robby

This morning at 3AM, there was a car crash right near the house. Probably a drunk driver, as they were going fast, then couldn't negotiate the sharp turn. No braking.

I was in a deep sleep, and the bad thing is that I heard it, but didn't realize what it was. I rolled over and went back to sleep.

Later, flashing police lights woke me up again and I went out. The car's driver door was open, the cop seemed to be looking for the driver. Soon, more cops came, but no ambulance.

Both dogs came outside, and we checked my property for any damage, and checked that the cats were alright.

I think a good prepper would have realized what the initial sound meant, and quickly gone out and investigated. I instead, at first, was too foggy-headed.

I only see three plants, so I planted more seeds, to be sure that I get more sprouts. The seed is about two years old.

I chopped some boiled chicken for mama cat, but instead of eating, she wanted to come out of the bedroom for a break. I had put the chicken down, and when I came back two of the kittens (36 days old), had eaten much of it. They seem to be litter trained, as well.

It's only 94°F at 2:30 PM. The butternut squash is beginning to sprout.. All the animals are well. Halo was even playing in the yard with Dinah last night.

We're expecting a high of 106°F. My garden and lawn seem to be surviving the heat. The gopher tunnel is filled in again, and today I'll clear it, then set the trap.

I was watching a feel good PBS segment about street dogs in Mexico City, and the presenters were excited about the cultural practice of stray dogs. From my experience, that's bullshit; the poor dogs live miserable lives. Dinah was SO HAPPY to be adopted and spayed and have a home with safety and regular meals.

The kittens are 4 weeks and 5 days old, and are eating solid food. Mama cat probably needs that to start. The kittens now come over when I go into the bedroom, and I pick them up.

A gopher pulled one of the pepper plants underground yesterday. This morning, I placed a trap in the tunnel, but the gopher quickly closed the tunnel behind the trap. I just opened up the tunnel again and placed the trap even deeper.

It was tough going, but I planted Butternut squash in 3 hills, where the broccoli had been. It's good timing, I think, and I can harvest up until the first hard frost, which is usually January. I finished about noon, and the forecast high is 98°F.

It was cooler today, with a nice breeze kicking in at sundown. I harvested almost all my first onion planting, and five garlic bulbs.

I put down some human baby food for the kittens and two were interested, but mama ate all or most of it. I'll feed her first next time, then the kittens. They're walking around pretty well now.

This morning it's 90° by 10 AM. Everything is situated, and now I'll hunker down. I used the air conditioner last night, and had a pretty good sleep until 6:45, when Popeye (formerly The Kitten) woke me up. He's becoming more affectionate at 3 years old. Dinah the dog, and him have a thing going on. He canoodles with her every chance he gets. Halo isn't very affectionate, so Dinah and Popeye have found each other.

The okra loves this heat and is flowering and fruiting heavily. I've been picking , eating and freezing it. I'll mix some steamed okra into a potato salad I'm making today.

Dinah's boyfriend showed up yesterday, and she was so happy. In my eyes, he is a horrible looking cross between a Great Pyrenees and a pitbull. He's huge, white, shaggy with a beastial pit bull head.

Steven King could have used him for a remake of Cujo. He's very sweet, though, and after canoodling with Dinah, went back home.

The two dogs guard all day, about 150 yards apart, and I guess have a mutual admiration.

The mama cat moved the kittens out of the box, and has them on the floor of her bedroom. They are just over 3 weeks old. She is eating like a horse, and comes out into the bigger house a few times a day.

I jury-rigged the new whole house fan, and have it running now, cooling the attic before the day gets any warmer. It's quieter and more effective than the original fan, and cost about 1/4 the price of a replacement motor. I found the idea online. Tomorrow, in the morning, I'll start with the permanent installation.

After two years, I took apart the evaporative cooler, cleaned it and installed new filter pads. I had trouble closing it back up until I got aggressive with the new pads. I had to push them away from the rear panel, and force them to flex into a confined space.

Another heatwave is brewing, and now the cooler is ready, and the new attic fan will arrive tomorrow morning. I'm trying my best to prepare to get through it comfortably. Saturday will be the hottest day, forecast to be 110°F.

It's been 15 months since Halo's collapse, and I am noticing his improving hearing, sight, coordination and alertness. He still walks pretty slow.

Halo can still manage to go out when he wants to, albeit via his ramp. He's pretty active in the evening, and enjoys going in and out often. He walks a mile in the afternoon with Dinah and I.

Dinah and the orange cat are both inside with me right now.

I was reading online about the broken whole house fan, and have decided to replace it with a smaller fan. The original motor is really too powerful for this house, and is expensive and not very reliable. I ordered a smaller replacement, and it might be a little challenging fitting it. I already took the old fan out.

Tomorrow I plan to harvest the last of the broccoli, and pull out the plants in preparation for squash.

<a href='https://robby.dreamwidth.org/file/33642.jpg'><img src='https://robby.dreamwidth.org/file/200x200/33642.jpg' alt='' title=''/></a>

<img src='https://robby.dreamwidth.org/file/33642.jpg' alt='' title='' />

robby.dreamwidth.org/file/33642.jpg

Okra and Tomatoes and Orange Cat (I don't know why images are not displayed)

I harvested my first 4 okra pods, and I have lots of little green tomatoes forming. Tomorrow, I want to fertilize the main bed, put down straw, and put in tomato cages.

The kittens are two weeks old, and their eyes are open and they can crawl around. One looks like a tuxedo, one is a grey tabby, and there's also both a light grey and dark grey piebald. Mama cat is very happy staying with them, but I encourage her to take a break and come out into the house a few times a day.

I installed led light retrofits on two recessed ceiling lights. The conventional A19 led bulbs get too hot and fail in the enclosed fixtures, so these special led puck bulbs are the solution.

On Friday, the weather should be cool, so that will be the time to remove the whole house fan and test it. It could simply be bad capacitors, but if the motor tests bad, I could buy a replacement motor for about $200.

It's 87°F at 9:10 AM, with a forecast high of 108°. I watered a bit, very early, including my vegetables. I harvested the last big batch of broccoli for freezing this morning, and will eat the small amount that's left.

I used my new window ac last night, and it cooled the room well enough, but it took a half hour. I let it run all night.

The heat wave is starting today, peaking on Saturday. I'm getting ready, in part, by watering.

I installed the final fitting in my lawn sprinkler repair, and it's now watering better than ever.

Today, I have to piece the fan vent back together, install it in the ceiling, then test the fan.

I also want to harvest more broccoli.

I removed the vent in the ceiling, and fiddled a bit with the exposed fan, and now it spins. I'm not sure what I did to fix it. There is a 3 position pull chain sort of hidden, and I set it to the fast speed. We are due some hot weather this weekend, so a working house fan is good. My plan is to run it in the morning to draw cool air into the attic, then in the evening.

Editor's note: Two days later the fan failed. But after resting a half hour, it works again. I guess I need to test the capacitor and motor.

All the animals are fine. Mama cat is doing a good job. A puppy was in the yard this morning. It must have squeezed through the pickets. It didn't seem skinny or hungry, and my dogs didn't especially like it. It disappeared later.

I replaced a toilet fill valve this morning. The new one is a different design than the 18 year old valve, which was hard to remove. The toilet works much better.

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robby

June 2024

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