February 23, 2025

Yesteryear
One year ago today: February 23, 2024, the tube place.
Five years ago today: February 23, 2020, with deer trails.
Nine years ago today: February 23, 2016, a no-frills trip.
Random years ago today: February 23, 2001, $50 tip.

           Should I allocate money for a new camera? Again, the yard was full of birdies again this morning. Even the spotless cleaned window panes catch their shadow in the morning sun, but my dinky Polaroid ID757 has some sort of polarized lens that won’t show it. My guess is four or five breeding pairs, not including the solitary female downey woodpecker. A morning of double-dipped French toast, unlimited coffee, and an easy day. More boxes are in order, I have some plans to slightly modify the design again. The tubes fit a bit tight and an extra quarter-inch makes them suitable for document storage. I’m learning.

           Glancing ahead on my wall calendar, what was it I was supposed to remember about March 8? It was important and it did not get marked—showing that even an extensive archive like this blog can sometimes be no help. It has two weeks to hit me, and it will. If you need to do some sleuthing, the calendar note just says “130 miles”, and it is not Skycraft.

           Here’s a view of the wild goats at the Flea Market, see the doggie going just insane. This photo is misleading, the goats are in a fenced compound but they are not tame. Here’s your goat trivia. The feral pigs in Florida will kill and eat goats. Goats won’t eat any fruit that contains a pit. Speaking of old goats, here’s another survey of the things old people regret the most, statistically. The subtitle is things they wish they had not wasted time on.

A) not asking for help
B) trying to make bad relationships work
C) dwelling on mistakes & shortcomings
D) worrying too much about other people

           I’m definitely not guilty of B and D. I do base a lot of future decisions on what did not work in the past, so C applies. Now, A is curious. I don’t ask for help, but the implication is that one is surrounded by people who can help. In my situation that rule is iffy, but I would like to meet the gal who can help me with navigation, assembler, bass playing, electronics, writing, research, and power investing. I’d marry her on the spot.

           Here’s something interesting. StripeSnoop has published a Windows version. This could be old news, as I have strong reasons for preferring DOS for such activity. StripeSnoop is a magnetic stripe reader, like the stripes on old credit cards. But instead of scanning the data into your billing terminal, you connect it to your 386 computer and read the data. (Sometimes it is in Hex, but there are people who can read that, too, ahem.) I admit to using it only for looking at the balance of any old gift cards. I stumbled across this Windows app while looking for some sample Assembler language math functions (they are not built in, you have to code math functions yourself).
           There are actually three strips on the card. Mostly the first is used, bearing the card number, customer name, and expiry date. It’s the other two strips you should be wary of. I have seen addresses, birth dates, social security numbers, and the card PIN numbers in there. While chips have mostly replaced the strips, it’s amazing how many people keep their old cards or just toss them. The reader is actually an ordinary 74541 integrated circuit, shown here. The chip is about $5 bucks on eBay. The knowledge to use it, well, that costs a lot more.

Picture of the day.
Dynamite factory.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           This afternoon, I’ve got more to record. At a cost of less than $30, I got half the laundry deck boarded in, with a window. It’s fence pickets, but that keeps it inconspicuous. Three hours includes clearing the space, moving the lumber, measuring, and cutting. Siding s a two-man job if you want productivity, instead I took it easy, even adding some exterior trim around the window so it looks nicer. As you see from the photos, I’ve learned. Conditions were ideal, 78°F, light wind, slightly overcast.

           I also put a cheap and fast canopy over the old storage shelves, stuff like insecticides and things I don’t like keeping in the shed. You can see the canopy in the upper right corner, these five boards and their frame too another hour. That’s because it meant climbing the ladder. The window opening is just wherever it was convenient to leave a hole. Nice work.

           Just you watch, when I get a new A/C for the front bedroom, it will be a tight squeeze because I was in a hurry and didn’t measure every clearance. This is dusty work where every thing goes wrong. But that pneumatic stapler is a major convenience. Most liked is how you can get a board started with two hands, by just holding one corner in place. And again, having all the right tools cannot be beat.
           This job, if you count stringing out the cables and hoses of the compressor, required nine tools. They are:

1. Electric chain saw
2. Pilot hole drill
3. Screwdriver drill
4. Bubble level
5. Hammer
6. Chop saw
7. Pneumatic stapler
8. Compressor
9. Ladder

           A half gallon of peach tea but four cups of coffee. I did not take any real breaks, I don’t feel the need. It was the usual work on existing structures, things go wrong, tools don’t just fall off the bench. They hit something, break something, or knock over the tray with all the screws you must saved. But, it’s half done and what is with the window? (The window is hard to see, but it’s there.) I can explain. Once the original deck was done, there was a discovery. It was the most pleasant shaded place to work. It is covered by the shade of the largest trees and the drifts of leaves are due to it being a natural breezeway. While shady, this demonstrates the deck in naturally well-lit.

           Every time I do laundry, I’m tempted to stay out there. But I’d get bored which is worse for me than working hard. If it is so nice, why did I leave it as a laundry room? Location. Nice as it is, there is no access from the house to make it into a patio. Nice as it is out there, if you want another beer or to take a pee, you have to march around the whole building and back. Besides, the washer and dryer make it too small for anything else—but don’t rule out setting up a radio or some speakers out there. That would be quite nice because alongside the deck is the small chop saw and the area is equally nice for outdoor bench work.

           I’m nearing the end of the Jason Bourne movie. It’s interesting the leading lady is portrayed as Canadian, as this movie is dated around the time that it is generally agreed American women had become, you know, blue-green streaks and freaks. Of course, he’s a spy, so she gets him in the sack. There’s ten minutes left and they are still on the run. Well, isn’t that a disappointment. The movie ends as she goes to the bank. To be continued, but no link. Let me grab another coffee and I’ll find it. Ah, here we go.
           It stays light enough to work into the evening, so I put the tools away and slapped together another box out of the thicker fence panels. I was right, the design does not scale up very well. The boxes are still useful but don’t look right. By 7:00PM I’m back inside, yawning. I read some social media but I don’t know who half the people are. I know MSNBC is tanking, I don’t need to know the name of the flunkies. Seems the Disney movie with the black Capt. America isn’t doing so well. And here’s one, the Left, reeling under the DOGE audit, is now trying to make a big deal that Elon’s whiz kid is the grandson of a KGB spy. America doesn’t care.

ADDENDUM

           I did not remember to set up the deer camera and missed all sorts of birdie antics. The juvenile woodpecker has figured out that Mrs. Red always has a blind side on the feeder. There are some occasional visitors that drop down from the tree limb rather than sail in from the sides. The birdbath is the focal point on this kind of day. I’ve seen a mid-size dark colored bird that’s gone long before I can reach for the camera. Very skittish, but I think it is a dark blue.
           All of these birds are rather constantly challenging the red cardinals for the space, but the cardinals reign supreme. As soon as they move away, there are two or three other species in the bath or on the feeder. Next trip to Wal*Mart, I’ll get more of the orange-infused budgie seed. That is such a favorite, I’ve taken to cutting it half-and-half with regular seed. It’s kind of pricey to feed larger birds.

           And this last photo is the “roof” of the sidecar shelter. It is covered with scrap lumber for a reason Under the pile is a sheet of red corrugated roofing It used to rest on the sidecar and over time it warped to that shape. I want it flat again and you didn’t see it before, but the lumber is doing a fine job of it. Good, I need that lumber. I found a site that gives advice on what to do if you win the lottery. The common trait is they say don’t tell anybody. They don’t explain how that is possible with the lottery.

Last Laugh