Where's Hazel? Pet Hazel. Hazel has expanded her
name: Hurricane Hazel-Rah Oliver Sinte Ikusheya.
 21iii27 FoSM Spring Roadside
Cleanup
Rather nice. Not much trash along the road in the first
quarter mile but then I espied a pile off beyond the verge.
Some despicable ass drove off the road and dumped a week of
household rubbish. Some looked burned, prob'ly before the
leaving. And left there a few months ago judging from the
rotting of the sacks and fading of the Coke cans. I filled
three big orange AZDPW bags in the course of poking around
looking for a name and address under the half a ton of
garbage. All I found of worth were seven old pennies. Out on
the road again I found a very nice solar oblong charger.
Quite clean, new looking, worth about 10$ on ebay. Works!
Hard to say if the several hours of my time picking up trash
is worth $10.07 but I never would have bought such a device
like what I found.
 21iv3 A Rattlesnake of The
Genera Aluminea.
My birthday hike is delayed. Several hurry-up-and-wait
projects overlapping and bumping into each other. The
monthly bookkeeping, b'day project mailing, roadside
cleanup, all the past few days and tomorrow I will host
Easter Dinner for three humans, two dogs (they do the dishes
mostly), and a cat or two. Monday is food pantry. Tuesday
weekly shower. Wenzday Food Bank. Phew! Then maybe a b'day
hike. Today the temperature here hit 100f. Too soon. Instead
of a BSBH we did a Birthday Roadside Cleanup & Geocache
Party. At the remains of a recent car fire I found a
rattlesnake of the genera Aluminea. Aluminiatus
Radiatorum. Another casualty of vehicular
malfunction.
 21iv10 Building Parts for Antique Tractor
 I want you to know (save this for when you are
half-way through your own dotage) just how delightful one
feels when you can make something like a rare gasket with
material and tools and practice that have been tucked away
in a corner, dusty and cobwebby from inactivity, for 30-40
years.
Pfizer and Pepsi to Merge
This will no doubt put Coca Cola out of business in the near
future. The Pfizer Corporation announced today that Viagra
will soon be available in liquid form and this new product
will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable
for use as a mixer. It will now be possible for a man to
literally pour himself a stiff one. Obviously we can no
longer call this a soft drink, and it gives new meaning to
the names of cocktails, highballs, and just a good
old-fashioned stiff drink. Pepsi will market the new
concoction by the name of: MOUNT'N'DO.
Thought for the day...There is more money being spent today
on breast implants and Viagra than on Alzheimer's research.
This means that by 2025, there should be a large elderly
population with perky boobs, huge erections, and absolutely
no recollection of what to do with them.
4.13, Dyslexic Pie Day
Sue sent some rhubarb so I made Pie.
 2021iv16 The Phone is
Dead; Long Live The Oblong
I survived yesterday with no skinned knuckles and the only
bruises were to my self-confidence and equanimity. Another
week or so and that will wash out as well I hope.
Well, that’s a bit overboard. My old Moto Phone isn’t
“dead”, just old, and increasingly unable to keep up with
the changing times. (I’m getting to be about the same
candidate for replacement so I’d better be careful...) and a
newer better (remains to be seen) phone came available at a
very attractive price. . . . o 0 (Just remember, you get
what you pay for.) All very complicated and different. I am
a creature of habit, tradition, brand name shopper, &c.
All this “new” and “different” is not to my liking even if
the result is “better”. The “getting used to” is the
problem. Besides which the thing is not really a phone
anyhow; phone is the least of the features. Thanks be to
Mikey for holding my hand through all his trauma!
And along with all that I finally came to grips with the
Cruise Control Failure. Another case of basackwards
troubleshooting. But that turned out to be the key to
finding an even bigger problem. Recall the engine room fire
on the Eclipse Expedition to Driggs Idaho a couple-two-three
years ago. Beyond extinguishing the fire (thanks to the
outside shower and full water tank of Spencer in the Arctic
Fox. See Friday
11th, Fire in the Engine Room!) I never looked further
for damage until now. And had I done the troubleshooting of
the Cruise Control front to back I still would not have
looked at the fire damage. The wiring was a mess of melted
wires and charred insulation. The firewall had holes
burned/rusted through the metal. After replacing/rerouting
the wiring harness and a blown fuse the Cruise came up OK.
Phew! But rebuilding the firewall was the big job.
Especially with the engine in the way. Perhaps I’ll have
more to write about on that matter later. Everything is back
together but for the cleaning up after. Main thing now is to
get The Cat Drag’d Inn back on the road again before
the tyres take root.
And Another Thing...
Too early maybe but the opportunity presents to quantify new
fridge compressor runtime since installation: Since 14 July
2020 to now, 17 April 2021 there are 278 days or 6672 hours.
The fridge compressor has been running 4025 hours. 60% of
the time. More in the Summer, less in the Winter, by a
factor of about 2:1.
Patriots Day
Downsizing today. This week. On-going... So many old things
to part with. Just have to be careful to not get rid of my
Self. Not yet.
 Feast Day of Saint George
the Naturist
Yesterday The Cat Drag’d Inn made a round trip to
the tranny shop. Fourteen gallons of fuel and 560 dollars
lighter she runs better! But there is still a short circuit
in the wiring somewhere.
Suffering the Pangs of Yet Another “Upgrade”
 Ken sent a photo of kids exploring an ancient
civilizations site. [phonebox photo] Herewith is one of an another ancient ruin.
Note the rotary dial, especially useful when the answering
computer says "Please press one for English." Or Voicemail
says "Please enter your PIN and press pound."
Sunday morning my coffee and crossword time was interrupted
by the yard light shattering the darkness. A crash and
clatter brought me to my feet, to the window, in time to see
a small tawny critter climb out from under the round table
and dash away to the east. The Dog Biscuit Thief! A canine
about the size of Paul’s 20# cat Tigger. Big ears, thick
fluffy tail with a black tip. Vulpes
macrotis.
To the CAT Shop
... for engine maintenance on the bus 3208. The motor is due
for a 50,000 mile checkup. I arrived at 0710 for a 0730
appointment. Two hours later I was still pacing to and fro
waiting for them to get started. Bad vibes about this place
so I left. Now I'll have to find another shop.
 Wright Brothers Field on Mars Hosts First
Flight
And first speeding ticket. Closer to home a
sixth grader and his two cats from Tennessee has
answered the internet’s most burning question: In your home,
how many surfaces does your cat’s butt touch?
May The Fourth Be With You
Sold another storey to the Escapees Magazine. Post Office
released Star War Droids commemorative sheet on May 4th.
21v12 at The Food Bank was a Palindrome Day
13 May Maintenance At My 2nd Home-Port Garage.
 I've long been doing the LOF on The
Cat Drag’d Inn but this time I want to have a
professional look at the motor and the chassis. So I’ve
decided to stimulate the economy a little. Two weeks ago
dropped almost 600$ on Alison transmission for two hours and
a fluid change. Last week walked out on the CAT dealer after
waiting for two hours for them to remember I had an
appointment. This week I'm at the Tonopah Garage (just off
the south end of the airport runway) where I have for
several years been bringing small jobs and cultivating a
relationship.
My first task was to change the oil and filters in the
3208. Allan's first close up look was at one of the
two bolts in the "front" motor mount that holds the flange
below the crankshaft pulley to the cradle built back in
Center Conway NH when we installed the first 3208. The bolt
was broken where the locking nut would have been tight
against the flange.
Second thing was to raise the front axle to check king pins
and bearings. The Right Front bearing was loose and was
making a rumble sound when we spun the wheel. Once upon a
lot of miles ago we had the same problem when the bus was
parked at the Conway Truck garage. Now I'm waiting for
parts. In the picture here you can see the pitting of the
bearing surface.
While Allan was working on the bearings I was busy cleaning
out a huge packrat nest from the space above the forward
bellybox. Even had two mummified packrats in residence.
After that I changed oil and filter in TinyTruck and found
the oil filler plug on the tranny loose. To fix that Allen
retapped the plug hole for pipe thread and installed a
regular pipe plug.
14 May...We're not done yet.
Two trips to Buckeye for parts and another 500$ later (I
hope the local economy enjoys all this stimulation...) the
front wheels are turning smoothly. Other tasks included
torquing loose bolts on the drive shaft differential,
checking fluid in the steering box, adjusting brakes,
searching for an air leak, and cleaning up after. And maybe
I’m still not done.
16 May - Shower Soak Return to Paul’s Back Yard
I just want you to know how much I sympathize with you about
moving. For all my caution and turtle speed getting out of
the neighbourhood of the Tonopah Garage & Aerodrome,
after bouncing my way along Bethany Home Road (both
ways—going and coming), lurching and turning after so long
sitting still, every cupboard I open is fraught with
hazardous projectiles. This morning I was attacked by a tin
of Crown Prince Smoked Kippers and a phalanx of Vienna
Armoured Snausages in full battle array. Just moments ago I
was attacked by a Bostitch Stapler closely followed by a
Scotch (tm) Tape Dispenser. Have you any idea how much
damage a full ream of HP printer paper can do to an M570
trackball after bouncing off an MS Ergonomic Keyboard?
Zip-Lock Freezer Storage Bags are no barrier to the essence
of garlic. Ben&Jerry’s new Flavour of the Month is New
York Super Garlic Chunk.
Yesterday was the 21st day...
...of the 21st week of the 21st year of the 21st
century. And at the 21st hour I went to bed. This morning my
low was 47f, only one degree warmer than Mt Washington in
NH! The furnace is on to warm my tired bones. This afternoon
the a/c will be on to cool the sweat of my brow.
Saddle Mountain Volcano erupts? May 29th [photo]
The Courthouse Fire southwest of Tonopah, in the Centennial
Wash, has burned 1,072 acres since it started on Saturday
afternoon. Seventy-three homes are without power. Throughout
the day, planes were seen dropping fire retardants in an
effort to contain the blaze.
 The Times They Are Not
Changin’
We are all in those same several boats. And they are all
sinking.
If anything there are times when I am feeling left out as
one friend or another relates some "cleaning up after me"
exercise. Once in a while I am inspired to do a bit of house
cleaning of my own and then get side tracked by some project
or my best intentions are waylaid by someone more bent on
their task giving me their castoffs. I need to try harder to
stay focused.
At the moment I'm busy helping Paul—in whose backyard I have
been roosting—to build a house and garage; I'm mostly wiring
the electrics. And I am trying to get The Cat Drag'd Inn
primed for her migration to Pie Town. So much is out of
place having been anchored here for more than a year. I've
just stimulated the local economy buying front wheel
bearings and six gallons of Rotella T-6. Not to mention a
flock of filters. Volunteering continues at the Buckeye Food
Bank and my wont of picking up trash along the roads
hereabouts.
I’ve Just Realised...
The Cat Drag’d Inn has these past ten or so years
become a “wagglethorp”. Summer affliction: SAD
...the hot, desiccating days in southwest AridZona make me
lethargic, yet also agitated, irritable and unable to sleep.
I gotta get out of this place if it's the last thing I ever
do. [—Thanks
Animals] Perhaps I’ll just go languish in my blanket
tent.
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2021 Summer Solstice —
Greetings Virtual Travellers and Pen Friends: 
