April 14, 2021

Yesteryear
One year ago today: April 14, 2020, caution is advised.
Five years ago today: April 14, 2016, except television.
Nine years ago today: April 14, 2012, proven impossible.
Random years ago today: April 14, 2009, most never recover costs.

           One cut, that’s all it took this morning to tire me out. That Florida summer heat never gives you a break. This is the plywood heading up into the attic to free up the joists for the shed that isn’t decided on yet. This isn’t a picture of the interior. It’s the caboose from last week’s foray into the phosphate museum. Pretty spartan and I think this white color was not the norm. As a place to crash, cabooses would be warm and dry. I could have used one in my college days. I cut a new tread of the doorstep this morning, so we got some new work done. Except for the painting. You need oil paint for heavy wear.

           Last evening I met the guitar player from Nevada. He’s already getting cold feet. You see, he does a Karaoke show, some 15 years now. So he won’t be bothered by dull crowds and empt rooms. Dang, he certainly has the personality to play guitar. As long as you put on a good show, the rewards are there. But you see, Karaoke is a regular thorn in my paw. It pays well enough that as long as you don’t mind carrying all the speaker gear around, you make slightly more per gig. Most solo acts do, but with my duo, you easily make it up by playing more gigs per month.

           Due to millennialization, I may have to drive to Miami. You see, the lab results never arrived at the doctor’s. Try as I might, there is no place to contact the lab, only a phone number in Ohio with no option to talk to a person. Or the useless web page, which can only be used to make an appointment. These people have shot themselves in the foot. Speaking of idiots, I heard a radio program this morning saying that the US has an economy “too large” to be toppled by the coming hyper-inflation. It’s already here, by the way. Lumber up 257%, iron ore has doubled, it is lost to so many people that the prices of components of what they buy is skyrocketing. It will take time for this to hit them between the eyes, but the increases have taken place. Corn, gas, soybeans, and less obviously house prices and stocks, which people erroneously think are “good” increases.

Picture of the day.
Danakil Depression, Ethiopia.
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           Another break, I need more shade to work in the yard. Here’s picture of something odd, can you guess what it is? It’s a steer roping practice dummy. Tells you today’s “cowboys” can’t pass the physical for the real thing. Today I got six 2x6” planks out of the attic and the extra cross-braces needed for the plywood race is now installed. I see I have enough planks to reinforce the roof against all but the largest limbs, but again, the shed is only speculation. And I found the chain saw. By overestimating how big it was, I did not look directly under the box I had build for the saber saw. When I grabbed that to get some roots out of the way, there was my chain saw.

           This will speed things up in the yard, I need to pick a dark and soggy night to work the burn barrel. I’m watching the older version of “Bridge on the River Kwai”, historically inaccurate but a well-made production nonetheless. The attic fan is still out, to make the replacement process safer, I’m going to permanently attach the plywood to the rafters. The lights make it possible to work at night. If you see pictures, it means I gathered the energy to get the camera out in this weather. Yep, insulating and soundproofing this place was a good move. If I ever finish the renovations, this place is good for another 40 years.

           I checked out more lumber prices and I’ll tell you what is funny. The people at the lumber yards don’t know why prices blew up. You’d think being in the industry they would at least hear rumors. But nope, that’s like expecting a clerk at the highway gas station to know how far it is to the next town. What I heard was the increase had nothing to do with COVID, but that’s one hell of a coincidence. On the other hand, the effects of COVID on the economy, says Trinity Building Systems has caused a huge increase in demand as people at home get to renovating and improving.

           That would not cause a tripling of prices, so I say there is some collusion. You see, people didn’t instantly start buying lumber. There would have been a slump right after the shutdowns began. There would have been a glut of lumber. Something isn’t adding up. Here’s a photo of the phantom shed that has only been talked about. Just because the base is laid out, squared, and leveled doesn’t mean the go ahead.

           Shown here, the deck would require two sheets of flooring. Every source says the lumber will drop in price. It seems other building components have not soared, just construction lumber. What’s shown here hasn’t cost even $50 out of pocket this year. ($41.13 to be exact.) Note the effects of my new-found experience and having the right tools is an untold wonder for me. It looks like I’m practicing to build that laundry lean-to on the house, doesn’t it? Tomorrow I will price out hurricane anchors, despite dozens of reports none of them really work all that well. They would not hurt.
           Another idea might be the shed is directly between two huge trees. With a little creative thought, might those not be turned into a super anchor? Drill a hole through the center, insert a massive eyebolt, and clamp the thing down solid. It would also be reassuring to have something that solid on hand just in case. That windstorm last week was predicted, it seems. This is to be a jumbo hurricane season. I heard 17 as the projected count. Florida’s urban renewal program.

ADDENDUM
           The Reb called, I think we are due for some visiting but the economy means we do this our way. Her getaway last Xmas did wonders for morale. It also changed the personality of the small dog, he is much less confident, I guess you could express it like that. So if she plans any trips, bringing the doggie here with me means all that needs tending is the cats and they are a breeze. They could care less for company. It’s a big change, bringing the doggie here but it creates a lot of options we had never planned on, remember we are not an item in the strict sense. But I would not trade her for the world. This, folks, is why there will never be another Reb.
           I talked to Agt. R. The house he was building in Brooksville came to a standstill over prices. He’s here doing better at his own light contracting than any local job. Time permitting, we’ll fire up the hotdog cart, but I’m not going to have any spare time until October. Some retirement, huh?

           I saw the River Kwai movie when I was a kid, it was action. But this time, I found it rather intense in spots. It’s obvious to me now that living a few years in the jungle made lots of the movie closer to home. Except the lack of bugs and leeches, they’ve done a respectable job of it. Also, the lingo and local languages are accurate, as are the boat designs, fashions, and general detail. It shows somebody did their research. I found I had to stop the movie regularly to ponder what I just saw. I had a chance while in Thailand to visit the site, but it didn’t interest me at the time. I was dating Nom Chuck Tauw and had very little time for going to see abandoned railway bridges.

Last Laugh