Electric for RVs

A little while back I told you about putting in additional electric boxes for the RVs.  This is the link to the old post in case you want to re-read it: Wondering about RV power plugs.

So, I figured today would be a good day to take some pictures of that project and post them on my blog.  This first picture is of the existing outside box.  I added the three breakers in the row on the right:

Then I ran wires to the two boxes that I added for the RV’s.

The first box that I added awhile ago was the one with the 30 and 20 amp plugs:

And of course the one for the 50 amp plug:

They have been plugged in and running stuff in both RVs for awhile now without any incident, so everything must be working as it is suppose to.  Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together or a project works the way you want it to?

You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering where to go.

I want to figure out where to go for our first extended trip in the new RV.  There are a gazillion places I would like go, all here in the U.S. of A.  I see no need to travel outside our country when there is just so much beauty and interesting things to see right here at home.  No one in one life time could see it all.  Now, in the limited time I have left, where should I go?  I said one time that I wanted to take some time and try to see different parts of Texas.  I still have lots of Texas that I haven’t seen although I have lived here since 1980, that is 32 years.  When I first came to Texas I had a pop-up camper that a few years after being here, a tornado demolished it.  That, and the fact my career was taking too much of my time, limited my travel.  I really didn’t start traveling much, except for trips back to Pennsylvania to see family and friends, until I purchased a Mobile Scout 28 foot travel trailer back in 2003.  Here are a few pictures over the next few years of the Mobile Scout:

There is a story about each trip, but this is dog grooming day and I have to get going and we also need to get supplies.  Someday when I get the chance, I will tell stories about past trips that I haven’t told before.  I do believe I have, at some time or another, told you about most of these trips.

Sorry, but I got to run.  I will “wonder where to go” more in another blog.  I do have lots of places I want to see. Now you all have a great day, you hear?

Wondering if I should post a blog today.

Since I do not have anything to say, no words of wisdom, no funny stories, no trip logs, nothing; I guess I shouldn’t be even attempting to write a blog post.  Therefore, this posting is just to let you know I woke up today to a partly cloudy start to a warm week.  I did get the steps painted on the motor-homes yesterday and they both came out rather well.  Since the class-C’s steps were not in as bad a shape, the paint job on them came out looking the best.

Speaking of the class-C, a blogger asked me when I was going to get rid of it, so I will tell you.  I don’t know.  I only have a couple of more things to remove from it that, unless the new owner is a HAM radio operator, will not be needed.  No one has just stopped by here and offered me anything for it.  I suppose that is because no one knows it is for sale (grin).  I will probably take it down to pplmotorhomes.com and let them sell it.  That is where I purchased the class-A.

I am getting a little worried about the diesel that I purchased back around Thanksgiving time.  The 100 gallon tank was filled then and the gauge still says it is full.  I have only driven it 30 or 40 miles since I filled it up.  I have heard that diesel will not keep long and that it starts destabilizing before it leaves the refinery, so I have no idea how old it is.  Guess maybe I should drain off the bottom of the tank to make sure there is no water in it.  Condensation of water in a fuel tank is where the bacteria grow that ruins the diesel.  Any of you know how long it will keep?  Being that the tank was full, it would probably keep longer, but that is just a guess.

Dang, for not having anything to say, it sure did take a lot of words!!  You all have a great day and a great week now, you hear?

Wondering about Mister Bean

Mister Bean was one of my deceased son’s favorite shows.  My wife and I always got a lot of laughs out of that show.  Houston Public Television (channel 8) started showing reruns of that old English show; and of course my wife and I have to watch it.  We like all types of humor, but Rowan Atkinson is different.  It is British humor at its best.  Rowan may portray a stupid person who is a boy inside a man’s body as some people say, but he is well educated and has a MSc in Electrical Engineering.  There is no one in the universe like Mr. Bean.  If you have never seen it, watch it some time and you will see what I mean.  It is so stupid, it is brilliant.

Another great show that used to be on public television that my wife and I liked was The Red Green Show.  That show was from Canada.  It seems that most of the comedy shows on public TV have originated in some other country.  Even Monty Python’s Flying Circus was from England.  I must say that I don’t appreciate most English humor but Mr. Bean and Monty Python were different.  

Sorry I am so late posting my blog today.  Started it and got the first couple of sentences down and something came up.  Then I ran out of time before the flea market.  Beautiful sunny day here today.  I think I will sand and paint the steps on both motor-homes.  It is a good day for it.  Now, you all have a great day too, you hear?

Wondering which to do today.

I got too many choices today.  There is a HAM breakfast this morning (no, not the meat, the radio guys), there is the flea market, there is the gun show, it is lotto ticket buying day, and a lot of things I need and want to do.  So, what should I do?  Well, I eliminated one of them by sleeping in; it is too late to make the HAM breakfast.  My wife will be happy, now I can take her to the flea market.  It will be a little chilly this morning; the cold front came through yesterday and this morning it got down to 44 degrees and cloudy.  The clouds will prevent the sun from warming things up, but the wind died down from yesterday when the north wind was quite gusty.  It was blowing so hard from the north that I thought I smelled what Ben (of An Older Texan Remembers) had for breakfast and it sure did smell good.

Like I said earlier, I slept in and will be heading out for the flea market soon, so will keep this short this morning, since my wife likes to get there early.  We usually leave about 09:00.  I do want to go get something to eat before we leave, so will punch the post button, and go get ready.  I promise I will read all your interesting blogs after I get back.

You all have a good day now, you hear?

Do you ever wonder what lies ahead?

I am at the age where I wonder what lies ahead.  No, I don’t mean while driving down the road, I mean in life.  I am completing my 6^th decade and it seems that my body has aged one of those decades in just the last year.  It seems every time I do something that requires more than lying or sitting, something on my body starts hurting.  I am going to quit complaining about it; at least it lets me know I am still alive.  Speaking about getting old, an old high school class mate and buddy sent me this in an email:

During a visit to my doctor, I asked him, "How do you determine whether

or not an older person should be put in an old age home?"
"Well," he said, "we fill up a bath, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup
and a bucket to the person to empty the bathtub."
"Oh, I understand," I said. "A normal person would use the bucket because
it is bigger than the spoon or the teacup."
"No" he said. "A normal person would pull the plug out. Do you want a bed
near the window?"

Kind of makes you wonder what is in store for us on down the line.  Actually, I would have failed that test, too, because they only gave three choices, and like older people, I try to follow instructions.  Now, if it were worded different, like “these three items are some of your choices”, then it would allow the older person to think “outside the box”, so to say.  I hope that my “old age home” has wheels on it (grin).

There is a cool front moving in today.  Actually, it moved through about 04:00 this morning and it sure will not hit the 80’s today.  It is only 44 degrees out there this morning and the high is only supposed to be in the mid 60’s.  But, you all have a great day now, you hear?

Hot yesterday, hotter today.

Let me put it this way, we opened the doors and windows yesterday thinking the breeze would keep the house cool – Wrong!!  Although it was predicted to only get into the upper 70’s, it got up into the low 80’s and with the high humidity it got a little uncomfortable by evening even though the ceiling fans were running.  Well today they are calling for even hotter temperatures and then a cold front will come in tomorrow sometime.  I think we will run the central air conditioning today for sure.

By the way, in case you are wondering, I had no trouble getting that tow cable made up yesterday.  I just used my VOM meter to check what each post on the Jeep end of cable were used for when hooked up to the class-A.  Then I checked the plug on the class-C and noted which pole did what.  That made the job simple without having to do any trial and error.  I don’t mind the trial part so much, but the error part really gets on my nerves.

You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering about the “toad” wiring cable.

For all you who are not RVers, let me define “toad”.  A toad is the vehicle that is pulled or towed behind a motor-home.  When I picked up my Class-A motor-home, the service department changed the motor-home end of the electrical cable that transmits the signals for brake lights, turn signals, flashers, and a breaking system if you have one in the toad, to match the 6 prong plug on the motor home instead of the 4 prong plug that is on my Class-C.  Now, I have to make up a new cable so that when I take the Class-C down to PPL’s sells lot, I will be able to legally tow the jeep.  That way I will have transportation back home.  Yes, I am going to let PPL Motor Homes sell it for me.  Here is a link to their site: http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used_rvs_for_sale.htm

Making up a new cable would be simple, if I had the old end that goes to the motor home as a reference, but I do not have it.  Now I need to have my wife push the brake pedal, work the turn signals, turn on the flashers, and turn the lights on in the Class-A while I check which pin on the cable is hot for each of the above.  That way I will know which pin on the Jeep end goes to each item.  Then I will have to get her to do the same thing with the Class-C so I know which ones to match up.  After all that, it will be easy to finish up the cable.  I already have the Jeep end of the cable put together, just have to figure out the RV end.  When the Class-C is sold, I can always change the RV end of the new cable back to a plug that will fit the Class-A.  That way, I will have a spare.

It is going to be in the upper 70’s here today, but is supposed to cool off by the end of the week.  Now, you all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering about quick weather changes.

Texas is known for its quick changes in the weather.  The temperature can change by 20 or 30 degrees in a matter of hours, storms can pop up and disappear in minutes, and winds can shift directions and speeds in a blink of an eye.  When I lived north of Ft. Worth, I remember days that when I left at 06:00 in the morning it was a balmy 75 degrees and later that day when I left the office for lunch it was 45 degrees with a strong north wind blowing and I didn’t have a jacket, brrrrrr.  They always said that there was nothing between north Texas and the North Pole other than a few strands of barbed wire.  I have actually watched the mercury (I guess now they use alcohol) in thermometers go up and down.Of course, Texas isn’t the only place where weather can change fairly quickly.  I received from my cousin via email some pictures that he took of the storm that just blew through Virginia.  His spring time suddenly turned back into winter.  Here is a picture that shows crocuses in full bloom:

And compare that to this one after the snow storm passed through:

My cousin lives in Salam, Virginia and here are some pictures he took yesterday after the storm had passed.  I think these pictures are beautiful.

I always loved fresh fallen snow.  It is after it starts melting that it gets ucky and ugly, especially if it has been lying around for weeks.  Anyway, I thought that you would enjoy these pictures as much as I did.

Sorry this blog is late getting posted.  It would not post this morning and I have now idea why not.  So, I took this opportunity to upgrade to Google Chrome and try again, it now works and it seems to upload the pictures a lot faster.  Of course, that could be all my imagination.  Now, regardless of what the weather is in your area (it is sunny here), you all have yourselves a great day, you hear?

Wondering about Mexican Coke and walking slow.

First I want to tell you that when blogging starts to get be a chore, something always happens to perk you back up. Last night my cousin by marriage (Married my cousin who passed away. He would have been 92 had he lived.) Anyway, she told me how much she looks forward to my blogs. Thank you Evelyn.



Where I live, it is hard to find Mexican Coke (No not the powder, the kind you drink). My wife and I went into an all Mexican grocery store where all the signs were written in Spanish. Would you believe that there was only one bottle of Mexican CocaCola in the whole store? Of course we purchased it and last night my wife and I split it. We couldn’t find a bottle opener so bought one at the flea market yesterday. It is sooooo very good. Reminds me of the soda fountain coke we used to get as kids back in the ‘50s. Got to find a place to get me some more of that!!


I got wondering yesterday why I have been walking so slow lately. After some careful thought while lying on the couch, I think I have the answer. I walk slow so it gives more time to try to remember why I was going in that direction in the first place!! Makes sense to me. It saves a lot walking and time, because if I was to hurry into a room for something, I would forget what it is was and as soon as I got back where I came from I would remember it. Walking slow usually prevents that from happening. That way, I can forget and remember it a couple of times on the way.


Oh yeh, before I forget, you all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering about Puns.

I really don’t have any good subject for today’s blog and I love puns. It just so happened that a friend of mine (an old classmate from high school years) sent me an email this morning with a list of “Puns for the educated”, and I thought that you would enjoy them as much as I did.  You may have to read some of them twice, I did and the more you read them the funnier they get.  So for today, just read the puns and have a good day, you hear?
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Puns for the educated....
1. King Ozymandias of Assyria was running low on cash after years of war with the Hittites. His last great possession was the Star of the Euphrates, the most valuable diamond in the ancient world. Desperate, he went to Croesus, the pawnbroker, to ask for a loan.
Croesus said, "I'll give you 100,000 dinars for it."
"But I paid a million dinars for it," the King protested. "Don't you know who I am? I am the king!
Croesus replied, "When you wish to pawn a Star, makes no difference who you are."
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2. Evidence has been found that William Tell and his family were avid bowlers. Unfortunately, all the Swiss league records were destroyed in a fire, and so we'll never know for whom the Tells bowled.
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3. A man rushed into a busy doctor's surgery and shouted, "Doctor! I think I'm shrinking!" The doctor calmly responded, "Now, settle down..You'll just have to be a little patient."
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4. Back in the 1800's the Tate's Watch Company of Massachusetts wanted to produce other products, and since they already made the cases for watches, they used them to produce compasses. The new compasses were so bad that people often ended up in Canada or Mexico rather than California. This, of course, is the origin of the expression "He who has a Tate's is lost!"
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5. An Indian chief was feeling very sick, so he summoned the medicine man. After a brief examination, the medicine man took out a long, thin strip of elk rawhide and gave it to the chief, telling him to bite off, chew, and swallow one inch of the leather every day. After a month, the medicine man returned to see how the chief was feeling. The chief shrugged and said, "The thong is ended, but the malady lingers on."
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6. A famous Viking explorer returned home from a voyage and found his name missing from the town register. His wife insisted on complaining to the local civic official, who apologized profusely saying, "I must have taken Leif off my census."
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7. There were three Indian squaws. One slept on a deer skin, one slept on an elk skin, and the third slept on a hippopotamus skin. All three became pregnant. The first two each had a baby boy. The one who slept on the hippopotamus skin had twin boys. This just goes to prove that... the squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides. (Some of you may need help with this one).
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8. A skeptical anthropologist was cataloging South American folk remedies with the assistance of a tribal elder who indicated that the leaves of a particular fern were a sure cure for any case of constipation. When the anthropologist expressed his doubts, the elder looked him in the eye and said, "Let me tell you, with fronds like these, you don't need any enemas."

Wondering about monarch butterflies.

I saw on TV this morning a report on the migration of the monarch butterflies. They come from all parts of the country and end up on wooded hill in Mexico. It is amazing how such a fragile looking butterfly can travel that far and survive. The biggest danger to their existence is loss of habitat for laying eggs. They only lay eggs on milkweed plants which serve not only as place to lay the eggs, but as a food for the larvae. Urban sprawl has killed off oh so much milk weed that it is starting to affect the amount of monarchs for the next generation.



Have any of you ever witnessed a migration of monarchs? I was lucky enough to do so once in my life. I was out archery hunting one evening on a friend’s hunting lease a couple hours drive north of where I live. Just as the sun was setting, thousands and thousands of monarch butterflies came in and started landing in a couple of trees. They filled up the trees, and it was a sight to behold and one I sure felt lucky to see. The chances of seeing this is probably a lot less than once in a life time. No words can describe the sight, it was so very awesome!! I was so very lucky to be in the right place at the right time and the only one to see them. By the time I got back to camp, it was dark and after being there for the last couple of nights, it was time to head for home, since we all had to be at work the next morning, so I was the only one that saw them.


It amazes me that something so small and delicate could travel that far and what is more a wonder is how they could navigate from all over North America to that one wooded hilltop in Mexico!!


We have had, and are still having lots of rain. It started about 04:00 this morning with the first wave of thunder storms coming through the area. One hundred percent chance of rain today. You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering where the rain went.

Last night, the weather guys were predicting that today we would get five inches of rain in two different storms; about two and half to three inches in each. Therefore, they issued flash flood watches for today. Well, it is damp and humid here now but no storms. Where did they go? They went to Dallas instead. Passed us by on the west side and went on up to north east Texas. Since the ground is already saturated, most of the rain that falls around here today will run off into my swamp. That will help fill it up. It has to get pretty full in order to survive the summers.



Now they have re-issued the flash flood watches for later in the day and over night into tomorrow morning. The weather guys are sticking to their guns that we will get the second wave of storms. . . sometime.


Update on my phone line: no change, still do not have a dial tone. If they do not do anything today, I will call again. So, again today, don’t try to call me on the land line or twisted pair or what ever your pet name for the telephone is. One thing for sure, I want you all to have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering about phone lines and tadpoles.

I was informed last night that there seemed to be something wrong with my phone lines. Several people tried to call me on my birthday and all they got was a busy signal. Since I don’t use my phone all that much and the second line dedicated to my computer and FAX machine was working, I never knew the line was dead. I just checked and the last call I received was at 08:33 on the 13th of February. So, I guess I will notify my phone company as soon as I finish writing this blog. Sorry if any of you tried to call and just got a busy signal.



I got a question. Do frogs (or any amphibian for that matter) have a special pool or part of pond, lake, or river where they prefer to lay their egg? The other day I walked around my place and I discovered thousands of tadpoles in the pond. They were all on the east side of the old part. I checked all around and couldn’t find any of them any where else in the pond/swamp which now occupies about 4 or 5 acres or more. Is it a place where they have laid eggs for generations and is it built into them to go to that particular spot? The new and deeper part was dug out back during a drought 10, 12, or more years ago, so I would think that it would have been there long enough for the frogs to use it also. But, they don’t.


These tadpoles I spotted were small (less than an inch long) and dark. They were quite skittish and I tried to get close enough to them to take a picture but they, at the first site of me, they would scoot off into the deeper water. Since the pond was completely dry this last summer, there are no large fish to feed off the tadpoles and other than birds and snakes, I would imagine that most of them will grow into frogs.


I just love living next to a swamp. In the evenings, the frogs are deafening. Later in the year, the bull frogs will start yelling, if they survived the drought. There base singing is missing, but the other frogs are making up for their absence. Last night, with the doors closed and the TV on, I could hear them. When I opened the door to let the dogs out, the sound hit you like an ocean wave. Loved it!! The only thing missing was the Bard Owls lonely call. I know they are still here, but for some reason they were silent last night.


I should now contact the phone company, so you all have a great day now, you hear? If you have to call me, call my cell or write an email.

Wondering about the price of things.

Did you ever hear someone complaining that “it is not fair what the prices of things are”? Well, I know what they are talking about but I am not going to wonder about the high cost of things, but that things are priced unfairly. Here is an example of what I am talking about. My wife and I went out for lunch yesterday. Although I don’t drink anything with my meals, I did notice the price of iced tea. They had both sweetened and unsweetened. They were both the same price. When I drink iced tea, I drink the unsweetened one, so why should I pay the same amount as the person who wants sugar in it. I also drink black (and strong) coffee, so why should pay as much as the person who takes cream and sugar?



The same thing exists in clothing, up to a point. A medium sized shirt costs the same as a large or an extra large. Is that fair? I wear a small size boot (or shoe). Depending on the style, I wear between 7.5 and 8.5. If they don’t come in a wide size I have to go to the upper end of that size limit. But my boots cost the same as the size 10. Why? Are the large size people getting a bargain or are the smaller people paying too much. Yes, I know that most of the cost is in the manufacturing and profit, and that the material cost is low, but I do think we should be charged a fair price for what we get and not have to pay more (or less) for the amount we get.


I am also a practical man, and it is so much easier to price things the same no matter what the size or if it has sugar or not. And of course the price is always above the cost of the largest or most complicated item.


It was a beautiful warm and sunny day here yesterday, and my wife and I enjoyed our selves. The high got to 76 but things are going to deteriorate today. Rain and a cold front moving in and some of the storms are predicted to be severe with chances of small tornadoes. That was forecast last night, haven’t listened to the news today. Now, you all have a great day, you hear?

Happy Valentine’s Day

I want to wish everyone out there a happy Valentine’s Day and wish you love and to be loved all the year through. Of course I can’t get through this day without thinking about what happened sixty-nine years ago that affected this world ever so slightly. No, it wasn’t the Valentine’s Day massacre; it was the day that I came into this world. The jury is still out on whether it was a good thing for this world or not. I am sure you would get different opinions, depending on who you ask and when you ask.  Now you know where I get all my charm, being born on Valentine's Day (grin).



Today will be a fairly warm one. It is suppose to get up into the mid 70’s. Not quite sure what I will do today. Maybe my wife and I will go out for lunch and then brows around a store or two. Now you all have a great day, that would make my birthday all the better.

Wondering about dust to dust.

First, let me thank my new followers; welcome aboard. I haven’t been doing too much wandering lately but sure do wonder about a lot of things. I will have to keep this short today, have to get the three dogs loaded up and off to an early appointment at the vet’s. All their shots are due.



There are both black and white dwarfs. You did know that didn’t you? No, I don’t mean people!! I mean the remnants of dead stars. I am going to talk about the white dwarfs, not because I am white but because that is what our star, the Sun, will turn into someday after it goes through its red giant phase.


Back to the point, I read the other day where they have discovered dust around white dwarfs and are now wondering if all white dwarfs have a halo of dust. The astronomers explain the dust as the remnants of the stars earlier solar system. It seems appropriate to me that this should be, since the stars and our Sun were formed from discs of dust. So, the planets and all that may live on them will be turned to dust. That sort of reinforces the statement, “from dust to dust”. That is nature’s way of completing the cycle and bringing it full circle.


Got to run, you all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering about RV power plugs.

I had previously installed an outside receptacle box for 120 volt that had two 20 amp receptacles and one 30 amp receptacle. This gave me access out beside the area where I park my vehicles to electrical power. The 20 amp service came in handy for running power tools when needed and the 30 amp plug was used for my RV. Since I got the class-A, I had been using an adapter for the class-C and plugged it into the 20 amp receptacle. Bought another adaptor for the class-A which allowed it to be used in the 30 amp receptacle. They needed power to run some heat on cold nights, the arctic pack on the class-C if needed, and to keep the refrigerators from using up all the propane. Since summer is coming, (couldn’t prove it this morning) I figured that I may want to run both air conditioners in the class-A. So, I decided to install a 50 amp receptacle in its own box on the same pole. This has been the plan for quite some time now, but guess what, I did it yesterday.



I had been thinking about it for some time and purchased the receptacle and box and some 4 conductor number six wire. I forgot that I purchased the wire and went to Low’s and bought some more. I didn’t like the wire that they sold me and they didn’t have anything better. I figured it would have to be put in conduit. The other day I went to Home Depot and bought some really good 4 conductor #6 cable that had a thick, tough outer insulating weatherproof cover. (Home Depot has the best wire selection) It was perfectly round and measured seven eighths of an inch in diameter which perfectly matched a punch out in the box. That eliminated a need for a fitting. It took me awhile but got it installed along with a new double pole circuit breaker in the main box. I plugged the class-C into the 30 amp receptacle and the class-A into the 50 amp one. Everything worked fine and no sparks flew nor did I see any smoke. That told me that I did a passable job. Now, when I get rid of the class-C, I will have an extra outlet for anyone visiting with an RV. The visitor of course would have his choice of 30 or 50 amp.


Cold front moved in and it got down to 31 degrees this morning. Suppose to be in the 70’s by the middle of the week. I just love winter in this area (grin). You all have a great day and keep warm, you hear?

Wondering about coincidences.

I am not sure the word coincidence is what I am looking for. I am talking about how things work out to an end that couldn’t have been better if planned. I just love it when something like this happens and things like this happen all the time. I just read about one that made me grin and shake my head. First, let me give you some background so to better relate to you my point.



Asteroids are hunks of rock (and other stuff) that orbit the sun along with the planets. These things are what were left over from the time the planets were made. Some are small and some are quite large, so scientists keep a watchful eye one any that could come close to Earth. A large asteroid hitting our world would not be a pleasant experience, even if we did survive, so they are found and named. All have numbers and some have been named. The most famous is Apophis which came between the moon and Earth and it was thought that it could get dangerously close on one of its future passes. Apophis was named after the nemesis on the TV show “Stargate SG-1”, and of course for the evil Greek god. For a little more information on Apophis see this site: http://www.howcloseisapophis.com/encounters.asp


I have never seen the movies with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, but I have heard a lot about them. I am sure you have either seen them or have heard of them, so I am going to post this short article from the magazine, Astronomy, authored by Bill Andrews for you:


“Asteroid chemistry. Asteroids 12818 Tomhanks and 8353 Megryan - discovered years apart in unrelated observations – made their closest approaches to Earth at the same time. Talk about a love written in the stars!”


Now that is what I call a coincidence, don’t you think? It is a little chilly out side this morning at 35 degrees and windy, so we are still deciding on whether to go to the flea market or not. You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering where the birds will end up.

Yesterday, when I was taking the garbage down to the road, I walked around the second corner in my driveway, which is where you come out of the woods into an open field. Wow, out in the one neighbor’s field and the other neighbor’s back yard were birds, lots of birds. There were two large flocks of robins and starlings. They were not mixed together but close to each other. When I say large flocks, I don’t mean 10 or 20 or even a hundred; I mean hundreds. They were frantically looking for food. I bet they put a huge dent in the insect population living in that area, or anything else that they could eat.



They didn’t seem to be bothered by me and just kept at the food hunting. I guess this is the sign that spring time is coming to the northern states. I wonder how far they fly in one day, where they divide up and go different direction, and when will they arrive at their destinations. When I was a boy and lived up in Pennsylvania, a pair of robins would come back to the same nest every year, until one year they didn’t. Those robins not returning made me sad.


I just wanted to let you all living way up north know that spring time can’t be too far away. The birds know and they are on their way. You all have a wonderful day now, you hear?

Wondering about preppers.

I know a lot of us our preppers to some extent. I like to keep an extra jar of crunchy almond butter on a shelf in case the store is out of it the next time we go shopping. You know, just little things like that. I always have been because I was influenced by my parents who lived through the great depression. I have never stocked up to last for more than a couple of weeks, unless we were going on a long RV trip, and then only with things I knew I couldn’t find where I was heading. I usually keep a supply of food, (frozen and dry goods) in the RV and water in the fresh water tank. If an emergency came up (like a hurricane), we would be able to load the dogs and my wife and I could boogie on down the road before it got all jammed up. Leaving early is the clue. Did that for Ike and when we got home, the RV was still used since the power was off for weeks and the generator in the RV came in handy. Of course we ran it sparingly to preserve fuel. I also keep the fuel tanks full. That gives me a lot of range to “bug out” if needed. I also run the generators every so often to keep them in shape. Yesterday, I ran the diesel generator in the new RV and the gasoline generator in the old RV. Both started right up and I ran them for over an hour with a load on them.



What brought this subject up today was the news last night. They went to a couples place who were preppers and interviewed them. This couple was self sufficient. They had a huge garden, live stock, and chickens. They were also stocked with food, water, and supplies that would keep them and friends for over 10 years. They had huge water tanks, full of course. They also had multiple old school busses loaded with supplies. They said they wouldn’t have to take time to pack anything to bug out, just get in the busses and go. Well, at least they are set for their retirement (grin).


I have enough land that I could be self sufficient if I had to, but I am not like those people on the news. My preparedness is only for short term disasters, like hurricanes, wild fires, and such and it is only getting out of the disaster’s way in an RV for limited periods of time. I may be wrong, but I believe that those folks on TV over did it a bit. If things got as bad as they were preparing for, I would think that it would be impossible to hold off the hordes of hungry (and possibly armed) city folks. Now, I don’t have anything against city folk, but they have very limited means to grow or raise their own food.


So, what do you think, am I right or wrong? Since most of you prep to some degree, I am sure you have opinions. Now, you all have a save, happy day today, you hear?

Wondering about a “FURminator”

We only have three dogs now, but they are the long haired kind; Shih Tzus. Two of three have undercoats, the male does not. The oldest female seems to have the most and sometimes it gives her a real problem. She has one of those problems now. We get them groomed once a month and it has only been a couple weeks since the last grooming but a few days ago, she got some tangles. It only takes her to scratch herself a few times or play with the youngest one and she gets tangles. Then she starts chewing on them and that makes matters worse. The tangles pull the hair together and that actually pulls at the roots. The more she chews or scratches at it, the worse it gets. If it gets bad enough to form a sore, then the male thinks she is in heat and that adds to the problem.



I have found a comb that eliminates this problem if I catch it in time. This time, I didn’t catch it quickly enough. I should use this special comb on her every so many days just as a preventive measure, but at my age the days slip by way too fast and things don’t get done.


OK, here is what the comb looks like along with some undercoat:

It is called a FURminator and it really works well if you do it often enough and don’t wait until the hair is in tangles.  Another picture:

And from another angle:

What makes it work so well, is that it gets down to the undercoat and catches it in its teeth but does nothing to the regular hair. I have had this comb for quite awhile now and it has really paid for itself. I just have to remember to use it more often to prevent what is now happening to our oldest female.



You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering about a blogging problem.

I have had a problem that started yesterday and is back today. Yesterday’s problem disappeared, but was replaced by a new one today. I am wondering if any of you have had the same problem. Let me try to explain.



Yesterday morning when I turned my computer on and signed in to Blogger, my dashboard was stuffed with 18 posting that were posted at the exact same time and from the same source; supposedly from "ronjoewhite". Today, all those posts disappeared but in there place were 25 new posts supposedly from "off grid ter lingua". On my dashboard, it says they were posted all at the same time. If I follow the link, it shows them posted at slightly different times. This is a form of spam, for sure. It seems someone is using either blogs that no longer exist (or who’s blog name has been changed to a new one) or are making up names that look close like some that I follow or used to follow.


I hope that no one else is having this problem and if it does not cause any damage or problems, other than the nuisance of skipping over them, I can live with it. Maybe the guy will get tired of messing with us and find something beneficial to do. What do you think the chances of that are?


You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering about close encounters and spinning.

Anytime an object whizzes past earth within the moon’s orbit, I take notice and wonder when it will return and how close will its next fly-by be. Remember back when Apophis whizzed past earth and they thought that in the future it would hit the “keyhole” which would set up its next orbit to hit earth. Now they say that will not happen. The latest close encounter was back on Nov. 7, 2011 when asteroid 2005 YU55 flew by earth within the moon’s orbit and anything that close deserves some attention. I bet you didn’t even notice. . .



Since I am called Dizzy, I may as well talk about spinning objects. I don’t mean toy tops or ballerina dancers; I mean things that spin so fast it is beyond my comprehension. Have you ever heard of pulsars? They are the crushed remnants of dead stars which send out beams of radiation from their poles. Some spin at unbelievable rates for such a great mass. The latest one discovered sends out a beam every 5.44 milliseconds which means it spins 11,000 rpms. As a star dies and after the initial expansion is complete, it starts to fall in on its self. As it gets smaller it spins faster, like an ice skater when they pull their arms in.


These objects must be unbelievably dense to keep from tearing themselves apart. It is so wonderful that in this horrific universe with such deadly things happening all the time that life was able to find a more peaceful, protected world to take hold and flourish. Now, let us hope and pray that we can keep it that way. You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering who will watch the Super Bowl

I am probably one of the very few who have no idea which teams are playing in the Super Bowl. It is not that I don’t like football, I do. If they are not the couple of teams that I have or had interest in, I don’t care. My sport to watch, as I have told you before, is NHRA Top Fuel Drag Racing. The season begins Valentines Day weekend at Pomona, California. That is the same weekend as my birthday and you can bet I am going to watch both the time trials and the eliminations. And yes, I have tickets for this year’s elimination event at Houston, but that will not be until April 11th. That is a little late in the year for them to be coming to our area; it will be pretty warm by then. And BTW, I do hope the team you are rooting for (or have bets on) wins today.



Since it is Sunday, it got me to thinking. I have read the Bible through many, many times. Sometimes I read the Old Testament one night and the New Testament the next, alternating each night. It takes three times as long to read the old testament as it does the new, I would read the new one three time per each old one. It is amazing how much the one reflects the other. It was a great way to tie the two together and see predictions come true. There is a lot to learn from that book. Of course, some people read it like an obese person reads a diet book, but doesn’t “do” the diet. You have to “do” what you read, and we are all guilty of not always doing that.


You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering about fuel filters.

According to Barney’s blog, he had his fuel filter changed and they told him it would be good for 15,000 miles.  When I had my RV serviced, they changed the oil in both the Generator and the main engine, installed new oil filters, and installed new fuel filters.  I asked the young fellow how many miles before I need an oil change.  He said two to three thousand miles.  I said that he just put four gallons of Rotella oil in it, not four to six quarts.  So he said maybe I could go twice that far.  I don’t think that kid knew what he was talking about.  I guess I will have to do a search and find out the average mileage suggested between changes.  When he changed my fuel filter, he said the same thing, so I purchased a spare.  I figured that there is always a chance of getting a bad batch of fuel.  I do have a way of draining the water out of the bottom of the fuel tank.  That ought to be done every so often, if I ever remember to do it.  Now I see on Barney’s blog that his can go for 4 to 5 times what I was told about mine.  Here is a picture of my fuel filter, is it about the same size as yours, Barney?

And another thing, since I am complaining; I thought that Caterpillar was an American company, so why are the genuine Caterpillar filters made in the Czech Republic?  Don’t believe me?  Look here:

Of course, if the amount of miles I am putting on the RV is consistent with future mileage, these filters will last 100 years!! Got to get around to using it, but have so many projects that need done around the home, I suppose it will not be used for a while.

We got rain storms last night. I first heard the thunder about 02:00 when my oldest dog woke me. She is deathly afraid of anything that goes boom or bang. The heavy winds and rain didn’t get here until around 05:00 and they passed by quickly. Had some heavy winds with them, but no damage here and the winds switched and are now coming out of the NNW, so it will cool off, maybe back to normal.


I went to the hardware store this morning instead of the flea market and got supplies to try and complete another project that has been started but never finished. Getting good at putting things off. Sorry I am late with the blog, but at least I got it on.


You all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering about spring flowers.

I have been seeing lots of spring wild flowers and, of course, those that people plant to decorate their yard, like daffodils for instance. I know that winter isn’t over and some of the coldest weather sometimes comes in February. Back when I had a garden, Valentines day was the time of the year to plant potatoes. I remember a couple of years when frost was predicted after the potato plants where up a ways and I would have to take the tiller and hill them up. Of course, I always “hilled” them up a few times during their growth to get more potatoes and make it easier to dig them. It was in the upper 60’s when I got up this morning and for the last few days, the lows have been higher than our “normal” highs. As Hermit Jim commented on my blog a couple of days ago, “This weather lately is nearly as crazy as I am! And believe me, that's saying a LOT!” Now I know Jim is not crazy, but I do know he is right about the weather.



I was bringing back the empty garbage cans yesterday and as I walked through the wooded part of my drive-way, I found these laying there:

They are wild yellow Jessamine and they wear a beautiful smelling perfume. I posted a blog showing them in full bloom awhile back, but I was very pleased to see that they have survived the drought, at least some of them. Nature is very resilient, but there is a limit to what she can take.



Here is another picture, only this one I did not use a flash. I didn’t know which would show the color best, but I believe the first one using the flash did.

How many of you watched Larry’s Country Diner last night on RFDTV?  Nadine said that someone accused her of being “two faced”.  She said that “if I were two faced, I sure would not be wearing this one”.  Now, I thought that was funny and I know what she means.  You all have a great day now, you hear?

Are you Wondering why my blog is late?

Well, there is no good reason. A couple of big dogs were making lots of noise outside this morning. Tried to get back to sleep. Finally got up when I first detected some morning light. The sound outside was terrible. It sounded like the two big dogs were tearing apart a smaller one. I couldn’t have that, so picket up a crowbar (had a gun on my belt but didn’t want to use it) and headed off toward the swamp and all the ruckus. It was a coon that the dogs had. I yelled twice at them and they let go and ran off a ways. Chased them all over the place and finally lost them. Had found a dead coon the other day and now I now what has been happening.



It is also garbage pick-up day and took the garbage down to the road. Let’s say, “I got my exercise this morning”. Got a few more chores done and all the time I was wondering what to write about this morning. Said to myself, “Self, just say you had to chase dogs off”. Ok, that’s what I did, so now, even though the ground hog saw his shadow, you all have a great day now, you hear?

Wondering about Fog

There is a dense fog out there this morning. You know, the kind where you dare not take a deep breath or you could risk drowning. The temperature is 65 degrees and the dew point must be well below that. This week is going to be a damp one, not a lot of rain but light drizzle and probably more foggy mornings. At least the frogs are happy. Speaking of frogs, there does not seem to be as many on them as there was before the drought. Maybe if we continue to have a wet spring they can multiply back to their old levels. If the swamp doesn’t dry out again, maybe more wetland creatures will return.



Did you know that Point Reyes, California (just north of San Francisco) is listed as one of the foggiest land areas in the world with over 200 foggy days per year? That would be like almost 4 days a week of fog, although I would think that they have weeks of fogged in weather and weeks of clear weather. Does anyone live near there and could let us know more about the fog in that area?


The weirdest fog situation that I encountered was one winter in Pennsylvania I was out hunting. There was snow on the ground but the temperatures were rising and the snow was melting. Then, all of a sudden, a thick fog rolled in over me. It was so thick that I couldn’t see my hand on an outstretched arm. It thinned out enough after a few minutes, so I was able to find my way home. I have been in thick fog like that a few times while driving and a few times when out on the Atlantic in a small boat. I believe I have told these stories on my blog before.


You all be careful if you are out and about in a foggy area, and have a great day, you hear?