It's 80 degrees this morning, the humidity is 94%, and there is no dew. According to the weather folks, the chance of rain is 20%. Otherwise, it's going to be a brutal day; if I want to work in the yard. I might, but I'll work really slow, and drink plenty of liquids.
If we get a shower, it will be one of those brief, heavy showers, with plenty of lightning, and gusty wind.
I wrote about my annual property tax assessment in this post. I received a letter, and some of the assessor's "evidence" a few weeks later. The letter - the reaction after I protested my assessment - had the date, and time, for my hearing. That happened last week.
The hearing was by telephone, so I was rewarded with the noises of shuffling, multiple voices, and the fading of voices, when the speaker turned away from the microphone. Of course I couldn't see them. That guarantees no recognition if we happen to bump into each other at the grocery store.
It was a brief hearing, with explanations, and how the evidence they provided indicates that the property in the photos is their reason for the assessment value. I countered that the real estate market is inflated, and the prices are not an actual value, and even if I wanted to sell my home, I don't think I could receive the appraised value. Also, I stated it sure looks like the state, and the county, are giving themselves a 10% raise on my fixed income. They countered with they are mandated to appraise at a high percentage of the market value. They used the word "they", so I asked who "they" is. Who is they? The state of Texas.
I told them I call such things extortion. I don't think they liked that, but there is no better description. The crime family needs more money, they demand you pay, or they break your leg, which with public entities, they do worse. They take your home, and if you don't leave, they throw your possessions to the curb, and threaten to send a bill, and a trash truck, if you don't move it.
So, there you are. If you don't quite understand how a civilized society can reach such levels of depravity, you now have an example. The overlords speak, the minions cower, and the citizens are tyrannized.
The hearing ended with a motion to end the hearing, and the assurance I would have a written determination shortly. I have a feeling they didn't reduce the assessment. What's worse is that I have no hope there will be one. Public entities have no integrity, and those we elect are only bagmen for those with enough money to buy politicians.
I have a Stihl FS74 line trimmer. Made in the early 90's, it was a commercial grade trimmer, and much better than the "throwaway" trimmers I bought before. It's been a good machine, and basically trouble free, until late last summer.
After a few minutes of running, it would die. If I let it sit for a short period of time, it would start again, run for a few minutes and die again. It sufficed for being late in the season, and I knew I would need to find the problem.
Three weeks ago, I removed the tank, changed the fuel lines, and the filter. It started right up, ran for a few minutes and died. To make things worse, gas was dripping from the carburetor. Knowing I either had to rebuild the carburetor, or replace it, I did some web searching for what I needed.
I found a new carburetor, with gaskets, filter, fuel line, primer bulb, and a spark plug for about 20 dollars. I was hesitant to buy online, but thought if it wasn't right, the twenty wouldn't be a big loss. I spent the same amount on the new filter, and fuel line from the Stihl dealer.
The kit came in, I installed the carburetor, primed it, and held my breath. A few pulls and it started, but died, when I tried to speed up the engine. A little adjustment of the jets, and a long afternoon of trimming showed the problems were fixed, and maybe...I can get another thirty years out of the machine. I'll have to cross my finger, because they quit manufacturing it a long, long time ago, and some parts might not be available in the future.
I don't like fire ants. They have a purpose, but not in my yard. They build mounds, and give me a target.
There are two basic types of insecticides for fire ants. One type is placed on the mound, some require watering after application, and the mound is supposed to die within a short period of time. I found it works, but only for a short period of time, unless rain is immanent. The poison is extremely toxic to the ants, and sometimes doesn't kill the queen. The ants will migrate, and a new mound will be formed.
The other is a bait. Instead of placing it on the mound, it's scattered around the mound, and best if the mound is not disturbed. The ants will forage in the morning, and evening, bring the bait into the mound, and eventually all are killed; including the queen. This one I like, since the final result is complete eradication of the colony. It takes day, but the ants are eventually terminated.
At the start of this season, I had around a dozen fairly large mounds in the yard. With a little effort, I only will find an occasional small mound. Usually this happens after a rain event, and I think the ants are from somewhere else. Large mounds can have swarms of ants leaving, and they can fly a substantial distance.
For those that don't know fire ants, they have a stinger like a wasp, which they use to kill anything they perceive as an attacker. Stand on a mound, and within seconds, hundreds of stinging ants will swarm up your leg, and start stinging. The stings leave painful pustules that can become infected. That, and some are allergic to the venom, which can lead to anaphylactic shock. Enough of the venom, and even the strongest can succumb. We had a local motel find a guest swarming with ants, and the report said they are what killed the man.
After years of watching fire ants, I realized our highway system was instrumental in their spread. The highway is full of dead insects, trash with food, and road kill. The mowed edges, abundance of food, and unimpeded spread are a perfect environment for the ants. Over time, they've now reached any parts of the U.S. where the ground doesn't freeze to a depth that kills the ants.
In order to continue the narrative that the Wuhan Virus is really, really dangerous, Fauci will be sacrificed to continue the effort to remove liberty from citizens. It's a standard ploy, and what's sad is how many people will follow the narrative, be stupid with their programmed reaction, and thousands of petty tyrants won't be tarred and feathered for their collusion in the madness. A less polite society would have ended this crap months ago, and some people would be wondering why their punishment is so harsh, and praying we don't vote keel-hauling back in as the accepted form of punishment for such things.
