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I'm sitting in the SLC Airport. It's 0520 and my flight leaves at 0715 for Denver. Then I've got a little layover before the flight to DSM. So, naturally, I'm having an overpriced coffee while I wait...View attachment 106937
Much more natural pic with that coffee in your hand! Have a safe day!
 
Day 2 of the diet. So far it doesn't seem very hard. I don't eat a huge amount more on normal days. It's the cakes and bags of chips that made me gain the extra weight...
Toast with egg this morning and half a banana. I am not even hungry yet, usually eat after taking care of the animals
Cleaned the kitchen yesterday , spring cleaning to get ready for the market. After winter there is a layer of dust from the wood stove on everything. I even cleaned the top of the fridge.
Living room today. I am debating if I should take down the many curtains and wash them.
Sometimes I just run my curtains through the air fluff cycle of the dryer!
 
My pops has a walking stick given to him years ago by one of the old locals. It was made from a gnarly dead tree that isn't supposed to grow in Central Iowa, but there it was on this guy's land. The finished stick looks a lot like the ones you have there. Very cool.
Thought about your post when I saw this vine , check out the middle stick
It is as crooked as southern politicians
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Well, I THOUGHT I was gonna go riding, but I was up half the night checking to see if all the cats were inside so I could secure the cat doors... never did manage to get 'em all in the house at once, and I was up just about every hour to check and see, so I didn't get a good night's sleep. I caught SOME sleep, but when I woke up this morning I felt tired, like I was draggin' @$$, so I finally said to heck with it, I'll ride on another day. It's a nice day out there too, but that's some serious riding up in the mountains, and I don't wanna tackle it when I'm feeling tired, ya know? I'll just enjoy the day down here, and go to the mountains sometime soon... I don't like the way the saddlebags are tied to the racks, so maybe I'll work on that problem later. I want to use the bags themselves, since they work pretty well, but I have to devise a system that's safe... and also easy to use, as far as access goes. Still working on that... :confused:

The good news is that all the cats are safe and sound, but I wish they wouldn't pull that number... I get worried about 'em in the wee hours, aye? That's when the threat of lurking predators is the greatest, when human activity dies down and the critters roam. Luckily, we're not at the very edge of this rural subdivision, and most of the neighbors have dogs, so that helps to scare critters away... I've yet to see a coyote in my subdivision, I think they're more leery down here because folks will take potshots at 'em, especially folks who raise any kind of livestock. Back in Whetstone, AZ, the coyotes would roam around in the daytime, the place was THICK with 'em... very dangerous area for the cats. But since I've been here in Alamo, I have lost one cat, little Phoenix who disappeared one night and never returned. Dunno if she wandered off or was bagged by a predator, there's no tellin'... poor little girl, she should've stayed in at night. :(

Anyway, I'm just gonna go easy today, catch up on my rest and putter around a bit, maybe start prepping materials for these bathroom & kitchen painting jobs. Move what I need into one of the bathrooms so I can get started on it this week. I'm as motivated to do that as I was to go riding this morning while dog-tired, lol... but I won't be risking life & limb when I shift the materials. Sometimes ya gotta make the right call, even when temptation is still powerful... the way I see it, the mountains aren't going anywhere, not in my lifetime anyway, and neither is the bike, as long as I hold title to it. The ride can wait, I'll enjoy it more when I'm rested and ready to go... reaction times are slower when you're tired, so that's also a factor in my decision. Alcohol was NOT a factor in this sleep-deprivation fiasco, I only had 2 or 3 beers yesterday, I actually might have slept better if I had pounded a few more, lol. Meh, at least the fridge is full o' food & beer... Cheers! :cool:
 
Cat Care shift this morning, Charging the mower battery for tomorrow, and putting up the Gazebo. It's a "New" cover, so it needs to stretch in the sun for bit :)

Got the Roof and Gutter estimate, it's higher than it was 25 years ago :p. Went with "architectual" shingle again, we couldn't reach a concurrence on a metal roof style. She wanted fancy, My 401K and I voted no on that, and she voted no on standing seam.

No cupola on our house, but thats the pattern

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Well, I THOUGHT I was gonna go riding, but I was up half the night checking to see if all the cats were inside so I could secure the cat doors... never did manage to get 'em all in the house at once, and I was up just about every hour to check and see, so I didn't get a good night's sleep. I caught SOME sleep, but when I woke up this morning I felt tired, like I was draggin' @$$, so I finally said to heck with it, I'll ride on another day. It's a nice day out there too, but that's some serious riding up in the mountains, and I don't wanna tackle it when I'm feeling tired, ya know? I'll just enjoy the day down here, and go to the mountains sometime soon... I don't like the way the saddlebags are tied to the racks, so maybe I'll work on that problem later. I want to use the bags themselves, since they work pretty well, but I have to devise a system that's safe... and also easy to use, as far as access goes. Still working on that... :confused:

The good news is that all the cats are safe and sound, but I wish they wouldn't pull that number... I get worried about 'em in the wee hours, aye? That's when the threat of lurking predators is the greatest, when human activity dies down and the critters roam. Luckily, we're not at the very edge of this rural subdivision, and most of the neighbors have dogs, so that helps to scare critters away... I've yet to see a coyote in my subdivision, I think they're more leery down here because folks will take potshots at 'em, especially folks who raise any kind of livestock. Back in Whetstone, AZ, the coyotes would roam around in the daytime, the place was THICK with 'em... very dangerous area for the cats. But since I've been here in Alamo, I have lost one cat, little Phoenix who disappeared one night and never returned. Dunno if she wandered off or was bagged by a predator, there's no tellin'... poor little girl, she should've stayed in at night. :(

Anyway, I'm just gonna go easy today, catch up on my rest and putter around a bit, maybe start prepping materials for these bathroom & kitchen painting jobs. Move what I need into one of the bathrooms so I can get started on it this week. I'm as motivated to do that as I was to go riding this morning while dog-tired, lol... but I won't be risking life & limb when I shift the materials. Sometimes ya gotta make the right call, even when temptation is still powerful... the way I see it, the mountains aren't going anywhere, not in my lifetime anyway, and neither is the bike, as long as I hold title to it. The ride can wait, I'll enjoy it more when I'm rested and ready to go... reaction times are slower when you're tired, so that's also a factor in my decision. Alcohol was NOT a factor in this sleep-deprivation fiasco, I only had 2 or 3 beers yesterday, I actually might have slept better if I had pounded a few more, lol. Meh, at least the fridge is full o' food & beer... Cheers! :cool:
Most of the time if I don't get my usual sleep it's because of the critters!
 
Most of the time if I don't get my usual sleep it's because of the critters!

Meh, as far as rides go, this will be "the one that got away!" I rested up this morning, now it's almost too goldurned hot out there to do anything... but it's a beautiful day, and I'm enjoying watching the birds at the feeders & baths. Weather like this, it shouldn't be long before the hummers appear... as soon as I see one, I'll put out their feeders and let the hummers rip. I have a big ol sack o' sugar for making their sugar/water mix, it's just standing by in the cupboard, waiting for the birds to show up in the yard. I just grabbed a cold beer, it tastes pretty good... probably be a mellow afternoon here as the day winds down. Since I missed my opportunity to ride, I'm not terribly motivated to do any serious work, lol. :rolleyes:
 
Meh, as far as rides go, this will be "the one that got away!" I rested up this morning, now it's almost too goldurned hot out there to do anything... but it's a beautiful day, and I'm enjoying watching the birds at the feeders & baths. Weather like this, it shouldn't be long before the hummers appear... as soon as I see one, I'll put out their feeders and let the hummers rip. I have a big ol sack o' sugar for making their sugar/water mix, it's just standing by in the cupboard, waiting for the birds to show up in the yard. I just grabbed a cold beer, it tastes pretty good... probably be a mellow afternoon here as the day winds down. Since I missed my opportunity to ride, I'm not terribly motivated to do any serious work, lol. :rolleyes:
Wingnut
Google the Natchez Trace
If you ever get a chance. Take a putt along the Trace
 
Worked on the upstairs today. The surprise was that the big closet off the family room that I emptied had a gallon of semigloss white paint dumped on the floor. And dried. It dried on extra shoes, boots, framed large photographs. So that was the surprise granddaughter left me. Was wondering why she had a paint can out months ago. I got some of it up, but it's a strong rubber. Covered a four ft area. I need a stronger exacto. Maybe this belongs in rants.
Went thru little granddaughter's closet, hung things up, had her go thru her shoes. Took out lots of bags for the thrift store of things that don't fit. Moved her winter gear to another closet. Brought in summer stuff. Went with husband to pick up the truck we dropped off yesterday evening. New tires. Ready for our road trip at the end of the month for husband's medical stuff. And dinner with Weedy.
Little granddaughter's class has a field trip tomorrow for their end of year class trip. Going to a castle and also to the Russel Stover candy factory. She's excited. She has to be brought to school an hour earlier, so I'll be hustling in the morning, then back for the neighbor girl for her school.
 
Just paid my last tax bill and that concludes all bills I had to pay this month. First time since my ex screwed me over 9 to 11 years ago that I made payment on everything on time, and with money left over for the month. My tax accountant slightly admonished me for not having enough money taken out of my paycheck but while agreeing with him I reassured him I was finally prepared for what I owed. About $1700 to the feds and $700 to the state. No problem, yesterday I paid all my monthly bills and the feds. I waited to make sure they all cleared (fear of someone taking more than I offered) and just now I paid the state taxes. This is the first time since 2016 I didn't have to make payments and pay penalties to either the feds or the state. Yay me! :dancing:


Next weeks paycheck will allow me to "buy" back the silver I "sold" a neighbor for a loan almost 2 years ago. He wanted to just loan me money but I wanted none of that, but when I offered to sell the silver (bought for my kids with money from when my mom passed away years ago) he agreed it would be "collateral" and I could buy it back for the same price when the time comes. Well, next week I will buy it back but I will anger him a bit when I demand he takes interest. I don't care what he thinks was the agreement, he helped me out when I needed it and I always pay back more than I borrowed.

Today is a good day. I hope is goes well for all ya'all too.
 
Yesterday, walked first.
Then thrift store for pillow cases for local veterinarian. She puts deceased pets in them instead of handing their bodies to folks when an animal is put to sleep. I wanted to donate some.
Went to Aldi and Walmart.
Home and walked dogs.
Made Chicken Fried Hamburgers for dinner (with cauliflower rice)

Today will walk first.
Doc appt for re-check next.
Take my car to mechanic to get horn hooked up.
Put away dog food that was canned on Monday.
Rest
 
Frodo, my ancestors probably used the Natchez Trace... the Boone Family had members in Kentucky & Tennessee, and SOME of 'em must have used the Trace to head for Mississippi & eventually Texas, where I still have relatives today. I agree, that would be a great ride along the parkway built a few decades ago, the one that follows the Trace. :cool:

INresponse, I never borrow from lending institutions, but I have borrowed money from friends & family, and I ALWAYS pay 'em back a little more than they loaned, 10-4? Keeps things square between us, since they helped me out when I needed it. I'm also the kind of guy who would sell something before I borrowed money, lol... just the way I am. :)

Doing a load of laundry early, before it warms up today... supposed to hit 87* F, according to the forecast. Slept okay last night, but the house stayed warm even with the windows open at each end. Almost like the home is too well insulated, ya know? I think I'll briefly fire up the A/C tonight to bring the temp down to a comfortable level for sleeping. 😒
 
I've been up since about 0430. My body is still on my 8 day work schedule, even though I've got nothing pressing to do. I got a couple vials of blood drawn at the clinic at 0830, went to the coffee shop for an hour, and then came home and did dishes while listening to Led Zeppelin. Pretty sure my neighbors were listening to Led Zeppelin too, whether they wanted to or not.

My daughter has an early out day at school, and I figured we might go do something together because the weather is fantastic. But she informed me that she is now volunteering at the public library for three hours every Wednesday after school. She's trying to get her silver cord for when she graduates high school. I'm glad and proud she's doing that. But sometimes I kind of want the little girl that loved to go do things with me to come back. Oh well, I knew these times were coming. Knowing about it and experiencing it are two different things though...
 
Costco run on Saturday. Just wanted milk and dog food but they were out of dog food. I need to get back there this week to get the dog food. I need a good homemade dog food recipe that I can use rabbit/chicken or quail. Raw is fine but cooked makes it easier to store.

Made a loaf of sourdough sandwich bread using Ol'Coot's starter on Sunday. The girls love it so I started another 2 loaves this morning. They want to make PB & J's with it. I figure I'll proof the loaves then freeze in the pans until we need bread. That way I can prep for baking in a large batch then bake as needed. I have been looking for some good sourdough discard recipes too since this starter is soooooo active even when I don't feed it! Even in the fridge.

Got the bulk of the LTFS boxed up and labeled for the move. I have some cans that still need to be boxed but I want to make sure like is with like. That means buying a few cans to fill the 'gap'.

The goal is to work in the garage this weekend so I can find my half pint jars for pizza sauce. I have pizza dough in the freezer and just need to make a large batch of sauce.

K has been trying to figure out how we will move two full freezers of food. I told him I have enough canning jars and 3 canners I plan to can it all so we don't have to worry about food going bad during the move.
 
Dropped off my Challenger at our little auto place...slow leak in a tire. So took the pickup to do the school run this morning. Tried to drop off bags at the thrift store, but the back door was locked. It took me by surprise...it's always unlocked to drop off donations, but maybe because there was a purse snatching at the amish grocery, people getting nervous? So I'll have to go back later. Morning chores done, then went to Aldi and filled a cart. I noticed three people looking at my full cart, and one person commenting. I just say I have a big family. Prices are high, I think people are getting edgy. I did encourage an older lady to get more canned veg, when she commented that I bought 2 flats of corn. So she grabbed an empty flat and filled it up with different cans. Have grocery put aways to do.
 
@Amish Heart thanks for reminding me, I need to get to ALDI and get some canned soup and canned chicken to put into my prep stock. I've been drawing it down somewhat because some of it was getting older. I don't keep a huge amount because I'm not a long term, hard-core prep guy. But I do like to have enough to get me through a temporary rough spot without having to buy any food...
 
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Checking the air in the RV tires before the camping season starts. 40 year plus air compressor seized up. Drove to the big box store in the city. Bought a new air compressor and a tube of Flex Seal.

Remove the plumbers putty I used last year to seal the cracks in the water fountain. Filled the cracks with the Flex Seal.

Checked the RV tires. New compressor works! Finally figured out how to remove the RV wiper blades for replacement.

Wondering what to do with the old air compressor. Tempted to put it out by the road with a FREE sign on it. If no one picks it up then I’ll put a FOR SALE sign on it to have it stolen :)
 
My brother had toe surgery on Monday. Finally had a doctor that takes his insurance. He had a large solid granuloma next to a big chunk of ingrown nail. Doctor told him it was the hardest (in terms of density) granuloma she'd ever removed. She got the ingrown nail out too. His work forgot that he was scheduled to have time off for the toe thing but they rearranged the schedule for him so he has the whole week off. His boss is pretty cool.

I've still been struggling with fatigue. Visited my friend briefly and got him some tp and paper towels. He's still waiting on his work to send him his paycheck that was in arrears.

I finally got Mom's taxes printed and my brother got his tax info to her but that program is a royal pain and hard to figure out how to make it work. Not sure if it e-filed the state returns for Mom yet, but I printed them out. She paid $20 to e-file them but can't tell if they went through and doesn't know how to check. I don't know either. I'll leave the issues with the printer for the rant thread.

I haven't been cooking on the stove lately as I haven't felt very well, but I figured out how to skip the preheat on the air fryer and am learning how to use it better. I still need to remember to get some steamer bags from the store because I keep forgetting.

Friend's new gf is pregnant, but she has a hard time carrying to term. It's the first one where he knows for certain its his.
 
The weather has been beautiful so we have gotten a lot done. Cleaned the house, did wash the curtains ( Pearl, I don't have a dryer, plus these had a layer of thick dust from the wood stove on it) , they survived.
Gave the lambs CDT shots yesterday and ear tagged the rest. We still have one goat left she is due next week sometime. Farmers market is starting up again next week too, so I need to bake some bread this week to test my sourdough starter and make sure the ovens still work ok.
Finished my diet, lost 8 lbs. I will do it again next month, only takes 3 days and nothing on it I don't eat.
Spikedriver: Led Zeppelin is my favorite old band:)
Watched half an episode of something really weird last night on Netflix "Hoarders" wow. I can't imagine living in a house like that. I hate clutter. I thought we were hoarders because we stock up on food for SHTF but no, we are definitely not hoarders. Sometimes I do wonder if there are any sane people left in the US....
( I know I am not hahaha! but no hoarder at least)

Today we have to hang the curtains back up ,there are like 20, we have lots of windows. I need to start timming goat hoofs again. Just when done with the sheep the goats start up again. Sheep only maybe twice a year, the goats every few months
 
Oldest sister is having memory problems. She thought when mom and dad died their wills somehow magically created a will for her. I finally got her to understand it didn't. Today Sister and I are headed into Town to get her estate in order and her will established. While I'm in town I'll picked up a pair of windshield wipers blades for the RV. Plan on being home for there noon meal.

The competition season is starting and they need help getting everything out of winter storage and set for the first match. Load the mule onto the trailer to haul to the range. Then use the mule pulling the trailer to haul materials and targets to the separate bays. Back home for it time for supper (I hope).

Youngest son has an online video game he wants to play with me tonight. Took 7 hours for me to download it yesterday. Playing video games at my age? Yep, I figure it helps keep my eye-hand coordination and mind active.
 
I'm tired and needing/wanting a day off! First chance for that is a week from tomorrow! So heading to work shortly. A lot to do when I get home. Have some push mowing to do around the yards, but it's so dry here already the grass isn't growing like some years! Should be home at a decent time everyday so that helps.
 
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