May 29, 2023

Yesteryear
One year ago today: May 29, 2022, detailed & realistic . . . .
Five years ago today: May 29, 2018, my greatest Karaoke hit.
Nine years ago today: May 29, 2014, this blog DOES NOT:
Random years ago today: May 29, 2009, the best tenant.

           Some good news. I found that air compressor I thought was out of production. The Harbor Freight in East Nashville had them. They are an odd item a 110 psi in a market dominated by 125 psi. But this using really cranks it to that 110 and keep it there at about the pace that I use the nail punch. So I drove out to Woodbine where I know there are pallets and picked up four that looked like new lumber. Argh, there were around 30 1x4x each 16 feet long and I had no way to carry them. The van is only 14 feet long. Also, the pallets were between two buildings and now I know exactly what that smell is back there. Tennessee skunk.

           I also picked up new security light for the Reb’s yard. It’s strange how the building owner, although he runs a renovation business (or something similar), seems to have Mickey Moused almost everything in this place. The power is an old extension cord with the end bucked off and wired up with Marr connectors. The sensor works, I can see the light, but the contraption uses some kind of weird 150 watt bulb and quits for no apparent reason. The plan is I’ll install a property octobox and wire up a whole new unit and be done with it.
           Shown here is a small but complete setup for dismantling the pallets. These are the four I picked out because they had the best lumber. And from the, they are separated into two piles, one top quality for boxes, the others can become anything from picture frames to birdhouses. I completed the puzzle and there should be a shot of me gluing the finished product onto a backing sheet. They sell so-called professional material for this at twelve times the cost.

           The Reb is out of town until tomorrow, so I hauled out all kinds of noisy tools and took a tour of that back yard. The dog is getting out, which explains the skunk. But visual inspection yields nothing, and the doggies’ is way too smart to do it while we are watching. To lower his guard, I left him in the yard for several hours. He’s on to me. The Turtle also gets to spend the time outdoors, so that makes up for the effort. He remains, years later, fascinated with exploring the turtle cage. Um, that was never intended to last this long so remind me it’s going to need regular painting.
           The big doggie has picked up on the special status of the wee turtle. He has sensed JeePee is a prized possession and has become very protective any time the turtle is in the back yard. I’ll try for some video, the way he bristles on anything approaching the turtle play box and the way he will regularly get up from naps to check if JeePee is doing okay. See picture below.

           That ladder in the back yard, I do not trust it. I suppose it is fine but wooden ladders tend to not show any defects until your foot goes through. That old spotlight seems fine. Either way, I’m taking it down and replacing the entire unit. I stopped to pick up a waterproof plastic housing. The old unit is attached directly to the wooden siding on the porch.

Picture of the day.
Lada (Russian) car stamping machines.
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           It’s something I’ve mentioned, how the Jesus freaks are getting super good at movie-making. Not the cinematics, but the annoying push. Everybody in America has heard the Jesus story up to their gills. This idea of “spreading the word” is long past the saturation point in this country. So anybody that’s doing it is just being a prick. What’s happening is a spate of movies that appear to be drama or action, it’s when you’ve committed more than a half-hour that they make their move. Sliding in the “bible story” like nobody will notice. Bunch of assholes. Actually, I grabbed the jacket and read the blurb, it does sort of tip you off. The DVD is called “The Final Question”. I thought it was about Roman legions putting down rebellion.

           Instead, I found the book about crossing the Pacific informative enough that I’m re-reading selected chapters. The facts are well researched and it’s interesting to read similarities between 1500s Portugal and 2000s America, in that stupid people through the ages share identical properties and personalities, cause the same problems, and spend their lives interfering with anyone trying to succeed. It’s as if my family had taken lessons.

           Every so often, you get a pallet where the nails will not release. Or, the closely related problem where the boards will split. The solution is get out the circular saw and trim out the pieces that you want, shown here. I estimate these four pallets produced around $200 value in lumber if you had to buy it downtown.

           It was getting dark as I wrapped up, I may have overdone things. We’ll know in the morning. Back for more coffee inside. I could use more reading material but I’ve already picked through most of the local Thrifts for all the good stuff. Maybe tomorrow I’ll try Books-a-Million, but they have gone the Barnes & Noble route, which is completely downhill. It’s been years since they carried any books or magazines about electronics or robots. There’s also a saddening shift in the store contents. There is no longer a craft section in most locations, rather the few do-it-yourself books available are lumped in with the reference section.

           Worse, the craft section has been replaced by wierdo categories such as “Christian Living” and “Christian Fiction”. I mean, just what the hell is Christian fiction?

Last Laugh