Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[Netfoot]

Just quickly, to say that on my way to the shower I spotted another pair of safety goggles, so I took them with me and sluiced them clean-ish. They are not as elaborate/fancy as the DeWalts but they don't need a new elastic!

Mo is laying on the floor under my day chair, and seems to be fast asleep. 

Here he is earlier today, bathing my face with kisses...

[Browncoat]

Could you transfer the elastic from the inferior goggles to the DeWalts?

[Netfoot]

Job is nearing completion... or complete destruction. Here it is, pretty much finished and wax/oiled, but with the two glue blocks still attached. 

Getting the blocks off and finishing the base/top will be quite the challenge. It is here that disaster is most likely to strike and leave me with nothing but nice little chips of wood for my pains.

This photo shows the inside of the vessel, including the lip on the the pieces that are cut to fit together. The fit is tight, but that is deliberate. The fit will loosen with use.

Will have a go at removing the glue blocks later.

Edited August 3, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

5 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Could you transfer the elastic from the inferior goggles to the DeWalts?

Damned good idea! Unfortunately, no. These are my options:

First, the full face shield by 3M with the visor down. Plenty of room under there for goggles and/or spectacles.

Next, the DeWalt goggles. Also designed for spectacles to be worn underneath. Note the two long "ears" dangling from the sides. The strap is an elcasticized fabric but the elastic has failed and the strap is now extra long. It can be adjusted at each temple, so the goggles can still be worn. But without elastic, they have to be adjusted each time they go on. No biggie, really. Just inconvenient. I believe replacement straps are available from DeWalt but I am not shopping for them right now.

And finally, Cyril... The cheapo goggles. They don't have a strap, but rather two wings (or what ever they're called) as per a pair of regular specs. They will fit over my specs as well, but the fit is not 100% like the DeWalt goggles.

So, no elastic to swap. And no need, really. The DeWalts will work as is, if I need to use them. Dressmakers elastic (1") will work as a makeshift repair if I feel the need. And a pukka DeWalt strap is available and will be acquired at some later date.

("And finally, Cyril" - I'm showing my age. Cyril Fletcher was called upon to close every episode of the show That's Life by show-host Esther Rantzen, using those immortal words. Google it if you like.)

[Netfoot]

Job done. Results disappointing. Glue blocks came off without too much trouble, and I got the base dished out so it stands steady on a flat surface.

The lid fits tightly. Possibly airtight. It will loosen with use.

I incised another line to dress up the join line, but the two are not sufficiently similar. Here it is, opened:

Cedar band looks better on the inside than out.

Overall finish looks rough. It isn't rough to touch, but it seems patchy in appearance. I will apply some oil and see if it improves at all. 

I dressed up the glue blocks for reuse but I don't have any more wood that I can use right now.

[Netfoot]

In bed, without Mo. He was out by the gate and when I called him, he looked me in the face and refused to budge.

If I get up in the night (which I frequently do, because Lasix) I will open up and see if he wants to come in then. On those occasions where he spends the night out, he comes in like a rocketship when I open up at first light.

Going in a mite early tonight and do hope I can drift off without delay. I have an appointment with Dr. Kristi in the morning and don't want to miss it due to being asleep. I went yesterday to get a prescription, forgetting it was a bank holiday. So I called this morning to be told she was not in office until tomorrow, but wanted to see me before issuing a new prescription. So I can't just pass by and collect it, I have to go in and have her look at me to confirm that I'm still breathing or something. Or maybe she just wants to see Mo.

The "thing" I turned today. I'm glad it finished as well as it did, especially since I had a sense of doom while doing it. The lid fits nice and tight, I got it off both glue blocks without any drama, and overall it came out better than I thought it would. But it's very ugly. Instead of nice, straight sides or an attractive, sweeping curve, I ended up with an ugly potato.

Speaking of potatoes I had them for dinner. Two small ones, baked, with some diced cucumber, sliced onion and tuna fish. I didn't feel like making an effort, so I guess I have to be satisfied with what I ended up with. Lunch was a much better deal. Rice with baby carrots, diced cucumber, pak choy, onion and chopped sausages. Tasted pretty good. Apart from salt, the only seasoning was some red pepper flakes and a knob of red butter as it came to table.

I'm about ⅔ of the way through Tehanu and I'm liking it much better than I thought I would. I somehow felt that after the original trilogy, this book would not sit 100% right with me. It never had in the past. But maybe I've mellowed a bit, because I am liking it. Perhaps I felt (previously) that reading about Tenar "wasting" her life as the humble wife of a simple Gontish farmer and mother to a couple if kids was not to my taste.

(Don't take me to task about "wasting". I was younger then, and was more interested in the potential not realized by Tenar. I was looking for a ripping yarn, as per the first three books, and when I didn't get it I guess I considered the book a failure. Now, I am quite fond of widowed Goha, with her personal strength and capability while simultaneously vulnerable to the minor evils she encounters.)

I honestly can not remember how this book ends, it being so long since I've read it, because I recall not being terribly fond of it. I know how I want it to end, with Sparrowhawk's powers restored, Tehanu confirmed in her suspected power and Tenar happy and secure in her final years. But at least some of it I'm pretty sure will not come to pass.

Anyway, I will put a sheet on this bed, turn up the music (Telephone Line by Electric Light Orchestra) and read a few more pages before the lights go out.

[andidante]

I love ELO! Awesome band. 

[Netfoot]

9 hours ago, andidante said:

I love ELO! Awesome band. 

How can you not love a band that owned their own flying saucer and juggled cellos on stage?!??

I think I'll go listen to Mr. Blue Sky...

[Netfoot]

Got up this morning to discover the house was without internet. How? Why? Who had unplugged the router and switch while I slept? I guess we will never know who did that!

Went to see Dr. Kristi this morning for my 9:00 appointment, but no sooner did I get there, than an emergency case hobbled in with a broken leg! Emergencies go first, naturally, but it was an hour before she could get him calmed down and pumped full of drugs enough to sent off for x-rays.

She gave me a quick checkup. My weight is just about exactly what it was when last I did a weigh-in months ago, before I stopped eating healthy and started eating cheap. She was amazed, but no more so than I was! Blood pressure "of a teenager!" and what ever came of my peeing in a cup, it wasn't bad enough to mention. (Dehydration, I'd guess. She is forever telling me I'm dehydrated.) She listened to my heart and was satisfied. The only thing she was not pleased about was the stress levels I am living with. She suggested taking the chill-pills she previously prescribed when it got too bad. I agree that one every now and again on a bad day was probably not going to promote the reaction that caused me to stop taking them in the first place.

After that, it was time for her to visit with Mo, who was waiting in the car, and went wild when she came up to the window and started cuddling him and chatting with him. After that, the bank to get a few bucks, and the pharmacy for my necessary pills, which Dr. K. had just written a prescription for. 

One hour, folks. One full hour. I went and walked around the grocery and picked up a few things like pak choy, carrots, cucumbers, ramen noodles and corned beef. You know, stuff I didn't really need right then. (Do you suppose the delay at the pharmacy is a deliberate measure to promote sales in the grocery?) Forty two bucks and change plus another $17 for the physick (after the hour was finally up). Is it any wonder that I need stress meds?

Back home to find the house was without internet again. Where are you, you little devil... No, wait! The router, etc, is all plugged in. So what? Durfed Surfed onto the router to discover that the IPv4 Internet access was disconnected! Why? The ISP playing silly buggers? And I couldn't even call because my router is connected directly to fiber and handles the phone as well as broadband. Yes, I could have called on the cellphone. No, I didn't fancy paying 50¢ a minute while a robot voice kept playing their horrible self-aggrandizing jingle and saying "You are... 𝕤ⅇ𝕧ⅇ𝕟𝕥ⅇⅇ𝕟 ...in queue!"

So I began to add my newly bought meds to my collection. One of the new meds is called "Toloxin" WTF is that? Better check with the pharmacy before I take any of that, because who knows? So cellphone it is. Yep, 50¢ a minute on hold while they check with the pharmacist. Yep, it's an alternative to Digoxin which they have run out of. They didn't think to mention it because the name is so similar. Yep. It's similar to "Toxin", too!

Was a bit fed up by then, so I powered off the router/switch and contemplated lunch. Decided on par, I didn't want any lunch. (Yes, I know where this is going.) Switched the router, etc, back on and all working well. Unit probably made by MicroSoft, is all. played with Mo a bit, listened to some music, and finally got around to eating some red herring, onion and cucumber on crackers. (Eclipse this time.) Mo demanded half of everything but had to settle for a quarter. 

I'm hungry already but I'm not going into that kitchen and cooking tonight. I have enough Stevia for four more cups of tea before I have to use actual sugar, which I have not touched since the episode with the condensed milk and the straws. So, I guess I will brew one of those cups now, and look into the fridge to see if there is anything I can nibble on that doesn't require cooking. A carrot? No, much too vegan for my tastes. A rolled up stalk of pak choy? <shudder!>

Edited August 5, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Ok, so I went into the kitchen and cooked something after all. I'm sick of going to bed and feeling hungry because I couldn't be bothered to eat.

So, I cooked One Minute Oats. Cooked them with salt instead of sugar or something sweetening. (Never tried that before, but gruel is usually served with salt, no?) It was edible. I could eat that without complaint, but in all honesty, the sweetened porridge suits me better than the savoury.

Mind you! If you're having savoury porridge, you could add savoury things to it. Like bacon. Cheese. Tuna fish. You could tweak the flavour with cayenne. Paprika. It is really a blank canvass upon which to experiment.

Took Mo out for out our nightly round-the-garden stroll. I found two odd socks and a pair of undies. And to think, I took that doggie for a drive, brought Dr. K. to him for a cuddle, fed him my crackers and red herring, even let him have the last couple spoons of the porridge. So he rewards me by pinching my smalls and standing at the gate and barking at nothing I can see instead of coming to bed. Tanj!

Porridge or no porridge, I'm still looking forward to lunch tomorrow. Dunno what it will be yet, but I will be ready for it when the time comes.

I forgot to lay out my meds for the next three days. I have nine pill boxes in three colours so every few days I lay out breakfast, lunch and dinner meds so when the reminder on the phone goes off, I don't have to scramble around in the medicine bag to decant tablets. I just grab the correct colour pill box from the bowl and tip the contents into my mouth. But I have to lay out the pills tonight so I'm ready for tomorrow morning. So I will get out of bed and go count out the appropriate quantities of each medication into the appropriate pill boxes. When I'm done, I will invite Mosey to come in for the night, then (one way or the other) lock the door and retire once more to bed and book.

Mo just joined me in bed, before I could get out of it! He will scarper as soon as I get up, so I will lay here a while before... Too late. He's gone again.

Right. Meds.

Edited August 5, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Kisses after lunch, on the floor of the garage!

[Netfoot]

"You shall not nap!"

Edited August 5, 2022 by Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

"You shall not nap!"

You and Mo have a family resemblance! I bet your Mum would look at him and say, yes, he’s like my cheeky lad. 

[Netfoot]

16 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

You and Mo have a family resemblance!

He's much more handsome than I!

[Netfoot]

Woken at six in the morning by a puppy, standing right under the bedroom window, demanding to be let in. He's quite clever to have worked it out all on his own. In his day Dotty worked it out young as well. Buddy never seemed to care one way or another. He may have figured it out when he was young, but he never once (to my recollection) tried to attract my attention via the window.

Off to visit the government department that gave me goopma last year to get my pension sorted. Dr. Kristi suggested I register as Disabled. (Turns out this is the wrong word. Disabled is when you are injured at work. I'd have to register as Infirm or something like that.) I was worried this might negatively affect my pension. With things as tight as they are these days, I can't have that. Hence the visit to NIS to the question to them.

They will pay out to Infirm claimants but there will pay Infirm or pension, which ever is higher, not both. The difference is that pension is computed based on the average of the five best paycheques I ever received whereas payments to the Infirm is based on the average of the best three paycheques received.

Since I received the same salary each month I am unlikely to have different averages, depending on three or five samples. So it's not like there is any particular gain to be realized. And the stigma of being classified as "Infirm" isn't something I particularly want. I generally trust Dr. K. but this is one I'm going to have to revisit. I need to know why we're doing this. Since the only possible upside I can think of is the right to fit a "Disabled'" sticker in my windshield - and I don't really think that is of much value - I'm not convinced this is a plan we should pursue.

Stopped at the bank on the way home to make a small deposit then it was time for lunch. 

I cooked a pot of rice. I put in a small sweet potato diced, some chopped carrots, a tin of channa, some pak choy, two very small stock cubes, and half a tin of corned beef. Six or eight sticks of fresh thyme and some dried rosemary. Dressed with a pat of red butter, it was really tasty. Mo got a good sample of it as well, and the little sod doesn't even recognize the sacrifice I made to put down my spoon when the grub was so good!

Later, I went for a pee and saw Mo sitting in the bed. So I jumped in to join him for a cuddle. He promptly leapt out of the bed and shot off down the passage. But the bed felt comfy so I spent a few minutes on the phone then decided to take a nap.

Well, I wasn't allowed to sleep too long. The little martinet hopped into bed and with a whine and an authoritarian bark backed up by claws, I was instructed to cease napping immediately. (Photo posted earlier.) I don't know what it is with him but he don't like it when you lay abed too long. It's the same thing every morning. Time to get up, whether you are tired or not, whether you have something  that needs doing or not. 

Dinner was macaroni in ax sauce made from the remainder of the corned beef, some pak choy, a tin of diced tomato, some garlic powder and dried chives. Tasted OK which is good because half of the dish awaits lunchtime tomorrow.

Anyway I'm in bed now, and will take a shower, read and douse the lights. At some point I will lock the house and Mo can decide if he wants to be inside or out.

By the way. He came in last night and I locked the door as we went off to bed. Later, he left the bedroom and shortly thereafter I heard him barking outside. When I went to investigate I found the door open.

The lock isn't all that secure unless you slam the door fairly hard. I avoid doing this late at night because I don't want the booming noise waking up half the neighborhood! But Mo has figured out how to shoulder the door in just the right way to get the lock open. 

This means I'm going to have to shoot the bolt on the inside of the door. I have avoided this because the day I drop dead in here, I don't want them to have to break a hole in the wall to get in. (The door itself is steel clad and the frame is purpleheart.) But now, I don't have any choice. If the landlord ends up with a hole in the wall to repair, it's his own damned fault for fitting a cheap-assed lock to the door!

Anyway, shower, book, bolt the door, douse the lights. First turn on the music. I wonder what will be the first track out of the magic box? Shape Of My Heart by Sting.

[Netfoot]

Skin clean, door locked & bolted, puppy laying on my feet, first of five Tales From Earthsea started.

I've had an idea for a lidded box that isn't made on the lathe. But it requires the use of a number of tools that would have to be put back into service.

First, resaw some wood into thin layers  (say ¼“) on the bandsaw, then run them through the planer. Stick them back together with with double sided tape, or use the masking tape & super glue method to hold the stack together. Cut a regular polygon out of the stack (probably the bandsaw again), possibly distorting the sides by making them into concave curves. Remove and set aside the top and bottom layers. Use the scrollsaw to cut the center out of the inner layers so as to leave a stack of thin rings (again, ¼" maybe). Save the cut out center. Restack the rings and the bottom layer previously set aside with a slight rotational offset so the corners form a slight spiral. Use glue to join them permanently. Use a Dremel with wood rasps and sanding drums to smooth inside and out to remove the steps caused by the slight rotation, and enhance the spiral. Back to the scrollsaw to add some decoration to the top layer/lid. 

it occurs that by cutting each layer separately and adjusting the size, you could make the box wasp-waisted or pot bellied. It also occurs to me that the center cut out could be the perfect beginning for the construction for another, smaller box.

Little fleas have lesser fleas upon their backs to bite them. And lesser fleas still lesser fleas and so, ad infinitum.

I must be overly tired; a lot of work for a box I have no use for.

Here is my son,  

dead to the world and dreaming. Sleep tight and dream sweet, little baby!

[Netfoot]

Mo is in the doghouse. (Not literally.) Just after lunch (the balance if the pasta from last night) he called me into the bedroom to show me he had peed on the sheets. I only changed them a day or two ago! 

I smacked his botty hard with my fingers and let him run off. And I've not spoken a word or offered a caress to him since.

I ate my dinner (a new batch of pasta: penne with corned beef, onion, cucumber and tomato sauce) and when the bowl went down on the floor there wasn't the tiniest shred of leftovers.  

No standing around to see if he wanted in when I locked up. I started to close the door without a word, and he shot in through the gap. I was careful not to catch his tail in the jam as the door closed, but otherwise, there was no comment from me. Jumped in bed and a few seconds later he jumped in and lay down against my back. No cuddles, no play.

Mo hasn't peed in the house in weeks. Months. And the door was wide open, so he wasn't stuck with no choice.  And if he had Ben caught short, why was he peeing in the bed instead of while making a run for the door?

The spanking was nothing, but I'm hoping the cold shoulder is enough to make him conclude the act was I'll conceived and not to be repeated.

Tomorrow, we will be back to normal, but hopefully he will remember.

I'm kind of heavy-eyed tonight so I will try to get a page or two read then douse the light and go to sleep with Creedence Clearwater Revival playing in the background.

[Netfoot]

Couldn't hold out any longer, so I put Mo in the van and pausing to spend $20 that I can't really spare to buy some gas, we set out for the club. It turned out to be a lovely afternoon and everyone had a great time.

Mo decided to be diesel powered, and if you want to know what I mean, look at this video. I was quite concerned for a while, but after a very strenuous afternoon of rocketing around, he jumped into my lap and went to sleep. Everything promptly returned to normal, and stayed normal all the way home, and for the rest of the evening. Even so, I insist he sleep inside tonight, so I can keep an eye on him and if he gets into distress he can come to me. He is sleeping at the foot of the bed without apparent issue. I'm hoping he was breathing hard because i) hot day ii) black coat iii) possibly catching a cold? Any issues and he will be off to cenvet. Not that I can afford that, but he will go anyway.

Kevin flew an unusual aircraft, which I had given him. I had two, asked on our group who wanted one, and he was the first to say "Me!"

This sexy red number is it. It's called a Slow Stick and there really isn't a lot to it.

The wing is a thin shell of molded styrofoam like an egg-box. The fuselage is a 10mm square fiberglass tube. Everything is velcro'd, rubber banded, strapped of glued to the stick. It's as delicate as a pond-fly...

But it flys!

It's slow, it requires very low wind conditions, it is an REO (rudder, elevator only) design so no ailerons and no positive roll control.

But it flys!

Coloured the traditional red with Maltese crosses of the original Ugly Stick that it is a parody of,  it's not exactly a beauty.

But it flys!

Otherwise, it's been a quiet day. Mo discovered the dried out corpse of a dead monkey and started to eat it. The car threw a Check-Engine light at me on the way home (pray it only needs a bit of oil!) All I could eat for dinner was red herring and mouldy cheese on Eclipse crackers, and a chill-pill. (Lunch was the remainder of yesterday's penne pasta.) I tried to give away my recent turnings but nobody would take them, not even the people who told me how nice they were!

Anyway, I am thirsty (the red herring is always salty) and if I try to go for a glass of water, Mo will wake up, jump out of the bed and run to the door, demanding to be let out. Which isn't happening tonight. But the thirst is strong with this one, so I will have to go and put up with the consequences. So let me do that now...

Edited August 8, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

I kept a close eye on Mo all last night and today and he seems to be fine. His appetite seems off, but more later. He's here in bed with me now polishing his sphericals but the door is still open so when I go to close it he may  decamp.

I dipped the oil in the van this morning and discovered that it was low. It was just above the LOW mark on the dipstick. I topped up the oil bit by bit until the level was dead on HIGH which coincidentally took all the oil I had. I left it half an hour to settle before taking the final measurement. Then I started the car. No "Check Engine" light. So, I sincerely hope that has solved the problem and that it won't pop back up next time I take the car out.

For lunch I was not motivated to do much. I started with a piece of chicken. Rooted around in the freezer and pulled it out last night, to thaw. Turns out to be a weird cut of part thigh and part back/rib. They have repeatedly told me that Mo must only get chicken bones if they are raw. So, I started cutting the bones out. With the dull knife I had, the remaining chicken was rather hacked about a bit! Anyway, I fried it in a little olive oil, while two smallish potatoes cooked in the nuke-box. When the chicken was cooked, I deglazed the pan with a little hot water, then added some gravy crystals. This is the first time I have used the turkey flavoured gravy crystals I bought a while ago. (The remainder of the chicken crystals lasted much longer than expected.) The gravy tasted just fine. I can't say it particularly tasted of turkey. But I poured it over the potatoes and ate the lot.

To drink I had something called "Lemon Iced Tea" from crystals. Yes, I've been rooting around in the back of a dark cupboard with a torchlight in my mouth, again! This is a part of the supplies I laid I in when it was obvious that athlete's foot would lead to lockdowns. Long before anyone said the word publicly, I was already laying in supplies. The crystals in this bag are supposed to make 37 liters of "tea" but the bag has been sitting in the dark so long the crystals have turned into a large, solid lump. I broke off a chunk, resolved dissolved it and made up a liter of the stuff. It seemed a bit strong so I dilute with water when I pour myself a glass. With which I washed down one if of Dr. Kristi's chill-pills. Not really been a good day for stress.

Mo enjoyed the raw chicken bones 

Just as he enjoyed the treat I gave him, and the ends of the sausages I used to make dinner, and the remainder of the dinner I left on the plate for him! That's why I said earlier that he seems off his food. He wasn't off at all when it was something he really liked! Pictured with a bit of chicken bone in his mouth...

Dinner was rice, with chopped sausage, red kidney beans (not the ones from Trinidad, with the "West Indian Style Sauce" but plain), pak choy and carrots, seasoned with two tiny stock cubes, a little sprinkle of garlic powder and some cayenne plus a spoonful of Bajan seasoning. Served with a knob of red butter and a glass of "tea" to wash it down.

I'm ok with simple food. I enjoy Canard à l'orange but I enjoy plain old roast chicken just as much. So I had no trouble enjoying this rice dinner. Simple, easy to cook, yet very tasty and satisfying. I could eat something like that for every meal. No, I'd have to have at least as many pasta meals as rice! But simple, tasty meals like this every day would be fine. Except every couple of days I feel like I've been overdoing the carbs and eat something simpler like crackers and cheese, or skip a meal entirely.

The bank has given me a virtual VISA card on which they have stored "reward points" from the use of my actual credit card. Apparently I've accumulated nearly $1,100 already! So I guess I'd better spend it.

You get an account number, expiry date, CVV number, but you don't get an actual card. So, you can easily use it to shop online at Amazon or anywhere that you can use a credit card. But can you use it at the pharmacy? The grocery? The gas station? How do you use this virtual VISA when you get to the cashier and don't have a physical card to swipe?

Does Amazon sell plantains and frozen sausages and Warfarin and gasoline?

Maybe I should just go buy a new chuck for my lathe from Amazon and be done with it?

Mo has come and gone several times. I will go shut the door now, and hope he decides to sleep inside again tonight.

Edited August 9, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Mo is in, door is locked & bolted, Don't Stand So Close To Me by The Police (the later version, from 1986, I think it was) playing on the gramaphone, book is to hand, Mo giving cuddles... Oh, he's only trying to get closer to my glass of water to see if he can purloin an ice cube. 

Holy...! He just rocketed off the bed to chase a mouse down the passage! He's been fairly laissez-faire up to now, when it comes to mice.

He's back and he isn't chewing, so... I'll give him an ice cube, shall I?

[Netfoot]

So, I got this virtual VISA card that can (apparently) only be used online. What do I need to buy online? Well, I could buy a replacement key  and a jaw set for my chuck...

I go to the maker's website but they don't seem to have an option to buy parts. Only complete chucks. I use the Live Chat function to find out how to order parts. Karen says "You have to use our 800 number." But I am not in the USA so the 800 number probably doesn't work. And I don't want to spend longer than I have to on the phone because it costs me $5/minute to call the USA. (A little exaggeration for effect never hurts, does it?) can I get the part numbers from you before I call? "You will have to e-mail Todd@...."

I send an e-mail to Todd explaining everything again, and asking for the part numbers. He replies "Call the 800 number and order from them."

I respond: "You never even read my message, did you?". Todd sends back "Go to ContactUs@.... and explain it to them."

I go to the Contacts page and send a message explaining it all again. Kathy responds by e-mail to say "You will have to e-mail Todd@...." Meanwhile Todd e-mails me again to say "Use this 215 number instead of the 800 number."

I e-mail Kathy again pointing out the eight (8) hoops I've already jumped through (including e-mailing Todd who told me to contact her) and saying that "all i want is the part numbers to speed up the call!" Kathy e-mails me back to say "Call the 800 number and they will help you."

I go back online and create an account with the company. I fill in my name, e-mail, phone, shipping address, even my billing address even though there is no way to add card info. Anything to speed up the call.

I call their 215 number and after a brief time on hold, get Kim. She is very happy to take my order. Sorry, but filling in all your details on the web to create an account didn't serve any purpose, you have to give it all again over the phone. Great! Now that's done, what do you want to order? Uh-oh! She doesn't know the part numbers. I will have to call back and speak to Ken who is currently on break. I should use the Order Number G-20098 for speedy service when I call again in 10 minutes.

I call again 10 minutes later and after a brief time on hold, speak to Ken. He doesn't know WTF G-20098 means, so I have to start all over again and give him the long descriptions that I've already given to Karen, Todd, Kathy and Kim and were laboriously entered into order G-20098. But finally, I get the part numbers. I write them down and he transfers me to Donna to finalize the order.

Donna can't find order G-20098 so she starts the process all over again. By the time I've given her all the info (again), she says "Oh, here's order G-20098..." Not only is she able to read back the details of the order but she knows the shipping and billing addresses that so far I only put into the web sign-up, that nobody can find. Curious.

Click, click, virtual card info given, entered, processed, paid, and order is packing. Thank you Donna! Bye!

Two phone calls of 36 and 11 minutes duration respectively. I honestly have no idea what that will cost me. But hopefully... my chuck key will eventually arrive.

[Spunkygal]

Heck, Netfoot, I need a bourbon just reading all of that! I hope you receive the correct item! 

[Netfoot]

4 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

I hope you receive the correct item! 

I hope so too. I said to the parts guy "I need a chuck key for a CSC3000CTN Barracuda 2..." And he asked "Is that the one with two bars?" And I'm like "No, man! It's the one with a bevel gear. You made the chuck! Don't you know what key it uses?" Anyway, they assure me the key with the bevel gear is what I am getting and since it's part number is ZCSC3000CT which is very close to the chuck part number, I am hopeful.

More good news! I sent a message to my insurance guy and it took him quite a while to reply... because he's in bonny Scotland! But anyway, it seems like I should be able to use the virtual card to pay insurance on the van!

After the ordeal on the phone I didn't feel like cooking anything for lunch but eventually I boiled some macaroni, threw some onion, sliced sausage (with the mandolin) and pak choy into a pan, mixed the lot together and ate a giant portion at about 3:45 this afternoon. Two consequences were a) I didn't eat dinner until very late, and b) there was only a small portion left over for dinner! But it all worked out in the end. 

Mo was just here. I ventured to take his collar off so he could spend the night without it. He became very agitated and kept trying to push his head back through it as I held it in my hand. I didn't argue with him. I simply slipped it back on to him, and he seems happy about that.

By the way, I'm sure I mentioned quite a while ago that Mo had a weird way of laying down next to me. He would walk up to stand beside me as I lay in bed. Then he would fall sideways, stiff legged, and crash down on me. Usually landing forcefully on the wedding tackle. Well, he still falls over sideways when he wants to lie next to me, and he is still unerringly landing on the delicate bits!

What a little character he is. He's gone off, now. I'll...  Ooof! He just returned and did another crash landing!! I'll still have to go out and lock up. (He's gone again.) I might take another shower while I'm at it.

Apparently this website published a book about finding good content to watch and forums for discussion thereof? Or something similar? They sent me a copy for some reason. I am sure they must have asked me and I must have said yes, but it's now waiting in Miami for me to approve shipping and provide an invoice. Obviously I don't have an invoice and don't feel inclined to knock up a fake. And I'm not too pleased about the US$20 shipping charge I'll have to pay. So I'm going to tell them it's unsolicited junk mail and to dump it.

Right. Time to lock up, shower, and read a little before I douse the lights. I hope Mo decides to sleep inside because today has been extremely stressful and his presence is comforting. Emotional Support Puppy? Maybe exactly that! But it's been nasty hot all day and it still is, a bit. Despite a cool zephyr at the window and the fan going, I can't blame him if he wants to sleep out where it is a tad cooler. 

[Netfoot]

Well, the chuck key has shipped. It should reach my forwarder in Florida just in time to sit around all weekend and not get processed until Monday. Also, they sent a shipping notification, but no invoice. It won't ship [from Florida to Barbados] without an invoice, so I will be back on to them tomorrow. I wonder how many people it will take to ship me an invoice?

Yes, I tried logging on and accessing the invoice that way, but their system dies not recognize the order number that came with the shipping info, nor the one they gave me over the phone yesterday.

Anyway, with the chuck key, not to mention two new jaw sets on the way, I figured I'd better refurbish the chuck itself until it was at least functional. I stripped off the backplate and took out the jaw holders and boy, the chuck was packed with rust. So much for the pretty, gold Titanium Nitride rust-inhibiting plating! I soaked everything in ATF then penetrating oil and all the rust swelled in the chuck body. A closer examination showed that the "rust" was actually oily sawdust! I dug out the majority and started scraping out the rest, but I needed to get that spiral moving and it was jammed solid.

(This is a 4-jaw spiral chuck which is a self-centering chuck. The jaws open and close together. This quite different to a metal-working chuck. 4-jaw metal working chucks are individually adjusted, jaw by jaw. It's a PITA but allows great flexibility. The 3-jaw metal  working chucks are self-centering spiral chucks.)

Try as I might I couldn't get that spiral to turn. You are supposed to use the chuck key to turn it, but I should be able to move it with a screwdriver. No dice. I kept scraping and digging and getting out more and more crap until a huge circlip was revealed! That will have to come out to remove the spiral, so I arranged to borrow Austin's circlip pliers. But if it can't even rotate, it isn't coming out, circlip or no circlip! And it had to come out if it was to be properly cleaned, oiled and put back into service.

So this afternoon, I packed the chuck into the van and (not forgetting my ESP) I set off for the club.with the right tool, the circlip came out and I was able to tap the spiral out. It is completely stripped now so tomorrow, if I can find a moment, I will get an old toothbrush and give it a good scrub!

Here is the beast:

Sitting in an oily rag! The main chuck body is center left with the spiral leaning up against it, and the circlip hanging on a screw. To the right you can see one if of my pocket knives (a Fury Raindrop), the circlip pliers (yellow handled) and two optional sets of jaws, a "hammer" for tapping, and under the "hammer", the backplate of the chuck. The tip of the knife points more or less directly at the four jaw holders. The spiral clearly shows the teeth of a bevel gear that meshes with a smaller bevel gear on the chuck key. You can see daylight coming through a hole in the upper right quadrant of the chuck body. [That is where the key is inserted in normal operation, when the whole chuck is fully assembled.] There is another lower left, but it isn't so visible. On the upper left, behind the chuck you can see a set of flat jaws peeking out.

And in case you were wondering why I refer to that gear thingy as the spiral...

...this is the back of it. Or the front, really, because when all assembled the spiral faces the front of the chuck and the bevel gear faces the rear. The grooves on the jaw holders mesh with the spiral. So when it turns, they move in and out in sync.

I bet you really wanted to know all of this about a piece of kit you will most probably never encounter in your life and certainly never have to use, far less strip and refurbish...

Edited August 11, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

 I'm hungry. You can probably guess why.

As lunchtime approached I went into the kitchen and began rooting around in the fridge. And what I found was an 8 oz. block of cream cheese. So for lunch I had crackers and cream cheese with tiny slivers of red herring. Mo assisted me with that of course, and between us we had ¾ of a piece of red herring and about an ounce of the cream cheese. Mo got his own lunch of course, but he didn't offer me any!

Later, after stripping my lathe chuck as far as I could, I packed it (and Mo) in the car and headed out to the club. Austin promised to bring the tool I needed to complete the disassembly - I posted all about it above.

Things at the club were a little damp, but not soaking. The rain would sprinkle for 30 seconds every 15 minutes or so, and mostly we ignored it. It did, however, wet the grass. The short stuff that we mow and keep low is one thing, but the longer stuff that Mo likes to go running about in is something else. He was quickly drenched and attempts to dry him were fruitless, because each time I got him dry, he would run straight back out and begin cavorting in the long, wet grass! And the towel just getting wetter and wetter each time.

You can make out wet footprints on the floor behind him in this picture:

In this one the ESP doesn't look wet because he just spent two minutes drying off in my tee-shirt!

Anyway, it was a typical day at the club. Austin flew his trainer and Tony flew his Cub - which he says is now 22 years old. Then Aussie dismantled the trainer because he was going to fly his Supermarine Spitfire. But alas! He had forgotten the Spittie's wing at home! (Occasionally we all have a brain-fart.) So he had to put the trainer back together again.  Meanwhile Rudy put his Spacewalker together, only to discover a wonky aileron servo. So he took it all apart again and poured himself a rum. Austin's drone-flying friend showed up as well. If he keeps coming back we will have to ask him to join up. And a friend, Mark, from another club dropped by to socialize.

One good thing about today was: No "Check Engine" light. I went all the way there and all the way back dreading the reappearance of that damned light, but it never flickered, and nothing else troublesome happened.

There was one scary moment. For the last 3-4 weeks, a section of the road I normally take to/from the club has been under construction. Resurfacing, actually. On the way up I was detoured out past the aeroport, which wasn't an issue because I knew the road well enough. On the way back they detoured me in another direction. And for nearly ten minutes, I was driving around in the dark without the slightest idea where the hell I was or where I would be when I finally spotted something familiar. Every time I thought I'd figured out where I was, I'd go around the next bend and discover that no, I was still completely lost. It was like being in The Twilight Zone

When I did eventually see something I recognized (and reality snapped back into place) I was about ten miles from where I had imagined I must be. But at that point I was just glad to be on course for home. 

The scariest part was that the entire time I kept thinking "If I have engine trouble and call a buddy for help, I won't be able to tell them where I am!" And with the light on the dash last time I came home, I had to consider a breakdown a genuine possibility.

But we came home safe and sound, and for dinner I had a cup of tea and the remaining ¼ of the red herring from lunch. And Mo did get a taste, but only a tiny one, as that was all I had: the fish without even a cracker to go with it. I used Stevia with the tea. I have enough left for one cup and after that it's going to be straws all the way!

Anyway, I can tell that tomorrow I will most likely cook something large and filling and comfort foody for lunch. I also have to get to the pharmacy because I have only two doses of Diamicron left and I take one of those first thing tomorrow. If I don't get more tomorrow or Friday I am without a supply for the weekend and I don't like to wait until the last minute.

But tomorrow, I'm expecting someone to come around the house and collect something I want to get rid of. Unfortunately, the whole thing was arranged by a third party, so I have no idea if they will come bright and early or at 5:30 in the afternoon! And I don't want to be out when they come. So I am at their mercy. I don't even have any way to contact them.

Any way, I'm going to go out and shut the front door and then read for a while. So let me attempt to leave you with a final photo of the Emotional Support Puppy:

[Netfoot]

Chuck cleaned, oiled and reassembled. Can't do anything about the dirty looking patches where the titanium nitride coating has come off. Well, I could pack it off to Trinidad and get it chromed, but I'd have to mortgage the house to pay for that!

I fitted the flat jaws with the rubber buttons in their outermost (widest) positions. In the jaws is a little dish I made years ago from some spalted Casuarina. Just to check that all is functional.

With three possible positions for the buttons these jaws can grip a range of sizes, and they can work on the inside as well by expanding to grip the inner rim. With the buttons removed entirely, the outer rim of the jaws can also be used internally.

I had to use a screwdriver through the key hole to nudge the spiral around until it held the dish. Not satisfactory because you can't get the leverage to lock the workpiece tight enough to turn.

Now I know I have a fully functional chuck, I am looking forward to the arrival of the key. And the two additional jaw sets!

Supposed to arrive at the forwarder tomorrow by 7pm. Wanna take bets on when the item will finally reach my hand? Be warned, with a value in excess of $30 it will have to be processed by customs and excise... My guess would be 25th or 26th. I hope to find I am wrong!

[Netfoot]

3 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Wanna take bets on when the item will finally reach my hand?

Also, wanna take bets on how soon after the arrival of the replacements before the original key and jaws show up?

In bed, in pain!

I have a sturdy, military grade canvas tool bag in which I keep all my spanners and socket handles. It is fairly heavy. The bag has a loop-handle on each side for carrying, and a sturdy zip across the top. I had it out recently to do a job and since there are a few adjustments to be made to the lathe, I didn't put it away again. Just put it on the floor on one side.

As I exited the kitchen with a glass of lemon iced "tea" in one hand and a plate of lunch in the other, the three middle toes of my left foot hooked into one of the strap handles. As the foot swung forward the bag (and the tools within) refused to budge. So as the foot went forward and the bag stayed still, obviously the toes had to move backwards. Ow! This unbalanced my gait, so I slammed down on the ground, landing on my hip, tummy and (essentially) face. Ow! Ow!

Mo thought this was a new game so he leaped to join in, landing squarely on the foot with the wrenched toes. Ow, ow, ow!

I clambered to my feet, noting that I had not spilt a single drop of "tea" or a single grain of the lunch. (Rice with corned beef, baby carrots, pak choy, two small stock cubes, a scoop of Bajan seasoning and a sprinkle of rosemary.) Don't ask me how!

By time I'd finished the meal, Ow! had become OW!!!

Now the middle toe looks like a sausage and the ball of the foot is slightly swollen. I have to walk on the heel because any weight on the ball of the foot hurts like Billyo! I have retired to bed with two Panadol in me.

And it's now nearly 4PM and the poxy bastard who was to come collect from my house hasn't shown up nor called and so I never got a chance to get to the pharmacy! Grrrr!

Edited August 11, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

For gits and shiggles, I replaced one of the 4¾“ flat jaws (correctly: "Cole Jaws") on the lathe with a jaw from my 7¼“ jaw set. 

It can expand all the way up to a shade under 10", the max capacity of my lathe (it's only a smaller one). 

The larger jaws have four positions for the rubbery buttons, so these jaws are quite flexible. 

I have two other jaw sets coming with the key. They are smaller and don't use rubber buttons. They grip directly. The smaller sizes can still accommodate large work pieces. They grip on to the base of the vessel which can be set smaller than the top. 

Edited August 12, 2022 by Netfoot

[andidante]

Netfoot, do you think you broke some toes? I hope you are ok!

[dbklmt]

How is your middle toe and the ball of your foot?  Hopefully, no trips to Dr. K will be needed.

[Netfoot]

I'm not going to Dr. Kristi with this foot. I know exactly what she'll say: "Coverly! X-rays!" Which means $150 to $200 I can't afford. In fact these days I avoid Dr. K. if I'm feeling sick. I will go show it to her if it turns green and toes start falling off!

Actually, it isn't so bad. The Panadol will have worn off by now and I don't feel inclined to take any more. The toes are very delicate so I avoid anything which will require them to flex or bend. And putting weight on the ball of the foot causes a serious ache in the metatarsals. (Yes, I looked that up.)

Do there I am in the kitchen, hobbling about like Peg-Leg Pete, preparing dinner. About which there is a story.

Dinner was straightforward. Short pasta with a sauce made from onion, cucumber, beans, pak choy and diced sausage, plus a little garlic powder, cayenne, and some basil. But the pasta was unusual.

It was a packet given to me a couple weeks ago to try. I didn't even look at it, I just slung it into the fridge. I pulled it out this evening and to my surprise, it wasn't elbows or bowties or anything so mundane. It was Cavatappi, which happens to be my favourite short pasta!

Anyway, I examined the package to see how long it should be cooked for (every brand seems to require a different time) but the entire thing was in foreign lingo. I searched the entire bag and discovered that it had been made in Turkey! I never would have listed Turkey as a source of good pasta, but maybe Turkey is the world's most famous pasta-making country and I'm just stupid? Any rate, this stuff was pretty good.

So Peg-Leg Pete had Turkish Cavatappi for dinner.

Later, when I hobbled out to take ESP for his evening stroll around the garden, getting the left foot into the Croc was fun, but getting it back out again afterwards was much more fun!

I've been considering my chuck some more, and my eye fell upon the eight machine screws that hold the jaws onto the carriers. You can easily see two screws in each of the jaws, if you look at the previously posted photos. They are flathead socket screws that require a hex/Allen key to slacken/tighten, and are made of plain (not stainless) steel. Funnily enough, the Allen key originally provided with the chuck came to hand only today.

The problem with non stainless steel socket screws is not just that they can rust. But if there is any rusting down in the socket, the Allen key will not grip any more, to tighten and slacken them. And with a flathead screw, there is nothing sticking up to grip with a locking pliers. So you could end up with the part (jaws, in this case) screwed tight to the chuck, the sockets get rusty, and the jars can't be removed without heroic measures being taken .

So I was thinking how nice it would be if I could find replacement screws in SS. But where would I find SS flathead socket screws in some mysterious size? I glanced at the Allen key and to my surprise, it was marked 3.00mm! 

An American component using metric fasteners? That's surprising. But wait! 3mm driver?!?? I did a job a while back that used 5mm-0.8 socket-head, button-head and flathead SS screws which all required a 3mm driver! And I got a buncha screws left over! You don't suppose...

Yep! 5mm-0.8 x 12mm flathead socket screws and I got a jar full right here! They fit perfectly... Except the rim of the flat heads need to be removed so the screw will seat a little deeper in the hole.

Good thing I know someone who owns a metalworking lathe! Now I only have to convince them they want to trim a set of screws for me! Actually, it's a job that could be completed in less than 5 minutes, so I'm hoping they will agree. And in return, I will pay them with a large chunk of T-315 SS round bar 1½“ x 24" and four similar sized thick-walled 6061-T6511 aluminum tubes with ⅜“ wall thickness.

I finished the first of the five Tales From Earthsea last night, but it's late and so I won't start the second tonight.

Mo and I are in and the house locked up, but he won't come into the bedroom because I spoke to him sharply for an infraction, so he's sulking and playing hard to get. I just had a shower and the cold water was more pleasing to the foot than the warm that followed. But I think it will be fine again in a couple if days. Unless I go and bash it on something again.

Any way, time for lights out.

[Netfoot]

9 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I'm not going to Dr. Kristi with this foot. I know exactly what she'll say: "Coverly! X-rays!"

Coverly, by the way, is the name of a medical center that does X-rays.

My foot is still very tender and I can't put any weight on the ball of the foot but it feels a lot better this morning, so that is good news. I will be putting it to the test shortly because I have to go to the pharmacy.

By the way, yesterday I watched a movie called Thirteen Lives which is a biographical movie about the rescue of 13 young boys trapped 4 Km deep in an underground cave in Thailand in 2018. The early and unexpected arrival of the monsoon caused massive amounts of flooding, and it took a huge effort that lasted 2½ weeks.

The movie has some big-named stars, like Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell and Joel Edgerton. The director is Richie Cunningham from Happy Days. There are some scenes where Siamese is spoken and subtitled, but for the most part the film is in English.

Apparently it's been streaming on Prime Video for the last week. I just searched on Amazon for "thirteen lives prime video" and there it was. (It says "This video is currently unavailable to watch in your location." Thanks Amazon. But I still pay the same fees as everyone else, right? All hail BitTorrent!)

All this to say I found the film interesting and informative and if you feel you might like it, I do recommend it. This event was news at the time, but I never realized the extent of the rescue effort until I saw the movie.

[Netfoot]

Today is Buddy's birthday. He would have been 9 years old.

This him, at the Ark, on his way home with me that first day. He had a belly full of worms. I know, because I gave him a precautionary dose of worm medicine and they all came out! Yeeeech!

This is him walking around on the brink of the cliff, as the guys glide on the Atlantic breeze. My heart would be in my mouth but he was blithely unconcerned. As sure footed as a mountain goat. 

If you would like to look at his photo album, you will find it here. The last photos are not happy ones, but not too bad as he seems to recover from his injuries. The worst of the worst were deliberately never put into this album.

He was strong and active and his usual wonderful self right up until the last, despite his condition. I took him for a walk every day and he ran my arse ragged! I give thanks that there was no slow decline.

I miss him terribly, still.

Edited August 13, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Well, the guy who was supposed to come to my house yesterday to collect something but never showed? Got in touch today to say that he would come around tomorrow, "after the funeral."

There is a personality type who think that they can make an appointment and arrive two days late and that this will be OK. That can say "after the funeral" and just assume that everyone in creation will know what they are talking about so no better explanation or further details will be required. That can have you twiddle your thumbs for ten hours waiting on them, fail to show, and that no word of apology will be necessary. 

Around here we call people with that personality type "assholes." Or maybe it's just me that calls them that because everyone else is also an "asshole."

When I finally got word about his coming tomorrow, that freed me to go and visit the pharmacy. I was to go to the hardware store as well, on the way home, but clean forgot.

I wanted to buy a couple of 5-0.8mm nuts that could be used to hold the SS screws in a lathe while the rim is turned off.

In this photo you can see one of the black steel screws that are original parts used to hold the jaws onto the lathe. It stands in front of a handful of it's shiny, SS counterparts.

Not quite so obvious is that the original screw has a shoulder at the top of the head and that therefore the head is slightly narrower. This second photo shows the minor difference more clearly:

So after lunch (leftover Cavatappi from dinner last night) I decided to walk over to the mall next door and buy some hex nuts to match the M5 thread.

With my damaged left-side landing gear, I decided to go with my walking stick. So I locked the gate behind me, imprisoning a very angry puppy, and set off. The mall is directly across the road from my house, but the entrance to the mall is around the other side, so it was a little stroll until I got to the entrance.

Whereupon I spied a woman wearing a mask. And I was not. Because I don't keep masks around my house, I keep them in the car, and put one on when ever I get to my destination. 

Well, there was no way I was hobbling back all that way to get a mask only to hobble back to the mall again! But I wanted to get those M5 nuts! So I checked - no sign saying masks must be worn. I entered. Signs told me to sanitize, and I did so. I walked from one end if the mall to the next. I passed customers, staff, security, all over the place. People were everywhere, and they all wore masks. But nowhere did I see a sign that required a mask be worn. Nor did anyone seem to notice that I was not. But everyone was wearing a mask except me.

I got to the hardware store, sanitized as instructed by the sign, and went in in search of my M5 nuts. Found them, took them to the cashier, paid (21¢ each) and walked right back across the mall again, without issue. Exited and went home. Mo made me very welcome  Nobody ever said a word, or even seemed to notice.

The chuck key and jaws sets were delivered to my forwarder in Miami before noon today, and I paid the shipping (US$20) almost immediately. Nothing has happened since; Status is still "preparing for shipment."

Quiet afternoon and simple dinner of crackers, cream cheese and Vienna sausages. Now I'm tired and I've set the music (After The Love Is Gone by Earth, Wind & Fire) to auto-stop in 90 minutes. So now I'm going to sleep! 

Edited August 13, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Had more crackers and cream cheese for lunch, this time with corned beef. Mo liked it as much as I did. 

It's been raining and I'm avoiding the club today. Even Austin sent to say "My rubber dinghy has a leak!" And he drives a Landie.

Mr. after-the-funeral hasn't shown up yet, but it's getting late, so if he's coming at all, it would have to be soon.  Unless they bury under cover of darkness these days. (It turns out he gets paid to video funerals.)

My foot is still hurting, especially since Mo had managed to jump on it, bounce into it, do his sideways fall onto it, repeatedly all day.

Decided to take a nap for an hour. My eyes are closing at my desk. I hope I don't regret this. I've set an alarm for an hour from now.

[Netfoot]

Just gone midnight and I've hobbled off to bed. Yes, it still hurts if I put any weight on the ball of the foot. So I'm hobbling about the house in a most comical fashion.

Mo hasn't helped. He has been standing out by the gate, barking his head off, for hours.  Every time I've hobbled out there, he shuts up and behaves like a little angel. No sooner am I back inside and sitting down, and the barking resumes. 

There is nothing and no one out there for him to bark at. It's a wet, miserable evening and if there isn't any rain falling, trust me, it rained enough earlier. No body and no thing is out there wandering around in the dark. But Mo has a habit of keeping a ruckus out there for no good reason.

Could he be afraid of the dark? If so, why doesn't he come inside where it's well lit? What I'm afraid of is that some neighbor decide he's tired of the barking and throw some poisoned meat over the wall. 

He's barking up a storm again now. I can hear him clearly.

I was not planning to eat any dinner but I realized I'd regret such a decision later. So I went into the kitchen and knocked up the easiest, fastest hot meal I could think of. Sliced onion, diced sausage and a tin of beans. The only "spice" I added was a little soy. I ate it with a spoon and it was fine. I could have baked a couple of small potatoes to go with it, but I didn't bother. What would have been ideal would have been a hunk of good bread. But I had no bread, good or otherwise.

There he goes again.

Anyway, I'm in bed, Mo is out by the gate and I think I will have to go out and drive him like a herd of ducks, until he is inside. I don't like to force him, but the barking us still ongoing so that is what I'm going to do now. Wonky foot and all. After that, I will listen to some music (Ella Megalast Burls Forever by Cocteau Twins featuring the voice of Elizabeth Fraser. Whose voice I'm willing to bet you have heard before, even if you don't realize it!) while reading, and then turn out the light.

Ok, puppy-wrangling begins now!

ETA: It's a good thing I can eat and be satisfied with simple food. Even enjoy it, for the most part. Because sometimes, that's all there is.

When I was a student, many years ago, myself and fellow students shared a house. Student "digs". We mostly didn't have money for good food so we had to make do. A good friend and I devised a meal of flour and water, made into a dough and fried. Think of dumplings, but fried instead of boiled. We set out to devise the most ridiculous name for these things that we could, and agreed on "baglatoots." We had to settle for baglatoots many a day.

So a simple plate of rice or a bowl of beans is plenty good tucker, in comparison to some meals I've enjoyed in the past.

Edited August 14, 2022 by Netfoot

[andidante]

I prefer simple meals also. I'm not much of a cook or very adventurous in that department. Simple is just better for me. LOL

[Netfoot]

7 hours ago, andidante said:

I prefer simple meals also. I'm not much of a cook or very adventurous in that department. Simple is just better for me. LOL

Oh, I love to experiment! Try new spices. Make unusual combinations of ingredients. There is a 50/50 chance to get something good or awful. (My minced beef and grated, fresh coconut was an unmitigated disaster!)

But I don't have to have elaborate food concoctions with exotic spices to enjoy the dish. 

Lunch today was fettuccine tossed with fried onion, corned beef and pak choy, sprinkled with a little garlic powder and drizzled with soy.  Good enough to enjoy and to eat the leftovers for dinner.

I'm not much of a cook, but I find simple ingredients make it easier to produce an edible, even enjoyable meal. Want to see a disaster in the kitchen? Give me asparagus and artichokes to deal with! But give me sausages, potatoes, tomatoes and a few other common or garden ingredients and I can produce something which will keep body and soul together and not be too offensive to the palate.

Nothing I cook is ever the same twice because I don't usually have the same ingredients available. If I did, the quantities would not be the same. I can't as a rule remember how much of what and all went into the dish last time!

Edited August 15, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Remember the guy who was coming to my house on Thursday but never showed? Who said he'd be there on Saturday "after the funeral?" He finally got here today after lunch.

This is a guy I've known for some years. He isn't a close buddy, because he is a pilot at a different club. But he's one of the fraternity. I was selling him a model aeroplane, new-in-box, for exactly the price I paid for it. And I got discounts and free shipping (for being a loyal customer) when I bought it. And the price has gone up since then. So, my price was way cheaper than you could buy one yourself, today. I made nothing at the price I asked for, I just wanted the box out of the house.

The guy showed up. I showed him the aeroplane. He handed me a bundle of cash, and left. I counted the cash.

The bastard stiffed me for $10!

Remember the foot I injured last Thursday? I said I'd take it to Dr. Kristi if it turned green and the toes started falling off? Well, no toes have fallen of off, but it's turning green....

Lest you are inclined to suggest it's just dirt, I've just come out of the shower where I carefully and delicately washed the dirt off the foot.  And in case you say it might be a shadow:

I an am seeing Dr. K. tomorrow on a non-health-related matter, but I don't want to get bogged down with x-rays and bandages and medicines and treatments I can't afford. So tomorrow I have to drop off something for her and hope I can hobble in, drop it off and hobble away again before she sees me and says "Halt! What's the matter with that footie? Bring it into the examination room..."

Went up to the club, and we had two crashes. First, Rudy whose Spacewalker went home unflown on Wednesday due to a wonky aileron servo. It had a new servo in it and had just taken off when the ailerons went to full deflection and locked. She went down in some tall grass quite a way from the club. There are different ways to wire the electronics package in a model, and the transmitter must be programmed to suit. It seems that when he put it back together after replacing the servo, he wired it slightly differently to how it had been originally, and didn't alter the transmitter programming to suit. The model was recovered quite undamaged despite a fall from grace from quite a height. It was so far out that he an and Austin went to look for it in the Land Rover rather than walk. Here it is, returning to the club;

(I've munged the front of the Landie a bit to remove the number plate, just to maintain Aussie's privacy.) Notice the thick, bushy nature of the very green grass and bushes? The rain has everything growing like crazy, and our mower is off being serviced until Wednesday. So no grass cutting this weekend!

The second model in question was Austin's own Spitfire. Yes, he remembered the wing. It leapt off the ground unexpectedly quickly when it really wasn't going fast enough yet. Airspeed (arithmetic sum of groundspeed and windspeed) is a critical factor for successful flight. So it was climbing out on the edge of a stall when the engine hesitated. The momentary loss of power caused it to lose speed and stall a wing. She put her nose down while flipping hard left. Austin caught it and pulled the nose up, pointed it downwind (back at the runway) and tried to bring it home. 

Unfortunately, the turn downwind meant that instead of a headwind (which adds to groundspeed) it now had a tailwind (which subtracts from groundspeed) so the already critically low airspeed fell even more. The wing promptly stalked stalled, lift vanished and with no lift, an aeroplane is just a big weight up in the sky. She put her nose vertically down and corkscrewed straight into the ground.

I thought as I watched it go in that it would be pretty badly damaged! But miraculously, just like Rudy's Spacewalker, the Spitty received absolutely no damage! The node nose end was covered with mud but even the prop (usually quick to break) came out of it unscathed!

So like that, two nasty crashes, both incredibly with no damage as a result. After that, the guys retired to the clubhouse to drink rum and tell lies about models flown, fish caught and (of course) ex girlfriends. 

Mo is snoozing at the end of the bed so I'd better go and close the door, listen to some music (Hey, Jude by The Beatles) and read a few pages before blowing out the candles.

Edited August 16, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Oh, there is something else I wanted to mention!

Last time returning from the club I was forced to take a detour in the dark that left me completely lost.

Well, I took the same detour in reverse on the way up this afternoon and in daylight it was a straightforward and 100% familiar drive on well known roads. And taking it again in the dark coming home it was still 100% familiar and straightforward, on familiar roads.

So I have no idea what happened to my head the other night.

If I had to speculate, I'd say that when I made the turnoff in the dark the first time, I was distracted and erroneously thought I was on a different road. And as what I saw immediately failed to match my expectations I just became more and more confused with every passing yard of dark road.

But maybe I'm just getting senile...

Edited August 15, 2022 by Netfoot

[Browncoat]

Looks like you bruised the hell out of your toes! 

[Netfoot]

3 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Looks like you bruised the hell out of your toes! 

Yep! It was a pretty hard wrench. I'm not sure if the toes got folded back over the top or down under the sole. Up, I would think, because toes are usually OK with folding down. The middle toe obviously got the worst of it, but the ones on either side are pretty sore as well.

[Netfoot]

Have a look at this photo of Mo, taken yesterday at the club. 

See how the fur in and around the ridge had a chocolaty colour? Somehow it seems to be inky black sometimes and adopt this chocolate colour at others.

It's probably a trick of the light.

Remember a while back I worked to restore the table saw to a useable condition? Well, I never did get around to using it for some reason. You can be sure something came up to occupy my attention. I remember I had to align & adjust the fence, and correct the height of the non-cast iron portion of the top. Well, I finally did those things today. Tomorrow, I will touch up the surface and try to find the blade for that saw. It's high time I cut something with it!

Tomorrow, if I am so inclined, I will get to work on my bandsaw as well. A bandsaw with a simple jig is a great way to cut out blanks for the lathe. All that needs doing (as far as I know) is to spruce up the table on that machine.

Speaking of the lathe, chuck key and jaws are still in Florida. Status on the shipment is "Assigned to next flight." Don't get excited. From ANF it usually goes to "Flight delayed." Their promise is that they will forward stuff without delay. In practice, I believe, they accumulate packages and parcels until they have enough for an economical bulk shipment. Their future profits are of higher priority than past promises.

I have not heard anything about the trimming of the SS screws for the jaws. But then the guy who is doing it for me only had them since yesterday and he is doing me a favour so I can't press him. However, he knows I am waiting on the chuck key to be delivered and will want to use the machine as soon as that arrives. So by letting him know the status of the key/jaws will give him a boost to get the screws done before those bits reach me.

Otherwise, been quiet today. Made a nice pot of rice today for lunch, with carrots, corned beef, pak choi, and cucumber, and seasoned with garlic and a hint of red pepper flakes. Digging in the dark cupboard again found me a tin of green pigeon peas which was a pleasant surprise! The best I'd hoped for was black beans. (Black beans taste just fine in rice, but pigeon peas is a popular local choice and I am always happy to use them in rice.)

The rice went down well with a little red butter on top and a glass of Adam's ale helped wash it down. Took a nap in the late afternoon but puppy came along with a loud voice and sharp claws and roused me in short order.

He's here in bed with me (jumping around on my bad foot, of course) and his back looks quite black. Maybe it's got to do with the lighting? I have to go out and shut the front door and hopefully he will choose to stay inside. The rain is falling again tonight. 

Tomorrow I dunno what I'll be doing. Other than work on my tools a bit. I need to go to the bank some time, and some meds are running low, but I can hang on a couple days before I need to go out. I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

If I get the table saw working I can rough out some bowl blanks. And if the bandsaw ends up working, I can refine them. The lathe is a small one; it will only swing a 10" blank. Actually, since you will need a little clearance, a hair under 10" will be required, and the more accurately cut the blank the closest to 10" you can achieve. So a little 9⅞“ circle-cutting jig for the bandsaw would be ideal.

I've been online and looked at grown-up lathes. A good lathe from Jet is 2,430 bucks first cost. Plus shipping, customs duty, etc. The bench top version is only $1,850 which would leave me with nearly 1,200 dollarettes to have a stand made locally by a welding shop.

Of course, prices vary with features. You can get a Grizzly lathe for under a grand (on sale) and the feature list is pretty good!

Anyway, time to go lock the door. Puppy has already departed and is probably outside again. Maybe he will come in, maybe not. The rain has stopped, but the breeze through the window is cool and promises more rain to come.

Oh, BTW, I did see Dr. Kristi briefly this morning. I went in to drop off the bag of stuff for her and as I stood at the counter she came out of her office and shepherded a patient into the examination room. Fortunately for me, I was stood still at that moment, so she never saw the hobble.

Right. Dog, Door, Music (Pigs (Three Different Ones) by Pink Floyd), Book, Lights out, Sleep.

[Netfoot]

I don't mean to anthropomorphize them, but... sometimes machines are just ornery.

I had plans for my two saws today and just couldn't get myself to move a muscle this morning. To start, I woke up to find Mo sleeping in my armpit. And I loved it so much I refused to move until he did. So that was a delay. Next, I sat at my desk, took my breakfast meds and contemplated a cup of tea. Next thing I knew, it was lunchtime and I'd done nothing except watch a movie on the computer.

Lunch was a piece of chicken, fried, some sliced cucumber and two small potatoes baked. Except the microwave said "pop!" and refuses to cook anything any more. The machine whirrs, the turntable goes around, the clock counts down and after the prescribed time the machine cuts off. But the food is still cold and raw. So, I had to slice the potatoes into the hot oil after the chicken cooked, and fry. I made turkey gravy with onion in the deglazed pan. The chicken tasted good, the gravy tasted good but the potatoes were not good. Not inedible, just not tasty. They should have cooked longer.

Anyway, after lunch I went out to clean up the table saw. To get to it I had to pass by the lathe. It took me quite a while to get past!

I have a small "benchtop" lathe. But I bought the metal stand from the lathes manufacturer. It's purpose made to fit the lathe.

There are six mounting holes in the bottom of the lathe and matching holes in the top of the stand. When I assembled the two, I cleverly got a piece of plywood, cut and shaped it to suit, drilled six matching holes and sandwiched it between the lathe and the stand when I bolted them together, to make a useful shelf. It was a horrible mistake.

When you put something on that shelf, be it a pencil, a faceplate, a chisel, your phone... whatever, within two minutes of your starting to shape a blank, the entire shelf is 3" deep in shavings and everything on it has vanished. Then you have to comb through those shavings with your fingers to find what you want without knocking other things off.....

So what I've been meaning to do for years was to pull out the six bolts, lift the lathe up a hair, and slide the shelf out to be discarded. So that's what I did today. Pulled the six bolts, slid out the shelf, and put the six bolts back in.

Except one refused to go back in. I tried everything, but the one at the back over on the right would not go into the hole. The two units (lathe & stand) are made to fit together. They did fit together and have been fitted together for years. They were fitted together only 10 minutes ago, but now... WTF?!??

At first I thought "I'll make do with 5 bolts" and set #6 aside. But then I decided not to give up so easily. I pulled the 5 bolts back out of the machine and after hours of shuffling them from one hole to another and with only very light attention from a hammer (it's cast iron and will crack like an egg! No way I'ma pound on it with any force!) I finally got the four end bolts in and wiggled the fifth into one if the central holes, with the last pair of bolt holes nicely in line! But I couldn't find the 6th bolt. I searched off and on for hours. I still don't know where it went.

I've searched everywhere I went today, including inside the fridge. And (because my mother would ask) no, I wasn't eating anything at the time! I still don't know where it is.

So I put that in abeyance and turned to the table saw. I cleaned the top carefully, not really trying for a mirror finish, but wanting it to be clean and slick. I ended up covered in muck from the cleaning process. I had to take a shower and after scrubbing my skin with a scouring pad and Scotch Brite, some of the dirt was still there. But I couldn't scrub any more because my skin was starting to sting.

After a that I decided to call it quits for the day because my back was aching a bit. But since then I've roused myself out of my chair several times and searched for the missing bolt again!

The chuck parts are still ANF, and I won't need to bolt down the lathe until they reach me, so I'm hoping that some time in the next few days I will go for a glass of water and find the missing bolt frozen into one of the ice trays in the freezer!

So sitting quietly this evening, I fished out a ¾" rubber ball and some cord and set our to make a keychain ornament. Have not done that for a while so it was really a bit of an experiment. Started with 72" of cord and chose a 36 faceted globe knot but that didn't work out, so I started over with a 45 facet globe knot and after the knot was complete I was able to chase (double) the knot with the excess string:

This is snugged up but by no means tightened yet. And there is close to 24" of cord unused in the process, and even more will be released by the final tightening process. You can clearly see the gaps between the facets. To close them up, I'm thinking I'll chase it again (triple) with a contrasting colour, either on one side or down the middle between the original two. I'll probably go beside rather than between, in case I have to chase it again for four passes.

These are the six colours I have available in this cord type. Which do you think will make the best contrast with the purple?

Prolly the silver?

The movie I watched was a 1942 British wartime morale booster called Went the Day Well? from a story by Graham Greene called The Lieutenant Died Last. A couple of truckloads of Royal Engineers turn up in a tiny, isolated village and at first the locals have no idea that they are actually German paratroopers on a mission!

The movie is in B&W but we'll worth it if you like that sort of story. Set and filmed in 1942 it also gives you a glimpse into village life of that era.

If the idea of B&W puts you off, go instead for The Eagle Has Landed, with virtually the same story line. Starring Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Donald Pleasence and several more well known stars of the day (Including Larry Hagman, yes JR) and produced in 1976, the movie has higher production values by far. It is of course in full colour. I personally think both of these movies are worth watching.

So, what does tomorrow hold? I will try to fix two of the levelling feet on the lathe (they just need tightening up) and maybe get that tarpaulin off the bandsaw and see how it looks.

Seeing as dinner tonight was only crackers with cheddar and corned beef, I will probably cook up a pot of rice or some pasta. If I'm not feeling too lazy, I might make a passle of dumplings and some sort of stew to eat them with. Unless I feel lazy, in which case I might just settle for 45¢ worth of ramen noodles...

How I remember the days when I could go grab a bunch of ingredients and make 2-3 days worth of soup! 

Gotta go close the door. Mo was here with me a while ago but he's probably outside again. Anyway, I'll read, listen to some music (Metal Mickey by Suede) and slip off to sleep.

[Netfoot]

Ok, I went with silver, and using 36" of cord began the tripling process. It wasn't easy. I had to use a tiny latch-hook because I couldn't find my small cording-needles. (A much larger needle can be seen in the background with some green 550 Paracord attached.)

It took some time, but the finishing and tightening of the knot went well enough and here is the finished item:

Not exactly ugly, but not perfect by any means. Primarily, there are small gaps between the facets where the inner core is visible. Some of these gaps are larger than others!

This is 45 facets of tripled 1/16" cord on a 13/16" core. By using a slightly smaller core, a slightly thicker cord or a knot with slightly more facets, the gaps can be closed up. However, you must use what you have, and I have one size of cord and one size of core. I have two recipes for 46 facet globe knots, one recipe for 47 facets and three recipes for 48. One of the 48s is considered a fast-tie knot. But I feel 48 facets would be too many, leaving the cords all jammed together. I may try a 46 and/or the 47 and see how it comes out.

I've got to go out to collect something and I will take the opportunity to drop something else off while I'm out. Nowadays I have to plan my journeys from home to accomplish as much as possible with the use of the least amount of gasoline.

I don't understand how someone can text you to ask "When can you come and collect this?" and then not bother to read your reply!

BTW, now watching TEHL as discussed last night. Also, made another search for the missing bolt and still no joy. May go and buy a replacement while I'm out.

Still no clue about lunch... Will give Mo his right now. Even though I woke up in the dead of night to find him eating (in the dark) a Rubbermaid container he must have stolen off the kitchen counter. 

[Netfoot]

As I was changing from street shorts to house shorts...one of my shoes vanished. But I had a pretty good idea where I might find it...

I demanded it's immediate return! My demand was summarily dismissed. I gave chase around the garden!

While crossing the grass, I discovered that shoes are not the only thing considered playthings by my roommate.

The chase continued around the garden several times.

Eventually, by guile rather than main force, the shoe was recovered.

[Netfoot]

Here is the final keyring decoration with it's own tiny (½") keyring attached. This can be attached to an existing keyring, or the tiny ring removed and the bauble attached directly.

The photo shows the decoration and also the jigs I use for tying globe knots (white). The closest one is the one I use with the 45 facet recipe I used. 

You can also see the tiny latch hook and a military grade tweezers I used to manipulate the fine cord, in the absence of a properly sized needle. The jig(s) have screws that can be turned out, like the one the ring is hanging on, or driven in/flush if not in use. The 1/16" Allen key used to turn them is visible in the background. It's part of a set and they are in a yellow handle.

I should take a photo of the knot being tied on the jig. Next time, maybe.

I also popped the red throat plate back into the table saw. As I was attaching it with the provided screw, I thought "Wait a minute! Don't tell me this another M5 screw that I can replace with stainless out of parts I have at hand!?!!" It looked like an M5-0.8 button-head cap screw about 14mm long, and I have stainless M5-0.8 BHCS at 20mm, so I can cut/grind it to length and swap out the black iron for stainless!

Unfortunately... It isn't M5 after all. It's probably a #10-24 (or #10-32) screw at 5/8" long. M5 and #10 are very close together and easily mistaken for each other, but alas! Not close enough together to be interchangeable. If you make an honest mistake and use the wrong one, you can tear up what ever you are driving the screw into.

So, I will have to find a suitable stainless #10 screw locally (fat chance). But first, I have to confirm it is a #10 and determine whether it is 24 threads per inch or 32. I'm not ruining a 100 lb. slab of cast iron by trying to drive in the wrong screw!

Edited August 17, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

So I decided to try another globe knot. Same size cord and core, but a 46 facet knot this time. I set up the pins according to the recipe and cutting 48" of cord, wound it onto the jig/mandrel, making sure the sequence of pins was followed and that the over/under crossings were correct.

I ran out of cord about 8" from completing the sequence. 

This is extremely annoying, because not only do you have to pick out the knot and do it again, but you've essentially wasted four feet (in this case) of cord! It has awakened the software engineer in me. The dimensions of the jig is known. Therefore the distance between any two pins should be fairly easy to compute. Since a recipe is just a sequence of pins, it should be fairly easy to compute the minimum length of cord needed to tie the knot on the jig. A program that does this would mean I never waste 48" of imported cord again! I digress...

Anyway, I restarted with five feet of cord, and completed the recipe with about 4-5" of cord left over.

Seen here lying on top of the recipe, this knot is now tied! Next comes the process of dressing and tightening and gradual removal from the jig/mandrel. It is extremely easy at this point to allow one part of the knot to slip sideways over another and in no time at all, your knot had become a tangle, and you have to start over again, right back at the beginning.

Driving in the pins one by one and tightening the cord so released each time, I eventually had all pins in and the knot reduced to what you see here:

This process increased the amount of "extra" cord from 4-5" to 21½". Further tightening on the core will release more "extra" cord. If the "extra" reaches 30" (half the length of the cord we started with) it will be enough to chase or double the knot. Which is the plan. But I won't do that tonight. It can stay on the mandrel until I'm ready to slip it onto the core and continue tightening it up. That will be when it is at the most risk of disintegrating into a tangled mess. The spherical core will be surrounded with the knot dressed into a tubular shape (as it's slipped off the mandrel). Until I can tighten and close up the top and bottom of the knot with the core inside, the success of the venture is by no means guaranteed. For that reason I will wait until tomorrow when my hands aren't hurting and my eyes are rested.

Little else to report. I will listen to some music (Thin Line Between Love and Hate by The Pretenders - I love Chrissie Hynde!). I will read my book. But first, I will go and see if I can persuade the Barking Fool to shut up and come in for the night!

Edited August 18, 2022 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Continuing with the globe knot, I removed it from the mandrel and slipped it onto the knot core. You can see several large, loose bights of the cord which, if allowed to slip out of position, will ruin the the knot.

So, bight by bight, each cord is gently tugged to tighten it. This moves the "slackness" from one part of the knot to another. You chase the slack along the cord, until you reach the end of the cord. Then you pick another slack bight, and begin moving the "slackness" along to the end of the cord. The goal is to tighten each bight until the knot more securely surrounds the core so it can't simply fall out.

Notice that each bight can only be tightened a little at a time. If you have one or two bights much tighter than the rest, the knot will fall apart on you. Each bight just a little, until they are all slightly tighter than before, then back to the beginning and repeat until...

...its tight enough that the chasing process can begin. With one loose end, you "follow" an existing cord, over and under, sticking to one side or another (the left, in this case) until...

...you get back to the beginning, and the knot is doubled. Notice that the two ends of the string have met, going in opposite directions, on opposite sides of the central run of cord. If I had enough cord left, I could continue chasing and triple the knot, but only about 9" if of cord remain. I do intend to triple the knot, but by introducing a second piece of cord in a contrasting colour. That piece if of cord will have a loop tied in the middle for an attachment point for the keyring. This means that the two ends of the second cord will have to be chased in separately, in opposite directions.

Notice that where the two ends meet, there is a tripling effect visible. This is not desirable. So, we must do some trickery with the last few tucks of cord to give the illusion that the cord is endless, with no joins.

Look at the center of this photo and you can see the ends of the cord vanishing underneath the knot proper, giving the illusion that there are two cords passing under. But a closer inspection shows the end cords sneaking away underneath, to surface elsewhere. They will be drawn tight during the final tightening, and will be cut short. The cut ends will pull back under and disappear.

Now I only need to pick the contrasting colour for the tripling cord, tie an attachment loop, and begin chasing. I think I will chase between the two green cords this time, instead of beside them.

Edited August 18, 2022 by Netfoot

[Spunkygal]

I find this knotting process fascinating. You are a trillion times more patient than I. I attempted to learn to crochet once.