Testing, testing.......

[electra225]

Does this thing still work? Where is everybody?

I suppose everybody is busy like I am getting ready for winter. I hope you are all safe and will join us in due course, hopefully sooner than later....

[TC Chris]

Winter is when you get the old car out, and I put mine away, right?

Both of my boats are hauled for the winter and now it's a matter of prying the Chevy out of the transmission shop (the guy is not an all-star at organizing & scheduling). My winter-storage guy wants the car so it can go in its assigned place next to my Olds. I'm stuck in the middle.

We have had unseasonably warm weather so I've spent weekends on outdoor projects--adding a downspout to the gutter on the garage where the '38 Buick hangs out; moving concrete rubble and a 20' cast-iron former water main pipe in along the base of the sea wall; raking leaves. Here at home the city picks up the eaves from the gutter so it's time to get them all raked and hauled out to the curb. They seem to have all fallen at once this year. There's still a list of projects a yard long. The Ranger needs an oil change and I can't recall if it's time for a coolant change in the Mustang yet. The winter commuter bicycle could use some paint on the spokes to protect vs. salt and I need to make sure the chain hasn't frozen up over the summer. It got a dose of oil when the summer bike came out but that doesn't always work. Pretty soon I will need those full fenders & studded tires.

Eventually this will all get done and I can turn my attention to electronics restoration. What to tackle first? We'll see.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

I miss you guys. I have been planting geramiums, not my strong suite, incidentally. Washing windows, pressure washing concrete, trying to keep my car clean, a fool's errand, at best. When I wash it, drive it to work, we get dust, followed by 500 drops of rain, just enough to make my poor little Mini look like a mud-bogging Jeep. I have been working on my record player cabinet, intermittently. I have also been working more hours at work than I really want, because it is "the season" for retail and because I don't have the heart to tell them "no". They have been good to me. So, there's that.......

It's good to hear from you, Chris. Glad to know all is well in TC.......

[Hydrolastic]

I was working on the mountain of home projects after the plumbing project. I was preparing for a week of my wife away. Go Go Go, The very day she left I got sick with you guessed it....Covid 19. vaxed, double boosted and still had some concerning symptoms. That stuff has some HP!
So needless to say slowed down. going to work on Monday, wife will be back. Nothing got done at home. I have fired up the concert grand a couple of times just for fun. The neighbors don't think I am sick!

[electra225]

It's good to hear from you, Hydro. I guess we are all in the same boat. Busy.

[William]

Sorry you got sick, Hydro. I hope you recover and can get back to all of your projects.

Bill

[TC Chris]

I was working on the mountain of home projects after the plumbing project. I was preparing for a week of my wife away. Go Go Go, The very day she left I got sick with you guessed it....Covid 19. vaxed, double boosted and still had some concerning symptoms. That stuff has some HP!

That damned disease is scary. Did you take any meds like Paxlovid to help with recovery?

Chris Campbell

[Hydrolastic]

Hello, yes Paxlovid IDK what it does or if it did anything but the dr said "at your age you should think about it" I was so irritated with the comment I just said "yes ok". At the end of it. Should be at work Monday.

[chazglenn3]

I just returned from a wonderful 10 day vacation to celebrate my 60th birthday in Cancun. Found an unrepairable flat tire on my car. Then spent 8 hours trying to find a set of tires in my size in stock. Never did. Had a set that are just a bit too big installed temporarily to get me through the weekend. They rub a bit on left turns. So annoying. Wish I was back on the beach already

[19&41]

I thought I would replace the worn hinge pins and bushings on my truck's passenger door. After watching a couple of tutorials on youtube and ordering a set of pins, I went out to git-r-done. I found that my hinge pins are different from the trucks shown in the 7 tutorials. After grinding off the flanging securing the bottom of the pin, I tried for 2 hours to drive out the old pin, or even make it move. No dice. I then started my next project, to check power consumption on the necessities that I want to power with a generator I had been considering: A Westinghouse Igen 2200. I ordered it this afternoon. It got a lot of good reviews on Amazon and it was on sale at Sam's for under $400. It is 76 here today, 82 tomorrow.

[TC Chris]

I need to do the hinge-pin thing on the '61 Chevy, but it is trapped in the transmission shop still, and will go directly to winter storage when its sprung. The storage guy is trying to orchestrate the filling of his big pole barn and my car is the sore thumb.

It was upper 60s here on Sat but raining and almost 60 today without rain. I spent a lazy weekend doing some minor projects and not being diligent at all eventually I tackled prep of the winter commuter bike. I had dutifully oiled the chain last spring but it had seized up from rust anyway. So I replaced it and painted the spokes. Painted the spokes? Is that some sort of OCD activity? No, it's to stave off the rust. The spokes are plated steel and they get rusty in the snow/salt slush, just like the chain does. Or for that matter, like our vehicles do. My truck is at 195K miles and will probably die from rust before the mechanicals give up. I've never had a vehicle doe of old age. They all die of rust.

Chris Campbell