Senile Texas Aggie - comic relief for the rest of you

[Bruce]

I made up for your lack of "oops, DAMN!!!! today STA

While waiting for the paint on the EV station post and board to dry I went out in front of the solar array to see if there was clearly ledge there since we are planning another array. Can't fuel the Leaf with the overage we have from the current array. Not sure there is ledge which would be good, save some installation money.

Then I went to the gate in the west fence line so make sure the pin was still far enough into the double latch. That post has a floating brace and tends to pull north. Looked like it was JUST the width of the latch so I decided to crank on the brace wire to pull the brace in thus push the top of the post back some.

Crank, click, crank, click, crank POP! The brace wire snapped about an inch from the ratchet thing

So I had to fix that. And I noticed that the lower bolt hook on the other post was bending down from the weight of the gate and the top hook wasn't in the top bracket very far. This is happening because the opening is too wide so there is a fair bit of threaded rod sticking out of the post. So I took the gate off, banged the bolt hook back up and rehung the gate. Guess I really need to lag a 4x4 onto the post and drill through that so there is less "excess" threaded rod sticking out.

Then after lunch it was back to the regularly scheduled programming, finishing up the EV station install - electrically speaking. The Leaf is plugged into it tonight instead of the one down inside the barn. That one is not real accessible in the winter. I COULD have moved it up near the walk by the house but since the electric company gave us another one with the Leaf, might as well install it. I still have to finish the "shack" to keep it out of the weather. It IS weather proof but I'd rather it not be getting all iced and snowed in the winter and I suspect all that plastic isn't "sun proof" forever either. I've been taking pictures and at some point will post the project in my journal.

 

[Finnie]

s (I don't have any safety glasses)

THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THAT!

Amazon.com

Please, get yourself some and use them. Your vision and your health are too important to neglect.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

I've been taking pictures and at some point will post the project in my journal.

I'll be checking often on your journal for them!

Please, get yourself some and use them. Your vision and your health are too important to neglect.

I agree. I will try to remember to buy some when I go to the hardware store next time. I am a bit reluctant to buy them online for fear they will not fit. (I wear eye glasses as well.)

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Baymule]

Get a face shield and wear a dust mask. Breathing sawdust ain't so good neither.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Get a face shield and wear a dust mask. Breathing sawdust ain't so good neither.

You are definitely right about the dust mask! When I cleaned up after building the table, I used a blower to blow the sawdust and regular dirt out of the shop. Talking about a cloud of dust! I was coughing quite a bit while doing that cleanup. I don't know why I didn't put on a mask, as I had plenty in my truck!

I finally ordered the Geocell product that I first learned about from the YouTube channel "Colorado Mountain Living" back in late August. The Geocell is supposed to hold the gravel and slag in place, preventing it from being washed away by water running across the driveway. I decided to order it since I also had to order a starter for our Gator 825i. The starter started being a little wonky last month but got to where it was quite a bit wonky this past week. By wonky I mean that the starter would spin but would not engage the flywheel to start the engine. Both of the items are supposed to arrive next week.

Logan county, Arkansas is currently in the red zone for Covid-19, so we are still hunkering down.

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Bruce]

Logan county, Arkansas is currently in the red zone for Covid-19, so we are still hunkering down.

Stay safe!

 

[Mike CHS]

Another Stay safe!

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

All,

As will be evident, I have not been working outdoors much and so I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos. I watched two that I'd like feedback on from you folks.

I watched a YouTube video yesterday that talked about hydraulic lines and threaded connectors and which threaded connectors needed to have Teflon tape applied and which do not. I had always thought that they all needed Teflon tape, but it turns out that is not the case. Here is the YouTube video that discussed the different types of threaded connectors and which ones need Teflon tape and which do not:

The second YouTube video I watched concerned the state of small farmers in the USA and how they got to be in the condition they are. The video is a bit long (over 23 minutes) but I think worth watching. So I am asking everyone, but especially Miss @farmerjan, Miss @Ridgetop, Mr @Mike CHS and others who have been involved in agriculture for a good while, to offer your opinion on the situation and what should be done about it, if anything. (Miss Anna/@Fuchsia, this guy is in your part of the country, namely upstate New York,) Here is the video:

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Bruce]

On the teflon tape and connector types ... yep Though I didn't know there was a difference between the colors of teflon tape. I have both pink and white, I didn't get the pink on purpose, figured it was all the same just grab a roll. I guess the hydraulic fluid might do something bad to the pink and blue (which I've never seen)??

He, like me, is no Mike Morgan spreading that gravel

On the farm thing. Yeah sounds about right on the whole. But he is ignoring the consumers' part in the equation. IF all the consumers had stuck with the Mom and Pop stores, there wouldn't be any chain stores. But people understandably follow their wallets and convenience. The chain establishments have economy of scale that help keep prices lower. Poor as some chain restaurants are, at least you know what you are getting so when travelling do you search out a "Mom and Pop" of unknown quality or stop at the "just off the interstate" chain? And of course now even chain stores are hurting because you can buy so many things cheaper on Amazon and have it delivered to your door.

There is a reason we have a massive trade deficit with China ... because people bought the cheap stuff from China even though it was inferior quality. Inferior but "good enough". Then the USA manufacturers moved production to China and other "low cost countries" so they could better compete with the cheap stuff from China. Then there were no more USA manufacturers of many product types so like it or not, we have to buy from China.

I, for one, would HAPPILY pay twice as much for a quality USA made product that would last much longer than a cheap one from China, but in many cases such a product doesn't exist anymore. And we became a "throw away" society. Microwave only lasts a year or two? Who cares, throw it out and buy a new one for under $100.

 

[farmerjan]

@Senile_Texas_Aggie ; watched the video and for the most part he is pretty much right. It was Earl Butz that helped to transform the farming in this country with the "Get bigger or Get out". He was an A$$, and his policies that were so widely adopted, did cause the huge expansion of the farm size and subsequently the demise of many small farms. The whole compete on the global economy was the reason. It has caused a trickle down that will never be replaced because of the "economy of scale".
The other thing is the increased gov't control and the policies of competing in the world markets. Parity became a bad word, and the changing of those policies goes back to the 30's. That is when it was decided that the GOV'T should be more in control of the surpluses, and the idea of the gov't buying up surpluses as a hedge against hard times.... as well as the thoughts that innovations in farming somehow made things more unequal.... there were alot of things including how the banks would lend money.... but it is the changing of the policies of parity, and then the gov't getting more in control, that actually was the start of the decline of small farms. The Cornucopia Institute has a good article on Parity and what it has meant to farming.....
The other thing that the guy talked about in his video is very true.... people DO NOT VALUE good food. And it shows in the overall health of people in this country. Cheap food is just that...... CHEAP..... not just in money costs, but in the quality of the food. That also comes from the chemical companies..... the EXCESSIVE dependence on herbicides and insecticides to solve any and all problems..... NOT all chemicals are bad..... and they have really helped with salvaging crops when there has been a possible disaster looming. But they were not meant to be administered the way they are now. It is like taking antibiotics as a preventative with no threat looming ..... it is proven that they are widely overused. So are many of the chemicals used....Good farming practices can deal with many of the problems but it takes time. This country is one of "I WANT IT NOW" mentality. And he is right, good food is not valued, we do not "clean our plates" because.... oh there is more where that came from...... On top of that, there have been many studies that the actual food value of the food today is less.... the vitamins and minerals in the food are diminished due to reliance on chemicals for cheap fertilizer, rather than to improve the OVERALL HEALTH OF THE SOIL , so that the crop that grows has better food value. The is A LOT OF TRUTH to the old statement.... YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT..... if the soil is not as healthy as it should be, then the crop - food - that is harvested will not be as healthy as it can be.
That is where the small individual farmer, has a leg up.... because he is often more able to make the soil more healthy, more complete, so that the crop coming off of it is healthier too. AND, as much as it was poo-pooed for so long... a diverse and multi cultured farm, with both crops and animals, is healthier for the soil.

One other thing though , there are more and more people in the world. We have saved millions of lives with eradication of diseases that would often take many children. Families used to be big, partly from lack of birth control methods available.... but often many of those children did not live to adulthood. Sad to say, it was a natural form of birth control..... And children, and adults did not survive horrible accidents like they do today.... premature babies did not live.... medical advancements have made strides that were unimaginable 150 years ago..... BUT ..... this has increased the populations.... and the bigger farming methods also are more needed to support those larger populations.
I don't know the answer. PARITY needs to come back so that the cost of farming is reflected in the actual price paid. Then the smaller farmer would be able to compete more....and make a living.....like the ones that do farm and get premium prices for a product that is better for you healthwise. As long as there are those that only see the $$$$ prices on things, and not the actual value, there will be a need for the mega farms to produce a cheap product. But then we pay for it in subsidized things like health care....
Where is it right or wrong..... do I want to say that this one should not live because they have a health issue....???? But when you get right down to it, nature is a very hard taskmaster. It is survival of the fittest.....