engine light, cups, snow

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I’m at Northside Dodge (now called Gary Moe) having the Chrysler Town and Country diagnosed.  The engine light came on a few days ago.  So now I have some downtime in the ‘service lounge’.  What to do?  I should have brought receipts to do finances.  At least I have a cup of coffee.

I went to Starbucks today for a Pike Place coffee and brought my own cup.  The server poured coffee into a paper cup and then threw the paper cup in the garbage can.  I called him on it; he said it was to measure the right amount of coffee.  What is the point of bringing my own cup?

It’s snowing again.  It started yesterday afternoon while we were working.

spring 2023

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Spring has sprung.

The deer are eating the tulips for the third year in a row.  So this year, before planting a bunch of new bulbs, Floyd and I put up a 6-foot (2m) fence of plastic bird netting.  I found some long 1x2s in the garage, pulled the nails out, sharpened the ends with Father’s band saw, and hammered them into the ground.  Unfortunately, nightfall had already begun.  (I wonder what passers-by would think.)

I went to Peavey Mart to get some gardening supplies.  While looking around, I was surprised to see a cat just laying about.   Was he protecting the store from mice?  After all, he was sitting on a stack of feed, likely a mouse’s dream come true (except for the cat).

Along with spring comes spring cleaning.  I’ve finally phased out the old computer and brought in the new.  Along with that is also an old sound system I have had for about 15 years, replaced with a very small sound bar.

Bramble webinar

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I just got an email from Bramble inviting me to a webinar about how to use their services.  The webinar’s host apparently has a thousand hours of tutoring through Bramble.  So I looked at mine.  I have 1091.27 hours of tutoring through Bramble.  This doesn’t include through my own server’s whiteboard or Microsoft Whiteboard.  I think I’ll skip the seminar.

new server

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After many months years, the new server is finally up and running.  It’s not ideal yet (pictures missing, databases not yet pieced together), but it is working.

You can see the old one under the desk next to the shredder.  The new one?  It is the HP Omen laptop.  Yes, a server on a laptop.  Not only that, but it is running on Windows.  What’s more, it isn’t XAMPP but, rather, Microsoft IIS 10!  We’ll see how it runs.

hidden power

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I was in the kitchen straightening the curtains by the kitchen table when I saw this outlet (the top one).

Why is that surprising?

About 7 or 8 years ago I was miffed that the house didn’t come with an outlet on that wall. I bought a box, an outlet, and some wiring and tapped power from the outlet in the storage room on the opposite side of the wall. I installed the outlet in the picture (bottom). I could then plug in a laptop to read the news over morning breakfast. This is also a convenient place for a CO detector. Gotta be safe.

So today, while straightening the curtains, I saw the top outlet. “Floyd,” I said, “has this always been here?”

After more than 10 years of living here, no one knew there was an outlet there. We had a good laugh.

FT’s road trip, house #2, new fridge

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FT is on the road again, on a trek to Saskatchewan with TF.  So I’m on my own now for two weeks.  Nothing wrong with two old guys rattling across the prairies in a Pontiac.  They went last year, making this a now annual event.

This leads me to my next topic – travel.  I haven’t gone anywhere this year.  I’ve been working on the rental properties and the teardrop trailer, working only half days the past few weeks because of the heat.  Since Floyd’s leg started acting up, I’ve decided to take it easi(er).

The plumbing for the rear suite (formally called the garage) at house #2 is now complete.  It passed inspection just yesterday.  It is still a garage for now as there is still a bay door in it.  But that will soon disappear.  Next task: framing interior walls.

On my way back from trying to pay the Gutter Shop for work to be done at house #2 (turns out they closed down their storefronts, and Google hasn’t caught up to it), I stopped at Starbucks for a cup.  Nice day for a coffee in a shady outdoor area.

I bought a new fridge a week ago, and it finally arrived yesterday.  It’s a Whirlpool 18 cu. ft. freezerless fridge.  The problem is, it has to go back.  The fridge door is not reversible!  I haven’t seen a fridge with no reversible door for ages.  So I called, and they’re sending someone in the next few days to bring it back.  So I ask you, why would they make a fridge that 50% of the population cannot use?

Their explanation is that it is stainless steel.  …  What?  What the heck does that have to do with it?  I thought and have come to the assumption that people who want stainless steel fronts do not want extra holes with plugs in them.  There aren’t many fridges out there without freezers, so pickings are slim.  In the mean time, FT has opted for a normal fridge with freezer at the bottom.

router number nine

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An upgrade to the ‘allansplace’ network has happened (finally).  The old router, a D-Link DIR-815, has been replaced by a new one, a Netgear AX1800.  Why the change?  The DIR-815 has been running for several years and so far hasn’t failed, but the wireless signal has dropped in power, and sometimes the SSID has disappeared completely.  So, if you notice a faster connection, this is likely the cause.

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