Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Thursday evening. A beautiful day and evening spent picking up and burning sticks. Last winter is slowly getting cleaned up.

Here is a three second time lapse of tonight’s up the pond at 8 o’clock view. 

I pushed the swim float off the beach and into the pond a couple days ago. I pushed it out as far as I dared go in my waders. I need to hurry when using them because my left foot quickly starts to get wet. As time progresses the right foot starts to think it’s getting wet as well. If I go deeper than about mid thigh I begin to question why I didn’t wait until the water warmed up because now my pants are getting wet also. Oh well, now I just need to clean it up and drag it out further. I used it once I think last summer. Time will tell if the weather is cooperating enough to try again this summer.

I did get to something else during in the last couple days, I began trying to see why my trike has been operating so poorly. I will say up front I am not a mechanic. I never understood the whole concept that so many unrelated parts were often needed to be removed to make repairs. 

With the rodent problem I have, both mice as well as chipmunks and red squirrels,  I guess I had a nest issue. 

I watched an internet video and saw what a pain I was going to endure and started in. Most of the inner cowling, the seat, the radio and I have no idea what else had to be removed to get to the air cleaner. I finally got there and managed to get the screws out. Two of the screws I managed to get unscrewed but I could not get my fingers down far enough to grasp them and pull them out. One of the voices in my head said just pick the housing straight up then get the screws. A good idea in theory. Well, I picked up the housing so I can remove the filter. I see this 

and instantly there are no thoughts in my head about keeping any housing level, my only thought are about getting this vial disgusting smelling mess outside the Shelter Logic building my trike is stored in. I get it outside and put it in a box. 

I proceed to go pick up a new filter and find out from the Honda shop that many people opt to not change the filter because it is classed as a six hour job, plus parts. When showed the picture of my filter they commented they had never seen one as bad before. Glad to know I’m still above average. 

To finish the story, as I was installing the new filter I found I was two bolts short. You got it, the two bolts I had ignored in my haste to separate myself from the disgusting mouse mess, are now missing. I look outside and see one of them on the ground. I look all around but find no more. I took it down to the house in a box and have since bagged the box and placed it in the trash. Now trashcan diving, I go digging into the disgusting box of mouse nest leavings. What do I find on the bottom in the corner, but the screw. 

After putting everything back together the trike runs better at idle than it has in a couple years. Now to go for a ride and, you got it, time will tell. May well be getting rid of it anyway but that’s another story. Hopefully I get a couple rides in first.

I guess I have been walking around with my eyes closed because I haven’t noticed anything “different” lately. I did see this in my travels of late and thought it was cool. Before I had our shed built I had a huge pine tree cut down. I found these three little guys growing back out of the stump. 

 

I wonder if the pine cone in the picture donated seeds to get them started. I’m sure it was just a coincidence and it just landed on the stump.

We had another heat pump installed on Monday. It is mainly an air conditioner and only good for heat until it’s about 40º outside. The reason we wanted it was to eliminate the need for window air in the bedroom. I have always hated anything to do with putting them and taking them out. It seems like some of the ones I’ve handled over the years weigh about 3/4 of me. At my age, it just seemed easier to get rid of the window air conditioner than put on weight. The rebates didn’t hurt either.

In the studio I have completed #14 for 2025, it is about 70” x 78". All scrappy and mostly four patches made from the units made during my clean up session. There were a few odd blocks thrown in for whimsey. 

2025-14

A very basic combination of two simple blocks with sashing and corner stones. I think it came out fine. I have no real direction in my head for #15 as of yet. Usually when that happens I “clean up” and turn scraps etc. into units and eventually something comes to mind. I have bins of those pieces though and need to find a way to at least connect a whole lot of them together and make something. Even if I manage to finally make my ugly quilt. Time will tell.

I’m pretty sure our weather goes downhill for the weekend. Much like I said last time, it’s spring in Maine, anything is possible. I’ll be happy if no shoveling is involved. Stay safe and enjoy whatever your weekend brings you.