As Things Start to Change

We had a long spell of extra hot weather.  To add to this unpleasantness, we had very little rain. Burning bans were enacted, plants took a beating, and I was wondering how long it would last. 

Over the last few days, we've had about four inches of rain. The large thunderstorms brew early, some sit in one place for a long time, and the lingering clouds drop the temperature. Where we were around 100 every evening, the highs have been in the low nineties, and my a/c hasn't run constantly all afternoon. 

We're approaching the middle of August, and I've seen early fronts at the end of August that dropped the temperature into the sixties. Regardless of whether that happens, the shorter days, longer nights, and decrease in sunlight will bring the cooler weather. Ours will be what those up North call Summer. Pleasant mornings, cool afternoons, and brilliant, clear azure skies will be welcomed after the passage of a front. 

I'm ready. Summer was a little harder on me this year, and I wondered how I could stay in the heat all day, when I worked. I'm guessing I was tougher then, but with the boxcar years coming soon, the wear will only show more.

I do have some projects to do, but cooler weather is demanded for the tasks. It won't be long for that to happen, and for those that will soon find snow in their forecast, you have my sympathy. Your cold is as brutal as our heat, and maybe less forgiving.

A New Pariah

 Joe Manchin, in an act of complete stupidity, managed to destroy his political career, is now completely untrustworthy by both parties, and is the newest pariah. He's the epitome of politicians. You can't trust any of them, they're usually worthless in any other endeavor, and a less polite society would have many hanging from trees. 

The Old Ways

When I was young, any amount of marijuana was a felony. Five years in prison could be the sentence, and I worked with a man that suffered that fate after being busted with a joint. Whether it works, or not, the longer sentence sure was a wake-up call for him, and I doubt he ever messed with it again. 

The Russians must have the same narrow opinion of the stuff. She claims she doesn't know how her vaping supply arrived into her luggage, but apparently it doesn't matter. Regardless, she'll have a long time to think about it.

The Perils of Administrating

 Administrating is a good thing, but administrators are rarely proficient in anything but administration. That's the peril of the position, and the peril increases, when those being administered have no respect for the administrator, or decide they can take advantage of their ignorance. There has to be knowledge of what is being administered, and my former profession weeded out the incompetent faster than most other professions. 

Regardless of how many degrees you have, how many people you know, how many accolades you received, how tough you are, how much money you have,  or how much initiative you have, if you don't understand that all the money in the world can't drive one nail without a willing participant, you'll fail and the failure will destroy you. 

That's where the United States now is. Administrators are puss-gut, incompetent yes-people that couldn't find their ass with a map. Their only skills are sucking up, illicit sex, thievery, lying, subterfuge, and outright treason. The entire nation is run by lazy, ignorant, and immoral people that shouldn't be trusted with as much as one dollar. They say we have what we elected, but after the last large-scale election, it's obvious a vote is another thing they managed to destroy. May God have mercy on their souls, since the citizens of the United States won't show any mercy. 

It's The Little Things

I have a very old weed trimmer. It's a Stihl FS 74, and it hasn't been manufactured in a long time. I heard it didn't meet the California emission standards, so it bit the dust. Personally, I think sales dropped off tremendously over time due to how good of a trimmer it is. Mine was purchased in the early nineties, and has been my weed trimmer since. 

Over time, I've had to do change some things, including the plug and the carburetor, but those I considered minor problems. One thing I did before, and hadn't for a long time, required me to step back, think about it, and take action. 

The last time I used it, the engine wouldn't rev up. I thought about it, thought about it some more, and my thoughts turned to the exhaust. Years ago, I pulled the spark arrestor screen, and cleaned it up. It wasn't clogged, but it was dirty. I decided to take a look. 

The screen was clogged. Not just a little clogged; completely covered with baked on carbon that wouldn't come off with brake cleaner. It took a wire brush, a lot of elbow grease, and some time to remove all the carbon, but it finally was without any clogging debris. 

I started it, pulled the throttle, and it was like brand new. Now, after the sun is much lower, the air cools, and I get off my butt, I'll go trim what needs to be trimmed. 

It's the little things that stop progress, and I'm glad I've been blessed with solving some of these problems.