End of an Era—Another Dent in The Family
For her irrepressible good humour I loved my sister Susan
very much. I am the oldest of the four boys, she the oldest
of the four girls. Additionally, we more or less shared a
birthday albeit a day apart. Susan K. Rice, 65, passed away
on May 6th 2015 at the Community Hospice House in Merrimack,
NH. She was born on April 4, 1950 in Somerville, MA, the
daughter of the late Roy G. and Elva (Newton) Oxton.
Why do we say "...sorry to hear about..."? In my humble
opinion, word maven that I claim to be, in that phrase,
"hear" implies that one would rather not have heard. If we
cannot say "...sorry about the death of..." then at least
perhaps "sorry about" or "sorry for". But "sorry to hear"?
Anyone explain that?
Ides of May Mayn't.
My Isuzu pickup, a.k.a. TinyTruck, has for a while been
exhibiting a misbehaviour. A couple of them. Stuttering and
bucking at low engine RPM was one. Excessive wear on the
inner edge of the left front tyre was the other. Alignment
check showed the camber was a whole degree off. The LF wheel
was tilted in at the top. How did it get that way is
unknown. Correcting the excess is a matter of adding or
removing shims from between where the wheel/ball joint/frame
is bolted to the chassis.
At the alignment shop the technician struggled to loosen two
nuts. The steering column was in the way of his wrench.
Eventually he gave up trying to break free the nuts and
suggested I take the truck back to my mechanic to have the
nuts loosened. Typical case of the loose nut behind the
wheel, eh?
Allan said the nuts were not supposed to be loosened, they
were welded to the frame. You're supposed to go at it from
the other end and loosen the bolts. And he showed me how
that is accomplished.
Back to the alignment shop. At first the alignment
technician was adamant that he knew what he was doing. The
bolts are supposed to be with splined heads captured in the
frame such as wheel studs are, and you loosen the nuts. But
to do that one would have to move the steering column out of
the way. What I told him to do was easier but contrary to
what he knew and not in keeping with the procedure necessary
for the alignment equipment. Fortunately he acquiesced
before he got in too deep. To get at the bolts one must
first remove the wheel. Then a cover plate. Behind that
cover are the two bolt heads. After the shims we found were
removed he reinstalled the wheel to test the alignment.
Perfect! Then he had to again remove the wheel to tighten
the bolts and replace the cover. Then replace the wheel and
check the camber one more time. All good.
Well, I learned lesson today, he said by way of apology as
he finished up: Sometimes the customer really is right after
all.
Still not sure about the stuttering problem. But in the
course of installing a new aftermarket cruise control I
found a screw missing from a micro-switch on top of the gas
pedal bell crank. No idea what that switch does but it
couldn't do its job with one screw missing. Found a screw in
my hell-box and now the stuttering seems greatly reduced.
The
Social Shitter - Whatever Happened to the
Three-Holer? 
This morning the thought occurred to me... Something about
privacy; how do astronauts do it; why are there now
partitions separating sections of gang urinals where there
didn't used to be... You know, we as a people mostly look
forward to breaking bread together but not to breaking wind
together, at least not beyond about the third grade.
In a certain Men's Room I frequent there is a urinal and a
commode, separated by a partition. I walked in last Towel Day
and a face glared at me over top of the partition, “Busy!”
he said. There's room for two, said I, as I proceeded past
him to the commode. What is this morbid fascination with
privacy that permeates our society these days?
Did
three-holers go the way of gang showers?
Not
Knowing About Defecation (pdf) and The Social Life of
Faeces (pdf), both by Sjaak van der Geest, should help
you get to the bottom of it.
Well! That was an exciting journey. Here's
another...
Monday 22 June
Finally! After far too much stupidity and procrastination The
Cat Drag'd [out] of Tonopah and headed north.
Presently at North
Ranch in Congress, 1500 feet higher and 5ive
degrees cooler than Tonopah, picking up the pieces. No
matter how many things I remember to pack and tie down there
are always some things which manage to find their way to the
deck.
Today's main concern is some strange ticking or clicking.
Seems to be in step with wheel rotation speed. I hope the
sound is just some stone stuck in the tyre tread.
Congress tonight, up the Yarnell Hill, through Skull Valley,
to Prescott tomorrow. Got to get up that hill at very early
o'clock cos the temperature will be coming up close on my
heels.
Tuesday 23 June
In Prescott AridZona this morning. Long slog up the Yarnell
Hill. Motor running really hot. Coaster brake not working
correctly. More things to fix.
The clicking sound I do not hear this morning. That's a good
sign.
Hurricane Hazel is getting used to travelling again. Takes
her a day or so to find her "sea legs".
24th June, Red Hat Day in the woods...
Today I am in the woods a bit north of i40x151 between Ash
Fork and Williams AridZona. Dawn started at 60f and already
the temperature is up to 75f, headed for 90f or so. Bright
sun on the solar panels is making about 13a to run the radio
and computer.
The cat of the moment, Hurricane Hazel-Rah, is outside
getting acquainted with the cacti and the juniper. A.K.A. The
Cat in The Front, she is the third of that line. Such
a nice cool start to the day I decided to cook breky.
YUM!
Today I'm going to sit here and watch the juniper grow. Also
there is a water leak in the radiator water-spray-cooler to
investigate. And one of my neighbours a few trees to the
east is someone I know so there is some visiting to do.
Noon o'clock now and the PV array is making 35a. Temperature
up to 97, 98, 95, and 98 here. All thermometers are in the
shade for the moment. With a nice breeze. Must be 111f at
Tonopah. "Although the actual atmospheric
lapse rate varies, under normal atmospheric conditions
the average atmospheric lapse rate results in a temperature
decrease of 6.4C°/km (3.5F° or 1.95C°/1,000 ft) of
altitude..."
Several people who were potential visits and layovers
responded to my first epistle that they were busy or out of
town. One in France, another in Kansas, another in court...
Just as well if I am going to have any chance at all to
catch up.
The Yarnell Hill, coming up from Congress to Yarnell (of
course) at 06h00 was not too nasty a climb. Motor got really
hot but the sprayer kept the radiator cool enough. Then the
scenic route through Skull Valley to Prescott was a breeze.
Lunch with Jerry (Thank you very much Ka1bab) was a good
visit. Then on to see Kevin in the Granite Gardens for a
quickie visit before chasing after Tom who was somewhere
north of Paulden, north near Drake.
Well, by the time I got to Drake Tom had checked in from
this place called Welsh Road. So that meant another hill to
climb. Just as well, another climb also means another few
degrees lower temperature.
The End of June
Met some new friends on the corner of Welsh Road and Old Rte
66. They live
off grid in a work in progress 55' semi trailer with a
ragdoll
Siamese cat named Itchykaibo Cat and a wood stove on a
brick floor. Very cool! Her name is
Jewel. His is Warren.
Field Day
The last full weekend in June is an annual Ham Radio event
where Amateur Radio people practice setting up their
stations in a field somewhere. Pot Lucks, contest
operations, 24 hours of continuous transmitting and
receiving, keeping score... All in the name of training and
fun. Well, NU7DE, the club
station of Desert Circle ARC, out of Magic Circle, La
Posa South, Quartzsite, did Field Day at the corner of Welsh
Road and Old Historic Route 66, i40x151, between Williams
and Ash Fork, AridZona. The club had two operators part of
the time which proved to be an interesting test of
capability as well as a training exercise at The Cat
Drag'd Inn. In the 24 hour period [we worked only half
that time] we made over 90 contacts—some by SSB voice on
several bands and some by RTTY (radio teletype)—which was a
better score than last year.
Getting ready to leave Welsh Road and TinyTruck would not
start. Dead battery. Worked Ok a few days earlier but not
this time. Got hitched up anyhow and on up the hill to
FlagStaff, down the other side, on to Winslow. TinyTruck
still wouldn't start, left me standin' on the corner. New
battery time. Plus with Groceries and Diesel for the bus, a
500$ day. Onwards.
From Winslow to Saint Johns to find yet another friend not
at home. Just as well. Found my way to the south gate of The
Painted Desert where there is a Petrified Wood Museum and
Gift Shop with a sign proclaiming Free Camping. It was that
time of day; I think I will stop for the night.
 It
never ceases to amaze me how filthy and stupid some people
are. This morning at the Red Hill Rest Area I had to face
that all over again.
Up hill all the way. 7,500'MSL +/- to Red Hill and the day
is too warm for this altitude. But just right for picking up
the trash. This place is my favourite Rest Area. There are
several picnic tables under shelters and at least eight
trash barrels. Yet some jerks cannot seem to manage. Used
nappies, aluminium beverage cans, 20oz drink containers,
beer bottles, used other things not fit to be named in the
presence of your grandmother... strewn about as if nobody
gave a shit except that some did that too. And I had this
place all cleaned up about this time last year. Now, all
cleaned up again... three bags full yes-sir, yes-sir...
On to
Pie Town. The Cat Drag'd Inn just in Gin &
Tonic time thanks to the Time Zone Change. At the AZ/NM
border the clock leaps ahead one hour. None of my mobile
phones work. Last year one old Verizon phone did work. This
year that one has been replaced by a new phone—through no
fault of my own—and that new phone gets no signal. Virgin
Wireless is worse than AT&T. Progress, eh...
15vii6 ...Masquerading as a normal person day after day is
exhausting. Still. In Pie
Town again. Part way through Monsoon now. 2.3
inches of rain so far in July. This is the Year of The
HotTub. Hurricane Hazel is doing well except that the ground
is too muddy for her to dig cat-holes so I am still cleaning
her litterbox. At least she is not constrained by society to
masquerade as a normal cat. The labyrinth is
overgrown--needs weeding. Started this migration a month
late cos of medical, dental, vehicle issues, but fortunately
most of the folks I would visit were away so I was able to
arrive here almost at the same time as last year. Met some
interesting new friends along the way--see the note about
Jewel & Warren supra.
Heat On, Ei8ht July, Oatmeal Breky
Yesterday the overnight low was 50f and one wag observed:
One more degree down and we'll be in “The Forties”. This
morning, as I write, the outside temperature is 46f. The
heat is indeed On.
Such extremes! A week back, when The Cat Drag'd Inn
to Pie Town, the mid-day temperatures were in the nineties.
Already there is a noticeable darkness later into the
morning. The sun is southering, the days are shortening,
Summer is waning, and the hurrier I go the behinder I get.
Half Way Through July
So far there has been measurable rain every day since I
arrived. Three inches so far.
My cousin, David N. Kirwan, 75, of Venice, FL, the oldest
son of my mother's kid-sister, Aunt Kay, passed away
July 9, 2015.
I made a list of people within my
First
Degree of Separation who have died over the years
since I became aware.
A very Exciting Saturday!
Cottonwood campers here last night. Fun group of kids,
helped out with a lot of yard work stacking fire wood,
moving rocks, and asking riddles. (What has lakes but no
water, forests but no trees, roads but no cars?) They left
early this morning. I spent some time tracking down a leak
in the hot tub and needed a well earned nap.
 After nap
we went up town to find some lunch at a fundraiser. Met Eric
who has been on the road, on a bicycle for a couple years.
Bucket List of places to visit, odd jobs here and there,
travelling by bike. Three other Continental
Divide Trail cyclists showed up at the Toaster House
Hostel. Eric showed us a headset cap from http://kustomcaps.com/
which was provided by http://salsacycles.com/bikes/
to promote the CDT race. The cap could be traded for two
slices of pie at Pie-O-Neer
or Pie Town Cafe.
Nita had heard about them a few days earlier and really
wanted one. Later she found one, a red one, on the ground at
the Toaster House, no doubt dropped by some racer. But then
she lost it, the cap never made it home. Today whilst we are
putting up supplies at the Toaster I found a red cap right
where we had parked, almost under the rear wheel. Well it
could have been the one she lost so I gave it up. Later,
unloading more stuff from the trunk of her car I found
another red cap under a case of cheap beer. So now we each
have one.
Warren and Jewel, whom I met at Welsh Road, managed to get
their tractor trailer into the town park, under a tree, back
out of the way. No telling how long they will stay. Fun
visit with them and their Ragdoll Siamese this
afternoon—lots of storeys until the rain started.
New Wizard Robe - Commissioned Art
Last year at Faywood I saw Ken wearing this most beautiful
robe. Wearable art. Took several months for Gwen to
negotiate material and measurements and then more months of
sewing in Socorro before it was ready to deliver. One
side-storey was that of getting the trim shipped in from
Korea. Some times it takes for ever for the Postal Service
to lose a package and once they give up and the seller makes
a refund; then of course the package is delivered. Tracking,
even at this writing, still says the parcel is en-route. The
robe required some alterations; I think I've shrunk since
Gwen first measured my size and shape, and I still need to
find the best belt or sash to go with it.
Tag End of July—Jeff came to visit.
Monday I went shopping. Did I tell you about losing Bill's
cheque for an hundred and some dollars? Well, I did. Or at
least it disappeared that Monday morning he gave it me. Lost
an' gone forever oh my darling... So we dickered about
stopping payment. Since I'd since gone shopping in the big
city, who knows into whose hands the unpayee'd and
unendorsed Leaping Brook-Trout cheque had fallen. At least
the amount was filled in so he was safe from going
bank-rupted.
On Tuesday Jeff, my world-travelling friend just in from
Burma, stopped by for supper on his way from hither to yon.
(Yawn?) We had a great visit. He brought me a cool new hat
and a few other toys, we enjoyed a break in the Monsoon
Weather, and worked together to perform emergency
micro-surgery on the hot tub. On Thursday he got away just
in the nick of time.
Shortly after he left Thursday morning I hit the rack for a
well earned nap. Then I went out to do the laundry and
managed to return in time for lunch. The sky broke as I was
hanging the last towel on the drying line. Disguised as a
nice gentle rain this thunder storm came out from behind the
chicken coop, where no doubt it had been impatiently blowing
in the wind an d saving up the rain drops
for two days, and proceeded to shatter my dream of a
pastoral clothes drying afternoon. Half an hour later there
is 0.54" in the rain gauge and my laundry is wetter then
when I pulled it from the washer. At least I had the
foresight to run the bedding through the dryer at the
internet laundrateria.
Then, in the course of cleaning up after, I found the lost
cheque. Under the galley table, under Hurricane Hazel-Rah's
kibble dish, teeth marks punctuating the blank Pay To...
Says she: Who, me? The brook trout made me do it.
Now suddenly we are at the Ides of August. TinyTruck sounds
like a mellow Harley. There's a hole in the muffler Dear
Eliza and no amount of straw is going to fix it. The motor
has been bucking and snorting for a few weeks. Getting worse
as the miles go by. Then this loud backfire! Wham! So the
problem is getting serious. New muffler appears to be not
available from NAPA; I will have to shop around. May have to
go as far as Show Low. Still looking.
19 August—Turning Over a New Leaf
At dusk last night there was a growling and thudding under
the bus. Hazel was in, against the back window, hackles
raised. Out the door I went in time to see Muenster give
chase to a black streak headed north around the back of the
shako and then east towards the shop. I followed and poked
around inside and out the shako and the shop and under the
shed behind. Nothing found. So the stray, not seen for a few
weeks, is back.
Last night I turned the last page in my Journal #31. Today I
open #32, tabla rasa. Someday, when all is said and
done these books will either become fuel for someone's
fireplace or fodder for a reluctant biographer. In the mean
time... This week the swelling of water on my knee seems to
have reduced. They are both nearly the same size again. Not
sure what was the cause. My doctor said not to worry unless
the condition affects normal activities. What's normal about
this masquerade?
|
Ave Pen
Friends and Virtual Travellers: 
I do not know what I may appear to
the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy
playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then
finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary,
whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before
me. 
