Posts

Machinery Infatuation

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I bought my first NEW piece of farm machinery. I am not sure if this is a failure or a success, but it is different. I picked up a NEW Rotary Cutter (bush hog, brush hog, mower, etc) from a dealer. It cost me almost as much as the tractor did with its bits of hardware and options. It seems to work well on the CNH Boomer 33. I planned on getting up to NY in the next couple of days, but Gracie has been sick.. she has been up and down. The steroid treatment and a change in diet seem to be helping at this point. Besides hauling the tractor and mower up to NY I have numerous events planned over the next month. I will be in Charlotte for a conference as well as Tucson Arizona and of course other events and activities. I started installing radio equipment in the Humvee. It now has a telescoping 30 foot antenna, a 24 volt to 12 volt converter, a removable SDR radio and some other stuff to be sure. I'd like to get it to the Stone Mountain Hamfest -- thats what i am shooting for. I thr...
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Joro Spider Defense

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We went for a walk down along the Chattahoochee (the hooch) river today. Although the Joro spiders are not as infested as they were last year. They are still here. You can see me with a "Joro Stick". The Joros love to build their webs across trail expanses at face level. Not dangerous, but unpleasant when you walk into them. The stick keeps them out of your face, but still on your hands sometimes.
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Roof Ridge Line Straightening

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There has been a "belly" in the porch roof ridge line for as long as I have owned this house (10 years). I am finally doing something about it as I prepare for a new roof, soffits, facia and gutters. I took more than half of the sag out today. I still have more jacking and bracing, but I feel good about the progress. Certainly I have lots of experience straigtening structures like this. I remember my Uncle and my Father straigtening the collaped roof on the laundry shed near Bridgton, Maine in the 60s. The first one I did was a garage in the late 80s. I am using the 20 ton hydraulic jack I purchased in the mid 90s to jack and straighten the house I restored in Victor NY. I can't say I like working in attics and crawl spaces. I like the value it adds when complete, since it is easy, but scary and complicated for most. It is "pure" work.
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Power of Poetry

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A bit of poetry has been ringing in my head. It is from an old song. Sometimes these things can be hard to shake. And sail away on ships of wonder But life's not a wheel With chains made of steel So bless me, oh, bless me, bless me It has the same theme as in a post from 2016. March 29th 2016
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KLZU Hot Air Balloon -- Zoom Room

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There is always something going on at my airport in (KLZU) Lawrenceville GA. This weekend I got a deep brief regarding balloon piloting. I haven't been up yet. I took some pics of my zoom room to show folks what I see when I am in meetings. My zoom background is consistently a brick wall. My view could be considered the opposite. You can't quite see the lake from where I sit because of the large bush just outside the window. It's a beautiful bush. I would hate to take it out, but maybe.
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Priorities

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One of the strangest processes I go through is setting priorities of what I need to work on. I can't say I finish one project and start on another. I often take a project to "a stable place" and then start on another "comprehensive" project that ends up as many smaller projects with their own lifecycle. The good news (and what allows me to be proud) is that I finish projects. Finishing is a big deal to me. I enjoy that part. A lot of folks get joy out of starting projects, but then get beaten down by setbacks and reality. Real progress (and growth) comes in steps. The stair rise is seeing and knowing progress. The stair step is when you dont see progress. You have to have faith you will get to the next rise. It will happen. In my latest "comprehensive" project "zoom room improvements" includes deep cleaning (inside and out), new electric, ethernet, and flooring. In addition, some foundation repairs. The original posts were set poorly and th...
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Existential Imperfections

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Realizing and understanding you (and others) are not perfect doesn't get you any closer to being perfect. Nature is funny that way. When was it that you first realized that an algorithm very effectively predicted and presented something that you wanted to see?
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Life in a Audubon Society Approved Community

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I got this nice pic of a Green Heron on our dock yesterday evening. Weird looking when on the ground, very majestic in the air. For scale, the board he/she is standing on is a 2x4. It is a very large bird. Compare with post of my owl friend a little while back. here
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