One year ago today: November 2, 2023, less than 2%.
Five years ago today: November 2, 2019, a defining characteristic.
Nine years ago today: November 2, 2015, distancewise.
Random years ago today: November 2, 1994, hurricane wreckage, Venezuela.
Up at dawn and immediately millennialized. I must drop into Winter Haven to settle affairs before I head out, could be as soon as Tuesday, election day. So, I figured why not drop off my pet food donation on the way? Drive over, pull up, park, walk to the door and there is the tiny sign Saturdays now open at 10:00AM. That’s too long to wait, but if I go to the bank first, I will have to double back, making this a two-hour 78 mile round trip. And that is what happened. Here is this month’s donation to the doggie shelter. Yes, this is the one where they put the animals down if not adopted. The one most people ignore because there is an SPCA nearby. The 44 lb bag is on its side because I can't lift it, okay? A pity for me, especially when the shelter sends a 25 year old gal to carry it for me.
In one of those quirks that outsiders may not understand, a squirrel may have done more to cost the Democrats the election than all the other troubles. You see, Americans have pets and you do not mess with pets. Some guy adopted an orphan baby squirrel and the Feds sent in the Dept. of Wildlife to grab and kill it. That got people’s dander up. Of course the squeals from the left say that’s because White people care more about squirrels than the lives of Black men Maybe nobody explained to them that the squirrel was not responsible for the situation. And Americans have had it up to here with the sob stories.
I’ll finish most of it today but honestly, this back problem has become service affecting and I don’t know what to do about it. Either spring for a place to stay in Miami or have the procedure done locally by people I do not know. At least in Maimi, the staff at Memorial know me. My insurance has bought them all new sports cars by now. I am not able to work even a fraction of the way I was able even six months ago.
Beautiful British Columbia.
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Wow, my sleep quota is up. Every nap now turns into a couple of hours. Hey, it had to happen, but I’m out there this afternoon getting that van ready. Listening very closely to that manifold rattle, I have not been able to locate a place that will stick weld it. The upcoming trip will thus be taking another chance. I know, if I had taken the $10,000+ I’ve spent on vehicles since the Town & Country, I’d have something nice by now. All I can say is I would have had to come up with the $10,000 at once and I likely could not have done so at any point during said time period.
Other items include that $4 CD player that never quite played tapes right. Here it is, the CD player checks out on the shop bench. We shall see if it makes the trip as I have no intention of speeding. She still has company up there and I don’t mind if the situation reminds her that the pets can tell those people are not family. This will be the budget trip of the decade so expect a lot of time in the library.
Because of the time put in applying finishes to my boxes now, that has become the primary edge of my curiosity and learning for a while. I’m doing some extensive reading on how to do the calculations for biasing transistors and understand what I’ve been looking at is a small category of not amplifier circuits, but what are called pre-amp circuits. How nice of the people who wrote the text to give us the opportunity to find that out for ourselves the hard way. It seems very weak signals, such as those from a microphone or guitar pickup need a boost up to line level where a proper amp circuit can use them. Nonetheless, I’m committed to learning what I’ve got.
More fun is the way I’ve found to scent the boxes. Sometimes pallet wood can have a stale odor, so long ago I learned to sprinkle some powdered spice on the interior. Various ways will work, one of the best is a quick shot of adhesive, then quickly dust the wood. It is effective years later and a big container of ground cloves that I mistook for cinnamon is really effective. These seem to work even after stain and poly finish is applied, leaving a faint aroma (though it is fest when the box is freshly opened and fades rapidly if left open).
I hope to find a way to scent the wood with other popular products. I tend to have two or three unassembled boxes at any given time and can determine the best stage to apply this treatment. It is already known sprays do not work and the best technique is to use the actual powdered spice which tends to be wood-colored. Foreseeing I will run out of that expensive commodity, I have another product, but it is grainy and does not match in color. On the positive side, it is virtually free and I love the fragrance --coffee grounds. So far, I have failed because the grains cannot be directly applied like the spices. I’ve tried powdering the grains in a blender but they change the color of the stain.
So there is another technology we can investigate. I recall reading that perfume and flavor manufacturers use alcohols to extract desired effects. And have I not read that artsy-craftsy people make various tinctures and even home remedies this way? Well, why not coffee? Right now, I have two small boxes packed with grounds to see if that will impart a nose to the wood. I’ve done it before a few days, this time will be weeks. Anyway, something to think about for when this election is over and some form of normalcy returns. Instead of being clobbered 24/7 with politics, I mean.
In one of those quirks that outsiders may not understand, a squirrel may have done more to cost the Democrats the election than all the other troubles. You see, Americans have pets and you do not mess with pets. Some guy adopted an orphan baby squirrel and the Feds sent in the Dept. of Wildlife to grab and kill it. That got people’s dander up. Of course the squeals from the left say that’s because White people care more about squirrels than the lives of Black men Maybe nobody explained to them that the squirrel was not responsible for the situation. And Americans have had it up to here with the sob stories.
ADDENDUM
One of the cans with a white cap turned out to be not paint. It’s description, the Holy Grail of this blog. Clippercide, and it says it’s bactericidal, fungicidal, virucidal and tuberculodial. A spray that disinfects barber tools. I read the ingredients and it is two types of ordinary alcohol in a mild oil, so it also claims to make your clippers last longer. It’s a stronger than usual so I sprayed it on my hands and yep, it is great paint remover.
Ah, but you want the headliner, the stain colors. I know by now some of you out there in the blog-o-verse have become itinerant box makers by now, living the dream vicariously through my sawdust adventures. Here goes, and how is this for color names geared to appeal to the ancient craftsmen who have all but disappeared.
Cherry
Early American
Provincial
Jacobean
Sedona Red
Special Walnut
Golden Pecan
Ebony
Gunstock
Summer Oak
Colonial Maple
Red Mahogany
Barn Red
