Good morning!!!!

[Buppies]

More hit or miss storms today high close to 90 heat wave breaks Thursday

prayers for all our Country

 

[Popgadget]

Washing machine inverter board died again. replaced 3 times so far. Garbage machine.

After my original Maytag washer died, we went through a string of short lived ones. I finally asked a friend that runs an appliance repair business what I should get. He reply was quick. “If everyone had a Speed Queen washer, I’d have to rely on refrigerator repair.”

I followed his advice, and he was right.

 

[riptides]

73 outside this AM. and, actually hazy....so for today Hazy, Hot and Humid. Mid 90's on tap, again....

Got rained on again yesterday. I should invest in a weather station as the pattern is totally different with these rain events from my memories of years gone by. We are one week away from mid-August, my lawns and pastures are still green, and yep...I can start cutting grass again. I have got the mower up to 3.5 and 3.75 inches and the grasses are still winning. Yesterdays thundershower dumped enough rain for me to drain all the horse grain buckets at feeding time. Brief, intense and welcome. But then the humidity kicked right back up.

I know others could use the weather (water) more than us.

I managed to get all my foam board up, and my electric back and working. Although the electric will have to be a new feed and panel sometime in the near future. My wife was concerned about me working in the thunder and rain but actually I was cutting foam inside and then running outside to hang it. LOL. Accurate measurements being the key. I just need to tape it up and can start on the vinyl.

On the cicada killer, that darn thing is so big and fast, it just freaks me out. Plus it is just in the wrong place...but....I am a pretty laid back person when it comes to live and let live. LOL.

Here is a shot, you will have to zoom in on it. The mound, burrow or nest, is about the size of my two hands put together for reference purposes. I think I was about 4-5 feet away from it, during the picture taking. Close enough. LOL.



And the ever present - Milk House project.



Hope all have a great day, and my hope for those ailing is to get better. Be safe.

 

[Buppies]

We have owned Speed Queen for 6 or 7 years never worked on they just run

 

[daugen]

good morning all
another hot stormy one, reminding us it's August.

nothing planned for today until near dinner time when taking elderly neighbor lady across the street to her doc appt. She had an unsuccessful hip operation,
cdif or something nasty, has a wound vac, which I don't know what it is and not sure I want to. Mask on for sure in the car. Her son normally takes her but he is out of town
on large job. 5:30 appt, odd time, bet they run late. I always try to get first thing appointments. Will make sure I have a full Kindle before I go. Plus it should be height of thunderstorm then.
just a little adventure.

yesterday outside temp gauge on parked Volvo read 108 in the sun. Kind of weather very dangerous for little kids, animals left in cars.
I like the fact some Tesla's have a pet mode, or something that keeps temps within a certain range safe for pets when owner leaves car.
Whipper would learn to put his paw on the panel and turn that on...

not a bug lover, only big ones I like are butterflies.

in many parts of the world, those big bugs would go right on a stick into the camp fire.
Just a different kind of barbecue.
Not quite what I want for breakfast.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

After my original Maytag washer died, we went through a string of short lived ones. I finally asked a friend that runs an appliance repair business what I should get. He reply was quick. “If everyone had a Speed Queen washer, I’d have to rely on refrigerator repair.”

I followed his advice, and he was right.

Yep, we went with basic speed Queen with mechanical dial a few years back. No issues yet.

 

[daugen]

RS, hope those giant rodents didn't eat too many of your hosta

gardeners here have to totally fence in their properties. Though after the township paid for cull that took out several thousand deer here, supposedly, I really don't see many
around. Once in a while I see the droppings and one definitely chewed on ends of my blackberry plants. So far they've left my hosta alone. I'd be really annoyed if they came and munched the front garden but so far that hasn't happened.

 

[Popgadget]

Good Morning.
It was 77 before 6am this morning. Dew point is 73, so it’s steamy, although I haven’t been outside yet. Chance of thunderstorms today, likely tomorrow.

Yesterday was very uncomfortable to work outside. I capture the charge in the old condenser and got it disconnected by 8 or so, put the forks on the tractor and moved it around to the front by the lane. Brought the new condenser around back. Cleaned the area for the new one, put a bucket on the tractor and went to the stone pile for some 2a to make a level area and set some patio blocks.
By then my buddy arrived and we set the unit in place.

It’s the one on the left. I had the other heat pump running, so it was cool inside where we had to run the line set and mount the inside unit. Put up an easy up canopy for shade over the outside unit to do the wiring and connect the line set.

The old unit was straight AC and ran three inside units, the new one is a heat pump just does one that is upstairs. Originally the heat was from a propane furnace and the mini splits did the AC. About 10 years ago I added a 16 SEER heat pump and relegated the propane to back up duty. The new heat pump is 22 SEER, but only has a head upstairs. The plan is for the new unit to be the main source of heat and AC, with the ducted heat pump as the second stage, and the Propane as the 3rd stage or last resort.

At any rate, not too long after lunch, it was all connected, so we pressure tested the lines with 400 psi of nitrogen. It held pressure and no bubbles at the connections, so purged the nitrogen and evacuated it, it was tight and pulled down to 200 microns. Released the stored charge and fired it up. Wasn’t long until there was a steady stream of condensation.

By the time I put all the tools away I was beat. Today I’ll clean up the rest of the mess inside, and put the music room back together and connect all the stuff I moved to remove the old and install the new.
But that is after breakfast with the professor.
Considering that it will be 95 with a heat index over 100, doing inside chores is a good plan.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Nice job popgadget. I’d love to come and help just to learn. I do have a set of manifold gauges. Before the EPA crackdown I used to add Freon if it got low. Might still have a bottle with some R22 out in the shed. Back then you could buy it at Pace, one of the early warehouse club stores. It later became Sams Club.

 

[txdon]

Good morning! 76˚ heading to 101-103˚ like yesterday. No rain, cloudless sky.

I got burned in cards yesterday not be able to get into my foot for 4 games, David will understand.

Ring doorbell (motion detector) went off at 3AM, the video shows either a large rat or a small possum on the front porch. He did not stay long.

I need to legally hand water some areas of grass that are suffering badly early this morning.

Getting cabin fever, I think everyone who is still active. Tomorrow, even in the heat, we will start our park project of cedarciding again with lots of hydration and breaks and stopping when it gets to 90˚.

 

[daugen]

Paul, I need an education. There is a black hose and a white hose hooked up to minisplit, plus power cables.
I'm assuming cold water/coolant/gas? is going one way and warm something is coming back?

Don, little bit goes a long way, come in early.

 

[Buppies]

Smart move Don. Cards are the luck of the draw so to speak.

In 90s today I was wrong earlier Big cool down coming 70s next week cooler weather in the east here to stay thru fall and lots of trickery for winter

 

[Buppies]

Prayer for Toppop Ron

 

[kenmbz]

Morning all, hot,
Stay safe and be well,

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Good morning to all! Low of 57°, going up to 85°. Maybe a recycled T-storm.

Didn't sleep well for the last 2 nights. Just keep waking up every hour or so for the first 4-5 hours.... then finally sleep sound. Weird pattern....

Today's agenda is to get the irrigation going, make sure everything is getting a good drink. Need to finish up the last raised bed and get the drippers installed.

No cicada killers here (that I am aware of), but we have tarantula hawks.... these definitely freak me out when they fly by. About 2" long.

Beware NM's Official State Insect

The tarantula hawk wasp has it in for tarantula spiders.

www.newmexicomagazine.org

We don't see then too often, maybe once or twice a season. That's a good thing, don't want to deal with them any more than that.

Hope everyone can deal with the heat without too much hassle....

Have a great day!

 

[rswyan]

67F with light rain @ 12:00, headed up to a high of around 77F for the day with showers continuing this afternoon. LWS reports 0.67" of rain since midnight, and 0.59" yesterday. Compared to some nearby areas which got as much as 2", 3" or 4" in the past 24 hours, I'd have to say that's just about right.

With that sort of moisture, I expect the grass to be growing like down at Mike's place.

Wish I could send some to those who need it.

Not sure what all on agenda for today.

May repot those coleus.

Head up to the shop and (finally) get into the welding for the floor/deck on the B2910 seems like it might be a good idea.

Remember: Don't neglect that prostate health. Get it checked ... regardless of the unpleasantness involved. It could save your life.

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday ...

 

[sodamo]

71°F and .65 inches rain.

Can’t label yesterday as terribly productive but it was relaxing with wife and I opting for a game of Hand & Foot before Zoom happy hour. She won.

I did learn my flail bracket wasn’t done so I took the opportunity to draw up what I hope will be an improved version and emailed to fabricator

The original was just L shape. I extended the base to be under the gear box.

Prayers for all
Be safe
Have a great day

 

[rswyan]

RS, hope those giant rodents didn't eat too many of your hosta

As long as they don't completely pull them up out of the ground and the plants survive, I'm good.

I think we've reached the point of having so many hosta there's no way they could take them all out.

gardeners here have to totally fence in their properties. Though after the township paid for cull that took out several thousand deer here, supposedly, I really don't see many
around.

Seeing them here is an almost daily occurrence.

Ohio increased bag limits on deer in 18 more counties for the 2022 - 2023 hunting season in an effort to get the population under control.

Although our county wasn't one of those, we're still in one of the counties that has the highest limits for deer: 4 total (with one antlered)

Once in a while I see the droppings and one definitely chewed on ends of my blackberry plants. So far they've left my hosta alone. I'd be really annoyed if they came and munched the front garden but so far that hasn't happened.

Yup.

I'm actually less concerned about the hosta than I am about some of the other plants.

Beautiful flower bed BTW ...

 

[kenmbz]

We have enough deer on our property to feed most families for a while.
Wonder if they will do the, as many as you want, Doe permits again this year.

 

[txdon]

With no rain and every day high of 99-106˚ I was expecting outrageous water and electric bills for last month.
They were reasonable:
July - water $78, electric $204
June -water $69, electric $158
May - water $51, electric $129
April -water $53, electric $95