Better weather and better mood.

Not that I’m moody or anything. 

Well, I might have been in a bit of a “funk” over the last few days. 

Has a lot to do with what sort of storms are raging outside.  But let’s not get off on a tangent here.

Did you remember to replace the batteries in your smoke detectors this weekend?  

We have five,  along with two CO detectors.  Mind you,  I haven’t been a sound sleeper in a lot of years,  so probably even the slightest hint of something on fire would wake me.  Or maybe not. 

I’d rather not find out.

I also like to put the date on the new battery when I install it.  Just in case I have some sort of brain fart and somehow miss the next changing of the clocks. 

Which,  by the way,  is a bit of a dumb idea these days I think.  We’re not farmers anymore.  No need to spring ahead and fall back.  To me it only serves the purpose of remembering to change those batteries.  But we could just as easily do that at say, Christmas and then July first.   July forth for those south of the 49th,  if you want to get fussy about it.

 

I’m rambling because well, it’s sort of indicative of my activities over the last few days.

This,  by the way,  is one of the benefits of having a “portable” BBQ.   We had some serious wind and rain,  starting on Thursday night when I had a couple steaks I wanted to cook.  Didn’t take a gratuitous photo of the steaks.  Too hungry by then.   They were of the “tenderloin” variety.  Damned yummy.

The miserable weather didn’t really pick up until AFTER the trick or treaters came around.   I think we probably had about 20 kids of various ages.  I let Travelling Companion deal with that situation. 

Hey,  I was cooking supper!

 

Did you see this?

Some poor lady got crushed in her car down in Port Colborne.  Just on her way home,  minding her own business.

I stole that picture from the CBC.   Go to Google if you need to know more.

We could have a whole discussion about “saving trees”.   I’m all for trees.  We have nine big ones on our rather small property here.  HOWEVER,  there have been two that we’ve had to take down in the last couple of years,  rather than have them fall on someone.  Or on the house. 

If the geniuses at the City of Burlington had their way,  I’d have to get a “permit” to cut down a tree.  This stupid idea comes up in council from time to time,  and then gets voted down.  There was even one nitwit who thought it would be somehow convincing to tout the idea that,  “they do it in Toronto.”   Say that with a dumb look on your face.

Well, if that’s what turns your crank,  then I’d suggest moving to Toronto.   They have their share of idiots there too of course.  But hey,  I (thankfully) don’t live there,  so I won’t comment any further. 

Um,  just don’t be walking down the street there in a windstorm.   “Danger Will Robinson!”   Because you can’t *touch* a tree in that wonderful city.  Looks fabulous from the air.  All that green. 

I’d better settle down here.  I can feel my heart rate going up.

 

 

I’ve started on another little issue that I want to get out of the way in the next little while.  Our washing machine has been dying a slow death for a number of months now,  and needs to be replaced.  I’m sure I mentioned this a while back.  Being somewhat “parsimonious”  (i.e. cheap)  I’d prefer to run the thing until it simply wouldn’t function anymore.  That might take another year or so.  Who knows?  

Meanwhile,  we do have the new one sitting there,  so I need to get this sorted out.

Of course,  I’m not happy with the “dog’s breakfast” arrangement that I have there now,  even though I could very easily move out the old one,  move the wiring over for the 220 volt outlet,  and we’d be set to go.

It has to do with the drain and vent from the sink that I have in the garage shop.   By the way,  having a sink in your woodworking shop is the absolute cat’s ass.  I’m not sure what I would do without it. 

 

You’re probably wondering how the hell I managed to get my drill up in there.  Something to do with removing the battery and holding my mouth a certain way.  Just felt the need to take a picture.  Aren’t you glad?

I need to move the vent pipe up off the wall and tuck it away between the floor joists.  Right there to the left of the bridging that I’m drilling into is a “laundry chute”  that comes down from the bathroom upstairs.  Travelling Companion thinks she’d like to use it.  Mind you,  Muggins here is the one who does the laundry,  and there’s just the two of us.  But hey,  we may as well use the stupid thing if we have it there. 

So the idea is to have a cabinet into which the laundry falls directly below the chute.    Can’t really do that with the drain and vent pipe attached to the wall.

 

Now,  did you catch that part about the 220v power supply?

Well,  a few days ago,  as I was “girding my loins” so to speak, to get ready to do this,  I was doing a little reconnoitre of the new washing machine,  and happened to notice it had a bit of a strange plug.

 

What the hell??

 

At first I thought maybe it was a higher amperage,  but that just didn’t seem quite right,  and then I saw right there on the door that it does indeed take 220.   *groan*

But wait!

It just so happens that,  out in my little room full of treasures in the shed,  I do indeed have a receptacle for such a critter.  Not sure where it came from,  and I was probably hanging onto it with the idea that any new and improved dust collector could very well require 220.  

I guess. 

I don’t know,  why do guys hang onto things?  For the possibility of that one moment in time when they can say,  “Hey,  I got me one of those!”.   

Right?

And no,  my oh so awesome new dust collector takes 110.   So no need for any special wiring for that one.

 

The bonus is,  there’s no need for any special wiring for this outlet either,  since I already have a 220 supply that was used when we had an electric dryer.  Just have to move the wire a few feet and wire in my special receptacle.

I wasn’t going to include a picture of the thing,  but here you go. 

 

 

Just to cover off the educational portion of our program.

We won’t get into the whole discussion about 220 vs 110.  Suffice to say,  you can’t do too damned much with 110.  Heating elements?  Forget it.  Ovens?  Forget it?  Irons?  Might as well forget it.   A Table Saw?  Well,  only if you’re cutting balsa wood.

It is one of those things that I certainly got used to in Europe that I do sort of miss here.  That’s all.

 

Do I have anything else rattling around in my brain? 

Um, nope.

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Keep an eye on those trees.

 

Thanks for stopping in.