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Yesteryear

Saturday, September 19, 2026

September 19, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 19, 2025, here’s Mitch.
Five years ago today: September 19, 2021, Chinese stopwatch.
Nine years ago today: September 19, 2017, useless circles.r
Random years ago today: September 19, 2007, remember the Woodbine?

           These are the two routers with missing caps. Easiest to see is the one on the left that should have a large yellow-striped plastic cap over the expose spinning tab, the one used to stop the spindle when changing bits. This was the original “toothpick” router from 2003, it is over powerful so I will set it up as a semi-permanent millwork piece. Hey, I have all the box-making tools needed for that endeavor.
           My focus is still fixing my clothes dryer. It gets much more use since my stay in Miami altered by body chemistry. It’s not a bad change, but I now perspire twice as easily. I don’t like having to peel my t-shirts away, type of thing. And that hint of caramel, I notice it.

           Today, let’s take it in two stages. Why? Because I intend to visit the old club for their going-out-ot-business party. That will require some energy, plus I’d like the latest gossip. By now Kooters, which I estimate is pocketing $1,000 per day, has looked the joint over. Somebody knows something. I missed some good shots due to a faulty SD card, We have that varmint in the kitchen, or possibly more that one. See addumdum. The question for today is will I find that 94” five-rib 1/4” dryer drum belt?
           It’s Wal*Mart time, I have little choice. Get some coffee, remind me. Did you know the big selection of coffee in their aisle is really only about three companies? And the worst brand, Folger’s, has been around the longest. None of these brands are the original coffee companies, all have been bought out by conglomerates for their advertising an brand-recognition. Folger’s packaging clearly avoids any mention of grind date, altitude, or country of origin. These are what you need to know if you really enjoy your coffee.
           And read the ingredient list on any flavored junk. If there are only two ingredients and the first one is “coffee”, that means it can be only 51% coffee. There is no quality control for the other 49% and many brands use fillers such as chicory, soy, wheat, barley, wood plant fibers, and even the ground up coffee husks. Watch for carmelized sugar additives, it usually means there is corn in your coffee.

           This is interesting. In 2024, the EU put an upper limit of $10,000 for any cash transactions. Now they are shutting down the ATMs. How much longer, folks? Like in America, they swear they won’t ban cash, but continue building the framework to implement it. On that note, I fell asleep until noon, and now I have to get downtown or tomorrow will be a nothing day. And I managed to lose my foot-long drill bit. And remind me to pick up some Tite-Bond III. Then get back here for a nap. Or two.
           Another major corporation pulls operations out of California. Seems it is happening every other day. I don’t know the corporate name but they are the ones who make Santa Rosa packaged food. Satellites show nearly half of Cuba went dark as the power went out.

Picture of the day.
Restored log cabin wall.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Now we know, Wal*Mart no longer sells fan belts in the stores. Order only, and the appliance store over in Bartow is closed on weekends. Good, tells you it is a family business. And guess which belt both Lowe’s and Home Depot are out of? Think I’ll cannibalized the dryer from Tennessee, since I never did find the part to make it work and these days nobody will buy things that need even a minor repair.
           It was mid-evening before I headed down to the old club for the farewell night. And the place was packed with most of the old regulars. From the days when it was packed every weekend, the exact crown that moved on. There was also a large contingent of an entire later generation who sang along to songs I never heard of. With over 40 singers on the list, I was lucky to get one tune in.
           This video is hard to see and harder to interpret, I’ll explain. I normally show up late, as was the case tonight. So I get a chair way in the back, and this is how crowded the place used to be every weekend. The new Karaoke lady does not announce who is after next up, so it can take a while to wade through the crowd when called and you don’t want to miss your turn. If you look closely, you can see the “hand up” local signal that the singer is in the house, wait for him to get to the stage.

           I got in one tune, however, it was quite the tune. Brought down the house. Another noteable aspect [for me] was my subtle effect over all this time. I was an on-off patron for ten years and my influence on the presentation and song choices was everywhere. The staff and jockey are new so they saw nothing, yet it was conspicuous enough. Tunes copied right off my favorites list, including my original Karaoke hit, “Tequila” (complete with the joke about “always forgetting the words” and the undeniably copycat tactic of not looking at the screen).
           Funny thing, I can see Elliott reading this and denying it all. But that’s his nature [to say] “nobody is that great” and it must all be braggedocious imagination. The real telltale sign was that every singer who did what I just said was somebody who has repeatedly seen my show in the past -- but did not do these things before. Explain that one, Elliott and Billy-Bill. What’s more is I am not comparing because I myself have copied [others], rather just pointing out the degree tonight. And now it is all faded to history. (Mind you, I did not copy so blatantly in the same town and without adding something.)

ADDENDUM
           It’s either a small raccoon or an immature possum. If a possum, he’s been hit twice by the rat trap and knows to avoid it. I had set the game camera up over two nights, since the critter can get up onto the stovetop. I have to scrub it before each use. And there is a second critter, light enough to nibble at the bait without setting off the trap. Probably mice. The point is, I set the game camera up two nights in a row and got nothing. The SD card is swapped out, we shall continue until we are rid of this pest.
           The rat trap won’t catch a possum, but it will make his nose pretty sore. I bolstered today with hotcakes for breakfast, but had to make a management decision. Do I make up treats fro the birdies with the batter-splatters, or bait the latest trip? The trap won. The critter is large enough to get out of the rat trap—and do it silently enough I don’t hear a thing.

Last Laugh

Friday, September 18, 2026

September 18, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 18, 2025, circuits, mushrooms, Raselhague.
Five years ago today: September 18, 2021, 71.
Nine years ago today: September 18, 2017, injectors, $550 each.
Random years ago today: September 18, 2006, school boards suck.

           England has told Apple to hand over their encrypted iCloud data, Apple says it will never allow such a thing. I side with Apple, it may be the only thing they’ve done right in thirty years. It’s 5:30AM and pitch black. I also side with coffee, soon as I clear a spot on my stove. That’s the best flat work area in my 18-month overdue kitchen these days. Before we get started, take a look at these K-box prototypes.
           These are pretty close to a finalized design. One has a thumb-hole, the other is plain. Both are identical otherwise, with the number of staples minimized to 26 per unit. The decoration says “Valdosta Limes” because that is what had last been test printed by the laser.
           The other box picture this morning is the production run so far. It shows the boxes can be turned out consistently and inventory can really “stack up” quickly. I need more supplies, slate that for this afternoon, it’s a mild day for this early in the autumn, plus I found a 0% Heineken in the fridge to remind me really have not gone out much lately. It was ice cold and sure tasted good—even if I’m no fan of beer in green bottles.

           Build time on these is pared to less than ten minutes each, not counting the laser. That step is still considered separate. The boxes are glued with the cheapest possible goop, dollar store white glue. It holds remarkably well but I will switch to Bond-Tite III, because if you price it, the per-ounce is roughly the same.
           The biggest time-saver is the bottom panel. It is one solid piece, cut from the same picket and held in place by 10 of the staples, thus needing no adhesive. Once more, the challenge remains selling this things. I lack the patience, and this is Florida. There is nobody else. The total materials works out to less than $3, but that is still too much unless these sell for at least $10 each. Like the original Z-box, a price of $15 is needed to retail these in the small quantities I can produce, or the game is not worth the candle.

           There are two planned changes, which amount to new prototypes. It’s those routers I dug out of the sawdust last evening. These are a rabbet joint for the end pieces. If that is successful, it could lead to a box made of better quality wood. For the same reason, a second plan is to set another router to make box joints. This is experimental at this time, both routers are technically broken. But, I have salvaged the Tennessee router table.
           Later, the neighbor wants to hold another movie night, so count me in. He prefers murder mysteries, alas I had to ask him to give me a call when they fix a time. I fall asleep easy these days. Long ago he gave me a small compressor to see if I could get it working, but the batteries and contacts had corroded out. I got it working this morning. The innards I mean, it is all torn apart and that was tough plastic that had to be cut away in pieces with a power saw. Hunt around for a picture.
           My real estate filter is again getting hits. I set it for a price drop of $30,000 and now I have to shorten the time frame. It’s picking up $420,000 shacks that dropeed to $390,000 since Oct 31, last year. And that is not what I want. I am seeing price drops of $45,000. But only at the most over inflated properties to begin with.

Picture of the day.
Modern dating.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Here is more plastic. This tube has had many plans, ranging from chicken feeder to terrarium, but this time I finally got it apart as a casing for my long awaited seismometer. This thing may be the apparatus that picks up my last thunk. You see, this morning brought on something most unwelcome—spells of lost balance and momentum. Nothing else changed today except I spent the last six hours stumbling and bumping into things. I’m not dizzy, I feel fine. But I’m not.
           It’s fading by early afternoon so I’ll just jot down a quick description. I walked past books and tools on the table and plunk, they are on the floor. Once or twice, so what, but maybe 30 times so far today. I quit before I break something important. Then I remembered Tampa said sunny all day and I had a sheet of panel wood in the yard. I had to saw it in half. Fortunately, nothing went wrong.
           It feels like my system is wearing in to my new heart. It’s my legs and back that get tired. Am I letting my great new pumper overtax the rest of me, parts which have a lot of hard miles on ‘em. If so, don’t complain, it means they lasted well past any warranty period. But it is getting to the stage where I think something else may be wrong. There is an old saying everyone has a million problems until they become ill. Then they only have one.

           How goes my dryer? I was downtown looking for the belt and came back empty-handed after an hour. There are many belts for the smaller 27” drum but mine is the 29”. On line, I found parts diagrams that showed the entire assembly—except the drum belt. It does not get more ass-clown millennial than that. The Wal*Mart site says they have it, but they always say that.
           For the record, the USA doesn’t want Greenland as territory. The issue is to not allow other countries to set up military bases there. Such as China, which is now supporting the Argentine claims to the Falklands. That one isn’t hard to figure out. And Trump has finally banned the worst of the MSN from the White House. Unable to move much, I thought to watch a documentary on the T-34/85.
           This is the Soviet tank with an upgraded turret and the new A.I. schematics that expand these are incredible. Instead, I found a movie titled “T-34”, which except for the “evil nazi” stereotyping, is not a bad production. I learned nothing new from the documentary, but such a video was unheard of until recently.

ADDENDUM
           A judge has allowed a doctor to sue individuals who were hiding behind a “medical board” shield, a perpetual problem in America. They suspended her license for “COVID disinformation” and now she can get them personally. As it should be, none of this “just doing my job” when it is a flagrant abuse of people’s rights.
           Legal wording is unfortunately a matter of interpretation, or so society’s losers would force us to believe. To me, "shall not be infringed" is pretty clear. Here is the disclaimer on my boxes. “Item is ornamental. Suitability for any other purpose is neither expressed nor implied.”

Last Laugh

Thursday, September 17, 2026

September 17, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 17, 2025, anti-tariff shipping fees.
Five years ago today: September 17, 2021, more workspace.
Nine years ago today: September 17, 2017, I bought a car.
Random years ago today: September 17, 2011, privacy is absolute.

           Welcome to Millennial-Land. An Austin rider got taken on a 90-minute city tour in his A.I. taxi, charged him full price, and would not stop for a bathroom break. It’s Redmond all over again, where they know more about what you want than you do. I see women at York College are complaining about not enough protection from the police they voted to defund. (Besides, educated, strong, independent women don’t need men.)
           This is the dissembled dryer drum, hard to see in the long early morning shadows. I beat the heat and got the pieces ready for the new belt and reassembly—provided I can find a belt. I was correct, go on-line and there is not mention of Series 90 belts unless you order them with shipping from some specialty stores at $25 a pop. Seems everything is a swindle on-line.

           I took a close look at that sorry-ass belt that was on there, thinking it maybe had already been repaired once. Nope, the machine screws were factory new and painted in place. Kenmore really did make this piece of shit. The belt is stamped “Made in America” but bears four numbers, none of which are the length of the belf, which is 94”.
           Thanks, Vivitar, I could not get you a good shot of this terrible product. I tried to cross reference the numbers on-line and came
up with nothing. Remember what I said about the Asshole Age, you see, if Kenmore printed the size, somebody for sure would find a cheaper, better belt that is locally available. Can’t have none of that Boomer do-it-yourself manure going on in Genexville.

           It stayed cool well toward noon, so I did some painting and cut some box plates. Yes, I felt energetic but also know that is not always a plus. So I stapled a few utility boxes together and brought the rest inside for laser work. I wish there was some way to make a little cash at this because a year later it turns out I do not mind the work at all. Today’s fictitious logo was “Valdosta Limes”.
                      We have another varmint. This time I think I know how they are getting in, so the game camera is set up with the trap right on the edge of the kitchen stove. I say possum. Did I mention the neighbor took his dryer to the shop because it would not stop squeaking? This was around a month ago. He got zapped for $675. And the squeak is still audible. It is the drum rollers, they need to be hit with silicon spray, not WD-40.

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

           Here’s the perfect coil for my seismometer, that elusive project I’m looked at for years. There was a website you could load in your location and specify which apparatus you were using. I wonder if it still there, did you know it takes three operating locations to pinpoint a quake? I’d like to see that in action. The shock waves do not travel in straight lines. The principle of the device is a shell sturdily attached to the ground. Inside, there is a magnet on a sting, handing above a coil.
           When the ground moves, the magnet stays still, inducing a current. I’m thinking after that, the process is much like doing a celestial navigation fix except there is no North Pole. The transformer is not used as is, I want only the side with the most windings after I take it apart.

           But not today. That dryer drum had to be lifted just enough to clear the rollers. That sapped me, and it is not heavy at all. By now, I should be well along. This correlates with my appetite, the more tired and activity makes me, the more I gain a yeaning for “grain” foods. Bread, pancakes, muffins, biscuits. I thought at first it was psychological since that’s what we got in the hospital. Nope, it is real and I just finished a bowl of cereal in the middle of the afternoon.
           I’m even too tired for coffee, so let’s see what news interests me, if any. McDonald’s stock in plunging, as expected when their prices skyrocketed. Over $4 for a shake worth maybe 50 ȼ. Paramount studios has had it with California, taking $20 billion a year in revenue with them. And over 50,000 jobs. Georgia’s youngest mayor, a black, made it almost ten months before being charged with fraud. Kamela, a sure loser, is eyeing the Democratic nomination for 2028. Why? Because her name is consistently on top of a list—of nobodies. I read that the word “Czechoslovakia” in Russian is slang for “doormat”.

           Later, a cool evening had me in the shed, where I built two K-boxes, the biggest and latest design, purposely using up all my large pickets. These boxes are big enough to prop the laser on top. They can be constructed outside and brought in for decoration later. While out there, I dug out the two “broken” routers and blasted then clean. One is the original “toothpick” router, which is very powerful. That’s because when I bought it I had no idea about what was what. I worked a construction site at the time, so there was nobody to ask, if you get my drift.
           The other is some kind of super-high-speed, both tools check out fully. They are missing plastic housings but I’ve required them to spec and are destined for table work. One to rabbet my boxes, the final design concession, the other to see if I can make box joints. Why not? I also did some design work on the L-box. It is too narrow on the ends for a thumbhole. They do look excellent with knobs but they are a thirsty stain.

ADDENDUM
           We know what the Arduino does when a one-byte counter goes past 32,767. Pretty much nothing. The program keeps on running and the counter drops to -32,768 and starts counting toward 0. I was up late and saw it, but recorded it anyway. If there’s time, I’ll show you. I left it running. Watch closely, the picture is moving.
           And nine years ago, for the first time since around 1987, I bought a car. I had not driven in 14 years (a car, just motorcycles) and had lost my driving “muscle memory”.

Last Laugh

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

September 16, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 16, 2025, Jack, the dodo.
Five years ago today: September 16, 2021,only two breaks.
Nine years ago today: September 16, 2017, the panic aisle.
Random years ago today: September 16, 2015, their own kind.

           More year-end planning says times are going to change for the worse, and millions of retirees are going to get caught empty handed. One Catch-22 is that although there may be some inadequate provisions made for them, it won’t benefit me much as I have so little in common with them. I picked two programs to look into. See addendum, for “Plan 75”. Meanwhile, let’s go look why that dryer isn’t tumbling. My bath towels are in there and it is bloody summer in this neighborhood.
           By noon, I got around half-way. As usual, there is no on-line video for your exact make and model, and there is always some design change that you break or bend in the process. This was tough and dull work, the appliance has to be manhandled. Maybe that is why I have never met anyone who repairs these for a living.

           This repair means a lot of back and forth to the shed, an excellent workout. I got two more F-boxes finished with stain as I look at what the capabilities of my system is. I cam product the F-boxes in fairly matching pairs, which might sell for $10. It just seems a more logical package deal. The Morse count is at 26,703 so we may get the rollover some time tonight. I wondered why over the years the texts go on about the maximum number, but never say what happens. Sure, the counting hits the max, but does it start over. Does it stall? Does the code keep running? Does an error result?

           Budgetwise, It looks like time to start over again, even if it’s too late in life for me. It’s more of an exercise for me because I know not just the formula, but how to work the formula. It’s covered from many angles in this blog, but let’s see if you remember how to do it, say, over a lifetime. First, set a goal, call it $50,000 invested at 4% per year, paid monthly. Very easy to calculated, but how do the numbers work?
           They don’t, it you who has to have the discipline to leave the money alone and die with it still invested. You only get to withdraw part of the interest after you turn 65, or older as the case may be by 2099. How much do you earn per hour? If you put 10ȼ of it per hour in the band AND left it there, you would be a more successful investor than the next 100,000 people who lack discipline. Run the numbers, that 10ȼ will get you your $50,000 in 50 years, that is, in 600 months.
           The trick is to get that 10ȼ per working hour in the bank without “peeling it off your paycheck”. You need a lump sum, and that lump sum is, ta-da, $7,200. I round it off to $7.500. The rest is the iron discipline to leave it there through thick and thin. Most people never do. I didn’t. But what I did was supplement the account every month with a deposit of, you guessed it, $19.34. (In the end, it was that $19.34 that paid off.) I quickly had $10,000 in the bank, but thanks to Tennessee and a heart attack it is all gone now. And I don’t care.

           Later, I must include that the energy expended just moving the dryer into place was the end of my work day. I’m by no means well-recovered. Once I plunked down for a rest past noon, I did not get up again except for coffee and (much later) a burger. I did have the gumption to get some video work done, this was a sugary moment for me because I used 2026 tech to solve some 1999 challenges. The only easy spot was that the original files had been digitalized, I just forgot because I was, back then, also recovering from basically the same medical procedure.
           And I realized the know-how had gone full circle. Nobody today who knows damn well all you do is click a couple buttons will ever appreciate the ground that had to be covered. (Nor realize that also prevents him from ever producing anything original.) In 2005, it took an hour for me to create 240 seconds of video. Now, anybody can do the opposite without ever knowing what was lost to make that happen. Mind you, that is why I still laugh when I meet so-called computer experts today. They may know their own software, but experts, they are not.

Picture of the day.
Snap Specs, $2,195.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           While not great, there is some slight good news from Tennessee, let’s just say an obstacle has been removed. But good news is so rare, I call it a victory. I repeat my ancient saying that almost every problem in my life has been from people who want me to do things their way without paying me for it. This requires them to set up an entire system of coercion, so yes, I read more into slight successes against such things.
           I’m having fun going through some old digital renderings of videos in 1999. I found the disk in the shed while looking for a camera driver. These must have been made from my old Parallax gear as this technology did not exist for what I’m posting, if you care to link to August 1999. There seems no theme to the photos, so I’ve divided them into logical clips. All I recall is I drove east for seven days, stopped, and got a job the next day.

           This brings back memories. It would be hard for anyone today to appreciate the effort needed to commence this blog back in early 2005. That was near the time of my second heart failure and I wanted the world, or some part of it, to know my story. There was no A.I. back then, no training manual, now youTube how-tos. And same as today, absolutely nobody with a clue. It all had to be learned from scratch, which is why I captured this still. It shows a fraction of the needed research—and that is when the original Argus 1600 appeared for a moment on one video, see pic. Now I have a date [for this recording], and it was January 2, 2005.
           A fraction, I said. Each required skill or step came with it’s own 200-page manual. My gear could only edit files on disk, so that had to be learned without help. You can see my voice recorder and notebooks, all needed for the most basic video work of the time. That’s the Argus that took 26 pictures and the first digital camera under $200 (I think that was my target price on that) and I found this [camera] on a pharmacy sales rack. Like it was a toy or something. It also took short videos, I would love to someday find that disk.

           This camera is what brought this blog into its current format. Before this date, any digital pictures are injected. It required several days of intense study plus trial and error, but I believe was only a few days later I was finally able to include pics from the same [posting] day, something that seems trivial now. At the time, the Hippie and I decided to check out the possibility of using this new technology, new in that except for the uptown sellers, who knew less than I did, nobody had used it around here. Digital recording and DVD movies were largely something you contracted out.
           Like any such project, the other guy was all talk. And of course, thought it was easy and I was wasting time reading the user manuals. In the end, as ever, I did 95% of the work, so he’s booted off the list. However, once I had covered the entire task, from learning what to buy, how set it up and use it, then learn to work the cameras, both pre-edit and post-edit software, and product the finished project, I hardly needed any help, or criticism, from the computer dumbo gallery.

           It is recorded elsewhere, but that first job in 1999 paid $12.50 per hour, as much as the phone company I had recently quit. I wound up staying in North Carolina for the next five months. That was the same pay as I got after 15 years at my career, and all I ever heard from that company is that I was overpaid. I wrote it all down somewhere.
           These are essentially my family photos, and I’m publishing them so they don’t eventually get thrown out in a box like everybody else’s. Several videos seem scrunched together as my Parallax gear did not like to top and start. So each video is the full 47 minutes and that’s how long it takes to preview. The speed controls do not work, nor any playback settings. So the pics from 1999 took six years to adapt to what appears today.

ADDENDUM
           Food. It has tripled in price and will get worse. Gas is $9 in California, but they deserve it. Like Canada, put a third of your population on welfare and sooner or later the taxpayers give up. The neighbor gets Meals on Wheels, which struck me odd because he has more than once let it slip he has $2 million in the bank. But that is America, welfare eligibility is based on income, not wealth. One’s house, car, investments, interest, and inheritance are not “income”. I do believe his only income is Social Security. He could get food stamps if he wanted.
           I don’t want any free help, at this point it is too “expensive”, but I’m not 75 years old yet. When I do, I will have Plan 75 in place. By legally paying $800 per month rent on this cabin, I qualify for a number of programs. I’ve never asked the neighbor about Meals on Wheels, but occasionally he mentions some of it is pretty good. However, I am put off by the programs emphasis, not on food, but who at age 60 are already homebound, companionless, and “struggling with isolation”. I don’t readily care to be identified with people who own several vehicles and houses, but get their food from a soup kitchen.
           People with $800 phones, Toshiba laptops, seven pets, and $240 per month TV bills are not my idea of who should be getting free help from anyone.

Last Laugh

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

September 15, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 15, 2025, the 2026 Merkhava.
Five years ago today: September 15, 2021, only 800 to go.
Nine years ago today: September 15, 2017, three blond men total.
Random years ago today: September 15, 2007, the dreamer is gone.

           I’ve decoded to let my “Morse” counter run, to see what it really does at 32,678, the one-byte integer. The textbooks don’t say. Does it stop, or roll over? How many blogsters have ever put it to the test? I suppose there are faster ways to test it, but I prefer using some real code over a projected two-day run. Here’s a photo of Sweeney, just because that is my concept of good-looking. I could use some company like that, there are no single women between Orlando and Tampa that I would give a second look.
           It’s not like the field opened up when I retired and I could check out the better clubs. Let’s not be hasty, I planned well enough that my days can be occupied more waiting than looking. Tired? Program a micro. Energetic? Build a box. Gloomy? Thank gawwed I’m not as bad off as what I saw at that therapy clinic. The walking dead. Pragmatically, their nothingness made sense. If you never really lived, perhaps you never really die. Or something. I was evidently the only patient in that place anybody had ever seen that was not addicted to television. As mentioned, the unit “library” had never been touched before I arrived.

           Let me check the day. This is day 229 and overall I’m healthy, but this is not the gain that was predicted, considering the parts that are worn out are no longer my heart. Thus, a long phone session with the Reb that addresses said reality. Our conclusion is that unless everything goes right from here on in (which is nigh impossible), it is time to tell at least one studio to politely go away. Mainly because I feel, once we have submitted the contract they asked for, changes made after that is something they should pay for.
           One door closes, another opens, hey, they are doors. That is now doors work. It turns out I may have a case against somebody in this loop, as in California it is illegal to cause distress. And I am so distressed I may have to build boxes today.
           The Reb & I have decided on a more realistic division of responsibilities, my role is to become more sit-down until and if my energy levels improve. Without saying too much, there are two different realities in our two lives over the same subject. She knows people who have changed, I do not. Every asshole I met since 65 years ago is still the identical brand of asshole down to this day. And we are talking heels-dug-in assholes. It’s rare, but she knows people who have changed. She proposes the explanation is I do not even associate with people who don’t want to change, whereas she can selectively opt for those that do want positive improvement. It's just a brand of person I have never seen.

           Hence, let her deal with the studio and recording people, an industry that attracts.the under-educated and over-opinionated. She can be nice to people I know have over-charged us. I tend more toward less leniency. The music industry is cut-throat competitive, but that changes in character once you move up the ladder. After some ground work is done, they are not as much of a cohesive unit. They all need another Dolly Parton and Dollies are in scant supply.

Picture of the day.
Laser-cut leather pants.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           My relatively new and not that much used dryer quit tumbling. I hope it is only the belt. It was too dark and too hot to start on it. It would wait until the days are shorter. I have a Kenmore, which I believe is the old Sears product line. The point being that it s an ancient design and should have all the bugs worked out. No so, at about the time Sears was on the decline, America entered the “Asshole Age”. This was the generation who grew up thinking it was “normal” that everybody had a TV and a car and a phone and a summer vacation and went to Disneyland.
           When they got out of school and hit the job market, this was around 1980, it was a wakeup call. No, you could not have all those nice things for the asking. That’s when they discovered getting ahead means innovation, invention, and inspiration. And they did not like it one bit. Too much like hard work. Here is a picture of me opening the housing just enough to reach inside, discovering the belt is gone.
           Somebody went out of their way to sabotage this belt. Don’t argue with me, I used own a Laundromat and know how such machines can be made easy to fix. This is now a major repair that assumes I can find and buy just one belt. There will be a selection of belts for every make and model of Kenmore except this one. Yep, America needs another revolution.

           So instead, America began the slippery slide toward the Third World mentality they passed on to today’s workforce. My first brush with this was with the phone company. I was surrounded by co-workers who had borrowed money for all the toys they felt they had a right to, while I apparently had nothing. Well, except for up to five overseas holidays per year. Folks, holidays when you are still young and horny enough to enjoy to the max are irreplaceable and non-duplicatable. Most marital troubles stem from morons who got this backwards. That's largely why I quit travel by their age. Too many old people trying to get it back.
           The effect is well-documented in this blog, how by their 5th to 7th year with the company they were such debt slaves they would kiss anybody’s arse. It was not just a miserable existence, it was one they forced upon others. Doing what they were told became their reason for living. By 1990 it was so bad, I swear if the company told them to poison themselves with an untested vaccine, they would have done so. Thank goodness the Internet made people so much smarter than that today.

           Hence, the Asshole Age. Everybody is equal or else. Tax the rich until they ship your job overseas. Outlaw abortions and make everybody else pay for it, then 21 years later scream there is no social security for you. Accuse people of murder if they object. Cram political correctness down their throats. Create nothing just keep voting yourselves a bigger slice of the pie. Become oblivious to the fact you are forcing everybody else to behave the same just to survive. Third world.
           I even recall when it started. The day I saw my first self-serve gas station. It should have slashed gas prices in half because of the reduced overhead. Instead, the price per gallon was a nickel less, you can figure out the rest. So, now I have a broken belt. It is not old, or worn, or frayed, it is just broken. And it is engineered as the weakest part of the machine, a frail and spindly belt, where by 2001 it should have been unbreakable nano-fiber. Wait, there is more.
           The motor and pulley are placed to be unserviceable from the rear of the machine and the back panel is irremovable. It is designed so the entire lint trap, wiring harness, and drum must be removed for the repair. Return tomorrow to see how far I get.

           Festus was another boring drama, but by now it is the ritual of watching. Today’s episode was about three teens on probation who rob Sam, the bartender. Ha, you’d get a kick out of my neighbor, who is so brainwashed he does not know it. He paused the screen to explain that the parole officer was “far-right” because he wanted everybody in jail whether they were guilty or not, and the farm couple were fine, decent “far-left” because they wanted to help their neighbors.
           He’s kind of overboard on the proof thing. He demands proof of everything, but will not look at the evidence. Unless it is on Fox, which I have never watched, but he trusts with all his heart and soul. He does not believe the news this morning about all the universities in India being raided for printing fake degrees. When I mentioned it, he grabbed his phone and queried, “Univerisity of Karachi”, which came back with the claim they were “the Harvard of India”, and showed it to me as if it were all the facts needed.
           The guy is harmless. I once asked him if he believed what the FDA says. His reply was that “it depends”. We are not dealing with lot of brain-hustle here.

           What can I sell for $5? Fake boxes. Hey, I’ve sold one. At a quarter the size of a Z-box, two can be made from a single small fence picket, but be damn careful with the cut. You have maybe four kerf widths margin for error. This is also dependent on having the roughly 20 minutes of burn time for the logos. Unless I cut down on the logos. This can be done by making the logos smaller, dimmer, or leaving the wood unstained so the burn stands out better.
           The FBI announces the arrest of another fugitive in the $2 billion Medicare scam. Nobody steals that much without some inside help. Polls indicate most Americans want all the immigrans out, not just the illegals. Reasoning? That America could not be having the fraud and welfare problems unless they lied wholesale on their applications. Good point. I’m watching the version of “Sahara” with the tank and Belushi.            Is it true that tale that if a person dying of thirst drinks water too fast, they’ll get sick? I say it’s Hollywood bulldonkey. Even if they got sick, it’s not from the water. Politico, the media company dedicated to destroying Trump, ran out of money when DOGE put a stop to USAID.

ADDENDUM
           Crappy news of the day. That Jasmine who has been crowing for nears about the unsolved lynching of a black lady has fallen strangely silent. After a black man was arrested for it. Every news report is very carefully worded, something funny is going on. The Mafia hit man in Monaco is set free after Montenegro refuses extradition. Odds are he did more good than the Hildebeest. The latest kid’s movie featuring an orange unicorn is rated R. Probably due to the stabbings, drownings, and swear words, plus that scene were he licks a woman. Creepy. Not the unicorn, the woman.
           Got your phone on auto-download? Google now tracks your vehicle speed at all times. When reporters asked who gets this data, Google hung up. Another fact, the Grinch never hated Xmas. He hated people, which is simultaneously different and logical.

Last Laugh

(Miss Baked Potato?)

Monday, September 14, 2026

September 14, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 14, 2025, the elusive pay-daily.
Five years ago today: September 14, 2021, no anonymous bike-riding.
Nine years ago today: September 14, 2017, it’s a beauty.
Random years ago today: September 14, 2004, I missed work.

           My calendar says mention food, besides, it’s a sorry blog that doesn’t. The birdies are lucky today, I found their favorite in the back of the fridge. That’s dried out corn muffin. They enjoy all varieties but nothing seems to beat corn. Kind of like young women and bass players. So, I have a big pot of spuds on the burner, with dill and bay leaf, ready for a medley of onions and sausage. But I’ll tell you what takes the cake (bad pun?) is Mitch. I have asked him for pictures. The guy buys a pound of hamburger and a loaf of round bread.
           Sweden is gone. They imported enough voters to defeat the local White population in their own home. Stupid, or what?

           I sent the last of the silver money to Tennessee. This might seem odd to many, but let me explain something. That silver was for an opportunity, should something arise in my life. And it sat there for over 15 years. Make no mistake, I am now partially incapacitated and there is an old saying, if you wait for the perfect shot, you will die with a full magazine. My affairs are arranged that I’ll never got hungry and there is not enough time left to get ahead. So, the Reb represents the opportunity I never had.
           Take today, I went to town at 10:00AM and did the banking. You know how I do not use digital transfers, I walk the 1/5 of a block between the banks. And it landed me on my ass. I got home so tired, I skipped the rest of the day. We have another varmint too big for the rat trap, likely a possum, or the same possum who is a slow learner. Setting the trap was my activity for the morning. And I put $50 of gas in at $3.96.
Here’s a twist. Trump has pulled a curious coup. He keeps pointing out that only 2% of American oil moves through Hormuz and that most imported oil comes from Canada. So, of course you get a mass of pinheads blaming expensive diesel on Trump, but this time it is different. There is a general recognition in Trump’s pre-election favor that the Democrats are the ones who have been pulling off these unjustified price hikes for years.

           This should have been an hour’s chore, I did not get home until 1:30PM. Weary isn’t the same as sleepy, I then took y’day’s Arduino sketch and re-wrote it using arrays and for-loops. I was able to get the byte count down from 3,200 to 2,700. For historians, this is an age giveaway. The fact I would concern about bytes means I go way back to the days bytes were expensive. I would have gotten very high marks if this was an assignment.
           Today, it means the code is compact, easy to maintain, and super-efficient. And once I figured out how to manipulate the setup code, now I discover it happens all the time. Learning electronics can be turbo-frustrating that way. What I can’t do is get the setup code to print, but I’m hot on the trail. These mental gymnastics as you imagine, finally put me to sleep.
           Um, I did mention the problem with my medical clinic, on about that Medicare number. Last month, remember, when I walked out. They are going ballistic with the e-mails to get me back. But I don’t know. What they did was pretty deliberate, like I was trying to con them out of a visit. My guess is twofold: somebody looked at my file and realized just how many hundreds of thousands they’ve made off me, and there have been many telltale signs of the place having financial woes. Starting with my favorite nurse quitting there last August.

Picture of the day.
After a farm fire.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           I more came to than woke up, what a deep sleep that was, four hours of total down time. It did not help there was an ugly head-on in the south end detouring traffic for miles. Patrick Swayze died of cancer today in 2009. I identify with his career only insofar as he did what I might have had I been athletic. Not true, but I thought that. He smoked 2-1/2 packs a day for 40 years.
           Much later, I did not recoup energy, I stayed put and watched documentaries, or what in our DEI times passes for them. I feel out of sorts, but not enough to panic. My sense of humor, such as it is, has survived. Have you seen the Nigerian (born in the USA) “voted the most beautiful women in Britain”. They must have imported Minnesota ballot counters. Here are my favorite replies:
☆ humiliation ritual against the goyim.
☆ planet of the apes.
☆ like one of those ethnic Barbie dolls nobody bought.
☆ poster board for infanticide.
☆ did ALL the candidates come from the zoo?
☆ how long can it live outside the water?
☆ face like a pair of vice grips.
☆ she got the druggie droop-eye.
☆ this bitch has ull 360 degree field of vision!
☆ she looks mentally handicapped
☆ one giant carnival cruise
           One of my robot club habits remains adding a counter to all beta code to track it is operating within spec. (The counter is later deleted most of the time.) Yes, Redmond, I check operational parameters as well, my code must run at a consistent tempo, something MicroSoft does not even consider. I fell asleep with the Morse test running and overnight it ran 6,109 times. This statistic may be boring, but it is an excellent demonstration of whether some people should even be reading this blog. You see, the topic is a result of the blog selection criteria. It considers only the fastest or slowest, the best or worse, always seeking the unique. Whether another entity might find a topic boring is NOT a consideration.
           That is why you may see items of seemingly negative public interest, and a loop counter may be just that. Until you consider how many other blogs you have seen that have or even could have such an article. (For example, a musician who builds his own doorbells and boxes, type of thing.) Seriously, how many bloggists do you know who publish an article on Arduino code tests today? Well, there you go. A lot depends on what you consider unique.

Last Laugh

Sunday, September 13, 2026

September 13, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 13, 2025, it’s my presentation.
Five years ago today: September 13, 2021, tummy aches . . .
Nine years ago today: September 13, 2017, watch-out list, guys.
Random years ago today: September 13,2008, I like chewy.

           Scrambled eggs and Arduino, the Florida treat for good behavior. I had it on the brain, so I had to crank out the code. It worked first time, if anyone thinks it is easy, try it. The video shows the pin test, but no the “Morse” blink that identifies the program. Why? Because it worked too well. The commands will obey in the setup section, the real test here But, they happen at their own speed, which is too fast for the camera. I suspect the delay command, which stops the processor, has no effect in this part of the code.
           But there you have it, GenX, code that needs no debugging. I really does exist. What the working model would do is turn on and flash the Morse signal one time, then switch to the blue LEDs shown here stepping through six of pins. There are workarounds, for example I pause the Morse by letting the processor count to 5,000 just to slow it down. How was your Sunday morning?

           Then I felt like following up on this code. So I sat here with coffee for the next six hours. Nothing worked. I think that is because the setup mode is rigged to execute as rapidly as possible and ignores all pause commands. I did get it to count to 32,768, but nothing. By mid-afternoon I’m tired so I stopped.            Except, I could not stop. I tried every possible combination in the setup, then pasted the code into the loop to proof it. Funny, it works, but the LED is very dim. I rechecked the code in case I was on a PWM pin, I corrected two non-critical logic errors (one of which should have stopped the compiler but did not), and even rewired the LED to the power ground. So we know it is not the code, rather some idiosyncrasy in the hardware.
           Tampa radio has plenty to say about Trump’s meetings these days. It’s zany-funny because their old antics are not working but it’s all they’ve got. Publishing fake headlines about Trump’s popularity when he’s a rock star everywhere he shows up. Even their specialty, fake polls, is failing them. The Democrats are entering the mid-terms with no agenda or platform except “get Trump”, vote against everything and the impeachment threats have started up again. They better pull something together fast.
           Things could not be worse for them if Trump had planned this all himself. The fakest poll is where they claim immigration is good because the White birth rate is rising again. That’s what happens when you reclassify all immigrants as White. And California is pushing on-line censorship and tracking under the guise of child safety. Crap like a message warning if you’ve been on-line longer than three hours, but they are okay with TV. They want “addictive” sites to require parental consent.
I read the first twenty proposals which have one theme in common. Tight government control of the media. Media’s what is costing the Party the most and what is losing them elections. They still control the mainstream, but there are too many other sources nowadays.

Picture of the day.
Starc machine.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Later, I went over the code in such detail that I could have written it again. So, in frustration, I did. I keyed in the entire 3,200 bytes (exactly). Now it works. Ever time the reset button is pushed, the red LED flashes Dash-Dot-Dot-Dot, then the blue LEDs test the pins. Success? Not quite. I had to relocate the red LED because pin 13 twinkles by itself when code is uploading, so I switched to pin 12 and the LED remains very time, for which I have no explanation. But this tells you why I don’t code for a living. Doing it right takes so much brain-thrust you are physically tired at the end.
           And, that 3,200 bytes is a bottleneck. At this moment, every flash is hard-coded and should be placed in a for-loop. That will have to wait until I find out why the LED isn’t full bright. I tend to fall into programming mode and that brings back the A.I. concept. It can be made to work using an array. The sprite (small moving screen icon) has to be a single red LED. The first thing you learn owning an Arduino is flashing an LED is about the only damn thing it can do without a separate power supply for your apparatus. There is no warning sticker.

           Falling asleep in the chair again, I got up too late, another rare day I did not go outside. I read some history, in this case the American army fighting Cornwallis during the revolution. It’s such a Roman classic I’m surprised Cornwallis fell for it. A weak first line than kills a few enemy, then falls back. This encourages the enemy to pursue into broken ground against a stronger second line with skirmishers along the flanks.
           I also did more thinking about the artificial intelligent array. Have I been too focused on the lighting, when the real event is that array. And I don’t have a lot of experience with this type of code. Worse, it is not 3D (at this time), but two arrays that would have to interact for what I want. This is associated with getting commands to work in a novel fashion, and that is the picture shown. This is part of over 1,000 individual photos that had to be edited and cropped to make a 261 frame GIF video that lasts but seconds.

           Next we hear of a Russian lady who “stripped naked” on American Airlines. Videos showed her stripped only to the waist. Hey, it beats any recent Disney movies. Texas has block the muzzie super city, declared some groups as terrorists, and forbids them buying land. All they had to do was run some pigs across it. Trivia: Elon Musk once offered the World Finance Bank $6 billion in food aid on the one condition they make the accounting public. They refused the money.

ADDENDUM
                      Tell you what, you’ve been good so I’ll make a video of the code in operation. There is more to this than the “blinky” demo that I just know somebody will say I copied. Wrong, they have not a single line of code in common, plus keep in mind the rarity of readable blogs about people doing this thing. Nor is it a matter of punching in the code like a computer app. The lights do not just blink, they blink in a precise order and a precise location. For a precise time. (Turns out time is the easiest variable.)
           The goal is to have the device activate, flash a code once (red LED), then begin an infinite loop of six blue LEDs, which is the “working” part of any Arduino program. This loop has to be avoided and the code flash occur only one and only after the reset button is pushed. IRL the button would be triggered by some external event, probably a sensor. And the loop would perform something hopefully more useful.

           Watch closely with the following in mind. The Arduino will flash some lights of it’s own on startup. Also, digital cameras are over-sensitive to LED color wavelengths and you will get some glare. Then the reset is pressed, you can see a red LED flash the code LONG-SHORT-SHORT-SHORT, which is either the ASCII code for “8” or the Morse code for “B”. This is why you may hear me shorthand the code as “Morse” even though there are only 11 letters possible with four blips. There is a separate lookup chart to list which sketch this represents.
           It is tricky to see, but the six blue LEDs blink a sequence and a cycle that repeats twice in this video. It will do so as long as there is power, just take my word because videos like this are difficult to make. The LEDs are very close together to match the pin sizes, to make any changes means moving all the wiring, or re-writing all the code.
           The significance of this [successful] sketch is the Arduino design is similar to COBOL in having a “declaration” section (called SETUP) which is intended to set pin modes and other parameters. I have never seen this used for code operations of this style, but don’t worry, Elliott and Billy-Bill, I don’t think I am the first. But I did it before anybody you know, ha-ha. (In fact, I think almost the opposite, that everybody ahead of me had plenty of opportunities to do all this stuff, but are a disspointment to the world because they didn't.)

Last Laugh

Saturday, September 12, 2026

September 12, 2026

Yesteryear
One year ago today: September 12, 2025, a trip to Miami.
Five years ago today: September 12, 2021, a generic day.
Nine years ago today: September 12, 2017, utter.
Random years ago today: September 12, 201x, early Arduino.

           It should not take 3-1/2 hours to hit the bank and pick up some groceries, unless in the Florida furnace, you maximum speed is DMV. The trip did include a stop for the doggie chow and some used paint. Today you get pictures of almost everyting. And we have another varmint raiding the kitchen and he’s smart enough to avoid the live traps. That seals his fate. I stocked up on coffee and veggies, we have $25 left until Monday. But the nice thing about home ownership is you don’t bleed as much money standing still.
>           I follow military developments without much regard to who is right or wrong. The destruction of the Hezbollah underground tunnel complex registered 4.1 on the Richter scale. This destroys twenty years of digging and stockpiling weapons, evidence to me a big attack was planned. The tunnels were said to be almost 1-1/2 miles and cut into a bomb-proof ridge. That must have cost a pretty penny. The IDF reports finding stockpiles of drones and rockets.
           That’s pictures I would like to see, as the IDF can hardly be trusted by anyone. Instead, here’s a picture of a $15 bottle of vanilla flavoring. What? How do you make something like that cost so much? Simple, look closely, it is “Harry Potter” brand.

           Later, it was rainy so I found and posted several old blogs from 1984. The way computers are designed, and few of us could have known this 40 years ago, the files are very difficult to enter. I will require two computers in tandem. Oddly, older computers were better at this, but I understand the current MicroSoft mentality. They don’t build computers for people who need to know where their files are. Only fapper computers. If you really need a file, MicroSoft will find it for you. Type of thing.
           I also dug out my oldest Arduino, an UNO with the oldest timing crystal I’ve ever used (see arrow). And it was still wired up. But we know long since there is no way to tell what is on the chip. It was wired to the 7-segments seen here, I just ripped them out. Does this old unit still even work. We shall see, but I doubt I even still have whatever sketches were uploaded since something like 2014.

           Later, the card activates, but will not recognize any of the COM ports. Damn you, MicroSoft. I’m checking for virtual ports now. Moments later, got it. Port 14. It is working at a basic level, flashing an LED. The board has a built-in LED on pin 13, but I see I rigged up a brighter blue LED, something I general use to mean a pilot light. My programming since so long ago is long past the blinky stage. For now, I’m designing a quick sketch for something I meant to test back then. See, it’s coming back to me.
           A survey of books and on-line travel tips reveals that 92% of the advice is about avoiding certain colors of people.

Picture of the day.
Swiss highway system.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           We are broke. Tennessee made a withdrawal on the 28th, probably legal fees, and I didn’t get the memo. No problem, I’ve got fifty things to keep me busy that cost zero. One of them is a reawakened interest in that 3D printer sitting in the shed. I will make room, for now I know of many projects I will never complete now. Out they go, something I’ve best get moving on, as I got the news that Bonnie Tyler died today. I only recall her one song, “It’s a Heartache” because, though I’ve never had it on my list, I’ve played it some fifty years and it’s a reminder of my own age. And reminds me of Bill Tronnes, who thought it the best song ever.
           I got to the recycle a bit late and scored barely enough stain for a few projects, but one is this tin of “weathered oak”. I’ve used enough product now to learn what I don’t like, so let’s hope this is a good one. I don’t care for any maple colors. I also found enough parts from the Kobalt compressor, the one that didn’t last worth a shit, that maybe I can rig up something 50 PSI to a basic sprayer. You see, I also checked the prices on the canned poly. Ouch, and it isn’t even brand Harry Potter.

           No work on the doorbell, but a problem appears. I measured the transformer with the el-cheapo multimeter and got 15 VDC. Meh, that’s a bad 12VDC reading, I figured. But turns out it is 24VDC. Twice the power of the coil. I will install a 3300Ω 2Watt, if that heats up, I have some 5Watt in the shed. To get the doorbell mounted, I had to bring out the long drill. That’s pronounced “the lo-o-o-ong drill”, shown here. This is private stock, for company officers only. No touch. What’s it for? To get a pilot hole through two back-to-back 4” fence posts. And stubborn bedroom walls.
           Before continuing, let me get the bass and play that Tyler tune. And I’ll describe the Arduino sketch I plan to test. The bulk of the code is normally in a loop that continues as long as there is power. But there’s a small setup section that runs once, I’d like to devise some way to signal what is on the chip, even if I resort to Morse code. At this time, I do not know if loop commands will even execute in the setup mode.

           It’s early, I’ll tell you what I have planned on that. The Arduino memory is limited, so I diagrammed a way four bits can flash 14 unique codes of long or short flashes. Why not 16? Because I don’t want any sequence of all the same length, each must be a combination of each flash. And, 14 codes is determined to exceed anything I have planned. The trick is getting this to occupy as few memory locations as possible. Of course, it is zeroes and ones, I used L and S just to plan the sequences.
           When the Arduino powers up, a few lights flash. I would add a pattern according to which sketch (program or code) was uploaded. This would require a separate listing, a lookup table, but it is better than nothing. And who do we know that already looks things up in tables. Anyway, here is the matrix of the 14 possible sequences. This could be expanded to five easily, and I’ve entity.

           At 9:00PM I zipped over to the old club in Bartow. It was busy, but a crowd where I recognized no one. That’s not 100% true, I did hear the screech owl ladies. Who didn’t hear them? There was Karaoke, but why bother with that bunch. Josh was on duty, so we know some facts. As predicted, the veternaran who is making a killing at Kooters is the only sincere offer. And he will need somebody to manage the place Good luck, the last manager ran off their local folloing and it will take five years of doing it right to get them back.
           The usual arrangement is a flat monthly lease and a cut of the profits. Then I find out something. The place has two liquor licenses. Beer and wine. And hard liquor. Don’t quote me, but it seems the liquor license is not directly sellable. Each change of management or ownership is independently reviewed. At this time, the answer is apparently “no”, without which the place won’t fly. I knew the “lease” was $1400 per month, I think, That’s selling a lot of beer and wine to break even.
           My advice is stand back and watch. Let somebody else take the dive and fail. My guess is some city outfit will again try to make it into a club. If they raise the prices even 25 ȼ they risk losing the three customers they have left.

ADDENDUM
           Some health issues, I promised to keep records on the inevitable decline, and once again it is items triggered by the hospital. This is day 226, meaning to get back to par by now, I’ll need miraculous mending. That is not going to happen. The last 48 hours brought both gout and arthritis pains. How do I know it’s from the anesthetic? By the location and intensity. I was in intensive care a long time and there is no mistaking the timing.
           My diet remains sparse, but I did change a few things to items easier to prepare. Generally I feel lighter on my feet, but that is offset by the energy drain required to stand up any more. I used to regard home as a comfort zone convenience. Now, sometimes out there I just wish I could quit what I’m doing and head home for the day. This is very new for me. I’m again tracking gas mileage and I ran over by 53 miles last month.
           One of my staples in onions and the nice ones are now $2 a pound. I got fooled by tomato prices, a low-level millennial scam. Two identical bins, identical packaging. One bag was $2.27, the other one was $2.27 per pound. At least they were organic. And not Harry Potter. Don’t hit me!

Last Laugh