June 7, 2023

Yesteryear
One year ago today: June 7, 2022, no flowers or fruit.
Five years ago today: June 7, 2018, a skinny hippie, I was.
Nine years ago today: June 7, 2014, I want a table saw.
Random years ago today: June 7, 2007, Eatmore, 48 years ago, married.

           The mower has a regular auto battery, which is plenty for this purpose. You know, I still don’t know how to start and drive that mower? However, I think I have a solid buyer for it, the guy that runs Inglewood. He’s been leasing a tractor which, except for the maintenance being somebody else’s headache, is not the greatest business model. Let’s wheel the thing over by the front door and commence to repairs.

           Later, we have the old pump disconnected. John Deere, in their wisdom, seems to have attached it with one-way plastic clips. Hence, the plan is to leave it in place and use the old bladder hose to lengthen the fuel line to where the new pump can be mounted on the chassis. Steel yourself for the news that, removing the old filter, I got gasoline splashed on these bass-playing hands. Some dirt and grease as well. I thought that’s what stupid kid brothers were for. I took a break right after that, plugging the old lines with wooden golf tees.

           Now the electrical. Find the hot wire, y’know, hold up on that. From experience, we know the electrical can take as long as the mechanical, so how about a coffee break. It’s 11:30AM and here’s a picture of the pump ready to install. Robot club quality shines through, note the hose clamps replacing the spring clamps, there is a fuse you can’t see, and the brass metal hose splice is just visible.
           I would say this is not my favorite work and a lot of it meant lying on the ground. Another reason I don’t like spring clips is they are too easy to lose when working in the field. The pump is now mounted inside the housing around the battery. Rather than automotive wire, which is relatively inflexible, I dug around and found some 12 gauge speaker wire. I’ll solder in some spade ends. That, and I left the old pump in place, should make life easier for any repairs down the line. I hate [admitting] it, but this bit of work put me into a mood for a power nap.

           For reasons unknown, this pump install has taken the attention of the folks in Miami. JZ called twice. (See addendum.) I have no info on why they’d be interested. It could be because I stand to make some cash on the deal or because some don’t believe I have the skills to do the work. He wanted a full report so I’m glad I took around 30 pictures of the work so far.

           In another fake shortage, cancer drugs are being choked off by the hospital system. Remember, each senior that dies saves social security millions. Some slick operator sold millions in counterfeit computer gear in Florida, which gave me a belly-laugh. It serves those dismal buyers right, I was sick and tired of their phony “computer expert” claims since day one. They don’t know shit about computers and this proves not one of them had a clue. I say it is the same everywhere, these people are uneducated. The con man made hundreds of millions and faces as little as 4 years in jail over it. Ha! (He stuck genuine “Cisco” stickers over cheap Chinese knockoffs for almost ten years before these “whiz kids” caught on.)

           Later, here is a view of the fuel pump bolted onto the chassis. My neighbor is gone to Washington State, where the Nez Pierce tribe is holding a memorial for his wife. She was a long-term volunteer. I’ll keep an eye on things here. It could be we’ll invite more people to watch the Gunsmoke videos, he’s got a small theater set up in his house. I’m all for it, as he’s got a K-cup coffee maker and that’s about all it takes to make me happy. IN other news, New Jersey built a solar array on their water reservoir. That should be fine until the first winter storm. The Pentagon has deployed UFO sensors, for example, radar that tracks objects faster than Mach 7. Air Force pilot recruitment has fallen below the ten-year replacement window. Tehran announces a hypersonic missile that can hit Tel Aviv in seven minutes. A self-driving car has killed a dog. Apple shuns virtual reality and pushes the term “mixed reality”. Malwarebytes, the anti-virus people, are in hot water for calling a rival’s software “unwanted”. And satellite photos show 65 forest fires started all over Quebec at precisely the same time.

Picture of the day.
Utah, apparently.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           I got stung by a millennial label scam. Normally I read the detail, but this was a product that has not outwardly changed in years. I read it once, but something caught my eye this morning. The packet felt different. Here is the label. For who knows how long, I thought this was a maximum 160 calorie breakfast. I did not mind the sugar content at that low figure. There was a change, if you can spot it. The serving size per packet is now 2, I should have been suspicious when soup started this labeling scam. And extra line is added above the serving size and I missed it. There are now 2 servings per packet, that is, 360 calories. At that point I’d rather have eggs and toast. Azzholes.

           Dumb as it is, England is on the verge of a guaranteed income, something like $2,000 per month. They can’t afford it, so what is the catch? It makes every person dependent on the government and with a national IQ down in the mid-90s, most of England will go for it. A Texas man has been arrested for charging illegal immigrants $200 per head to lead them to sanctuary, and then sending them to ICE camps. The problem is, this is not illegal, so what has he been charged with? Nobody knows, only that he’s been arrested.
           That screwball Pence has announced he’s running for President. I don’t know the details but neither him or DeSantis stand a chance unless the cheating is on such a scale that it may just be too expensive for the Democrats. A strange choice as Pence is universally hated by the sizeable Trump faction. And as for the people facing punishment using their PayPal records, it serves them right, it’s their own fault. Next time, use cash. What, can’t do that any more? That’s also your own fault.

           A blast of wind and big rainstorm brought the fuel pump install to an abrupt halt. Fine, as you see, the blog is caught up since last Saturday, lots of photos for you. The Reb called, everybody’s lonesome again, not to be confused with lonely. People like us have never had time for lonely. I’m still off kilter from the 18-hour drive, I think a quiet evening is in order. By quiet, I mean let’s study something. And drink a lot of coffee. Kind of like my university days. Reading and coffee, the real student’s combination. Your call on what we research, you have three minutes to come up with something.

           I have nothing else for you, so here is a panel of pictures that will find its way to JZ in response to his contention that this task is impossible for me. He missed the entire robot club era when he could have been learning this stuff, boo-hoo.

ADDENDUM
           JZ later called again and he’s got financial news. He’s lost a bit of hard money this year, but he’ll bounce back. Of course he is outraged, but things cost money and if he does not invest, it comes out of his own pocket. Same for everyone except the rich, who live in a world where the final costs, including taxes, are passed on to the working class. Speaking of that, the rules have finally changed for food stamps. You have to be working and earning between $13,000 and $30,000 per year. That will heavily impact a few people I know of, but indirectly since I don’t normally associate with welfare cases.
           JZ is heavily influenced by family, and it is a large and powerful family. We know this is always a trade-off. The last crop of Boomers, the 1965 crowd, even the ones who became professionals, never did stop thinking like they worked for a living. You cannot tax the truly rich, because they simply pass the cost on. Like those stupid New Yorkers who were outraged when they voted to tax the landlords and their rent went up.

           We don’t talk dollar amounts, but it is conservative to say JZ’s income is more than twice mine. I’ve counseled him for years to invest “about $30 per day” just in case something ever came up that hit him in the wallet. Yes, family is nice and they will help, but there are always strings attached. I’ve also advised him to move out of the city and the only realistic possibility there means to move into my spare room. Mind you, within days he’ll find he’s prime bachelor material and Petunia has more than once mentioned she regretted not taking the first offer. Dollar-wise, it will take JZ a year to make good and by then he’ll be comfortable, but he will never catch up. This is not doom, as other connections remain for him.
           I kind of walked him through the past ten years. Both our situations changed from working to retirement in 2012, although mine was more gradual. From that standpoint, our meaningful totals have not changed in ten years and that is technically in our favor. Others have fallen behind and now inflation is kind of letting them know it. JZ does not understand precisely that $200,000 a year is not big money any more. Below that, it’s a mad scramble to meet all the needs, since you can’t just cover the expenses each month like somebody working a lumber mill in Idaho. That world is long gone, everybody is on file somewhere and a potential victim of the system.

Last Laugh