89AKurt

karaoke Styx's "Renegade"

Sentence structure surely evaporates when texting.

annoying inspectors nosing

I've seen some forecasts for lots of rain, but it's still hit or miss. This is "the field", looking north going back home. Heard thunder earlier. Drove to Chino Valley this evening, camera focused on the movement of the tree bobble. It's so green now!

Apology not needed. Don't get me going about codes, you are encountering the joy of regulations. Did "mini splits" come up for replacing the furnace? I can see 3 from my house now, two recently installed. Even though I'm feeling it, still added a walk to take this picture. We have a field on a ridge, this stump bench is looking at the mountains with clouds on them, a very unusual sight.

Sprained an ankle two days ago, took the day off yesterday, not bad but it's swollen. Today I got what should be enough rocks, this is the first small load. Forecast said we were going to get slammed with rain, got just a drizzle (that was nice to work in). That's my Irk, best I can do. [pickup has ADS 🤪]

rancid grease lubricating

Welcome to Post Wuhan Red Death, where Customer Service died because we are all here online, virtual avatars who like the same thing, finding parts lost in the Carpet Monster. I have walked in (the ancient method of transporting yourself from car to store interior, then around it) in four businesses and waited patiently to be recognized as a person. I will never go into REI, Cracker Barrel (before the bouncing ball was released) or a local glass shop again (forth was more than memory holds lol). So of course if you are the only game in town, tell me....

Took a break today, to allow the ankle to rest. Found one that isn't political. 😏

without Under Desk

The radio prediction was 50% chance. I had stopped working in the yard, in the time I took a shower it dropped 0.6"! It's been spotty still, never an overall rain, just like that picture shows a storm cell ... over there.

file a lawsuit

I talked too soon, didn't want to get out of bed this morning. But the radio weather report said 50% chance of rain today, of course the iPhone is clueless. It was nice to have a pile to pull from, it's like a junkyard. Got this line of wall done today, dry stacked, screened dirt, before getting hosed. After getting hosed. The original soil is red clay, really nasty stuff, good to mix with other dirt. Started to sprinkle, stopped and took a shower. 0.6" later 😳 my drainage seems to be working, this was always a level problem area. I love that squarish cobble rock. Pleased to get this much done before the (hoped for) rains.

Playing pseudo bureaucracy as a water district board member, I get to see *boring* infrastructure behind-the-scenes stuff. ADOT (Arizona's highway kingdom) has forced us, the District, to pay for a *bore* hole test, where we were scheduled to *bore* under the highway to replace the water main going from the pump house on the east side, to the tanks on the west side. We had a huge leak last year, I discovered it on a wild fluke. Our temporary main is running through a box culvert, has shown that was a major leak for years. So here we sit, waiting for the State to pull it's head out. The crew tasked to do their job, wondered why we were wasting money. Getting the specifications, as in where in lane 2, how deep, simple details back and forth with our Manager big waste of time and money. Then, without having the results from the lab, they said we can proceed! Seriously? Ain't that sweet of them? Here we are, the in the desert where there is no water and everyone is moving here anyway, found a monster leak, being screwed with just because. No wonder nobody wants to volunteer to take my Secretary job away. 💦

I had a model melt/warp a little, so it ended up in a diorama. Good job! I've collected that same dust too. 😄

The rockier the "dirt", the more likely a bigger really embedded stone will be right where you need to dig a little more. Enter Mr. Jackhammer.

Pleased I'm not too stiff (yet, but tonight after eating dinner...), they say if you don't use it you lose it. Much like everything in my life, I have to be obsessed to get a task done. Now that I have all the rock, time to stack it. A neighbor has loaned the demolition hammer, works awesome in place of swinging a pick. I should contribute to another thread, why is it always a big rock right where I need to dig? The trick to going vertical is digging a footing hole. Yesterday laid the steps way out of level, redid before progressing today. Following the arc of the SC door. This is sort of a loading dock for the pickup. Paid for the chocolate flagstone that is guillotine cut 12" square. Been shoving green or purple rocks into big gaps. Scratch-building but risking smashing of fingers and toes. Last year an obsession was camping, 17 times. This year not at all. I'm trying to beat the next predicted rain, then I can take a break.

Service Dogs sniffing

Lunch box trap was set.

rehearsal out back

All I can say is WOW!

Pleased I'm still mobile, and strong enough to harvest, then drop about half a ton of rocks, this afternoon. Pleased the 57 year old Chevy could go way way back on four wheel drive jeep roads (I'm so lying there) and bring home for a new retaining wall. I'm going to carve back the dirt bank. Now it looks like I don't have enough, oh darn. Finishing up on these steps. I've done a couple of dioramas using rocks, it's fun! Started on the small flat stone path. Have collected purple and green rocks for decades, filling in spaces with those. I'm sifting dirt, top layer has the stones laid on, then dirt on top, then really watered down, twice. I stomp on the stones to get somewhat the same level, nice stress relief. LOL I think about those long ago who built Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, Machu Pichu, who didn't have pickups. 😅

Second hour of Hearts Of Space (NPR Sunday night) is good, a composer who worked with Tangerine Dream was mentioned, that's one I need to rediscover.

The Igloo cooler, every time I want to open it, the handle is on the other side. I mean every bloody time......

I just won't do Costco, across the street is an AM/PM that is same price with cash (usually). Today they only had Premium and Diesel. I said my pickup runs better on Premium anyway. Should be an Irk but I'll try harder.