Important things to take from recent developments:
Russia has seriously miscalculated; managing to unite all of NATO and the EU and even getting Sweden and Switzerland to unite on imposing sanctions and providing arms and other aid to Ukraine.
Putin has evidenced that he is seriously isolated and even more paranoid about COVID, etc. then most of us have thought.
Given that he cannot sweep into Ukraine as expected and establish a puppet government; he has definitely grabbed the tar-baby, letting go will be the problem.
As he struggles against the sanctions, and is bogged down by the active resistance, and body bags start coming home and he faces growing opposition by the Russian people he will be tempted to double down on the scorched earth policy, even to using (tactical) nuclear weapons.
I can only hope that if he orders use of nuclear weapons his underlings will step in and either retire him to a dacha somewhere or give him the 9mm retirement package.
If “Things get out of hand” we can only hope it is restricted to a brief exchange before we all step back from the brink.
Now for some memes:
Kermit Nails ItI think I’ve Tried to Assemble Something Similar
I’ve been following the issues in Ukraine fairly closely especially, as a professional interest, since Putin invoked the possibility of canned sunshine (a delightful phrasing I stole from HERE).
I stumbled across another YouTube video (HERE) that focuses more on recent history and draws the implications from the geography of Eastern Europe, and Russia’s preoccupation with buffers between NATO states and itself.
The other interesting thing is the connection that Ukraine is basically a replay of the invasion of Georgia (the nation, not the State) in 2008. Basically, Georgia had two breakaway provinces (Abkhazia and South Ossetia) with large Russian populations. They were recognized (and occupied) by Russia who then launched an invasion on the pretext of protecting the Russian population and reintegrated Georgia as a buffer state.
Today is Fat Tuesday (french: Mardi Gras) the day before Ash Wednesday for Roman Catholics (for Orthodox Catholics YMMV). The reason for the nickname is that traditionally you used up all of the fats and oils before fasting during Lent.
One of the traditional meals for Mardi Gras is pancakes which, this year presents an issue. In 2022 it falls on Tuesday which brings up the question of Taco Tuesday. Pancakes or Tacos – that is the question.
By a happy coincidence I had to mail a UPS package today and right next to the UPS store was a Taco John restaurant.
My longer-term plan for the property is to maintain some independence from grid-tied utilities. It’s not that I specifically mistrust the local utilities, but I don’t see prices dropping any time soon. For instance, it would cost me over $14,000.00 to connect to city water (plus monthly costs that will be going nowhere but up).
Last fall I purchased a solar power system that I will be installing as it warms up this spring. I purchased the parts from a mail order place – The altE Store. I got a 5.28 KW Residential solar power system that can be seen HERE.
I also got an option that included 2 ea SimpliPhi LFP (Lithium Ferro-Phosphate) batteries. Model:Â AmpliPHI-3.8-48Â (AmpliPHI 3840 Wh 48V) batteries can be seenHERE.
Below should be a 3 page PDF file that diagrams how it is all hooked up
File Name: KITOFFGRIDBASE2_16-panels.pdf
PDF Loading...
The actual hardware is currently stored in preparation of better weather next month.
16 Solar PanelsSolar Battery Charger/Electronics consoleBatteries; 48v; 3.8 kWh, or 7.6 kWh total
Given the bouts of below-zero weather, you will note I moved the batteries & chargers inside the storage container last fall.
I would certainly welcome any comments (especially from any electrically trained nuclear officers, Jon)
The first week was that I was in Pensacola, Fla working with my two brothers on fixing up my nephew’s house in order to put it on the market.
Three Bros Construction
David, Jon & I were working on David’s son, Michael’s house as he prepares to move back to Calif (and back to the reserves from Active Duty in the Navy). David was responsible for creating the shirts, with the inscription created by our sister Jill. I’ll spare you the somewhat politicized front of the shirt which offer encouragement to some unknown Brandon. This is the first time, I think, that all 3 of us worked on a project together.
I didn’t take any pictures of the actual work we did, I’ll leave that to Jon, but it was basically reworking the downstairs bath and making it an ensuite bath (since there was another bathroom downstairs).
I too had a connection to Pensacola, in 1969-1970 I spent a year there, after ET-A School, learning the ins and outs of being a CT(M). (If you’d like a detailed explanation of what the bundle of acronyms actually means I could arrange it; but it will cost you at least 2 and possibly 3 margaritas)
We took Wednesday off, and I revisited Corry Field where I was stationed back in 1969. Back then it was a disused subsidiary airfield of NAS Pensacola, used for training during WWII. After the war it was converted to training the various branches of Communicatons Technicians in the big brick hangers that were left over from being an airfield. (Hangers also served as emergency shelters when Hurricane Camille blew through, with the emphasis on “blew”).
Corry Field is obviously changed in the last 53 years, the runways are gone; supplanted by Navy Exchange and Commissary for the whole region, but the old buildings are still there, tucked in amongst the newer stuff. We also drove over to NAS Pensacola to visit the National Naval Aviation Museum. The Museum was truly amazing. It has representative of all the aircraft flown by the navy, and others. In my first pass through the ground floor, while examining a WWII era PBY (with sections cut away so you can see the insides) I completely missed an adjacent Messerschmidt Me-262. I noticed it on our second pass through the area. One sad part is that post-9/11, the general public no longer has access to it since it was built directly adjacent to the Blue Angels compound and the initial pilot training area. Since both Jon & I have retired ID’s and David has a disabled veteran ID we had no problems.
We finished up Saturday morning (19 Feb) and Jon gave me a ride to the airport. I noticed that morning I woke up with a scratchy throat. I got back to Casper a little after 8:00PM to cold snowy weather. By the next afternoon I definitely had case of influenza (pre-COVID idiocy) symptoms, low grade fever, coughing, and general malaise. I treated it like I did for every cold for the past 60 years: OJ, supplemental Vitamin C, rest and gin & tonic (for the additional Vitamin C from the limes and anti-malarial properties of tonic water-just in case). I didn’t get any worse and now it’s Friday and I am back to reasonable health (other than being on Day 2 of the War in Ukraine).
Speaking of the Ukraine War, I had gotten some stuff from The Great Courses website over the years, and today they sent me a link to a section of their Eastern European History. It’s only a half hour in time but explains an enormous amount. See LINK Here.
Looks like I finally figured out how to embed & publish videos.
May be some pauses while it downloads the video, depending on your transfer speed. Note this was while it was snowing with no wind, not a common occurrence. Let me know if you encounter problems.
I was updating an e-mail correspondent on the status of my homestead (hi Fred!) and I realized I haven’t updated the blog so below is an update of where we stand today (Feb 9, 2022).
Below is a view of the homestead during the recent snowstorm. Also shows my pick-up truck and the side-by-side utility vehicle.
Non-snow view (side-by-side parked inside)
A night view which shows the lights installed. Also shows the stairs over the Storage Container.
Below is the back of the container with both rainwater storage containers.
Cat is out exploring, even in the snow.
The storage container (blue one) holds the stuff I moved out of the apartment, until I get the house built. It is also where the Solar Power & Batteries will be installed.
Storage container.
Below is the Workshop container (dark grey one), with workbench and tools starting to be organized.
Workshop; also, there is more storage area behind me.
Upcoming projects:
Ramp up to front door (with guardrail) to help with steep stairs (also for the sisters with bad/new knees & hips).
Workshop French Doors behind end doors for summertime use.
Solar arrays – Currently planning to install behind the containers, between the orchard and rainwater containers.
Gravel driveway out to road (I expect 10-15K in gravel)
Septic system & house, expect to begin construction in March/April time frame.
Well, the week has flown by but we have made progress. The missing tank mysteriously appeared and was delivered Monday. I got it hooked up and (more importantly) got the tank heater installed.
Two tanks (and cat)
The cat was out exploring, apparently not unduly bothered by the snowfall. Below he is investigating the top of the trailer. he apparently leaps from the stairs to the slide out extension.
I’m closing this out on Tuesday the first of February. I awoke to snow flurries and dropping temperatures. Below is the weather warning:
2/1/2022
It was snowing heavily by midmorning: but with calm winds and large flakes.
Feb 1, 2022 snowstorm
We only got 6-8 inches, and the snow stopped by mid-afternoon, with the clear weather it will drop down to very cold overnight. See below for the (frigid) forecast through the end of the week.
So, I received the missing trim pieces a couple of weeks ago, just in time for AT, my contractor/neighbor, and his entire family to come down with COVID/crud, followed by a stretch of freezing weather/strong winds/blowing snow.
Today we had a stretch of reasonable calm, chilly but above freezing temperatures. AT & a helper started putting up panels, only to discover that we were short of taupe inch and a half sheet metal screws. We reordered more screws, but of course they won’t be available until next week. We continued putting up sheets with half the screws and finished up with grey colored screws that will be replaced when we get the correct ones.
All panels & trim up; gutters draining into tank.
Earlier this week we got the gutters installed to collect rain/snow water. I’m still trying to track down the other tank that disappeared in transit.
I talked to UPS again and they said I had to wait for two weeks before they would process the refund/reorder, so I will have to wait until next Friday. I also called National Tank Outlet (NTO) to let them know the issues so they could put me in the queue for a reorder. They were very apologetic and assured me that they would also reach out to UPS to coordinate with the issue.
What’s Missing?
In other work, I got a third mini-spit system for the trailer. Over the last week I installed the indoor unit over the door.
Mini-split system in trailer.
The next day AT installed the other half of the unit on the roof. He insisted that I not climb up on the roof with him, but instead fetch tools, etc. In retrospect he was probably correct, but it is somewhat humbling to realize I am well past my prime.
Apparently, the insulation in the trailer (and windows) isn’t nearly as effective as the insulation in the Conex boxes. It’s been running for over 24 hours and the inside temperature only got up to 65 deg F. The outside temperature overnight was about 18-20 deg F; so it pulled the temperature up by 40-50 deg F. When we get outside temperatures up to 30-40’s well see if we can get the temperatures up to a little more reasonable range. But on the bright side the propane furnace seems to have packed it in a couple of days ago, so my glass is definitely half-full.
On the water front, we definitely have a good flow of water at 40 feet, but it’s still at about 5,000 ppm dissolved solids (drinkable max is about 1,500 ppm). After losing a week or so to COVID/crud that swept through Mike & Company’s family and to freezing temperatures (are you sensing a trend here? Yes, we are just about done with our Omicron bout – I haven’t caught it, yet), we flushed the well system for a couple of days. We finally pulled a clean sample to submit for testing. Next week we should get a breakdown of exactly what contaminants are and the options for treating it.
There is about 6-8 inches of snow on the ground, and we are definitely in Winter.
The biggest news of the past week was the result of on-going “issues” with my transmission. Last Fall I drove down to Cheyenne because of a warning message that came up complaining of “transmission issues”, and to get an oil change. I had to leave the car there for a week so they could get parts (from warehouse in Dallas) that needed replacing (per the diagnostics). A week later I returned the rental car and picked up the Hyundai.
A week later the same warning message again came up. I called back down to Cheyenne and they expressed concern that they might need to send a flat bed truck to pick up the car. I was somewhat skeptical, but I was involved on moving out of the apartment so I stalled them somewhat. (Not the least of the fact that the car was driving just fine.) I finished up moving after Thanksgiving, so I called the mechanic back, and their next available appointment was January 5th. It seems the combination of supply chain issues, mechanic availability, and holiday backups had pushed the schedule out.
Come January 5th, it was snowing lightly, but I pushed on. About halfway to Cheyenne the snowstorm was intensifying, with near whiteout conditions behind trucks. It lessened as I got further South, and it wasn’t snowing at all in Cheyenne. While they were looking at my car a gal came in talk about what they were offering for used cars (for my 2019 Hyundai it was $33,000.00). So I asked about what used trucks they had. She turned me over to a saleslady to pursue that issue.
Ford F150 4wd Crewcab
This was the result of our search. It is a 2018 Ford F150 4WD Crew Cab. The net price was about $11K that came out of petty cash (actually out of the building fund from sale of the condo). Note that over the afternoon the snow did move down into Cheyenne; and I-25 to Casper was closed until about noon the next day.
The next day I was able to drive back to Casper.
The Ford at home. Note the drilling rig set up for new drilling next week.
Since it is a used vehicle, I didn’t get a set of manuals and only got one key. Fortunately, pdf’s are available online and I’ve managed to figure out most of the issues I’ve encountered.
Along with the new truck, I’m also looking at another vehicle for the homestead. Below is a Yamaha side-by-side that would be very useful once I break ground of the house.
Yamaha Rhino 660 side-by-side.
It also gives me access to all of the property. One of the key features it has is a built-in winch which made putting the stairs up in the background of the above picture simple.
Finally, I went back to Walmart to do grocery shopping for the first time in a couple of months. There continue to be occasional shortages, but the following picture shows the pasta aisle.
Pasta aisle at Walmart Jan 2022.
I realize the Wyoming is probably at the tail end of the supply chain, but this is soviet-style stocking at it’s best.
