Neko

Irresistible Force becomes Immovable Object

Travels With Oso con Migo

Odyssey In America

OAE Off and On and Off The Road Again — Irresistible Force becomes Immovable Object

Nude Sunbathers Ahead

2021 Summer Solstice — Greetings Virtual Travellers and Pen Friends:
 
Where's Hazel? Pet Hazel. Hazel has expanded her name: Hurricane Hazel-Rah Oliver Sinte Ikusheya.

Orange Bellied Trash Pickers21iii27 FoSM Spring Roadside Cleanup

Rather nice. Not much trash along the road in the first quarter mile but then I espied a pile off beyond the verge. Some despicable ass drove off the road and dumped a week of household rubbish. Some looked burned, prob'ly before the leaving. And left there a few months ago judging from the rotting of the sacks and fading of the Coke cans. I filled three big orange AZDPW bags in the course of poking around looking for a name and address under the half a ton of garbage. All I found of worth were seven old pennies. Out on the road again I found a very nice solar oblong charger. Quite clean, new looking, worth about 10$ on ebay. Works! Hard to say if the several hours of my time picking up trash is worth $10.07 but I never would have bought such a device like what I found.

Aluminiatus Radiatorum21iv3 A Rattlesnake of The Genera Aluminea.

My birthday hike is delayed. Several hurry-up-and-wait projects overlapping and bumping into each other. The monthly bookkeeping, b'day project mailing, roadside cleanup, all the past few days and tomorrow I will host Easter Dinner for three humans, two dogs (they do the dishes mostly), and a cat or two. Monday is food pantry. Tuesday weekly shower. Wenzday Food Bank. Phew! Then maybe a b'day hike. Today the temperature here hit 100f. Too soon. Instead of a BSBH we did a Birthday Roadside Cleanup & Geocache Party. At the remains of a recent car fire I found a rattlesnake of the genera Aluminea. Aluminiatus Radiatorum.  Another casualty of vehicular malfunction.

1946 Ford Tractor21iv10 Building Parts for Antique Tractor

Gasket for TractorI want you to know (save this for when you are half-way through your own dotage) just how delightful one feels when you can make something like a rare gasket with material and tools and practice that have been tucked away in a corner, dusty and cobwebby from inactivity, for 30-40 years.

Pfizer and Pepsi to Merge

This will no doubt put Coca Cola out of business in the near future. The Pfizer Corporation announced today that Viagra will soon be available in liquid form and this new product will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for use as a mixer. It will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one. Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink, and it gives new meaning to the names of cocktails, highballs, and just a good old-fashioned stiff drink. Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name of: MOUNT'N'DO.

Thought for the day...There is more money being spent today on breast implants and Viagra than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2025, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs, huge erections, and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

4.13, Dyslexic Pie Day

Sue sent some rhubarb so I made Pie.

Oblongs explained2021iv16 The Phone is Dead; Long Live The Oblong

I survived yesterday with no skinned knuckles and the only bruises were to my self-confidence and equanimity. Another week or so and that will wash out as well I hope.

Well, that’s a bit overboard. My old Moto Phone isn’t “dead”, just old, and increasingly unable to keep up with the changing times. (I’m getting to be about the same candidate for replacement so I’d better be careful...) and a newer better (remains to be seen) phone came available at a very attractive price. . . . o 0 (Just remember, you get what you pay for.) All very complicated and different. I am a creature of habit, tradition, brand name shopper, &c. All this “new” and “different” is not to my liking even if the result is “better”. The “getting used to” is the problem. Besides which the thing is not really a phone anyhow; phone is the least of the features. Thanks be to Mikey for holding my hand through all his trauma!

And along with all that I finally came to grips with the Cruise Control Failure. Another case of basackwards troubleshooting. But that turned out to be the key to finding an even bigger problem. Recall the engine room fire on the Eclipse Expedition to Driggs Idaho a couple-two-three years ago. Beyond extinguishing the fire (thanks to the outside shower and full water tank of Spencer in the Arctic Fox. See Friday 11th, Fire in the Engine Room!) I never looked further for damage until now. And had I done the troubleshooting of the Cruise Control front to back I still would not have looked at the fire damage. The wiring was a mess of melted wires and charred insulation. The firewall had holes burned/rusted through the metal. After replacing/rerouting the wiring harness and a blown fuse the Cruise came up OK. Phew! But rebuilding the firewall was the big job. Especially with the engine in the way. Perhaps I’ll have more to write about on that matter later. Everything is back together but for the cleaning up after. Main thing now is to get The Cat Drag’d Inn back on the road again before the tyres take root.

And Another Thing...

Too early maybe but the opportunity presents to quantify new fridge compressor runtime since installation: Since 14 July 2020 to now, 17 April 2021 there are 278 days or 6672 hours. The fridge compressor has been running 4025 hours. 60% of the time. More in the Summer, less in the Winter, by a factor of about 2:1.

Patriots Day

Downsizing today. This week. On-going... So many old things to part with. Just have to be careful to not get rid of my Self. Not yet.

Saint George, dressed for the slaying.Feast Day of Saint George the Naturist

Yesterday The Cat Drag’d Inn made a round trip to the tranny shop. Fourteen gallons of fuel and 560 dollars lighter she runs better! But there is still a short circuit in the wiring somewhere.

Suffering the Pangs of Yet Another “Upgrade”

Archeological SiteKen sent a photo of kids exploring an ancient civilizations site. [phonebox photo] Herewith is one of an another ancient ruin. Note the rotary dial, especially useful when the answering computer says "Please press one for English." Or Voicemail says "Please enter your PIN and press pound."

Fox in the Dog Biscuit Jar

Sunday morning my coffee and crossword time was interrupted by the yard light shattering the darkness. A crash and clatter brought me to my feet, to the window, in time to see a small tawny critter climb out from under the round table and dash away to the east. The Dog Biscuit Thief! A canine about the size of Paul’s 20# cat Tigger. Big ears, thick fluffy tail with a black tip. Vulpes macrotis.

To the CAT Shop

... for engine maintenance on the bus 3208. The motor is due for a 50,000 mile checkup. I arrived at 0710 for a 0730 appointment. Two hours later I was still pacing to and fro waiting for them to get started. Bad vibes about this place so I left. Now I'll have to find another shop.

Even Mars has traffic cops.Wright Brothers Field on Mars Hosts First Flight

And first speeding ticket. Closer to home a sixth grader and his two cats from Tennessee has answered the internet’s most burning question: In your home, how many surfaces does your cat’s butt touch?

May The Fourth Be With You

Sold another storey to the Escapees Magazine. Post Office released Star War Droids commemorative sheet on May 4th.

21v12 at The Food Bank was a Palindrome Day

13 May Maintenance At My 2nd Home-Port Garage.

Right Front Outer Wheel BearingI've long been doing the LOF on The Cat Drag’d Inn but this time I want to have a professional look at the motor and the chassis. So I’ve decided to stimulate the economy a little. Two weeks ago dropped almost 600$ on Alison transmission for two hours and a fluid change. Last week walked out on the CAT dealer after waiting for two hours for them to remember I had an appointment. This week I'm at the Tonopah Garage (just off the south end of the airport runway) where I have for several years been bringing small jobs and cultivating a relationship.

My first task was to change the oil and filters in the 3208.  Allan's first close up look was at one of the two bolts in the "front" motor mount that holds the flange below the crankshaft pulley to the cradle built back in Center Conway NH when we installed the first 3208. The bolt was broken where the locking nut would have been tight against the flange.
PackRat in the Fwd Bellybox
Second thing was to raise the front axle to check king pins and bearings. The Right Front bearing was loose and was making a rumble sound when we spun the wheel. Once upon a lot of miles ago we had the same problem when the bus was parked at the Conway Truck garage. Now I'm waiting for parts. In the picture here you can see the pitting of the bearing surface.

While Allan was working on the bearings I was busy cleaning out a huge packrat nest from the space above the forward bellybox. Even had two mummified packrats in residence. After that I changed oil and filter in TinyTruck and found the oil filler plug on the tranny loose. To fix that Allen retapped the plug hole for pipe thread and installed a regular pipe plug.

14 May...We're not done yet.

Two trips to Buckeye for parts and another 500$ later (I hope the local economy enjoys all this stimulation...) the front wheels are turning smoothly. Other tasks included torquing loose bolts on the drive shaft differential, checking fluid in the steering box, adjusting brakes, searching for an air leak, and cleaning up after. And maybe I’m still not done.The Attack of the Smoking
              Kippers

16 May - Shower Soak Return to Paul’s Back Yard

I just want you to know how much I sympathize with you about moving. For all my caution and turtle speed getting out of the neighbourhood of the Tonopah Garage & Aerodrome, after bouncing my way along Bethany Home Road (both ways—going and coming), lurching and turning after so long sitting still, every cupboard I open is fraught with hazardous projectiles. This morning I was attacked by a tin of Crown Prince Smoked Kippers and a phalanx of Vienna Armoured Snausages in full battle array. Just moments ago I was attacked by a Bostitch Stapler closely followed by a Scotch (tm) Tape Dispenser. Have you any idea how much damage a full ream of HP printer paper can do to an M570 trackball after bouncing off an MS Ergonomic Keyboard?
Saddle Mountain Erupts?
Zip-Lock Freezer Storage Bags are no barrier to the essence of garlic. Ben&Jerry’s new Flavour of the Month is New York Super Garlic Chunk.

Yesterday was the 21st day...

 ...of the 21st week of the 21st year of the 21st century. And at the 21st hour I went to bed. This morning my low was 47f, only one degree warmer than Mt Washington in NH! The furnace is on to warm my tired bones. This afternoon the a/c will be on to cool the sweat of my brow.

Saddle Mountain Volcano erupts? May 29th [photo]

The Courthouse Fire southwest of Tonopah, in the Centennial Wash, has burned 1,072 acres since it started on Saturday afternoon. Seventy-three homes are without power. Throughout the day, planes were seen dropping fire retardants in an effort to contain the blaze.

Prisoners of our own device...The Times They Are Not Changin’

We are all in those same several boats. And they are all sinking.
If anything there are times when I am feeling left out as one friend or another relates some "cleaning up after me" exercise. Once in a while I am inspired to do a bit of house cleaning of my own and then get side tracked by some project or my best intentions are waylaid by someone more bent on their task giving me their castoffs. I need to try harder to stay focused.

At the moment I'm busy helping Paul—in whose backyard I have been roosting—to build a house and garage; I'm mostly wiring the electrics. And I am trying to get The Cat Drag'd Inn primed for her migration to Pie Town. So much is out of place having been anchored here for more than a year. I've just stimulated the local economy buying front wheel bearings and six gallons of Rotella T-6. Not to mention a flock of filters. Volunteering continues at the Buckeye Food Bank and my wont of picking up trash along the roads hereabouts.

I’ve Just Realised...

The Cat Drag’d Inn has these past ten or so years become a “wagglethorp”. Summer affliction: SAD ...the hot, desiccating days in southwest AridZona make me lethargic, yet also agitated, irritable and unable to sleep. I gotta get out of this place if it's the last thing I ever do. [—Thanks Animals] Perhaps I’ll just go languish in my blanket tent.


New Year's Resolutions Censored

Be Well, Do Good, and Please Write.Immovable Object

Love, ajo

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.
Sir Isaac Newton

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Copyright © 2021, A.J.Oxton, The Cat Drag'd Inn , Tonopah AridZona 85354-0313.

Internet has morphed the American child from an irresistible force into an immovable object.