For those of you still working you made it to Friday, for those of us retired it's just another day. 

 

Here "Two Weeks From Anywhere" I'm not sure what I'll be doing this weekend. I'm moving a bit slow due to throwing my back out yesterday. 

 

 Guess I should have used the floor jack to lift the zero-turn mower so I could get at the blades. 

 

So, as I work at trying to get moving again,...What's on Your Weekend Agenda? 

 

 Oh yeah, I almost forgot, have a good 4th everyone! 

 

Larry, sorry 'bout your back. BTDT and it continues with every bend, twist or turn. Getting old ain't for sissies. 

Now that Phyl's tests are finally complete, my chauffeuring days are over for a while. Yesterday's final test involved a probe entering the right wrist, and up into the heart. So, she's been instructed to lay off using that arm too much for a week. So, I'll be helping around the house more than usual. We have been using a house cleaning crew e/o week for about 3 years so that chore is somewhat lessened for us. But I'll be putting my culinary expertise to use, though. Spam, eggs, TV dinners and cold cereal for a short while.  Luckily, our two DILs are great cooks and will be bringing in a few meals and/or coming over to cook here. We won't starve.

In the shop, a dog bowl(s) stand for a neighbor is in process. 

Grandson's graduation party is tomorrow with a fireworks show in the evening.  Should get out and cut come grass too. 

June must be National Back Problems month!

 

Hope to finish up the vinyl siding on the garden shed and get the mess cleaned up before the 4th.

33 minutes ago, lew said:

June must be National back problems month.

Lew, for some of us old codgers, it's every month.

Marie just got an epidural Wednesday for her back and said she said she's enjoying the least amount of pain she's had in years. This, after nerve burnings, injections, and god knows how many other things she's tried. Anyway, yard work today....some of it moving some fairly large rocks (700-80# +)....not me, the tractor will do that.

Got all the mowing done including roadsides and fence rows late Wednesday. First time to mow like that in over a month. Needed to try something to get some rain...and so we did and some bonuses.

 

Left home about 3P headed to a burb NW of Indy to PU an auction score. Ominous shelf clouds approaching and under a severe thunderstorm warning; thought we would be staying ahead of the front based on the radar. Thought wrong; About 6 miles up the road, begin second guessing the decision but had a scheduled PU time. Debris was blowing across the road, wind driven rain out doing the wipers.

 

About 4 more miles, began dodging medium to large limbs in the road. Took one direct hit on the car...big bang. Thankfully windshield or sunroof not damaged nor have I seen any visible dents. Once in town, county seat, several large limbs and trees across numerous streets, streets flooding, people stranded at gas pumps due to power outages, traffic lights out etc. What should have been a 20 minute drive from home to across town, turned out to be 45+ minutes.

 

That included trying to find an "air station" since my TPMS, showed RR tire low, which turned out to be LF. Guess I never put a tire gage in the Buick. Finally found an air station, $2 for 5 minutes of air...had a new unused unbrella...trying to hold it while airing up tires with gusty winds it turned inside out becoming a funnel. Had planned to get cash but all ATMs were down due to power outage. No problem, use debit or credit card.

 

Back on the road, a few limbs here/ there to dodge until getting to next county seat. Power outages there, traffic lights out, and I65 northbound gridlocked causing all sorts of traffic tie ups coupled with traffic light outage. Another 30+ minute delay crossing town which should have been 10 minutes tops. Finally moving again, trusting the cars Navigation system suggested path turned out to be a plus...saved at least 10 minutes over my mapped drive.

 

Once to the PU site, rain had subsided as the storm moved more southerly. Granddaughter opted to stay in the car while I went into pay. I normally pay in cash to get 3% discount over credit/ debit card. Thinking it through, between cash in my money clip in my pocket and "emergency cash" in my wallet, I could probably meet the cash price. Went to reach for my wallet....oops, apparently in the rush to leave home, didn't get my wallet. Oh well at least my debit card was in my pocket thankfully.

 

Into the house to pay...just as the electricity went out in that neighborhood. Fortunately they were prepared with their laptop and phone Hotspot BUT, my purchase (a 4'x7' air hockey table) is in the basement. Big basement, ~2300 sq/ft with 8' ceilings. At least there were 3 egress type windows that let some light in. Back to the car to get tools to disassemble legs etc, my car alarm is going off. Granddaughter had decided to get out when my SIL arrived. Silenced the alarm, got the tools, the one HF (go HF) flashlight I had and back to work. I had second guessed any combo of fasteners, had all the tools, plus drill/driver to remove legs, accessories etc. One thing going right. 20 minutes later, ready to get the table up some very long and rather steep stairs.

 

All that went OK, taking our time, no damage to table or house. I helped where I could. Granddaughter and SIL did most of the heavy work. Finally out the door, it fit with little room to spare in their Dodge Caravan. Loaded the legs, peripherals and tools back in my car. Once last look, around, in basement, up the stairs and not surprisingly the electricity came back on. Oh, and the rain quit as we drove away. Still have to get it in SIL/daughters basement and reassembled. Maybe tonight. At least they have an outside entrance to their basement besides inside entry. Stairs not nearly as steep either.

 

Trip home was less adventurous, well until home. Our 40' TV antenna tower is leaning about 1-1/2' to the North from center. Bend starts about a foot from the ground. Base mount is anchored in concrete. Apparently we had some of those 70-80mph wind gusts.

 

So aside from all the above, just a normal, fun day.

 

Oh for the weekend, grandsons want their air hockey table up and running; granddaughters CEL light came on during her drive to work at 5A. Figure out a strategy to down the TV tower; huge tree down at the church across property line into a neighbors yard onto some small out buildings; no doubt I'm missing something; oh yeah, LOTS of small limbs and sticks to PU AGAIN. More severe storms in the offering next couple of nights so no auction bidding planned in the near future. One more thing, PUT a tire gage in the Buick glove box.

 

The positive, we did get about .65" of rain  (that's what made it into the gage), the grass has greened up quite a bit and actually seeing blue sky for the first time this entire week. Thanks for reading this tale of woes...hopefully things are better in your neighborhood.

Yard Sale Raids this morning...and..

Appears to be from the "Buck Rogers" era...Millers Falls No. 74c....No. 2 frame....and, yes I do have a saw that fits...

Price?

$2.....

@Larry Buskirk You know by now you should be able to use physics and leverage that thing up to handle those prob;ems.

 

Wednesday went to son's place and did some weed eating around the trees while a friend did the bush hogging. Today and tomorrow hope to work on a commission for dice trays. Won't get totally done as they have no yet picked colors for wood and leather. Oh but decisions and why did I not specify that at the beginning. This projects keeps getting more complicated.

@Grandpadave52 Wow! Glad you all are safe and the damage wasn't any worse!

13 hours ago, lew said:

@Grandpadave52 Wow! Glad you all are safe and the damage wasn't any worse!

 

I'll X2 that!

worked the day job for 4 hours today then a couple in the shop prepping for our biggest show of the year next weekend. this afternoon it's pirate day with our camping group so we'll be on the pontoons enjoying some snacks and rum punch. later tonight the local community will set off some fireworks so we'll be back out on the boats.

Big day tomorrow as our camping neighbors son will be using the lathe for his first time making a pizza cutter handle. he already has countless hours in watching me turn and dictating what piece is next in line. I think he's almost as excited as his mother was last year when she used it for her first time. 
I'll post some pictures in the turning forum when we're done.

The small town (~1200) just to our south about 8 mile is still without power. Hoping to get it restored by tomorrow. Another town (about 1000) on the far SE side of the county got hit pretty hard too. They're also without power. They've been told it could be up to a week before restored. All this is a result of straight line winds in some areas up to about 90mph.

5 minutes ago, John Hechel said:

Big day tomorrow as our camping neighbors son will be using the lathe for his first time making a pizza cutter handle. he already has countless hours in watching me turn and dictating what piece is next in line. I think he's almost as excited as his mother was last year when she used it for her first time. 
I'll post some pictures in the turning forum when we're done.

Welcome back John. Great to hear from you again.

 

Awesome gesture too. Great story and thank-you for passing on the craft, your time, experience and passion to the next generation. Well done my friend.!!

21 hours ago, Gerald said:

@Larry Buskirk You know by now you should be able to use physics and leverage that thing up to handle those prob;ems.

 

Just one of those things that happens when your mind still thinks young, and your  body says not today. 

Bruce got me loosened up a bit this morning when I helped him unload two vans, and a trailer of "Bruce's" normal  sized loads. 

 

 

Got suckered in by a youtube video and ordered some new bar clamps.  "No" I kept telling myself but curiosity led me to compare unit prices depending on how many you bought.  I had the number 4 stuck in my head as that's how many I usually use to clamp up a table top panel, and sure enough the best buy was for four 24" ones.  Looks like I need to make another wall bracket to hold them when they show up. 

https://www.amazon.com/Dubuque-Clamp-Works-Adjustable-Woodworking/dp/B07DWKY83L/ref=sr_1_1?crid=34DAGR5Q4BKQ2&keywords=Dubuque+Clamp+Works+UC924+24"&qid=1688394864&s=hi&sprefix=dubuque+clamp+works+uc924+24+%2Ctools%2C223&sr=1-1

I have a family tie to Iowa and as these are made in Dubuque my mouse button couldn't resist clicking on "Buy Now" when I realized that.  Thinking about removing the buttons on my PC mouse now as I clearly don't need any more clamps.

4D

5 minutes ago, 4DThinker said:

Thinking about removing the buttons on my PC mouse now as I clearly don't need any more clamps.

You should call the Clamp Help Hotline 4D,...I'm worried about you because...

I've made a few projects for friends that required more clamps than I had on hand at the time.  That of course became a reasonable excuse to buy a few more.  Tool manufacturers are pretty clever though and like to come up with improved versions of clamps I already have.  Intrigued I usually want to buy one just to see if the improvement made any real difference, but that usually turns into an order of 2 or 4 as they are each less expensive when you buy more than one.   I can say for sure that I have used every clamp I own at least a few times.  The collection is diverse enough that some are better for some jobs when others are better for other jobs. I got some Rockler sure foot bar clamps and like them but the notch spacing is large enough that they can be finicky to use if a glue up is just the wrong width.  The Dubuque clamps have notch spacing much closer together. 

4D 

On 7/1/2023 at 10:24 AM, Grandpadave52 said:

Awesome gesture too. Great story and thank-you for passing on the craft, your time, experience and passion to the next generation. Well done my friend.!!

turns out the little guy got cold feet and wants to wait a little while yet. we'll try again the end of the month when we have more time.