September 13, 2022

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 13, 2021, dignified wages, huh?
Five years ago today: September 13, 2017, dangerously insane.
Nine years ago today: September 13, 2013, my no-go dating club.
Random years ago today: September 13, 2016, Amtrack coincidence.

           Such a deal, today I won’t mention sawhorses. Up at my usual 5:30AM, this time I didn’t crawl back in the sack. I mean, isn’t that what retirement is all about? How would I know? If all goes as planned we get that copper piping done, leaving only that new hot water tank as the big deal. That’s your choices, sawhorses or water tanks. Let’s check the news feeds, since this blog is so great at rehashing things down into layman’s terms. Like how after Jan 1, 2023, most “black” crimes become non-detainable offenses. They can mug, rob, assault, and run you over in their car, then be released immediately. If you attempt to defend yourself, you can be charged.

           This is explainable because the regime is collapsing. Black sports teams are crying racism when they lose to White teams. Gold takes a dive, but only $25. Ah, the church bells are back, if I didn’t say there was another power failure late y’day. This did not prevent my electric bill from doubling last month. The bill comes in two “tiers” and the effect was going from an average of $61 per month to $120.

           Zipping downtown to pay it, I ran into my real estate lady, who was on her way for coffee, who reports all her people got the same increase, plus the city now demands a copy of the lease before connecting any services. You will live in the box they create for you. I’ve concluded we are the only two sane people in central Florida.
           We yakked until past 10:00AM and stepping back outside told me that was not a wise move for getting work done. The weather if beyond full blast, I’ll do what I can but that KIA door handle is going to wait. Put it on record I really did try to get out there. Instead, I kept inside and researched some material on the Red Army as they entered Germany from the east in WWII. We’ve heard tales of the Asiatics stealing the light bulbs and hot water taps, but what about the communist-led front line Russians?

           That’s quite an episode and I can barely cover the surface. The troops were bewildered that the Germans had so many “barons”. They had been told the Soviet Union was paradise, and now they suddenly find stone houses with gardens, running water, paved streets, and in almost every living room they found a piano. The Soviet censors had to intercept almost every letter home when the troops began asking how every town had apple trees and parks.
           Oddly, the commissars had to confiscate German postcards. The Red Army lacked paper for the troops to write home and used the postcards they found in German houses. These often had scenes of German prosperity. The situation got worse when the Red Army reached the cities and saw other signs of wealth. Leading troops put everything to the torch, leaving nothing for the regulars to see. However, the millions of prisoners of war knew contrary to post-war propaganda, they had been treated better in Germany than by the communists. They were largely sent to the gulags.

           Through all, the fallacy persists that the Soviets had better tanks than the Germans. This is the old speed-weight-armor comparisons that don’t understand one simple fact. The German tanks were not designed to fight other tanks. They had tested that formula and it was found wanting. The German tanks were meant more as “bunker busters” to get the infantry through the front lines and into open country. If enemy tanks were encountered, they were lured into artillery anti-tank traps. True, they were surprised by the T-34 because it was designed for tank-vs-tank battles, not because it was bigger and heavier than their own machines.
           Here is my version of the hot water taps. These are called check valves and various other plumbing terminology. They were what was available when I needed them or on sale. This shows just the stem, removed so that the solder heat does not damage the plastic washers visible here. Ah, you see, I did read the directions. These are a curious valve with a small nipple that allows the non-pressurized side of the line to be drained when the water is shut off.

Picture of the day.
A.I.-generated paintings.
(banned from art shows)
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           In my most ambitious copper piping project ever, I commenced to creating bathroom faucets. For those who missed the beginiing, there were no store-bought fixtures that would both reach over the bowls and clear the medicine cabinet doors. No raising the cabinets, people here are normal height. No lowering the bowls as every cubic inch of space in that room is precious. My only concession is that I would not run plastic pipe, hey, cabin or not, this place has to have a little class. I prefabbed the faucet assemblies, they will share a common water source each of hot and cold. The bare pipes will run along the wall above the counter, just far enough to keep the temperatures from interfering.

           Naturally, for me anyway, this took five times longer than with experience. It took a while to learn the different soldering temperatures of the fixtures to the pipes and some of the joints were pretty iffy. I followed the instructions exactly but as you know, instructions have the mistakes edited out. Here is the tarnished pipes, they’ve been in storage for years. The entire assembly is being made from pieces already here except one set of Sharkbite™ connectors.
           These are a couple of stems with the ends cleaned, that I know how to do. Next photo is the basic design, the spout is as simple as it gets, and the T-joint is needed to get the taps (faucets) around the side to the sinks. They are bowl shaped to avoid long waits for water to get deep enough to wash with rectangular models, plus they do look a little nicer. The pliers indicate the pipes are still hot. I splattered more solder than for looks and have not way to pressure test these joints so wish me luck.

           Inside, the holes drilled through the countertop did not clear the drain pipes, so I will have to drill special holes at an angle. Working with plastic is not bad but copper makes me glad enough I never went into plumbing. The trade was designed by madmen with no regard to dangerous materials or fumes. My shed is super ventilated and I regularly got whiffs of smoke that were surely poisonous.
           The exposed piping is to be held in place with ordinary copper straps. If the pipes rattle, more straps. The bathroom décor is “early outhouse” so I may continue running in new shower pieces in copper depending on how well the faucet assemblies give that rustic look. Adding up the parts and labor, doing things this way is no savings, but spread the course out long enough that the cost seems negligible. In the off moments I swept out the area for the new hot water tank and notice a spot of damage not seen before. It’s probably nothing since it is the tin housing and not any working parts. The price was right and with the ambient tank I’ve calculated a full hour of hot water before any strain on the system.

           That does not apply to electricity. I ran the numbers on a spreadsheet and the cost as doubled. My biggest single use of the utility is the water heater. Everything else in the house is 75 watt bulbs and computer gear or similar. Something tells me that tank is about to become a real money-saver. I use the tools but per month that is measured in minutes per week, not hours. It’s getting dark early again. I was going to go downtown, but then I remembered a couple of Yueng-lings in the cooler and opted to make a macaroni casserole. That’s where I am right how, taking it easy. I’m watching some of the newly released [World War II] archive footage that is finally showing up on-line. I see the slowness of these documentaries may be that the footage is not all that interesting or new. No real reason to censor it for ten years much less sixty.
           It is well-established that it was not the weapons that were advanced on the German side when the war started, but the way they were used. My interest is and remains the weapons, however, not so much the rest. With the current shift to wonder-weapons, I would not longer made much of an officer, but I’d be one crackerjack quartermaster.

           As the stock market lost another trillion, I relax with my final cup of coffee for the day. But don’t relax too much, as DC sent the secret police to raid Mike Lindell, the pillow guy, and confiscate his cell phone. We are now truly the laughing stock of the world, but it shows how long and hard the communist operatives have been infiltrating the system. Except for the 16% minority of the party faithful, nobody trusts the Deep State any more.
           And a survey in Sweden shows that 80% of the “refugees” who live there have taken vacations in the countries they supposedly fled from in fear of their lives.

ADDENDUM
           It may be due to a soft life, but it seems it isn’t the loss of freedom or rights that fires up most Americans, but rising prices. The hardships for most have just started and hardest hit are those with no backups and no alternatives. Don’t look to me for any mercy, I had go forego things far worse than that bunch, whining about the cable bill, Starbucks prices, and interest rates. You got money to tattoos and smart phones, don’t tell me it’s hard times. I sacrifice early marriage, buying a house when they were affordable, and spent the remainder of my youth in night school.

Last Laugh