Stuff and things.

Since I never posted on Monday, I had a pretty quiet weekend last weekend.  I went out to Stefan's and played some games and had a good time on Saturday.   

I also sampled the treats that I brought back from KY, which were delicious.  

Sunday I went and cleaned up a bit.  I moved the tools that were piling up in the living room into the bedroom on the dresser thing I need to get rid of.  

 

I also cleaned up the mouse disaster.  Most of the stuff was salvageable, but I lost a few things that were chewed on and no longer usable.  Interestingly, mice really love Nyquil.  Not sure why.  But I got everything cleaned and reorganized the shelf things that go under the sink cabinet.

 

I haven't had a mouse in a while, and they aren't getting slicked either.  I think I might have gotten them all, but haven't moved the stuff back into the cabinet yet. 

 

The CR-V started in the deep freeze.  It wasn't happy, but it started fine when it was down to 0.  Considering it struggled with 20 before, that is still a marked improvement, but I do kind of wish I had been able to get the next size up on the battery.

 

My post Christmas stuff has trickled in.  I got a new filter for my humidifier.  This one looks terrible.

 

I also picked up a collapsible rod and reel.  I am not too impressed with it, the last section is really loose, but other than that it seems fine.  I was thinking about it after I took the video, and for the type of fishing I do, I don't think the last section being loose is a big problem.  I tend to actively fish, I don't set out 4 poles and then wait for something to hit it, I tend to be actively using the pole I have, so it should be fine.  It will diminish the ability to feel tiny fish hitting it, but I am not too terribly concerned.

 

It comes with a protector for the eyeloops, since those tend to get crushed because of the nature of where these kinds of poles are stored.  I am a little bummed that the case for the rod is too small to hold the rod with the reel attached. 

 

The bulk of the order.  The orange pump thing is an inflator, the wiring pieces I need to make the new wiring harness for the CR-V.  I also picked up a pack of firestarters.  The black thing is a complement to the multi-tool I got for Christmas.  The intent there is that it has most of the loose hand tools I would carry on it, so I can fit all the tools I would normally want to bring with me in the back seat pocket.  It has a crescent wrench, several sizes of screwdrivers, and so on.The green thing all the way on the left is aa nylon ground sheet.  You may recall I complained about not having privacy; this is large enough i should be able to use it for privacy or a little awning off the back of the car held on with magnets.

 

I also picked up one of these things.  It is just a step for the receiver in the truck so I don't have to leave my stupidly expensive 3 in 1 hitch in the truck all the time. 

 

And the kayak.  

 

I need to learn how to inflate it.  I did it in the wrong order the first time, but I added some pressure to the floor and the toons or whatever they are called spread apart so you can sit in it.  It came with a paddle, seat, and all that stuff too.

 

 I don't really have any plans for this coming weekend, but perhaps I will get around to one of the various winter projects.  It is supposed to not be completely frigid this weekend, so I might pull the table saw out and start on the island/dishwasher cart for Jess and Heather, but we shall see.  It is supposed to rain most of the weekend.

Back from KY.

My plans for driving to KY to avoid traffic put me directly in harm's way for weather, I drove down in a big storm.  I even hit a fallen tree on I80.  The weather on the trip back wasn't better, it was gale force winds and lots of ice. 

 

I did get a few things done while I was down there.  I started sketching out possible bed systems.  It looks like I will have to build my own given that futons don't generally fold well enough.

 

The holidays were pretty nice.  I did get to see the amish light parade this year.  I only got a crappy picture though.    

 

The weather was really nice while I was there, so I did a few survey's of the lot down there.  My Dad's and sisters place will be my "permanent address" while I am on the road.  And since I won't be on the road full time (probably 6-9 months a year), I will be running a furniture business the other few months.  That will require a workshop to build the furniture though, so I was looking for where the best location for that would be.  I would also need a location to park the box truck.  

 

One of the suggestions for the box truck location was over here, but there isn't really enough solar here, it is shaded by the house too much of the day.  

 

One of the nicer spots on the lot is the back corner.  It is one of the drier spots on the lot too.  It is open, not a lot of solar interference, which is nice given that it will likely have to be off-grid, being way too far to wire in.  Getting to it is a problem though.  Going in from my sisters side means walking through soup and all the drainage.  

 

The other option was to come in from my dad's side. This is actually a decent spot for a bridge over the drainage creek.

 

I also looked at whether or not hydro was an option, but I am suspecting there isn't enough flow here.

 

I had considered just upgrading this whole area, replacing the existing shed and covering all the parking and turning the current carport into a workshop.  That would also work.  I am concerned with how much that would cost, but since I wouldn't need a complete off-grid system here it is worth considering since going off-grid electrically is really expensive.  My current plan is to park the box truck on the far side of the carport.   

I went out and did some electrical work at Natalie's mother's barn, so that is at least functional again.  We got to see a gorgeous sunset afterwards.

 

I did scope out a few RV places about custom mattresses (as part of the bed systems noted above).  They are expensive, but not prohibitively so. They had samples, and the comfort collection was the best in my opinion, the Cozy and Caress were too soft and spongy.  The Casual is pretty much what my current mattress is, hard as a rock.  I would add a hinge to the mattress, so it would be 100 more than what is listed here.  I had originally dismissed the single bi-fold mattress because I couldn't find one either online or at any conventional mattress store, but this makes it a possibility again.

 

One of the other big projects was putting in gates.  Dad got Heather a gate for Christmas, and Heather bought the last one for the dog yard.

 

I noticed when we were putting them up that the flies down there were awful.  All the little black specks are flies on the siding trying to warm up. I thought they would all be dead or hibernating by now.

 

Christmas was good.  The dogs may not have enjoyed their clothes, but they enjoyed the attention and treats.

 

Jelly Bean didn't have any clothes.  

 

She did get a cat tree though.  It was a bit big for her, and we ended up making it a bit smaller so it was easier for her to jump up on and it fit by the window better.  

 

One of the things I got was a National Park Map Tracker.  I filled in the ones I have been to.  I still have more to go.

 

After I finished that up, I finished up a bed system design for a bi-fold mattress.  I managed to fit a 75 gallon water tank in there, which is larger than I expected, and honestly makes me wonder if I can just do a 50 gallon fresh and a 25 gallon gray tank, instead of putting the gray tank underneath.  Something to worry about later though.

 

I spent the next few days wearing out the dogs in the nice weather.  It was in the 60s for most of the trip, and even hit 70s a couple of times.  

 

The last thing I did though was start getting the soffit work on the shed done.  I also ran another gallon of paint through the paint sprayer since Heather said she had issues with it last time just to see if it was still working.  It seemed okay, I think it was just too hot when she was painting, and it was starting to dry in the sprayer as she was spraying it.  I went with actual soffit this time and it was soooooooo much faster; I had originally been building the soffit pieces by hand with wire, and to say it was slow going is a major understatement.  So I bought some pre-made soffit vent pieces, and we had them up all the way around in less than a day.  The shed isn't done, it still needs faschia boards and some sealing, but it should hopefully at least be mouse tight now.  Bees can still get in though.   

 

The drive home was very blustery.  I changed the battery in the car while I was down there, so I didn't have any issues with the newfound cold. I stopped at Aunt's and Uncle's for the second part of Christmas.  Pippin enjoyed the wrapping paper.  

 

I got home on New Years Eve.  I got home right at sunset.

 

My mouse total is up to 9 now.

 

I have a lot of things to look at this winter.  Now that the bed design has been finalized, I can start building it.  The kitchenette has been finalized for a while now.  They are still lower priority then the CR-V upgrades though which I will be using in 2026.  I can also start design work on the workshop, so I know how much footprint I need and stuff like that.

Short post - first mice.

I noticed some sounds a couple nights ago, and investigated when I woke up. I found the source of the problem.  It took over two years, but mice have finally found/chewed their way in.

 

I put out traps, and the first round definitely went to the mice.  Two of the three traps were sprung, but no hits, and all three were slicked clean.

 

Round two however went more my way.  Interestingly, they ate the seeds off the peanut butter and left the peanut butter.  The previous night they were completely cleaned to shiny copper.

 

My last lunch of the year the company took us out to a new Hibachi place.  It was quite good, and surprisingly not mind boggling expensive.  It took me a minute to figure out the Japanese soda, you have to snap the punch out of the lid to knock the marble in it.

 

This is definitely the last post before the holidays, since I am leaving this afternoon for Aunt's and Uncles, and won't be back until the new year.  I have done a little bit of work on trying to fix the bed situation, but nothing finalized yet.  Most of the rest of the week has been getting ready for the trip and cleaning out the CR-V

Frigid week,

This time of year I don't do much during the week, mostly just some cleanup and other stuff.  I did go and pick up the fixed tractor tire on Monday.  Ouch.  

Tuesday I went and checked on the tote of dirt I got from Uncle Jim, since it could still be generating its own heat and it is in a plastic container.  It was literally frozen into a single solid brick.  

 

It might have been because it was rather chilly outside though.  A nice frosty -7 Tuesday morning.

 

We had our Christmas potluck last week too.  I made ziti.  I made it in the crock pot and then just used the keep warm setting on the crock pot to keep it warm.  It worked, and the crock pot didn't crack in the oven, so it is something I might do going forward.

 

Late in the week, the first shipment from the new meal plan came in.   It was packaged quite well, and still very frozen despite being left outside most of the day.  

 

I got two weeks worth roughly.  It filled my little fridge.

 

I also rearranged the second room and folded up the futon.  I intend to use it to make a mockup of the box truck.

 

The weekend was kind of annoying.  It wasn't supposed to snow at all, but each day from Wednesday on I woke up to this.  This is why I quickly go from "snow is pretty" to "snow sucks, winter is getting old" now.  I literally lost the entire weekend because of snow that wasn't supposed to exist, since I am not pulling out my table saw and jackery when it is snowing.  Surprisingly I haven't had any troubles with the driveway, though the CR-V has greatly exceeded expectations with regard to its snow performance.  It is far superior to the truck to be honest, and doesn't even spin going up and down.  The truck I have to put it in 4WD and lock the diff, and it still spins going up and down.  And the truck has more aggressive tires on it, and several hundred pounds of weight in the back.  Too bad the CR-V doesn't start under 20 degrees.  I will be getting a new battery soon though.

 

I did get the tire put on the tractor and clear the edge of the road.  It is scraped down (other than the unplanned weekend snow) so there isn't a pile there anymore.  I tried to drive it up the hill for the carport work.  It made it, but it was on the edge of sliding down.  

 

I also finally got around to replacing the fill valve in the toilet.

  

 

It turned out most of the brown was silt and sediment, none of which should be passing through the filter, but at least most of it washed right out of the bowl. 

 

I replaced the seat too with a not-as-cold one.  If anyone wants the old one, it is in perfectly fine condition.

  

Afterwards I went and helped Anx with some shelving in his garage on Saturday.

 

Sunday snowed again (shocker).  I went and got all my Christmas presents and stuff ready, and started emptying out the car.

 

I also started to lay out the other room.  Just as a reminder, this is the floorplan.

 

It looks tight.  It also looks like I might have to find a new futon, one that folds better.  

 

This will probably be the last update before Christmas.