Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

If you thought yesterday was bad, let me tell you today isn't turning out to be much better. 

I tried to contact the shippers to see if they could joggle customs onto hurrying up with my package. I called all three locations island wide, and nobody would answer the phone. It was well after opening time so there wasn't any excuse.

So I tried to connect via the web and initiated a chat. I got what they proudly refer to as a chatbot. It was programmed to do nothing whatsoever useful so I just kept typing "human" until it connected me to an actual person. They were in Florida so they were not able to help other than to say they would try to prioritize that package. Seeing as it say sat around in Florida for six days before being shipped and then igvsat it sat around here for an additional six days before it went to customs, and it's been sitting around at customs for 14 more days with no apparent action, I think prioritizing the package might be a god good idea!

The pharmacy wouldn't answer thd the phone either. Not until after 11 AM. I had to drive down there and collect some meds, and bring the little boy home again.

I thought I'd attempt to apply finish to one of the bowls I've been working on. Sharpened my favourite round-nosed scraper and did a very lightcyg light cut on the surface then started sanding with the lathe on high speed. Worked my way up from the coarse sandpaper to finer and finer. Applied wax/oil mixture and sanded that too. Tried applying BLO (boiled linseed oil) but the can had a child proof stopper that defeated me. Didn't defeat the claw hammer though, but that only made the BLO mad. When I tried to apply it, the spinning lathe threw off a spout of the stuff, directly into my face. Why wasn't I wearing my face shield? Because I took it off to apply the finish and because I'm an idiot. 

I am completely unharmed but it could have been nasty. It was rather amusing, really, in a custard-pie sort of way. But I am not in the mood for slapstick humour.

Checked out a piece of MDF I had, with the idea of using it for part of a circle-cutting jig. It turned out to be a little small for the job. Thought I'd contemplate compensate for it being too small by cutting a piece off the end! That rarely works.

Looked through my wood pile and found a 4'x4' piece of ⅜“ ply. Regular stuff, not Baltic birch. It had so much stuff (more wood) piled on top of it, I spent over an hour moving that to get the ⅜“ ply out. Then, as I was carrying it over to the table saw, I spotted another 4'x4' piece of ⅜“ ply just sitting there with nothing to stop me just picking it up. When I went to have a closer look, I found it was two 4'x4' pieces of ⅜“ ply. Walked off in disgust.

Decided to fix my spectacles as best I could. Since more CA glue would fog up the lens even more than it is, I decided to try hot glue. Plugged in the glue gun into the bench grinder outlet which has a magnetic switch in circuit. The gun wouldn't heat up. Fiddled and faddled for over half an hour before I discovered that in fetching the first piece of ⅜“ ply I'd dislodged the plug. Plugged that in and spent another half an hour fiddling and faddling before I remembered that the magnetic switch would have automatically shut itself off when the plug came out.

Eventually the gun was hot enough so I immediately burnt a hole in my left index finger. (When they say hot-glue they mean it!) Now the specs have been repaired for the sixth time (there has to be a limit) but my finger hurts and there is a funny looking something on it that might be a drop of hot glue or a blister. I'm afraid to pelmit peel it off and in case it's the latter.

Came in and cooked a small pit pot of rice with black beans, ¼ tin of corned beef and some onion. It tasted good but while I was eating I heard some sad news.

HRH is gone. She was a fixture. Been there longer than I been alive. Was in England as a student when her Silver Jubilee was celebrated. Cheekily went to the bank and asked to borrow £40. When the bank manager asked what I wanted it for, I explained I wanted to celebrate the jubilee in style. He promptly agreed and I got the readies without further ado. That was 45 years ago. Bank loans aren't as easy to get, these days!

Goodness knows what will happen now. I know lots of people don't like him, but I'm one of the few that has always been on Charlie's side. Lots of people had him to hang over Diana, but as far as I'm concerned, she was the villein of that story. (And EJ is a prick for bastardizing an excellent song to glorify her, and get himself a knighthood. Won't have that version in the house!) Let's hope Charlie can meet the high standards we have come to expect fromq his mother!

I had the chance to meet him once. He went deep sea fishing on a boat that was owned by my sister. They said I could come along as cabin boy if I would agree to call him Sir And bow. I didn't have a problem with the mode of address, but I refused to bow on the deck of a sports-fisherman atvtrawling at trawling speed in a rolling sea. So they wouldn't let me on board. Besides, my cousin got to teach him to spit in a scuba mask and to discuss the different qualities of royal versus common spit with him. And I had to bow?!?? Nooooo!

Anyway, it could be worse. We might have had that asswipe Harry Markle as king... 

I remember Charlie's investiture at Carnarvon (Caernarfon) Castle way back when I was about 12 or 13. I saw the place when I toured GB in '17 but only from a distance. 

Anyway, I'm not feeling too bright. My hand hurts all the way from the finger tip to the wrist. I got nothing done in the garage other than to take a bath in linseed oil. The car went to the pharmacy and back with no "Check Engine" light, but the "Low Fuel" light was coming and going, depending on whether we were going up hill or down. Mo has had very little to say all day (except for barking excitedly all the way to the pharmacy and back again) but did show up for lunch, his and mine. I'm staring the weekend in the face; the third weekend my chuck parts will be sitting in customs. The speakers on my computer are about to give up the ghost. A friend agreed to lend me pair, but drove past my house to leave them at the club where I won't be able to get them until Sunday, and then only if I can cure that "Low Fuel" light problem. And there were some nice looking plantains in the grocery but I had to go and waste the money on stupid medications! 

Where is my baby? Maybe a cuddle from him will cheer me up a bit...

I did get a kiss on my nosie, but not in camera!

Edited September 8, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I want went to the front door and Mo was sleeping right outside, in on the top of the steps. I rubbed his back with my foot and got no response. When I asked him if he was dead, he didn't answer. I told him I hope he wasn't and came to bed. I will go out later and check if he wants in or out when I lock that door.

It's definitely a blister and not a drop of glue. It no longer hurts at all, but I suspect that it will get in the way of some activities for a few days to come.

I've heard nothing from the shippers and the status of the package is still "Customs Clearance in Process." I'm pretty much giving up on this package right now. If I had money to burn, I'd reorder the parts, bring the items as two separate shipments (both under $30), ship them direct via FedEx or someone like that and tell my usual shippers to contact customs and tell them to push it where the monkey pushed the charcoal.

But I can't afford to do that, so I will abandon the bowl turning and do something else instead. I need a mallet, in fact two mallets, and I could turn parts of them such as the handles on the lathe between spindles. Might even be interesting to do an oval shaped turning, on the handles, which I've never tried before. Or just do stuff that doesn't use the lathe at all. 

As for the cost, do you remember the long, confused phone call(s) I had to make to place the order? My phone bill just came in. Those calls cost me $17.36 which just makes the cost of the package even higher. But I was expecting even more, so I am not distressed as much as maybe I should be.

Anyway, linguine and tuna for dinner, and I could have eaten twice what I cooked, but Mo still got to clean my plate for me and found several strands of linguine and more than enough tuna left on the plate. Took a piece of chicken out of the freezer to defrost in the fridge overnight. Will have that for dinner tomorrow, probably. Maybe with some sweet potatoes. I hate that Mo doesn't get to enjoy those chicken bones like Dotty and Buddy did all their lives longm but I promised.  For lunch, I have no idea.

Watched The Zookeepers Wife this evening, principly starring Jessica Chastain, who I think is a good actress, and who did a god job here. Movies like this used to leave me wondering how people went along with the sort of national insanity depicted in the movie. Nowadays, seeing what has been happening in the world in the last couple of years and the ease with which people "just follow orders" it isn't so much a shock any more to think that Joe Average would go along with totalitarianism. And actually buy into it, not just give lip-service to it.

I was listening to Catchy by Pizzicato Five (lyrics in Japanese) when Mo wondered in and took up position so as to occupy all four pillows.

I will have to argue with him about that, but first I will go lock the house. 

ETA: As happens all too regularly, he raced me to the door, went out, and refused to come in again. Well, at least the argument about pillows is now forestalled..

Edited September 9, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Feeling very depressed this morning. Mo woke my by barking outside the window at 5:20 So I let him in. Didn't see him again until it was time for his lunch.

Not sure why but the death of the queen has upset me more than I would have expected. Not that I was a staunch royalist or anything but it just seems to mark the end of an era. My era perhaps. And a number of other isues are coming together to make life pretty troublesome right now.

One bright spot: Dr. Kristi has changed her WhatsApp avatar/photo to one of her standing with Tower Bridge in the background. I had to look twice! At first I thought it was some teenage girl! This prompted a short but humorous exchange on WhatsApp. 

Sat around all morning, not even feeling for a cup of tea far less food. Finally forced myself to eat a small tin of "Spicy Thai Chili" tuna with crackers. Fortunately Mo ate half the crackers because I really wasn't feeling it. My small chicken thigh is thawed and I will fry it for dinner tonight because even if I'm not hungry I will still have to save it's life rather than throw it out. 

Went out to look at my tools and when I turned around, Mo was standing in the doorway with one of my Crocs in his mouth. I tried to snap his picture but he took off. I gave chase and...

The yellow thing? Well, it used to be a tee shirt. Now, unfortunately, it's my new shop rag. 

While chasing the puppy, I spotted this:

Now where would he have got this from? I never buy that stuff. Nowadays I buy Stevia and before that I used to buy Splenda, but I never bought this stuff. Ever. Full of mystery, that pup.

I just walked past him carrying this stuff to the wheelie-bin and he hunkered down and lowered his head like he was expecting a serious beating! Mo almost never gets a spanking. If he does something bad (like destroy a book or eat half a brand new phone stand) I might swipe at him once, with a newspaper. But clearly he was expecting a serious walloping just now. Maybe he has done something very bad and I just haven't noticed yet? I stopped and patted his head and told him he was my love-dog which seemed to reassure him.

Any way, I am considering that cup of tea and so I will stop here and go boil water.  Or maybe take a nap and drink tea later?

Edited September 9, 2022 by Netfoot

[andidante]

Netfoot I am sorry you are having such a hard time! I live in America, but I was so sad all day yesterday hearing about the Queen. She lived a long full life and a part of me thought she would always be around (even though I know that is not possible). Hopefully Charles will carry on her work and do a good job. 

[Netfoot]

What does this photo tell you?

It tells me I need a shave and a haircut!

[Netfoot]

Just received this e-mail:

Quote

Good afternoon, Angus,
It is a pleasure to greet you.

The local agents inform that they will have your package processed with urgency, the status should be changing very soon.

Wishing you a wonderful evening,

Current status: "Customs Clearance in process". So... no change, then!

[Netfoot]

What are you thinking, puppy?

No!

Don't you dare!

Yeeeech!

[Netfoot]

Damp from the shower with some King Crimson playing (The Court of the Crimson King) and Mo around here somewhere. He just came and looked at me and I thought he'd jump in with me but instead he walked away. I told him when I locked the door to pick in or out, but that if he picked in I wouldn't reopen the door for him later!

For dinner I had a small potato sliced and fried in oil. And I added a bit too much salt, so it was thirst-making. Also, a piece of chicken which I know started as a small thigh but nobody would have recognized it as such. Why? Because they told me no chicken bones unless they are raw! So I butchered that thigh to get the bones out, using a dull knife, and what remained was a bit of a mess. Mo appreciated the bones and honestly, after breading and frying it tasted fine, especially with some turkey gravy on top! But it was only a small potato and a small thigh... Actually, it was all I felt for at the time so that's OK but I will probably try to cook something a little more filling for lunch tomorrow. Some rice with channa maybe. And some tuna to go with it. And a cuppa char first thing, tontide to tide me over.

Mo is now here looking out the window and I suspect he wants to go out to see what he can find to bark at. But I told him no, so if he insists I won't let him in again. Frankly I'm tired of playing doorman for him, sometimes three or four times in one night!

He is a very bad boy most of the time. But he's cute enough to always get away with it. Rather like a girl I was sort of sweet on, way back half a lifetime ago. Not laid eyes on her in maybe 10 years. I must google and see if I can find out what happened to her more recently. 

Mo is now biting the hand that literally feeds him. Which makes typing somewhat difficult and slow. So I will end this, and try to read my book. I'm 90% finished, so let me get to it.

Edited September 10, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Still not feeling too bright but hungry enough to cook a solid lunch.

Rice with channa, carrots and a couple leaves of pak choy. Seasoned by only one, tiny chicken stock cube. When I dished it out into a bowl, I used my ladle to make a hollow in the top and empties a tin of tuna into it. Tuna doesn't actually need to be cooked and thdcricecwas the rice was hot enough to warm the fish up. Then as I was trying to add a splash of Worcester, I accidentally grabbed the wrong bottle and gave it a dash of balsamic vinegar! But it still tasted fine. A knob of red butter to complete the dish and a glass of iced water on the side.

Got up this morning at 4:59 to let out a puppy. He insisted. Then I went back to bed. When I roused myself up at a more reasonable hour, I found the living room floor sprinkled with little chips of blastic black plastic. Another one of my spring clamps bites the dust. Or more correctly, bitten into dust. Gave the little man a severe ticking off, and he went and hid under the bed. He came out for lunch (obviously) but still all hangdog and morose. 

That is not the face of a contrite puppy. That's the face of a puppy who is sorry he got caught! But he need not be all down in the dumps. I've said to him what I had to say, and that's done. I have been giving him love-pats and cuddles all day when ever the opportunity presents itself. I'm whistling for him to come join me in the bed (I'm about to finish my book) but so far he has not ventured.

I've been giving him a Vienna sausage every day or so and there are two left in the tin. But they are starting to harden up a bit so I will give him both at once so as to finish out the tin. Let me do that now, and hopefully brighten him up a bit. I don't like to see the puppy looking miserable...

Well, he couldn't resist the sausages. He ate them both, then stole the tin and ran off with it to lick out the jelly remaining in the bottom. So, I don't get a cuddle puppy this afternoon, but hopefully, he will be in better spirits next time I see him.

Handsome black puppy and spawgy white leg. Taken last evening.

Edited September 10, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

With the blade removed from the bandsaw, I started gluing up the base of a circle-cutting jig. 

The red things are small tuna tins filled with melted lead. These weights will keep the base pressed down onto a runner attached to the bottom, while the glue dries. This runner slides in the guide-slot on the table. Along with two other strips of wood that define the front and right-side edges of the table, this will allow the table to be placed on the machine in the exact same place each time it is used.

The glue will set up in half an hour, but I won't go any further until tomorrow, by which time the glue on all the strips will have cured.  Tomorrow I must create some sort of sliding center-point about which a piece of wood can be rotated to cut a circle. By adjusting the distance from the center-point to the blade, the radius of the circle can be preset. 

Not sure what shape or form this sliding pivot point will take. We inventors usually don't have a clue what we're doing, don'tcha know!

Tonight, Mo got a complete tin of adult doggie food, not just a little mixed in with chow for flavour. Because I was busy working on the circle jig, so I did the easiest/fastest thing to get him fed. Mo was very pleased with the meal, apparently. He has been lying on my feet ever since.

No idea what to have for dinner. Something with little effort required to prepare. It's uncomfortably hot this evening. I had rice for lunch, dumplings will take too musc much work, so either potatoes or pasta. I've got more pasta than spuds so probably macaroni elbows with something mixed in to add flavour. Corned beef, I guess. Because I had tuna for lunch. I'll see what else I have that could be added to the mix. Onion for a start. Corn? Dunno. Gotta get that torch between my teeth and spelunk some more kitchen cupboards.

Gotta turn that fan on. I'm bilin'

Finished my book, BTW. The good guys lost the war. The hero escaped with the girl. I'll start the Alistair MacLean novel this evening, unless I'm so tired I go to sleep without reading...

Edited September 11, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

In bed again. I climbed in before, then noticed my new book was missing. Got dressed and searched the garden, but 'twas not to be found. Eventually, inmoved the bed and there it was, on the floor under the bed. Unharmed, but mysteriously not where I left it. 

Couldn't find any corn, but found a large supply of my favourite beans with the Trinidadian "Matouk's" brand. Also a large supply of diced tomatoes of a brand I started buying because they were cheap, and discovered they were good. Also small tins of tomato sauce from makers as diverse as Del Monte to ovscure south American brands.

So I had a good corned beef and tomatoes with red kidney beans "gloop" into which I stirred the cooked macaroni elbows. Now the macaroni was a disappointment. It tasted alright, but the texture was wrong. First, it didnt "yield" much, if at all. Pasta usually swells up a bit. These elbows were small in the package, and just as small on the plate. Second, I like my pasta chewy, but not gritty. And definitely not soft! This was  on the boarder between chewy and soft.i checked it and it was slightly gritty. After zcdekay of less than one minute it was almost too far in the direction of soft! Which is annoying because I have four more packages of the stuff in the fridge!

I have lost my tape rule. I have four, actually, and I am unable to put my hands on two of them. My 100' tape and my 50' tape are unsuitable to task, and my 25' and 16' tapes have gone walkabout. And I had the 16' one (Yellow. I posted a photo recently, when Mo stole it and left it on the grass.) on my desk and picked it up to take it outside. Got distracted and put it somewhere and I can't find it.

I looked by the lathe, by the table saw, by the band saw, in the kitchen, in the bedroom, in the shower, in the karzie, even in the fridge. I've searched the yard. I've looked in the car. No sign of it. It will turn up right after I save up and buy a new one.

Listening to Diaraby by Ali Farka Touré. Mo is outside. It's been a hot evening and I wouldn't blame him for wanting to sleep outside. With the window opdn to catch the light breeze plus thdvran it isn't too bad here in bed, but he will decide for himself.

Book: The gypsies are making their annual pilgrimage from across central and eastern Europe to Provence. But something is different this year. What secret are they hiding? Well, I think I will end here and go find out!

[Netfoot]

I think baby must be a little unwell. Ingavevhim the last bit if my lunch - which was leftovers from dinner - and he didn't touch the stuff. Nor his own lunch. 

Here he is on the verandah, peeping under the railing.

I'm going to take him up to the club, assuming the van will get there and hopefully back. He will get to meet Steven, a member who moved overseas a while back. This is his first visit home in a while, and it will be Mo's chance to meet him for the first time.

I sure hope Mo perks up. If he is still off his feed tonight, I will start to worry!I t's perishing hot. Maybe a trip into the country will do us both some good!

[Browncoat]

I hope he hasn't been swallowing any of that stuff he's been chewing up!  That might upset his tummy.

[Netfoot]

Puppy cheered up considerably, when I flung him in the car and set off!

We got diverted again, a different diversion this time and I didn't know where to go, but there were about 6 vehicles in front of me, and I just began to follow. First one, then another peeled off into driveways, until I was following the one remaining truck. That truck lead me out into agricultural land, on farm tracks, and I had no idea where I was!

The photo isn't that good -- too much reflection on the inside of the screen. But you can see that I was in the middle of nowhere! And that stretch of track was the best in the entire trip. But I kept following and eventually hit a tarmac road. Turned right and there, right in front of me, was what I now refer to as Kevin's Cross Road. From there, it was easy to get to the club.

We had Austin, Rudy, Jim, Steven, Arthur (a guest),  Mo and myself. And Tony too. Mo was playing Rocket Boy as usual, and when there was plenty of engine-running in the pits, was placed on a lead to make sure he didn't wander into a prop!

When it was time to come home again, I decided not to follow my usual route because I didn't want to be sent trundling down unrecognized agricultural tracks in the dark.

So, turning the opposite way, I looped around to the east, adding 4½ miles of route before even getting back to the aeroport! But from there it was straight down the highway until we were back home. No wandering and wondering in the dark, no Check-Engine light, and no balance on my phone... which is one good reason not to take a vehicle into strange territory after dark.

Released Mo from the car and he streaked over to his bowl and began inhaling his lunch. Then, when I'd got the door open he inhaled the last bit of my lunch. Later, he inhaled the last bit of my dinner (boiled potatoes, corned beef and beans).

So I don't think there is too much cause for concern over young Mosie-posie. I will keep an eye on him, of course. But I do that all the time anyway. Checking his fur for debris, looking in his ears and even observing his teeth to make sure there is nothing wrong with him. So he will remaining under heightened observation for a while. But I don't think there is much wrong with him.

He instantly in love when he met Steven as I expected him to. And Steve vice versa, which is no surprise. He always got on well with Buddy. I'm always glad to see Mo make friends. 

Edited September 12, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

In bed. Music: Don't Drink The Water by Dave Matthews Band. We were alfeay halfway around the yard when a shower of rain came down and caught us! Mo is deciding what he wants to do but I'm tired and my feet hurt. I've picked up a minor injury. A piece of skin has been cut from the back of my heel to flap a bit. I felt nothing and didn't even know it had happened until I saw the blood. The instant I saw it, it began to ache and that has gotten worse as time has passed.

My circle cutting jig is nearly complete. I need a handful of small wood screws (#6 x ½“ or 5⅝“) and one ¼-20 x ¾“ stainless hex bolt. So tomorrow I will pop over to the huge hardware store just up the road from me (not the one in the mall) and see what I can find. The hex bolt is for a star-knob that will lock the adjustment to what ever radius you like, while the jig is in use. Once all that is in place, I just need to slide the jig into place on the saw while the blade is running. This will cut a slot for the blade to pass through when the jig is in use. After that I will add a pivot pin, and graduate the unit by drawing on a scale that lets you set the circle radius for each cut. Given I intend to use this largely for cutting bowl blanks, I will probably calibrate from about 4" diameter up to 10" in ¼" increments. Since 10" or higher will bind on the lathe, I will probably add a mark on the scale for something like 9⅞“ for the biggest blank my baby lathe can handle. 

I sure hope it works. It should... but the proof of the pudding!

It was roughly made, out of scrap plywood and the odd bit of scrap pallet wood. I would like some day to build a proper one out of Baltic birch ply or possibly Melamine board, but I got to test a piece of the latter before deciding in it's favour. 

Mo just joined me in bed.

Here he is admiring Rudy's big Spacewalker, earlier this afternoon.

Rudy's big Spacewalker hides behind Austin's ginormous Extra 300...

Edited September 12, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Well, it ain't pretty...

But it cuts circles. Or as close to circles as the blade-drift allows, and more than good enough for my immediate purposes.

I found a 2x8 that was about 7¼" wide so I hacked off a piece about the same length. This gave me a roughly square blank and the crossing point of the diagonals showed me the rough center. Whacking an awl in at that point gave me a small hole to put on the pivot. I set the diameter on the jig to 7" by moving the pivot and locking it in place with a star-knob. Then, with the blade running, I slid the jig/blank into the saw, and when it was in place, I rotated the blank as the saw blade did it's job.

When the circle was cut it wasn't by any means perfect. So I kept rotating the disk, letting the blade shave off any high spots until it was good enough for my purposes. I must tweak the saw's blade tension and tracking and see if I can eliminate or at least reduce the blade drift. That will take time, but at least the jig already works well enough to be going forward.

The disk is ready for the lathe. I will attach a faceplate to the same side I whacked with the awl. The other side will become the bottom of a shallow bowl, with some sort of foot/tenon. With the tenon in the chuck* the other side can be hollowed which will remove the screws screw-holes that held the faceplate and the little pivot-hole made by the awl.

I must make a small guide with a ⅞" outer diameter and a small, central pin. This will allow me to put the pin in the awl-hole and drop the faceplate (⅞" internal diameter) over, to be screwed in place correctly centered on the awl-hole. And therefore also centered on the blank. Ideally made of steel, but I can't machine steel on my equipment and a hardwood centering guide will work perfectly well. 

Now I'm going to get lunch (glass of iced water) and veg out with a movie.

* No, no sign of movement as yet. Nor any expected on a Monday. This is government we're in alking talking about! And after all, it's only been 18 days they have kept me waiting...

Edited September 12, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Been playing with my new toy. Isolated s number of flaws already. Version 2.0 will incorporate some changes to make it easier to use.

Been making blanks out of tamarind as well as construction grade pine. I will continue to knock out some blanks in the morning. (I don't like to run my big, power tools after dark. Neighbors, ya know.) 

Decided to have a little more than iced water for lunch. Put a potato And two sweet potatoes to boil and went outside to fiddle with the saw. Next thing I knew (and it was only seconds later, a minute at most.) I could smell the spuds charring on the bottom of the boiled-dry pot. Well, some corned beef an beans and the potatoes - including some dark crispy bits were all mixed together and called a meal. 

Normally, when you boil potatoes, you throw away the excess water when they are cooked. The water takes with it a substantial portion of the salt you added to the water up front. If you boil away the water, all the salt remains! The meal was tasty (as a West Indian I like the bun-bun!) But the extra salt has left me thirsty. I will probably settle for that glass of iced water for dinner, now!

[Spunkygal]

When you get around to testing the oven, try roasting chunks of sweet potato in a little bit of oil and dry seasonings. So good! I usually save some to eat as a side with my eggs the next morning. 

Edited September 12, 2022 by Spunkygal

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

When you get around to testing the oven, try roasting chunks of sweet potato in a little bit of oil and dry seasonings. So good!

Will try that tomorrow. Either the sweet potatoes will become charcoal briquettes or I'm going to burn the house down. But I'll try it!

May also try English potatoes and carrots at the same time just so as to get maximum destruction for the one oven-heat. 

[Spunkygal]

Set the timer on your phone, my friend! Don’t ruin those lovely veggies! Roasted onion chunks is also yummy. Cut everything to about the same size so they cook evenly. I’ll even roast tomatoes to bring out their flavor. They’re good in a makeshift pasta sauce. 

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

Don’t ruin those lovely veggies!

Going to do my best. Wish I had more stuff to add in. Will report back after the experiment with the results.

In bed listening to Fade Away and Radiate by Blondie. Door locked, puppy inside. Book standing by. Not much happening in it so far. I like Alistair MacLean as a rule but this isn't one of his hottest novels. I have not read it for so long I can't remember what all happens, but I'm sure it will come back to me in flashes as I proceed.

I remember reading his HMS Ulysses for the first time, at about the age of 13. If you don't know the book, it's about a British destroyer tasked to protect FR77, a "Fast Russian" convoy from Scapa Flow in the Orkneys to Murmansk in the Barrents Sea.  After a while, I threw down the book in disgust. I don't mind if a book overdramatized a bit, but I thought this book had been taken to an unbelievable level. The degree of danger and hardship the book described, the level of death and destruction wrought by the enemy as depicted in the book was absolutely over the top and was about 10 times beyond believable. I said so and put the book down.

My father looked up, saw what I was reading, and said "That book depicts the Fast Russian convoys exactly as they were, without embellishments of any sort. You couldn't find a better description of what it was like if you tried." I picked up the book and continued reading.

I later discovered from my mum that my dad had been on several Fast Russian convoys and would have continued to make that run if it were not for the fact that he eventually had his ship torpedoed out from under him, and had to spend over an hour swimming around in the North Sea, in November, with snow falling on his head. He was one of only two survivors from the ship. The only reason they didn't freeze to death within the first three minutes was because their ship had been a tanker, so they were completely covered in oil, which functioned as an insulator to keep them alive. After that, he was reassigned to the West Indies, where he met my mother. They were married in April '42, when she was only 19 years old.

Now why did that story come out now? I guess I should delete it because it's of no interest to anyone. But I laboriously typed it in to this dumb phone, so I will leave it to annoy any and all readers as much as the phone annoys me!

For dinner I had a little corned beef with crackers. Other than garlic powder that was about it. And a diligent helper assisted me to get through it all. I will take my blood sugar in the morning and hope it won't be too high after potatoes for lunch and crackers for dinner.

And for lunch tomorrow I will have oven-roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots! With godnozewot. Probably more corned beef if there is any left, or perhaps tuna because I know that there are a few tins of that left.

I'm tired now. I'm always tired and honestly Mo doesn't help with his nocternal ways (Black Panther DNA in there somewhere). Many nights it's close to three in the morning before I can get my eyes shut and of course he wakes me again just before five. I do go back to bed and hope he doesn't disturb me too much for the next two hours. But I'm generally tired most days. 

Tomorrow, plan to work on something I've been ruminating on for a while. If it works I'll tell you about it in the fullness of time. Otherwise I will pretend it never happened.

Ok, a couple pages of a mediocre book and then lights out. 

[Netfoot]

Pursuant to my devious plan alluded to in my last post, I needed to set the table of one of my saws to a specific angle. Namely 30°. 

Shouldn't be a problem! I have the exact tool for that! The saw has a scale that will let you get pretty close, but the Wixey will read your table angle to ⅒ of a degree. 

Flat battery. Well, no problem, I keep a supply of batteries in the house, including strips of the required CR2033 coin-cells. 

Well, it turns out there were none left. The damned blood-sugar machine eats them, consuming two at a time! So, what to do?

Fetched the blood-sugar machine (4.5 mmol/L this morning) and "borrowed" a cell. Set the angle of the table, and started my project. (Yes, I returned the cell to the BS machine. It wouldn't do to displease Dr.Kristi by failing to test periodically!)

So far, it's going well. I will wait a while longer to make sure of the outcome, and will post about it. If I'm awake.

Yes, exhausted again. And Mo is the reason why.

He behaved like a little monster all night until in desperation I threw him outside. He was anxious to go - body-checked the door to get it open faster! 

So after a couple hours of sleep, the barking under the window started. At about 4:45. I figured he would give up after a while. An hour later I was hoping his voice would give out. At 6:30 I dragged myself out of bed and opened the door. He shot inside, bowling me over (I would have fallen if I didn't grab onto a table) and hopped into bed, chosing a comfy spot on top of the pillows. I dragged his arse off of there and went back to sleep, but it didn't last long.

So, tired again today. And here is how it is possible for him to do this, night after night:

He is sleeping comfortably amongst the dirt and dust-bunnies that have accumulated under the bed. He sleeps for hours a day, rising only when I tiptoe into the kitchen. So he can afford to race around all night, and bark for two hours nonstop. Sometimes he shifts position and sleeps under the van instead.

[Netfoot]

Burp!

I diced sweet & English potato and some carrot, tossed in olive oil, rosemary and sprinkled with salt, and put them in the kid lid if of a Pyrex dish. In they went at 425°F and I peeped at them until I felt it was time for them to come out. 30 minutes. I'd have liked them to have picked up some more brown spots but I didn't want to leave them in any longer.

Served with a little tuna and onion and a sliver of red butter, I enjoyed them very much. 

I nearly incinerated myself getting them out of the oven. Using a kitchen towel folded to four thicknesses, I got them out easily enough. But then it bacame apparent I had made a mistake or two. The "dish" for instance, should have been oiled. Obvious in hindsight. But in this case, it gave me hell getting the veggies out of the dish. To avoid pushing it onto the floor inhsd I had to grip the dish with the towel. In no time, the heat seeped through four layers of fabric and was scorching my fingers. It was quite a feat of juggling to swap to cooler sections of the towel, and get the veggies onto the plate and not the floor. (In the midst of all this, I caught Mo trying to steal the scouring pad. I gave a bellow and he scarpered!)

Anyway, I think I like the oven. It's as dangerous as an oxyacetylene torch with a leaky hose, but I think it shows promise. I will need a baking sheet to do this properly. Other veggies (broccoli, zucchini, breadfruit, small tomatoes & onions, etc) will improve the dish. Got to perfect the time & temperature - probably less heat and more time?

And I feel I have to find a way to utilize the oven more efficiently. More items taking advantage of the hot oven to cook simultaneously. Macaroni pie and/or lasagna, meat, what have you. I could stuff and bake a whole breadfruit! Inhavectwo I have two half-chickens in the freezer, with a baking sheet and a rack I could cook the two of them.

So yes. The oven is cool. Er, hot! But I will need several items before I try anything adventuresome. Some double-thick, asbestos-insulated gloves. A baking sheet. And a cooling rack (to hold meat, etc, up off the sheet. A couple nice casserole dishes for mackie pie. Or corn pie. Or yam pie. Or any of a number of possible dishes.

And of course, I will also need a supply of food! 

Edited September 13, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Those bowl blanks I cut yesterday are 35½mm thick. I want to cut one into rings. I will use 60° angle to make the cut. 

Using my bodged-back-together compasses, I drew a clean circle just inside the edge of the blank. 

X = 35.5mm / Tan( 60° )

This gives X = 20½mm. So I drew two more circles inside the first, spaced at 20mm.

Using my Wixey with the borrowed CR2032, I set the table on my scroll saw to an inclination of 30°. Since the blade is at 90°, this resulted in a 60° cut angle. I drilled a small hole through each pencil circle at 60° using a block cut to that angle on the table saw as a guide. These holes let me thread the #5 blade through the blank.

It's been a while, So I didn't do a very clean job. And the outer cut was actually done on the bandsaw, since the outermost piece will be discarded so it can be cut through. The end result is three pieces (plus the outer scrap ring).

Restacking these three pieces (trying as best I could to realign the grain) with some wood glue on the points of contact, I placed a lead weight on top until the glue joints set up.

It will be several hours until it's fully cured, but it can be handled now.

If I ever get my chuck parts, I can grip the wide part in the Cole jaws, shape the outside and turn a tenon on the narrow part. Then with the tenon in smaller jaws of the chuck, it can be hollowed and finished internally.

Standing on top of the lathe. Yes, that is Mo having his lunch in the background.

It still remains to be seen if this will work out or disintegrate when turned. But an interesting idea, either way.

Edited September 13, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I've been thinking. (No, it didn't hurt!) Look at this picture of the stacked-layer bowl blank I made earlier today.

I have placed the off-cut outer rim of the original blank on top of the glued up layers. It's just sitting there on top, with the straight sides of the original blank clearly visible. Also visible is the cut (diagonal line) I made with the bandsaw to remove the outer ring I intended to discard.

Here is the inside, showing the inner surfaces are easily matched enough to smooth it out on the lathe:

But suppose I don't discard it? Supposed I glue the saw-cut back together, stack the extra piece on top of the earlier stack, and in essence create a taller, wider blank?

When turning, the thin top edge would have to be relieved to give a thicker, stronger rim to the bowl. And the reglued bandsaw cut might be unsightly and horrible! (Obviously, the right thing to have done, was to make the outer cut with the scrollsaw as well, eliminating an unsightly cut line.)

But the reglued cut line might be nearly invisible! And if it isn't, I can just apply a bowl gouge to the piece in the lathe and the entire layer can be easily removed. So I am going to glue that cut closed, attach the extra ring, and we will see how it turns out. You can give me the thumbs up/down and we can decide whether to keep it (reglued band saw cut and all) or turn the reglued layer away.

One way or another, I am cutting all circles with the scrollsaw from now on. Assuming this example comes out sufficiently well once it's been turned that I want to do it again.

[Netfoot]

In bed with Mo leaning against my knee. Listening to Fountains on Fire by Elysian Fields. I know nothing about this band other than that I like them, and the vocalist has a voice I like too. Now Mo wants to play games which involvdvhim chewing on various parts of me, while I lay still and let him.

There is a surprisingly cool breeze coming through the window, ably assisted by the fan. I expect I will sleep comfortably , if Mo will allow it.

Macaroni with corned beef and beans for dinner and enough extra for lunch tomorrow. I need salt! I've run out. And I am one of those silly people who uses salt in the preparation of food, no matter how unhealthy people try to convince me it is. I gave up a lot in the name of a healthy diet, and now I've had to give up the healthy diet in the name of cheap eats. But salt was never off the table.

it would be nice if I could make one trip out, and get sakt and my package, but as of a few minutes ago, there has been no change in the status of the shipment.

You know, tomorrow (Thursday) will be 21 days those idiots have held that package with no sign of releasing it. Tomorrow will also be one full week since the shippers told me they would have the package "processed with urgency." Now, I am only a hobbyist here, but if I was actually running a small business, this could scupper me completely. A small business can't just shut down a machine for weeks on end without feeling the consequences. And the point to consider is that if you lodged any sort of complaint, the repercussions from the customs inspectors (or whatever they call themselves) would be devastating. They would single you out for special handling with maximum red tape on every single package you ever tried to import from then on, for the rest of your life.

But not withstanding all that, I still need salt. I have two large salt shakers that I use in the kitchen, and a smaller one I use at table. The small one has about an inch in it, I emptied one of the big shakers today saltingbthecwater for the mscsroni, and I can't find the other large one, but I'm pretty sure it's empty anyway!

I glued the ring back together as discussed earlier, and glued it onto the top of the blank.

Here it is, glue drying. It should be cured by tomorrow morning. I put a flat wooden disk on the spindle and removed the live senter from the tailstock. In this way I was able to trap the two parts between tailstock and disk, then wind in the quill to press the pieces together. Better than weights at this point. And at least the lathe is being used for something. It isn't any good for wood turning at the moment!

By cutting the rings at different angles I can make the blank flatter or more steep sided. But I wonder if it is practical to cut each ring at a different angle, thereby shaping the profile of the bowl to have more rounded sides? I've got to give it more thought. 

I really would like to get into Segmented Turning. But that is a horse of an entirely different colour!

Anyway, will read a couple pages of my book and blow out the lantern. Please, puppy! Let me sleep tonight!

[Netfoot]

Thinking about a nap. Puppy demanded to be let out last night and then started barking under my window from about 4:30. I ignored it as long as possible, then let him in. I've seen little if of him since. I saw him when he appeared for his lunch, and again when he appeared for my lunch. I think he thinks he is in disfavour. I dunno why. I gave him snuffles and kisses at lunch time and I haven't spoken anything but love to him all day. But when I hopped into bed a short while ago, I heard some quiet scuffling under the bed and he sneaked out from under, then down the passage and away! I'm never happy when puppy feels he has to stay away from me. And I never can understand why. 

I found the second large salt shaker today, and far from being empty (as I had thought) it's almost completely full! So I can put off going out to buy salt until I am able to pick up the chuck parts at the same time. Next week Thursday, at this rate. 

Glory Box. Portishead.

May read a while. I actually don't want to, but I'm waiting for glue to set. (Running low on glue. One more thing to do next Thursday.) 

I'm making a small, not-very-good cross-cut sled for the table saw. Baltic birch ply would be better, but I'm using regular piss-poor grade ply instead. So I had to cut some guide runners out of some mahogany. While the saw was set up for it, I cut about a dozen of them. Useful for future projects.

Then I needed a main fence which I am making out of ¾" ply. I like a large box fence, with a shallow tray in the top for my pencil, rule, etc. This is glued up and clsmped clamped now, and I will add screws in it later.

I will also need a secondary fence which I will have to make, and a base which is already cut to size.

Once all the bits are ready, they are esdily easily asembled into the completed sled. There is the fiddly task of making sure the main fence is exactly 90.000° to the blade, but then I can use the sled to easily make perfect cross-cuts. 

The sled is also a precursor to making a box-joint jig, as well as accessories for cutting segments for segmented turning, spline cutting, and a host of other useful items.

I think I will read a bit. I have a timer running; it will alert me in 25 minutes. I will then finish the main fence and start on a secondary fence for my cross-cut sled.

But first, I will search out a puppy and give him some love!

Edited September 15, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I just watched a movie called Moonfall. Now, I like a bit of sci-fi but this was some of the crappiest crap that ever crapped. And I can't say I wasn't warned, because I'd already watched The Critical Drinker's review which lavished it with the withering criticism it justly deserved. But I watched it anyhow, and it seems TCD was absolutely correct and spot on in his review. Oh well. A couple of hours I'll never get back, but I wasn't doing anything with them to begin with, so...

Mo is with me now, in bed. But he's looking out the window a lot...

...so I imagine he will want the door opened pretty soon. But maybe not.

Didn't finish my sled for the table saw. The main fence is complete, the parts for the (much simpler) secondary fence are made, and I am in the process of attaching the runners to the base. Unfortunately, that didn't go well. I stuck them down with glue, but accidentally nudged the base before the glue had set up, so I had to start again. And I had to carefully remove the partially dried glue from the mahogany runners. And the bottom of the sled.

Decided to glue the runners on one at a time, so I did the first one. The problem is, I am using crappy materials which are warped and/or twisted. Anyway, the runner went on with a tiny bit of a curve to it. This makes it tight in the slot, and very stiff to move. It's supposed to slide back and forth silkily. Not fight you. So I've been carefully sanding it and checking it to get it to the point where it glides back and forth easily, without being slack. It's slow going and I still need to do some more. In the morning I will try and find my card scrapers and see if they will speed things up.

I think I will add on an extra block of wood on the back of the fence, to safeguard my fingers. With the blade fully extended (3⅛" high) the front of the blade will just protrude through to the back of the fence. Ideal for speedy and unscheduled removal of unnecessary fingers. Especially thumbs, which are at greatest danger.

But the simple solution is to make the fence just a little thicker, right where the blade will try to protrude. This is easily achieved by gluing on a small square of plywood. This makes the fence just too thick for the blade to cut through.

Anyway, enough boring talk about tools and so on. Let us change to my favourite subject: Food!

For lunch I had leftover macaroni with corned beef & red bean sauce. I added some red pepper flakes and it was volcanic! (Mo is now giving me such a thorough bath I can hardly type. And I will now need to go take another bath before lights-out!) There was some lava-sauce left over, so for dinner I cooked up some cabbage and put it all together into what some fool might call a meal.

Anyway, I will turn on the music now, read some of my book, take a quick rinse under the shower, and turn in. It's much warmer tonight than last night. Or more correctly, there is less breeze blowing.  Virtually none in fact.  But I still need to get some shut-eye. I have a busy day tomorrow, repeatedly and futilely checking the status of my package as the fourth weekend for it to be at customs approaches.

[Netfoot]

Application of a card scraper quickly brought my errant sled-runner to heel, and had the sled moving if not silkily, at least with the push of a single finger. So I spent my morning tapping my toes while the glue set up on the second runner. It too, was binding in the slot, so the card scraper came out again, and once more the slid sled was moving with a single finger. And when done, I will apply some paste wax which should make it a bit more slippery.

So it was time to drill, countersink and add there three tiny screws to each runner to support the glue. Probably quite unnecessary, but...

Here is the sled, bottom up, with the mahogany runners in place. Pity I didn't have some nice ply for this build but if crap ply is what you got, crap ply is what you use.

Next to go on is the front and rear fences. The the secondary fence is not critical. It just stiffens the jig, and must be tall enough in the area of the blade not to be cut through when the blade is at full height. I will use two pieces of ply because I didn't have a piece wide enough and tall enough. The hump-backed appearance is common, as people cut away the excess height in the areas where there is no risk from the blade.

The two secondary fence parts are seen at the rear. They have not been glued together at this point. I will add the "hump" when the sled is almost complete and the slot is about to be cut.

The main fence is essentially complete. It is robust and solid, with a little tray for pencils, etc, at the top. I don't know if to add two little slivers of wood to close the ends of the tray or not. Don't think it's necessary, but I can always add ends later. And leaving the tray open at the ends allows me to add extendions extensions, etc, at a later date.

The fence is essentially a hollow box, with the box open on each side, so stuff can be stashed inside of it, so long as you take care to keep it out of the path of the blade.

I will get to work on putting it all together after lunch. Mo just got his, and I'm having iced water for mine.

ETA: I have been on to Aeropost (the shippers) and this is what they said to me:

Currently there are many packages in customs, the delay is due to the fact that since the beginning of the year Customs introduced a new system of appointments to examine cargo packages and this has triggered a series of delays as there are days when customs officers only work a few hours during the day, others where no officer is assigned to review cargo or the assigned officer is not used to inspect the large volume of cargo that we handle. 

This situation has made national news and doesn't only affect Aeropost, but all import services, such as Fedex

I can't seem to find the button that would have made that a quote, so italics will have to do.

Edited September 15, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Ready to align the primary fence, I put the sled on the saw and slid it into the spinning blade to make a cut. Then, with the primary fence attached with one screw, I rotated the fence until a framing square indicated it was at 90° to the blade of the saw. At this point I drove in two more screws to stop it from shifting.

Placing a wider piece of plywood flush against the fence, I again pushed the sled into the spinning blade to cut a sliver of wood from the end of the plywood. Using a square I checked the cut and could not see any daylight between wood and square! Seems I got lucky for once, and hit the nail on the head first try! 

I added more screws (total of 10) to hold that fence firmly in place. Then using 6 more screws I attached the rear fence. The "hump" was positioned and then glued and clamped as shown.  Always taking care to make sure none of the screws would end up where the blade might hit them. And taking in mind that the blade can be tilted 45° left.

You can see the light is fading, so I won't do any more today. There isn't much left to do. A small piece of wood (visible in the foreground) will be glued into place as a finger-guard, but I will want to run a full-depth cut from the back, all the way forward until the top of the blade meets the fence. Then I will be able to see how far the front of the blade protrudes out of the fence. I may need to use a block as a guard.

As a final step I will apply the sanding bar to smooth out any rough corners/edges, and apply paste wax to the runners. But that will be for tomorrow.

[Netfoot]

House locked up, Mo sleeping near the front door, gramaphone playing (Govinda by Kula Shaker). I am wet from a well needed shower. There is no breeze through the window, but the fan is blowing.

Can't remember what I had for lunch. I think I skipped it entirely. Dinner was a 45¢ package of ramen noodles which I boiled for 3 minutes, drained away the water and sprinkled on "the packet." After a careful stir to distribute the duppy dust without smashing the noodles all to hell, I chowed down with a four-pronged western chopstick.

Actually, it tasted fine! But in all honesty, I could have eaten six of those packages. And after only three minutes worth of cooking, I was yamming it down the hatch. I think it took longer to get out a bowl, put ice in a glass, and rinse the bowl. I think I actually did it wrong. I think you're supposed to add the magic ingredients to the ramen without draining the water. Presumably the goal is a bowl of ramen soup? But it looked like way too much water for the tiny packet. (I used exactly the amount of water they specified.) So I did my own thing. Next time I will probably do something entirely different.

Checked a bunch of YT videos and I am amazed at the number of people who start with a few coppers worth of noodles, then spend nearly an hour adding everything from Kobe beef to truffles, and finish with a big smile, like they've achieved something great.

Ramen is supposed to be simple, fast and above all else, cheap as chips. I tip my hat to the guy who spends an additional 38¢ and extends the cooking time by 21 seconds, with an improved dish as a result.

Now, I discovered a package of tricolour penne in the fridge, and I will vrvaffing my Kobe & truffle sauce to that tomorrow. Actually, I think I'll cook a pot of rice. Just trying to think what I can put in it. Got half a tin of corned beef in the fridge (Less one little Morsel). Got some carrots. Maybe a cucumber. A few leaves of pak choy and a small onion. And I know I have tins if red beans, black beans, and channa, so I only have to pick one. 

Unfortunately, I don't have saucepan of a size suitable for the preparation of two meals worth of rice. I have one small enough to make just enough rice to leave you burping and thinking about a nap. Or one big enough for 4-5 meals.

Been thinking about my new sled. I considered a couple coats of polyurethane varnish before waxing the runners. That would help it stand up better; last longer. But since it is only a cheap, nasty one for temporary use until some good Baltic birch ply comes along, I won't bother. Having said that, I will probably still be using it on 19th January 2038, at 03:14:07 UTC!! (Bonus points for you, if you know the significance of that date/time.)

Well, Mo has been put out like Fred Flintstone's cat (he insisted) and I am going to get to my book. It has improved as the plot developed. And the caravans have reached Vaccarès in the French Camargue. And seeing as the book is called "Caravan to Vaccarès" I expect things will start to happen!

Tomorrow is going to be a highly annoying day, as yet another weekend rolls around (the fourth) and still no chuck...

[Netfoot]

He asked to be let in again. He gave me kisses.

Now, he wants to be let out again.

[luv2lurk]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

Can't remember what I had for lunch. I think I skipped it entirely. Dinner was a 45¢ package of ramen noodles which I boiled for 3 minutes, drained away the water and sprinkled on "the packet." After a careful stir to distribute the duppy dust without smashing the noodles all to hell, I chowed down with a four-pronged western chopstick.

Actually, it tasted fine! But in all honesty, I could have eaten six of those packages. And after only three minutes worth of cooking, I was yamming it down the hatch. I think it took longer to get out a bowl, put ice in a glass, and rinse the bowl. I think I actually did it wrong. I think you're supposed to add the magic ingredients to the ramen without draining the water. Presumably the goal is a bowl of ramen soup? But it looked like way too much water for the tiny packet. (I used exactly the amount of water they specified.) So I did my own thing. Next time I will probably do something entirely different.

I know you did it wrong. Were you cooking Maggi noodles? Here's what I do. Put water in saucepan and add seasoning packet and stir. Put lid on. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and then crack in an egg and stir for a minute. Add noodles and cover, cook 1 minute. Then turn off heat and allow another 2-3 minutes. Pour into a bowl and enjoy

I like to add chopped green onions and maybe diced cooked chicken or ham if I have them. I do this when I add the noodles having brought them out of the fridge to room temperature.

And the noodles absorb much of the water so yes there is a slight soup, but mostly noodles.

I agree, one package does not seem enough but they are very high in sodium. Usually with what I add, it is enough. However, I confess last week I made two a couple of hours apart (and thus clearing my cupboard of Maggi beyond expiry date). Drank a lot of water after that 😁

Edited September 16, 2022 by luv2lurk

[Netfoot]

28 minutes ago, luv2lurk said:

Were you cooking Maggi noodles?

I can't remember the brand and don't feel like getting out of bed to check. But pretty sure they were not Maggie. 

I actually followed the instructions pretty closely. They said 1) boil 2 cups of water, 2) add noodles, 3) cook for 3 minutes, 4) stir in the eye-of-newt powder, 5) eat. They did not say whether or not to pour away the excess water betwen #3 and #4. Without instructions to drain the noodles, I'd have left it, if it didn't look like way too much water. Next time I will try cooking with less water.

Yes, adding extra bits of whatever you have handy seems like common sense, really. In my case, tonight, I just wanted to get something hot to eat fast. And there wasn't much in the fridge I could co-opt.

Gotta go. Mo is playing tummy-trampoline.

[Netfoot]

Ok, with the bulk of the woodworking done (all but the thumb safety) I pushed the sled through the blade and stopped it at this point.

Notice that the main part of the back fence is cut right through, which is why there is a hump. A taller fence would also work, but would be heavier. Most of the time a single, wide board is used and then cut down on the bandsaw to leave the strategically placed hump. I didn't have a suitable board, hence this compromise.

The inner width of the sled is 12⅞" so I can easily crosscut a 12" panel. My big sled (when I finally build it) will need to accommodate 16" panels. But this medium sized sled will do for many jobs.

Notice too, that the blade (which is at maximum height) was stopped when the highest point on the blade was in line with the front of the main fence. Pushing the sled any further forward would not make any sense, because by this point, anything on the sled that was going to be cut would already be cut, and more forward motion would not achieve anything.

Now the nasty bit. Observe this photo of the back (front?) of the main fence.

As you can see, the very front of the blade is peeping out the bottom of the fence. Right about where your thumbs might be, if you were pushing the sled forward with your attention on the cut and not on your hands. Personally, I always hold the fence with my hands away from this area, but I don't know when a buddy might come and ask me if they can use the saw.

Solutions?

1) Wider fence. It is pretty simple using the theorems of the a chord of a circle to compute how far in advance of the center highpoint will be the front of the blade. But this would have increased the weight of the sled, I didn't want to do the math, I didn't have any wood handy to make the fence wider, and there is always the "over-cut" problem.

2) Thumb safety block. You can see a couple pieces of scrap wood next to the peeping-out blade. If I glued them over that danger spot, the blade would be entirely enclosed in wood at this point and present no danger to thumbs, so long as the safety block catered for a blade tilted at 45° (see small pencil mark).

But! Over-cut. There is nothing to stop users from pushing the sled further than this point. It would be a waste of time from the point of view of the cut, but distracted people can sometimes do pointless things. And the result would be the blade protruding even more, potentially right through any thumb safety block. To reduce the risk, I am thinking of fastening an aluminum bar at the back of the safety block. If you pushed too far forward the spinning blade would start cutting the aluminum bar, with a huge increase in noise. This should wake the operator up enough to stop pushing further in! A steel bar would be even more safe, but would destroy the blade in a twinkling.

So I will glue on a safety block, consider adding an aluminum "wake up!" bar later, and call the build complete. Just some sanding and some paste wax, and it is ready to put to use.

I've long considered that the fence on a cross-cut sled should be triangular, with the apex of the triangle aligned with the blade. This would be safer, lighter than just making the fence wider, but would be more difficult to construct.

I am also considering some sort of positive stop that would prevent the sled from being pushed too far. Positive prevention of over-cut. But I have not come up with a scheme that is cheap, simple, quick to enable and disengage and suitable for fences sleds of different sizes. I have a very rough idea, but as of this moment, it's just a glimmer of a thought in the back of my mind.

Edited September 17, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Glued on the safety block, and since I didn't have any long-reach clamps, I had to utilize my red "gravity clamps" as well.

After letting the glue fully set up, I ran the sled through up to and just past the mid-point of the blade. Turning the sled upside down shows that the leading edge of the blade is a hair over ½“ from cutting out of the block, do is now fully shrouded and my thumbs are safe even on a maximum-height cut...

...so long as I don't over-cut the sled. 

I've been thinking of a solution to preventing over-cut. Look at this clamp attached to the rearmost guide rail of the saw.

 

Since it sticks up above the table, it will obviously prevent anything from being slid beyond that point. I should be able to manufacture something that bolts permanently to the rail and has a flip-up/flip-down bit that protrudes above the level of the table to block or flips down giving full clearance. It would only have to protrude ¼" or even less to bring a sled to a stop. 

But sleds and other jigs come in a variety of sizes. Some will need to protrude at least part way past the edge of the saw.

Ok, suppose I position my ¼" flippy thing 2" to the side of the blade, and have it stick up ⅛“ when flipped up. Then I cut a dado (groove) ¼" deep in the underside of the sled, 2" from the blade. The sled will now slide freely, with the flippy up thing passing freely through the dado. This won't stop over-cut. But what if I now take in a little block of wood and glue it back into the dado at exactly the right position? Mr. Flippy will ride in the dado, allowing the sled to slide across until it hits the little glue block, which will stop it from over-cutting.

Each sled or jig no matter how large or small, could have a dado positioned 2" from the blade, with a block.glued in at exactly the right place to prevent over-cutting.

The flippy thing could simply be a nail or screw protruding from the throat plate. But that would mean you need to swap out throat plates when ever using a jig or sled.

I think my stopped dado is the way to go on this. I now have to figure out exactly what form Mr. Flippy should take. It could be complex, or as simple as a hole drilled in the rear rail with a pin that you drop in or pull out as required.

But right now I am lying in bed with a bad bellyache and a case of the trots. And my puppy has decided to leave me to my fate.

[andidante]

Netfoot I am finding all of this very interesting as I know nothing about any of it! 😄

[Netfoot]

Ok. Chuck parts spending their fourth weekend with customs. And I don't know if I will ever see them. Honestly, if I had the cash I'd  reorder and ship items separately so as to avoid customs. I'm a fool for not doing that in the first place, but multiple shipments means multiple $hipping charges. Which I was trying to avoid but with hindsight, would gladly have paid. Anyway, I have to progress the wood turning as far as possible so at least some of the work will be done when/if the chuck ever works again.

So, using a ⅞" Forstner bit (red) I drilled a hole in each of a couple small wood blanks. Then with the 1" Beall tap (shiny) I tapped the holes with eight threads per inch (8 TPI). That size and spacing fits directly onto my lathe spindle.

Using the lathe itself, I trued up the blocks, faced the end flat and sanded with a sanding bar to make sure.

Then, with hot glue, I attached each block to the face of a couple simple pine blanks cut a few days ago on the bandsaw. I use the live center in the tailstock to make dure the blanks are centered, and use the quill to apply pressure. Here's hoping the hot glue doesn't let go at an inopportune moment!

Mo looks on. He always gives encouragement.

After completing that, I fetched up a chunk of tamarind and using Forstner bit and Beall tap again, bored and tapped the tamarind chunk directly. Here it is, sitting on the lathe spindle.

it was getting late but I had to apply first a spindle roughing gouge and then a bowl gouge to start giving it some shape. 

There is some wain visible on the base. I can turn that away, making the bowl smaller. Or leave it - or at least some of it - in place, giving the piece character. (When anybody looks at things like that, you say "Modern rustic!") There is quite a bit of spalting, which has lead to a uneven, rough surface with the initial shaping. Additional light cuts will be needed with freshly sharpened bowl gouge and scraper, which will remove the roughness and reduce the size of the rustic bit.

Now, I've just realized that all this talk of wood and tools is dangerously boring to everyone except me. So I've decided to stop talking about all that stuff. I will post photos of any pieces I complete which I think are particularly nice or interesting. Otherwise, I'll shut up about it now.

My tummy ache from earlier has gone but it's left me feeling tender. I'm hungry despite making some nice rice for lunch. But I am a little afraid of eating anything. Don't want to annoy that tender tummy! But hungry...

I'm boiling some water and will use it to cook some penne and serve it with tuna. I doubt those ingredients will upset the tummy. Let's hope I'm right.

[Netfoot]

In bed. Haven't had a pre -bed shower because I had one earlier in the evening when I came in literally covered in sawdust. Music playing: Hurt by Johnny Cash (not my favourite musician at all, but I like this song), followed by the same song by NIИ. Mo is in and wandering back and forth between theckivingroom door and the bedroom window, stepping on me each transition. Here he is resting his chin on the windowsill. 

I ate tricolour penne with tuna and egg. Only seasoning was dried chives and red butter. The latter was a risk, but no I'll effects. No tummy ache, and the tender feeling is fading - almost gone. 

It's quite late for some reason. Only a handful of minutes to 2:00 AM. So I will blow out the candles and see if Mo will let me sleep past five.

[Netfoot]

Mo woke me at 4:09 demanding to be let out. I ignored him until first light which was about 5:45 and then let him out. 

Sitting around doing nothing but occasionally popping out to the garage to do this or that.

Slow progress. Using a nail as a hinge pin for now. Have to get a suitable bolt with a wing nut to use as a hinge pin. Can't drill that hole until I have the bolt because I don't know what size I will get.

Fat shop-pencil shows how it will be attached. Got to fashion a block to hold it and clamp it. Also a thinish length of piano wire is shown. A piece of this will be sharpened and used as the pivot. May make two and fit one into a pencil-sized rod so it can be used to turn the compasses into a pair of dividers.

It is 13" from pivot to tip. If another inch is added to include the pencil and point, then spread at 90° it will draw a circle in excess 18" across. Anything bigger than that and I will dig out my trammel instead.

No quadrant included. If the wing nut will not lock it to a set location, I will have to make and retrofit a quadrant.

Finished the penne/tuna/egg from last night for lunch. Feeling perfectly fine again, after yesterday's tummy ache. Probably just an ulcer acting up. If anybody deserves an ulcer it's probably me....

Dinner? Who knows? 

Mo saw me walking back from the lathe  with the two arms of the compasses and ran away. Did he think I would attack him with them? Honestly I don't understand him sometimes. When he sees me approaching with his own dinner bowl, he flees, returning only after I've put the bowl down. Is he expecting me to hit him with his luncheon?

Edited September 17, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Baby was napping in the cool, dark passage when a heavy rain began to fall. It was soon accompanied by some grumbly, belligerent sounding thunder. 

Mo generally ignores thunder. But this time...

...he found somewhere else to lie down!

[Netfoot]

I had corned beef and cabbage for dinner. A little red pepper flakes to spice it up. Mo presented himself for his share and gave it his stamp off approval. 

Shortly after dinner, there was some more thunder despite no rain falling. Mo once again took up residence under my chair, lying between - sometimes on - my feet with his head up on one of the chair legs.

Later, as we walked around the garden the rain started to fall and there was a distant rumble or two as well. Puppy didn't seem to mind at all. On In fact, when I retired under cover, he stayed out playing Rocket Boy in the rainy dark. When he eventually came in he was soaked from head to foot and his coat was all spiky like a hedgehog. Or a terrestrial "cobbler". 

I had to dry him off with a towel in a hurry, before he dried himself by rolling around in the bed.

I've not done much today. Watched a couple movies and tinkered in the garage. Couldn't find my combination square, even though I saw it only recently. So instead I dug out my old combination square which is not as good. Nowhere near as solid in hand. But I guess it will have to do until the good one shows up.

I keep thinking of things I should make. Usually things that would be useful to have, to help make other stuff.  You have to avoid the trap of only ever making things that are used to make other things, and never actually making other things. But today I had to box-joint some plywood and I really could have used a box-joint jig. Instead, I had to hand-cut the box joints on the bandsaw. If using a bandsaw can be considered hand-cutting... Thing about a box-joint jig is you really need a box-joint jig to make one!

Heavy rainfall, now. A real deluge. I hope puppy is still sitting on the steps and not cavorting around in the downpour. If he is, he will probably come rub himself all over me in a minute, sonincan so I can enjoy it too. It's really bucket-a-drop and drumming on the roof quite hard. I closed up the window to just a crack. 

Nearly at the end of my book. Probably a dozen pages left. No idea what I will read next. I'm not taking a shower tonight (too rainy outside to deliberately get myself wet!) So I will finish that book.

Would like to go to the club with Mo tomorrow. Poor little mite really loves going there. I will have to look at the gasoline situation. Also, I forgot to pay the insurance on the van, so technically it's uninsured. And now I can't pay before Monday.

Rain getting heavier. Going to go see if I can persuade my little hot water bottle to come kept me company. Then the book. Wow! Even with the window only open a crack, I'm getting sprinkled here in bed. Worse every minute so I am shutting it completely.

Right. Fetch Mo, read book, turn over glow-basket, sleep. 

P.S.: The rain-storm is on its way out. But as it left it produced a blinding flash of lightning followed by a prodigious clap of thunder. Mo was lying at the foot of the bed leaning against my foot. No sooner did the thunder peal, he rushed up to lean against my chest. What a sweet boy, coming to check that I was OK!

Edited September 18, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Took Mo to the club. Mindful of the neverending diversions I avoided that road all together. Drive straight to the aeroport on the highway and straight on via Kevin's Crossroads and Six-roads junction to the club. Check Engine light came on halfway. Until now, it has only ever come on on the way home.

On arrival, Mo jumped out of the car and immediately did a prodigious poo. I mention it for two reasons. First, thank goodness he waited. Second, if I had come across that specimen without knowing where it came from, I would have suspected there was a Great Dane, Newfoundland Hound or adolescent hefalump somewhere hanging around. Honestly, I was amazed.

Anyway, Mo had a good day, running around in his Rocket Boy persona the entire afternoon, except when there were engines running in the pits. At that point he went on a lead and so I was able to make a few Daguerreotypes of him that weren't just motion-blurs.

Here he is sitting in the grass just being cute.

And here he sits beside Unka Rudy's fieldbox/flightbox. He doesn't like the lead.

At one point in the afternoon I caught him having a snack, even though he had a good lunch before coming out.

It's a rusty piece of steel plate. Apparently very tasty, given how hard he fought to keep it when I went to take it away from him!

we came home smoothly enough by the same route we went. There was some mud in our track that made the departure interesting but hardly difficult. No Check Engine light. It seems only to come on when I am steaming. Which can happen on the way home with both doggie and daddy looking forward to a meal! I took it easy on the way back and the light failed to illuminate.

Speaking of looking forward to a meal. I was a bit peckish, having skipped lunch but feeling lazy. So I brewed up two cups of boiling water and did that ramen thing again. Kept the water this time.

Also added literally a tablespoon of corned beef, about a tenth of a tin. It didn't seem to make the dish taste any better. Drinking the flavoured water soup helped bulk out the meal a tiny little bit but I was really in it for the noodles. 

Not Maggie as you can see. Made somewhere in California so I suppose that 45¢ price is going to be around seven bucks pretty soon. And as for rising prices, I heard today that the Public Utilities Board have approved a price hike for electricity. Nobody can afford to pay it now! I hope it isn't a huge increase...

You may know that I am slowly making a pair of wooden compasses. Because the main spring on the metal pair I have, broke inexplicably. While supping my soup I remembered something. Those compasses were part of a set of three tools. Compasses, ordinary dividers, and some sort of internal gauge dividers that I've never found a use for. Regular (external) gauge dividers I could use. But internal? After a quick butchers, I located the two other parts of the triad. Ordinary dividers, a little rusty but functional. Weird internal gauge dividers, also functional but useless. At least to me. Compasses a little rusty too and would be functional were it not for the broken metal spring on the end.

So I took the spring from the funky dividers and out it on the compasses. Voila! Working compasses, working dividers and a non-functional weird set of dividers that I never use anyway!

So what to do with the wooden compasses I started work on already? Change the design to become a pair of regular gauge dividers which I could actually find a use for fairly often. 

Must go to the pharmacy very soon. Maybe tomorrow. And for heaven's sake, can customs please release my package this week? I've got 6-8 half completed bowls now, all at the stage where it's time to put them on the chuck and finish them!

Mo I here with me now, sleeping against my back. I finished my book. I then picked up a book on how to make decorative wooden boxes with the scroll saw. But it isn't the sort of thing I want to read in bed. So I will go lock up and go straight to sleep. 

[Netfoot]

One year gone.

I miss him so much and give thanks to little Mo for comforting me.

[Netfoot]

Thinking of Buddy a lot, today. If you are reading this you probably went through the sad saga of his passing along with me, last year this time. Trying to spend time with Mo today. All days really, but especially today. My boys have always been in the forefront of my life. Never just a creature that lives in the back yard and thought of once a day when it's time to feed them. Our furry friends have so much to offer us it would be a great shame not to take the time to appreciate them.

If you have a pupper (or a cat, I suppose, if that's the best you can manage) go now and spend some time with them. Talk to them as if they can understand. Sit or lie on the floor where you can really appreciate them from their own perspective. Most importantly, if they give you kisses or show their affection in any similar way, don't reject them. You can wash your face later. But you can't convince your four-footed friend you really appreciate them, if first you reject any gestures of affection they make towards you.

And if you don't have a pupper to snuggle with, get up off the couch right now and go to an animal shelter where you can find a pupper that needs you. I prefer cute little boys who show signs of being feisty. You may prefer a different type of pup. But you will know them when you see them. Now get moving before the shelter closes!

I had chicken today, for lunch. A thigh and a leg (two pieces, not one) breaded and fried. Deglazed the pan and made some turkey gravy with crystals that I bought cheap, presumably because people don't think turkey gravy is suitable other than at Christmas. 

I've always been a bit of a xenophile when it comes to gravy. In almost every case, I don't care what gravy goes on what meat. Chicken gravy on pork, lamb gravy on beef... All is good. The only exception: fish gravy belongs on fish.

So I can tell you I am fine with the turkey gravy. It is easy to make with the crystals and those crystals last a long time becaue I never make up an entire gravy-boat full. I make just enough for the meal I'm making and that is enough.

While preparing the chicken I gave Mo some skin and the odd sliver of meat, raw. I've been told that Mo should never be given poultry bones unless they are raw. Fine. But do you know how much damage a ham-fisted cook like me has to do to a thigh or a drumstick to get the bones out? I end up with chips and shreds of chicken meat to cook and eat. Any when I think that Buddy and Dotty both ate chicken bones their whole lives long without incident. As did every one of the many dogs we've had since I was a nipper.

Anyway, I cooked up some beans to have with my chicken and that was OK if not remarkable.

Then it occured to me that if I am going to keep making turkey gravy, why not actually cook some turkey?!?? So I think I will have rice with turkey bitz in it (plus some carrots maybe? And/or channa?) for dinner tonight. And I can fry up some turkey scraps in a pan, feed the fried turkey to Mo, deglaze the pan and make turkey gravy to go on the rice... Sounds like a plan!

Now I have to scrabble through piles of musty old books to find something to read later, when I go to bed. Don't want anything heavy like the details of Churchill's Prime Ministership. Something escapist. Lots of adventure and derring do! You know - to match my own life!

[Netfoot]

There was sawdust (or more accurately, shavings) in the bed. It's been turning up all over, tracked in by Mo or myself. On Sunday I got out the yard broom and cleaned up all the shavings I could. They half-filled my 65 gallon wheelie-bin. But I didn't bring out the shopvac so there is still some on the ground. I should get my dust collector back together!

I just had a shower and on the way to bed I went looking for Mo. Hecwasngvin He wasn't in bed. He wasn't snoozing on on the steps. I whistlec whistled but he didn't come running in from outside. Then I checked under my chair. There he was, wrapped around the legs and castors of the thing. With two bright eyes quietly watching me search for him! Rascal!

In bed listening to I'll Take You There by The Staple Singers. Book for the night and probably several more to come) is The Integral Trees by Larry Niven. Niven can create unusual worlds for us to explore.The best known is probably Ringworld but Trees postulates a civilization surviving in a pretty wild environment!

"An immense doughnut-shaped gaseous envelope, formed around a neutron star, and comfortably habitable to Man." And orbiting within this envelope? Not planets. Trees. With trunks up to 100km in length and a girth to suit, and at each end a "tuft", a combination of foliage and root structure. Fashioned by orbit-generated winds into the shape of an integral symbol ∫ and home to a civilization descended from shipwrecked space travelers.

I told you Mr. Niven's worlds sometimes got wild, didn't I?

Mo got his fried turkey scraps with a few raw turkey bones for dinner. Mo loves his food and was in raptures over this. I got to deglaze the pan and make turkey gravy. This went on my turkey rice with channa and carrots, and a little red pepper flakes for zing. Was great! Except I used a muckle great carrot and the slices were bigger than a "Hard" Dollar.

I should have cut those slices in half or quarters, even. Smaller pieces would have spread more evenly through the rice. Instead of sibe some bites being with and some without.

I have a bit more turkey and wonder how best to incorporate it into a pasta dish. I thought about slicing/dicing it into very small strips or cubes, frying until some colour appears, then tossing in some diced tomato and maybe some basil and cilantro?

Oh, blood sugar this morning was low at 3.9 mmol/L but only just outside the acceptable range of 4.0 to 5.9 so I'm not worried. 

I did a favour for a friend's wife and they called this afternoon and invited me to have lunch at a local restaurant. We used to do it fairly often, before athlete's foot. As a couple, they have been very paranoid about leaving home or rubbing shoulders with anyone since the beginning. I hope this means they are starting to relax a bit. Of course, the invitation leads me to wonder what to do with Mo. I may be misremembering but I don't think I've left the baby home to his own devices for any length of time before. Yes, while I skip over the road to buy a few things from the hardware store and hurry straight back. But lunch with friends I've not seen for a good while is likely to go on a bit! 

My garage is becoming filled with half-completed bowls. Bowls which, if Customs gets their way, will never be finished.

It was raining earlier, but it's stopped now. A cool breeze is coming in the window, and I'm nodding a bit. So a few pages of Mr. Niven's Integral Trees and then the light goes off!

Edited September 20, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Do you remember a bowl blank I made by cutting a flat circle into angled rings and restacking? Last evening, in the absence of a chuck I made a glue block and glued it to the base. This was particularly difficult tomslign to align and in the end it was a little off-center, generating a significant wobble.

This morning with the glue all cured, I made an attempt to turn it. The wall of the vase got thinner and thinner as I turned away more and more to eliminate the wobble. I was just getting to a point where I was thinking "Hey, this isn't too bad!" When I experienced a catch. That's when you move the tip of the chisel incorrectly and itvdigs it digs into the wood. It can throw the chisel out of your hand or breath break the workpiece. At the very least it leaves screep a deep gouge in thevwod the wood that can be difficult or even impossible to eliminate.

In this case, the entire bowl jumped off the glue-block and hit me squarely in the face.

I didn't feel a thing, and I continue to swear by a face shield rather than goggles. Goggles will keep shavings out of your eyes but it won't save you from eating pine!

Here is the inside of the bowl. You can clearly see the elongated gouge from the catch, with a little flag of shavings still attached.

The surface is rough because I was roughing out the shape and had not started the fine cuts that would smooth the surface finish.

The outside of the bowl is also rough, but showing some promise.

I would have had to reduce the base in thickness so as to increase it's diameter, I think. That would have been done by holding the rim in a set of Cole jaws on the chuck.

The base of the bowl just snapped off of the glue-block. Being fairly small didn't help, neither did the fact that this was relatively soft pine. But I've had super-strong purpleheart just snap in the past.

But the interesting thing is that the glue did not let go! They say the modern glues are stronger than the wood. This photo supports that claim.

You can clearly see that glue-line running next to the break. 

This could probably be saved using the chuck. Using the Cole jaws I could hold the rim, fix the base and include a tenon. Then hold the tenon and fix the rim. But so far, still no sign of the package! And in fact the shipper's web site only says "Error. An error occurred while processing your request." Well no shit.

Edited September 20, 2022 by Netfoot

[luv2lurk]

On 9/19/2022 at 4:57 PM, Netfoot said:

Thinking of Buddy a lot, today. If you are reading this you probably went through the sad saga of his passing along with me, last year this time. Trying to spend time with Mo today. All days really, but especially today. My boys have always been in the forefront of my life. Never just a creature that lives in the back yard and thought of once a day when it's time to feed them. Our furry friends have so much to offer us it would be a great shame not to take the time to appreciate them.

If you have a pupper (or a cat, I suppose, if that's the best you can manage) go now and spend some time with them. Talk to them as if they can understand. Sit or lie on the floor where you can really appreciate them from their own perspective. Most importantly, if they give you kisses or show their affection in any similar way, don't reject them. You can wash your face later. But you can't convince your four-footed friend you really appreciate them, if first you reject any gestures of affection they make towards you.

And if you don't have a pupper to snuggle with, get up off the couch right now and go to an animal shelter where you can find a pupper that needs you. I prefer cute little boys who show signs of being feisty. You may prefer a different type of pup. But you will know them when you see them. Now get moving before the shelter closes!

Buddy was taken way too young but hopefully he has found Dotty and they are patiently waiting until you are all together again (which hopefully will be decades from now).

I DO take exception to your comment regarding cats implying they are inferior to dogs. I have had a cat living with me most of my adult life and they can be just as affectionate as dogs. Sadly I had to say a final goodbye to my cat of 20.5 years earlier this year and have since gotten a kitten - the energy in and affection from that bundle of fur would put Mo to shame 😁

But I do agree how much furry friends can give to us and vice versa.

One of the most poignant moments for me in watching The Queen's funeral yesterday was when the hearse pulled up to her final resting place in Windsor castle. Her last riding horse, Bessie, was waiting with one of The Queen's riding scarfs tucked into her saddle. I swear that horse bowed her head as the car drove by. The last two corgi's were also waiting - they barked as the hearse drove by. (I think she had something like 30 in her lifetime and the last 2 were recent gifts from Prince Andrew who agreed to care for them if circumstances prevented Her Majesty from doing so. So they will live with Fergie and him now.) I like to believe that in a careful orchestrated funeral a horse bowing and dogs barking could not be controlled and was a sign of how much her animals know what has happened and that they miss their mistress . . . 

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, luv2lurk said:

I DO take exception to your comment regarding cats implying they are inferior to dogs.

I understand. I did, of course, make that remark very much tongue-in-cheek. I have nothing against cats. When I visit friends and their cats come and talk with me, I have no problem at all. But I happen to be a dog-person. I will gravitate towards a puppy rather than a kitten, and I can't help that, and I don't apologize for it.

Frankly, in the context of my post (which you quoted) if you gravitate towards a hamster or a goldfish, it's all the same for the point I was making. Which is, that if you don't have a little friend living with you already, you should immediately go and get one. Dog, cat, goldfish, whatever. Because the love and affection you will experience from your dog, cat -- maybe goldfish not so much -- but that love and affection is not something you should deny yourself.

Quote

One of the most poignant moments for me in watching The Queen's funeral yesterday was when the hearse pulled up to her final resting place in Windsor castle. Her last riding horse, Bessie, was waiting with one of The Queen's riding scarfs tucked into her saddle. I swear that horse bowed her head as the car drove by.

I have been following the final days of Elizabeth the Great, but at arms length. Because every time I think about her death I find my eyes welling up. As I've said, I am not and never have been any sort of rabid Royalist. But QEII has been a part of my life from the day I was born. She represents an era now gone, and I feel it brings home to me that it is my era that is gone. It's like a symbolic end to the world I grew up in, which has been crumbling for years, and at a terrific rate in the last few years. 

[luv2lurk]

@Netfoot with respect, I think you missed a paragraph in my post, so will quote myself

5 hours ago, luv2lurk said:

But I do agree how much furry friends can give to us and vice versa.

It is just as well you did not watch the funeral on the day for remembering Buddy. Personally, I was worried it would be on the 18th (10 days after passing) because that date marked 45 years since I lost my Father (he died from a sudden heart attack at age 50) - if you do the math he was born in the same year as the Queen but in November. It would have been very hard to watch a funeral on that date.

I hear you about losing QEII, but she did a remarkable job about planning all the ceremonies and events in the 10 days to help us prepare for the final one.

In my mind, not sure about King Charles. I know Barbados cut ties with the monarchy last year and for you that should have been the end of an era. We live in very uncertain times - who would have predicted a world wide pandemic 4 years ago (although some said it would happen)? And now war in Ukraine. I think we are almost living what happened 100 years ago. To quote the French - "the more things change, the more they stay the same" but with better technology 😀