Remembering

 I've spent some time this evening watching citizen journalists reporting out of the disaster area that is western North Carolina, and my heart moans for those people.  My memory floods back to the twin disasters of Katrina and Rita that hit Louisiana like a 1-2 punch in 2005.

Eastern Louisiana reeled from Katrina, and two weeks later, Rita slammed into western Louisiana.  New Orleans was virtually destroyed and many small communities across the coast were lost in Rita.  Just when everything seemed out of control, the government sent in Lieutenant General Russel Honore and told him to fix the disfunction and bring relief to those hut the most.

Honore took charge.  His command style was results oriented.  He had no time for bureaucrats or delay.  Results were all that mattered.  He'd tell people things like "Don't get stuck on stupid." or "You're looking at a calendar.  I'm looking at my wristwatch."  LTG Honore got things done.

North Carolina needs someone like Russ Honore. Someone with mission orders to take charge, tighten up the bureaucrats and get relief flowing.  I note that North Carolina is home to several fairly prominent military billets.  Places with helicopters, field kitchens, field hospitals, worker bees, and the ability to rad a map. Those assets could go to work tomorrow if POTUS would simply put someone in charge.

Two Pulls

 Being a country boy, I've owned chainsaws my entire adult life and I truly hate the damned things.  Noisy, oily, and dangerous,  I have never been comfortable running a chainsaw.  My latest chainsaw was one I bought at the local power equipment store, and it's a good one.  Echo brand. I've had it for 10-ish years and it still starts on the second pull.

For that, I give credit to my Dad, who said that there are several things that we must do for our small engines so that they run consistently.  1) Good, fresh fuel.  These days I run True Fuel in the chainsaw.  40:1, although the book calls for 50:1  That little bit of extra oil doesn't hurt a thing, and might actually help.  Then, when you're done, drain the fuel from the tank, and start the engine, letting it idle until if runs dry.  There may be a little fuel left in the lines, but not enough to gum things up.  And 3), give it a little cleaning before you put it away.

The chainsaw has been around for 10-ish years, gets run maybe twice a year, and still starts on the second pull. I changed the spark plug and filters maybe two years ago.

When this one gives up the ghost, I won't buy another gas-operated saw.  The electric ones are so much nicer, and probably better for my applications.  They still need bar oil, though.

Tropical Update

 In this, the first week of October, with nearly 60 days left in the hurricane season, we turn to the National Hurricane Center for their 7-day outlook.

That's not too terribly bad.  Two storms in the Atlantic, both predicted to be "fish" storms.  One cautionary area in the Gulf that bears watching.  I can live with that.  It is no time to be complacent, but I'll take good news when it comes our way.

1916

 Following the utter destruction that hurricane Helene left across the south, we're hearing moans about climate change.  Maybe the climate is changing, but if so, it's doing it awfully slowly.  History tells us of a similar flood near Asheville, NC in 1916.

It’s hard to believe the great Flood of 1916 that ravaged Western North Carolina took place over 100 years ago. The Flood still lives on in the hearts and minds of Asheville area citizens, and it is still known as ‘the flood to end all floods’. The Asheville Citizen, using a borrowed gasoline engine to run its presses, described the devastation caused by The Flood in its July 17, 1916, edition:“Exacting an unknown toll of death, with a property loss exceeding three million dollars, Asheville today is absolutely isolated from the outside world, is a city of darkness void of ordinary transportation facilities, and finds herself helpless in the grasp of the most terrible flood conditions ever known here.”

I say this not to minimize the human suffering in this present calamity, but to remind us that these things have happened before. 

My grandfather told stories of a big flood that happened in the 1920s and my parents remember the Red River flood of 1945.  Floods happen sometimes.  It's sad, but we write thigs down so that we can remember them.

Panoramic Sunroof

 I was watching a short on YouTube, an ad for a car, and one of the features was a "panoramic sunroof".

I admit that I have always been baffled about a sunroof in a car.  I've had vehicles with them in the past.  Belle's vehicle has one now, but it has never been used, except when they demonstrated it to her at the dealership.

Does anyone actually use a sunroof?  I've never seen the utility.  It adds complexity to the vehicle and puts a hole in the roof, which I've always thought was a bad idea.

Honestly, does anyone use a sunroof?

Reap The Whirlwind

 The big news today is that Iran has launched hundreds of missiles at Israel.

So far, the missiles seem to have done little real damage, kudos to the Israeli missile defense systems.

Biden has ordered the US military to assist Israel in the missile defense.

If I had to guess, I'd say that the airspace over Jordan is very busy.

Iran has called the thunder, I hope that they are ready to reap the whirlwind.

Strike

I see that the east-coast Longshoremen are on strike, and that is not a good sign for the supply chain.  America's economy these days is all about logistics, moving stuff from the manufacturer to the consumer, and that is supply chain.  If the docks aren't moving containers, the whole thing starts to slow down.

I understand that the sticking point is about automation. Machines moving stuff rather than people moving stuff. So, the question becomes, how long this temper-tantrum will last, and how much will it cost us.

I'm not anti-union, I'm anti-stupid, and I'm not convinced that this strike is the smart way to go about it.

Brighter

 After posting this morning, I went to our local electrical supplier, and asked about shop lighting. Specifically, high-bay LED lights. I know, I can order from Amazon, but I wanted to get my hands on one and take a look at it, spend some of my money with the local folks, and educate myself.

They sold me something by ASD Lighting (asd-lighting.com), their UHB5-PRO series.  $139.00 out the door. I installed a plug, got out a ladder, bung it from a purling, and asked Belle what she thought.    Of course, I had to move the ladder and re-hang the damned thing, but that's how things go in a well-run household.  I have to admit, she was right.

That brightens things up a bit.  The boys had been complaining that the gun cleaning table was a bit dim,   They won't be able to make that complaint now.

And, now that I've educted myself, I can go to Amazon and save a few bucks.

Tab Clearning

 Where to begin..

Kris Kristofferson died this weekend.  In his early days, Kristofferson was a soldier, a military aviator and a tabbed Ranger.  Also, a Rhodes scholar, who put all that aside to pursue a musical career.

Western North Carolina is reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Roads washed away, historic flooding, communications severed, it's an unmitigated disaster.  As a hurricane and flood survivor myself, my heart goes out to those people.  The one hard lesson to remember from these disasters is that when the wind quits howling, you may be on your own for three days.  It's a hard lesson, and many of the folks in the hollers and valleys may be without help for many more than three days.  Pray for them.

The Israelis are playing heads-up ball.  An Iranian cargo 747 was forced to divert back to Tehran after being told it would not be allowed to land in Beirut.  If Hezbollah can't get rockets, Hezbollah can't fire rockets. The Israelis have decapitated the leadership, disrupted communications, and are now attacking the logistics stream. They are preparing the battlespace and doing a masterful job.

Now, having read the morning news, I need to do something about the lighting in this shop.  I need to educate myself on something called "lumens".  I understand watts and candlepower, but no one measures lights by those terms today.

Dindu Strikes Again

 Termite points me to a story that happened in my hometown on Friday night.  It seems that a bunch of "Dindu Nuffin: types decided to have a hoot-out near a local restaurant.

According to APD, the incident occurred around 7 p.m. and is believed to have been a confrontation between rival groups.

Rival groups?  You mean local street gangs, don't you?  That's what everyone else thinks you man.

 APD stressed that the shooting was not a random act of violence and that patrons or employees at or around Texas Roadhouse were not in harm’s way.

It wasn't a random act of violence?  What was it?  Planned, Coordinated?  C'mon.

This saddens me. I grew up in Alexandria, but now live in the suburbs across the river.  Rival street gangs have made Alexandria almost unlivable.  I personally do not go into Alexandria unless I am forced to, and I don't go into Alexandria after dark.  Whatever I need will wait until tomorrow.

Friday Morning

 As the sun comes up along the Florida panhandle, lots of folks are getting a first hand view of the damage done during the darkness. Many in Georgia are just now learning what a tropical storm looks like.  Millions are without power, and millions more will be without power before the day is over.

PawPaw will lift those people up in prayer.  Storms happen. It is part of living in the South. When your roof blows off, or when flooding happens, it doesn't matter if it was a Cat 1 or a Cat 5.  You still need a roof, and the wind speed really doesn't matter.  I have friends in Florida and Georgia, and I'm worried about all of them.

In much more mundane news, PawPaw has chores to do, and I best get at them.  We're hosting out club's monthly match tomorrow There are only two matches left in our yearly series, and the points are tight.  We have the prize buckles in hand, and these folks are competing for them.  Anything can happen.