September 27, 2016

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 27, 2015, a failed birdfeeder.
Five years ago today: September 27, 2011, it was a chicken.
Nine years ago today: September 27, 2007, my first wireless test setup.
Random years ago today: September 27, 2013, classic batbike & camper.

MORNING
           This is a saildrone. I had no time to review much, but the plan seems to be releasing these self-powering, self-navigating drones full of sensors by the thousands. They have a payload of 250 pounds, so there is no limit to their use. They are presently intended to track fish schools, ocean depths, salt concentration, and sea phosphorescence. Initially, the data is to be monitored by any private citizen who wants it, but we’ve been handed this bill of goods before.

           How about that Warren Buffett exposé on Obamacare making the rounds? The highlights are: the government can access you bank account and transfer money (pages 58/59), cancer care will be rationed depending on patient age (page 272), and anyone on Social Security will be required to attend an “end-of-life” seminar every five years (page 425). The bill specifically states that these provisions do not apply to members of Congress or their immediate families.

           But don’t worry, you’ve got nothing to hide and anybody who does is a fishy crook up to something funny. Any opposition is just conspiracy theory and the government is only looking out for your best interests. Because they know what those are better than you do. Because they’ve been watching your behavior a long, long time. In a friendly way, you understand, and whether you liked it or not.
           Well, yes, we already got us a situation. I won’t say anything, at least not until I talk to Howie, but the new neighbors are up to something. That’s not a small truck, that is a thirty foot long moving van that stands twelve feet high. It’s a major industrial vehicle that blocks my view and half the street both ways. I won’t say anything, of course, but that’s the house that was plastered with the Jesus Love You posters when it was vacant.

           That truck does not belong in a residential neighborhood. I don’t even want it parked in front of the vacant lots along the street.because there is no street parking anywhere in this part of town. Their house has a long, narrow, and difficult driveway, and I suggest they start using it. I’ll wait until I get the details. The truck is the big white object filling the center of this photo.

           This morning I tried yellow grits first time. I’ll stick with regular. The yellow have a shorter cooking time but the taste is not as sharp. Maybe it is for casseroles, say, that’s a great idea for tonight. I notice Mr. C, the northern cardinal, has begun a second morning feeding routine around 10:30AM. And when he shows, the others split. Last to feed in any session is this small flock of finch-like birds I have not yet identified, possibly female chickadees.

Picture of the day.
Dubai.
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NOON
           It was a good day unless you ask what I got done. Shopping, I guess. Shrimp, I cooked some shrimp. And the remainder of that roast chicken went into the stew pot. Then I went and sat in the library for a while.
           That’s where I studied this diagram of a shed to calculate my materials list. Good old studs are $2.97 each so there’s no limit to how far I want to go. That’s once I figure out what’s to be done about the foundation. There’s not a lot of information on how to build on soft sand except to say don’t do it. Yeah, tell that to the entire population of west central Florida.

           Since the comparable kit was $800, I’m pricing what I could get by way of the best materials up to that figure. I would want my shed air-conditioned and insulated. It was always my intention to have a private, lockable place to work and keep my files away from the bedroom. The shed style shown is a good approximation. It has two doors, one wide set and one regular. I would likely go for larger windows, wire-guarded, and I don’t foresee any need to have such a steep attic and small eaves.
           I would built my own trusses and weatherproof the sidewalls, as I would almost instantly move all my valuable tools into the shed. I can live with the old metal units right now for storage. They are chock full. And I would likely go for 16” on center studs. This is a hurricane zone.

           You might like the planned location. This photo, looking toward the Lizgarden at the back, shows the well-shaded area. This photo taken after I went in there with the chain saw and hauled that load of vines and branches out of the way. Y’day you could not have walked into this area. The usable space shown here is around 12 feet by 28 feet but I doubt I’d build to that size in this part of the yard. I may even go very small to preserve the character of my mini-forest.

           I began to ask around for weed whips. People have only seen them at flea markets. They are a special order item at the hardware store. If you look at the ground cover in the photo, you can see it is mostly vines. They choke off everything else, but where there is sunlight, the greenery is rampant. I’m going to move the oak floorboards into the shadow north of the house because it can be seen and is a bit of an eyesore. Similar boards new are priced at nearly $9 apiece. So, you meanI have two thousand bucks sitting in my back yard?

           I regret not snapping a picture of the hanging vines. It was like a Tarzan movie. Except the vines came down with a mere tug. I’ve identified three dead oak trees, plus the 62-footer that has to come down. It is the biggest tree you can see in the upper right corner of this picture. A neighbor up the road had one removed and I examined it. The rot had hollowed out the center of the tree to a stinky powder.
           True to form, once I got the bedroom floor to where I could walk on it, I slacked off. Nearly a week now, and that’s why you get the mundane making it into the blog. I’m no different than the next guy, except it is not boring here totally all the time like some people I won’t say. So, I don’t work every day, but I used to and now I’m retired. Geez. Mitch, my pal from Louisiana I haven’t seen since college, should be showing up soon. I’ll putter around in the back room until he calls, maybe clear the guy a sleeping spot.
           I already told him the sidecar has no chair. He says he’s okay sitting on a bale of hay. Folks, you don’t realize how far back in the sticks we are from.

NIGHT
           It’s always considered fun around here to review the books near month’s end. Fun? Yes, because it keeps a tight rein on expenses and allows me to go and do as I please—and you bet yer ass that’s fun. There were no surprises, but as this is the first full month in the new place, let’s put some numbers to it.

           Gasoline. Everybody knows my budget is $66 per month for in town. This would not include money spent for gas to go back and forth to Lakeland. The matching figure for September is $32.51, less than half. As for overall economy, I’ve spent a total of $887.52 on gasoline all this year, and that does include Lakeland. In comparison to what most people could produce, these are extremely accurate figures.
           On coffee, I’ve spent $531.82 this year. That’s restaurant coffee, since home coffee is a grocery item. And that figure includes travel coffee on the road, but not if the coffee was included in a meal. Shown here is the major culprit, the coffee machine at the local library. It’s the identical system to the setup at the Mongolia. It’s only a buck a cup, y’know.

           By far, August was the most expensive month, with $2,494 spent. That includes paying for labor and initial materials to get the floor repair underway. During those months, I paid utilities at both houses. The good news is in September, it dropped to half, which is still high but more in line with expectations. There is also a balance between home and restaurant meals. That balance says I spend $350 per month on the combination. Since I arrived here, I’ve spent zero in restaurants, but $250 on groceries.
           The best improvement is in the category “Other”, which is anything but miscellaneous. It has specific categories like how much I spend on books, small tools, batteries, and stamps. It has dropped by nearly 75%, mainly because this place is big and comfortable enough to stay home. I’m happy with the budget because eventually the long-term economies of the renovation will begin to pay off. It won’t be every month that I spend $377 on materials to replace a floor and insulate a bedroom. Or replace cell phones and buy ink cartridges.
           And for reasons I can’t fathom, insulation is expensive. And so is small town entertainment, though that should taper off once I’m on stage instead of in the audience. Entertainment average 18.2% of my budget. And this year’s most costly month for travel was May, due to four trips to Lakeland to buy this place. Like I told you, in the end, I got soaked for $2,000 in hidden buying costs on top of that.

           So, while the totals haven’t changed much, there is an overall realignment toward better use of resources that historically pays off. Handsomely.


Last Laugh
Meanwhile, at the science fair . . .

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