"Letters to Miss Emily..."

[backhoe]

Hurricane Irene...

Free Republic is still the best one-stop overview of “all the stuff you ought to be aware of”- I just rarely go there nowadays because of Miss Emily- just too many memories there.

The “live” threads NautiNurse hosts on hurricanes are the best:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2766674/posts



The Kid & I were going to mow today, but “events, dear boy, events...”-- Sammy's grass is not too high, and I need to make more preparations, “just in case...”

I'm tuning up the chainsaws and generators.

Again, my disaster post is here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1507830/posts

-30-

[J.B. Stone]

Are there extremely light weight hacks on the market suitable for a pooch and groceries? There are so many other advantages besides fuel. You'd be outside in the sun, fresh air, waving to neighbors. Tremendous quality of life move. I just bicycled over to the farmer's market. No comparison to driving on a sunny morning. I've put 7 km on my car in almost a week.

This one meets your specifications, I believe:

http://3rad.smugmug.com/2004/Motorradtr ... CyB-XL.jpg

[backhoe]

Irene and atypical days...

Hurricane Irene...

Free Republic is still the best one-stop overview of “all the stuff you ought to be aware of”- I just rarely go there nowadays because of Miss Emily- just too many memories there.

The “live” threads NautiNurse hosts on hurricanes are the best:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2766674/posts



The Kid & I were going to mow today, but “events, dear boy, events...”-- Sammy's grass is not too high, and I need to make more preparations, “just in case...”

I'm tuning up the chainsaws and generators.

Again, my disaster post is here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1507830/posts

-30-

The type, shape and movement of the clouds gathering always tells when a hurricane or tropical storm is playing or coming offshore, even far away. While I doubt Irene will trouble us hurricanes are unpredictable, so mid-day I made a “great circle” run to gather needed things. When I took the 10 inch pole chainsaw down this morning its chain was at the limit too, so that went on the list.

On the way to Walgreen's I buzzed Douglas's ( Emily's friend ) house and it sure looked like my card was still clipped to the mailbox. Well, I tried.

I got dogfood & smokes and went to Home Depot- annoyingly, their book did not list my saw, but since they only had one type of 10” chain I took a chance and got it. No Coleman fuel there, either.

The last stop was the former Hogarth's on Norwich Street for a bigger can of 2-cycle gas and this gave me a chance to drive by Miss Susan's Hidden Treasures- there is still loads of merchandise on the floor & in the windows, but it does not look like anyone is there. Well. And she never did provide that invetory she said she would mail me.

Life's lessons cost money, don't they?

Got the gas & got home- the chain fit the saw well enough- a little long but not too much.

When Wal-Mart restocks fuel I will get several cans- we had more a long time ago, but they got used in emergency service and not replaced because we were just too damn poor at the time. The only thing about those times I didn't like was being unable to buy Emily little tokens, or get her medical treatment beyond emergency care- otherwise I can't say it bothered either one of us- we had each other.

I'm taking The Kid to the dog park soon, allowing enough time for those getting off work to get there- and that will be the cap of this report.

Once again the dog park was deserted on the way down and a truck was there when we pulled up- sporting an Obama sticker- note to self, try not to mention the Bamster...

An old lady piled out with two beagles and a wire-haired terrier, bigger than Cole- I let them get in then we went & I introduced ourselves. Once again, he was spooked. We walked dogs and I talked to her a bit- she says they do better off-leash as that makes the other dogs less aggressive.

I explained about the “come” problem- of course, if he's spooked he might come to me for protection. After a few minutes I loaded him up and took him home, and he's still shedding like crazy- I afraid it may clog the air conditioner in the car.

I rechecked theweathernerd to see if he had explained why Irene was “frightening.” Nothing new so far.
One of Glenn's links this AM was to a blog giving “How to meet your new husband”- she claims she'll do one in a week for men, so I'll check back. I am really far more content than I would ever believe possible, but I still miss the support, and the give & take. We'll see what she says. Normally I'd go back to St. Mark's or St. Andrew's, but after the way they treated me when Emily died, you could not pay me to go.

-30

[backhoe]

( Slaps head to jar brain back into gear... )

I suppose I should link to my own post about hurricane Irene-

http://www.freedominion.com.pa/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=146556

It's a nasty storm, and if it runs along the coast will cause a lot of damage. I'm sure Teh JEF & Mooch Chelle will milk it for all it's worth and won't get Katrina'd like The Hated BOOOSH! was.

I've stayed in touch with MaryAnn- besides hurricane preps we talked about life & death & dogs & cats and other fun stuff.

I don't know if I want to mow first, or defrost the reefer first...

There's a brindle stray dog roaming the neighborhood- no collar or tag- and every time I start to call animal control to come get him off the street he vanishes. Animal cunning, I reckon.

Life? Continues...

[backhoe]

Mowin' mowin' mowin'
while that grass is growin'
keep that mower mowin' Rawhide!

I mowed Sammy's extra yard and got hot enough doing it that I'm knocking off to get dried out & cleaned up. My yard can wait- besides, I still need to cut that one remaining foot-thick China myrtle stump flat. Shortly I will do that and get more stuff on my list- but I want to take a quick look across the InterToobs and see what's happening.

-30-

[backhoe]

Hurricanes, dog parks, and other things...

After cooling off, cleaning up, and drinking water like a camel I made the “foot of the causeway” rounds, getting a few more things we needed to have on hand.

The Moronosphere at Ace ( Link is at the Irene post ) had some good tips, including a garage door brace. Naturally, the store-bought model is $159 and you need 2 or three for my double door, so I started thinking.

Take a pair of 8' 2 X 6's, drive 2 heavy lag bolts into the bases of each, cut the heads off, and sink matching holes in the slab. Position them so they butt up against the reinforcing bars that project from the door, and have them lap a rafter at the top end. Drill holes for a couple of carriage bolts there, secure them with wingnuts.

At each reinforcing bar, chop-saw a short piece of angle iron, punch two holes in it, secure with lag bolts to the wood and conventional bolts to the bar. Viola- brace.

Except for the lumber, between my scrap box and Haase Farm service, I ought to have everything- I could use angle scraps, I have plenty. Maybe when it cools off- I've already soaked another fresh shirt, just moving around.

I thought about emailing MaryAnn with another “pseudo-husbandly nag” about eating & taking her medicine but decided that might be overbearing- she is a grownup.

Cole & I went to the dog park, but no one was there, so we did some leash work and came home- he is still shedding, and I still worry about clogging the AC in the car.

MaryAnn mentioned that this was “her first storm alone” ( Naturally, I told her to call, anytime if it bothered her. ) and I just realized with a kind of jolt that it's mine, too.

Hurricanes were such a big deal with Emmy, she followed them almost obsessively. She refused to evacuate ( Mom & animals ) and could not stand the heat without AC- that is why I built that 7 KW generator for her. All for naught, now.

Well, I have stumps to cut, a mower to check over, and a yard to mow in the hopefully cooler morning.
And a hurricane to watch, too. Maybe for fun I'll defrost the cube again, and that will get me a cooler of ice for later, too.



-30-

[backhoe]

A small, personal note, in this strange journey I have found myself on?

I have always stood for more freedom- not less.

http://www.freedominion.com.pa/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=1640488#p1640488

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creatures_of_Light_and_Darkness

The Steel General...



The Steel General (like the Tin Woodsman) has had his organic body replaced with stainless steel, but wears a ring made from his last hide of skin. He has alternated many times between flesh and metal: in flesh phases, he wears a steel ring, from his last metal skin; in metal phases, he wears a leather ring made from his last organic skin. He rides an eight-legged mechanical horse with diamond hooves and plays a banjo. He is the spirit of rebellion, which can never be killed.

The Steel General, Set, and some others practice a novel martial art called temporal fugue. A fighter, seeing that his enemy is ready to attack, projects himself behind his enemy—in both space and time—to strike him from behind. Of course, the enemy does the same thing. When both warriors use the technique, recursively, things get complicated. Each character is replicated over a hundredfold, at various times in the past and future, thus putting a considerable strain on the space-time continuum.

[backhoe]

While those strange grey low-flying storm clouds circled our house, The Kid & I worked on the mower deck-- my anti-vine-wrapping modifications to blade and front caster are a vast improvement, but they still picked some up. Not enough to interrupt operation like before, so it is a lot better..

That damned main flange bearing that I replaced a couple of summers ago has some slop in it already- grrr! Last time I couldn't get a replacement locally so I knocked the bearing assembly out of a pillow block bearing- they are the same thing, just different housings- and replaced it with that. For now, heavy grease will have to compensate.

I emailed MaryAnn to reiterate my offer to listen or help. I don't think Irene will be more than wind & rain, but that may bring branches or trees down here. I'll fret about that flat roof on the back of the house some more- sure wish we'd had the money to replace it, but so far the tar has held. We shall see.

[backhoe]

This probably belongs on AHH, but I'm putting it here- a VAT is poison:

http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/

JERRY POURNELLE ON WHAT’S WRONG WITH A VALUE ADDED TAX: “A VAT would lock the 7% exponential growth of government in place for decades; the result would be a doubling of the size and cost of government every 12 years until the collapse of the economy.” I propose an income tax where withholding is forbidden and people have to write a check to the government each year. The day before election day.
http://jerrypournelle.com/chaosmanor/?p=1655

[backhoe]

Except for spectacular clouds, so far Irene has been a bust- it hasn't even rained in the city. In a morning email MaryAnn said one side of her office had rain, the other side was dry- even the wind hasn't blown anywhere close to the 39 MPH forecast.

The Kid & I ordered Chinese for dinner- beef lo mien, which with the extra noodles is good for 3 or 4 meals- got it home? They got it wrong ago- they had given us hot N' spicy beef- which I like a lot, but can't stretch as far. Hell, sometimes you can't win for losing.

[backhoe]

The broken windows economic fallacy- it belongs here, too. You here a lot of half-bright, specious wishcasting like this on TV, and in the popular press- it passes for "wisdom..."

http://www.freedominion.com.pa/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=107157&p=1640763#p1640763

[backhoe]

Not sure where this belongs, so I'm puttin' it here

http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/

BUSINESS WEEK: The Slow Disappearance of the American Working Man. “The portion of men who work and their median wages have been eroding since the early 1970s. . . . The portion of men holding a job—any job, full- or part-time—fell to 63.5 percent in July—hovering stubbornly near the low point of 63.3 percent it reached in December 2009. These are the lowest numbers in statistics going back to 1948. Among the critical category of prime working-age men between 25 and 54, only 81.2 percent held jobs, a barely noticeable improvement from its low point last year—and still well below the depths of the 1982-83 recession, when employment among prime-age men never dropped below 85 percent. To put those numbers in perspective, consider that in 1969, 95 percent of men in their prime working years had a job. Men who do have jobs are getting paid less.”

UPDATE: Reader Dave Schipani writes: “You know, Glenn, between this and the eroding numbers of men in college, we must be part of the most incompetent patriarchy in history. I don’t know about you, but I’m writing an angry letter of complaint to my chapter president.” Heh.

Related: The Hill: GOP senator: White House ‘failed miserably’ on economy. Ya think?

Heard back from MaryAnn, and I'll keep that mostly to myself, but this hearing Monday is a worry to her. While I hope it goes in her favor, since she owns her house and business and her husband's estate has no money in it, if his worthless kids from that other marriage end up getting the estate, I say "let 'em hold it..."

[backhoe]

It's funny how...

...you change the way you live your life, and the living of it changes you.

The temperature hit 101 degrees not long before out usual time to go to the dog park, giving me misgivings- besides overheating Cole there is that shedding problem. There's no water in the park, and I think I might ask the city to install a spigot there.

US 17 has an old barge canal parallel to it- it used to run to Darien before the causeway blocked it, and across the water is a stand of pilings where seabirds now roost every night. I can remember when I was a little boy my Dad taking me out there- it was a dock and fish camp, and once there was a bridge connecting it to the mainland.

The dog park was empty and on a whim I chose to take The Kid to Riverside to show him “the house Mommy & I used to live in.”

You may recall I took Em there the Sunday before she died- we also looked at Hidden Harbor, the place that was Troup Creek Marina before it got pretentious. I went back once after, and it troubled me a lot- Her & Helen, long-gone businesses that no one here even remembers now- and I pretty much vowed not to go again, it was a pointless hurt over Dead, Dead Worlds...

Then when MaryAnn asked me to the rooftop garden party I shoved off too early and realizing I needed to kill a few minutes drove there again- and it did not bother me a'tall.

You do wonder what passes through animals minds, or if they pick up subtle alterations in voice & posture we aren't aware of- as we drew near 4101 he perked up and looked over at it.

We drove to the end, passing her best friend Marcia's ( Funny, not so much as a boo! from her in 14 months... ) former, elegant house- the one she exchanged for a farm in Darien after that ugly divorce. It always had a leaky roof problem at the chimneys at each end, and sure enough there was large tar kettle parked at side- it looks like a permanent fixture.

We went to the end, waved at a Mexican yardman, and went home- and it did not trouble me again this time, at all.

-30-

[backhoe]

From Nanny State to Granny State- not sure where this belongs, so I am entering it here- via http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/

ED DRISCOLL: Pretzel Logic.
http://pajamasmedia.com/eddriscoll/2011/08/27/pretzel-logic-2/

"Mayor Bloomberg is one America’s most aggressive pushers of the Nanny State — but its escalating costs and concurrent dwindling demographics are rapidly turning it into the Granny State as Glenn Reynolds writes, leading an Insta-reader to ask:"

Some of us- no, really-- just want to be left alone. That "I'm from the Government and I'm here to help you" is the last thing we want to hear...

[backhoe]

I really don't have words ( except cuss words ) for it-- this stuff is best left to families, friends, neighbors, and relatives:

http://hillbuzz.org/2011/08/27/disgusting-leftists-trying-to-indoctrinate-sex-education-to-toddlers/

Disgusting: Leftists trying to indoctrinate sex education to toddlers
Posted on August 27, 2011 by Kevin DuJan // Ground Reports, Hillbuzz, Midwest

Jumping Jesus in a sidecar or on a crutch- is there no place, or no thing, the Left does not want the Gooberment to get involved in?