County Morning, in the City

Working for "The City" sometimes gives the wrong impression. But this is not New York City, or anything like that. We actually go out into the country a good bit. The other morning, on a whim, The Fuzz carried his camera with him. While out there he had a chance to enjoy this view of the morning sky. So as we slow down, and ease on into the weekend, he just wanted me to share this bit of Morning Magnificence with you all.

"You picked a Fine Time to Leave Me Loose Wheel"

You may recognize this as a wheel. If you are particularly knowledgeable, you may realize it is a Truck Wheel. But why is this Truck Wheel the subject of this Post ? Where did it come from ?

And here is a clue to the answer of this question.

If you guessed that the wheel in question, was formerly involved with this Garbage Truck, you would be correct. I congratulate you.

It would seem that one of The Fuzz's co-workers had a bad day. As he was finishing up, and rolling on to the dump, he suddenly found himself without one of his wheels. This sort of complicated his day. In fact it complicated a lot of people's day.Here is a closer look at the hub. It looks like the brake drum may be a little chewed up. You can see where it gauged out the pavement a little. It also looks like the studs are goners. But that is why we have those highly skilled mechanics working with us.

For some unexplainable reason, The Fuzz just happened to have his camera with him, and got these pictures on his own run to the dump. He does not routinely carry one, but was desperate enough for Blog matierial that he grabbed it this morning.

By the way, that wheel was found way out in a field. At the time The Fuzz left, they still hadn't found it's mate. Funny how those things can get away from you like that.

Movies etc.

It's a Netflix thing. We've been watching a series of Werner Herzog's movies. Some of this stuff is really out there. But you have to not mind subtitles.
( Actually, The Fuzz often uses them for English dialog. He's getting a bit hard of hearing. )

☑My Best Fiend: Klaus Kinski (Mein liebster Feind - Klaus Kinski)
This Klaus Kinski guy seems to be simply, insane. Fortunately, the characters he was playing were insane also, so it all seemed to work out.

☑Even Dwarfs Started Small (Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen)
What can I say ? I guess you'd have to watch it. It's all dwarfs, besides being crazy.

☑Land of Silence and Darkness
This is kinda interesting, a documentary about people who are Deaf and Blind, and how they experience life.

☑Fata Morgana
Lots of pictures of the desert. Makes me wonder how those people live out there.

So that's what we've been up to, movie wise. The Fuzz is currently reading The Guns of August. He has always found this period of history fascinating, and got a good deal on the book. Of course, now he has to deal with being in a Book Club.

And that's how we've been "improving our minds" around here these days.

The People Cat

I hope my many loyal readers (both of them) will remember Puddin', the cat that thinks he's a people. Well of course he's all grown up now. He's even discovered Girl Cats, which could make things interesting around here.
He still kinda thinks he's a people though. Here he is enjoying a bicycle ride with Young Daughter. This was not some sort of cute pose thing. He loves it and will ride 'till she's tired of pedaling. Hey, she's doing all the work.

In another important development, recent rains have brought the well up even more. As this official record shows, it now stands at 16in. of cool, clear, water in The Fuzz's well.

Wonders of the World II

Well, I finally got around the little "Technical Difficulty" here. It seems the Cyberworld is not always kind to those of a Macintosh bent. But, we find ways. As the young Miss Baudelaire has put it so well, "There's always something".

And so, now we can get a look at this much anticipated tree.

The Fuzz had been seeing this tree for years on the job. Something about it always seemed just a little strange, but he couldn't put his finger on it. It looked like it was about to bust open or something. Then one day it was trimmed up, and this is what was left.

If one looks closely, one might note that the bark at the bottom seems to be a bit different than that farther up. This is in fact the case. For this is not one tree, but two. This is actually a tree growing within another tree.

Now this is apparently not unique. Long time readers may remember back in September, 2007 this blog featured a similar, and perhaps, even more amazing tree phenomena.

Here you can clearly see how this arboristic insider has actually split open it's host. This seems a little ungrateful to me.

But of course, The Fuzz has a theory for this also. It is all so simple. Once upon a time, a little acorn fell into a split in this tree. This split had accumulated a certain amount of dirt and such over the years and this tiny acorn just loved it. As the rain fell, and the acorn grew, it got a little pushy. And so forgetting the kindness and hospitality of it's benefactor, it pushed and shoved and finally destroyed it's helpless host.

I suppose there is a lesson here, but I'll leave that for the reader to discover.

Technical Difficulties

Having technical difficulties here. Can't seem to get any pictures up today. So I can't show y'all the Weird Tree I planed to. Maybe later.
We are getting some more rain, maybe sleet. It's cold, but good for the well.
Guess we'll watch a movie, got "V For Vendetta" here.

Big City Culture ( Dance )

This is an excerpt from The Fuzz's "Official Water Situation Table". For those not familiar with this, it shows the water level in The Fuzz's well. You will note that there has been a mere 11 in. as of late. That's not a lot. But the good news is that after Sunday night's rain, there is now (as of the 18th) 14in. This is still not a lot, but things seem to be moving in the right direction at last.

We've had a busy weekend. Saturday evening we were joined by one of our Big City Daughters and journeyed to the Big City to see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater perform there.
Here's a blurry picture of where this happened. We had seats up there somewhere on that middle balcony. This was quite an experience for the Ol' Fuzz. He's really kind of a small town guy. Here he had to deal with Big City Parking Garages and all kinds of things like that. It costed $10.00 just to park the car. I guess when they got you like that they don't mind squeezing a little. But the show was good, and well worth the trip. It never hurts to get a bit of culture.

They're Up

The Crocus made it out.
The Fuzz has to make a trip out of town today, so not much time to post. (He is very slow)
So far the well is holding at 11 in. That's not much water. But with a forecast for maybe some rain today, things could improve, I hope.
Well, Bye Bye for now.

Brand New "Titanium" Battery

Here you see picture of a Brand New Truck Battery. Not just any battery, but a genuine "Titanium" Battery. So how did we get this picture ? Off the Internet ? From a Catalogue ? No, not at all. This Brand New, "Titanium" Battery, is in our very own yard, in The Fuzz's Truck.

It seems that these February Mornings were a little too much for his old one. He would get that "Cha Cha Cha Cha Cha.. Cha... Cha...... Cha..... Cha............ Cha............. Cha...................... Cha............................ Ch.........., And then, ZIP. And this would happen when he was trying to get to his important job with out which the world would no longer turn. At least not in it's proper manner. So it was off to the Auto Parts Place. There there were lots of shiny new batteries and a sign on the window promising "Free Installation". Buying this Battery was quite a shock for The Fuzz. A $90 shock, to be precise. And the "Free Installation" turned out to be The Fuzz him self.
But they did let him borrow their tools. Well, The Fuzz always says, "If you want the job done right, you have to do it yourself", and so, this job got done right. I am happy to report that his truck cranks fine now.

I am not so happy to report that the water situation here is not improving. This Chart indicates a disturbing trend. If this continues, The Fuzz may have to give up his weekly baths, which would not be a good thing.

The Fuzz's Official Water Situation Table

Since it was previously reported that we had been blessed with rain, I thought it would be a good thing to review the situation. And so we are introducing- "The Fuzz's Official Water Situation Table". This is a handy way to keep up with this important matter.

On Poalima, 1st of Pepeluali, also known as, Friday, February 01, we received significant rainfall. At least it was enough to finally bring the water level in the well up to the point were it could actually be used. Unfortunately, there was little more follow up to that. In a few days, The Fuzz was shocked to find that the water level had dropped significantly.

This Chart shows that there is only about 1 ft. of that Precious Element remaining. And so, we are still in a serious water Conservation Situation. Today, The Fuzz took a new measurement, and, despite some rain, the situation has not improved.

And so, we must conclude this Water Report on a note of cautious optimism.

The Greentent

It's time to get some stuff planted, but it is still winter. We can grow some Cold Weather Stuff, assuming we get rain. But it doesn't hurt to give it a little help.
This jumble of PVC pipe is part of our collapsible Greentent system. The Fuzz designed this for us a couple years ago. He got the idea on a camping trip when he saw some tents made of PVC pipe and plastic tarps.
That design involved bending the pipe into an arch. He quickly realized that that wouldn't work on this small scale and substituted the A-frames. The A-frames are glued together, but that might not really be necessary. The horizontals, are just a slip fit.
After the frame is assembled, it is covered with clear (sort of)) plastic.
The plastic is held down along the sides by bricks, and can be pulled to one side on a warm day. Today, it is windy. Every time we put this thing up, it gets windy. So far, if we use enough bricks, it is OK.
Does it work ? Yeah, it does help. It's not as good as a real Greenhouse, but it does help keep those plants a little warmer on those cold nights.

And in the News

And in the News, check out this, "Ice from airplane potty crashes through Calgary roof" for a bummer. I always try to wear a hat when I'm around a lot of birds, like maybe seagulls or something. But what can you do about this ? I always wondered about those Airplanes.

Firewood & Kissing the Splitter

When The Fuzz comes home, after a hard day at the office, he likes to relax. Maybe, take care of a few things around the house. Spring may be on the horizon, but there is still a need for plenty of Firewood. For the last couple days, he had stopped off on the way home and grabbed some from where they had cleared out a power-line right of way. There were also a few pieces he had grabbed over at the waste treatment place. (That's where the City dumps what they pick up in town.) But of course a lot of it needed to be split. And so, yesterday he got out the old Log Spliter again. Thankfuly, this time there was air in the tires . And this is the result.

The stuff on the right here, is something special. If the wood appears to be a bit wet, that's not water. This wood will burn fine. In fact, this is just what The Fuzz needs for quick heat when His Sweetie needs to warm up the Tush. This is Rich Pine, and that "wet" is really pine pitch. He found this over at Waste Treatment, and will put it to good use on these cold February Mornings.

And here's one of The Fuzz's Techno-Tips. He was finding it difficult to back this Log Splitter into position. Backing a trailer of any sort can be a problem at times. But the main difficulty was that he could not see the thing above the tailgate. Backing blind was a royal pain in the you know what. After a couple years of this, and several brainstorms involving welding, or drilling, he finally realized that a simple yardstick and C-clamp would end all the agony. And it can be installed or removed instantly. At last, proper application of the KISS ( Keep It Simple, Stupid ) principal.

Situations

We are so glad to have water once again. Unfortunately, with plumbing, come plumbing situations. And they do come.
Now that there was water in the pipes, it began seeking ways to escape. It found one at the kitchen sink. This was not an emergency or anything, since it was only escaping when the water was running. But it needed to be taken care of.
One of the Fuzz's mottos is, "I can fix that, let me get my tools". So he got them. Being in the line of work he is, he had a duplicate to the plumbing fixture in question. Of course it wasn't exactly new, but all the parts were there. And so, he tore into this, to see if the guts were worth fooling with, or if a trip to the Home Improvement Center was to be his fate. Here we can see all the stuff he found in there.
He became convinced that the main problem was a worn out "O" ring. But rather than removing it and risk tearing it up, he decided to just swap out that whole piece. It worked fine.
Buoyed by this success, he decided to try some additional repairs. Unfortunately, these became somewhat more complex, involving switching "O" rings, and the spouts themselves in various combinations. But eventually, he lucked onto an arraignment that worked, and now we have a non-leaky faucet, and, without the Home Improvement Center Experience.

Looking Ahead

Yes I realize that it's only the third day of this wintery month, February, 2008. But as you can see, the ground is not covered with snow,, and these tiny soots will soon be little Crocus bringing us the promise of Spring.

And here in the North Carolina Piedmont, it's time to think about Gardens. Now that it has rained, there is a possibility that garden things might actually grow.

These last few years, with fewer youngun's around, The Fuzz's Sweetie has taken on more of the gardening. This is good, because The Fuzz has a tendency to sort of half-ass the job. But he still has the responsibility for getting things dug up. This is "Man's Work" and The Fuzz can handle it. He started with an oil change for his tiller, and then progressed to fixing it's flat tire. Then it was time for the Fun.

It's always nice to get out and smell the fresh turned earth. His Sweetie was taking care of some tree pruning. After a while they stopped for a snack.

And here it is, almost ready for the spring crops. I'm sure the Cats will enjoy it.

More Stupidity

Here's some small town stupidity for your enjoyment.


Phone conversation tips off two deputies

Drew Brooks
February 2, 2008 - 10:27PM
KINGS MOUNTAIN — A 17 year-old boy dug his hole a little deeper Saturday after being arrested by a Cleveland County Sheriff’s deputy and, in doing so, helped solve a crime that happened earlier in the day.

Tommy Lee Sears of 111-16 High Ridge Court in Kings Mountain was arrested for larceny of a motor vehicle.

During booking, two deputies overheard a conversation Sears had with his mother via telephone in which Sears said he had taken some items from a neighbor’s home and stored them at the Sears’ home, according to an incident report.

When contacted by deputies, Sears’ mother, Jennifer, gave them permission to search the home.
Inside, they found a number of items that matched those taken from 132 Yarboro Road earlier in the day, including sheet rock, power tools, 2 x 4’s and assorted tools valued at more than $500.

The items were returned to their owner, the report said.

In addition to his larceny of a motor vehicle charge, Sears faces charges of felony breaking and entering, felony larceny and felony possession of stolen goods.

Poalima, The Day of Water

As you will notice, today is Poalima, 1st of Pepeluali. You may not realize it yet, but this is a special day for us. This is The Day of Water.


It seems, that after many false promises, and outright lies, the Weather Service finally got it right. There was Rain. And not only Rain, but enough to effect that change we'd been hoping and praying for.



You may recognize this view, but there is a crucial difference here. In the bottom of this hole, there is water. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. It has been months since there was water here in any appreciable amount. But now, thank God, it's here.


Today after a short day at work, The Fuzz went home to discover this Wonderful Blessing. And so, he decided to give it a shot, and prime the pump.


If you've ever had to deal with this sort of thing, you may realize that it can be a royal pain. You may have to pour water over and over into a tiny hole, only to watch your hopes be crushed into the mud. The pressure will rise hopefully, only to suddenly drop to nothing, nada, zip. All that is left is to repeat the process. And repeat the process, until the plumbing spirits smile on you.


But I am happy to report, that this process was successful for The Fuzz, on the first try. This is unheard of, at least around here. Usually these things turn into an ordeal. But, today, Poalima, the 1st of Pepeluali, after only adding Three Cups of water for prime, we have Water. again. A very good way to start the new month.