EAST TEXAS SUNRISE - HAY IN - TO DO LIST - OLD VIDEO - KITTEN RESCUE - JIBBER JABBER

I was greeted with this early morning view this past week during my morning walk. The sun rises over this field every morning and this photo repeats daily in some fashion. 

Neighbors to the north of us can awaken to this as often as they wish. This would have to be a cup of coffee moment for me every morning and ten minutes of time uninterrupted. 

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THREE CUTTINGS THIS SEASON 

I took this photo one morning last week on the way to town. A couple hours later the bales of hay were on large trailers being towed by Ford and Dodge "Dualies" off to sale. Abundance of hay this coming winter and ranchers will be able to meet the feeding demands of a Texas winter. 

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TO DO LIST 

A good friend of mine and his family are spending this holiday weekend on their sailboat in Miami. He said he wanted to get started on his "to do" list before setting off on a long planned adventure. I was curious on what his list looked like.  I have made to do lists, but never like this one. But when your boat is your home and you are on your own for long periods of time, the list below and organization of things that may need attending to is common sense.

 

PROJECTS	NOTES	ACTION REQUIRED
Hatches		Hatch gaskets, glass, & bolts
Keel bolts	inspect rudder bearing and cutlass bearing	Keel Bolt kit
Seal all deck fittings
Clean rig
Rewire nav lights, replace with LED		LED bulbs, 10awg wire
Cleats & Backing plates
Arch support & new dinghy davits
Clean holding tanks
New sanitation hoses from toilets to tanks		hoses, back flow
Water maker service
UV sterilizer under kitchen sink		sterilizer
Seal all water tanks	tank lining epoxy
Reposition water maker manifold
Fix high bilge pump
Replace ice maker	maybe refrigerator	Portable ice maker, drink refrigerator
replace flush solenoids	ordered from amazon
Inspect toilets		spare pump, joker valves, parts kits
Spare electrical		10, 6 awg, lugs, heat shrink, crimp, shrink fittings, breakers, dimmer
plumbing spares	full set of everything
Domestic water system		spare pump(s)
Battery master shutoff switch		on hand
Arch flood light bar		flood lights
Generator full service
Engine full service
generator spares		zincs, impellers, oil, filters, fuel filter
engine spares		zinc, impellers, oil, filters, fuel filter
20HP Suzuki service		oil, filter, zincs, starter battery, spare prop
6HP suzuki service		oil, filter, zincs, starter battery, spare prop
Anchoring		bring spare 25kg, dinghy anchor
Diesel cans		buy 2 more
Water cans		bring 2 from NH
Gas can		replace cracked can
solar spares		MPPT, MC4 connectors
Life Raft		Inspect
Ditch Bag		inventory and create
Propane tank		replace small one, router out the cover to accommodate 20lb
Spare line		inventory and buy
Water toys		wake board, foil board, tube, raft/dock, tow rope,
Fishing		lures, line, gear, spear, long fins
Dinghy		cover
Swim platform teak		buy and repair
swim ladder		stainless hardware, replace and de-rust
Gelcoat repair		fix
Port Lazarette		build floor
Autopilot		replace with evolution
Hailer		Fix/wire
Master cabin water damaged doors		Fix
Floors		refinish
Night vision cam		buy
Refrigeration		evac pump, R134A, fittings, brazing tools, spare thermostat
Adhesive inventory		spare glue, hot glue, 5200, etc.
Fiberglass repair kit		west epoxy/hardener, glass matte
LED lighting		spare salon/cockpit bulbs

 

Well, then, let's get to work on that "lil ol" list!!

Video here 

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CAT KITTEN RESCUE

On our early morning walk yesterday, this kitten ran from the edge of the woods and landed at the wife's feet. A trip well planned in my book. No "shushing" or "go aways" would work and I just knew. It had been written.

I continued on my walking goal, not looking back. A kitten had just come into my wife's life our life and our day had some new plans. Not going to take it for a ride as apparently someone else had already done. The kitten was a victim of circumstance way beyond its control. Not the kitten's fault. These outlying farm roads are dumping grounds for animals folks no long want or can take care of.

Of course, the kitten walked in the driveway, to the carport totally throwing our two cats into a feline dither. They wanted nothing to do with this kitten and disappeared. Excellent avoidance behavior. 

Meow, meow meow and MEEEOOOOWWW. Yea yea yea, heard it all before. Her found the old cat cage we had shoved behind a storage cabinet.  I knew the drill. 

A trip to town and she returned with kitty dry food mix; a few other items. I had the cat cage opened/ready and the rest is history. 

The kitten went face down in the kibble and within a half hour was sound asleep. Full tummy and safe. She keeps saying "No more cats!!" I agree, I agree, I agree. Besides keeping this kitten would severely disrupt the already perfect, two outdoor cat living arrangement we have now, two years working. 

This morning, the kitten is safe inside the air conditioned shop until we can take it to the shelter this coming week.

Kitty is on FB looking for a happy home.

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JIBBER JABBER  Found this morning on The Burning Platform

Happenings Await

There is a constant gnawing inside of me that I work at controlling. I worry, am most concerned and try to keep my head on a swivel for anything out of place. There is much consistency in most all posts I read these days that we have a hell of a path we all must travel to ever get to the other side of what is coming. Jim Kunstler's article says it well.

We concentrate here on family and good friends. But we do not talk of these things. We talk of life and ongoings of our small circle of life. Hay in, projects, a cold beer over jibber jabber. Joking of long years of marriage. Men talk big when the wives are out of earshot and wives are lost in girl things. Happily lost in women interests of which they can visit away hours. Quite often laughing at those musings.  There is security in touching base daily with this living in which we all have been raised. The America we know so well. An America that works. The love and affections of close-knit neighborhoods.

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September 2023 is upon us now. The end of the year looms in the days ahead. God bless us all. And you bet, I so appreciate your visit this week.