Life in America - I made the move.

[TeeJay]

Nice Mr Z - hope you get some work the weekend (for the overtime) but not toooooo much cos the body also needs a rest - especially at our age 

[Mr Zog]

Nice Mr Z - hope you get some work the weekend (for the overtime) but not toooooo much cos the body also needs a rest - especially at our age 

sometimes I wish I'd get a call-out just so I can take a rest from all the jobs at home   

[Fudmucker]

I retired last Friday.   
No more legit reasons to escape the home chores... 
I'm assembling a bed today for my BIL and family coming to visit in two weeks time.
Warped wooden bits I had to replace and such pleasures.

[Mr Zog]

Don't you just hate it when people are too lazy to do a job properly?

Case in point; my last job yesterday evening. The dude's water pump didn't come on, then after a while it did come on. He wanted us to come check it out so that it would come on each time, every time.

First suspect was the pressure switch. I took the cover off and saw that the power wires, as well as the wires that run to the chemical feed pump were just twisted around the screws and tightened down. This isn't what caused the problem of the pump not coming on though, some ants had gotten into the contacts and had stopped a perfect contact being made, they were carbonised inside the contacts.

I changed out the pressure switch, and put spade connectors on all the wires. Took me just a few extra minutes, but now we can be sure that there is little chance of a loose connection causing heat and premature failure.

[Mr Zog]

I retired last Friday.   
No more legit reasons to escape the home chores... 
I'm assembling a bed today for my BIL and family coming to visit in two weeks time.
Warped wooden bits I had to replace and such pleasures.

Is that why you are awake at 02:30?   

[Fudmucker]

I wake up at 2:30 most nights - old man's bladder.
Then I can't co back to sleep until I've read the Zog Blog.
I sit at the computer until I feel slightly chilly and then I can go back to sleep again.

[Mr Zog]

Remember the baobab tree that we planted about 3 years ago from a seed?

We moved to the new house in the winter and the baobab had just gone into hibernation. When we arrived here at the new house we removed it from the pot it was in and planted it into the ground. That was the first week of September.

Since then it has not done a thing. I thought it had died... until this week.

Brand new tiny leaves started sprouting!!!

I hope that it grows into a massive tree in the next few thousand years 

It even has a tiny little lizard keeping it free from ants and bugs 

[Mr Zog]

I wake up at 2:30 most nights - old man's bladder.
Then I can't co back to sleep until I've read the Zog Blog.
I sit at the computer until I feel slightly chilly and then I can go back to sleep again.

ah... the bladder excuse 


Maggie doesn't have that problem when she sleeps

[Fudmucker]

The moment I wake up, then the dogs want to be let out as well.
Except Ellen (age like Maggie) - she wakes up whenever, goes to the door and barks once.
If you don't let her out, she barks a second time.
I you still don't let her out, she just squats down in the passage and relieves herself.

So she has us well trained - either we let her out, or we have to clean up the floor.
She just goes back to sleep again.

[Mr Zog]

I was working up on my ladder today fitting some more of the 2x4's that I had made for the hurricane shutters.

I noticed that the one leg of my ladder was splitting apart. It's a fiberglass ladder, with metal rungs.

I decided that I needed to fix it before it got any worse, and I ended up falling on my bum. 


So I found some pieces of salvaged aluminium angle that I cut to size, and pop riveted to the inside of the split in the leg. One piece below the steel bracket, and another above. Clamped them in place to get the first hole drilled.

I think it will hold up just fine now. I "scored" this ladder like I scored many other things. A new one will cost me $160 at the Home Depot. I fixed it for around $2. The cost of a few pop rivets, which are getting pretty damn expensive 

I guess that this qualifies as a "zogging" ?   

[Mr Zog]

The moment I wake up, then the dogs want to be let out as well.
Except Ellen (age like Maggie) - she wakes up whenever, goes to the door and barks once.
If you don't let her out, she barks a second time.
I you still don't let her out, she just squats down in the passage and relieves herself.

So she has us well trained - either we let her out, or we have to clean up the floor.
She just goes back to sleep again.

yup.... 

Ellen has you well trained 

Sleep tight Richard 

[Fudmucker]

 

[Mr Zog]

So today I did another two shutters.

Took the shutter down, cut away the old dry caulking between the top bracket and the vinyl siding, cleaned the siding nicely, screwed the 2x4 to the siding with a fresh bead of caulk to prevent water getting in and causing rot.

Then screwing the bracket onto the 2x4 with another bead of caulk, and installing the shutter again. Then adjusting the stays to the correct length, and making sure that the brackets that secure it in the closed position still line up properly.

It was not that hot today, cloudy mostly. But it was as humid as a race-horse's bum after a sprint   

I was soaked in sweat, had to change my t shirt 3 times. Mrs Zog also let me know in no uncertain terms that I had a bit of an odour too...   

I decided that two for the day was enough. So then I did the weed eating and mowed the grass before the forecast rain arrived. Tomorrow we may get rain most of the day, so I had to get the grass done before that screwed me over.

I also ripped some 2x4's that I want to use to make the new shelves in the closets. And I gave myself and Maggie a haircut, and I gave her a bath. I also had a shower to get rid of the "odour" from all the sweat 

Mrs Zog made us a fantastic lamb stew for supper  I ate waaay too much, sitting here with a stuffed belly 

Soon to bed. Life is good. 

[Sardine]

Gary, I think it might have been mentioned before, but if you could get a DIY channel on Youtube going, I think it would be a hit.
It will be very time consuming editing the footage, but even if it’s something like one video a month to start. It doesn’t have to be hectic or long stiff- something as simple as the switch and your ladder are perfect. It is so mich easier to watch a 2 minute clip than try read about what to do with no visuall reference.
Passive income once you get it off the ground.

[Mr Zog]

Gary, I think it might have been mentioned before, but if you could get a DIY channel on Youtube going, I think it would be a hit.
It will be very time consuming editing the footage, but even if it’s something like one video a month to start. It doesn’t have to be hectic or long stiff- something as simple as the switch and your ladder are perfect. It is so mich easier to watch a 2 minute clip than try read about what to do with no visuall reference.
Passive income once you get it off the ground.

A youtube channel would be fun, but I'd need a camera (GoPro I'm guessing?) and I'd have to learn how to do editing and the suchlike...

All that will take time, a commodity that is in pretty short supply right now.

Great suggestion though 

[Mr Zog]

The weekend was busy, I did another two shutters, now only the 3 on the front of the house left. 5 down 

Monday I was back in Bartow, it was incredibly humid in the worksite. Windows and doors are in, but AC isn't working yet. I was a soggy mess all day. Slept over at the Holiday Inn, and did the pressure testing Tuesday morning. Had two small leaks due to faulty parts but got them fixed.

I was back in Melbourne by 1pm, unloaded the van, and went out on a service call. Finally got home around 6pm.

This morning I had my annual eye test. I need new glasses again    The distance (driving) glasses cost me $120, and $75 for the eye test. The eye doc says I should just get a pair of 1.75 readers from Walmart for the close up stuff.

Then back to work with dilated pupils    That gave me a fuckoff terrible headache. But I had a big installation job to do, so suck it up princess.

Finally got home at 8pm. Supper and a shower, a quick update here, and then off to bed.

Oh, and the transport company called me today, the bike will arrive tomorrow 

[TeeJay]

Nice - you sure work hard over there!

Glasses - yah - part of getting old hey - it sucks.

Almost weekend 

[Oubones]

Your bike is finally arriving
Enjoy and try to keep the front smile from tearing your ears apart!
Very glad for you and may you get paperwork sorted easily.

[jaybiker]

A bike to work on now! 

There goes the house to rack and ruin. 

[Tom van Brits]

Exciting stuff, you got to post a pick on that bike!!