2021: What are you doing today

[chimp koose]

a sad but happy day....... never heard it put that way before . Well said . Take care .

[kb426]

The saturday Barrett Jackson results had a tremendous amount of 6 figure prices. Shelby's 427 super snake brought 5.5 million. Maybe there was pent up demand???

[idrivejunk]

A quarter million is the new $2,500, Bill. Gosh, everyone has that! Especially now. (beware, sarcasm there)

I should have bought a lottery ticket Friday. Saturday went like so...

Woke up too late for a breakfast with hog in it, ate cereal. Now what?

Each car needs work pretty bad but I am not sure about any of it. Parts can no longer be had without mail order so again I skip cars.

House is in desperate shape all around but I don't own a truck or ladder. Need to prepare for annual termite inspection and the house is so full of things I don't know how to dispose of that I skipped that too. Everything has to be away from outside walls and all garage walls.

Since lightning took out my tree and water line, weeds out front over ran what landscaping was present.

So I got some new weed barrier for the gravel garden and commenced to shoveling gravel. A couple shovelfuls in, I realize if I don't somehow remove the soil mixed with the gravel, this is futile. Old barrier still good, its just what grows around it against the house that bothers me. Plus where the new water line comes in, theres a breach in the barrier of course so weeds dominate there. Found an old wastebasket made of small mesh expanded metal and used it to agitate a couple shovelfuls at a time. Got 2 or 3 feet done and rain was on the way so I buttoned that up, revising my objective to be doing enough of it so I get an idea how long it takes.Then my back started backtalking about shoveling. Admitting defeat, I pulled weeds instead. Looks like crap.

Knew I was licked there so gave the front yard first mow of the year. Knocking tops off weeds. The whole time I just wished I could reach the gutter above the gravel area to make it not look so bad. Kinked where a storm knocked it down, fascia behind siding too rotten to hold a nail. No ladder. Last time I touched it, within moments a stranger neighbor was offering to lend one. I declined, noting to myself that any outdoor minutes are with audience starved for interaction. Just kinda pushed things back together with a reachy board then, and it held all winter but a kinked gutter lined with green fungus stands out. So do the dark leak spots in the street peeking out under the GT. I anticipate being warned that I am causing the dead end street to turn into a slum so I keep the leaky tire aired up on that one and drive it every other week or so to a store so it gets parked slightly different so is not deemed inoperative and impounded while I am at work.

One letter carrier lays mail on box lid and just tips it shut, ruining any bills or checks if it rains. The old white one I talk to tosses mail into the box so it doesn't get wet. Another unsolvable issue but luckily my economic stimulus came before the rain. I thought it was my tax return at first. Wanted to ask Mr Biden what the check was for and if it will cost $4,100 to pay back the 1,400 that I didn't want, when they want it back.

I knew above all else I was gonna see to it that I got a ride in the 69 done if it kilt me.

There was time, or so I thought, to do one more house thing. I had picked up a couple outlets and light switches last weekend.

Lights haven't worked in the hall bathroom probably five years or more. Hall light ten, other bathroom light two and outlet in there, one.

Replaced master bedroom bathroom light switch and it worked. Wow! That was huge. My appearance may improve from better grooming. Still dead outlet though. Next on the priority list was hall light. It has a switch at both ends of hall. Replace most frequently used switch. Breaker fries when tried. Remove switch. Assess damage.

Now neither bathroom has light or power, no lights in bedrooms. Boy howdy. Zero electrical knowledge and now I need a circuit breaker (can't just swap one over, its a double breaker kind so no light anywhere if I pull it. Why was the hall bath outlet on a lighting circuit? No idea. Box has overly vague single word descriptions. I have never understood how it is legal to build a house without providing a schematic. An electrician would recommend rewiring the whole house but theres a foot and a half of loose insulation in the attic. Another place I can't go without ladder.

Good thing I also picked up an extension cord for vacuuming, now theres one 60W lamp bulb to bathe by at least. No heat in there though. A snake coiled up on the AC unit's capacitor's terminals and junked the heat and air a decade or more ago. Fortunately, outlets in master bedroom still work. Lamp and space heater. A good shave is out of the question. Cord on the shaver inherited from Grandpa finally broke so last week got a new one. Had I known, I'd have looked for one with a headlight.

This is how it goes with any attempt to gain ground. Under hoods especially and thats why I never fix my junk if it runs. With job and getting to job and having to race to bed all consuming any flexible time left over, I can't figure how everybody else even manages to eat. In this hopeless mindset, I reached for the one decrepit tool that helps me stabilize mentally.

Thats the 69GP. Didn't make a mile before rain drops. Theres not a noisier pair of wipers in town, and its state law headlights must be on if wipers might be needed. Knowing I'd be heating my fusible link at 42 amp alternator running wipers, lights, and full-blast-only heat / defrost fan just after 20-30 seconds of cranking fuel to carb... I just turned around. Just as I made it to the front porch, torrential downpour. Sigh, but I looked to the sky and gave thanks for that. More documentaries and 50s radio shows it is. Balanced checkbook, paid bills, ate leftovers from Mom's and went to bed.

Woke up today and none of that is fixed. Alas, termite inspector dude will get his chuckle at my hoarder pathways in every room. Thats the only other person who enters my home though.

Rest of today looks like watching videos to educate myself on house wiring and find out what modern switch to buy for that special hall light scenario. Which is probably the wrong thing to do seeing how Dad and bro are both masters of that. There was a hard wired smoke alarm next to the hall light which randomly woke me in terror in my first few years here which got knocked off the ceiling with whatever was at hand the last time it went off unprovoked and couldn't be turned off.

I used to be able to climb the fence to access roof and gutter but varmints chose the post next to the house to dig a passage next to and now the post rotted. I prop it up with the trash and recycle cans. Used to brace myself on the shed to get down from the roof but now the shed is all rust. It nearly killed me building that thing singlehanded. Come to think of it, I must be aging myself. Mowing is not the all done in 40 minutes affair it started as but the yard is the same.

I've paid the purchase price of the house twice, once more to go. Only a matter of time until a city official looks at google and sees the 72 GP in the backyard, or the fence blows over and the whistle gets blown about inoperable vehicle in existance. No title, can't or don't want to take off work to start the getting one process, can't give the car away, can't scrap it even if I find someone to unstick it with it sunk in the yard on flats. And theres no way I'll ever be sufficiently affluent to build the 400 or anything else. I was never interested in he car, just the engine and maybe frame, plus of course whatever I'll need when some doof plows into the 69. The blown 135K 3800 V6 from my ex 02 GTP has sat on a stand in the corner of my stall over six years now doing nothing and only becomes an asset if my current engine fails. But now theres no place to change it out. At least in that time I have thought it over and disqualified that engine as a potential 455 replacement.

So sorry. I just found myself spilling it there because I feel trapped. But you guys post house stuff now and then so I figured you might understand me better if I did. Its all my own fault of course but in case you never tried to imagine being alone, theres a taste. I could wallpaper the house with engine fire recall notice cards on the 99s but theres not a dealer in walking distance, for example. While thats the case, if my house burns down with the daily driver parked where it is, insurance might not pay. My valve covers don't leak and I change my own oil with care so no issue exists and last recall for same thing (this makes the 4th revision... on a 20 year old car), tech cut a plug wire causing a dangerous episode of missing when I went to dart into heavy traffic.

For the mental stability from having told someone, writing that was worth the morning.  Not worth you reading it all though.

But thats what I'm not doing today. Now wheres my confounded bootstraps?

[idrivejunk]

I had left the "bathroom plugs" breaker turned off.

 :oops:

So I was able to unwind one mystery.



Light and heat in hall bath restored.



Only ground lost that I didn't have on Friday is theres no overhead light in the room or bathroom I use. Ick.

That few minutes they both worked yesterday was motivational but due to being from like 1980, I will probably require a pro breaker box replacement in order to see in this end of the house again. And they'll charge extra because I tried to fix things first. They should. More strangers getting into every corner of the house, gotta love that.

Thinking.  Quietly, now. To myself  

[kb426]

Craig's list has been good to me in the last month. I had a c6 listed that I don't believe I would ever use. When the man came to pick it up, we were visiting and I had another part he could use. 2 less items to move around.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

The saturday Barrett Jackson results had a tremendous amount of 6 figure prices. Shelby's 427 super snake brought 5.5 million. Maybe there was pent up demand???

We watched some of saturday sales.  WOW

A friend called me from the motorcycle section  auction friday...  There were several low mileage Honda 50cc and 70cc bikes he was interested in..  He told me average decent condtion bikes were selling in the 7 to 8k $ range.  One Honda 1974 bike with 2 miles on it sold for 20k I thin k he said

[phat46]

Got the 383 stroker motor I built into the car today. Should have been a couple hour job, but it took 4 1/2 hrs! The 700r4 trans replacing the 350 was different enough to cause headaches, but we got it finally. My brother was helping me and was reaching under the car to shift the trans on the jack supporting it and something shifted trapping his thumb! 😖. I had to quickly lift the car by hand as much as I could so he could pull it out. It was flattened a bit from the knuckle down and lost some skin, but seems to function. He retired from our fire dept last year and said, after he could talk, that he never did anything fighting fire that hurt that much!

[kb426]

^^^^
He'll be looking for worker's comp.

[phat46]

^^^^
He'll be looking for worker's comp.

I offered him ice and booze...he and I have a history with thumbs, when he and I put my motorcycle on a carrier a couple years ago I managed to pull my thumbnail off. About ten seconds before he got his thumb he said out loud "now watch your fingers" to himself...

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Wife and I have talked for 5 years about hitting the roads in a truck and trailer when retirement hits.  Travel the USA for a year or what ever.

We bought this 2021  F-350 oil burner 4x4 DRW  truck. It is a base level truck :  XL F-350 with some shiney options added. I bought the low level truck so it weighs less and can haul more.  It has a cargo rating of 5600 pounds with GVWR of 14k

The 6.7 diesel runs well, looks complicated as all get out under the hood. It has the 10 speed automatic with a 4.10 gear ratio differentials. In 7th gear the trans is 1-1 ... the 8th , 9th , 10th gears are over drive

I am surprised at the punch this thing has from 55mph to 80mph for a 8k pound truck.

Looking at 5th wheel trailer online for 3 years.  We have visited the RV sales shows tooo..    I want a trailer with a GVW of 15k weight. Hopefully 38 foot long max.. Shorter would be nice.

[kb426]

I spent the last 3 days doing yard work. The yard is cleaner than it has been in a long time. I'm going to attack the weeds with fervor.
I plan on winning the war.

[idrivejunk]

Spiffy tow rig, Tony. Hope you get much trouble free travel out of it. That guy who owns the black 59 Pontiac with the good kinda transmission has the Platinum Murder edition with 6.7L power. That worst day last week was sanding off a previous blackout job on the grille chrome inserts. For a blackout job that'll stick. I think if it was me, I'd have left the top and bottom bars chrome.

[idrivejunk]

I spent the last 3 days doing yard work. The yard is cleaner than it has been in a long time. I'm going to attack the weeds with fervor.
I plan on winning the war.

Saw your post and asked for that brand at the home junk store but they had never heard of it. :?  :?:




   

[Crosley.In.AZ]

A little early in the season, not real hot here yet..   I killed 6 scorpions tonight in the back yard and near the garage door of the house

[chimp koose]

We had a blizzard yesterday .... seriously , 60mph winds and a few inches of new snow and some rain    just when i was beginning to see some of my lawn .