And that was 13 years ago! I’m sorry to have been away so long. Between the rain and the holidays, the routine around here was knocked into a cocked hat last week. I don’t have a lot of time today, either, but I thought I’d better get things moving again. This comic from 2003 seems appropriate to the task.
160 responses to “Out of Control”
“Bakers Dozen”
Had to look up ” knocked into a cocked hat”. I hope that you’re OK! Hectic here as I am packing for our move. I will keep the “Steve From Royal Oak, MI” as I have lived here for over 25 years and I will not be that far away. Moving on New Year’s Eve will be interesting.
El Nino is making life interesting. Here in Utah we’re having snow storms pass through, leaving more water behind so far than during all of the 2014-5 water year. And our temps haven’t been particularly low until just this past 4 days. The ski resorts are busy promoting feet of powder.
Makes me wish my ticker was up to high altitudes and snowshoeing.
For those with time, money, and health, here’s the Utah snow report:
http://www.skiutah.com/snowreport
The sun is actually shining for the first time in almost 2 weeks.
Haven’t been by in a while, so I thought I’d say, “Hello.”
Welcome back, “Lost” — it’s been a VERY long time since you’ve been here! Please return often. You have a lot to contribute.
Just had that very expensive dental work done. My jaw, lips and tongue are still numb-ish, and I suspect I am happier this way than I going to be when the stuff wears off.
I figure I may get to my Christmas Claxton fruitcake around the fourth of July….
Can hardly speak, but am making progress in drinking by holding some of my lower lip with a finger so as not to lose the desired liquid.
Yesterday, after all that warm winter weather, we had to have a multi-inch ice storm coating the driveway this morning. Had the meteorological prognosticators been correct, some hours of rain late yesterday and overnight would have removed the sleet/ice, but the rain stayed stubbornly abut 15-20 miles away. So, this morning was a problem. The driveway itself was doable, but the not-exactly blessed city saw fit to race its plows through here a few times, piling ice two feet in my driveway apron, where it refroze together into small alps. THAT was a problem, and a very kind younger neighbor spent some time clearing it. He will likely end up with some baked goodies for that act of mercy.
We have been unseasonably warm for both Nov and Dec with only a few minor dustings of snow in the past 2 months. So last night it went down to about 5F and dumped about a foot of snow.
I think winter is finally here. There has been a flurry of people trying to get snow tires. I guess they thought winter wasn’t coming.
Not sure if I checked in or not today. Having my toes pedicures and massage, she’s going to pick up grand baby and come back to do manicure and waxing.. then back home to wash more clothes.
According to our local TV weather guy, central Florida has had one day this month with below-normal temperatures, five at normal levels, and all the rest above average with several record highs for the date. We won’t see normal or below until the new year/this weekend (not sure how long that will last). Even the ocean temps are 10 degrees or more above normal – that can’t be good for wildlife, although the northern tourists are loving it.
Having such an interesting discussion over on my Facebook page about teaching school children gardening as a useful and educational tool, whether catsup is a smoothie philosophically. Well, that’s another thread but related. I am excited to. Find not everyone on Facebook is an airhead and we can talk and disagree or agree politely, talk. Gee, its a branch of the Village. No one screams and people are polite, but maybe that’s the kind of friends I have.
Ruth Anne I will be in Florida in February and this time I really want to meet you. Think Winter Park was where my mom and dad were when she got pregnant in WWII.
Had 6 inches of the white stuff- kind of light.
People coming into store because the snowblower they mistreated
would not start. One customer complained about machine he bought on line
from a Big Box Store back in spring of ’14 (we set up) was not working right.
And hadn’t for awhile. Symptoms kept changing as he talked, all sounded as
maintenance problems to me. And Gasohol.
Debbe
Glad you liked the label – it’s a hobby. Different ones for different people
and different occasions.
Had a friend that rode her sled every year on her birthday until her 90s,
then the last few years her kids got her a one horse sleigh ride.
Jackie, it’s the kind of friends you have. There are a lot of folks mindlessly chattering there, but unlike real life, you can block them out without putting your fingers in your ears. Or going on a short vacation inside your head. Like the Village, if you don’t want to know, just scroll down without reading.
Jackie: it’s a date!
Jackie, you are one of the few people I know capable of moving seamlessly from a spa-type environment to a Chinese laundry setting.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article51119880.html
OB: ‘And Gasohol.’
c x-p: Is the analysis below correct?
Reminds me that here in MN we have mandatory ethanol added. Pump label says. ‘Enriched with ethanol.’ Dishonest! It’s DILUTED with ethanol. The simple explanation is that you cannot burn [and therefore get useful energy from] oxygen. Except for trace impurities, straight gasoline is made up of hydrocarbons, which contain only C and H, which burn [= combine with O, or oxidize] to yield H2O and CO2 [and some CO], reactions which release energy.
Ethanol is C2H5OH. Atomic wts. are: C=12, H=1, O=16. Thus, 2C=24, 6H=6, O=16. So molecular wt. of C2H5OH is 46. Approximately 34% by weight of ethanol is unburnable oxygen. Ethanol is a fine fuel, for alcohol lamps.
NB: Lots of other minor factors enter in: some hydrocarbons burn cleaner than others, etc., but the major difference btw. ethanol and gasohol is that a third of the added ethanol, by weight, is unburnable.
Peace, emb
emb, and what Old Bear is getting at is that gas with ethanol added damages small engines such as those used in lawn mowers, snow blowers, etc. Considering that you can’t get gasoline without ethanol anymore, why haven’t the small engine manufacturers reconfigured their product to run properly on the fuel available?
Also worth consideration is that there is no way you can operate a vehicle more efficiently on a fuel that is 1/3 noncombustible. You end up using more fuel to make up for what is useless. Gasohol is actually worse for the purpose of reducing gas consumption than simply using regular gas.
Gasohol: As always, follow the money trail.
Debbe 😉 As do many, I often get a bit nostalgic this time of year. Right now I’m feeling nostalgic about my former and otherwise-all-female aerobics class. This was a group of ladies ranging from their late-20s to their early-40s who were there to maintain their already-toned-and-fit bodies, and they were not the least bit self-conscious about me working out with them. In fact, they seemed perfectly happy to have me there…probably because I always treated them with courtesy and respect (yeah, me; how ’bout that?), and I worked as hard as they did, making it obvious I was not there to ogle. Well, not just to ogle…and I think they enjoyed the polite ogling I did.
I miss them. So I thought I’d post some of the tunes from the playlist our instructor had compiled for our workouts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YohsEI1PTSc
Don’t let me get on my soap box.
10% ethanol drops fuel mileage 15%
There was/is a movement to raise the ethanol content to 15%
because 10% was “arbitrary” – there was no arbitrary about it,
there were tests made and 10% would not damage most cars.
(It cost me 3 carburetors on an older car from stuff in fuel tank when
gasohol first came in)
.
ethanol fuel starts separating withing 1 week
eats soft parts of fuel system within 24 hours
pulls moisture from air that turns to acid
also H2O plugs carbs
more energy is put into producing ethanol than it produces
right now it takes food stock to produce
will not work in cold climates
Small engine warrentee does not cover fuel related problems
Brazil gas E90 but cars are made for it – they do not use NatGas
to produce ethanol and +40*F is cold.
New carburetors for small engines are now being made that are
computer controlled – but there are no external adjustments and no repairs
when it goes bad $200.00 plus installation.
The cost of an ethanol proof engines is cost prohibitive. Mfg. are now making disposable engines – it is cheaper to replace engine than to repair –
It is cheaper to replace whole piece than repair.
Luckily in MN we can get ethanol free – but you have to look for it.
one place is:
http://www.buyrealgas.com/
Stepping down from box.
Resilient, flexible and adaptable. That’s my character, not a description of my aerobics class, I hated those classes by the way. Too bouncy and pounding.
Can not leave until end of January but tentative tight is through Arkansas to zTexas to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, Redneck Riviera and end up in Tampa. Definitely want to see and meet any Villagers along the way. My new blog kicks off January 1 hopefully and my Boat Widows Facebook page expands to a business with members, comments, discussions, we’re already doing that on Jackie Monies.
Back to laundry and the boiling cauldrons,
Oops, forgot I am needing to run up to Atlanta too on this trip.