Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[sharkerbaby]

Nah, I agree not a concern whatsoever.  My cat lived to a nice ripe old age.  I think it is just a physical manifestation of his quirky personality.

 

[Netfoot]

10 hours ago, sharkerbaby said:

I think it is just a physical manifestation of his quirky personality.

If so, I'd expect it to be coiled up like a piglet!

Mo is laying in bed with me. His back is to my tummy and I am rubbing his tummy. He's fast asleep but every now and again he wags his tail.

My sweet Budweiser used to do that, too.

[Netfoot]

I know it sounds cute and amusing, but...

... it's a real pain in the rear!

Edited February 24, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

It's a rainy day, and Mo is picking up one of the bad habits of my Buddy. Buddy used to go out into the rain, get wet, come back in, and demand I dry him off with a towel. Then he'd go back out into the rain, get wet, come back in, and demand I dry him off... Endlessly.

Mo is doing the same thing, but with two noticeable differences:

1) Buddy only did that on rainy days up at the club. I kept two purple towels in the van especially for the purpose.

2) Mo, after being dried off and before going back out, insists on eating the towel.

I finally got him to give it up, so he went into the bedroom where he barked, yowled, yodeled and howled until I came in and started playing with him. He can be clearly heard from the living room. When I began this post, he went into his crate in a huff and complained about being neglected. I made a short video of this. When I played it back, the sound of his voice came loudly from the Bluetooth speakers, and he really complained about that! I thought about making a video of him complaining about the video of him complaining...  but decided to avoid the risk of an infinite regression.

(You can see one of Bud's - now Mo's - purple towels on temporary secondment in the crate. The other one is still in the van.)

He is now laying on the floor in the bedroom and pointedly ignoring me and my calls for him to come give me a cuddle. Pity, coz it's real cuddling weather, outside!

[Netfoot]

Heavy rain, now. With the window open only a crack, drops were blowing horizontally into the room. The water running off the upper roof is drumming noisily on the lower section. Mo was snuggling against my thigh, but I grabbed his two back legs and dragged him up to lean against my chest instead. During the process he barely opened one eye a crack and then closed it again. He has managed to get talcum powder on his back legs. They have taken on a ghostly sheen.

The downpour (and drumming) continues, and I know of a tummy that needs rubbing!

[Netfoot]

Awoke with 40 minutes still on the clock before the alarm was due. Discovered myself under attack, and was unable to thwart the plans of my attacker -- never did get back to sleep. And if the attacks weren't bad enough, I woke with considerable pain in my right elbow and also left hip. Arthritis, I suspect 

Damp day. Not actually raining, but everything is wet and there is a constant threat of more rain. There is a nasty, cold breeze blowing in my door, making me want to put on a shirt!

Just prepared and ate my lunch. Spicy tuna with onion, jalapeno, salt, pepper sauce, Worcester, minced garlic, lime juice and mayo. Eaten on crackers, it was tasty, but in hindsight, something warm and "comfortable" would probably have been better.

The entire preparation was performed with a puppy between my knees, closely watching my every action. I can't complain because when I was only a puppy, I insisted on watching my mum in the kitchen in the exact same way.

Puppy stayed in between my knees while I ate the meal, too. Constantly demanding (and occasionally getting) a share. He got the empty bowl to lick, too. 

I've nearly finished my book. It's taken me quite a while. Expect to finish today, and will have to look for something else to read. No idea what, just yet.

[Netfoot]

Early in the evening, the damp finally turned to wet when the rain came. Mo went out and returned well muddy, to be dried off and to eat the towel. He got the former but not the latter. A while later when the rain had stopped I took him out for a p&p and since it was crapaud weather I took the bucket. Sure enough one crapaud to be escorted over the wall!

But while out with the flashlight and the crapaud bucket, I discovered a blue & white towel, another stainless scouring pad (actually one of the last two, again) and a USB portable drive! Not one of those stick thingies. I'm talking about a 1Tb laptop drive in a USB 3.0 enclosure!

He was very annoyed when I didn't give him a taste of my dinner. He got his own of course but has become accustomed to having some of mine. Too bad for him - I skipped dinner tonight, so he was oudda luck there!

After locking up, I went for a shower, and discovered muddy paw-prints on my side from when he played Mr. Mud-dog earlier. 

Now, off to bed. Weather permitting we will go to the club tomorrow. It isn't just whether the rain falls tomorrow, but how muddy the tracks are after the last few days.

Anyway, if we do go (and I hope we do) I prolly won't be able to bombard you with photos like last week <yay!> because my data-plan expires tomorrow and I forgot to top up, so there isn't enough to pay for the auto-renew

[Netfoot]

The rain is still falling, so rather than risk a muddy track, Mo and I are staying home this afternoon. 

This should mean I get to enjoy a nap, seeing as I didn't sleep well last night. A massive cramp in my calf woke me screaming at 3:00 and I had to get myself out of bed and put weight on it to make it stop. Couldn't get back to bed for nearly an hour, and the calf muscle has been aching ever since.

So yes, I should be able to take a nap, but Mo has been viciously attacking me ever since I got into bed. Yapping and yipping, scratching and nipping... I finally had to run him off. He'd have been welcome in cuddle mode, but not so much in buzz-saw.

Finished my book. Now what?

A Las Vegas wedding,
A Mexican divorce,
A solid gold Kama Sutra coffee pot,
Or
A baby's arm holding an apple?

[Netfoot]

Well, after a rainy day and a wet afternoon, Mo and I are turning in early.

He is a little bit annoyed that he didn't get an outing. Obviously, he doesn't know that today is our usual day for going to the club, but he knows it's been a while. And what really got him wound up was when I had to open the van to fetch something. He was sure we were off when he saw that!

Too bad. I'll have to find somewhere to take him, at least for a drive. Maybe tomorrow.

He seems to be getting heavier and heavier. Or maybe I'm getting weaker and weaker? I hope it's not the latter, because that would mean the MG is coming back. I will hang him up from my luggage scale by his back legs, like a chicken. I'm sure he won't mind and will cooperate 100%! 

[Netfoot]

I never sleep well when I have to shut the window, but last night it would have been folly to leave it ajar. And to make matters worse, Mo insisted on being let out in the wee hours, and then in the wee-er hours as well. So did not wake well rested.

No more rain today, but the day has been overcast and damp from yesterday, and the wind coming through the window tonight is chill and shivery. 

Went to put the wheelie-bin out this evening and was shocked by the amount if crap that has accumulated in the driveway, near the gate. Nothing valuable this time, but cardboard from small boxes, egg crates, and several plastic food containers that might have come with ready-cut coleslaw or veggie stir-fry or summat. Oh, and a stack of plastic cups that had been stolen, dragged out, and separated into individual cups. This is more of a disaster than it may sound. You can't buy plastic cups any more. Only the crap paper ones that start leaking about halfway through your Cuba libre and drops the bottom out when you go back for a refill. I was rationing them out, and now...

Didn't get to take baby anywhere today, but I realized: tomorrow is the Book-tent! He will enjoy a little visit with them, when I get back from doing a little shopping. Ideally, I'd park right next to the tent, under the tree. Then they can charge people $1 to pat him through the window while I pursue cheap vegetables and puppy-chow inside.

Just observed strange behaviour. Gave him some milk earlier in his little, blue, bedtime bowl. He syphoned it up like a pro. Just went to give him some more, and when I brought the bowl toward him, he ran away! After I put the bowl down, he happily approached and began syphoning normally.

Anyway there is a tot-full of milk left for me, so I will go get that now, and do some syphoning of my own!

[Netfoot]

Pleasant day, sunny but not too hot. Took 'Barbado Mo'  for a drive this morning, down to the supermarket, where I picked up some grub and some pharmacy. Left him in the van parked right by the Book-tent, with the windows partially down.

He raised cain before he would let me out of the van, so the entire Book-tent, staff and customers, plus anybody else in the parking lot new collar exactly who was there and what they thought of being left alone!

Didn't buy any books, but did see the ones I'd donated a few days back, on display.

When I got back with my shopping, there were a couple people playing with him through the window. Then I drove closer to the front and he made a $5 donation to the cause.

Back home, I unpacked the deli lunch. The mackie pie went into Mo's bowl, along with the fat and a round bone from my pork chop. I had that chop with steamed vegetables (broccoli, squash, cabbage and carrots), a simple salad of lettuce and tomato, and some pickled cucumber. Oh yes, and some hot slaw I made with pre-shredded cabbage and carrots, plus mayo, salt and Bajan pepper sauce.

They had some buttery cassava, but I turned my head away and quietly sang a hymn when I went past that. 

I couldn't find any parafin oil (named mineral oil elsewhere). I'm trying to refurbish a bigish table-saw and I've succeeded in getting the rust off the cast iron by application of vinegar, a stainless scouring pad and elbow grease. The rust is now gone, but the top still has stains. I will have to apply some highish grit sandpaper to get the stains out. But in the mean time I have washed the vinegar off with 100% alcohol (contains no water so should not promote further rusting) and oiled the top with parafin oil. But I only have a very small amount remaining. I like to melt beeswax into the oil for finishing wood, and will try to mix it with parafin wax (from candles, if necessary) to make a paste wax that will be better for the cast iron than plain oil. But I have to find some tomorrow.

Anyway, if the weather is like this tomorrow, I will take Mo to the field to make up for missing Sunday. I can stop at a few pharmacies along the way. Or maybe I can find me neral mineral oil at a hardware store.

PS: I usually take 7½mg of warfarin each day but 10mg on a Friday. That is, 1½ 5mg tablets daily and 2 on Friday. So, no 5mg tablets available! Instead I have 4s, 2s and 1s. Or 1x4, 1x2, 1½x1 pills daily and 2x4 and 1x2 pills on a Friday. Wanna bet they didn't get the numbers right for the month?

PPS: a little while ago I found a scrubbing brush I'd misplaced. I put it on the bed beside me as I read my book. Mo just came in and jumped on the bed. He took one look at the brush and went ballistic. He attacks vigorously, scratched me my right arm and my back,

head butt me forcefully in the nuts (immediately triggering a cramp in my cals calf, somehow), and is now watching me like a hawk to see when and how best to steal the brush!

Edited March 1, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Here he is on his way out, this morning.

[Netfoot]

52 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Wanna bet they didn't get the numbers right for the month?

I have maligned them! They gave me the exact number needed for 4 weeks (28 days). By then I will be able to get more, and hopefully 5mg tabs will be back in stock.

[Netfoot]

Shoot! I forgot about taking Mo to the club today. Didn't remember until it was too late to go head with the plan.

Mo woke me at 4:02 AM to tell me he wanted to go out. Unfortunately, by the time he bothered to wake me, he had already peed in the living room. I opened the door and chased him out, while I cleaned up. Then I called and called, but he wouldn't come back inside the house.

Four in the morning is still fully dark. I'm not going off to sleep with the door wide open when it's still dark. So, I locked him out. I take no pleasure in doing so, given that baby Buddy was stolen as a puppy.

I'm naturally cautious about leaving Mo where he can be dognapped! But it was 4 AM, and I had to get some sleep, so I left him outside.

So about 6:30 the morning, there began a loud barking and howling under my window. I went and let the Monster in, and went back to bed for another 40 winks. He came in, jumped into bed (with a sweetheart stuck in his top-knot), refused to cuddle or snuggle, and took himself off into his crate. He's been huffing and hiding all day. 

He did, of course surface long enough to eat his lunch, then when I was heating some oil to cook a chicken breast for my lunch, he resurfaced long enough to steal the chicken breast and run off with it! I had to fetch another one out of the fridge to make my chicken sandwich.....

Went out a while ago to find 

• One small towel, previously used to wipe a rusty table saw
• A blue rat-tailed comb (not mine!) with 3-4 teeth missing
• My vegetable peeler that went missing 2-3 days ago
• A large tin of corned beef, minus label and key

Recovered these items, and went to deal with him.

When I was a nipper, the most annoying thing my mum would do when I was mad at her ("I don't love you any more!") was grab me up and overpower me with kisses. So, I caught up with a puppy and gave him a big cuddle, snuffled him until he surrendered, and then sent him off with a pat, to see what other mischief he could dream up.

Today is Finale Day! Exciting and bitter-sweet. So far no word of S34 has reached me, so I hope tonight is a good 'un. Just in case this really is a Grand Finale.

[Netfoot]

Stayed up late to watch the finale, of course.

Took baby outside before bed. Tonight's list:

• Another small towel, clean this time
• A squirt bottle of homemade aeroplane cleaner
• A measuring cup
• A medium sized spring-clamp
• A homemade LART fashioned from Paracord and a 1¾” steel ball

Something will have to be done about the constant pilfering!

Edited March 3, 2022 by Netfoot

[sharkerbaby]

8 hours ago, Netfoot said:

<snip>

• A homemade LART fashioned from Paracord and a 1¾” steel ball

I give up, what is a LART?  I put my best search abilities to use yet found nothing that could be made w/ paracord and a steel ball.

[Netfoot]

8 minutes ago, sharkerbaby said:

I give up, what is a LART?  I put my best search abilities to use yet found nothing that could be made w/ paracord and a steel ball.

And there I was, thinking I was speaking good American!

Called a whomper here, or a bootoo in Trinidad. It is a Large Attitude Readjustment Tool and can take many shapes and forms.

This one isn't very pretty. The Paracord was just whatever scraps I had to hand, not coordinated colour-wise at all.

 

[Netfoot]

My puppy Mo is disappointed again. I ate a good, if simple lunch and so I skipped dinner. Mo was most angry there was nothing he could demand a share of. 

Took him out for a p&p and now we're off to bed.

Only a short list tonight:

• A stainless scouring pad (again)
• The squirt bottle of aeroplane cleaner (again)
• A new, plastic wall-sconce

The last of these now damaged beyond recovery.

I've moved my flight box again, and he shouldn't be able to get the squirt bottle again, unless I forget and leave the barrier to the kitchen open.

I have no idea how he is getting the stainless scouring pads. I recover them and put them on top of a wood-rack, so he shouldn't be able to get them again.

[Netfoot]

Laying in bed reading. Puppy Mo is right here in his crate (with the door open) licking his bollocks or something. He is lucky to be alive.

This morning, I went up to Kooyman hardware to buy a brass wire wheel. Mo behaved so badly in the van I considered rolling the window down and hurling him out into traffic! But we got past that and went in search of parafin oil and candles. There was much misbehaviour here as well. 

As I was near, I went and looked at buying a new gas stove. $949.95 plus $65 delivery. It looks pretty good, even though I never heard of the brand. But my current stove is down to one burner and only a third of that works! So I guess I need a new one. I took measurements and returned to my house to make a cardboard rectangle the same size. It will fit through the door, down the passage and into the kitchen. Now I only have to move all the stuff that is in the way, and dispose of the old stove, before finalizing the order, and arranging the delivery. Best thing is, I don't have to pay for it! I've been collecting "points" on my Loyalty Card so long I can get it for nothing. I could get three of them for nothing. Or a significantly bigger, better stove. But the one I looked at is more than I need. It even has one if these newfangled things called an "oven" which I will have to learn how to use.

Back home from shopping, and I applied myself to the table saw.

It's back-breaking work for someone with a dodgy back, but you can see that I've made some headway. You can see the two guide slots and the throat between them, with the throat-plate removed.

The center and right hand sections have a yellowish brown colour, which is how the vinegar and stainless scouring pad left it. It's oiled to prevent the heavy rust from returning. 

The left hand section has a silvery-grey colour, after today's efforts. That's been oiled too. The difference is like chalk and cheese.  It isn't perfect, but considering how bad it was to begin with, I'm surprised I was able to get it so clean at all!

I'm going to get started on the other two sections tomorrow, but don't know how long it will take me to complete the job. I bought parafin oil and candles, so I will make some paste wax to treat the entire top when the thing is all cleaned up.

PT/INR results came back. Dr. Kristi didn't give me numbers but she says "all good!" 

Puppy is napping now, so I will read a bit and possibly join him!

He is getting too big!

Edited March 5, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

When visiting the hardware store, I forgot to buy a bulb. The one over my desk "blew" yesterday evening and needs to be replaced. So tomorrow, it's back to the hardware store again.

I'll also see if I can complete the cleaning of the saw's cast iron top. If my back holds out, I'll do it. Otherwise, I'll do one more section. The one on the right has a synthetic surface on it's right. I'll remove that. It can go back on when the job is done. It needs adjusting anyway. After that, I can reinstall the blade and throat-plate, and get the fence adjusted. Then: sawdust!

Again today, I had no appetite for lunch. But I forced myself to eat. Tuna, onion, sweet pepper, mayo, lime juice, Worcester and Bajan pepper sauce. Mixed it all up and ate it with a spoon. Tasted pretty good! It would have great in a sandwich. Alas, no bread in the house.

But at dinner, I couldn't face food, so I skipped the meal. Much to Mo's distress. Now of course, I'm hungry. But I'm not going into the kitchen at this time of night.

I'm now reading another book set in the Pern universe. It's called The Renegades of Pern and it's a little unusual. The main players in the book series are largely absent. The only recognisable names are Toric (Southern Holder) and his sister Sharra, plus Piemur. There are a few cameos by Larad and Asgenar, but mostly it's about otherwise unknown characters who are living Holdless, a team of Carter's who transport goods from place to place and a band of, uh, bandits who prey upon them and other minor holders. Dragons appear only infrequently, and are anonymous and unnamed.

It's not my favourite book of the set, but it's not bad, once you get your head around the fact that F'lar, Nessa, F'nor, Robinton, Menolly, etc, won't be playing any part in the story. Least ways, I'm about half way through and they haven't yet, so I don't suppose they will. Like I said, not my favourite, which explains why I haven't read it for years. So much so that I have no idea what is going to happen. It's like a new book to me!

I've got a couple of others in this same vein which I may read next. 

Pup has gone off to bed in his crate. I know as soon as I shut the light off (if not before), he will come out and claim his place right alongside me, so we can cuddle the night away. Or until 4:00 AM, at least.

[Netfoot]

My back is killing me.

Biesemeyer fence comes next.  But I also want to make some paste wax for the cast iron.

I am hungry but don't really feel like eating. Gotta cook something, though... but later. Back too tired to stand in the kitchen. Thirsty, though. Will try and get a glass of ice and have a Sprite.

Might not be a bad idea to wash my hands while I'm at it!

Got the replacement bulb. 12W LED bayonet.

[Netfoot]

Fence in place on the saw.

I removed the scale pointer because it needed a clean-up. (Done already.) The holes where it attaches are seen on the head of the tee of the fence, coincidentally in line with the slot, but you'd probably have to zoom in to see them.

Speaking of the scale, it's too far gone and an OEM replacement is not available. I'll have to make do with what ever I can find on Amazon.

Meanwhile, Mo was taking advantage of my distraction to steal my favourite soup, cereal, tuna and etc bowl. I discovered this when Mo realized teeth don't grip stoneware very well.

To make matters worse, Mo then absconded with a piece of the puzzle, which I had to search for in the garden.

To the best of my knowledge, he has avoided cutting his mouth to shreds.

Edited March 5, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Kicked off my shoes in the big bog. Mo strolled in and strolled out again.

More cardio...

Finally had to threaten him with a stick!

Edited March 5, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

So after several days of not feeling to eat anything, and eating from necessity only, I finally decided to cook a proper meal tonight.

Peered into the fridge and spotted several packages of pasta that had been mostly eaten, with only a small amount remaining. Dug out three nearly-empty packs of spaghetti, and had a read of the packages. One wanted 6 minutes, one wanted 10 minutes and one wanted 12 minutes. So, I combined them into one bunch, did the math and came up with 28 minutes. Just kidding, I set them to  boil for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, I made a stop mole simple sauce of minced beef, onion, garlic, sweet pepper, cucumber and some cayenne pepper.

To my surprise, the spaghetti came out just the way I like it.  Slightly chewy, but not crunchy in the middle, and if you were going to utter the words al dente, don't. Let's remain friends instead.

So, all went well, then! Except for one thing: out of that pot of boiling water came the biggest serving of spaghetti ever seen in the west. There was so much of it, I think I contravened the Maximum Spaghetti Serving Size law by about x3!

Obviously, I somehow had to dispose of the evidence of my crime. So I ate it. All. And enjoyed every bite.

Now, when I was looking through the fridge, besides the mostly-used packets of spaghetti, I also came across two partially plundered packs of macaroni. So, I'm thinking lunch tomorrow!

[Netfoot]

Did not do much today yesterday, but I did make up a paste wax.

I heated two 100cc bottles of light parafin oil on the stove in a clean dog-food tin. Then slowly added three white, wax candles (from Trinidad. Almost certainly pure parafin wax), broken up into pieces. 

Stirring until all the wax was melted into the clear solution, I decanted everything into this clean, dry jar which once held a peppery, lime chutney. By a fluke of some sort, the amount perfectly fit the jar. 

At this point Mo and I went out to the club, so I left the jar, uh, ajar on my desk to cool. Didn't get home in time to use it, but the results were just what I was hoping for. A soft, waxy paste that when you rub it on, vanishes leaving a thin layer on the surface. Rub this on the cast iron and it will invisibly cote the metal and inhibit rust. Ideal for tools of every sort, really.

The same stuff made with beeswax is excellent as a food-safe wood finish too, by the way.

Tomorrow, I have a busy day of cleaning up. If I want to buy this fridge, I have to move stuff around so there is a clear passage from the front door to it's final home in the kitchen. So that is for tomorrow.

If I get that done early, I will get back to the saw. I'll adjust the fence ride height, square it to the blade, and wax the table top. Then I can try making a test cut or two. Looking forward to that!

(BTW, when the table-saw is finished, I have a bandsaw to do next. Then a scroll saw. And a drill press. And a spindle sander. And a lathe.....)

 

Edited March 7, 2022 by Netfoot

[sharkerbaby]

3 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Did not do much today yesterday, but I did make up a paste wax.

I heated two 100cc bottles of light parafin oil on the stove in a clean dog-food tin. Then slowly added three white, wax candles (from Trinidad. Almost certainly pure parafin wax), broken up into pieces. 

Stirring until all the wax was melted into the clear solution, I decanted everything into this clean, dry jar which once held a peppery, lime chutney. By a fluke of some sort, the amount perfectly fit the jar. 

At this point Mo and I went out to the club, so I left the jar, uh, ajar on my desk to cool. Didn't get home in time to use it, but the results were just what I was hoping for. A soft, waxy paste that when you rub it on, vanishes leaving a thin layer on the surface. Rub this on the cast iron and it will invisibly cote the metal and inhibit rust. Ideal for tools of every sort, really.

The same stuff made with beeswax is excellent as a food-safe wood finish too, by the way.

Tomorrow, I have a busy day of cleaning up. If I want to buy this fridge, I have to move stuff around so there is a clear passage from the front door to it's final home in the kitchen. So that is for tomorrow.

If I get that done early, I will get back to the saw. I'll adjust the fence ride height, square it to the blade, and wax the table top. Then I can try making a test cut or two. Looking forward to that!

(BTW, when the table-saw is finished, I have a bandsaw to do next. Then a scroll saw. And a drill press. And a spindle sander. And a lathe.....)

 

Thank you for the detailed explanation of the paste wax preparation.  I think I'm going to mix up a batch.  Neither the oil nor the wax should go bad or rancid so I'm guessing it is pretty stable stuff.   I'm probably going to make up some for wood as well using beeswax as you suggest.

 

Good luck making a clear pathway for the fridge and have fun using your newly restored table saw

[Netfoot]

50 minutes ago, sharkerbaby said:

I think I'm going to mix up a batch.

You can mix it up oily or waxy, depending on how you like it, by varying the proportions. I go with 50/50 by volume, usually. Especially with beeswax for wood. I use it for a friction-finish on the lathe. By applying the finish with a tissue while the piece is turning the friction heats the paste and it soaks right into the wood. But I've given it to a friend who used it on a woodworking project by hand applying it.

This batch is a little more waxy than usual, since I want the resulting coat on the saw to last. I can apply the heat-gun if necessary, but I think elbow grease will be enough to apply it properly. If it turns out to be too firm, I can re-melt it and add more oil.

Let me know how you get on!

[Netfoot]

Today was a bust.

First, I woke to the sound of the garbage truck driving away. I normally don't put my trash out until the night before, to prevent dogs and paros scattering it around. But the truck comes on a Tuesday! Or it did up to now. So the week's trash was stored in the garage... where it still is!

This discombobulated me completely, for some reason. So I did virtually nothing all day but sit and bitch about it.

Then for lunch, I cooked up some chicken. Just finger food. And it all went well right up to the point where the top came off the bottle of paprika. So lunch was horrible. It wasn't going to be a significant meal to start with but it ended up mostly inedible.

Then, in the afternoon, I got an automated text message from the phone company to tell me that the balance on my phone was now $0.00 which couldn't be right. I checked it yesterday and it was $44 and change, and I've not made or received any calls, and used the net only when I was home where there is wifi. But a call to their technical support quickly put my mind at rest. See, if you don't have an active data plan, your internet usage is charged against your balance. Even if you are at home and connected to your wifi!

So because I didn't renew my data plan, they charged me $44 for using my own wifi network at home. I could have bought the data plan at $40 and at least I'd have $4 left now, in case I need to make an urgent call!

By dinner time I had really lost my appetite so I skipped dinner but (as is often the case when I skip), I'm now hungry. Especially since before the skipped dinner was the inedible paprika luncheon!

As I'm going to bed, I discover that Mo has stolen my last two soda waters. I prefer a soda water (or milk) at night because I don't really want to go to sleep with a sugary Tate taste in my mouth. The bottles were found outside with the caps still sealed, but the bottles themselves punctured and the contents gone.

And now, at 1:00 AM (and counting) he has decided he isn't ready to come in the house and go to sleep. I hate to leave him out, because although he is becoming a big boy, he is still at a very stealable stage in life! So I'm going back out to see if he's ready for bed yet, the little rotter.

Edited March 8, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Another not-very-productive day.

Decided to concentrate on getting ready to receive and install my new stove (which I haven't actually bought, just yet). I have cleared a passage from the door to the passageway. This took a lot of time, because of the amount of stuff I found that I then had to store somewhere. I actually located masses of stuff I'd lost.

One of the first such things was the riving knife for the saw.  So, this was fortuitous. Of course it was rusty, so it now sits in a bath of vinegar. Let me go look at it... OK, it's just come out of the vinegar and had the brass wire wheel treatment and it will be fine. The riving knife is a safety feature designed to prevent kick-back. When a saw kicks back, it throws the workpiece (potentially a big chunk of wood) back at the operator. The kick-back speed of my saw is 102⅔ miles per hour. I'd hate to have a piece of purpleheart coming at me at that speed! I also located the miter gauge and will clean that up at some stage, and have it ready for use.

I also located a number of other items that I'd misplaced. Not the least of which were 25 knives that belong in my collection, but have never been photographed. Also my favourite knotting books, including my Ashley, plus two books of Turk's Head recipes and one of Globe Knot recipes. And two amateur radio transceivers (only 2M/70cm handy-talkies), all my spanners and sockets... and loads of other stuff.

Now I must completely clear the passageway down to the kitchen door, because the passage is barely wide enough for the stove to pass. I'll get started on that tomorrow. And when that's done, the kitchen itself will have to be cleared out so that the new stove can be brought in. And of course, the old stove has to be moved out to make room, without me starving while the new stove takes it's time being delivered. 

To digress: When I was a nipper and lived in Trinidad, we used to go 'down the islands' where the houses had no electricity. Light was provided by kerosene lanterns and rain-water was funneled off the roof and saved for drinking, cooking and bathing. When I was 8, I went to spend the summer with my auntie and uncle who lived in St. Lucia. They lived on a plantation producing bananas, copra and Arawak arrowheads. The family used wood and charcoal to do the cooking, had a refrigerator powered by K-oil (and how I wish I had one of those today!) and hot water came from an arrangement of black-painted zig-zag pipes on the roof of the bathroom. They ran a generator for lights in the evening, but the genny went off when the last light was turned off, and it was torchlights until morning, if you had to go pee. The genny would auto-start up if you flicked on a switch, but that was for emergencies only, because the neighbors would come running to see what the matter was!

I mention this to impress you with how old I am, and how primitive living conditions can be and still have life proceed normally and comfortably.

So, when the power went off this afternoon, you'd think it would be no big deal!. I was working on the computer at the time, but figured I'd play a game on the phone. No wi-fi. Ok, I'll watch a movie. Listen to some music. Cup of tea.! No, no, no! So what was left? Lay in bed with the window open and no fan, and read my book in the fading evening light.

We are highly dependent upon the utilities we use daily. I wonder if we shouldn't arrange ways to manage without without electricity and water supplies. Just in case anyone is stupid enough to, say, start a nuclear war in eastern Europe. Fortunately, I can't think of anyone stupid enough to make that sort of blunder...

Back to the clean-up/clear-out or what have you: Mo has been loving it! I've had to rescue all matter of things from him today. From a 4-port SATA controller for a PC to a small, wood-turned bowl out of spalted casuarina. The yard is littered with things like torn up egg-boxes, cardboard boxes, etc, but I ignore that stuff. It's only the stuff that is potentially valuable or useful that I go and rescue.

Some Globe knots:

Edited March 10, 2022 by Netfoot

[dbklmt]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

Another not-very-productive day.

Decided to concentrate on getting ready to receive and install my new stove (which I haven't actually bought, just yet). I have cleared a passage from the door to the passageway. This took a lot of time, because of the amount of stuff I found that I then had to store somewhere. I actually located masses of stuff I'd lost.

One of the first such things was the riving knife for the saw.  So, this was fortuitous. Of course it was rusty, so it now sits in a bath of vinegar. Let me go look at it... OK, it's just come out of the vinegar and had the brass wire wheel treatment and it will be fine. The riving knife is a safety feature designed to prevent kick-back. When a saw kicks back, it throws the workpiece (potentially a big chunk of wood) back at the operator. The kick-back speed of my saw is 102⅔ miles per hour. I'd hate to have a piece of purpleheart coming at me at that speed! I also located the miter gauge and will clean that up at some stage, and have it ready for use.

I also located a number of other items that I'd misplaced. Not the least of which were 25 knives that belong in my collection, but have never been photographed. Also my favourite knotting books, including my Ashley, plus two books of Turk's Head recipes and one of Globe Knot recipes. And two amateur radio transceivers (only 2M/70cm handy-talkies), all my spanners and sockets... and loads of other stuff.

Now I must completely clear the passageway down to the kitchen door, because the passage is barely wide enough for the stove to pass. I'll get started on that tomorrow. And when that's done, the kitchen itself will have to be cleared out so that the new stove can be brought in. And of course, the old stove has to be moved out to make room, without me starving while the new stove takes it's time being delivered. 

To digress: When I was a nipper and lived in Trinidad, we used to go 'down the islands' where the houses had no electricity. Light was provided by kerosene lanterns and rain-water was funneled off the roof and saved for drinking, cooking and bathing. When I was 8, I went to spend the summer with my auntie and uncle who lived in St. Lucia. They lived on a plantation producing bananas, copra and Arawak arrowheads. The family used wood and charcoal to do the cooking, had a refrigerator powered by K-oil (and how I wish I had one of those today!) and hot water came from an arrangement of black-painted zig-zag pipes on the roof of the bathroom. They ran a generator for lights in the evening, but the genny went off when the last light was turned off, and it was torchlights until morning, if you had to go pee. The genny would auto-start up if you flicked on a switch, but that was for emergencies only, because the neighbors would come running to see what the matter was!

I mention this to impress you with how old I am, and how primitive living conditions can be and still have life proceed normally and comfortably.

So, when the power went off this afternoon, you'd think it would be no big deal!. I was working on the computer at the time, but figured I'd play a game on the phone. No wi-fi. Ok, I'll watch a movie. Listen to some music. Cup of tea.! No, no, no! So what was left? Lay in bed with the window open and no fan, and read my book in the fading evening light.

We are highly dependent upon the utilities we use daily. I wonder if we shouldn't arrange ways to manage without without and water supplies. Just in case anyone is stupid enough to, say, start a nuclear war in eastern Europe. Fortunately, I can't think of anyone stupid enough to make that sort of blunder...

Back to the clean-up/clear-out or what have you: Mo has been loving it! I've had to rescue all matter of things from him today. From a 4-port SATA controller for a PC to a small, wood-turned bowl out of spalted casuarina. The yard is littered with things like torn up egg-boxes, cvardboard boxes, etc, but I ignore that stuff. It's only the stuff that is potentially valuable or useful that I go and rescue.

Some Globe knots:

Absolutely LOVE this post and can't wait to hear about your new stove.  What happens to the old one when you get the new one?

[Netfoot]

Just now, dbklmt said:

Absolutely LOVE this post and can't wait to hear about your new stove.  What happens to the old one when you get the new one?

Glad you liked the post. Don't think it's anything to write home about, but...

My current stove is a 4-burner with no oven or grill. Three of the burners are DOA, and the fourth burner only works about ⅓, and that only because I canibalized the other three burners to collyfox it to work at all. Every time I light it, I flinch, because sooner or later it's going to blow TF up! It's also rusty to the point where there are gaping holes in the framework.

It's going to the dump!

I should have taken a photo of the new stove in ye olde shoppe. But since I haven't actually bought it yet... Perhaps I should go over there and buy it, and simply ask them to delay delivery a few day? I'd hate to wait until next week, and find that someone else snapped up the last remaining one...

[Netfoot]

I'm in bed and I've aches and pains all over. Dunno why. Haven't lifted anything particularly heavy or otherwise strained myself, as far as I can recall...

Rescued a spanner (supplied with the saw and used to change blades) and a set of Allen keys I was using to adjust the throat-plate. I know they were in top of the temporary worktable I'm using while I fiddle with the saw. The only question is how Mo got them down!  I recall that when Buddy was about 3 months old he managed to climb onto the kitchen counter and stole a ridiculous pizza. But Bud was a Houdini when it came to getting into places he shouldn't and for that matter, out of places he was supposed not to leave. That's how he broke the leg.

Anyway, will start on the passage tomorrow. The first part won't be too hard, but there is a table right by the kitchen door, and that plus what is on and under it will be the challenge.

Dunno where I'll put the stuff, mind you. The bathroom is already taken up by most of the stuff I moved today!

By the way, when done, not only will I be able to get the stove in but I'll be able to get my rubbishy 4" dust-collector out! In fact, I could get it out now! I'll consider doing that first thing. It will roll as far as the door, and I'll only have to lift it down about three feet. It is only a small one (1 HP, I think) but anything that keeps the saw from choking up with sawdust will be a benefit. Just hope it doesn't take as much work to get it going!

I'm about ⅔ of the way through my book and going slow. I usually read one or more chapters at a time. Recently, I've been having to put the marker in the book in the middle of a chapter because I've been falling to sleep with the book in my hand, just unable to keep my eyes open long enough to reach the end of the chapter. Which is annoying, because I'm actually enjoying the book! So, I will go read it now.

(Look at the time! Quarter past one in the morning!)

 

[Netfoot]

Got started on the passage to the kitchen door, and have made it as far as the table. That table has been a collection point for junk for ages, so there was a ton of junk I had to clear away. I've cleared it, and left back only the non-junk, mostly tins, but also a kettle and a large, white tea mug. 

My dad (a Geordie) used to drink tea all day. He would have a pint of tea in a large, white mug. And of course when you're a Geordie, a pint is twenty ounces! When he developed a heart condition he stopped drinking tea immediately, because the doctor told him drinking tea would be good for his heart. He stopped eating tomatoes too, for the very same reason. My dad was an asshole, really.

So, once I've figured out where to put that stuff on the table, I can move it out into the garage and start on the huge pile of crap that's under it. Including a mass of stuff stockpiled for the great athlete's foot lockdown of 2020.

In the mean time, I took Mo to the mall, where I had to leave him in the van, because shopkeepers don't recognize greatness when they see it. I went to buy a new landline phone, because the one in the bedroom was so nackered you couldn't even hear who it was on the other end, far less what they were saying.

Since to the mall and back is such a short drive, I called Heidi and asked if she would like me to bring Mo over and let her play with him through the car window for 5 minutes. Just to give Mo more of an outing. Alas, she wasn't home, but said she would call when she got back, and I could bring him then.

While I was at the mall buying the phone, I told them to throw in the new stove as well!

There it is. Made by someone called Acros. The sales lady told me Acros is Whirlpool-adjacent but I think that's probably a bold-faced lie to seal the deal.

I asked them to deliver next Wednesday, because I doubt I'll be ready for it by Saturday, and Monday and Tuesday I can't guarantee to be home when the delivery truck comes. Also, either Monday or Tuesday the Sanitation Services Authority people will come and haul away two weeks worth of trash, making it easier for the stove guys to maneuver it through the garage.

Anyway, time to eat some tuna and crackers, drink a Sprite and get back to clearing a home for the Acros! Oh, wait. Puppy broke my tuna bowl.....

You don't suppose the SSA people will come on Wednesday next week, do you?

Edited March 11, 2022 by Netfoot

[dbklmt]

53 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Got started on the passage to the kitchen door, and have made it as far as the table. That table has been a collection point for junk for ages, so there was a ton of junk I had to clear away. I've cleared it, and left back only the non-junk, mostly tins, but also a kettle and a large, white tea mug. 

My dad (a Geordie) used to drink tea all day. He would have a pint of tea in a large, white mug. And of course when you're a Geordie, a pint is twenty ounces! When he developed a heart condition he stopped drinking tea immediately, because the doctor told him drinking tea would be good for his heart. He stopped eating tomatoes too, for the very same reason. My dad was an asshole, really.

So, once I've figured out where to put that stuff on the table, I can move it out into the garage and start on the huge pile of crap that's under it. Including a mass of stuff stockpiled for the great athlete's foot lockdown of 2020.

In the mean time, I took Mo to the mall, where I had to leave him in the van, because shopkeepers don't recognize greatness when they see it. I went to buy a new landline phone, because the one in the bedroom was so nackered you couldn't even hear who it was on the other end, far less what they were saying.

Since to the mall and back is such a short drive, I called Heidi and asked if she would like me to bring Mo over and let her play with him through the car window for 5 minutes. Just to give Mo more of an outing. Alas, she wasn't home, but said she would call when she got back, and I could bring him then.

While I was at the mall buying the phone, I told them to throw in the new stove as well!

There it is. Made by someone called Acros. The sales lady told me Acros is Whirlpool -adjacent but I think that's probably a bold-faced lie to seal the deal.

I asked them to deliver next Wednesday, because I doubt I'll be ready for it by Saturday, and Monday and Tuesday I can't guarantee to be home when the delivery truck comes. Also, either Monday or Tuesday the Sanitation Services Authority people will come and haul away two weeks worth of trash, making it easier for the stove guys to maneuver it through the garage.

Anyway, time to eat some tuna and crackers, drink a Sprite and get back to clearing a home for the Acros! Oh, wait. Puppy broke my tuna bowl.....

You don't suppose the SSA people will come on Wednesday next week, do you?

Love the stove!  Wish I could buy that but I'm a renter and my stove will have to be on its deathbed or mine before the owner will replace it.

She wasn't lying about Acros being Whirlpool related.  Google says it is...

https://www.google.com/search?q=Is+Acros+Whirlpool+related%3F&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS862US862&oq=Is+Acros+Whirlpool+related%3F&aqs=chrome..69i57.13012j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Has Heidi met Mo before?

 

[Netfoot]

19 minutes ago, dbklmt said:

Love the stove!  Wish I could buy that but I'm a renter and my stove will have to be on its deathbed or mine before the owner will replace it.

Believe me, my stove is already totally dead, and I think it now constitutes more of a hazard than an appliance. So a new one really is essential. Now, before it's too late. Sure looking forward to being able to simmer the sauce and boil the pasta at the same time! Haven't been able to do that for years.

21 minutes ago, dbklmt said:

She wasn't lying about Acros being Whirlpool related.  Google says it is...

Oh! Ok, did some research and apparently Acros is a Mexican made Whirlpool? Maybe I should try cooking some Mexican food. Only ever had it once, and that was in Sloane Square, in London. Of all places. It was good! But it was a looong time ago, and I was concentrating on my dinner companion, so I can't remember what I had. I had to slip the guitarist two quid to go away! I think it was a little of everything on a big platter. Oh, and two pitchers of Margaritas. Which was a miscalculation, but a fortuitous one...

[Netfoot]

Off to bed with baby Mo, who doesn't want me to surf on my phone. He paws at, chomps on and generally incapacitates my right hand every chance he gets.

Don't know if I will be able to call him 'baby' for much longer. I had a look at him just now and he looks almost as big as Buddy! Mind you your baby is always your baby and I called Bud that right up to the end. I have no way of weighing Mo other than to take him to that vet and ask for a favour. Right now he is climbing all over me like I'm a Jungle Gym. And insisting he be let outside. He does this every evening, half an hour after the doors are locked. And I know from past experience that if I let him out he will be hell to get back inside.

Nose back to the grindstone tomorrow, but I'm hungry (skipped dinner again) so at a couple of points I will have to risk firing up that old stove again. Or make a double batch and reheat the second half in the microwave, for my dinner.

[luv2lurk]

13 hours ago, Netfoot said:

While I was at the mall buying the phone, I told them to throw in the new stove as well!

 

OK my first thought was could I have one shipped here, please. Then I thought about it - six burners . . . would require very small pans/pots to use them all at once. And where are you supposed to rest stirring spoons etc.?

Then I thought some more . . . OK cooking for one there will be burners you do not use so you could put a heat proof plate on one of them for the spoons, spatulas etc.

AND to have an oven, that is its own learning curve. I am curious - what is the fuel source for this white beast?

I have a 30 year old natural gas stove/oven. The stove still works great, the oven I have to put on broil first to get the rest to light before cooking. But the best thing - when the power is out I can always get a burner on with a match. 

I did smile at your post about living in a place without electricity. I have a cottage just like that and it is a wonderful place to escape.

Congrats on your new purchase!

[Netfoot]

5 hours ago, luv2lurk said:

OK my first thought was could I have one shipped here, please. Then I thought about it - six burners . . . would require very small pans/pots to use them all at once. And where are you supposed to rest stirring spoons etc.?

Prolly easier to get one shipped direct from Mexico. Or buy a different brand from your local appliance store.

I frequently use large pots, such as a wok to stir-fry veggies or a saucepan for boiling pasta. Trying to crowd them onto adjacent burners can be tricky. I doubt I'll ever need all the burners at once, but if I ever do they are there, and mean time I can space my pots and pans out.

As you say elsewhere, I can put a plate or get a rectangular platter and put that over an unused burner. Or use the counter beside the stove.

5 hours ago, luv2lurk said:

AND to have an oven, that is its own learning curve. I am curious - what is the fuel source for this white beast?

I prefer gas to electric stoves. Here gas is available through underground pipes (but not in my area), or in cylinders. Most people have 100 lb. cylinders stored outside that are replaced as needed by a delivery service. I never had that installation done, so I use 20 or 25 lb. cylinders that I collect from the gas station. A 25 lb. cylinder lasts me 3-4 months.

I've no idea how to use an oven, but I am looking forward to trying it. So many things I've never been able to cook, from simple meals like lasagna to things like bread and cakes. Baking chips instead of frying them. Stuffed breadfruit. Roasted meats! All I have to do is screw up the courage.

Now that I own (on paper at least) a nice new stove, I find myself hesitant to use the rusty piece of old junk in the kitchen! But the stove doesn't arrive for another five days, so I'm going to have to. Grrrr!

I have a long lighter used for lighting the stove, so no need for matches. But here is a story about the electricity going out: Back in 2004, Hurricane Ivan passed nearby, fortunately it was still only classified as a Tropical Storm at the time. Dotty and I sheltered at my Mum's house and my niece Heidi and her family sheltered at their own house. (The winds weren't too bad but you didn't want to be out in it any more than you had to. Tiny old video of Dotty and I outside checking roofs of ours and neighbors houses for damage.) Electricity and water - and possibly mains gas, but not sure - were preemptively cut off. Halfway through the passage of the storm, we got a call from Heidi. Her electric stove, microwave, electric kettle et al were obviously not working. Could she come and use Mum's gas stove? She and her husband and all her girls drove through the storm and we finished sheltering together. (The distance between houses was only about 350M, door to door.)

Edited March 11, 2022 by Netfoot

[roamyn]

We never watched TAR before; never really understood it’s appeal.  But we’re not reality show watchers, minus The Masked Singer and Forged in Fire.

However, once Kim & Penn posted that they were going to be on, I had to watch it and get hubby to as well.  We’re binging it now, and  love it!  

However, if the show is all abt the drama of teams going forward, we’ll drop it.  We don’t care abt that crap.  It’s why we never watched Survivor.

But we will give S34 a shot when it comes out.  If it starts with alliances and other crap, tho, we’re done.

 

ETA:  do you recommend going back and watching other seasons?  If so which ones?

Edited March 11, 2022 by roamyn

[Netfoot]

Welcome, @roamyn!

If you enjoyed S32, then I think that if you watch the entirety of TAR, you will enjoy the experience. There are some bright spots and flat notes. Villeins and heroes, laughter and tears. But overall, TAR is still the only Must-Watch show on TV for me.

There have always been instances of teams agreeing to work together to achieve a set task, but the stench of the alliance only really came to a head in S32, where many believe it spoiled the season. But we've been promised that this won't be allowed to happen again.

So enjoy the show, and pop in from time to time to tell us how it's going for you, and what you think of it.

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, roamyn said:

ETA:  do you recommend going back and watching other seasons?  If so which ones?

If you don't want to watch all the other seasons, at least watch seasons 1-5.  There are some others that are really good, but I can't remember the numbers off the top of my head.

[dbklmt]

49 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

If you don't want to watch all the other seasons, at least watch seasons 1-5.  There are some others that are really good, but I can't remember the numbers off the top of my head.

If you stream you can watch these seasons for free on Pluto which has a whole channel dealing with The Amazing Race.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

2 hours ago, roamyn said:

ETA:  do you recommend going back and watching other seasons?  If so which ones?

If you don't want to watch all the other seasons, at least watch seasons 1-5.  There are some others that are really good, but I can't remember the numbers off the top of my head.

I'd recommend the first or "Magnificent" seven. These are considered to be "Classic" TAR. After that came Season 8: Family Edition, to decidedly mixed reception.

I also liked Season 10, and not just because of Dustin & Kandice, The Beauty Queens, who I just adored. (I initially thought they were pretty-girl canon-fodder, but they kicked ass and took names!). They also returned in Season 11 (All-Stars) along with some iconic other teams from the earlier seasons. 

I'm sure others will chip in with their favourites, and if you get that far, there are plenty of later seasons to consider as well.

 

 

 

[roamyn]

These are great suggestions, Thanx!  

We’re going to start w/S1, since that’s when rules and explanations are probably most prevalent.  We get Hulu and it’s on there.

Oh, and I only know Phil from S33, nothing else, and I already love him!  The outtakes on TAR You Tube channel, are good insight to his persona.

[Netfoot]

Didn't get much done today. Had a tummy-ache after lunch, so I lay down instead. I'm beginning to think the tummy-aches only come when I put Angostura and lime in my Sprite.

Anyway, I did clear the table and move it outside. It weighs a ton! I also got the dust-collector out as well. It was not particularly heavy and I was able to roll it right out to the point where it had to be lifted down three feet or so. That's when I realized that one end has a big motor and an impeller, and the other end has only two bags of air! The imbalance caught me by surprise (it shouldn't have) and I nearly got a hernia trying to complete the lift without dropping it. Another hernia I should say, since I have at least three already!

With the table out, I consider that the passage extends beyond the entrance to the kitchen, and all of that section will need to be cleaned up as well. Maybe tomorrow, but maybe after the stove is installed instead.

The big problem I'm having is: where do I put all the stuff that gets displaced when I clear up? Afterwards, I guess most of it can go back where it came from, but in the mean time, where do I put it?

Mo is being a rotter. Nipping and scratching at me to make me put down the phone. Now he is cavorting in his crate. If it falls off it's foundations he will be very surprised! 

He demanded a share of my lunch (right after eating his own) and a share of my dinner. It was only a simple veggie stew with some minced beef in it.  Now he's siting on the bedroom floor, crying like a baby. This is a common tactic of his, to get what ever it is he wants. Right now, he wants me to let him out of the house, which he wants every night, shortly after we lock up for the night. Now he has removed the old pillow from his crate and is trying to tear it to shreds. Wait... I just took the pillow and whacked him over the head with it, so he has left the room.

Finished my book, finally. Got a new one to begin tonight. Looks like an old fashioned thriller. Something about a missile silo in the hands of armed fanatics... It promises to be rubbishy escapism of the first order!

Mo is back.....

[Netfoot]

Some progress. The passageway is alllmost clear. I'd hoped it would be finished by tonight so I could start on the kitchen proper, tomorrow. Unfortunately, the bulb blew, and I didn't want to work with a torch in my mouth. So there is still a bit of a cleanup to finish tomorrow, but not so much. Because my landlord is an ass, the light fittings in this house are a mixture of screw and bayonet. The blown bulb is a bayonet type, and all the spare bulbs I have are screw. I've searched obscure corners of the house for a lamp I don't really need to borrow a bulb from, but can't find a non-vital bayonet bulb anywhere in the house. 

I found an incredible amount of stuff. Eighty (80) ¼ liter bottles of water, an 18" chainsaw, an enormous bag of powdered mash potato, an equally enormous bag of lemon tea crystals, a 5 (imperial) gallon gas can, a three-drawer filing cabinet that I bought for $50 some years ago and never used and a truly huge number of tins! I bought lots of stuff to stockpile, early in 2020, and ever since then I've been buying just a few more tins than I need, each time I go to the supermarket. So a vast number have accumulated. Mostly my favourite stewed red beans (West Indian Style) made by Matouk's in Trinidad.

I made souvlaki for dinner tonight! Except not really. The pita bread I had was too small to wrap around the filling so I had to cut it open into a pocket. No grilled chicken, so I substituted chicken sausages, and cooked them in the nuke-box. No chips, and I understand that a generous handful of chips is required for the real deal. The only cheese I had was cheddar (the cream cheese was mossy and got thrown out) and the only sauces I had were hot Bajan pepper and sriracha. So... not really souvlaki at all. But it tasted fine, and I enjoyed eating it. I say it, but it was really them. The pita I had were only about 5½" across, so I made two.

For some reason, I cah't use Pita bread or wraps of any kind that they don't crack apart and leave me grappling with the filling with my fingers. This never happens when I go next door and buy roti-skins, but they usually come home fresh and warm. The stuff I buy in the supermarket just loves to fall apart. It makes the eating a sort of sporting event. And Mo stands by to rescue anything that falls.

What I need now is a big mug of tea. But the kettle is on the floor in the living room, because the table it used to live on, is outside in the garage. A garage which is becoming more and more choked with junk every day. Bad-junk, mostly -- cardboard boxes to be thrown out (lots with smiling arrows on the side) and bags of trash awaiting the SSA next week.

Hopefully I can make enough of a start on the kitchen tomorrow, that I can take a break and take Mo to the cliff in the afternoon. That will still leave me with Monday and Tuesday to get the kitchen in order, move out the old stove and be ready for the new one to arrive on Wednesday. (But I've been less productive than I had hoped, every day so far. Hopefully the gas hose I have on the old stove will be sufficient to task, otherwise I will have to go and get a new length to hook up the new Acros, before it can be used!!

Speaking of Mo, he has been sneaking into the passage and the kitchen and pinching stuff all day. Mostly useless stuff. I fear the driveway and grass must be littered with junk!

Anyway, I will get back to watching Pretty Woman, and deciding what to drink in place of tea...

 

[Netfoot]

Pretty wasteful morning. I have not gotten to the clear-out yet, due to the constant parade of people demanding my time. Heidi even showed up at my door with a sack of food for Mo, so we socialized a bit.

Went to Kooyman hardware to get a bulb but they only stock screw bulbs, and Carter's was closed, so still darkness in that passage. There are no windows, so a bulb is sort of critical. I'm going to have to take the bulb out of the lamp over my head and temporarily put it in the passage. 

Also took time to make Mo a new collar. The old one was really borderline tight, even with the extension added. Chose a simple monochromatic design:

Several people have assumed from his collar that he was a girl-puppy, so this should redress that issue. Pictured above in the jig. It's 16" long.

And here he is!

Now to transfer a lightbulb...

Edited March 13, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

This is how the afternoon began, with a textbook launch off the edge of the cliff.

If you want to see more of Ian's Ahi in flight, you are welcome to visit this album, but be warned, there are over 70 images, and for some you will have to search to find the aircraft. Image quality concomitant with the crappy camera in my crappy phone. And my distinct lack of talent as a photographer.

Edited March 14, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Wrote a long missive and the editor apparently ate it. So, in short:

Lunch was a chicken sandwich I made much more simply than normal, but it still tasted great.

Mo didn't want to come home from the cliff; 10 frustrating minutes trying to get him in the van.

Passageway cleared, starting on the kitchen tomorrow, but also have to acquire a bayonet bulb, and collect a package containing a relay, and lancets for when I test my blood sugar every few days.

Skipped dinner and (as usual) regret it now.

[Netfoot]

S my last dIn So I'm laying in bed with an aching back. Got about ¼ of the kitchen cleared out and it wasn't easy. Had to stop frequently to let the back-pain go away. Tomorrow is my last day to get things ready for the stove, which arrives day after. Obviously, the job won't be complete. 

But! When I was in the store, I confirmed that it sits on slidey-feet. This means I can move it around on my own. So once the delivery men lift it up the steps and put it on the floor inside the house, I am OK. I can finish the clearup and then move the new stove into place by myself. Seeing as I suspect I will very likely need a new length of gas hose, I'd almost certainly need to move the stove out if position, attach the hose and return it into it's proper home, by myself. So, if it comes Wednesday and I'm not ready for it in the kitchen, it can sit in the passage beyond the kitchen door and wait until I'm done. Of course, it's annoying to have to delay trying it out, but I'm happier doing the job properly, rather than rushing to complete it and doing a shoddy job.

One if the main reasons I'm so slow is, of course, the painful back. When I saw Dr. Kristi on Tuesday she asked about my back, because she recently had to give me meds. Thank goodness she doesn't know what I'm doing to it now!

Another hold-up on the job is that SSA didn't come for the trash today. So I'm scratching around to find places to put the stuff that's to be thrown out. Like rusty looking cans well past their Best-Before date.

Anyway, like it or not, the stove arrives on Wednesday. They prefer to deliver next day but will hold delivery a week. 

Did I mention that I didn't have to pay for this stove? That factoid will make all food cooked on that thing taste better!

Just took Mo out for his evening constitutional. Had to proceed in only one shoe because Mo insisted on carrying the other one. Unfortunately, he didn't make good use of his time. I will probably get awoken in the wee hours. (What an apt name for them!) 

Here he is at the cliff yesterday, in his new collar fitted just prior to our departure from home.

He's only inches from the edge, but in my experience doggies are not likely to fall. In 21 years, neither Dotty nor Bud ever came close. Besides, we call it a cliff but it is anything but vertical. Dotty used to mosey on down to the bottom and return without help whenever he was good and ready.

Biggest danger in the photo is that Ian trip over Mo and go for a tumble. Again, not likely. The ground is rocky and trippy-uppy right there, and all Glider Guiders (who generally spend their time looking up) have to learn very quickly to be extremely careful about tripping/falling. Besides, if Ian were to fall, we'd just chuck him down a rum 'n' coke.

So, a lot of hard work tomorrow. Probably a good idea to start the day with Panadol. But I also have to go to the pharmacy and there are a few essentials needed in the way of groceries. Mo ate the last of the cheddar just now, for instance.

Got the light bulb, but the package had gone for processing at Customs. Which is crazy. It's declared as medical supplies, and the value is less than 20 bucks. It arrived in-island on 22nd of February and sat around 17 days before even being sent to Customs.

Edited March 15, 2022 by Netfoot