Well, Damn

 For the first time in 21 years, the old Ford F150 failed to fire when I twisted the key. It cranked over fine, but it would not start. It started two weeks ago when I needed to move it to mow Today, it failed to fire.  We will have to figure that out. I don't run ethanol in this truck because it us used so infrequently.  It hasn't been filled with ethanol for five years.

I find it amusing that folks are freaking out about those Flock cameras because of security and privacy concerns. Those same folks carry a cell phone with them everywhere, and if you think those things aren't collecting data, your naivete is surpassed only by your lack of situational awareness.  Apple, Samsung, Motorola AT&T and Verizon all collect data. Why do you think that meta is building data centers everywhere?

A couple of years ago, I bought a smart garage door opener.  It's real convenient.  If you think it is not collecting data, then wake up and smell the biscuits. Likewise, your vehicle. If it is not old enough to have an ashtray, it is collecting data. If you want to go dark on data, dump you cell phone in the nearest creek, along with your computer, and drive a car that has a carburetor.  Disconnect the cable and internet and watch an old TV that uses an antennae.

You can do it, but you'll be the only one. Flock cameras are the least of your worries.

Old Friend

 Moon came by today.  He's an old friend that we used to shoot Cowboy Fast Draw with.   He's retired from cowboy shooting due to health problems, but he stays active. He had some things he wanted to sell, stuff that the club could use, so we made a deal.

He was carrying an old Colt, a US Army 1911AA1 that was in very nice condition with matching numbers.  It had the half-moon front sight. Very nice piece with matching numbers that is now his EDC.  

More importantly, we got to visit with an old friend. He and his wife live on the Ouachita River, about 20 minutes south of Monroe, LA.  He spends part of each day running trot lines in the river, where he harvests catfish and gar.  Last week, he took 40 pounds of filet catfish to the church for a fish fry.  Last year we wanted to do a fish fry for the club, so we called Moon and he brought 30 pounds for the club.  All he wanted  for his trouble was to sit and eat with us.

We did agree that getting old ain't for sissies.

Cast Iron

 I love cast iron, cook on it every day. We have probably eight or nine skillets.

Several years ago I was at an auction and bought three cast iron skillets, simply because no one was bidding on them. One was a BSR one was a Lodge,  and the one on the bottom was unmarked.  I gave $20 for the stack. Got them home and understood why.  That bottom skillet was a disaster. Rusty, warped and pitted.  It looked like it was used as a dog bowl in someone's back yard.

I cleaned it up and seasoned it.  Began using it on those occasions where I would not normally use good cast iron. Highly acidic food with lots of seasoning, stiff like that.  And, like all my good cast iron, I treat it right. Clean it after every use, dry it over moderate heat, then re-season with good oil.  It still has its pits, it is still warped, but I noticed a week or so ago that Belle made corn bread in it. Today I used it to sauté highly seasoned shrimp in butter.

Then I realized that old pitted, warped dog skillet gets more use than my highly seasoned "good" skillets. When I'm doing something sketchy, it's the skillet I grab, because I can't hurt it.  And Belle's apt to grab it to make cornbread.

There is a metaphor for life in that skillet, if I can just figure it out.

LARPing

 Termite sent me this, and I had to look it up. LARPing is "Live Action Role Play".

So, that explains that.

Which reminds me, I need to order something for arifle.

Quiet

 It's quiet in the tropics for the first week of August.  So far, we have had only two named storms in the Atlantic basin August is normally the month when the Atlantic storms crank up, notably in 2005.  That was a busy year.  A little research tells us that the least active hurricane season on record was 1914 when only one known tropical storm was recorded.

We had a little dry cold front move through over the weekend.  No rain and the temps are not notably lower, but the humidity is down, which is a good thing.

Belle mentioned that she would like a chimichanga for lunch, and I happen to have a recipe. I'll go to the grocers in a bit and see if I can find some tortillas.  

Installed

 Done and done. The new AC unit is in the wall.  I used a long sawsall blade to get between the chassis and cabinet. When the crew arrived (one son, two grandsons), we slid out the old chassis and slid the new AC unit into the hole. Plugged it in and adjusted for max cooling.

Now, it's Happy Hour.

Friday Update

 I have a very good friend, a buddy, a pard, who is a retired Master Electrician. He came over yesterday to help me with the new shop air conditioner.  We didn't do any lifting or toting.  What we did do is open the panel, ensure that the wiring and breaker could handle the load, then went to the wall and installed a new 230v/30 amp receptacle. I know now that everything is up to code and the shop can handle the load.  We are golden on the electrical side.

Next, I called my crew and set it up to have stout men available late this afternoon.  Three good men, plus me, be sufficient for getting that AC unit in the wall.

I have done the measuring.  The plan is to slide the old chassis out of the cabinet in the wall, then slide the new unit, cabinet and all, into the old cabinet.  This plan worked fine last year.  It's the same plan as last year. The new unit is just a wee bit smaller than the old unit, and there is no real reason to remove the old cabinet, which is braced and screwed to the building.

The one glitch is that I used, eight years ago, a common product to seal the unit to the building to make it watertight.  Great Stuff foam sealant, to keep rain out.. That product is aptly named; it is very good at sealing cracks and crevasse. It has also glued the chassis into the cabinet.  I have been on a ladder  this morning, digging it out of the gaps.

The crew will be here late this afternoon.  We'll get the old one out and the new one in.

Fauci Clams Up

 Tony Fauci, a guy who five years ago was a demigod, the toast of society, the unfettered expert of medical science and immunology, has decided to clam up. he invoked his 5th Amendment privilege 111 times today, to include such things as which day of the week it is and the color of his necktie. 

Today's hearing seems to have established that Little Tony is nothing more than a narcissistic megalomaniac whose only motivation was fame, fortune and personal glory.

What an insufferable prick.

Tuesday Morning

 My daily check with the National Hurricane Center shows no cyclone activity is forecast for the next seven days.  I also check with Mr. Weatherman who gives us a more detailed view of the tropics.  Lots of rain, bt nothing to get worried about.

In yesterday's post, I talked about my AC units being mounted high in the wall.  Robert asked why they are mounted so high? That was a design choice.  I wanted them higher than a person's head, so that no one would knock their noggin walking down the side of the building.  Those units are also high enough off the ground to avoid vehicle or mower impacts.  Yeah, it's a pain in the butt when we have to change out a unit, but the rest of the time, they are basically out of harm's way.

This morning, Belle told me that she was hungry for catfish, and I happened to have a box of filets in the freezer.  Some are thawing mow and we'll have fried catfish for lunch. I saw some little shrimp in the freezer, too.  They are destined for hot oil as well.