Indiscriminate Thoughts (or a shotgun approach to blogging*)

 Well, Campers, another week under our belt.  The highlight of the week was that it appears that our Beloved WWII storytelling Scribe has gotten over his funk and started feeding his story starved audience again.  

So...We got that going for us. But... on with the show.

For those readers interested in statistical meteorology,  I read somewhere this week that this summer, our area of Texas had 58 days that reached at least 100 degrees and 20ish that had reached 105 or better. Unfortunately, after a frantic search I could not find that source again.  So, the best I could do is this.

Source

That's Austin and only through the end of August.  We've had several days above 100 in September also.

However...

Things have changed a bit recently.

The sucking sound from the ground absorbing the rainwater was nearly deafening.

A Noah like sign from The Big Guy? Or a sign that Lisa's taking care of watering the lawn at her house?  Who knows?  We'll take any rain we can get and say "Thank You".

Headed into Church yesterday at dawn.  The temperature on my highly accurate truck thermometer read 62^o and 94% humidity.  Significantly cooler than the previous Sunday at the same time with the temp then being in the 90's already.  So yesterday, we had to resort to turning the defroster on after Bambi's family ran in front of me unseen til just short of the last possible moment.  The wipers weren't keeping the condensation off the windshield.

Yes, Beans, it was a touch "sporty".

But the weather has made for some spectacular atmospheric color palettes.

The camera didn't do it complete justice, the reds and pinks were much more vibrant than were captured.

In the "What the heck are you doing to stay busy?" category and as I mentioned last week, we are entering the Birthday/Anniversary/Holiday season around Rancho Juvat.  The last week in October is a critical one for my health. Forgetting it could be "unhealthy".  Not only is Mrs J's Birthday (I think it's her 25th ;-), I could be wrong) that week, but Grand Daughter #1 aka MG has hers also.  Additionally, Grand Son #1 is expected to make his grand entrance that week to top things off. 

So...The transitioning of good lumber into sawdust must occur with great regularity.  MG will be turning two and since she has at least 1/4 Fighter Pilot blood in her (No Beans, I didn't want to do the math on how much of my Dad's blood would be there), she has discovered she likes to be high up on things.

This was discovered when a ladder that had been being used in the living room  (work on the book shelf perhaps) was climbed by MG with out the assistance, or even the knowledge, of her mother.  At that point, MBD requested a Birthday Present that fulfilled that climbing curiosity, but wasn't 7' tall.

Mrs J did some research and found something called a Pikler Triangle. So it is written, so it shall be.

Still needs paint on the legs, but came together pretty well.  Part of the package is a climbing ramp.

This will be that.  Needs a coat of paint and then some half round dowels will be attached horizontally to be grips/steps.  The intent here is to lower the angle of the climb so MG can learn the ins and outs (alternatively ups and downs) at a more sedate pace.  

It's been a fun build.  I only had to trash one leg that the dowel holes were out of alignment with it's partner on.  I got cocky. 

 "I don't need to use a ruler,  I'll just eyeball it."

Good thing pine 2 x 4's are inexpensive.  Gas to go back to Lowe's however....

And to wrap it up.  Sarge and the gang have had several good discussions lately on the blog about whether or not he should retire and what to expect when he does.

I stumbled across the perfect description of the reality of being retired at breakfast yesterday. Presented for your education, all you, still working stiffs, you!

Am I wrong?

Peace out y'all

*A modern day shout out to Blaise Pascal.

Lessons learned

So...There I was*...This past week, enjoying a few beautiful fall days.  Sunrise and Sunset, composed of beautiful fires of yellow, fading to orange, melding into red and fading to black.  Depending on time of day and which direction your gaze is moving...of course.  Nevertheless, the Big Guy is doing great at his painting hobby.

Daybreak at Casa juvat

 Or alternatively.

Sunset at Casa juvat.  "Yes Dear, I would like a glass of Tempranillo"

However, rather than sit idly by sipping on a coffee (watching the colors get lighter) or sipping on something more adult in nature (colors getting darker), retirement does involve some activities, many of which can only be put off for so long.

Chief among these requires a little cinematic flexibility on the reader's part.  Simply substitute Texas for Louisiana and you'll understand.

 

 

You see, we have two horses.  Horses, like humans, have biological functions that require action being taken pretty much daily.  Horses, unlike humans, have little (OK, No!) abilities to clean up after themselves.

Yes, Beans, this past weekend was "Muck the Stalls" weekend.

In the beginning.....

The "Ugly" part over.  Second Load...Oh! My aching back!

New flooring distributed and inspected by the occupant.

Next Lesson learned.

When LJD's arrival was approaching and LJW came back to the States on advice of her obstetrician, we put her up in one of our guest houses.  It gave her a bit of privacy and alone time etc.  She was always welcome at the main house, but sometimes it's good to get away.  In any case, when LJD signalled arrival would be early and Little Juvat was summoned. It became more of a logistical necessity.  But, it was July, in Texas.  It was fortunate that we had relatives living in the guest house as the Mini-Split was having difficulties keeping up with the Texas Heat and paying guests might not be so forgiving.  So, after LJD's arrival and while LJW and she were still in Hospital, Little J told us that coming home in the afternoon, the house was quite warm.  After a cursory look over by me (temperature was not set in Degrees Celsius), Mrs. J authorized a visit by the air conditioner folks.  

They showed up shortly thereafter and gave the system a good lookover.  While their temperature sensors confirmed the cottage was warm, the system had nothing wrong with it.  Coolant levels were good, no leaks, nada.  He then taught me something I didn't know.

Apparently, a Mini-Split is different than a large air conditioner.  (Caveat: I may get some terminology wrong here, but I'm not a trained AC guy.)  AC's have thermostats which adjust the temperature of the air going into them.  Mini-Splits have no such thermostat.  The air that comes out is a constant temperature set by you which mixes with the ambient air in the room.  Setting the temperature on the Mini-Split means that the unit will come on when the air goes above the set temperature's upper range and will stay there until it goes back down.  But, if say you set it at 75 and the outside temp is in the 90's and the insulation isn't the best in the world, the unit will bring the room back down to 75, but it will immediately start going back up.  So, he advised setting our unit in the low 70's high 60's to bring the average temperature down to the mid 70's and keep it there.

Interesting.  Yes, we are awaiting the bill for that little tidbit of knowledge.  However, Little J hasn't mentioned temperature lately.  Of course, since it's October and outside temps are in the mid 80's as highs, who knows if this is solving the problem.  Well...At least until next May that is. Any reader, with more experience/knowledge on this subject, feel free to pony up your two bits.  I've worked with y'all long enough that my skin is pretty thick.

On to the next subject, as part of the stall mucking, disposal of the "You know what" involved driving to the forested part of the property.  Forested round here being defined as "Infested with Mesquite trees/bushes".  In one of the depository trips, I had to have run over a thorn.  Now, legend has it that the local Indian Tribes used Mesquite thorns as needles for sewing.  Running over them, whether in moccasins or GoodYears, is definitely "Not Encouraged."

Yesterday morning at "Oh Dark Thirty" as we were leaving for Church, I fired up the truck and started to drive when shortly thereafter the Master Caution light came on.  Glancing at the warning panel, the low tire pressure light was on.  Pulled back into parking and gave the crew chief the "Chalks in" signal.  Jumped to the spare, lovingly called "The Clown Car" alternatively called "Mrs. J's Car.", a Transit Connect, and took off only a couple of minutes late..

Same year, same model, same color as Mrs. J's, but not.

Source

After Church and normal Sunday Brunch, I set out to change out the tire with the spare, so I'd have my truck available and the tire could be dropped off for repair on Monday.  Got the jack in place and the lug nuts off, no problema!

However...

Neither I nor Little Juvat (6'5" 250lbs, basically half my age and in pretty good shape) could get the tire off the truck.  Tried every trick the internet could suggest, Nada.

Then Little Juvat ran across a site that said this is an increasing problem with aluminum wheels getting too hot and essentially welding itself to the axle.  

WTF?

Now, I'm betting that when I get it to the tire center today, they'll be able to break that free.  (The plan being to fill the tire (it's a slow leak) and drive it into town, 10 minutes max.)  However, what would I be able to do stuck on a farm to market road not very far west of here where traffic is slight and cell phone service is slim to none.  Seems like a poor/unsafe design decision on the part of Ford.  Gonna be having a discussion with the tire guys this morning.

Finally, last Friday, Mrs. J and I went to visit our youngest Granddaughter, AKA LJD.  Walked in and the NICU nurse OT Doctor was giving her physical therapy.

What's not apparent, in my wonderfully set up photo, is the Nurse's Doctor's left hand is on LJD's stomach and applying a bit of pressure, while her right hand is massaging her upper back and shoulders.  Apparently, Preemies are prone to draw a breath using their stomach muscles rather than their chest muscles.  The problem with this is their normal breathing muscles (Chest) won't have developed appropriately and breathing will become increasingly more difficult as the stomach muscles start to take over the job their supposed to do, digest food. And difficulty breathing is officially...Bad.

One more thing I did NOT know.  One more reason, NICU folks are Angels on Earth!

She also got some good news, She is no longer in the Incubator Crib she's been in since birth.

One day old, in the incubator

Her new sleeping quarters

Not only did this make things easier for her caregivers, but there was a lot more room for visitors.  AND...It helps her make the transition from the NICU to normality.

But...she is doing well, growing appropriately, and much more aware of her surroundings.  Thank you, Lord!

Finally, Mrs. J was reviewing the pictures of our Med Cruise earlier this month and ran across this one.  MG (my other Granddaughter) and myself, playing 'Bloons on our balcony.

She picked up on the strategy pretty quickly.  It is designed for kids, not retired old guys.  Which may explain why she did better at it, after 5 minutes of watching me, than I do after playing for several years.

Ahhh, well!

Closing Addendum: The tire was indeed punctured by a Mesquite Thorn.  The correct procedure for removing the wheel from the axle is to: 1) Loosen and remove the lug nuts. 2) Jack up the Ford (They're notorious for this issue). 3) Move two jack stands under the axle on both sides, extending them to touch the axle. 4) Take a rubber mallet and beat the Holy 5417 out of the inside rim of the wheel, not the tire 5) Continue until the tire and wheel break free.  6) Remove tire and replace with spare.  

juvat's immediate prep plan.  Get on Amazon and buy required equipment in steps 3 and 4, store with tire changing equipment behind rear seat.

Peace out All Y'all!