Good Morning!!!! 51F @ 4:00AM. Rain this morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High near 60F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
The hourly forecast sez we could end up with almost a half inch of rain today, and from the sounds of it hammering on the bedroom slider, that could well happen if it keeps up. But the 10-day sez today's moisture will be the last of it for the period. And with winds out of the southeast, not much chance of funneling any to New Mexico, Arizona, or Texas. Sorry guys...
Quite a hike, Billy. Congratulations on a complete recovery. I've had anxious moments trying to stay on a snow covered trail; do you carry a GPS unit with you on your hikes? Between the cabin and the trout, those fishermen must be having the time of their lives...
Lots of inexpensive
solar powered fountains on Amazon, Drew. I bought one a long time ago, but have yet to put it in the bird bath. Maybe it's finally time?
Good luck with the insurance company, Mike. They probably don't like the material shortages and price hikes any more than we do, and hopefully won't try to take it out on you.
No one would ever guess there's a shipping container at the heart of the Studio, David. Beautiful job! Will you be adding screens to any of the windows to let in that wonderful tropical breeze?
That adapter plate looks amazing, Kyle. Can't even come close hand cranking handles. Nice job on the grill, too. That capability is something to look for in any future employment opportunity...
Oddly, the solar contractor is suing as an individual instead of a business, and that limits him to $5k in Small Claims. That hasn't stopped him from asking for more on the summons, though. But that behavior is very much at the heart of the problems, as a true narcissist his world view seems to not have much to do with reality. If my efforts to get the case dismissed somehow fail, all I have to do is relate the chain of events that got us here, and show how the system is not "complete" as specified in the contract, with all the unaddressed issues as it stands now. Also learned that as plaintiff he has no right to appeal, but I as defendant do. And no lawyers are allowed on Small Claims Court, Chris. My paper shuffling, Ted, is more likely to be done electronically. But not all of it; I learned yesterday that my online bank records only go back three years, so I had to request a paper copy of the check I wrote for the initial deposit on the solar system. And most of the communication has been via phone and email/text messages; I wonder if I can submit e-copies, including digital recordings of voice mails? Nice to know I can count on your deep pockets for bail money, Drew.
I did get a chance to mess with the van again yesterday. Reseated the grounds I cleaned yesterday, and was then able to get it running again. And in the process spotted a bunch more that were held in place by a loose sheet metal screw, so I cleaned those up and hooked them into the same place everything else is grounded. No ground loops for me, thank you very much. But that didn't help, as it died again idling away in the driveway. This time, though, I could hear the fuel pump relay clicking when it happened, and the fuel pump itself stop buzzing. So the noid light test was a red herring and the injectors don't seem to be the problem. Time to trace wires and find out what makes that relay click.
Also spent just a little time on the tractor spreading out the burn pile ashes and digging out the remnants of the last batch of stumps. Brought up two more to start a new pile, and put a replacement sprocket on the electric chain saw. The first replacement was again badly grooved, this time after only a double handful of hours. Time to get some hard facing rod and see how well I can weld powdered metal.
Hang in there, gang, Friday's comin'!