Feast or famine
The Dawgum outlook on life.
apparently my world as well.
Good week, FAR better than last. Two bills paid today, one two weeks early. That means that I will be able to doube down on a payment or two this month.Seeing how its the first week and I have only one more bill due for this period. Hammer time! (Its a feast week, but that doesn’t mean I am feasting, it means that I am making headway,,,. Been far too many famine weeks this year already.)
Has a suspicion on whats going on with Bloo. Not a good thing if I am correct. BUT its an easy enough check. Loosen a bolt and see how she runs.
Huh? Whutcha thinkin’ Dio?
Recall I cracked the Main cap doing the crankshaft. Well, I’m thinkin’ that may have also cracked the block a bit. Enough to let oil into one of the cylinders (or two, possible with the location of where the break happened) NOW, WHY that thought line? I had several bolts loosened up on the front of the block while doing the running valve lash adjustment. NO SMOKE,,, That didn’t start back up until I had tightened those bolts back down, and then it really started up. Every time that bracket gets tight, it could be putting additional stress on said crack and thats why it’s only getting WORSE.
ANd I could be wrong. But if I am right, this block is dead while running. And she does run, runs good, but smokes like a freight train now. Still, can’t figure it out if I ain’t looking, and thats the call for the weekend. COULD go give Burnout a hand on his POS, and may drive Bloo that far seeing how all of my tools are still located in her. Sure can’t hurt her anymore than she already is: just keep an eye on that oil level.
Anybuggers,,, Thats the highly flexible plan for the weekend. Eldest Sis is coming in next week for a couple of weeks to help with Da and getting his future lined up a bit better (he still has tentative plans, she wants to solidify them more.) He has a Phystherapy appt on Muhnday eve,,, that could prove interesting: I’m quite certain I am gonna hear quite a bit of grumping after the fact. Hardest thing is gonna keep him at it, DON’T QUIT!!! He hinted ‘if I dnn’t like it, Ic an quit’ and I came very close to reading him the riot act,,, But I kept my cool and just pointed out “if you quit, you won’t get better, and they may not want to do surgery if you aren’t improving the swelling issues”
more laters,,, flexy weekend ahead and I may get a chance to catch up on the world.
LLLLL!
(, ‘)
all in the roundabout,,,
Half day at work, progress getting Da some treatment options, still runnin’ a leetle krazy but the day is winding down.
I’m winding down more like,,,
Was feeling a touch touchy in relation to other HoomanBeans in this reality,,, Had to give my monkey a rub in Buffalo (the one that tells me “SHUT YOUR TRAP”,,,, But yea, a play on words for those of you’ns with your mind in the gutter LOL.)
I’m an introvert,,,, too much “people time” and I get a little anxious and short tempered. I know it, and I have a work-arounds, but there are days where “ENOUGH WITH THE STOOPID PLEAZE!” is just overpowering.
Good news though… Da is now on a Steroid/PhyTherapy routine for a month or so before they re-evaluate,,, Got the impression they want to do surgery, but there is so much inflammation and swelling, thats out
For now,,,
Torn Rotator Cup, several Labrum tendons showing tears,,, 7 bad spots noted in the MRI impressions, and the doc was a little perturbed that Da wasn’t passing out in pain,,, She did note that “He is 85,,, thats a lot of time to acquire this much damage and not feel it.”
he sure as shit is now though. We’re talking the man that was still splitting wood with an ax and maul up to a couple of years ago. You think those tools don’t send shockwaves up bone structures? HA!,,, Heck,,, my shoulder is grumping at me right now and not from a splitting maul, but from handshock from a bow with 45# draw,,, it all adds up.
BUT
FORWARD MOTION!!! Much better than the runaround in the roundabout that we were getting. (and just what Civil engineer thought the Roundabout was GENIUS,,, Bastach needs to be tied to a pinion in the middle and forced to watch the stoopid,,,)(note, here in SEKY, the roundabouts are a new thing, and seeing people still using them as a four-way stop is hilarious and frustrating .)
back to work tomorrow,,,, managed to get some stuff done in the four hours I did get in, and tomorrow will be riding the lightning day,,, Burnin’ metals,,, Sparky sorta day. My bread and butter,,,
And I have some side work lined up. Simple too. universal joints on a 2500,,, Client is buying the parts, I’m just charging labor. Taking the shaft out and bringing home so I can use the shop press to do it right. (that press is BIG and HEAVY,,, she ain’t riding to a jobsite.)
Not making much on the side doing the wrench diag thing, but I didn’t expect to make much at first,,, Fact, I am making more than I expected and I haven’t picked up very much at all. Still “in the hollar” workin.
How to fit the time of J.O.B. and the Gig and Da and still having a life,,,, At some point something will have to go the wayside. (J.O.B.) Not yet though,,, this is one of the ‘tests’,,, Much like Bloo is a TEST (of my patience and sanity,,,, but I digress)
Will I have time this weekend to work on Bloo? I dunno,,, weather liars are sayign tis gonna be a might wet,,, and I need to at least look at the valve seals before I do anything else. I Haven’t had a moment at all in the eves to do much of anything but pop her hood and give her a stern talking too. Not that she is gonna listen,,, But I felt better for it.
and I won’t lie to ya,,, very much thinking a new block is the end solution: anything I do at this point is just gonna be a bandaid to the end result. Bandaids may be needed to get between here and there, but I’m a realist. Granted, I shoulda listened to saner WISER heads and already gone that route,,,, What can I say,, Stubborn, bullheaded, gotta learn the hardway,,,
THAT’SA ME!!!!
I’ll get by,,, And I said that when I jumped in with all four feets into this mess,,, Gonna be tight, but when ain’t it? ( I must be part Kat,,,, Dawgs has more sense,,, but then, I’ve seen 7# kats dominate 200# Dawgums,,, You only get that to that level by jumping in feets first and runnin’ with it.)
Not much to talk about otherwise,,, Haven’t even checked my feeds today, and was in mad delete mode when I checked my emails. (nothing of import, just spam for the most part)
LIVE
LEARN
LAUGH
LOVE
LOAD!!!
Addendum: Forgot to mention,,, Burnout wants me to work on his POS for him (and help,,, NOT!) and says he’ll pay cash. I’m torn in several ways. BUT,,, I told him,,, CASH UP FRONT!!! Problem with that, I could find myself hip deep in another BLoo situation and that spells LOSS, not PROFIT. Reason I want cash up front,,, that boy STILL owes me money from when I was carting his arse around to make sure he made it to work. He still owes the Bosses cash (and I saw a note to him the other day,,, “rents due,, $75 ASAP,,,, So I know he is either struggling to pay or just so brain ded as to forget continously,,, I don’t wanna be on that list of “Bill Collector”,,,)
time fer t’inks
Fabrication days always get my brainium in motion. Once the initial figures and cuts are made that is. Once I have my parts cut and jigs(if needed) made, the rest is mindless functions, turn up the tunes and zen out,,,
And that lets the mind roam a bit.
Not going to unpack all of my thinks here, but this whole IRAN thing,,, the Israel/US concerted efforts there. Stories of Post’s going “POOF!” while looking at them. And the fact that Moscow pulled the plug on things when Iran requested MOAR!!!
Lots going on, and the story we are being told AIN’T TRUTH,,, That much I am confident to say. Something is going on in the world, and some large part of me is saying “this is much bigger than species or race, or nations,,,”
“Our war is a spiritual war, our great depression is our lives”
And I get a dribble of a feeling, that Mr Trumped is not playing his role as a certain “greatest Ally Evah!” wants him to. I get the distinct impression that particular bedroom suite is full of turmoil behind the curtains. How and what that turmoil might be, I can only guess at, and since I am not privy to large matters of intel, Hell, not even SMALL matters of intel, I’m formulating these thoughts on the story being told and whats NOT being said.
Put another way, there are only a handful of countries that do not have a Rothschild backed “Central Bank” and all of them have been under the crosshairs lately,,,
And the economic bomb continues to tick away,,,, Dunno’bout y’all, but that worries me far more than Ivan or a Dragon chuckin’ canned sunshine about.
But that’s alright,,, Y’see, even when things go full on teats up in the economy, PEOPLE will find ways of trade and continue on. It won’t be pretty, and there will be a certain amount of die off that takes place: its inevitable due to the level of “Dependent” class this country has developed over the last couple of decades. Far too many people have no clue where food actually comes from, or that plastic wrapped meat USED TO BE part of a living breathing movin’n’mooin’ COW. or yardbird, or,,,, And can’t tell you how many have no clue how to operate a regular STOVE,,, That microwave is IT in their world/kitchen. (actually had a guy at work shocked to learn I use a percolator make coffee. He doesn’t even know how to load a drip maker since all of his ‘coffee’ comes in those teurig cups. That ain’t coffee in my world, though I lack the language to say what I think it is.)
Yeah,,, things will keep on keeping on, even when the dollar bill is worth more to wipe your ass with, than using as an exchange tool. I worry more that they will try to go full bore Electronic Currency and all of the controls that allows them. We are already seeing signs of Klaus Straubs “You will own nothing and be happy” in play, with subscription services, and 2 owner only automobiles that deny and defy DIY service peeps.(KIAs are notorious for this now. 100000 mile warranty and when that warranty wraps up, the ‘hicle is JUNK!)
I’m just glad as hell I still see stuff like this on the regular in my little world. This is an edit of seveeral videos describing his build of a Gingery Lathe (I own this book, and may yet do this build, but the methods, used in this manner or not, are INVALUABLE,,,,)
If you can make that, the list of stuff you can’t make gets really small,,,, Kinda like building kayaks,,, you get the first one done, and before you have even christened it, you are designing the next one. In this case,,, You are in the middle of building the first one, and you are already working on ‘whats next’ and ‘this could have saved my bacon a time or three in the past’,,,,,
This is my current machine tool of choice:
She ain’t the greatest, but she does quick and dirty machine operations just fine. More than enough that I can use this to start building BETTER, when I get, IF I get to that point (Fact being, I can still pick up a used bend or lablond or some other ‘manual shop lathe’ cheaper than building my own. How long that remains that way,, who knows?)(what you DON’T see in that pic is the cases of tooling that I also picked up along the way. You can buy a lathe cheap, the tooling is where you get killed,,, Lathe bits, even the ones you grind to shape, COST,,, and those are the cheap tools,,, A dividing head is gonna cost you half the price of that lathe, EASY, and if you go for top of the line name brand stuff, DOUBLE the cost of the lathe.)(and thats what I liked about Daves book, linked above. He was a broke blue collar dude much like myself, and documented MAKING all of those tools he couldn’t afford. (pre-internet days) including dividing heads and other things, but especially showing the VALUE of ‘turning between centers’, like they did before we got spoiled by three jaw chucks and collets.)
“A lathe is the only tool in the shop that makes itself.” Once the bed and ways are set, the machine literally builds itself, and the more you use its bed for that, the more accurate it will be.
But I’m drifting away from what I came here to write about. Things in the world are shifting. and the stories we are being fed only have the barest of truth in them. So much NOT being said going on, and when you start to listen to the silence, things start making a little more sense. Like the fact that our FedGOV has essentially tossed ROL onto the dustbin (International rules that is,,, they are still of the “rules for thee, not for me” mindset,,,, coff, Epstein files, coff coff)
Listen to the silence,,, think!
And on that note,,, back to the J.O.B. tomorrow,,,, half day, gotta take da to the Ortho Clinic, fingers crossed that this isn’t just another fools errand, that they actually start some sort of treatment protocol,,,
Y’all take care,,,love ya!
LLLLL!
(, ‘)
Gotta watch those ‘in the cups’ posts,,,,
Man was I dragged down into the depths yesterday. I won’t say I wasn’t feelin’ weights, because the gist of that post implicates MANY weights on me, and there are more than just those I talk about here, though Sometimes,,, A brief mention may be made and left alone.
The whole thing with Premonitions about Bloo,,,, that one,, Seems like everything I am doing to progress a self-business is getting hammered with trials and tribs,,, And I ain’t gonna let them get me railroaded off. I may adapt ‘the business model’, but Going Solo IS the end goal, what method that takes is wide the F! open: as many paths as I have skills, and then some if you consider the option of “combined efforts” of skills. I have a hella reputation here in the locallocallocal for being the “goto” guy for many things, and I won’t sugar coat things,,, if something needs round-filed or whatever, I will tell them. Turned down a job or three because the product in question was so far over the rainbow, nothing was going to recover it short of a time machine AND hitting the PowerBall,,,
So whats goin’ on with Bloo,,,, I have no frellin’ idea at present. Rule one in diag: “what was messed with last?” Usually there is something undone, messed up, or ‘missed’ from recent works, that can cause things to not be ‘just right’,
What did I just do on BLoo? Valve stem seals. Like Fred said, I may have F!ed one up,,, OR, one popped loose and is riding the stem, not sealing SHIT,,,, Or a multiple of that,, Then, toss in that I have done pretty much everything you can do on this block without removing the heads,,,, Could be a headgasket, though I doubt that, but could be that intake manifold gasket, Brand stinkin’ new, so I am not pointing at that, but its not off the table either. PCV and breather tube are already ruled out, were ruled out yesterday because that was the FIRST thing I checked,,,, Simple checks,,, can you blow though them? yup…
Easiest check I can do is to pull the valve covers again, use my camera to look between the springs and eyeball those seals. And thats this weekend. From there,,, will see. It may be obvious, it may not be. But, start with the easy stuff first, get complicated later as needed.
STILL, plan is: Drive infrequent, more so she doesn’t just ‘sit’, pay the damnedable bills I created, and GET A NEW BLOCK (or even used block of known condition.) at some future point. I am very much distrusting of this block at this point. My work besides the point, this block has shown its prior abuse levels and I just do not trust it.
BUT,,, I had a full day at the J.O.B. will again tomorrow,,, half day on Wednesday (Da/Doc appt) but looks like the remainder of the week will be full. Really big dog Kennel job we picked up (and I believe they only accept these to keep me properly busy,.) Sure coulda used this last week, but here we are: Not gonna whine about it, just grab it and run with it.. Fact being, I am more likely to run out of pipe for fabrication before I run out of fabrication to do. Hoping we have a delivery mid-week as my stocks are dwindling fast on this build. (Its really big! 4-5 stall units, 20′ wide 6′ deep, 6′ tall. LOTS of pipe involved.)
I’m blabberin,,,, Nothing has changed, but I did get a little venting out by getting into my cups yesterday. Frustrations don’t end just ‘cuz I gotta buzz on, but I did get a moment to unwind from them and look at things a little less intensely. Too easy to get so focused you miss something, and usually something important. (and could be some of that in Bloo right now,,, something so damned obvious, I keep missing it. because I am so focused on WHAT she is intended for.)
y’all take care out there,,, Gonna be a busy week on this end, but better that than NOT busy and strugglin’.
Love ya
LLLLL!
(, ‘)
Bear with me as the signal clears,,,
Yes, I’ve beena drinkin,,,,
Seems I may have spoke prematurely,,,
Took Bloo out for a spin, a quick drink run to the store; something other than coffee and water,,, Not alky-haul, not in the budget for ‘extra’ past whats on the shelf at home currently (yes, that means I was goin’ for a “pop”,,, down to only a few a week, not the 12 pack every other day that I had been,,,)
I’m not a happy camper at this stage. All during the last couple of weeks, dealing with the valve seals, I figured I had this licked,,,
Doing the running adjustments, Figured I had this licked,,,
Running to the store, she started SPEWING WHITE SMOKE out the arse end,,, Left a frellin’ vapor trail for 2 miles to the store,,, didn’t not diminish the return trip. Fact (more like empirical observation on my part) seems like it got WORSE,,, Underneath, much dryer than she had been. That cooler line (nad its just the one) was wet, with some blow back from that, but nowhere near enough to leave a frellin’ vapor trail like she did.
I came home, parked the Bloo, and sat on a cinder block and cried,,, Then I busted open a bottle. I love this truck, but its pretty obvious, the former abuse has killed this engine,,,, It matters not what I do, she wants to die and stay dead,,,,,
She’s parked back in her spot under the carport, nearest the house, facing outbound. Half under, half exposed. Tool boxes out, cab and hood under.
What now?
New block (or at least new to me,,, I can deal with Used so long as it ain’t abused,,,) I’m done fuckin around here. This particular block WANTS to die. The rest of the truck is being copasetic as hell about ‘hey, we’z runnin’gain!’ This block,
jeez
this block,,,, I’m done. I ain’t even gonna order parts for it until I know I have another block in hand, or on way.
And pay off bills. LOTS of bills that need paid down/off before that ‘new Block’ can become a reality. LOTS going on in my world PAST a simple little Bloo Twuck as well. I haven’t the patience for ALL OF IT at once,,,, BLOO SITS!!! And I may even put blocks under hard points to keep those tires from getting flat spots ($2000 worth of rubber,,, Yeah,,, I have no desire to see those do bad things due to time.)
And part of me, (granted, intoxicated brainium here bear with me,,,) is saying ‘maybe this mobile mech thing ain’t what Universe wants of you?”
and there is a valid point there,,, I have WAY more skills than just wrenching, and the way things are goin’ with Bloo, I have some doubts of my skills there,,, Not gonna write the whole thing off: Hell NO!, too invested in it, But that does NOT mean it has to be the ‘bread and butter’ side of things.
FACT: some of the things happening on this side of the screen, stuff that I have not devolved in these screeds (privacy stuff,, deal) I have been getting Nudges towards,,,, Maybe I should say BACK TOWARDS Wild ass fabrications and whatever keeps the income flowing,,, Be that wrenching on a POS FOad! today,, or custom building a Double Drive gate for some rich toady that thinks he’s special, or Making a steam engine in my shop (follow along, I know I don’t have said shop YET!) for some Prepper that wants one, has the skills for a boiler, but not the machine,,,, (I won’t build a boiler, there are better ways of getting superheated steam without creating a bomb in your basement.)
Don’t know if ya recall, I said I had some premonitions about Bloo, and with the extending list of issues, those premonitions are bearing fruit. I KNOW a new(er) block will END this Fuckedness,,, But I have literally tapped out my credit getting to this point and STILL this block wants to die. (Yes, I know, I shoulda listened to saner heads and just did the block from the get-go. I would be in much better financial shape: that I am certain of, NOW,,,, Live and learn)(and this lesson will NOT be forgotten,,, In fact, I am already incorporating it into my ‘business’ and told one person, “don’t bother, get a block, pay once, cry once.”,,,,,,)
NOT A BLEG,,, I’m doing ‘ok’. (thanks in no small part to Mike in FLA,,, thanks again Mike,,, Was NOT expected in any way..)
Bills ARE getting paid, even if not as well as I would desire,,, that will change with the warmer months and more production at the J.O.B. Nothing going to collections,, thats a bonus. Even with needing to take time for the Da, I am doing alright.
As for “shop”,,,, Da is selling his place, and I believe I mentioned that once or twice. Well,, Some of my stuff ‘resides’ at Da’s place as his is climate controlled and lots of floor space in the basement. Machine tools,,, 3n1 chineesium lathe mill, an old PorterCable Drill press, Porter cable table saw, my foundry stuff (thats outside, and shoulda been moved years back,,,) Da KNOWS I have no desire to lose that gear,, Made offer to put a ‘shop’ on my place to move it to “Once the house sells” I’m gonna not look this gift horse in the mouth. No way,,, take it and smile and MAKE IT WORK OUT. May not be “prime real-estate” for my dreams, but here I stand, I can do no other.
And if that stuff is close by, I can make it work. I would much prefer a “Real” engine lathe, but thats one of those things that can be pickedup later,,,, I still kick myself for letting my Bend go,,, I know she is in a good home now, and hopefully being used. Oh,, And she turns 100 this year in September,,,, Go Gurl!!! She was still cutting a 12″ pass with less than.004″ taper when I sold her. there are modern machines that call that GOLD,,, She called it a standard!
Bloo sits, Buffalo up! Ol’ reliable remains the steady ticket in my world. At least I managed to get her alignment done this weekend.
And i spend the next few weeks getting in touch with Nudge to find out WTELF she intends for me, for the rest of my days,,,, Because my ideas are getting shot in the foot left and right,,,,
Bloo-ie UP!
Seals in, no leaky leaky from there,,, I am getting a slight drip from the cooler lines, Hadn’t seen it earlier (thought it was blown there) but while under her looking at the seal, had a drop hit right between me eyes,,,
Not a big deal, Bloo isn’t going to be driven a whole lot and the cooler lines are fairly inexpensive. Will have to wait until such time as I get a full frellin’ week in at the J.O.B. hence, She doesn’t get drove much. (and I’m gonna hang on to the old ones,,, there are places around here that rebuild hydrualic lines, Gonna see about getting them rebuilt as back up.)
BUT, she is UP’N’RUNNIN’! No rickety-tickety valves/lifters, front seal is solid again, and me fingers is crossed that this is it for a spell. (other than the cooler lines I mentioned: thats an easy 20 minute swap out when in hand.)
Weather is FREAKIN’ AWESOME right now. Sitting at 75F outside right now. Has the house open to let the air flow through (will need to close up come 5ish, gonna cool off out there,) And I can FEEL Spring in the air. This is not gonna last, but it tells me that the next couple of cold snaps are gonna be weak and short, with a possible one that drops through the basement into single digits for a day. I can only hope its not the weekend I am camping LOL.(this usually happens right after the Bradfford Pear trees bloom out.)
But right now, the Tiger Lillies are busting out thier colors all over the place. Seeing some trees starting to bud up and its a month early. I trust thier cycles far more than the weather liars,,, They are more ‘grounded’ in nature than some dood at a computer console looking at computer models,,,,
Talkin’bout campin’. Eldest sis is gonna be in town to take care of Da around the same time. I can relax then, really relax, knowing that there is SOMEONE here in my stead, not hopin’ Da’s sis can hold the fort down. Already packin’ for the trip: Fletched out another ha’dozen shafts for target funs Gonna take a couple of stick throwers for us to “Zen Out” with. Between the other ‘events’ we planned, like drinking, eatin’ drinkin’ boochittin”, drinkin’,,,,, Did I mention some drinkin’? Yeah, that too.
Anywuzerbangers,,, its NICE out, and I need to be out in it,,, y’all take care, have some memes, and Love ya all!
LLLLL!
(, ‘)
Satyrday wowsers and relaxin’
Whuz a Dio do to relax?
He works on shit,,,, Or kayakz but waters still way tooooookkkoooooollddddd fer that’un.
I did the idler arm on Buffalo today, have new pitman arm to install, but didn’t see need. Thank goodness: that thing is in a seriously jammed tight, ain’t gettin’ at nuthin easy, gotta take it damned near OUT of the vehicle to get the main nut and use the pitman arm puller,,,. Very intimidating project,,, But once the new Idler arm was in place, things went from loosey-goosey to STIFF!!!,,,, COOL!!!! Didn’t wanna do that arm anyways,,,,
Alignment,,, Went WAY smooth,,, was even able to do a caster sweep with the end result right at 0, where it belongs. Both front tires were positive cambered, but I knew that,
not so much now. Negative 1 degree per and a zero sweep, doesn’t pull at all, and steers like she should, without trying to jerk the wheel out of my hands when crossing road gaps.
And I did some work on Bloo too! Pulled that harmonic and looked at the old seal. Wasn’t the outer ring leaking, it was definitely the seal, Pull it out, and install new, that really does feel tighter on the shaft than the one I just pulled. Letting the RTV around the outer ring cure up overnight before I do anymore under that hood. Tomorrow, no rush,,,
Spent a bit with Da today too. Has some work that needs done towards his ‘house sellin’ plans’ Unfortunately, it must be doen snail mail,,, no other way to contact the owner of the property he is eyeballin’.
that means I need to figure out what my printer needs. My handwriting has gone down hill over the last few years with my increased level of typing (and old age,,,)
sigh,,,
Or I just pay a buck at the library and let them print it out on theres,,,, Sure seems a lot less headachy that way (and tha’s whuts eyez gonna do!)
It’s been quite the relaxin’ sorta day! And SPRING weather to boot!!!
More laters,,, domestics tomorrow and more Bloo funs afterfact,,,
LLLLL!
(, ‘)
Dio's Workshop 