It’s been busy times around Hog Manor this week, but we’re fresh out of stored-up posts, and so this morning we gathered our wits and set down at the computer to dash off a hasty 0900 post — and it was off to the distraction races through the auricles and ventricles of the Intertubes. And thus we slouched into procrastination, with the 0900 posts becoming a 1000 post… and then being posted by eleven.
This week, as mentioned, we resumed cardio (overdue that), replaced six of the seven remaining elegant exterior light fixtures with soulless powder-coated aluminum jobs, and fixed (mostly) a short gutter that’s been hosed since our error in hiring roofers to do the roof three years ago,
Cardio is a bad habit to get out of and is necessary to resume weight loss. The strength training has been wonderful in terms of increased strength, mobility, agility and confidence — enough that we’ve penciled in a vacation with some parachuting involved — but it and walking the dog aren’t enough for an aging metabolism.
And the dog walking is itself limited by the fact that Small Dog Mk II is a Southern boy who turns “going for a walk” into “complaining whilst being dragged” in conditions of cold and precipitation. Unfortunately for him he now lives at 43º N latitude, like it or not.
The exterior fixtures were handmade brass, charmingly patinated in vintage verdigris but battered by New England winters, and in some case lacking unobtainium parts. For reasons known but to the shade of Nikola Tesla they ate increasingly rare incandescent bulbs at Tasmanian Devil rates. The new ones are generic visually, but contain el cheapo LED bulbs. They’re not as instant-on as the incandescents they replace, but we’ve got to do something to get the electrical bill in this pile under control.
Suppose we could blog less. That uses a lot of ‘lectricity, right? (Actually, it’s the space heaters in the otherwise unheated garage that are killing us).
Got less book writing and book prep done than desired this week. But it was a good week for airplane progress, with the first plans-section’s parts for the fuselage center section completing prep, so we’ll probably be assembling fuselage structures this week.
In the meantime, don’t bother us — we’re busy slouching.
Kevin was a former Special Forces weapons man (MOS 18B, before the 18 series, 11B with Skill Qualification Indicator of S). His focus was on weapons: their history, effects and employment. He started WeaponsMan.com in 2011 and operated it until he passed away in 2017. His work is being preserved here at the request of his family.
22 thoughts on “Sunday Slouch”
Just a thought and it may be more trouble than its worth but you might be able to replace the internals of the old lights with the internals of the new ones.
Just replacing the wiring would probably help already. Putting new modern LED light into the old brass fixtures would keep the appearance. And you cannot buy nice patina, that the aluminium things wont ever have anyway.
But then, how good are you in all things electric, hognose?
The wife, who is something of a dog RKI, having trained more than one GSD for Schutzhund when she lived in Germany, observes that Small Dog Mk 2 may benefit from a “dog turnout blanket”, which I had never heard of…..
Forgive me for flogging the obvious, but how well insulated is your garage? Had the opposite problem when we moved here to Texas (DFW area). House faces west. Previous owner painted garage door black. Talk about fry an egg. How about bacon and hash browns at the same time? It is now painted white.
Free market competition is a good thing. Lots of power companies to choose from here. Our current plan is fixed for 12 months.
Electricity is 4.7 cents/ kWh for the first 1000. Then 0.7 cents for each additional 1000 kWh.
Delivery charges may fluctuate a bit due to market.
Total average cost for first 1000 kWh is 9 cents/Kwh. After that, 6.4 cents/kWh.
Insulation is a good idea.
Also replace electric heaters with a good old “Kanonenofen” literally cannon oven, so definitely weaponsman related. I think they are called pot-belly stoves in english. that you can feed all those left over pieces of wood that you can find near any workbench. 😉
A work buddy heats his workshop with an old diesel heater from some Russian tank. Easier than messing with wood. Does SD2 have a coat? Our chihuahuas, transplanted from Queensland to Franconia, took to them very well, though their poor feet never got used to the cold; they preferred the jacket taxi to the potty grounds.
>through the auricles and ventricles of the Intertubes
Really? Considering the content of 90%+ of them intertubes, I’ve always thought “bowels of the internet” is more apt. (And in some cases, “toxic megacolon” would be fitting.)
Would you accept “purulent, necrotic tissues…”?
Insulate the garage AND the garage doors. Easier to do if they are of the modern type (kits are available) but a bit harder if just solid wood, but not impossible, plus, insulate over the garage ceiling… usually garage ceilings are not insulated at all, which contributes to the overall garage shudder and goose bump index in the winter.
Two cents for the reworking your brass fixtures to shine LED… but it is a time x ability vs paying someone to do it vs forget about it thing :p
Garage is already insulated, and when I did windows for the house I did the garage’s windows and doors with the same stuff. It stays a lot warmer than ambient, but not always warm enough for shirtsleeves or for painting. It’s insulated on top with an insulated room up above that.
Wear a wool beanie cap. It makes a difference.
Small dogs like yours have a lot of untapped utility. Around here we use them to kill coyotes. Impossible you say. Easy I say. Just roll them in sausage gravy! Joking of course.
Hey, he alerted me to the approach of a member of Troop Many Digits, delivering me my Girl Scout cookies, today. He gets to see another sunrise before I get out the Chinese cookbook. (101 Ways to Wok Your Dog. Thanks, I’ll be on the blog making culturally insensitive jokes until the Lord calls me home to answer for it).
Get a bottle of slivo, worry less about heat.
Boy, if 43 North is hard, try some 46 and 3/4’s.
As other have said, first stabilize loss/gain in your garage. Insulate ceiling, walls and door, then drywall. Not really very expensive, and the insulation gives you the best ROI for energy expenses.
Then, invest in a modern (inverter) split system heat pump. They work remarkably well in very cold temps, and will also keep you cool in the hot sticky summer. They sip electricity because of the inverter type systems.
Pikers, try 53*33′. Our granddoger, ( my wife and daughter insist on calling her that) a Bichon/Shitzu mix loves it til about -10C. Then she wears assorted coats and doggie boots to get her daily walks in.
I’m sure SDII will acclimatise next winter much better.
Don’t you need more dogs for a sled team, at that latitude?
Out of curiosity, any Saturday Film Reviews coming up? Those are always one of my favorite features.
Yeah I have a couple queued up. Time, you know?
Any chance the parachuting is at the St. Patrick’s Day Boogie in Fitz? That would be very cool.
“…increasingly rare incandescent bulbs…”
Heh. I heard about that ridiculous law & prepped for the change. I’ve gone through some, as bulbs fail from time to time, but I think I still have 9 or 10 flats of bulbs-8 boxes to a flat, 4 bulbs per box.
The only bulbs I’ll buy will be special applications. I think I have the reading lamps covered.
I enjoy the Sunday report from The Manor. Along with Takimag, it makes the coming week better.
Sounds like insulation is under control. If you haven’t airsealed around the doors, exterior wall receptacles and switches, and windows, you’re in for a lot of savings. Search “airsealing weatherization” or similar or contact your utility company for an energy audit. If they have a blower door, you’re in tall cotton. You’ll be amazed what leaks air.