Burned Out

In the winter of course, we get rid of our paper trash in the Old Wood Stove. After all, paper is made of wood, right?
But in Hot Weather this is not a good solution. So we use the Burn Barrel.
Unfortunately this Burn Barrel has seen better times. In fact this is now a Two Piece Burn Barrel. Obviously this could be a Fire Hazard. So something had to be done.
The Fuzz's Sweetie has been busy these days rooting though his almost 30 year accumulation of stuff and she pulled out this old barrel. It had been used at one time for chicken feed, back in the days when we fed chickens.
But these days we don't feed chickens, so this barrel was a prime candidate for a new career as a Burn Barrel.
But there would need to be some modifications here. A decent Burn Barrel needs Draft. But since we're not referring to one of our favorite beverages here, The Fuzz brought out his trusty Pick. He uses this to dig holes in the extraordinarily hard ground around here. But it is also just the perfect tool for making an ordinary barrel into a real, first class, Burn Barrel.
Here is an inside look at The Fuzz's Modifications. The key here is Restraint. Just enough to get a good thorough burn with out attracting a lot of attention.
And I am pleased to report, that once again we had success. The new Burn Barrel was tested the same day and exceeded all expectations.

Always Something

Yes, It's always something.

When we went over to the Big City Airport to meet the "Young'uns", home from the Tropical Paradise, we were expecting considerable luggage. So The Fuzz drove his Cool Little 4x4 Truck. As he finally pulled up to the terminal, he noticed this Tiny Light on the instrument panel. What got his attention was that it was lit up.

Being part way into a fairly long (for The Fuzz) drive, this was not good. First, he did what it suggested, and checked the engine. It was still there. He then checked the oil. It was still there too.

The Fuzz's mechanical skills date to the era of carburetors and breaker points, so this kind of stuff bothers him. But he couldn't stay there, and since there were no scary noises, no running hot, and plenty of oil, he decided to go for it. It turned out OK and every one made it home once again.

The next day, he did a bit of research and found that this light is supposed to come on at a certain mileage to make him take it to the dealer and give them his money. Since he had recently serviced this truck himself, he feels this would be unnecessary.

And so, it seems that all is well in his mechanical world. Except, now he'll have to find out how to reset that durned light.

Movie Stuff - Samurai Shakespeare !

Been using Netflix for a while now. It's a good way to see all kinds of stuff. The other night we watched "Rashomon" by Akira Kurosawa.

"Rashomon, directed by Akira Kurosawa was well ahead of it's time, not only because of it's stunning visuals but the experimental setting and story. Instead of a plot with a bad guy and his victims, the story digs deeper into human mind."

This is worth watching if you get the chance. One thing about Netflix is if you get something from them, and like it, they'll recommend other similar stuff "you might be interested in".

And so we got "Ran". This borrows heavily from Shakespeare's "King Lear" so of course, everyone dies in the end. But this is Samurai Shakespeare !
But hey, watch 'em if you get the chance.

Another One Bites The Dust

Yes, literally bites the dust.

This one had been around for a while, but was beginning to act a little funny. It still sucked, but that is what is desired in these cases. However it had been getting louder and louder lately, and that is not desirable.

Then, the other day, as Young Daughter was cleaning her room (finally), it refused to respond.

And so, The Fuzz and His Sweetie went over to the Home Improvement Store. (It seems they can't stay away from that place these days.) There they found all kinds of High Dollar Machines but none that seemed to fill the requirements at a realistic price. They have a definite preference for these "canister" models, which I guess aren't real popular with the Home Improvement Crowd.

This left them with the unpleasant option of a trip to Wally World. But His Sweetie reminded The Fuzz, that the K-mart was still there, right across the street from Wally World.

And that's where they found this fine little machine.

In other news, the "Young'uns" made it back from that Tropical Paradise. Unfortunately, their *luggage didn't.
The Fuzz and His Sweetie picked them up at the Airport in the Big City, and took them and that Barkley Dog home. I "Borrowed" this shot from one of them just for this blog, so we all could enjoy a bit of that Tropical Paradise.

*Just for the record, the luggage arrived today.

Funny Money

This, just in.......



"a coin bearing the likeness of Homer Simpson instead of Spanish King Juan Carlos"

I like it.

The Root of the Problem

Here at the Old Homeplace we go in for a sorta "Natural" landscaping. So as you can see, this is not a "Park Like" lawn here. But of course even this Semi-wild type of yard must be mowed from time to time.

The other day, in anticipation of an approaching Apple Harvest, The Fuzz's Sweetie asked him to mow under the apple tree. Always wishing to please her, he did just that. And then, since he had the mower out and running, he thought to trim up a few more spots. That was when the trouble started.

When mowing around here, it is not unusual to chop up a few sticks or whatever. But this time as the rapidly spinning blade contacted one of these roots, it suddenly stopped. Something in the way this occurred caused The Fuzz enough uneasiness that he peeked beneath the mower "just to check on things". It was then that he discovered that his blade was, as they say, "History".
You will note in this picture how the old blade (Right) has a peculiar "twist" on the near end. And so it was time for a trip to the Home Improvement Store.

When he arrived at the Home Improvement Store, The Fuzz found a great many blades for a great many types of Lawn Mowing Machines. He had neglected to bring the damaged blade with him, so he picked out one that looked somewhat similar. Unfortunately it was a bad choice.

And so there was another trip to the Home Improvement Store for blade swapping. Again Our Hero found himself confused. But this time he had his old, unfortunate, blade in the truck. It was quickly retrieved, and compared to those in stock. And to his immense satisfaction, he found an exact match.

All that was left was for the skillful Fuzz to install the new, correct, blade. And he even got $3 back on the trade.

Kittens & Applesauce

Here's a look at our Current Crop of Kittens.The Late Puddin's Sister produced these. They seem pretty healthy....so far. Two Face was a good mother as you can see. Unfortunately, she has followed Puddin' across that Great Divide. What ever got him, seems to have gotten her as well. The Fuzz's Sweetie found her dead the other morning. But she did manage to raise these babies 'till they can survive without her, first. This is one reason we don't worry too much about having a bunch of kittens. Cats just don't seem to last long around here.

The Apples seem to be doing better. These are some kind of early green ones. This tree was here when we moved here many years ago. Someone had been trying to use the area for a garden, and cut it down. But it came back from the roots. One time, The Fuzz tried to graft on some Winesap shoots. They lived for a few years, but never did any good. But the rest of the tree did fine.

The apples are rather small, and not much to look at, but actually taste quite good.

The Fuzz's Sweetie has been making Apple Butter and Applesauce with them. She's pretty handy to have around.

We have another Apple Tree that we planted when we came here. That one's a Winesap (the source of the ill fated grafts). It's loaded this year too. Soon those will be ready and there will be more sauce, and The Fuzz hopes, maybe a Pie.

The Bark Is Back

With so many off to that Tropical Paradise, it was time for that Barkley Dog to make another visit. He does seem to miss His People, but he is coping. He is used to taking frequent runs with his Master, but unfortunately for him, The Fuzz is not up to that. They have made it out for a few walks though.

They missed a couple of days there, when The Fuzz was laid up, but he and Young Daughter took that Barkley and their own Stupid, Disobedient Dog for a nice long walk up the road to the grocery store this morning.

Along the way they saw a pile of "Deer Corn" someone had dropped off of their truck. I don't even know why I mentioned that here, but it was one of those "Little Things" you don't see every day. On the way home, they noticed that someone had scooped up what they could. I suppose the squirrels will try and eat the rest, and probably end up as more Roadkill.
Here you can see Barkley with one of his Favorite Toys,"Squeezzel". I don't know if that's it's real name, but The Fuzz calls it "Squeezzel" so I will too. Barkley loves you to throw Squeezzel and he's pretty good at catching it, so The Fuzz usually throws it a few times as he passes though the yard on his way to bigger and better things.

Watermellon

Exhibit "W"
Just what we needed on a hot summer day.
And we thoroughly enjoyed it.
All of us.

Fast Food

Does this seem a bit Big Brotherish ?

"The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to place a moratorium on new fast food restaurants in an impoverished swath of the city with a proliferation of such eateries and above-average rates of obesity."

A Nice Stand of Okra

It had been hot and dry here. Not real good garden weather. But the Okra is doing fine.
Okra does OK with hot and dry, which is a good thing with the way the weather has been lately. We have had a few messes already. The Fuzz's Sweetie fried up a mess last night. That's how we mostly fix it, roll it in cornmeal and fry the stuff.
Unfortunately, The Fuzz did not get to enjoy this culinary delight. When he woke that morning, he was not feeling well. After agonizing over whether to call in sick, or be a hero and "tough it out", he took the easy way, and went for the phone. It turned out to be the best move. His condition deteriorated rapidly at this point. The Fuzz spent a very uncomfortable day as a sickie.
It turns out that his "Backup" at work, had also called in that morning. This complicated matters for the boss man, but they did manage to muddle though somehow. I am happy to report that he was back on the job this morning.

Young Daughter has been on a bit of a Bead Binge these days. Here is some of her handiwork. This all started at the Beach. One of the communal activities was a Beading Bash. Well, it keeps her off the street.

Things That Fly

We took some of the "Young'uns" (that aren't so young) to the Airport the other morning. We had spent the night at their place in anticipation of a very early departure. They (all 5 ) were off for a visit to their Air Force Sister in that Tropical Paradise.
But that got me thinking about Things That Fly. The Fuzz didn't make it out to that Tropical Paradise this time, but there were some Flying things where he was.
As Cristobal approached, The Boys got this one in the air. All that wind was good for something after all.

It's my understanding that those major airlines are cutting back on services to save money these days.

I want everyone to know, that we would never do that here.

You can see The Girls here, serving up an In Flight Meal to some of our Friends in the air.
The Fuzz really enjoyed watching all those Birds. He is amazed at how they skim along over the waves. He sees plenty of "Seagulls" at the dump each winter, but it's a lot better to see them out here where they belong.

Pre-Trip

As the time for our Annual Summer Beach Trip drew near, The Fuzz realized it was time to prep his Trusty Vehicle for the road. First, in looking at the inspection sticker, he realized it had been dead for a number of months. Somehow it seems that he just never gets around to those sort of things. This was just a little embarrassing over at the Inspection Place, but The Fuzz played it off pretty well. He's had a lot of experience.

The next step in this proses called for an overdue Oil Change.

One of the advantages of having a great little 4x4 truck is, it can leave the pavement at times. But when leaving the pavement, it is wise to have protection for those important, but vulnerable, things so necessary for the return to the pavement (or anywhere else).
And so, this Skid Plate must be removed to gain access to that little Oil Plug.
You will note the presence of the little Kitty Cat here. Kitty Cats seem to love climbing on a person who is working beneath a vehicle. This is actually a good thing 'cause they are handy Self-Cleaning Hand Wipes.
This can be a dirty little job, but it is one we can still do ourselves. Whether anyone else wants to, is another matter. But The Fuzz still does it.

The Nasty Old Oil was successfully removed, with remarkably little mess. And then, the Brand New Clean Oil was poured into the powerful truck engine.

I'm sure that this bit of necessary preventive maintenance was a major contribution to the successful Beach Trip and return.

Motorcycle & Yuck

Just before the our annual Beach Trip, The Fuzz and His Sweetie drove up the road a piece to look at a Trailer in regards to the future "Big Move".
Along the way, we found this cool Motorcycle Mailbox.

Since He has an interest in things Motorcycle, and since he had his camera along, (for said trailer) he stopped for a quick shot. He thought ya'll might like to see it, so I put it up here for all to enjoy. He used to do a little metal sculpturing himself, but on a smaller scale, so you might see some of this kinda thing here from time to time. Whoever did this, did a nice job.


But what of the trailer?

When they got there this is what they found.

This was not the sort of thing they were looking for.

When they opened the door these things scattered all over the place. One could smell them from outside. Having had some experience with them in the past, they realized this was probably not a good choice for a new home, no matter how "good a deal" it was. And so, the search will continue for now.

We'll Miss Ya, Puddin'

My loyal readers will of course remember Puddin', the Cat that thinks he's a People. This is a Dark day for us all, alas, Puddin' is no more.

His Foster Mommy found his furry little carcase in the yard this morning. He had been sick, but seemed to have pretty much recovered. We don't suspect Foul Play. But it is sad.

The Fuzz buried him this morning while the Young Daughter looked on and wept.

We take comfort in knowing that he had a good cat life (if short) and was loved and knew it.

You can follow his story by searching "Puddin'" on this blog.

Beach Art

Even on a Vacation, there is a place for the Arts, Maybe even more so.

And so The Fuzz wanted me to share this view of some of the Beach Houses by a little know, Local Artist.

Most of these places are built up on these poles in the hope of escaping hurricane destruction I suppose.

The Fuzz says he's not sure he would like to be out on one of these tiny sandbars in a hurricane.

But it is a great place for a Vacational change of scene. And it's all good, as they say.

Sunrise at Topsail Island

Whilst on a Vacation, one might expect to "Sleep In" most mornings.

Well, that was not the case with The Fuzz this time.
One can "Sleep In" on a day off at home.

This morning, The Fuzz and His Sweetie took a walk over on the Beach to enjoy the Sunrise.

His Sweetie is from the West Coast, and still finds a Sunrise over the sea a bit unusual.
But here is the proof, it happens.
The Sunrise was Beautiful, but even better with Her in the Picture.

From the Garden

It's getting a little dry here again, but here's some Green Beans from the Garden.

These Yellow Looking Things are some kind of Tomatoes.

The Fuzz thought he was getting some of those "Cherry" Tomatoes, small, round and red. But this is what turned up on the plant.

I guess this is the sort of thing that makes gardening an adventure.

Getting There

So, what's so great about "making it back" ? Long-time readers (if any) may remember some previous Beach Trips where things became a little more complicated. But we are pleased to report that this little truck made it out there and back with no "Dramatics". Here it is being loaded for the trip.

However, there was just a bit of "Drama" before we left. On Friday afternoon the Other Vehicle decided to work on The Fuzz's nerves. As we were preparing to make a quick trip to see a Cheap Trailer as part of our Latest Project, a funny little light lit up on the dash. The Owner's Manual promised terrible things if this was not attended to, so we rushed to the dealer's place in hopes to get it looked at before closing time. It turned out to be some kind of computer glitch that they slapped a patch on.






This is the drawbridge we have to cross to get out on the Island. In the first pix it's closed. It crosses the Inter Coastal Waterway here. This next one shows the bridge open, and all the cars waiting. The Fuzz and His Sweetie were waiting too, hence the photo.
But there's all kinds of cool stuff there that we can't see at home. Like these birds, Pelicans, I think, that fly around in a long line. Sometimes they skim so close to the surf, that they dip a wingtip into the wave.
The Fuzz wanted me to tell you that he'll post more pix soon. It's back to work tomorrow.

Home Again

Well, we made it back safe and sound.
And had a great time.

Vacated

The Fuzz is still living, but enjoying some time at the beach.
He says he'll try to get some pix up if he can figger out how to use this Computer of Technicaly Advanced Son.

Bad Habits

Bad Kitty

Bad Kitty










As you can see, this Kitty is developing bad habits. This is the sort of thing that will get him thrown out the back door in the future. For now, we will consider his tender youth and have mercy.

But he comes by it honest. His Momma and Uncle are both prone to this sort of behavior. I suppose his Daddy is too (although I'm not entirely sure who his Daddy is).

Well, I guess that's just the way it's gonna be, and this Bad Kitty will end up on the outside eventually.

Picinic Cruise

For The 4th, we went to the Lake for a Picnic Cruise.

So as not to give the impression that this lake is only a muddy puddle, The Fuzz asked me to include this view near the entrance to our favorite creek.

Here is a shot of our mighty Cruiser. You may laugh, but it has it's advantages. How else could we make it up here to our Spring Fed Swimming Hole. To get this far we have to slip under a fallen tree and follow a narrow channel. But it's worth it.
Don't be misled here, this water is quite deep, well over The Fuzz's head. It's kinda funny, just downstream, it's warm and barely deep enough to float our Cruiser. Yet here, it's deep and icy cold.

We had the place to ourselves.

Fiery Finale

Well, we ended it with the Fiery Finale.

The Fuzz broke into the last of his stash of Pyrotechnics.

Over the years he had been gathering up the leftovers of former 4ths.

But alas, all that was left were a couple packs of Fire Crackers, some Sparkelers, two "Butterflies" and some of those "Hen Laying Egg" things.

Those "Hen Laying" things are nothing but sparks and a brief whistle. But the "Butterflies" can get interesting. A couple years ago, one chased The Fuzz's Sweetie around the yard. Now she refuses to be involved in this sort of thing.

So it was up to Young Daughter and The Fuzz, himself to carry on the Tradition.

The End is Near

"The end of the internet is nigh - and in less than three years, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). "

Is this Goodbye ?

Excellent Chicken Brooder 4 Sale

This is our home-made Chicken Brooder.
But we don't use it these days.
Back in The Days, we used to keep a bunch of those Feathery Fowl. At one time The Fuzz was selling eggs to a local produce guy. But he quit. It was all he could do to break even on the feed. So we did scale back a little.
But there were still some of them. We used to make the Young'uns pluck them just for fun (our fun). Maybe that was mean, but it "Builds Character" as they say.

Well, be that as it may, in anticipation of the coming Big Move, we are trying to pare down a little. And something like this, no matter how fine it may be, is no longer needed. But note the excellent design here.
#1. Two sections for ease in storage and transport.
#2. Sliding door for security, and to confine tender young birdies to the warm interior.
#3. Hinged tops for ease in cleaning, and to facilitate catching the little boogers.
#4. Uses standard light bulbs for an easily replaceable heat source.

And so we now have this Excellent Chicken Brooder 4 Sale.

Coffee and Gas

I see where the Starbucks is having a hard time these days. We don't have the Starbucks here in our Little City. I hear they have it in the Big Cities. For some folks, their day just ain't right without that Starbucks Coffee.

A while back, The Fuzz was looking for something to do with His Sweetie in the evening, and the idea of going out for some coffee or something came up. The Neighbor Lady told of this Starbucks Place down in the Land Of "Cheap Gas". A lot of folks around here cross the State Line in search of "Cheap Gas". It was said, that one could go down there, fill up with "Cheap Gas" and enjoy some of that Starbucks Coffee. And so, one evening, The Fuzz got his Sweetie into the car and headed off in search of "Cheap Gas" and Starbucks Coffee.
They did find the "Cheap Gas" and there was that Starbucks Place too.

The Fuzz was expecting some High Dollar coffee, but when it came time to pay up, the coffee was free. It seems that if one has to wait a little for the coffee, this is a Very Bad Thing, and they're ashamed to charge for it. The Fuzz was not really upset about all this, so he left some money in the Tip Jar.

But all in all, he does want to say, that this Starbucks Coffee was quite tasty, although maybe not worth a trip out of state. As for the "Cheap Gas", he figured that the gas used on the trip, more than made up for the few cents per gallon saved.

Not So Sorry Seating

And here it is.
The Fuzz's newly repaired Motorcycle Seat.

One of his co-workers did this for him. Of course some money did change hands in this affair.

I think he did a good job on it.

The Fuzz put it back on the bike, but has yet to put it to the test.

But we'll take care of that soon.