What if you don't feel like it?

This is another one of those times when things all around me are either broken or I need to add something to something. So many things are breaking and I have to stop what I'm doing and fix it. The water hydrant stopped working. How could that be? The guy put the bottom of the valve in a bucket of small gravel. Well a root pushed a small rock into the drain hole and after I took that out, which took me three days of rain to dig it up, it still didn't work well. Slow. So I went and got a new on, but it was a foot taller. Now we don't have to bend over so far to hook it up. So when I put it back, I used a five gallon bucket without anything it and wrapped it in that landscaping fabric.

So what else could happen? How about the sound card quit on my desktop. It is the one that I watch about two hours of internet per day. So I download the files, and they play them over the network with my laptop. Two days later the motherboard dies. It is just two months our of warranty. My luck.

So next I decided I would do a little Photoshoping. Found these plug-in, and it looks like painting. Right? Well is something I shot off the front porch. Amazing what I can do. Now I have to consider purchasing those plug-ins. What do you think?

I managed to pickup a couple of outdoor lamp shades. I want to put two lights in the front yard and one in the back. But running the wire will require more than I think I can do because of the digging. Plus the backyard light needs to come off a three-way-switch. I just hope the wire runs that way. You see this house is a penalized construction. The outside walls have Styrofoam between two sheets of OSB. And on top of that I will have to go into the crawl way and poke a hole into the foundation to put the wire through.

Also I need to run conditioned water out to the workshop so I can put in a bathroom. I even put a pump on the water heater because the hot water takes for ever to get warm in the far bathroom. There isn't any insulation or heating loop.

Oh speaking of the TR6, the frame is stripped and sitting in the back. Maybe the crows will eat the crap off the frame and I won't have to have it blasted. Too much to ask.

There is probably more stuff that needs to get done, but why bother?

W. Kirk Crawford
Tularosa, New Mexico

What a vacation I had.

My wife's brother-in-law won a time share in Winter Park, CO. It was on the third story of a 18 time-shares building. Do you know what Colorado needs, oxygen. I was breathing hard every time I climbed those stairs. We even brought the pots, pans, and other food items. Her brother-in-law always stops at some grocery store and buys more food than we can eat in four days.

Of course I took my camera. I take pictures of what I like. One of the things that my brother-in-law and my wife's niece wanted to do was drive some go-karts. So I took pictures, but something I did caused them to be over-exposed/trashed. Can't figure what I did wrong. But if it is possible, I can do it. Anyway, most everything else came out OK.

After that karting thing, we went up Pikes Peak on the COG Railroad. Nice ride. Are you aware of how cold it is up there. About 30 degrees colder, and windy. That is when I discovered a lack of oxygen. It is a fun place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

For some reason my brother-in-law always wants to eat or stay at least one night at one of the most expensive restaurant or hotel. The Broadmore is out there. So we had dinner there and a $150 bottle of champagne from New Mexico. Who would have though anything from New Mexico would cost that much?

Well anyway, they were on there way to the airport and the return car rental company, so they had to fill up with gas. For what ever reason, the driver left the keys in the ignition. Went to the bathroom and the car locked its doors. Took for ever for the rental car company to get there. Then just as they got to the ariport, brother-in-law realized he left his cell phone in the rental car. Back they went to get it.

You guess it, the plane left without them. So there next choice was a flight to somewhere and connect to their finial destination. They got home six hours latter than scheduled.

W. Kirk Crawford
Tularosa, New Mexico

I am have...

It seems that I want to know more than I am allowed to know. Why do people lose interest in where there money goes to worrying to where there money is coming from? Trying to keep your dollars circulating is what I believe in. But banks has taken some of that circulation away from me. Banks were some of the best place to put your money. Then in the 60's people started investing is all sort of places. Money market places was a good place for a long time. People started investing in the stock market. And was that a wild ride. I should know I saw some pocket change evolve into a sizable investment only to watch it drop. I got while I was ahead.

Now why isn't the place to invest money the same? Why are houses costing so much even when they have been foreclosed? I would think that only the money the bank was losing would be the worth of the house, especially since people aren't buying houses. Anything to get there money back isn't the same as it was when I was younger.

People aren't watching where there money goes. They buy things that sends the money overseas, and that money really returns. But we have few choices since all we want is to save money. To save money, you got to put it someplace where you can get it back. Overseas isn't an answer.

I have had this overseas problem for years. As an autoworker, I would operate machines that came from overseas, because they were cheaper than American made machines. I remember getting laid-off in the 60's and I kidded people that the workers laid-off before me got jobs driving cars off boats from Japan. I don't think I was kidding that much.

What do I do now? I am retired and have nothing in site that I think would help. What do I have that would change this trend?

Buy what you build. Buy your neighbor's products. Invest in America. Invest in yourself.

W. Kirk Crawford
Tularosa, New Mexico

Not having to think about is wonderful.

Quality is something that should be taken for granted, don't you think? This is something that where I worked was talked about 20% of the time. 'Do it right the first time.' That was posted the most about quality. But quality you never think about it until it fails. Take breathing for example. Most people don't have to think about it and just do it. But of others, may require a little help.

I have had a few failures lately that is causing me some turmoil. I have finished replacing my fence, with the help of my wife and neighbor, who redrilled the post-holes. Too a lot longer than I would have though. After each section I would come in and get a drink and relax. It was hot out there. Now that the fence is done, what do I do with the leftovers? I have another idea. You'll have to wait for that one.

Just after the fence was done, my garage door opener died. Can't just get a replacement, but change everything but the track. Switches, sensors, and all remote openers. That sucks.

I have several tools that require tuning up. Some of it requires a machine to do the work, while other just a little tweaking by hand.

With all of that in mind, I need to get ride of the gravel around this house. It sucks but keeps you from walking in the mud when it rains. Problem with that, it allows weeds to grow. Unless the ground is lightly moist the weed are next to impossible to pull.

Therefore, I have been thinking about a machine that would scrape the ground up, run the dirt/weeds/gravel over a screen of sorts which would allow the dirt to drop out and the rest would collect into a bucket or something like that. Problem, what do I get to pull this little machine? How wide to make it? How much do I need to mechanization do I need to come up with? You get the idea, don't you?

W. Kirk Crawford
Tularosa, New Mexico

Is my data worth it?

I purchased a network storage device the other day. It failed after three weeks. Warranty, yeah right. But what about the data? Well maybe the power in the unit itself failed and the drive would be alright.

Good luck. I don't have any good luck left. I have had so much bad luck that nothing would even think about going right. So much trying to get back the data easily. It appears not.

Ok, first let me say that the Maxtor Central Axis in a 1TB Seagate drive. First I called Maxtor to find where to send the drive back for warranty replacement. I asked about getting the data back and was told take it to a third party, have them give you a receipt and send it with the drive back to them and all would be well.

Funny how things work. The place where warranty isn't the same company that deals with data recovery. Go figure. I have been trying for two weeks to get the data back and just now I am being told, if they can get the data off the drive, they are going to have some place to put it. So they said that they would contact the warranty place, get another drive to put the data on and send me that one.

That would save some steps with the warranty location.

I have since purchase another Maxtor Central Axis and am using it for my current backups. I will use the other that the data recovery company is putting the data on as a second backup that will be stored off-site. Note: if you don't have your data backed up in more that two locations your data isn't backed up. Trust me on that.

You know all of those documents/taxes/forms/receipts and other letters that you have in filing cabinets, what would if you lose them? You only have that one copy. What would you do if you lost your documents? Think about.

I did hear from on of the guys that I worked with, he was scanning all of his documents.

I hope my data is worth it.

W. Kirk Crawford
Tularosa, New Mexico

I am not the only one who off.

A friend asked me to hang a storm door for his hothouse. The storm door was smaller than the opening but several inches in both directions. So I took the door and a couple of 2x4s and made a frame for the door. Everything seem to be working quit well. But the 2x4s split easily. More work gluing the splits even if you drill a pilot hole. Now that is done.

So now is the time to hang the door. Remember I said that were several inches, well the opening wasn't plumb nor was the 4x4s straight. The header was too low. After cutting off at least an inch, the door frame need a little room. Taking a saw and cutting the tight spots soon gave relief to get the door in the opening. I didn't have near enough shims so I left it nailed in place. I'll let him to get some shims and he can screw it home.

Speaking of using something in a little different manor. This same friend got a chance to get some aluminum storm windows from a house. These windows we installed on the inside of the house, and turned on there side. So the other day he placed two of these windows into a wall of his hothouse. The other day, he thought he had a micro-burst, because the windows glass was blown out of the wall. Now mind you the wall has no roof, or any other walls. This was a free standing wall and not all of the wall was covered. Just like hanging the windows from a clothesline is the best way I can explain it. This wind broke 3 out 4 glass windows. One screens was bent. I just can't explain what happened.

I have been working on different thing for weeks now and have gotten very little done. I hope that changes soon.

W. Kirk Crawford
Tularosa, New Mexico

Now what am I going to do?

Just be fore writing this, we had a micro burst and it was one wild thing. Dust everywhere. You could see 50 feet.

So much for that and now for the real reason why I am written this one.

There are some things I can no longer get at any local, 'Brick and Mortar Store'. They aren't carrying products that I have been buying for a few years. Even the 'Store of Stores', Walmart, doesn't carry some of these items any more.

Ok, head to the net. Shop on line. Buy and have it shipped. But wait, shipping cost. Many of the on-line stores have a limit and if you spend enough money, shipping is free. How many items does it take to have free shipping? I won't be buy any shaving shop for a couple of months. Well maybe I should have bought other things and not all just one item. Can't wait to see how they package it.

I wander if I will see the day when many of the old product that we have bought over the years are no longer available to purchase locally. We even look for homes on-line. Build your car on-line. Find you spouse on-line. Babies?

I am living near a very small town, I have gone to the hardware store here and only found what I wanted six out of 40 times. What is the use to try to shop locally?

I remember where I live as a boy, we were only 30 miles from the big city and every body would travel up there because of the choices.

I am losing my choices. No wait, I have choices but it isn't going to be easy to kick the tires.

W. Kirk Crawford
Tularosa, New Mexico