I don’t like mowing when the sun is high in the sky.  Its 5pm now and the sun is still ‘too high’ for my liking.   Mostly, I don’t wanna get burned up by it while I am busting my hump ‘for free’: no income for this crap, just home duties that we all take on.

Picked up a couple gallons for the ‘stash’ to feed the beast so should get through a couple of months before that needs replinished.   She gets thirtsty, but we don’t do this all that often.   I spend more on the ‘beer thirty’ stuff than the gas anymore; even with gas being $3.25/gallon.

Trying to have positive thoughts on ‘mota-sickles’ as they are called around here.   Gotta watch it while driving too: I already rubberneck vehicles carrying kayaks, and now I am rubbernecking the two-wheelers again.  ( I think I always have, just noticed it again today.)   Too many distractions, right?    But yah, that urge for speed, wind, and sounds is calling me again.  The sirens song of open pipes on a v-twin: so much different from a vertical twin or inline four,,,,(I’ve had those too.  Did a LOT of riding back in my post Marine days.   Killed a few bikes learning the hard way.)

More akin to my internal frequencies I think.  

Kayak race this Satyrday.  Start line time for my bracket is 10am.  My bracket this year is “Seniors”,,, ROFLMAO,,,,   55+ and I just made the grade.   Probably gonna get my butt stomped by some 70yo retiree that has oodles of time to play and stay in shape.  ‘S’all good,,,  Won’t be the first time.   Not like I am in it for the win: just wanna get out and have some fun and meet people that like the same things, even if they are hard lefties (usually, go figure)  We at least have the common ground of ‘Kayak’, and can use that.    No need for political drama when you are discussing hull shape advantages or the finer art of Greenland paddles; both in use and making of.  Just as long as they leave the “better than thou” at home.   Had one of those at a race and they made quick enemies all around.  Doesn’t matter if I am paddling a couple hundred dollar used boat and they are in some 8grand speedster, as long as they don’t act ‘I’m all above that’, look down the nose, snootish snob.  We both still have to sit to shit, and shit doesn’t smell like roses, no matter how much more you are worth.

And while I am not in it ‘for the win’, I do intend on doing a might bit better than I did last year.   I took 7 of 9 last year.  I would prefer to be at least in the top half this year.  And I am taking Lyssa for her speed factor.   BlueJean is just drag-assed enough that I would be harder pressed to make that happen.   I had considered taking NORDKAPP, but she isn’t ready yet.  still has this gaping hole in top and I put her up so that I could concentrate on getting Selkie done up for Brudda B.  (Which is progressing nicely now that the weather is a bit more considerate for outside work with epoxies and glues. I hope to be able to deliver her when we first go camping this year.)

Ok, its getting on that time where I need to fire up the whirling guillotine of weed death.  

And mamakat wants foodies,,,,   gluttonous feline,,,,

more laters, keep on livin’

Imaginative people come up with some pretty amazing things: you only need read fiction/spec fic/Sci-fi/Fantasy to understand that,,,,

BUT, the subconcious is a POWERFUL thing as an imaginative engine.   Woke this morning with a word in the forebrain, seemed damned important so I started doing some  internet digs to see what/where/when/how/why,,,,

nothin’     ‘term not found’  

just some nonsense word my brainium came up with and attached some ideas to, nothing of relevence to reality.

It really seemed important like something I was missing and needed to delve deeper into but alas, nothing at all.

I went ahead and wrote down everything I could recall about the word and how it hit me: lucid moments tend to be quite fleeting, and will vaporize in the ‘light’ of living things if not recorded.   (even written down, they get pretty fuzzy)    I don’t expect to find anything, but hey, what I have could be incorporated into some peice of fiction later on, no?   Like it being the name of some nefarious group involved in high crimes against humanity or som0ething equally “Cliché” .

Grizzy ‘woke’ me early,,, I guess he heard me tossing a bit as I was slowly coming to.  Thankfully he waited until I was laying there looking at the ceiling thinking ‘ I need to write this down ASAP’ ,,,  otherwise things would have poofed off back into the void where these things come from. 

most of the time.    I have been having some lucid dreams that don’t vaporize on waking, SOLID dreams if thats a concept you can understand,,,  

Riding,,,

Not kayaking, (thats a fairly new obsession for this getting long in tooth curmudgeon) but riding motorbikes down backroads, the wind in the ears, the rumble of a v-twin, the leans in turns,,,,   That power band when hitting the straights, rocketing forward down the road,,,,,   (I don’t like Harley’s.  Had one, hated it,,, My babies were Viragos, and despite the actual meaning of that name, were wonderful to me.)

sigh,,,

I wanna say its my hind brain playing ‘lets escape this nightmare’: its been quite a few years since I played with iron horses, but the freedom they represent never really leaves you does it?  I think that is whats really going on here. 

Short of some unexpected windfall (which would be needed elseways) a bike isn’t going to happen.    I have been tossing how it being a second vehicle would be a good thing, but

kayaks

I just can not see using a bike to haul around 17′ long kayaks, even if I did come up with a decent trailer that a bike could haul.   Thats one long ass ‘train’ of trouble in a state where people don’t give  a damn and are looking for some ‘accident’ so they can sue your pants off. (and why insurance down here is THREE TIMES more expensive than up in SinSin-nasty)  No, a bike would be just like the kayaks, a toy to ease the burden of living, an escape from the muhndane of daily living, maybe the occasional run to the store for something small, but as a tool of ulitity,,, not so much,,,,

‘Sides, I need more toys like I need a lobotomy,, (my Ex-wife would have happily signed me up for such, but thats another story,,,,) 

But it sure does not quell the dreams,,, maybe my talking about it here WILL,,, the dreams leave me in a state of longing that can bring on depressions.  I have no need of THAT,, plenty enough depressing things in this world without adding to it.

but to share what I am dreaming (I can do that thanks to UToobies in this case.)

More laters,

keep on livin’

Apparently, my mule-ish lawnmower had caught a case of the cruds, pretty much like everyone else I know has done this year, so far.

Cleaned the carb, didn’t really see anything, (it only takes a speck of dirt to clog a jet) but went ahead and replaced what I could, where I could: new O-rings, new gasket at the aircleaner side (that works the priming pump,,, What a DUMB idea that,,,,) some fresh go-go juice and,,,,

Yard is half done at this stage.  I’ll pick up some more go-go juice on the way home and finish this mess for a week or two.   Mowing frequency depends on the rains of course.   We had some good rains and a sudden DRY cold snap and the trees and weeds went WHOOSH!!! with green and height.  

Glad as heck I am not commiting to buying a new mower; at least, not yet.  On the look out for a deal currently, cause this’un has more than a few seasons under her several times replaced blades, bandaids, duct-tape repairs and gasoline washed air-cleaner (No, Sears and now Lowes does NOT carry the aircleaner for this thing anymore,,,,   Yes, she is THAT old,,,,)  Even the present blades are a jury rigged aftermarket set I bought at TSC because no one carry’s the right ones anylonger.  Strange coupling setup is the problem there,,,  Had to do some drilling and hammer to fit last time I replaced the blades.

so, yeah, looking for a deal somewhere in the future,,, Hopefully, no more cruds and we get through another season without TOO many issues,,,,(she’s old, I expect her to be stubborn and finicky. Like the fact that she will NOT start if the temps are below 60,,,,  Unless she has spent the afternoon sitting out getting a suntan,,,)

It’s beer thirty now,,,   Job halfway done, but thats plenty for one evening.  No rush so long as its done before the weekend so I don’t have to sacrifice ME TIME for it.   Week days are for workin’, weekends are for FUN.

Keep on livin’

Full set of hours today at the J.O.B.: setting poles for a pretty big job, punching holes in the ground for them, etc etc,,,

Then get home kinda late after droppin’ the Burnout off.

And start mucking with carburator for my wayward Mule of a Mower,,,

and now

i’s dark,,,   dunno if what I did is gonna work or not: just pulled it apart and cleaned it with some carb cleaner, but had to replace some o-rings that were rather ate up from gas-a-hol,,,  That took more time than anything else.  I have a mess of O-rings from days gone by, working on AC systems, and other things,,,   Finding the right size was the trick.

fuggit, can wait till tomorrow.   beat tired and grumpy

And it looks like WRSA is down again,,,   I probably won’t feel an attack like that since I have so few readers and don’t hammer the issues at the same rate or intensity,

But who knows,,, they are getting damned desperate for something, anything and SILENCING DISSENT of any nature or volume is their only tactic left.  The WEF even stated as much at thier last meeting,,,, 

Not eating popcorn watching the decline, but I am doing the watching,,,,  Too much to do in the meantime,,,

I’ll be back tomorrow with more, may be late again if that mower runs right.  I have a lot of grass (weeds!!! get it right Dio) that need a haircut,,, 

Here’s my problem,

I fight a war with grass (weeds really) every year, (every homeowner knows this war, right?)

but thats not the real problem; that real problem is I have been doing so with a lawn mower that is 20 years old.    One made by Craftsman, that is no longer making that model and there are ZERO parts available for it now.   I have been keeping it together with a shoestring and composite resins,,,   Literally in the last item: the intake manifold is this cheesy peice of plastic tubing that has a bend on one end where it goes into the engine.  It cracked a couple years back and was sucking air but no fuel.  I found the problem, found I could NOT get parts for it, and figured, “alright McGuyver, you got this, make it work”.   And I did.   Well, long story short, its that time of year again and here we go with me trying to yank start an engine that is fickle on its best days and down right muleish on its worst (today being ‘worst’)    This old shoulder doesn’t wanna, if you get my meaning,,,,  Old girl has mown untold acres of grass, shaved a few rocks flat, and has seen better days, and I don’t know that fiddlin’ with her is worth it much anymore,,,,

SO,,,, Looking around the webs, making some inquiries local,,, Looks like I am going to be coughing up a bit of cash for new, or used, and there isn’t much difference in price in either case.  

Where my sign of the times post comes in is here: Do I really want to make the investment of buying a new mower, on credit with 0% interest over 6 months,,,,

When we don’t even know if the world is going to hold together that long: IE, is there going to be work to be had to make the FRN’s to pay that debt back?

Gee,,, Wish the asshats in the Swamp were forced to account for things in the same way,,,,  Naw, they just print what they want and WE pay it back,,,,   Must be nice having a blank check whenever you feel like padding your wallet with someone elses money,,,,,Fuckin’ thieves, one and all,,,,,

Haven’t made up my mind if I wanna play the McGuyver role again and pull things apart and bandaid whatever I find. (and it will be bandaid.  new engines are MORE expensive than a complete mower,,,,) OR, bite the bullet and hope shit holds together long enough,,,, 

or bite the bullet and if things go south, fly the finger at all creditors and ride the shitty credit rating thing,,,,   Not my style, really not my style and would eat at me,,,, so really not ‘an option’,,,,

I have been playing with pullin’ old girl apart and using the current intake manifold as a pattern to cast new, or find some aluminum tubing and fabricating a new, PROPER intake,,,  Time space and money thing there; that holey trinity we all face when things aren’t ‘just right’.  

and if I do that, welp! the weeds will get taller and taller for a spell.  And they aren’t exactly short right now,,, We’ve been having weather that fits their needs quite well and they are gunning for the sun.   You can almost hear them growing out there.

and right now, I don’t even know that that, is the problem,,, could be a crapped out carb, or coil taking a crap, or, or, or,,,,   Ran good just a week ago.  Now???

grrk,,,, wallet or grubby fingers????   sigh

frillin’ weeds,,,, stoopid mower,,,,,  

((updated:: pulled it apart, intake fine, no fuel getting to engine.  Runs like a scalded dog if I shoot fuel down the intake.  Bad Carb,,,   Gonna see what I can do to clean/fix that before I go dumpin’ mad money into new.))

No way back,,,

That was the thoughts that went through my head after reading that the darlings in the swamp just gave away another ‘aid package’ to the Cartel running the shit-show.   Ukraine, Isreal, Hamas, and Taiwan will all benefit, the Xi-den cartel and other unknowns in the swamp will get kick-backs and line their nests a little tighter, and the dance continues apace with no change in the foreseeable future.

November is still half a year away (ever noted that Tax season is exactly half way between selections dates?   That is calculated to insulate them with our short attention spans.   I think Selection cycle day should be the day AFTER you file your taxes, so more people can recall exactly how much the fuckers stole, and vote accordingly,,,, Ain’t never gonna happen though, that’s counter productive for those chasing power over others,,,,)

Tar, feather pillows, and split-rail fencing,,, not usually fatal*, but sends a quite clear message to those that need it. 

Not that they are listening now,,,  It’s farily obvious there is only one intent now: destroy it all.   Is that so ‘they’ can build back something ‘in their image/imagination’?   Lord above, they can’t build ANYTHING,   I would bet they couldn’t figure out how to make a refrigerator box work as shelter.

———————————————–

Yesterday was kayak-y day.   Ground and Center.   Loaded Lyssa into the water, tossed in some small stuff and headed out across the lake to the island (which is now truly an island since the connecting ridge is back underwater.)   Park my butt on the shore there, as far from people as I can get for the time being, and did some thinks,,, and I think much better doing little productive things, so my hands were busy.   (apologies for no pics,,, I left the phone in Buffalo INTENTIONALLY)  I built a lean-to shelter, and gathered rocks for a make-shift fireplace/chimney to heat the shelter with.   Nice tool to have here; a no-bullshit tool.  Good saw action, the handle on the axe is long enough for serious swings, not just kindling work. and the whole is sharp enough from the factory to do surgery.  I did all of this with what was on hand, using the tools I brought,, that axe, my Mora+ and what was around me. This is a nice addition, though I didn’t use it this time.  Cording was pine roots scraped clean, and the roof was made with a layer of windfallen limbs, covered in leaves, then another layer of limbs to hold it all in place.   The only real downside to using leaves as insulation is ticks.  If in a place with lots of wildlife, the leaves will have mites (we call ’em turkey mites, but they are ticks)  so you need to check yourself frequently for being host to trouble.   The mites may be as small as a grain of pepper and hard to see in low light, but they leave a welt bigger than a mosquito bite and it lingers for weeks.   Too many of those and your are likely to be in trouble of another sort.  Build your shelter, then build a smouldering fire inside it and smoke the little bastards out,,, may have to do this once a week or so,,,

The little fireplace chimney thing,,, I usually ‘cement’ the rocks with mud or dirt, but this time, I just carefully stacked them,,,  Didn’t want to make anything too permanent.  Done right though, you won’t get mad smoke in your eyes, and the fire burns hot and the heat is directed into your shelter, not broadcast to the world.  More efficient, smaller fires needed, less wood to scrounge up.  In the summer (like we are headed into,) I would make a dakota fire hole for cooking: even more efficient and stealthy, but really only good for cooking, not heating.

As seen from the water, you wouldn’t know there was a camp there unless I had a fire going and only some blueish clear smoke to show for it, which disperse quickly.   The lean-to faces away from the water and wind, and the fireplace is on the inland side so light would be mostly blocked by the lean-to.   Stealth camp!   Except for hiding that big honking red and white kayak,,,,,  LOL  

Why was I doing this?    Why not,,, it kept my hands busy as I was thinking, practicing some skills I have, testing a new to me tool, and gave me peace of  mind that “yes, if shit gets TOO heavy, I am fully capable,,,,”  I know this, but I still like to put things to practice and keep the edge honed.   Seriously, I should be able to do my survival thing with not much more than a knife, and everything else I can carry, is a luxury item to me.

—————————————————–

The thinks I had:  This country is pretty much dead in the grand scheme of things.   Not the idea of the country, that is alive in well in at least half of the people, but the problem with that being; Not everyone will agree on what that idea is.   We are spiritually divided in many ways, and those divisions were INDUCED over many years by public indoctrination and media.   I can’t say for most, but I, personally, do not judge by color or sex, but I most definitely judge by words and deeds.   And I hold grudges,,, Thats my biggest failing: grudges.   I may forgive, but I never forget, and that colors my future actions when dealilng with those that have wronged me in some way.   I guess you can say my forgiveness is shallow in that sense: I forgive enough to not want to remove the offender from sucking O2, but not enough in other ways.  Not very Christian of me I guess, but then, I have never claimed being much of a Christian either.  Solid ethos of such, but not the belief in other ways (as documented here,,,,)

Well, that ‘holdin’ grudges’ thing was what I did most of my thinking on.  There are names and actions from the last 4  years of people in high places that need held accountable for high crimes and treasons, but I know that such will never happen.   Especially on current course and speed.   They are too well insulated from the likes of me.   NOW, if things were to fail, fall apart to third world status in a fast way, and such did not catch that plane off to their private islands,,, there are a lot of people, just like me, that would be more than happy to extract a certain amount of ‘payback’.   But we will never hear about it if that situation were to take place, because the information flows we have grown accustomed, will be gone.   We will never know unless we were the doers of the deed,,,,

Shoot

Shovel

Shut the fuck up!

Nope, no one will ever know what happened, who paid the piper for ill-intent and actions, or who extracted the payment from them.  

So I live and let live, knowing that there are things in this world that I can never know.   All I can deal with is what I hold, and can see with my own eyes.     My thinks are right back in line with “work on yourself, your preps, your skills, and when it all comes down (and it will),,,

Semper Gumby

keep on livin’

* the hot tar can remove quite a bit of skin and the after infections are what can kill.   so yes, there were situations where the tarred and feathered didn’t weather the message well.   TBH, with some of the crimes our current ‘tards are guilty of, maybe that long lingering death of massive infections seems more fitting then the sudden jerk and stop to dance Danny Deavers,,,,

+ I prefer carbon steel Blades: that said, the Sandvik stainless has proven to be quite durable and will hold an edge very well.  Even holding an edge when up against bone, not rolling the edge like 440 or the like.   You won’t be dissappointed with the Swedish stainless blades.

ps: Links above are Associate links, I do get a little kickback on them.  

I try to be an optimist, in most things:  obviously there are some things where you can’t, usually individuals of some nature,,,

But in the Grand Scheme, I do try to see the silver linings.

been a might dark out there of late

But I am starting to see some things coming out, in strange places and not so obvious.

Like this crap with P-diddy,,,,    Elizebeth  has this to say and while in some ways seems more emotional, there are facts listed as well.   ME, being the INTJ, don’t really like emotional outbursts: I feel like I’ve been vomited on when someone does an emotional dump.  I can take it, but man, five showers later, I still feel ‘icky’,,,   Give me rational discussion and debate any day,,,   (note: about the only time I can handle emotional dumps is when mildly intoxicated,,,  It allows me the barrier breakdown I need to let the empathy work.   Still feel icky, but can handle it better.  Conversely, I can ‘unload personally’ when in my cups,,,  reat of the time, I tend to be the Stoic,,, keep it tight to the chest and bear that cross.  Which is why I write; I can unload without feeling like I am burdening anyone: don’t wanna deal with it, don’t read it.)

The things I am starting to see leaking around the barriers of MSM/Corporate controls, is REALITY: as in, people are well and sick of the bullshit being sold to them.  There is a “coming to the light” trickling out, and some are finding it in religious searches, others, like me, are finding it by looking for ‘evidence’, but the general vibe I am picking up (especially among the younger sources on the net) is one of ‘We know they are lying, now WHAT IS REAL? and how do I get my paws on it?” 

Everything is becoming more and more decentralized and more and more are finding strength from within, not from without, in false Celebs and Hollowed shells of “leaders”.      And I seriously think this is a symptom induced by the lockdowns of just a couple years back.   People were forced apart and found out “hey, I am stronger than I thought, I don’t need J-lo to tell me I am”   The props of the theater are showing how they are made of cardboard and glitter and the people are finding  themselves again.  

God I sure hope so,,,  

But with that said, ‘No man is an island’,,,    We are social creatures, we just need to make sure that we build our own structures, and not rely on shambolic facsimiles built by geeks without a social clue and more than a fair amount of greed.

Today is one of paradox:   I want to go kayaking, but I want people time as well.  not people/work time, but people/no destinations time.    Felt that urge when Mamakat came in earlier and enforced her ‘PET ME!’ and I realized I just wanted to see a face that wasn’t masked completely in fur.  I love the little fur monsters, but mreowr, trills and blerts do NOT make for human conversation,,,,   So I am going to go to the lake, just because,,,   May get some kayaking in (WILL) and hope I bump into some peeps.  Happens sometimes,  usually in warmer weather than we have today (lo 60’s today and breezy,,,) but,,,, don’t go, no meets possible.  gotta buy the ticket to ride,,,,

Time to turn off the data, limit the phone to text or calls ONLY, get my head in the sun, butt in a boat, and paws holding paddle and getting wet; no destination, just get moving and zero the dials again.