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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 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.
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           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, xxxx, WIP

           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)
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           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.
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           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

April 13, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 13, 2025, lithium, already my favorite.
Five years ago today: April 13, 2021, a dinner allocation.
Nine years ago today: April 13, 2017, what’s a matchbook?
Random years ago today: April 13, 2007, giant peppermills.

           Y’day disappeared on me. I don’t like that and I’ll spell some things out, see addendum. Here’s this morning’s start, real biscuits and gravy, with the sausages and fresh onions backed right in. Has anyone else noticed the increasing criticism of Starbucks coffee? Maybe it really does taste better poured over cigarette ashes. Florida is first to require driver’s license tests be in English only. Say good morning to the young woodpecker, grabbing a fabulous breakfast of almonds and hazelnuts. This is the large of two species, both infrequent visitors.

           The squirrel raids are better coordinated, now working in pairs. I’ll reposition the camera, how they are making such a leap is curious. It’s almost a yard clearance from an angle lower than where they can catch. But, we have the game camera and opposable thumbs. We are the superior lifeform. And it is our birdseed.

           Howie was over for a visit and helped get the bowl back on the birdbath. He’s got a commercial grade weed whacker, the thing will take out undergrowth. Admit it, he likes to crank that thing up and set the Florida boscage in its place. I managed an hour and got part of the scooter shed braced better. It started as a canopy and proved a pleasant workspace. I began a general tidy-up of a yard that will take weeks to get ship-shape. I have a lot of perfectly good leftover parts from the renovation that I’ll looking a using or selling. I have put on the brakes over buying new lumber until some order is restored. My back yard at this time is best described as “there appears to have been a struggle.” I know, I’ve used that one before.

           Around noon, I took a look at real estate. Nothing is selling, really, and the ads are dominated by big buyers offering cash. They sift through everything worthwhile and only the problem properties and dogs remain in the listings. In central Florida there seem eight parties advertising cash for any worthwhile property. To me that indicates the market has fallen to a new type of low. I just don’t know which type, but yes, I hope the whole racket collapses.
           People who live on borrowed money need to learn a hard lesson. Today there were roughly 2,000,000 houses for sale, but only 1,200,000 looking to buy. That imbalance won’t last long. Don’t buy in Kearny, Arizona. They built a town where there isn’t enough water and now want your tax dollars. I might follow that story, but meanwhile they can fix it themselves, using the money they normally spend on rigging elections.

Picture of the day.
Brandt Point, Nantucket.
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           Texas in the news again for another female schoolteacher and her underage boyfriends. It’s a crime model invented and protected in the lone star place. The police are now taking her statement, for the sixth time. Masked gunmen, you are not supposed to know they were Blacks, shot up another restaurant. A Chick-fil-a. There is something ironic about that which I just can’t quite make out in the distance.

           I was outside over 2 hours and managed to cut three boxes. Only one is assembled, shown here. I’ve wanted to record some features which will explain why not all three got finished. Enjoy, because nothing else this rousing happened today.

           The original box was designed to minimize wastage and the varying thickness [of each picket] of the lumber means one picket, one box. At first, the box bottoms were two full width cuts and a smaller strip to fill in the last little bit. You can barely see this box now has three equal-width bottom panels. A better-looking balance with a drawback. There is no way to cut that single piece out of the remaining picket. The leftover piece is one long and narrow strip.
           The bottom slats are not that critical, so you can eyeball a suitable piece from scraps, though often every three boxes means a sacrificial fourth picket. I was, of course, measuring my performance and the result is so-so. I was able to cut and frame three boxes but it took an hour. Slightly more than half-speed. (Is it time to consider something more “sellable”? I would not have to make a living at it.)

           However, the box bottoms are fussy enough that it is often left as a separate step. And it is a step that evolved, so it takes too much time. Even the trim saw needed is in another room (often requiring 4 or 5 trips). This activity worked up such an appetite, I was back in the kitchen by dark, chomping boneless port chop sandwiches, the kind with horseradish. Looks like another quiet time, maybe a movie. What’s that Cortez A.I. documentary banned in Hollywood. Something like that.
           For a treat, do a search on the Sirius Harmonica Ensemble. It is the only time I have seen the two-thousand dollar Hohner Bas 78 used. No link because not only does their best material get moved around, their home page does not show any video of their hits, such as the theme from “Green Hornet”. It’s an experience. But find a video, or you don't get the effect of multiple harmonicas.

ADDENDUM
           One big annoyance of this bypass is that the recovery does not follow any slow, steady program. Nothing like before in most people’s experience. I remind you that this operation has only a 50% survival rate and I was in intensive care for 21 days. There was a spot where I might have died if nobody had been in the room. The “code blue” alarm rang seven times during my stay (though I only know of one death). I was digesting blood for a week and there were long hours when I knew I was just drifting along.
           After discharge, it was clear I had some hospital-type infection that was very serious but nobody would say. I landed back for surgery that kept me in another week. They are just now, 11 weeks later, weaning me of preventative medicines and the bouts of weakness/fatigue can easily throw off your balance and your day. Most “good” days, like y’day, turned out nothing but a lull for the next day’s discomfort.
           I have even slower healing secondary injuries that signal I am no longer capable of any rapid mending. My skin chemistry is completely off kilter, everything is dry and flaky, and I have two modes of lingering paralysis in my thigh and fingertips. The only thing recovered 100% is my thinking that everything is fine.

Last Laugh

Apil 12, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 12, 2025, no kitchen floor, dammit.
Five years ago today: April 12, 2021, Typhoon Hari-Kari.
Nine years ago today: April 12, 2017, candle sinkholes.
Random years ago today: April 12, 2019, morning at the lake.

           A fine morning, for relaxing. A lost of editorial for you today, as nothing else happened. For those who think that cloud storage is anything new or special, here is a view of the first rig. This is 2007 tech, around the same time I had a similar setup at the old shop on Hollywood, with 8 drives. This one had 45, the difference being I would never have thought the public stupid enough to store data on somebody else’s hard drives. I guess at any given moment, two of these drives were about to crap out with your data.

           Hmmm, you cannot read or tell time in a dream. And in your life you will unknowingly walk past 14 murderers. I spent the morning surfing. And reflecting. Changes are pending if only because people are up the creek. Don’t ask me where people are getting $11 for a package of chicken that was $4 last year. I’m looking at options just up to the end of 2027—because I’m guessing by that time, people without a viable network will be past desperation, although in the USA this is unlikely to incite anything. Skip this morning if you don’t want my philosophy on this.

           I admit, my years of formal planning are over, I had no plans to live this long. But items like my household budget carry a certain momentum that keeps finances on an even keel. This blog is also a great way to make comparisons. Others write memoirs—but too often use that to correct mistakes and polish images. This blog does not do that, the events stand as recorded including bad decisions and instance where I’ve changed viewpoints. During 2027, this blog will pass from a hobby to an established record, viewed over one million times.
           It was not a goal but a million is nothing to sneeze at. It kind of proves the old maxim that it takes twenty years to become an overnight success. September 2006 was when the daily posting began here—also coinciding with recovery from another health episode. I find some early posts erratic and contradictory. But that is an accuracy impossible to achieve when people wait for old age to jot things down. I regularly review things and people I have long forgotten.

           Here is a picture of the NerfGel ammunition. Packs of 5,000 pellets that soak up to size. Quite the toy but enough to be dangerous to idiots.

           Another divorce in the news, where the wife does not find out the husband has no assets in his own name. Proof of my assertion that the British legal system does not work so well when you have somebody you can trust. It is now 5:00PM and yes, I did sleep all day. Will I get anything accomplished in the remaining sunlight? Details are sparse, but Bezo has announced development of a reactor that can produce oxygen from lunar soil.
           I read, or tried to read, an article on the use of quantum computers to crack encryption and passwords. Um, I quickly got lost. But I did spot a pattern in the descriptions. There are flaws in the approach itself that the pundits are straining to ignore or downsize. I won’t get deep into it, but this is something similar to the IBM code that MicroSoft messed up. No built-in safeguards, no anti-hacking measures, an attitude that encourages virus attacks, and vulnerabilities that require constant updates.

           All the software houses are chasing the first-to-market strategy. Because they have never tried anything else. In other news, the founder of OnlyFans died last month, age 43. Something ironic about that. I just discovered a website CourtWatch that tracks Florida judges who let criminals out on a promise to appear. I hope it goes viral.

Picture of the day.
Amish used buggy lot.
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           Not so fast, by 5:20PM I’m back in my easy chair. Going off the antibiotics has consequences. I re-read the literature on these drugs, which are used in combination with, in my case, two stomach prescriptions. I’m vulnerable there, it landed me an extra week in ICU. These prescriptions run a week past the end of the antibiotics and I’m suddenly queasy. I’m staying away from power tools for now. Reading is a great alternative hobby for such spells.
           So let’s peek back at the Moon oxygen. There’s a lot of it in the dust, but it is tightly bonded with the rock, much of which is titanium. And just awhile back I commented on the difficulty of separating them. Now, using a nuclear powered microwave, they got a working prototype. Another headline concerns difficulty of recent computer grads, as A.I. is already doing most of the entry level jobs. Well, face it, today’s grads have not been exactly stellar. What caught my attention is a Chinese program that, I feel, is long overdue in America. Genius classes.

           The Chinese model is angled toward competitive career demands instead of general research. The model is, however, correct. How I longed for such a program as early as third grade—why was I never allowed to progress faster than the slowest classmates? And tons of remedial classes and help for the slowpokes, but only one scholarship for the top students between them, two if you were lucky. The Chinese program sifts students and selects the very best.

           And selective it is, with just 100,000 picked in all of China. The Financial Times calls it a “talent supply network” and some grads are already making fortunes. Soon, the term “gift class” may refer to more than a type of lessons. It is new, as it has big focus on A.I. What a boon for some, a chance to outdistance the pack instead of grubbing by at a lumbermill to make ends meet. I would have, given the opportunity, stayed in school until I was 45. Then launched a company to cure cancer.

           Here is an invention potentially bad, a bicycle bell with a new feature. There has been an increase in accidents in people wearing noise-canceling headphones who annot hear the bells. I consider that entirely their own fault, serves them right. The headphones work by emitting a counter-signal of the opposite phase. The new bell sends two sounds, one that causes the “blind spot”, the other that sends the signal through the opening. This will not end well.
           Later, I did not set foot outside, an entire day lost. Not ill, I spent the day inactive, not daring to stay too far away from the coffee pot, the ice water in the stove, and the bathroom. I suspect there will be more days like this. Hey, it was my decision to document my own aging process from the inside out. No calls, no texts, no e-mail, but at least if this becomes routine, I have some things to look back on. This, all told, was as nothing a day as ever around here because it was my call.

ADDENDUM
           Quick health review, must keep up to date. Maybe not so quick. Best is a return of sensation to my ring and pinky fingers of both hands. My precious bass fingers. Doc says that was poor circulation, yeah, well not that my circulation has been good for 60 days, what is the holdup? I’ve taken to wearing the LifeVest but I probably don’t need it. I did not have heart pain or real shortness of breath since this time and do not have them now. Both leg wounds are still open but healing, I get slight cramps and think they had to take out more vessel thank planned.
           My chest is a big wound, now bristling with bits of suture and leaving a ragged scar. My abdomen has several slow-closing puncture spots where they attached something or other. But no torso pain of any sort as would be attributable to this period, and that’s for nearly two weeks. There is a numbness across the upper chest, the pectorals and down what my diagram called gluteus medias. Only when touched, so they do not interfere with activity, but neither is getting better in any regular time scale.
           Still weak as ever, the days are more even [more balanced], such as y’day when I did not have any fallout from four hours standing while in the shed. Don’t interpret this as any strength gain, I must move around quarter-speed at all times. For the longest time I found it more comfortable to shuffle along in a stooped posture. That’s going away, I’m glad, because it looked funny. I take longer to catch my balance and my poor arms are finally cleared of IV bruising.
           The literature they gave me lists over thirty side effects and around the same warnings. I must wear buttoned shits instead of my favorite tees. That’s due to having to raise my arms too high and the slight pressure the material places across the chest. The sutures are clear, but manage to poke through the fabric. The incision is well enough no bandages are needed. A small cushion is required to wear a seatbelt.
           Food taste is fairly normal again, just not always. It is nice to be able to toss around at night. Sadly, I’m missing the finest winter we’ve had this decade. The sunlight feels super healthy and a slight night chill is mildly refreshing. As said, longer sleep hours are returning. I calibrated my bathroom scale and I have lost 14 pounds. However, that is not from watching my diet.

Last Laugh

April 11, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 11, 2025, the owner himself.
Five years ago today: April 11, 2021, Ayock.
Nine years ago today: April 11, 2017, candle economics.
Random years ago today: April 11, 2014, we want real adventure.

           It you later find the phrase “celebricity stunt” on-line, I coined it here just now. Another mediocre actress is claiming the authorities pounced on her, in this case ICE. Am I the only one who has never seen ICE going after White folks? What’s this, pressure from Islamics to portray their beliefs in a “more positive light” has a group declaring the Alamo was a Muslim affair.
           Why such a good mood? My first ten hours of good sleep since January 29, folks. Plus, while I don’t know if there is any connection, the ceasing of 70% of my post-op anti-infections has accelerated return of my taste buds. That is why I made up this victory breakfast around an hour ago, with unlimited refills. No crazy partying yet, only a slightly faster return of normalcy.

           Is it finally time for Ireland? The news reaching here is either censored or obviously tainted. I opted for a morning off so you get another tale from the trailer court. It’s the stifling of my career as a portrait painter. When I was nine, I got a beautiful 24” wide pad of painting outlines that mother had mistaken for a coloring book. In the back were instructions how to gradually start and learn color complements. I had no paints, so I bought a package of 48 colored pencils. What could go wrong?
           There was a pencil sharpener by the back door that the old man had liberated from the school supply room. Without thinking, I proceeded to begin sharpening. I got about six done with the bellowing came about how rotary sharpeners “waste” the pencils and to cease immediately. I had no idea there were any pencil sharpener experts in the vicinity until that moment. Father had spoken.
           This “waste” only occurred when sharpening several pencils, so I was the only family member affected by this new edict. Since it would take weeks to sharpen one pencil per day, I tried to sharpen them with a jackknife. This did not allow colors to be smoothly shaded to match the color templates in the book. In the end, none of the pages in that book ever got colored, but I kept it for years—to have it lost in a basement flood. I kept the crayons and a couple years later won second prize in a local art contest that I did not even want to enter. But that is another tale.

           It says here the richest woman alive today is Alice Walton. She rings in at $134 billion, not bad for 76 years of being born right. Poor old gal, it must be so hard for her to meet sincere, natural men tho’ by her age, she should know that Saturday is Karaoke night. Not that I’d recognize her right away but there would be signs. Like when the bar suddenly goes silent and are just the two of us left at the counter when the DJ says, “We have a request for ‘Folsom Prison Blues’.”

           ICE is now looking into birth tourism schemes, some 41 years after I wrote about the topic. Yep, 1985, while I was in Asia, sadly, the records are hand-written and unless I get some help, may never be published. Smartphone trivia, the average user checks his phone 144 times daily. If he checks while on the job, there is a 23 minute loss of productivity over the distraction. Here is a video of testing a motor without using PWM, it's here for looks, and I had no other place to post it. So there, compare that to what's doing.

           Productivity is usually defined as profitable in the end. I am finishing the excellent book “How We Got To Now” by Steven Johnson. He eloquently shows how inventions are dependent on far more factors than being first with an idea. Some thirty inventors produced functional light bulbs with a glowing filament in a vacuum up to forty years before Edison. The one concept the book barely mentions is a common fact in this blot. It is that all the traditional conditions for success are missing something. Rather, they inject a type of fake social reasoning after the fact. Work hard, believe in yourself, never give up, and more blah-blah. I will never be heard but I’m here t tell you that all of those factors put together are not enough.
           It is the organization of society itself that stifles so many ideas. Unless it can be packaged and sold, it will not fly. Few people have tried as hard as me to invent or innovate or create something that will last, but there will always be somebody who points out I did not quite do enough—in their thinking. I did not even have a work shed, which I can avow is far more important than your average university degree, until I was almost 60.

           There is one facet of all this that has intrigued me more. How did these inventors learn what to invent? I took computer courses for years, and there was no mention of search engines. How did Jobs learn about the personal computer concept? I was just short of desperate to find something in my 20s, if there had been a source of these ideas, I think I would have found it, yet I was twenty years ahead of the pack and could not even find a job to use my computer skills. Now apply that to dozens of other aspects and fields.
           Nowadays, I know much more about the process. I realize now I did not have the resources to wait until my name was called. I had to take the highest paying job I could along with the rest of the working class, no matter how unrelated the work or the location to a career. And you can add in that on the shop floor, the working class are not your best friend but more.usually a nasty, dirty enemy who see your education as a threat to their job. Like my family, their attitude is if you were really tired, you’d be able to sleep through their deafening roar.

Picture of the day.
1902 Studebaker.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           A perfect mildly warm day got me out to the silo, where boxes had been tipped over. No critter much bigger than a rat could get in there. I heard a buzz, finding my old 3G phone still plugged in the charger. It was still receiving a signal from Google. Today was only four hours, but it was a solid four. I worked bare-chested and that warm sun felt great on the damaged spots. There is no shortage of small tasks and clean up, the point is I was able to get it done without once feeling any strain and I know I lifted or shoved 20-pound objects without thinking. I’m getting there.

           Still unable to locate my fancy breadboard, I put in time with the birds, they know human movement means grub, but I not tame them. Memories of Memhis won’t allow that. We have a juvenile male woodpecker with a red crest, I set the game camera to try for some movies for you. I also boxed up a few hundred vacuum tubes, I’m not going to be around to sell them in eBay. Find the buyer, move the tubes out. There was supposed to be a little room in the shed for a work space at one time.

           One tool that did not get properly sited was my large radial arm, the one with the jammed tilt. It is jammed at 45°, which is good for it is my best tool for cutting that angle. No way I can move it around, but it is on my list. Here’s my stunt double lasering a front panel for some capacitors, making it easier to fine tune amp circuits. I still have not got one working because of the widely varying parameter for the resistor ranges. The plan here is to set one resistor, then use this new variable assembly. Screw the calculations, which seem to apply only to theoretically perfect components.
           Here is the small power supply I got together, but maddeningly, it does not work. All the wiring and joint test okay with bench power. But switching to battery, it sits there and I busy connected in series, so the independent switches can supply 3, 6, or 9 volts. But at the lowest setting, it will not power up. I’ll tear it apart for a complete rewire.

           Other than that, I could simply have a batch of LEDs that need more than3 volts to trigger. That would be most rare. I’m glad I still like this challenging desk work, thinking ahead. I don’t care if I’m an invalid long-term, this hobby far beats anything else. Like television, I mean. This is week four that I’ve kept confined mostly indoors. It’s peculiar in the sense I planned just in case for this type of retirement a good ten years ago. True, this place is not fixed up, but who was to know Tennessee would happen?
           Later, I awoke near midnight with an opioid withdrawal. I know what they are now and this was mild. Id fallen asleep reading with the book in my hand. The pages were just beginning to turn black with tiny golden flame outlines around some of the letters. Don’t fight it, the illusion will not last. How anybody could enjoy this is a puzzlement.

           Something has to be done in case inflation keeps eroding the money. I have exact records as well as experience to guide my decisions. This is why I am concerned now, rather than behave like those living off credit cards. I do not track every expense, rather those unavoidable expenses of operating the household. Items like auto repair and gasoline are considered part of it. And I have calculated the amount of income needed to keep ahead of the wolf. This is a concept that has not let me down. Arrange my affairs, that is, so by the time I’m hurting, the situation for others will be so dire that something will give.
           The stats I use date back ten years. I know my worst years was 2022, during which I instituted the cost-saving measures I still use today. Household expenses of that year were $10,410 and that dropped to $7,540 by last year. But cost-cutting is not the answer. And household is now my smallest living expense. Gas and groceries have burgeoned to $340 per month. I anticipated this overall situation more than twenty years ago and have guidelines, one being I must not rely on being able to work at all.

           This is not just having a job. It includes a lot of the work I do for myself around here that otherwise would cost. Essentially, I need to invest in something that pays me just $10 per day. At my historical performance rate of 7%, this means cobbling together $53,000 just for starters. I’d be remiss to not notice that would have been the amount in Caltier by now if they had performed as promised. Anyway, all this has to wait until I can back on my feet.

ADDENDUM
           Europe, which essentially means Germany, is considering a law that prevents people with “anti-constitutional” views from buying a house. No conviction or criminal record needed, as the government would have absolute rights. Yes folks, it is only a matter of time. Dugan, the “judge” who helped an illegal escape out the back door of her court has failed in a final attempt to claim immunity. The illegal has been deported to Mexico and she could get five years. Bring it on.
           IBM, notorious for hiring illegals and DEIs, has been fined a piddling $17 million. They were accepting government money while abusing guidelines for hiring Americans. It is common knowledge IBM is notorious, but my surprise is why is IBM getting any government money?

Last Laugh

April 10, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 10, 2025, cancel today, I said.
Five years ago today: April 10, 2021, remember the Dawnster?
Nine years ago today: April 10, 2017, that toy sandblaster.
Random years ago today: April 10, 2016, on finding this cabin.

           I stayed up to watch some eerie documentaries on cloning, now that technology has gone way past Dolly, the sheep. Scary, as all cells carry the potential for mutation, but most mutations are clobbered by the DNA from two parents. Cloned cells have one parent and accumulate the mutation tendencies. The experimental limit is around 50 generations for most mammals. It is 5:30AM and I tried to find the source of this quote: “I'm not here to save everyone. I'll save the people I want to save. If you're more trouble than you're worth, you're getting dropped.” Leave a comment if you know where it is from.
           This box is being fitted with panels, and makes the top story in that I normally do not make square boxes bigger than 5-1/2 inches. But this one is destined for a

special purpose, to house the very few remaining paper photos that have survived in my life. Hundreds have been lost and damaged because of no really secure place to keep them. There will be room for a few other trinkets, but once I’m gone, odds are this will wind up at the local dump. The only value is sentimental.
           There’s taking some caliper reading, which I’ll explain later. Today’s pics are out of sequence, but you’ll figure them out.

           xGoing off half my prescriptions has not chased away drowsiness, so I’m going to list my generic activities. It’s something I want recorded for it was a happy pattern I’ve had for years that is now being upset. Note this is a broad outline of what would happen on a day around here when nothing else happened, got that?

05:30AM - awake, check e-mail, make breakfast.
07:00AM - go back to sleep, I dislike dark mornings.
09:00AM - write letters, update books and accounts.
10:00AM - check yard, mail, birdfeeders.
11:00AM - free time, this can be very productive.
14:00PM - siesta or movie, depending on temperature.
15:30PM - projects, reading, planning, study, shopping.
17:00PM - computer time, including blogging activity.
19:00PM - free time, usually music, with coffee & supper.

           No, I don’t have a regular noon break. And those inspired days I work for hours in the shed often get recorded as special times as they change this pattern. Along comes this past 90 days and its 3-hour sleeps, forced inactivity, bouts of fatigue, and i’s mayhem with most of my normal disposition and any normal planning gets defenestrated. Funny thing, most of the patients I met in the hospital would not likely notice any changes, ha-ha.
           It’s now 10:00AM, the feeder is empty, and let’s watch the news. I agree, people found incompetent to stand trial should be given the maximum sentence without a trial. Trump has “ramped up” the long overdue immigration of White South African refugees. All scientists agree when you censor the ones who disagree. The Pentagon wants to establish refueling depots at Port Moresby, Darwin, and the southern Philippines—sound familiar?

           Have you heard of the Israeli stink bomb? It’s used for crowd control, a chemical that reeks of sewage. It cannot be washed off for days. It’s made from yeast and baking soda, sprayed from a water cannon. Well, the police forces in northern India tried it and sent it back. It had no effect on crowd control in those regions. The Delhi police remarked the protestors could have drunk the stuff and asked for seconds.

Picture of the day.
Moon mining robot, prototype.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           I took inventory of some electronic parts, including a much closer look at the 775, the standard motor in many electric drills. This, and other motors, often have a removable metal ring, which I have not discovered the reason for, but it brings the total diameters to some common dimensions, such as 1-1/4” and 1-1/2”. I ration myself two hours to learn about these motors and their power requirements.

           Meanwhile, in the last 60 days that have given me so much disruption, a tree has grown up and blocked my other bedroom window. That’s your reminder every sheltered spot in Florida is a starter jungle. Photo nearby, it’s tricky to see, but it is the tall thin strip of leaves right behind the glass.

           After siesta today, I got out into the shed four hours, enjoying the freedom of movement and the perfect weather. I finished up some small boxes, fitted for laptop hard drives which I often substitute for pen drives, which get lost too easily. Oddly, there is a standard lumber size that fits these drives, though how that got past the millies is a question mark.

           I won’t be moving any large lumber pieces a while yet. But I have oodles of scrap lumber which can be slapped into smaller boxes, like the one I’m holding here. I often use them as dividers in larger boxes, their main virtue being their strength. Boxes are a good sign of my general recovery, it’s easy to see how I’m plodding along, I thank you for that round of applause. May boxes again begin to creep back into daily life. Right now, I’m planning some locking cupboards in the scooter shed.

           Let’s see what Gab.com has to say. A motion that women should have to tattoo their body count, with those over 10 registered as train stations. Gab now marks posts with the flag of the host country and certain commentators have disappeared. Poof! Trump cut 275,000 undocumented immigrants off social security. New York proposes a race-based tax system. Here’s a winner from NYC: “Spreme Court.”
           This was a good day, no fatigue from the hours in the shed and a great snooze in the chair, omens of a larger improvement. I’m still moving half-speed. Except on bass. I can fake most of my semi-famous runs using three fingers instead of four. Who was that famous violinist who purposely broke strings? It’s late, look it up yourself.

ADDENDUM
           A night with the LifeVest proved more than comfortable, my next goal is to have that cancelled. It is a portable defibrillator. Other than a thirty-year-lasting murmur, there are no irregularities in my heart rhythms. Four of my six new meds are ended, all anti-biotics and post-op stuff. I am not thrilled with how all this treatment has magnified a few of my other barbs, like gout, my inability to see narrow items, and a returned of some muscle aches. That is, things that should not have been affected at all.

           To offset this, I have another comfort—heat. I’m set up to have an extra warm zone in my vehicles, office, and bedroom. But only when I want it. During intensive care I developed chills that stayed on. I just like he option to zap any chills. Here I the small “hard drive” box described above. This is only to keep the wiring organized. And keep the blog display more balance, you do know this blog is formatted for desktop. I believe in the future, there will be some form of return to full-page displays. It is just impractical to research large blogs on a phone-size window.

           It’s non-blog footage, but I recorded two monologues of my early recovery. It was more like watching those TV stoned, mumbling half-wits going through withdrawal. Months later, I see aspects of that behavior still holding over. The only cause of such grogginess would have been anesthetic. Can this [anesthetic] result in or trigger characteristic “old guy” patterns of activity? If so, that’s my incentive to totally recover. I don’t want to act 90 unless I am 90. I sent the recordings to the Reb, who agrees that is not myself.

           How about the latest Hellfire missile? This 1970s tech weapon is still a workhorse. Constantly upgraded, I was reading about the Ninja model. Instead of exploding, it flips out razor sharp whirring blades at the last split-second. The blades can slice through metal. No explosion means very little collateral damage. Y’know, while watching the videos, I saw numerous conventional uses of the Hellfire and there is something new and strange about the warheads. There is a smaller but brighter detonation.
           And the Artemis crew is now farthest away they have ever been from a Waffle House. And it was 18 years ago Marion moved to Denver, 14 years since I’ve seen her, and now she’s gone. I noted the date, April 10. I was under immense pressure, unable to work, but faced with decisions made under such circumstances that they cannot be explained later. One was to delay taking my pension another 4 years, which proved most wise ten years later under Biden.

Last Laugh