61F now, more abundant sunshine on tap for today. High 93F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Cooler today, but for the next ten days the highs will be near 100F with lows in the mid to high 60s. That's 5F - 15F above normal, but that's what we've been seeing for most of the year so far.
That old Craftsman mower has been with me since the early '90s, and if I took the time to hose it off, still looks brand new. On the outside at least. It cut grass once a week at the last house during the summer growing season (grass stops growing during the short winter days here in California, just like the rest of the country). But back then the sprinkler system kept it nice and green, and I even got into the habit of fertilizing it a few times a year. I think I may have cleaned under the deck once or twice when I first started using it, but not much came out and I stopped. Haven't even looked under there since moving to the sticks five years ago, but then it only gets used a few times during the spring each year. During the drought I've stopped watering the grass all together, and now it's as brown, sorry gold, as the surrounding hillsides. And I've just about made up my mind to replace the small lawn with drought tolerant shrubs and ground cover, dotted with boulders and finished off with decomposed granite, a gold colored sand. At that point I'll probably give the mower deck one last cleaning before putting it on Craig's List, formally ending my grass cutting career. I'll still mow the meadows away from the house, but that's a sit down job on the tractor, and if I time it right it's a once a year thing. Does that still count as mowing? And no, I don't clean the deck on the bush hog, either.
Larro, I've had mixed results leaving so called maintenance chargers hooked up to batteries all the time. They're supposed to be smart enough to not hurt the battery, but some batteries still don't like it. Last week a buddy told me he keeps his chargers on a 7 day timer, and only turns them on once a week. That's been working pretty well for him, so I'm going to try it, too. Another of my friends takes a bulb out of the garage door opener, replacing it with a screw in socket. He connects his charger to that so it only comes on for ten minutes or so each time the garage door opens. That also seems to work, though I'm not sure how well I like the idea of stringing extension cords across the ceiling. Either way, think your mom could get into the habit of leaving her rider plugged in all the time?:confused3:
What counts as light use, Eric? The sprayer here sits idle for eleven months of the year, then gets a workout for about five or six hours a day for a week. I drain the tank and get as much water out of the pump as I can (that's almost all of it) before I put it away for the last time, and it sits in an equipment trailer out of the weather, but in which day time temperatures probably reach 140F. I should probably put a remote temperature probe in there and see. The motor in the old sprayer is still bright and shiny, with no signs of corrosion or undue heat, and it doesn't make any tell tale rattling sounds when I shake it. The armature still spins freely. If I had to guess, I'd say the brushes might be worn out, but there doesn't appear to be any way to replace them. The motor housing is a one piece stamped can, closed on one end and covered by a cap on the other. The cap engages tabs around the edges which are peened over to make a permanent connection. "No user serviceable parts inside" as they say. I couldn't even purchase brushes if I did manage to get the thing apart, though I could probably carve some from another device to fit. That's even if it has brushes, it could just as easily be a brushless DC motor. A new motor/pump assembly is $69 plus shipping from Amazon; I can purchase a sprayer complete with tank, pump/motor, and spot spray wand for $89 plus tax at the local Tractor Supply store. That would be the easiest option, but then what am I supposed to do with the extra tank, wand, and plumbing bits? More land fill material. The local sprayer company doesn't publish prices on their web site. I guess if you have to ask, you can't afford it. But I'll find out when I stop by there today.
There's a hummingbird feeder hanging outside the sliding glass door to the patio from the bedroom. Besides the obvious buzz from the birds' wings, I can hear them drinking. It's kind of a soft rattle, lasting maybe a second each time they dip their beak. I suppose that's their tongue hitting the bottom of the tank. Just goes to show how quiet it usually is around here. Most of their noise comes from their squawking when they argue over who gets a drink first. They all get fed eventually, and I've seen as many as five birds drinking at the same time. But there always seems to be one that figures it's easier to dive bomb the others instead of waiting for an opening, then they all go whizzing around until the bomber finishes. Even then it may just hover over the feeder and continue to drive the others off, especially if the other feeders are low or out of nectar. Not that anybody's going hungry with all the sage and lavender blooms around.:laughing:
Managed to get new mounting tabs welded to the crash bars for the HID lights on the motorcycle yesterday. Cut the old ones off using a 4 1/2" angle grinder purchased just last year for some tile work. It's light and cuts very quickly and neatly. I don't know why I waited forty years to buy one. This morning, assuming the paint's dry, I'll mount the lights and run wires, and also find some place to hide the igniters for the HID bulbs. Then it's back to the bike I'll be selling, mounting the lights on it that just came off the one I'm keeping. The lamps I just mounted can turn night into day, the ones going on the sale bike are better than nothing, but not a lot. Very surprising as they both use the same HID "bulb", but the housing and lenses are very different. I suppose that's why one cost 3x more than the other. :laughing:
Happy Monday everybody. Just try to save some for the rest of the week. :thumbsup:
Not sure what the gauge is, probably something like 12 or higher.
