Decrepit - Busy busy! Glad you're making some progress though.

You know, Decrepit. Raccoons are as good a reason as any to get a nice firearm if you don´t already have one. Just sayin´

I hope you didn't go up in that attic yourself with your delicate health! Working in a bacteria filled environment like that you have to use at least an N-95 mask ($7.00 at Home Depot) over your mouth and nose; full hazmat gear including hood and shoes. ($12.00 at Home Depot)

Don't take any risks with animal feces; it has airborn bacteria.

Uh, that would be a huge "NO!" - do NOT want dead animal bits decomposing inside one's attic! Bad enough having the bacteria from their feces in the air they are breathing in their home; urk.

Nor do we want bullet holes in the roof and ceiling, to say nothing of what might happen to my bro's possessions in the line of fire. Which reminds me of my now standard lame comment while at the Walmart checkout registers. For some months I've needed to stick my debit card in a little slot rather than slide it as used to be the case. The card must remain in-place until the transaction is finished. At that point a sound signals that the card can be removed. The sound reminds me of a duck call. Me being me, I can't help but warn the teller what might happen during hunting season, when customers hearing the sound are apt to whip out their concealed carries and start firing at random. Told ya it was lame.

Yeah, after spending several hours Tuesday at my bro's house sorting saved correspondence, most of which is worthless and unnecessary, and shredding lots of it, (much remains to sort and shred) I woke Wednesday morning feeling miserable. I thought then that prolonged proximity to raccoon waste might be the cause. Then again, my bro keeps his house a good five degrees cooler than me, and I forgot to bring a sweatshirt and toboggan to combat that. (I keep my house at 73F during the summer, and wear sweatshirt and toboggan indoors as often as not. I've never been able to tolerate "cold" well since my long struggle with pneumonia at the turn of the century.) As mentioned, I had planned to work on the project again yesterday, but wisely (????) decided to hold off until the raccoon problem is solved and the attic cleansed. As for my bro, it hasn't bothered him, but then he has the constitution of a nuclear-bomb proof bunker.

Very wise. I used full hazmat gear to remove the possom-infested insulation from my crawl space. At one point it felt like I couldn't breath; so for just a second I removed the N-95 mask and gulped some unfiltered air - it made me sick as a dog; just that one breath.

Neither you or your brother should be breathing the air where rodent feces is without a good mask to filter that bacteria out. And spraying a broad spectrum bacterial virucidal when you are done isn't a bad idea either, but for the gods sake where the full hazmat and mask to spray it so you don't breathe that virucidal in or it seep into your pores, lol.

The folks handling trapping and removal will also perform cleanup. which to my limited understanding includes feces removal, chemical treatment and insolation replacement as/if needed. After researching the risks of doing it ourselves, no way was I gonna allow myself or my bro to tackle it. (Well, it's his house and money, so I couldn't have stopped him if he had insisted on saving bucks and attempting it on our own. Luckily he took no persuasion at all to go "pro".)

So, new project coming up.

We´re now gonna have to put up a lockable gate here. Everyone and their boss is either going by car or bicycle straight across our place. Not only is that annoying since they pass right through our grounds but it´s also dangerous. We don´t always look too closely since we don´t expect anyone to come through there and soon enough there´s gonna be an accident. We have a sign by the main road but it´s ignored but I reckon if they go all that way and have no choice but to go all the way back they´re not gonna do it again.

Too bad we have to do this but people have no respect for signs anymore As for now I parked my cavator there to block it off.

Hmm. . . I wonder if there is an opportunity for an alternate solution here. . . . Perhaps we should discuss it in the 'Shooting Guns for Fun' thread.

I don´t live in Texas!!

Oh whew! I had no choice, had to do my son's crawlspace without hiring a pro, but would have in a heartbeat if we could have. It is some kind of nasty work, urgh.









Are they going to a place that is not accessible by any other road? (or just trying to save some driving time by cutting through your yard? ) Geez, you would think how close they have to turn by your shed would give them a clue that it isn't a thoroughfare!

No, it just leads to our place and nowhere else.

They´re not saving driving time either but some people go places just because they can and don´t mind signposts saying it´s a private road. Or sometimes they take a too early right turn if they´re going to our neighbour from the main road (at the other end). Well, if the road is blocked and they have to turn around and drive back they´re not likely gonna do it twice.

And we´ll soon have a sign up saying Private Area from the main road and hopefully it´ll help. If not I´m gonna go with Acadian´s suggestion

BWAAHAA! Then Acadian can pay for your legal defense! BWAAHAA!!!!

Drove to bro's house this morning to see if he had more info on animal removal progress. He doesn't. But...I saw a raccoon caught in the on-roof trap, and noticed a strong aroma near the living room window, where another trap is set. (I didn't see either an animal or the trap there, so it might be a lingering smell from some days ago or smell from the roof animal.

Drove to County Court House to drop off paperwork requesting excusal from Jury Duty this September due to poor hearing and iffy health.

Drove to Walmart for groceries. Spent $50.33, 33 cents over budget.

Drove home. Called Animal Removal folks to inform them of caught raccoon(s). Not available. Left message.

Tried to call Social Security. Too long a wait time...estimated 35min. Gave up.

UPCOMING PROJECTS:
Will prolly mow the lawn shortly. Slightly cooler temps than usual, plus overcast sky.

Figure out what to do about now being locked out of my online Social Security account because of new requirement requiring a cell phone with text capacity to log on. I neither have nor want such a device.

That is just b-c! They shouldn´t require you to use certain devices for such things! Optional, sure, but not mandatory!

Not sure how the Social Security Administration thinks people living on Social Security benefits can afford stuff like cell phones and computers! Here a computer is required; and if you don't have one they suggest taking all your classified documents down to the public library and using theirs! Now cell phones? How secure!

Can anyone say "Identity Theft?" Yes, I thought you could!

Went out immediately after posting yesterday's input and mowed the lawn. Thanks to slightly cooler than usual temps, overcast sky and a bit of a breeze it was my easiest mow of the year to date, except maybe for the first couple back before summer heat set in. Didn't even need a cool-down break. (Thank goodness, cause I forgot to take one.) A heart reading taken only a few minutes after the mow read... blood pressure 106/67, pulse 88. Not bad at all.

Ended up spending most of that afternoon at bro's house helping him switch his ratty old bed, which has pretty much disintegrated after decades of use, with the one in what was mom's bedroom. Mom's bed is ever so much better. I laid down on it for a while. Puts my own mattress to shame. I'm envious.

Also discovered, assuming my current thoughts are correct, that I may have made a serious blunder while sorting, trashing and shredding bro's stacks of paperwork. What I interpreted from his input about healthcare documents is that two of the three providers appearing in the stacks are obsolete. Only one, which shall remain nameless, still applies. I got rid of all supposed obsolete healthcare paperwork. Didn't think anything more about it until yesterday, when the project was much further along. Then, it became evident that some key documents he should have had from the "good" provider are absent. The little paperwork from them on hand doesn't look like a basic health insurance insurance to me. I think it's a supplemental plan, and that his basic plan is one of the two I destroyed all evidence of. I'm not (yet) 100% sure of this, but things just don't add up. Not sure where to go from here, since everything that could have helped me verify my suspicions is unrecoverably gone. What a mess. Shame ... shame ... shame ... <ding ding ding>

Never did hear from the animal removal folks. The raccoon caught in the roof trap remained there all day, stinking up the place. Don't know if they removed it today, as bro's phone line is now totally dead. (Until yesterday after he could still call out on it, but not receive incoming calls.) No sense addressing that issue until the raccoon problem is solved, the attic sanitized, and the roof repaired.

Woot!

If the article I just read online is true, and I haven't yet attempted to verify it, it looks as if Social Security received so many complaints about their new account log-in requirement that they have already made the cell-phone text requirement optional. They plan to reinstate the extra security step within six month once viable (???????) options are in place.

I can't imagine how they could have considered a cell phone text as a security measure to begin with! (no less an "Extra" security measure!)

I guess "extra' as compared to also requiring you to do it all on a computer where your keystrokes are being monitored 24/7 by spyware so ID thefters can get hold of all your pertinent info along with your SSN to make it easier for them to pretend to be you. And hey, why not scan your drivers license in while at it so they have a picturel ID and DL to use!!!

(not to mention that SS has been hacked yearly in the months between January and April to grab all our income tax refunds.

I mean, can anyone say "lazy" or "just plain dumb?" Yeah, I thought you could !!!


(Thanks, Mr. Rogers!)

A couple of project updates:

Spent a couple of hours at my brother's house this Wednesday. Trimmed back most of the branches on two of the three bushes animals can clime to reach his roof. My hand trimmer isn't stronger enough to lop off several largish branches that most definitely need to come down. Didn't have access to the shed in which he stores the chainsaw.

Tested his phone line at the outside junction box. I heard as much static on the line from that as I had inside. This surprised me. I thought for sure the problem would prove to e internal. But it gets stranger. That after, back at my place, I decided to call his number before calling the phone company to have them run a line test. The call went through perfectly, which hasn't happened to his troubles began. Or rather it seemed to go through perfectly, he not being home to answer. I decided to hold off calling AT&T until attempted to get in touch with him in the evening. Come evening he calls me...good connection, no static, no line going bad in the midst of conversation. Maybe 30min later I call him. For the first time in weeks he's able to hear the phone ring, pick it up, and talk. Again, solid connection throughout the conversation. I decide to let the matter drop until/unless he starts having problems again. Today, I attempt to call him. Every time I get an automated voice saying his line is busy. I know that's not true coz he's at work. Thing is, is the line screwing up again or did he incorrectly set down the receiver after our phone con last night????????

I'll be taking my neighbor, who works as something of a freelance handyman, to look at bro's roof this coming Saturday. (The animal removers patched two holes with metal to keep out critters, but did not perform actual roof/shingle repair.)

ADDENDUM: Drove to bro's house to insure phone(s were properly resting in their cradles...they were. Returned home. Called AT&T repair. Scheduled a repair visit Monday, 29 Aug...soonest available date.

Called Court Court Clerk Office some days ago to check on status of Jury Duty exemption request (due to poor hearing and unreliable health). Was told, to all intents and purposes, don't call us, we'll call you. I just hope I don't slip through the cracks and my request never makes it to whoever determines such things. Back in 2012 I received exemption notification appreciably sooner.

Project updates:

Today...
...Grocery run. The few Fuji Apples Walmart stocked looked rancid. No peaches at all. Bought a bag of Ambrosia Apples, which I was totally unfamiliar with. Had half of one for lunch. It tasted quite Fuji-like, so worth the investment. Oh, I forgot to buy eggs. Will try and remember to grab some on the way home from my TMJ appointment this Thursday.
...Met my handyman next door neighbor at my bro's house so he could gather info to make an estimate on roof repairs.
...Either very early this morning or sometime yesterday AT&T supposedly fixed my bro's phone-line issue.
...Received a letter from the County Court Clerk informing me that my request for exemption from jury duty has been approved.
...Received a letter informing me of mandatory participation in the American Community Survey. Was given an online address to complete the survey. Checked to see if said survey is on the up and up. It is. Completed survey online...a pain in the rump.
...Received an explanation of benefits from Medicare dated 19 Aug. As of that date they still have me own several hundred dollars in fees due to my doctor billing them under the wrong code. This has been a months-long ongoing battle for me, with the doctors office saying they are gonna fix it, but nothing getting done. On the plus side, I've received no billing statement from the doctor's office in some time, so maybe they are still working on it (??????). Another pain in the rump.
...online UPS shows that my mattress topper is "out for delivery".

Seems like you have quite a few pains in your rump, Decrepit. Hopefully things will clear up soon

Projects worked on today:
...Early this morning I edited my Minecraft Forum screenshot thread to include a link to a brand spanking new download of my Minecraftian world, which had been uploading to my online storage site of choice overnight.
...Mid morning TMJ appointment to measure progress or lack thereof.
...Mid morning visit to Walmart on the drive home from appointment to buy eggs. Found a good many men's clothes on clearance sales. Bought four colored T-shirds and 2 pair of mid-thigh athletic shorts for around $15US.
...Mid/late morning balanced my savings and checking account ledgers. Was a real mess. Took forever to find and correct my many mistakes.
...Late morning/early afternoon mowed lawn after lunch.


Sometime around 2012 or 2013 my rump actually did go out on me. Was sitting in front of my computer, on the very chair I'm in now, when all of a sudden I developed excruciating pain in my posterior. From that point on I couldn't sit in a chair any length of time unless it was well upholstered or, as in the case with THIS chair, supplemented by a cushy pillow. Could no longer sleep on my back, which is the only way I had slept up until then for as long back as I can remember. Now THAT was a pain in the rump. Took months, but I eventually acclimated myself to sleeping on my side, still somewhat painful but endurable. Wasn't until early this year (2016) that the pain diminished enough to allow me to attempt laying on my back again. Still not overly comfortable but doable, rump wise. Sad thing is that by then I had developed TMJ Disorder, which has resulted in pains in my neck and shoulders, so that neither back nor side sleep is overly pleasant. Hey, they don't call me Decrepit for nothing.

A sad side-effect of this unfortunate situation is that, at the height of my posterior malady, my beloved but by then ancient 95% waveless extra-firm waterbed mattress passed the point of no return. My gosh that was a fine mattress in its day. I consider it amongst the best purchases I ever made. Thing is, with my rear bothering me I was not able to properly audition a replacement. Ended up buying a memory foam mattress which earned high marks at several mattress-centric websites and had loads of positive endorsements at Amazon. Ever since then I've wondered how much my current sleep issues are the result of natural decrepitude and how much, if any, from having settled on a possibly less than stellar mattress. Such is life.

BWAAHAA!!! Each one off by either 1 or 9; right? That is the penny I keep losing or finding in my check register vs bank statement, lol.

New project: have my car's fuel pump replaced. I'm taking it in first thing tomorrow (Tuesday) and should get it back by day's end. To be on the safe side I moved my TMJ appointment from 0830 Wednesday morning to that same time Thursday.

Ugh. I needed to do that too a couple years ago. I was on my way home from my mechanic and he had to tow me back

Yeah. I still gotta make it to the mechanic tomorrow. If I'd had my wits about me I'd have asked if they would keep it overnight and give me a ride back home. I certainly have no need of the car between now and then, and can't risk using it even if I did. Oh well, the shop's no more than a mile away. With any luck I'll make it that far.

Another project: I simply MUST remember to download that bloody big ARK update overnight fairly soon. Not holding my breath.

My sole project for the day, aside from attending a TMJ appointment first thing this morning, is to mow the lawn. I did the back yard just after lunch, then took what I assumed would be a reasonably short break. Only, the heat got to me too much. Gonna wait and finish up after supper with the sun low on the horizon. You'd think that by this time of the year the temperature would be bearable...but no.

ADDENDUM: Now just after 1800 mowing is done.

This weekend I started a new project; clearing up a tractor road in the woods from the hugest rocks. Yep, more cavator action!

Almost done with the first section. Got one huge rock out of the ground yesterday and I´m almost done filling the hole with small rocks and dirt. After this I´ll be tackling some more but I don´t yet know how big this project will be. I basically just wanted this first part done since it´s the worst, but now when I have the cavator there I might as well try my luck on some more rocks.


Time will tell how many will be removed.

Diggin' holes and fillin' 'em in!

Next year you will be removing those huge rocks from wherever you left them this year!

Doing a LP of Battlefield 4 on my YouTube Channel:
Part 1.

Part 2.

I'm playing on Normal difficulty as I've played this game enough times to know the ends and outs of the game. I also have Hardline that I might LP after BF4 .

So today I changed the oil in the propulsion gears on the excavator. Good thing too as the old oil was black as choal while the new oil is golden


And tomorrow it´s time to change the fuel filters. Finally we´re cooking with something

Excavator maintenance:

*Changed coolant
*Filled tank with quality diesel that is less prone to get algy buildup
*Cleaned air filter

I see you´re taking this very personally, mALX


And tomorrow I´m gonna do the last thing before winter; change motor oil and filter. Next year as I´ve said I will change the hydraulic oil. 33 liters. Ugh

Well, oil and filter have been changed and fuel topped off



New thing: Remember that hole in the back of the garage that was incredibly enough a perfect fit for the door that we had? Today has been quite windy so we decided to attach it. Minor adjustments only and now it sits nicely. We have to fill a hole over the door though, preferrably with a window.

-Pixies in the morrow, mALX!

What a busily industrious crow you've been!

WOO HOO!

The tractor garage today


And exactly one year ago





See any difference?

It is so amazing what you accomplished!

The only difficult part was to get the frame up. You know, arranging the foundation correctly and so on. Once that was up the rest was quite trivial

I can't even wrap a present and have it look properly square, lol.

Beautiful work, mirocu! I'm just amazed that you can't get wealthy building tractor garages. Surely there's septims to be made there and you could employ yourself. You are indeed quite the craftsman.

Oh, please. Don´t act like I built that garage all by myself


Besides, if I started to build these for others, when would I have time to hang here and play all my games?



But thanks

You and your Dad could make me one for free! WOO HOO!!!!

Khajiit started experimenting for his knife handle project today! Took a messed up tomahawk handle (hickory wood) and cut the head of it off about 5 1/2 inches (13.97cm/139.7mm for our metric friends!) down. Then Khajiit drilled a series of holes in line with each other on the part of the handle head where he made the cut and now working on clearing out the space in between the holes. Tested by tapping the knife tang down into it an now it's stuck, lol, which makes this one nervous since he's tugging on a sharp object!

I would already be missing a finger just reading this!

Khajiit is happy to confirm that he got the blade loose with no injuries, cuts, or scratches! Although, this one does enjoy that lovely shade of red...