Never thought retirement would be like this

Seems like a lot of public data like this used to be free online years ago, but now it's almost all "owned" by Ancestry.com. After I retired I planned to volunteer to transcribe some of the historical census records to public data fles (Usgenweb Project). It used to be free to volunteer and they would send you the information. Now they have no funding and expect you to go get the records yourself---and a lot of it is on microfiche. Somehow I can't help thinking Ancestry.com has a hand in this. :(
 

microfiche1.jpg
 
Thunderstorms causing erratic internet service all evening. Making a quick post before it goes down again.


After all these years I learned something today: Set smaller goals!

Was just going to run check on the goats (and come right back). Simple goal. No problem. Took off. Done.

Then realized the weeds around the house and barn needed to be sprayed. That won't take long. I can do that.

Grass could be mowed, so I decided to just trim around the house with the push mower where the riding mower can't reach and get it ready for next time. That won't take long.

Then decided, heck, I might as well just get it over with and mow, since it's all trimmed out. Riding mower---that won't be hard.

Then the barn needed swept. That won't take long.

Now I would never have planned to do all those things today. Even if I had I'd have procrastinated, because it seems like a daunting task, and likely get nothing
done. Productive days like this have happened before, but few and far between, and I never stopped to think why until today. Set simple goals.

BUT... I wonder if I've ruined it by putting it in writing. Maybe I won't be able to fool myself into doing this again.
screwloose.gif
 

Your diary is amazing, Nancy! And YOU"RE amazing! You are one self-sufficient gal…multi-talented. This last post is so wise and is a useful reminder to set small goals. When I get overwhelmed, it also happens to me...that I procrastinate. I make a list everyday and whittle away at it one at a time but I don't put the small things on there. Those things eventually turn into big things though. "Things" have not been so daunting since retirement last April though, because I have more time to get things done. It's a good thing.
 
OK Nancy, our in house do it all marvel....cannot get the oil cap in my car off. Even tried tapping it with a hammer. A line prevents me getting enough leverage to use a wrench. Suggestions?
 
Are you just toying with me? :) I love puzzles.

I've never had that problem---radiator cap, yes. Tapping with a hammer was a good idea, but don't lose your temper with the hammer and go wild. I don't think you can hurt it turning on it, as long as you don't use tools. Maybe wrap something around that has more friction, rubber cloth? WD-40?

Some man will get on here and have a suggestion. :p
 
Do you not love this show Meanderer? Grew up in the next town, and though not friends, remember the brothers. Felt I lost part of my family when Tom passed away. Back to the cap. Got up before 6 am and caught the rubbish men. Askeda young one to loosen it for me. He had a very hard time....though trying to look macho LOL. :bigwink:
Nancy, not toying with you at all. You are really remarkable.
 
Nona, did you finally get the oil cap off? I read meanderer's suggestions (via link) and Nancy's and gather that, when the engine is hot, a vacuum may occur that holds the cap on tight maybe. Did you let the engine cool and try again? Or place some ice on the cap to cool it first?

meanderer (like your new avatar), I read the article you posted about the passing of Tom. I wasn't familiar with him but damned be Alzheimer's disease for silencing his beloved laughter. Such a loss.
 
This ceiling is not going well. Cutting the reveal edge on the panels is tedious and it doesn't leave a smooth edge. Granted you have to lean up against the wall and look up to see it, but still..... A plain old knife works better than box cutters, but now I need to find my whetstone and keep it sharp. I never could sharpen anything with a whetstone.

sharpen-an-axe.jpg


Beat you to it, Meanderer. :)
 
Nope. Not throwing in the tile, the towel, or the sponge.

Someone gave me an angle grinder a few years ago and I tried it tonight with a metal-cutting disc. It makes a smooth clean cut. Just need to have a steady hand. If that doesn't work, I'll buy a Dremel-like thing, with attachment. I've always wanted one of those anyway. This box cutter business either takes a lot of practice or else they only use it because they are in a hurry to finish and don't care what it looks like. Probably both.
 
Thanks for asking, everyone. More about the ceiling tomorrow...

Had trouble with Internet Explorer 11 freezing on pc all day. This started with a thunderstorm, I think. Tried a lot of things, ending with running chkdsk. I had little hope that would help, and it took almost 3 hours to finish, but so far it seems to have worked. Fingers crossed it wasn't just a coincidence.

Today at 1 pm the temp was only 88F (31C) but the "real feel" was 114F (45.6C). The rest of the day was miserable.

Got a scare checking on the goats today. Only 3 came when I showed up. Shorty was hiding behind the barn and wouldn't come out. Normally that would be a very bad sign, but Evil Rusty bullies him so much he hangs out by himself most of the time, so it's hard to tell if he is not doing well. I suspect he will be the next one to go. He and 2 others are carrying too much weight for this hot weather, but I don't know what to do about it. They only get hay pellets and browse.
 
NancyNGA said:
Got a scare checking on the goats today. Only 3 came when I showed up. Shorty was hiding behind the barn and wouldn't come out. Normally that would be a very bad sign, but Evil Rusty bullies him so much he hangs out by himself most of the time, so it's hard to tell if he is not doing well.
Click to expand...
Do you think that maybe Shorty was afraid of the thunderstorm? You want a bizarre suggestion that may work for him or dogs etc? I read somewhere that some animals are very sensitive to the electricity in the air during a thunderstorm so if you rub dryer sheets over their fur it will take care of that. I know, right? But it's worth a try. Another idea is to keep shorty in the barn when Rusty is out and then visa versa…or find Rusty a new home where he can't bully anyone…or have your local school send their bullies to "detention" with Rusty for the day :whome:
 
Including this info here now for future reference....

This morning everything on the pc was completely locked up. While running chkdsk yesterday it said it found and repaired an error in a sector that contained a file from my anti-virus software. This software runs some kind of routine check on every wake up. I was able to reboot and kill the antivirus process. It actually comes with a repair tool, so you don't have to uninstall and reinstall! After running that, things seem to be normal. I'm skeptical because all of this is actually making sense to me.:eewwk: Still keeping fingers crossed.

Thanks for the suggestions Lara and Meanderer. I'll address them in the next post.
 
Lara said:
Do you think that maybe Shorty was afraid of the thunderstorm? You want a bizarre suggestion that may work for him or dogs etc? I read somewhere that some animals are very sensitive to the electricity in the air during a thunderstorm so if you rub dryer sheets over their fur it will take care of that. I know, right? But it's worth a try. Another idea is to keep shorty in the barn when Rusty is out and then visa versa…or find Rusty a new home where he can't bully anyone…or have your local school send their bullies to "detention" with Rusty for the day :whome:
Click to expand...

Lara, not the thunderstorm, that's what messed up my computer, not my goat, lol. I would love to rehome him, but who wants an 11 year old male goat? And he can't stand to be alone, he would yell contantly. So the new owner would have to have another goat for him to bully, and I couldn't in good conscience give him to someone without warning them. Now if he had only 3 legs, or was blind, they would be lined up to get him (seriously). :shrug:

More than you wanted to know, eh? :D
 
PC problems are so frustrating Had a whole week of trying to get rid of a virus. So, I can totally sympathize, Nancy. Keep thinking of you having to work on a ceiling...with your arms raised. Please take care. Goats are funny creatures. All with their quirky personalities.
 
Nancy, I think Rusty needs some "Time Outs" in the barn, and a name change....just call him Bully and then you will have full disclosure!:)
ILXN0.jpg
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top