Author: Richard

a simple repair and a Bridge Too Far

Some repairs are straightforward, others frustrating and now there is one I began and backed off - it was a Bridge Too Far.  An instantaneously rewarding repair was replacing the gasket on the cappuccino maker - immediately thereafter we were again enjoying our once a day treat and this time without spluttering plumes of hot water. About 14 years ago I bit the bullet and purchased a good cappuccino maker (Expobar) and a coffee bean grinder. (Rancilio nicknamed Rocky).  We have enjoyed cappuccino Read more [...]

goodbye Gus!

I have mentioned that Buffy, our Buff Orpington rooster, takes good care of his girls and that on two occasions I incubated eggs successfully.  The incubator takes 7 eggs and each time there were 4 viable chicken and each time it was 3 hens and one rooster.  And each time, as the young rooster grew up, friction developed between dad and son, and son and all the hens. We are very lucky to have a chicken enthusiast down the road from us who happily took Buff, the first young rooster and we see Read more [...]

truck door lock repair – comedy of errors

A couple weeks ago one of my running/walking buddies mentioned he had to replace the ignition lock of his Honda minivan.  He is handy and used to enjoy tackling projects but now, some 10 years older than me, he will have others do the work.  At a cost!  He said the bill was close to $1,000.  I was surprised but since I persist in doing things myself I am out of touch with rates. My problems was different - I have a basic Toyota Tacoma truck and could not open the driver's door from the inside.  Read more [...]

water pump repair

I use two water pumps - a 1HP Water Ace (cost circa $150) with handy carrying handle which I move to various rainwater collection tanks and then pump to the larger storage tanks (2,800 gallons) and thence to the top of the hill; and a Wayne PC4 0.5HP pump (cost $130) whose sole purpose is to pump from my 2,400 gallon carport tank to the top of the hill.  At the top of the hill I have tanks which gravity feed the rainwater to the plantings.  The Wayne worked fine until a couple years ago when I Read more [...]

starting the tomatoes

The annual ritual commences - germinating tomato seeds for the summer.  I have a number of varieties stored in their original paper packets in a ziplock bag (but not zipped) in the basement.  And each year I select 4 of each variety for growing.  I moisten commercial seed starter mix and with my mould produce a 20 block rectangle of  0.75" individual soil blocks. Into each block I insert a single tomato seed on the tip of a moistened pencil.  The seedling tray sits on a heating pad below Read more [...]

what value different life forms?

I have been thinking of the different manifestations of life and their relative value.  Triggered by a recent local report of a man who had two dogs and had to relocate and could not take his dogs with him.  He approached neighbors to take his dogs and when no one was interested he shot them.  And was arrested. I cannot locate the news article and there may be more to it than I recall, but I can only speculate - maybe he didn't take them to a shelter because they would be separated and maybe he Read more [...]

recent visit to Australia and Thailand

I have family in Perth, Australia which is a long way to go when you depart from Atlanta.  On previous visits I travelled via Los Angeles and then Sydney or Melbourne to Perth.  I had never been to Bangkok and decided to include Bangkok en route which meant Atlanta to Tokyo to Bangkok to Singapore to Perth.  A longer travel time but an opportunity to explore Bangkok and Thailand en route.  I abandoned plans to spend a week in Thailand because the protests which started in December seemed unending Read more [...]

gas furnace repair

Our Carrier gas furnaces are relatively new - installed January 2001, so that's 13 years.  I read that the furnace should last beyond 20 years but repair costs become crippling and many throw in the towel and simply buy a new furnace after 15 years. Some 5 years after installation one of the furnaces would not fire up, I called the installer, the serviceman came by and said it needed a new igniter which he installed for a cost of about $190 made up of $120 for the igniter and $70 for the visit.  Read more [...]

some winter tasks

charging the Takeuchi After some cold nights (12 below freezing) my Takeuchi bobcat refused to start.  Cold and tired battery.  The best way to charge the battery is to pull the cab forward on its hinges and then you have direct access to the battery.  It is heavy and best done with an assistant.  In the past I had an anchor point in front of the Take and winched the cab forward.  However, there was no anchor point for the Take this time just a 2,400 gal rainwater tank.  The last time I Read more [...]

why I feel better about the appearance of my organic veggies

I recently attended an open house event at a  local organic farm trending to permaculture.  I wandered the fields with the manager and we discussed many topics.  It was only later when I was by myself and walking his rows that I noticed how perfect his vegetables looked.  No weeds - well I could manage that too if I was doing an open house, but not a single insect chewed leaf!   By that time the manager was busy with other visitors and not accessible. I thought long on what I had seen.  Read more [...]