Day 2258

 I woke up a little after 8 and played games for a while.  There was a thunderstorm last night and it was still raining.  I got up to feed the cats and there was a squirrel on the bird feeder.  I got him.  The first in a long time.  I fed the cats and then had breakfast.

The rain interrupted the gravel plans.  We went on errands instead - central market, Rudy's (I'm tired of cold cuts), the post office, and HEB.  HEB was out of pop and my mojito drinks and almost out of orange juice.  Fuck Biden.

When we got home I decided to rebuild the truck's differentials.  I put lithium grease in them instead of the diff grease.  I took apart the back axle.  That was easy.  Cleaning all the lithium grease off the gears was not.  I put everything back together, but couldn't get it in the axle.  After a lot of messing around (literally, grease all over) I noticed that the diff wasn't turning.  I took the diff apart again.  I'm not sure what the problem was, but it worked when I reassembled it.  After that putting everything back together was relatively painless.

The effort had turned into a large pain in the ass, so I didn't want to do the front.  I put everything away and surfed for a while.  I decided I wanted an upgraded radio.  I got a return for the one I ordered and spent a lot of time looking at videos about radios.  There are two candidates, with different strengths and weaknesses.  I decided on one.  That lead to an Amazon shopping session.

Somewhere along the line I decided to upgrade the RC truck I built back in 1989.  I decided to upgrade it's electronics and motors.  More Amazon shopping.  I actually found the specs for the original motors.  The web is a wonderful place.  I may end up modifying it with two steering servos instead of one.  This whole thing will cost money, but less than buying another kit (I hope).

All of that took until 11:30.  Time to go to bed.

Day 2257

 I woke up at 8 and played some games before getting up for pet stuff and breakfast.  After that I went out to the garage and set up the airbrush painting stuff for Ellen.  I also moved the new rope light on the gate so it didn't shine so much light out into the street.

Ellen was busy constructing a decal for the Ryft.  Apparently it wasn't easy, she took hours.  I did some surfing and looked for a couple of things for the Ryft.  I want it to have some sort of roof like the racers on TV have.  I wanted to find the cheapest thing that would work.

About noon I asked Ellen to put aside the decal work and get to painting.  there's only a couple of warm days and she wants to paint in the garage.  She ate lunch and went outside.  I helped her a little bit and then went back for lunch.

I surfed while she painted.  I finally found what I wanted.  I didn't have a mounting system though.  I decided to watch football instead.  They were both good games.

Ellen came back from painting.  The truck looks good, but the paint is translucent.  Either it needs more coats, or it needs to be backed by white.  I continued to watch football and she worked on the decal.  Eventually she got it done.  It looks really good.

Ellen fixed sloppy joes for dinner.  I watched until the games were over.  Then I watched an old Clint Eastwood movie.

Tomorrow I plan on starting my exercise program - moving gravel.  It may rain though.

Day 2256

 I woke up at 8 and for the first time in a long time played games until 9.  Then it was pet stuff and breakfast.

After breakfast I decided to work on the Ryft.  My initial idea was to take apart the transmission to see if I wanted to modify the shifter like the internet said.  When I looked at the instructions it looked like I'd missed a part on the outside of the transmission.  I spent a lot of time looking for it with no luck.  I did find some differential parts that I though I'd left out.

I took the back differential apart.  It was put together correctly, but I hadn't put in enough grease.  The parts I'd found were extra.  I put in more grease, then I took apart the front and put more grease in it.  After that I was back to looking for the "missing" parts.  That's when I read that note in the instructions that said they weren't necessary if the transmission is a two speed.

After hours I finally took the transmission apart.  I messed with it for quite a while learning how the shifter worked.  I finally decided no to leave out the guide rod like the internet said to.  Instead I polished it with Flitz.  We'll see if I was right.

By then it was time for lunch.  An Amazon package came with the front light I'd purchased.  I can't install it until late in the build.  I decided to build up the frame instead.  I had fun doing that, and the process was pain free.  I had to stop with it almost finished because other assemblies have to be constructed.  I really do like how the color came out though.

By then I was tired of the Ryft.  I spent the time until dinner watching videos.  Dinner was leftovers.

After dinner I did a little more surfing.  Then we sat down to watch Boba Fett.  It's getting much better.  Boba wasn't in thie episode.  The Mandalorian was instead.  Apparently they will have baby Yoda in the next one.  I hope they forget Boba for the rest of the series.  He's a boring wimp.

After Boba we watched rock bouncer videos for the rest of the evening.

Day 2255

 I got up a little after 8, did the pet stuff, and ate breakfast.  The I started to gathering all of the stuff necessary to dye the Ryft frame.  I got a couple of moving blankets from the garage and sped them out on the kitchen floor.  Then I got the aluminum pot, utensils, and pots for the stove.  Finally, I waited until Ellen got up to help me.

Eventually she did.  We spent quite a while boiling water and putting it in the aluminum pot.  When it was finally filled we dumped in the dye and then put in the Ryft parts.   At first we looked at the parts every 5 minutes.  They got progressively darker, but not quickly.  After about half an hour of this we went to longer intervals.  All total I think the parts were in the pot for about 6 hours.  That was probably overkill.

I spent the time while the parts were soaking surfing.  Ellen made painting stencils and then watched chick flicks.  We took the parts out about 5.  They look pretty good.  I put everything away while the parts dried.  Ellen was a lot of help through the entire process.

Dinner was stirfry.  I continued to surf afterwards and Ellen continued on the chick clicks.

I'll probably do some of the Ryft chassis assembly tomorrow.  Maybe I'll tackle the transmission.  I can't finish the motor install until some more parts come.

Day 2254

 I woke up at 8, did the pet stuff and had breakfast.  Then it was about an hour of surfing befoe it was time to go to the doctor.

I got there a little before 10.   I sat around for a while and then started there go from room to room getting tests routine.  Of course there was a wait between each room.  Eventually I got to see the doctor.  Apparently my eye is healing well, but it's not healed yet.  He says there's still a risk of complications.  He'll see me again in two weeks.  Unfortunately it sounds like I won't get the other eye done until next fall.

The whole thing took two hours.  Then we set off on errands.  We stopped at Central Market for bread and produce.  Then we went to Home Depot to get caulk and some metric nuts for the Ryft.  After that it was the post office followed by the Italian place for lunch.  The final stop was HEB for the things we couldn't buy at Central Market.  They were out of three things that I wanted.  Fuck Biden.

We got home about an hour before Ellen needed to leave.  She put away the groceries while I started to put the apartment furnishings back together.  I put the carpets in the bathroom and rearranged some of the furniture in the small bedroom.  Then Ellen came out and helped me move the rest of the stuff from the trailer to the apartment.  Finally she helped me move a table so I could spread out the carpet in the small bedroom.  That completes the work for the apartment.

After that Ellen went to the club.  I surfed.  I didn't feel like working on the Ryft transmission.

Dinner was a microwave thing.  After dinner was surfing and videos.

Day 2253

 I woke up at 8, did the pet stuff and had breakfast.  After a little bit of surfing I took out the garbage and put out the cans.  I stopped at the apartment to set up to attach the bead board.  I got all of the tools out and in place.  I also sealed the saw kerfs in the wall with duct tape.  Then I went back to the house and got Ellen to help.

It took a little effort, but we got the bead board in place on the wall.  I'm proud to say that it fit perfectly.  Unfortunately I did have the holes for the TP dispenser in the wrong place.  That was an easy fix though.  When the bead board was all installed it was obvious that we needed trim across the top of the wall and along the corner.

I started by fitting one piece of the live edge along the corner.  That involved sanding down portions of one edge until it was straight enough to fit against the wall.  That took some trial and error, with a lot of trips from the garage to the bathroom and back.  The result fit really well.  Then I sanded a notch in the top of the board to match up with the board along the ceiling.

It took a little more work with the sander to straighten the top of the ceiling board.  I also had to do a little more work on the corner board's notch.  While I was doing all of this sanding Ellen was caulking the right side of the bead board.  When she was done I did the top because she couldn't reach it.

The final step was to nail the two boards into place.  They fit really well and the result looks pretty good.  The only thing we might do is get another board and continue the corner trim all the way to the floor.  Right now it ends at the trip across the other wall.

I put all of the tools and stuff away while Ellen cleaned up the bathroom.  Then I swept up the garage.  We got that all done about 12:30.  We went back to the house and surfed for a little while.

A big box came from Amazon.  It had the stencil making machine for Ellen.  It also had the replacement rope light for the gate.  Half of the existing one had burned out.  I took it to the gate, removed the old light, and installed the new one.  That took awhile because of all the old cable ties that had to be cut and all of the new ones that had to be installed.

When that was done I started a marathon Ryft surf.  I watched videos, I looked for parts, and I finally found a forum discussing it.  The forum said that a couple of the parts withing the transmission needed to be modified.  I'm probably going to take my transmission apart and do the mod.

Ellen played with her stencil machine.  She redid several of the stencils on the truck body.  The new ones look really nice.

Dinner was a pizza.  The Ryft marathon lasted the rest of the night.

Day 2252

I got up at 8"30, did the et stuff and had breakfast.  After a little surfing both of us went to the apartment.  Ellen put another coat of paint on the bead board.  It worked on the safe.

I did a lot of careful measurements and finally attached the safe to the wall.  The safe instructions don't say how to change the combination.  They say "go to the web".  I went.  The instructions there didn't mention the lock I have.  I called there customer support.  Amazingly they answered immediately.  After a little back and forth they sent me the right instructions.

I went back out and changed the combination.  They way it is done doesn't make me feel real good about the security of the system.  It seems to me that anyone could remove the dial, short a couple of pins, and reset the combination to whatever they want.  Oh well.

By then I was very tired of messing with the safe.  I went back inside and surfed for a while before having lunch.  At least it was a sandwich instead of leftovers.  After lunch it was back to a short surfing session before turning to the Ryft parts.

I got the parts out and tied loops of fishing line to each one, 16 in all.  I should have purchased thicker line.  Tying knots in the 4 lb test wasn't easy.  I ended up using tweezers.  Once that was done I got two pieces of rebar and some wire from the garage.  I attached the pieces to the rebar and arranged them so they fit in the aluminum pot without interfering with each other.

Ellen left to teach the kids while I was doing that.  When I was done I put it all away and surfed until dinner time.  Dinner was more leftovers. 

After dinner was surfing and TV.  I'm making a lot of progress on the things I wanted to get done.  Tomorrow I should be able to get the bead board up.

Day 2251

 I got up at 8, did the pet stuff and had breakfast.  After that it was surfing.  It was raining, but not hard.    We were waiting for John and Melissa to come over to say goodby.  After about half an hour they did.  We talked for a while and then they left.

I went over to the apartment soon after they left.  Of course Melissa had left it neat as a pin.  I began measuring for the bead board.  Of course the wall wasn't square.  I also had to measure where the mounting holes for the TP dispenser went and the hole for the light switch.

I went back into the garage and cut the panel.  I had to shorten it and cut the width.  Then I did the holes.  When that was done I cut away 14 inch of the wall molding in the bathroom so the panel would fit.  I called Ellen and she came out to help me fit the panel.  That's when I found out I'd screwed up.

Fortunately the screwup was minor.  I forgot to cut a notch for the existing bead board on the other wall.  I went back to the garage and cut the notch.  When we tried to fit it again it worked perfectly.  I took the bead board back to the garage and got the paint so Ellen could paint it.  Then I marked the position of the studs in the wall so I'll know where to fasten it.

That was my work on the apartment for the day.  I went back inside and started sorting the Ryft parts that I need to dye.  The I had leftovers for lunch.  When that was done I washed all of the Ryft parts.  That way they're ready to dye.  Finally I got out a big pot and measured how much water is needed to fill the dye pot.  It's a lot, about 7 gallons.  That meant I needed another bottle of dye.

Ellen found out that Michael's had the dye.  We drove over there and bought it.  When we got home I decided I'd accomplished enough for the day.  I started watching YouTube videos.  I did that until after dinner (more leftovers).

I decided that as long as I was watching videos I might as well do it on the TV.  So I switched to it after dinner.  I ended up watching them for the rest of the night.

Day 2250

 I got up a little after 8, did the pet stuff and had breakfast.  Ellen got up and fixed waffles and sausage for John and Melissa.  She neglected to make sure of her plans.  I had a waffle anyway.

We talked for quite a while afterwards.  They are leaving tomorrow.  Eventually they went back to the apartment to pack.  We left for some errands -fishing line at Academy, turn in Amazon stuff at Whole foods, mail, and food at HEB.  Melissa and John were still packing when we got back.  They didn't need our help, so we kibitzed while they packed.

We e over and the women talked while John and I watched TV.  We started with car shows and ended up watching football.  We watched the last two minutes of the first game.  Apparently it was a good one.  We watched all of the second.  It sucked.  Both defenses weren't worth a damn.

Ellen and Melissa fixed steak sandwiches for dinner. during the football games.  When the games were over John and I watched car shows until 10:30.  I'm going to miss watching TV with him.

I picked up an Amazon packge really late.  Then it was time for bed.

Day 2249

 I got up at 8, did the pet stuff and had breakfast.  It was a little chilly, but not too bad.  I went out to the gate to fix it.

I tried to work the gate, but it refused.  I turned the opener over, opened the cover, and turned the force up to MAX.  That didn't help.  I thought that maybe the limit setting was wrong, so I went back inside to get the instructions.  While I was gone the wind must have moved the gate enough to drop the opener 3 feet to the ground.  When I tried it again it worked.  It was a time consuming, but easy, fix.

On the way back I got the big aluminum pot from the garage.  I took it to the house and started cleaning it in the kitchen sink.  I used the motorized cleaner Ellen had.  It works good, but the battery life is terrible.  I had to recharge at least three times.  The cleaner and a lot of Comet got the pot surprisingly clean.  It just took a long time.

John and Melissa came over for lunch - leftovers.  After that we talked for a while before they left to walk the dog.  When they came back they brought an Amazon package that contained a Dremel screwdriver that they'd bought me for Christmas.  It is cool.  

Football started soon after John and I watched the first game, we didn't care who won.  We suspended watching it to have meatloaf for dinner.  The second game had the Packers against the 49'ers.  The Packers managed to lose.  We were both disappointed.

Day 2248

 I woke up at 7:30 and got up for pet stuff and breakfast.  It was cold, 29.  After breakfast I spent some time researching TV's for John and Patty.  I found a few that met their price point.  Unfortunately they aren't really nice ones.

I checked my email.  The safe shipping company gave me half my money back.  I figure that's about right.

After that I got out the Ryft.  I wanted to try out the motor shaft adapters I bought.  They were worthless.  There were no threads in the adapters.  I ordered the pinion gear from Axial.  I hope it fits, but it won't be here for 10 days.  I changed to assembling the shocks for the Ryft.  They were pretty complicated, but they went together pretty smoothly.  Melissa came over and we had a crafts fest.  Me on the truck, Ellen on stencils, and Melissa on Baby Yoda.

Then I put the shocks away and got out the truck.  I fixed the loose light on the truck.  Then I used the trick wire stripper I have to start to strip the 14 wires I needed to strip.  I was halfway through at 12:30.

We decided to all go to lunch.  John came over and we left for the new restaurant at Slaughter and loop 1.  Unfortunately they are on reduced hours and weren't open.  We went to Waterloo instead.  After that we stopped at HEB.  Ellen and I went into shop for a short while.

It was back to crafts when we got back.  I finished the truck light wiring at the same time Melissa finished Baby Yoda.  Ellen finished a little later.

I went out to mess with the gate.  It wasn't working when we left and came back.  I charged the battery and then "helped" the gate closed.  I'm going to have to open it up and reset things to completely take care of the problem.

John and Melissa came back over to talk.  We had snacks, but really didn't have dinner.  Eventually the talk turned into TV.  Then everyone went off to bed about 10.

Day 2247

 I got up about 8 and did the pet stuff and had breakfast.  Again there was no game playing.  It was cold, 31 degrees and the wind was blowing.  I went to the well house and turned the heater on.

By the time that was done it was 9.  I called up the shipping guy.  He said he had no truck to deliver the safe with.  I asked where it was.  Fortunately it was at a warehouse just the other side of 35.  I also called the main office.  The lady there said they'd get back to me.

I went over to talk to John and we decided to move it ourselves.  He helped hook up the trailer and off we went.  We had a little problem finding the loading dock at the back of the building, but that was all of the hassle.  They were very helpful loading it on to the trailer.  John and I strapped it down and we drove home.  The safe rode fine.

The temperature was 35 and windy.  The gate wouldn't open, probably due to a combination of cold weather and the wind.  The obstruction alarm was blowing.  I left it open.  I had to do some vehicle rearranging, but got the trailer backed up to the garage with little trouble.  John and I got the safe off the trailer and into the garage with a modicum of effort.

I just couldn't get the trailer parked.  The angles were just wrong.  I should have backed back up the driveway, but I didn't.  We ended up getting it close, unhooking, and pushing into place.  That wasn't fun.

Moving the safe into the apartment was pretty easy.  We slide it onto a furniture dolly and rolled it in.  A little more effort got it off the dolly and in place.  After that I called a stop.  

John went back to the house and I went to look at the gate.  It still wouldn't close, but I knew why.  I went back to the house to wait for it to reset again.  I went inside and got us beers.  Ellen and Melissa were spending all day making Japanese crackers.  The place was a mess.  I did a little surfing and watched the parade.

John and I decided to watch TV.  I fell asleep a little after we sat down.  A little later that shipping place called.  The lady said she'd tried to call and had left an email.  I told her I'd picked up the safe myself.  She said to read the email.  I said I would, but I was entertaining guests at the moment.

Dinner was chicken pot pie.  It's not my favorite.  Unfortunately it's big enough for us all to have a second meal.

After dinner John and I sat down for more TV.  We had fun watching a bunch of motor sports oriented stuff - motorcycle trails, car builds, and demolition derbies.

Day 2246

 I got up about 8 and did the pet stuff and had breakfast.  I didn't play games because playing them in bed while laying on my side is no fun.  I hope the doctor will tell me I don't have to do that next week.  How long do bubbles in the eye last?

It was a beautiful day - sunny and got into the 70's.  Unfortunately we couldn't do anything because the safe was to be delivered in the afternoon.  Melissa came over and we all did hobbies.  I wired lights on the RC truck.  Ellen made paint stencils for it.  Melissa worked on her metal earth Baby Yoda.  We spent then morning on that.

After lunch Melissa and John went for a walk.  I worked on the truck until I got tired.  Then I surfed.  When Melissa and John got back we sat out on the back deck.  Melissa sewed, John did suduko and I read magazines.  We were just enjoying the weather.

The safe was supposed to be delivered by 5.  About 4:55 I got a text saying they be there in 30 minutes.  They showed up about 5:45 with a truck that was way too big to get down the driveway.  They left with the safe.  I was beyond pissed.

Ellen fixed steaks for dinner.  They were really good.  After dinner we watched the latest episode of Boba Fett.  The show really isn't that good.

It was down to the 30's when I went to bed.  I went to bed pissed.

Day 2245

 I woke up at 8 and got up for pet stuff and breakfast.  After a little surfing we left for the doctors.

I got into see the doctor just after I arrived.  He took the patch off my eye and pronounced it OK.  The problem was my eye didn't align  If I looked at the top of a wall the right eye saw a straight line.  The left eye saw a line sloping down at about 25 degrees.  It made seeing very interesting.  The doctor said the effect would be gone by the end of the day.

The whole thing was over pretty quickly.  I have an appointment with the surgeon next week.  He'll decide when to do the right eye.  BTW, the floaters in my left eye are completely gone.  That makes the ones in my right eye more noticeable.

We stopped at a bunch of places on the way home - Hobby Lobby for drafting stuff, furniture,and gifts for John and Melissa.  Then it was Central Market for a bunch of groceries.  Finally it was Goodwill for some things to dye the Ryft with.

We stopped at the post office on the way home and the CVS so I could get an eye patch.  I don't want to scratch my eye when I'm sleeping.  I also have to sleep on my side because there's a bubble in my eye.

John and Melissa came over when they came back from Costco.  They wanted the story on the doctor.  Unfortunately my eye problem made me not want to go outside at all.  Instead we talked for a while.  I called the safe shipping people.  They said they'd deliver it tomorrow.

I had a long conversation with Dan about the inheritance.  Everything seems to be working out except the IRS won't process Mom's last return.  It was long.  John and Melissa went to walk the dog and Ellen went to the club.

When John and Melissa came back we sat on the deck and talked.  It was 73 degrees.  We get one more day of good weather and then it gets cold.

Dinner was spaghetti with sausage sauce.  After dinner John and I watched car shows.

Day 2244

 Today was surgery day, so I woke up at 8 and played games until 9.  Then it was pet stuff and bereakfast followed by surfing.  Melissa came over to offer moral support until we left at 11.

The trip to the surgery center was quick.  We were doing 80 on Mopac.  That meant I got there almost a 1/2 hour early.  That was OK, they had a bunch of paperwork for me to fill out.  They did take me into the pre-op 15 minutes early.

I went through the pre-op routine and they told me that the surgeon was running 1/2 to 3/4 hours late.  I had a great talk with the anesthesiologist.  Then I took about an hour nap.  They woke me up, asked a couple of questions to establish who I am, and then the nurse anesthesiologist put me to sleep.

I woke up the same place I'd started.  The surgeon was there and told me everything had gone well.  After that I spent a few minutes getting my head together and then another nurse helped me get dressed and get my stuff together.  He wheeled me out to where Ellen was waiting.

Ellen drove home.  Traffic was OK except for the typical slow down near 360.  We stopped at CVS for drugs.  Ellen drove all the way to Slaughter before she made a u-turn on 1826.  Don't ask me why.

When we got home I put one my jewelry and put stuff back in my pants.  Then I surfed for a little while.  John and Melissa came over to see what was happening.  We talked for quite awhile until dinner (pizza) and for some time afterwards.  Then it was football.  Melissa seweed for a while and then went home.  Ellen surfed.  

The game didn't end until almost 11.  I did the blog and then went to bed.  I don't think the drugs are quite worn off, I can't type for shit.

Day 2243

 I got up at 8 and played games until about 9.  Then it was pet stuff and breakfast.  It was cold in the morning, but started warming up later.

I did some surfing in the morning while it warmed up.  When it did get warmer I took the truck body to the garage.  I also took the sticky pliers with me.  I soaked the pliers int BLU several times, working thm each time.  When I was finished i haed a functional pair of pliers.

John cam out to ask if I had the tools for changing oil in his van.  At first I said no, but then I remembered some stuff the old owner had left.  It included a really trick old change pan.  It still had old oil in it.  John was very happy, especially when I turned up a funnel also.

John changed the oil while I drilled holes in the truck body.  Then I taped the holes.  That makes it ready to paint once we get the other stencils.  I went to the well house and got a green LED and a resister to install on the Ryft.  John finished up a little later and we both went to the house.

I turned on the football game and Melissa came over a little later.  She and Ellen fixed the jambalaya that I'd bought at HEB.  It was really good.

The rest of the evening was football and sewing with Ellen surfing as usual.  Tomorrow is surgery day, so I ate a few cookies and a bottle of water before going to bed.

Day 2242

 I woke up abut 7:30 and played games for about an hour.  Then it was up for pet stuff and breakfast.  It was 41 degrees with a 20 mph wind outside.  It wasn't a day to do anything.  I did a little surfing and then decided to start the Ryft.

I got out the tools and the first bag of parts.  I worked through the bag and ended up with three differentials.  I got out the next set and started working on the front axle.  John came over about 10 to go to a estate sale we'd seen.  I put the build on hold and we left.

It was still cold and windy when we got there.  There was a long line of people even though the sale had started 2 hours earlier.  We stood in line for 15 or 20 minutes.  We got cold, and the line didn't move at all.  We decided to leave.  As a note, most of the people in line were wearing masks even though it was cold and the wind was blowing fairly hard.  One lady was carrying a face mask.  Idiots.

We stopped by the post office and the new HEB on the way home.  I also got a couple of pots at Goodwill to boil water in.  When we got home I realized that the fancy stove we have won't heat water in normal post.  Crap.

I went back to working on the Ryft and John went to the apartment.  The Ryft work didn't go well.  I had to build the steering links  I put the first link end on without a problem.  I couldn't get the second one on to save my life.  I even went to the garage to work on it.  Finally I discovered that that end was reverse threaded.  All the links are.  Things went better after that, but I put it away a little later because I was tired and disgusted.

I surfed for a little while and then John and Melissa came over.  John and I watched car auctions while Ellen and Melissa fixed dinner.  I fixed Melissa a mimosa using the wine we bought at Christmas time.

After dinner John and I continued watching auctions.  He left about 8:30.  I turned off the TV and got out the Ryft.  I finished the section I'd quit on.  That means I've finished sections A, B, and C.  There are 7 sections.  The next section is the transmission.  

After that was a little surfing and bed.

Day 2241

 We got up at 8, did the pet stuff, and surfed until John and Melissa came over a little before 9.  Then we left for Fredericksburg.  

A weird thing happened when we got to the gate.  As I was waiting for it to close a car with smashed right side windows came up and stopped in the cul-de-sac.  I kept going, but turned around when we'd gone about half a mile.  I returned like we'd forgotten something.  The car was gone.  It had turned the other way.

We stopped at the yuppie coffee shop for breakfast.  Then we hit the road.  I didn't go as fast as yesterday, but we made good time.  It was a little cool when we got there, but I was OK in a t-shirt.  It got warmer quickly.  Eventually it got up to 77.

John wore his new boots.  He said they were very comfortable.  We spent hours walking around everything.  John scored a wine rack made of horseshoes.  Ellen got some hair pins and a lighthouse wind chime for Patty.  I did really well.  I got three pieces of yard art - hand jack, a oil can, and a pipe reamer.  I also got some wood to trim the bead board in the bathroom and a big pot to boil the RC car parts in.  I spent $75 for everything.

We left a little after 2.  The drive home was OK until we got to Dripping Springs.  I had to stop at HEB for gas.  That meant I went back on 290.  That was a mistake.  The traffic sucked.

When we got home I did a little surfing.  John and Melissa sat out on the deck.  I went out and sat with them.  Ellen stayed in and surfed.

Melissa made burritos for dinner.  I'm a little pissed at Ellen.  She doesn't help, she just surfs.  After dinner John and I watched the auto auction.  I fell asleep.  When I woke up John and Melissa were gone.  I watched Youtube videos for a while and then went to bed.

Day 2240

 I got up at 8, did the pet stuff and had breakfast.  After that I surfed until 9 when we left for Fredericksburg.  The drive was nice and took about an hour because there were significant sections where I was exceeding the speed limit.  

I parked across from the jewelry store.  It was closed.  We walked through the park.  It was interesting.  There was a water wheel and a lot of historical markers.  After that we walked through the town stopping at all of the stores that looked interesting.

At one place I bought a couple of Biden shirts for $.99 a piece.  Now John and I both have rags.  We also bought a new cowhide rug to replace one of the ones in the kitchen.  It's really worn.  We continued down the street to a boot and hat store.  It had great stuff at really high prices - $400-$2,000 boots, $200-$400 boots and hats.  We admired the stuff, but didn't buy anything.

The next stop was another clothing place.  They had a great selection of boots, and John bought a pair.  Ellen got a purse.  I called the safe shipping place.  They gave me another number and said they were weeks behind.

By then Melissa was hungry.  Our favorite place was closed until the weekend.  So was the hamburger place.  We ended up eating at the BBQ place.  It had an outside area we didn't know about which was nice.  By then the temperature was in the 70's and nice.

Our next stop was the kitchen place.  Surprisingly the only purchase was a cooking thermometer.  By then John and Melissa were worried about the dog, so we started back.  We did stop for ice cream though.

The trip back wasn't quite as fast, but it still was fairly short.  When we got home it was surfing.  John and Melissa brought the dog over.  Amazon said there were packages outside.  I went out and collected three boxes - the new RC car, a battery for it, and a battery powered Dremel.

I was pissed when I opened the RC car shipping box.  It had a large warning on it saying once the car box was opened it couldn't be returned.  The car box had 4 security seals.  They had all been broken.  I spent quite a while convincing myself that all the parts were there.  Melissa helped.  The check was made difficult because the manufacturer didn't label the parts bags consistently.  

After that John and I watched car auctions while Melissa sewed and Ellen surfed.  I switched to surfing when they went back to the apartment.  We'll leave for Fredericksburg again tomorrow.  This time will go to the swap meet.

Day 2239

 I woke up a little before 8 and played games until about 9.  Then it was pet stuff and breakfast.  After breakfast I had Ellen look up side effects of the surgery.  It turns out that the procedure is pretty common.  It's usually used for serous eye problems.  That's where nearsightedness shows up.  My surgery is simple and not likely to have it.  That's why the doctor didn't mention it.

After I found out about nearsightedness I logged onto the surgery website to input my health information.  There was page after page of questions.  It took quite a while to fill out.  A little later a nurse from there called and gave me all sorts of instructions about the surgery.  The hardest part will be getting my rings off.

After that I surfed for a little while and then got out the RC truck.  I started by making the mounting holes in the truck bed for the cargo rack.  Then I went to the garage and drilled them.  I brought the rack back to the house and began gluing pieces of cargo to the cargo rack.  This continued all day.  By the end of the day all the pieces were attached.  I texted Hooch a couple of pictures.

John and Melissa came over about noon.  Apparently the dog is much better, but still has a little diarrhea.  It was sunny and somewhat warm (62).  We decided to go out for lunch.  We went to the place on Lamar that had changed hands.  It's been totally revamped and very nice.  It even has a French oriented bakery.  The food is good, but pricey.

After that we stopped at Hobby Lobby.  Ellen got some masking tape and John got a model of an antique clock.  After that we had to go home so Ellen could go teach the kids.

Ellen left for the club a little after we got home.  I surfed for a couple of hours until John showed up.  Then we watched a car auction.  Melissa came over and we all had a limited dinner, more like a snack.

After dinner John and I watched some more TV.  We decided to go to Fredericksburg tomorrow.  We'll leave about 9 and make a day of it.

Day 2238

 We woke up at 8:15 and fed the cats.  I didn't eat breakfast. I killed some  time surfing until it was time to take Ellen to the eye doctor.  Melissa came along because she wanted to go to Trader Joe's.  After we dropped off Ellen we went there.

We bought a few items for dinner and Melissa bought 9 bottles of wine.  Then we went to the Panera next door.  We both had coffee, I had a cinnamon roll and she had a bagel.  We talked or about an hour until Ellen called.  Melissa said that the dog was much better, but still not up to snuff.

We picked up Ellen and then did some errands - post office, gas, and pet food.  Then it was time to go home.

When we got home I put salt in the softener.  There was no water on the floor.  Maybe the pressure switch was the culprit.  I also called the eye surgeon about my getting nearsightedness from the surgery.  They didn't return my call.  I got a text and automated phone call saying to check in on a website.  I'll wait until tomorrow. Then I spent a lot of time shopping for RC stuff on Amazon.  It was fun.  John and Melissa came over for lunch, leftovers again.

At one point the dog went crazy because his begging wasn't doing any good.  He was screaming as loud as Devon does.  John took him home.  I got a part for the RC truck from Amazon, so I started working on modifying it to fit, Melissa did sewing, John did Sudoku, and Ellen surfed.  That was pretty much it until dinner.

Melissa fixed pot roast.  It was really good.  I fixed her a peach vodka drink.  It wasn't as good. After dinner John and I watched YouTube while Melissa sewed and Ellen surfed.

Day 2237

 I woke up about 8 and played games for half an hour.  Then it was pet stuff and breakfast.  John and Melissa had taken the dog to the vet, so we waited for them to return.  When they did, they left the dog at the vet.

That meant that we spent most of the morning waiting for news on the dog.  About noon the vet called to say it looks like an upset stomach.  They picked him up and came back with prescriptions and special dog food.

I spent the whole morning watching videos and shopping for stuff for the new RC rock hopper.  I finally settled on some stuff and ordered it.  I got out the truck body, paints, and masks.  Ellen and Melissa collaborated on a mask design.  We all worked together to choose the paint scheme.

A nurse from the eye doctor called.  I set up surgery for next Monday.  I had a couple of questions that I asked her.  Later I had a couple of more that I emailed her.  I'm a little worried about the surgery making me near sighted.  I'd almost live with the floaters in order to keep my good vision.

That activity pretty much took up the day.  It was sunny, but cold so no one wanted to go outside.  Besides, John and Melissa didn't want the dog to do anything.

Melissa fixed chicken cordon bleu for dinner.  I fixed her a mojito.  After dinner we talked for a while.  John took the dog back to feed him.  Melissa left soon after.  We spent the rest of the night watching recorded shows.

Day 2236

 I woke up about 7:30 and played games for an hour.  then it was up for pet stuff and breakfast.  Melissa came over to do laundry.  She said the dog had given them a long night, so John had just gotten up.  I surfed until he came over about 10.

We started by cutting a bigger hole in the shower wall.  It told us two things.  First, the diverter wasn't the problem.  Second, it appears that the floor was wet in both corners of the wall.  I measured the distance from the wall to the outside wall.  Then we went out to start unscrewing the outside wall.

We ended up unscrewing three panels.  It was harder than the ones we did to fix the broken pipes.  We had to grind down the top of the concrete footing to allow the panels to clear.  We also had to cut the caulking to release the panels.

When we got the panels out ti was confusing.  I first had to remove a bunch of sodden insulation.  The shower didn't seem to be the problem.  The water seemed to be coming from the toilet area.  After carefully examining the pipes we decided the toilet must be leaking.  I replaced the insulation I'd removed and we reattached the panels.

After that we took a lunch break.  We all ate various leftovers.  Then John and I went to Lowe's.  We bought two wax rings (regular and large), a new tank seal, and a sheet of bead board to cover the holes we'd cut.

When we got home the truck electronics wouldn't turn off.  They've always done it when I open the door.  I finally figured it out.  There must have been a SW update to change the behavior.  Now the electronics go on as soon as the key is near.  They don't go off until the key is far away.  That sucks.

We went back inside and removed the toilet.  We took off the tank first to make it easier.  When we took off the toilet it was obvious that the was ring had failed.  Ugh.  That meant all of the water coming up through the floor boards was toilet water.  John used the wax from the regular ring to seal up the area around the floor boards.  Then he replaced the wax ring with the large ring.  Then we put everything back together.  This might not sound like much, but it was a lot of effort and took hours.  Hopefully this fixes the problem.

We weren't done until 6:30.  That meant we worked a full 8 hour day.  I haven't done that in years.  I really hope I never do again.  I was tired, and John did a lot more work than I did.

We didn't eat until after 7.  John wanted to take a well earned shower first.  Dinner was smoked salmon and a salad.

The dog isn't any better.  He's either vomiting or shitting everything he eats.  They are going to take him to the vet tomorrow as soon as they can get an appointment.

John took the dog back to the apartment about 8.  Melissa stayed and we talked until about 9.  After that I did a little surfing.  I'm watching a video on assembling the RC kit I bought.  I'm also shopping for parts for it.

Day 2235

 I woke up about 8 and played games until 8:30.  Then it was up for pet stuff and breakfast.  When that was done I played games until about 9:30.  Then I went over to the apartment to talk about the shower.

John and Melissa were tired.  The dog kept them up all night.  Also, the floor still swasn't dry.  We decided to bag it for today.

I went back to the house and started to work on the RC truck.  I finished it about 1:30.  It works really well at chasing the cats.  Now I'm going to have to bug Ellen into painting the body.  John and Melissa came over while I was building for lunch (leftovers).

I had so much fun building the RC truck that I decided to build a RC rock jumper like the ones John and I have been watching on YouTube.  There is only one kit available.  I ordered it and the electronics to go with it.  The cost was just a little more than the cost of the truck kit.

I spent the rest of the day looking at RC parts and kits.  It was fun.

John and I decided to cut into the wall in the apartment tomorrow.

Day 2234

 I woke up about 8, played games for a little while, and then got up for pet stuff and breakfast.  After that I called a couple of well places.  There was no answer at the first and I left a message.  The second said that they might have a guy out today, but maybe not until Monday.

After that I went over to the apartment.  The floor was VERY wet.  I talked it over with John and we decided to cut a small hole in the wall.  That told us that it wasn't the pipe up to the shower head.  That left either the diverter or the drain.  We decided to dry out the floor and pour a bunch of water down the drain.  That should answer the question.  We put a heater on the floor and packed up the tools for the day.

It was really cold today, not above 45 or so.  Not a time to do anything.  We all went back to the house.  John surfed and did sudoku, Melissa sewed, and I worked on the RC truck.  I installed the front and back axles, connected the differential cables, and glued the tires.  We all had different kinds of leftovers for lunch.

After lunch it was more of the same.  Melissa took the dog back to the apartment because he was sick.  The second well company called about 3 and said they would be here in half an hour.  They replaced the pressure gauge and the pressure switch.  The switch had rusted out at the bottom where I couldn't see it.  That caused the leak that dripped onto the gauge and wrecked it.  I'm hoping that will take care of the water on the floor.  We'll see.

Ellen fixed steaks on the Traeger.  They were really good.  John ate with us and then took a plate to Melissa.  He played soduku for a little while more and then went to the apartment.  I spent the evening surfing and Ellen watched chick flicks.

Day 2233

 I woke up at 7:30, got up and did the pet stuff.  Then we were off to the doctor's office.  We got there a little after 8:30 for a 8:45 appointment.

Ellen had to sit outside the door, they wouldn't let her into the office.  After filling out a bunch of paperwork I got called in for the first test.  Overall they tested me with at least 4 machines.  Some of them I'd never seen before.  I had to sit in small waiting areas between each test.  Finally I got to see the doctor.  He used another machine to look at my eyes.

After that he agreed that I had floaters.  He said that them, "it's the easiest operation I perform".  The risks are a detached retina or infection, under 1%.  It's sort of like cataracts.  They do one eye, wait three weeks or so, and then do the other.  There will be lots of eye drops, just like cataracts.  I said do it.  He said the schedulers in the office will call me.

After that I stopped at harbor Freight for an attachment for the new tire inflator.  Then it was Central Market for milk, bananas, bread, and more salmon for smoking.  Then it was the post office and home.

When we got home it was lunch and then a little surfing.  John and Melissa were out when we got home, but they showed up a little later.  While they were waiting I finished the other three shock absorbers for the RC truck.  I'm now ready to get back to some fun assembly.

We spent a lot of time talking when they got back.  Ellen and Melissa made baklava.  Eventually we had dinner (pork chops).  After dinner we talked for a while and then turned on the TV.  We watched both episodes of Boba Fett.  The next episode will be out in a week.

It's getting cold tonight.  I went out to turn on the heater in the well house.  I noticed that the pressure meter is leaking.  I'll call someone tomorrow to fix it.

Day 2232

 I woke up at 7:30 and played games until a little after 8.  Then it was up for pet stuff and breakfast.  After breakfast I did a couple of chores.  I took out the garbage and then took the stuff that came yesterday to the garage.  I built up a quick release connector for the new tire inflator.  I think it will work well.  Then it was back to the house for some surfing.

John came over to take a shower.  The apartment shower is still drying.  He went back to the apartment and after a while they both came over.  We decided to go to Dripping Springs for breakfast and then go to the olive oil place.

We ate at the Oak Creek cafe and then drove to the olive oil place.  All of their trees were killed in the freeze.  Most of the land was bare except for one small patch of saplings.  Apparently their main orchard is south and wasn't affected.  We drove back to Dripping Springs.  

On the way the FFL called to say that my shotgun was in.  His office was over at William Cannon and Escarpment.  We drove over.  I filled out the paperwork and picked up the shotgun.  It is drop dead gorgeous.  It also fits me almost perfectly.  After that we went home to get the dog.

After a short stay we went back over to a small park on 150.  We walked a 1.25 mile trail with the dog.  Male dogs are a pain, stopping all the time to piss even though they are empty.  The walk was nice though.  So was the weather - 72 degrees.

When that was done we went to the brew pub near by, sat out on their porch, and had some drinks.  It was a really pleasant way to spend the rest of the afternoon.

We got back about 5.  We ate about 6 - everyone's choice of three types of leftovers from three different dinners.

After dinner the women did hobbies, John and I watched TV.  Sort of.  Both of us fell asleep.  We woke up about 8.  John and Melissa went home.  We did a little surfing and then went to bed.

All in all it was a very fun day.

Day 2231

 I woke up about 8:30 and played games until 9.  Then it was pet stuff, laundry prep, and breakfast.  After breakfast I looked up the weight of the safe I wanted to buy.  Then I called up the moving company and got a quote.  It was $211.  They told me to buy the safe and call them.

When I looked up the weight I saw that the safe was on sale for $100 off.  So I drove to Tractor Supply and bought one.

When I got home Melissa and John were driving out.  They were going to the grocery store.  They had also located the leak in the apartment bathroom.  It's the shower drain.  John was going to look for stuff to fix it.

I noticed when I went to Tractor Supply that the car windows were covered with dirt.  It was hard to see out.  I got glass cleaner and paper towels and went out to clean them.  They were all covered with a layer of polling and gunk.  The result was sticky and really hard to get off.  It was quite a bit of work to get them clean.

By then it was time for lunch - left overs.  Melissa and John came back.  Melissa brought food and sushi to the house.  John messed with the apartment shower.  They hadn't found what they wanted for the fix, so we spent some time looking on Amazon without much luck.  Eventually John came over.  He thinks he has it fixed, but we won't know for 24 hours when the sealant dries.

John and I watched YouTube videos on the TV while the women did hobbies.  They watched some of the time, too.  We're watching crazy offroad/hill climb cars.

Melissa fixed lasagna for dinner.  After dinner it was more TV and hobbies.  John and I switched to Roadkill.

Ellen got a notification of a fraudulent charge on one of her cards.  She called the card company.  They cancelled the charge before it went through.  They also cancelled the card and will be sending us a new one.

Three packages came about 8.  I had to walk to the mailbox to get one of them.  It was 54 degrees and not that unpleasant out.

Day 2230

 I woke up at 7:30 and played games until 8:30.  Then it was up for pet stuff and breakfast.  It was cold again today, 24 degrees when I got up.  Luckily it warmed up once the sun came up.  Eventually it got into the 50's's going to get cold again tonight though. 

I surfed for a while and then called the safe moving company.  They told me to buy the safe and then call them.  About then Melissa came over to ask Ellen if she wanted to go grocery shopping.  She did, so they left.

They eye doctor's nurse called and quizzed me about the floaters.  I answered her questions and said I'd make the appointment on Thursday.

I got out the RC truck.  It was time to quit putting off the wiring.  I connected everything up and tested it.  It worked fine.  Then I had to do the actual wire routing.  That took a while and wasn't fun.  The wires had to thread through a tight space and the wire and receiver boxes were barely big enough.  It didn't help that I couldn't seem to do anything right the first time.  I was continually using the wrong screws, or doing something that required taking what I'd done apart and doing it over again.

When the wiring was complete I put in the battery box.  That simple job was made harder because my penchant for first doing the wrong thing continued.  When that was done I started on the shocks.  It took a while, but I got the first one done.  By then working on the truck wasn't fun anymore.  I put everything away.  The other shock will be easier because I know how to do it now.

I surfed for a little bit and then decided to watch YouTube on the TV.  Videos are much more entertaining there.  I found some offroad hill climbing videos that were neat.  John showed up and we watched them for most of the rest of the evening including during dinner (Ellen fixed chicken legs).  It turned ouot that all four of us found the videos interesting.

I suggested a couple of things to do tomorrow to John.  He said they'll decide tomorrow.

Day 2229

 I woke up about 8 and played games until a little after 9.  It was cold, 24 degrees.  The first thing I did was go turn on the heater in the well house.  Then it was pet stuff and breakfast.

Did I mention lit was cold?  I just surfed until noon.  I did get a text saying that my shotgun had shipped.  That means I should get it in about a week.  Yeah.  Melissa called to say they would be in in the afternoon.  Ellen did Metal Earth and smoked a steelhead.  It turned out really good.

Lunch was a sandwich.  I started watching TV because I'd had enough surfing.  I watched Chelsea play Liverpool to a tie.  Then I watched the Tarheels win in a laugh-er.  Then I decided to watch football.  I was as much watching the TV as the game.  The game was pretty good though.

John and Melissa showed up about 4.  John watched football with me while the wives did hobbies.  It had warmed up all the way to 46.

Ellen fixed hamburgers for dinner.  When I went to get a drink a bowl fell out of the refrigerator when I opened the door.  It broke into a million pieces.  I was pissed, first because Ellen was too lazy to rearrange the refrigerator properly and second because she sat on her ass while Melissa and I did the cleanup.

After dinner the wives went back to hobbies and John and I went back to football.  They went back to the apartment about 9.  I surfed for a while and then went to bed.  It was 24 degrees when I did.

Day 2228

 I woke up at 8:30 and played games until 9:30.  Then it was pet stuff and breakfast.  Then it was surfing.  I did a little more looking for safes, but didn't find an attractive one.

Last night I got concerned that it wouldn't be possible to move a 35 inch safe through the garage doorway.  I went out and measured.  It will work.  So I decided to go to Tractor Supply to look at the one they had.  We stopped at Home Depot to pick up a DeWalt tire pump I wanted.

The safe I wanted was in stock and looks good.  There's just no way I can moved one that big.  I got the number of the moving company they use.  I called, but there was no answer.

We stopped at the outdoor restaurant near the sports complex.  It was a little early, so we didn't eat a lot.  I order a beer.  About 3/4 through it I ended up with a piece of glass in my mouth.  I told the waitress.  She didn't seem to be too concerned about it, and no one came to talk to me.

When lunch was done we stopped at HEB and then went home.  I unboxed the tire pump and tested it out.  It works well.  The pressure hose has a crappy end on it, so I went shopping on Amazon for a replacement.  I finally found one.  I also ordered an adapter for Ellen's air brush.  All the hobby stores we stopped in at said order one from Amazon.

After that it was surfing until dinner time.  Ellen fixed stir fry.  After dinner I surfed for a while and then watched TV.