how sensitive it is.

           I have news from Tennessee. The Reb’s best friend is gone after many weeks of struggle. Soon I will have to make a trip and it is easy to imagine the strain this puts on everything except what little time we’ll have to visit. There is also the matter of Caltier, who is not responding. There is no worry about any absconding, as not only are they regulated, the sixteen properties in the portfolio (four have been sold) list us as part owners, I made sure of that. But that is part of the trouble. I remind you I invested in two components, that is, the ownership of the properties, and the profits from the rentals. It has been 11 months, and although I have seen income, it is sporadic and lacking details I need to make informed decisions.
           The Reb is great at housekeeping, but not so much at bookkeeping. My last trip was middle of 2025 and I’m barely back on my feet financially and physically. Be prepared for anything in the next ten days, even if it is only a decision to not do anything. Y’know, while in the hospital I developed a new liking for ginger ale and sprung for a carton (12) last day. Good move. I consider the work these days a substitute for the therapy. I could not explain why ginger ale, but I still blame many small changes on after effects of that anesthesia.

Picture of the day.
Latest Brazilian Cascavel
(Rattlesnake)
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           I’m tempted to post a youTube video on building my box. Why? Because there is too much bull donkey about boxes. You don’t have to see many videos before you spot the nonsense. The box is either too fancy at one extreme or useless at the other. Hundreds of “simple” boxes except for the mitered or dovetailed joints, hinges, and stained finishes. Simple, my eye. How about a truly simple box that is strong enough for workshop or closet storage. Why, my Z-box, of course.

           Here is the small box I got half done today and tuckered out. I cut and build a small shelving frame and cleared most of the space for the table saw. I worked two shifts, before 2:00PM, and after, for a total of 3 hours and 40 minutes. Excellent performance Grab a coffee and meet me back here. Nearby should be pics of my two air compressor tanks.
           The tanks are coupled together, running only off the new compressor. Even the older, bigger compressor could be bled by putting more than five staples in a row. But both tanks provide a positive punch that buries as many staples as you want. Brads are not a challenge. The pneumatic guns even sound better. The pic shows how I dragged the old unit to the doorway. For a more permanent setup, check back in a month or two. Those tanks are far to heavy for now.

           Being more than careful, I went to work in the yard. No strain, no lifting, yet I was able to get a few hours in. The hardest was removing that warped fence picket and repairing the other pieces. A close examination showed they, too, would warp just perceptibly. I cleared space and tidied up a bit, my real goal today is to make a small caddy for my mini-socket set. It’s 2:00PM and I’m planning to skip siesta. Howie helped me reset the birdbath and the cardinals are having a happy day. I detect the mildest increase in strength around my torso and shoulders, the first faint perception of it after 80 days. Many of those days were, never mind, I’d rather move on.
           I took a break and a few dozen potshots at the squirrels. My aim is way off. I caught only shadows on the game camera so that did not prove helpful this time. Mostly, the baffles swaying in the wind, but I see that somehow the two Chinese hat baffles got mixed up. Probably as I was filling the feeders. One is slightly larger and irks the squirrels, so I started the day by putting them back in order. Then, it an amazing display of athletic prowess, I changed the batteries in all the clocks.

           Then a look at my tired old yard. After ten years I cannot find anything that grows here. Smack in the middle of Florida, surrounded by orchards and tree farms, nothing lasts here except the weeds and scrubs. It is green, that much is okay. No good housekeeping awards, I looked at it from the window, then took a nap, from 6 until 2 in the morning. You’ll get your turn.

ADDENDUM
           Here’s the ingredients in my tin of “Sweet & a bit Sassy” baked beans: prepared navy beans, water, brown sugar, sugar, tomato paste, vinegar, and fructose. Hints of sea salt, black pepper, dehydrated garlic, chili pepper, spcies, salt, molasses, citric acid. Also maltodextrin and “natural flavors”. That’s 630 calories per can. From Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Population 35,000. It’s north of Sheboygan, they say. No ads for musicians, house prices are insane, and I think there is more night life on Auckland Island.
           Later, the flavor is a treat, but it is still artificial, and an hour after most other foods and my ginger ale had a lingering Dr. Pepper tinge. What did they put in there?

Last Laugh

April 14, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 14, 2025, a generic day.
Five years ago today: April 14, 2021, the looming hyper-inflation.
Nine years ago today: April 14, 2017, I will make bird Utopia.
Random years ago today: April 14, 2012, travel taught me.

           My loyal readers, I must report this as the most nothing day of my life in 40 years. I will go outside and take some photos for you and hopefully have enough zip left to caption them. I’m sorry, but not as sorry as I am that this could be a harbinger of days to come. First photo is my refilled coffee nest, in its own custom wooden case, matches my décor. There’s another pic of biscuits and gravy, but that was y’day. Still hot out of the oven.

           Owl time. The tree line of my property has a mini-zoo living there. This includes owls and they are majestic. You just never see them. Instead you hear them, and they seem to have a morning window. As the seasons change, that means with my normal 5:30AM routine, I get to hear them mainly in the spring and fall. This morning was a concert. They call from the southeast yard, between the neighbor’s mango trees and my lindens. Are they feeding? Resting? Pair bonding? I’m an indoors morning person, not outdoors except on occasion.

           The other zoo this morning is California. Remember, I care not much of politics, but I’m a great critic of folly and it is not my fault if most of it is committed by one side. The Democrats are now using their anti-Trump tactics to remove one of their own from the race. The laugh is that they’ve know about his deeds for years and did nothing. People love it when Democrats and liberals have to eat one of their own. And CostCo is finally getting rid of the membership card.

           Latest term for the homeless camps: Pelosi villages. California introduces legislation to outlaw investigative journalism. As streaming prices skyrocket, sales of DVD players are up. That is it for this morning. I went back for a snooze that lasted until past 2:00PM. Here is the last birdhouse from Tennessee, a salvage. I put the fence and window frames and paint on it one frozen winter day back in the twenty-teens. It is now retired in Florida, in a scenic location unlikely to attract any inhabitants.

           Let me tell you I hate Google. They remotely disabled my voice text app which came with the phone. Now I cannot get it back without creating a Google account. I’ve had the phone guy fix this, but he, like every GenX “expert” I’ve ever seen, does it by trial and error and really does not know diddely-squat how the system works. Or it would not keep coming back.
           A few A.I. videos got my attention and there a quips about mysterious diseases felling the Spanish in the new world. Hmmm, I always did think tales of Europeans infecting the locals were a little one-sided. Who recalls our trip east from Barstow, California stopping for gas on Route 66? I paid top dollar for gas and that station was in the news again today. Highest in America. Gas price nearly $10 per gallon in good old Ludlow, California.

Picture of the day.
East Indian arrival card.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Making coffee and making sawdust, that’s what I had planned but no dice. A quick shopping trip took two hours. I had a craving for hot dogs and spent a bit more for m favorite Oscar Meyers cheese dogs. Then off to the neighbors for Festus Tuesday. Time to face the fact we have seen most of the good cowboy episodes. Now we are getting mostly soap opera crap. This time Dooley was after a governess so we paused it halfway and maybe pick it up next week. Knowing how all these deputy love affairs end is a help.

           Wait, maybe I do have something new. There is that fence picket that curves. All the pieces were flat when I put them up last day, so we know this one is sensitive to something. Probably humidity, but that’s the riddle. Why this plank and not the others? Why such a warp when the local humidity does not vary that much? And why, in ten years, this one plank and no others. I have no instrument for measuring humidity.

           Dang, I see later that is not a great picture. But no way I've going back out there in the foggy morning dew. You can see the curved board well enough, and quite a curvature it is. Quick, thing of a way we could display that. My first guess is to turn it on one side.


           Next is a photo of my table saw work station. You can see the air hoses and how the equipment is partially exposed to the elements. My intention is to move that partially under the scooter canopy and fix the saw fence. The only thing wrong with this saw (for ripping and general cutting) is the fence cannot be set easily. It’s a used tool, so the previous owner bent or over-strained something. But I’ve devised a way to reinforce it soon as I have the energy.
           I have further collected all the pieces needed for my DIY seismometer, but not the seismograph part. It is the casing from the old breakfast cereal dispenser, a plumb weight, a spring and a chain. I think it could detect an earthquake in all three dimensions. But I have no clue how to wire the thing up to record such events. The apparatus is cool, so I may go with just that.

Last Laugh