It is back to being hot today, 92° currently at 2:19pm. You will see later what the other three are doing along with Ava. She is blocking some of that AC air that comes out of that vent. Last Thursday I think it was, I bought the Lincoln Electronic Inferno Weed Burner. The instructions were a few paragraphs of nothing so consequently I didn't operate that nor the propane bottle correctly.
The valve on the tank not only has to be opened slowly but barely open. Just enough to see that black hose expand a little, showing it has gas.
By turning the valve open slowly that prevents the safety shutoff valve on the burner from activating with too much gas hitting it all of the sudden when opening the tank valve too fast.
I also found that I needed to turn the valve on the burner more than 1/8 of a turn, to give it enough gas for me to light the burner. Once those issues were learned from YouTube I was ready to go.
Today it did just what it was designed to do and worked much better than my first attempt on Thursday.
I also found out that most likely I turned in a partially filled propane bottle yesterday thinking I had wasted it all on Thursday because I had both valves wide open ... plus it would not light, just like today. So most likely yesterday that automatic shutoff valve was working where I was thinking I was out of propane, it was just the safety shutoff valve doing what it is suppose to do.
I thought a couple of months ago I had raked out and removed all the dry old leaves but the weed burner found some I had missed and before I knew it, that rose bush was on fire. All those small green leaf weeds I had pulled are now burned to smithereens and based on the video I saw, they will not be coming back. In fact anything I burned will not be coming back.
The invisible heat or invisible flame hit the plants.
This is the cleanest these flowerbeds have looked since I started cleaning them in June 2021.
I did not know I did that much damage to that nice bush until I took the photo hours later. I was burning the zoysia grass you see below the bush. I could never get rid of that so I will definitely find out if the burner will work. I never had the nozzle that high so the heat must have been something else for that bush to burn like that and up that high.
I did burn some weeds in that rock section in back. Then I came inside for some ice water and found the next mystery to my daily life. I have done it a million times since moving here in 2021. I have moved the faucet lever to the left for cold water and filled up my Brita pitcher. Then Walter gets his drinking water inside bowl from that pitcher.
I turn it on and while the pitcher fills I was grabbing dog food bowls to feed them lunch. I grab the pitcher and go to pour it in his bowl ... the water is scolding hot !!!! I have never had water that hot in this house the whole time I have moved here. I pour all the filtered hot water out and tried again.
Before I put the pitcher under it ... I move the faucet knob to the left (blue dot) for cold water and let it run. The longer it runs the hotter it gets !!!! How can that be?
So I move the lever to the right (red dot), where for 3 years that I have lived here, that direction always gives me hot water from the kitchen faucet ... the longer it ran with the lever moved to the right ... the colder it got !!!!!
Someway somehow my cold and hot water have switched directions on the lever of my kitchen faucet.
I have closed the blinds to the computer room and bedroom on the south end of the house and with that shade and blocked sunshine, the AC keeps that end of the house very cool, even with the thermometer set at 79° ... so the other three were doing this along with Ava .... and while I put this post together.
I went back to the dog food I had been feeding them for years so I am anxious to see if those "elephant skin" marks on Watsons elbows disappear.
One last thing on my rant yesterday ... thanks for all the comments ... and all of these figures below are from the government but someone else had time to put the photos together.
I forgot to mention my house and car insurance rates going up annually on the house and every 6 months on the car. I think I mentioned all of that in May when I was discussing my storm damage.
My friend and I have planned a 10am bike ride tomorrow morning, so that will get me back out on the bike and hopefully start the habit of riding again. Of course I have been waiting for that bone contusion to heal before riding again and I am basically caught up on storm damage repairs and lawn maintenance. With the recent oven hot temps and no rain, my backyard is taking a beating.
It is still nice to live in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana.
Yesterday, here on the mountain, super leaded was 4.999 a gallon which is what I use with my older SUV. I also continue to wonder how families with 3/4 kids are able to purchase the amount of groceries they need each week. A friend who is 40'ish, married with two young children said that he and wife are extremely frugal. When she shops there are no alcohol purchases, nor sugar treats, etc. Just the basics and they are still spending $275 plus each week. Now double or triple that for a family with 3/4 kids and if they are teenagers. Something has to be done to help the American citizens versus all the help to the "migrants." JMHO.
ReplyDeleteI look for grocery store budgets online where I can still get quality food but not spend what I am spending. It is just amazing and the spreadsheet I have kept from 1997 to now shows the story by type of time ie: groceries, gas, auto insurance, home insurance etc ... then a monthly average to compare to the previous year. If it gets really bad I can still say, "the dogs and hounds will eat before I do" financially. Think of that $275 x 4 is still $1100 per month being frugal !!!!
DeleteAnother thought on insurance, yes my car insurance continues to climb even though I drive an older SUV, have had no accidents or tickets.
ReplyDeleteHomeowner's insurance in my mountain area is through the roof. Many cancellations as the big companies do not want to do business in our area. If cancelled, your only choice is the California Fair Plan and a wrap-around, which is more expensive. We are totally being taken advantage of as we "live in a fire area," though we have been fortunate not to have a major fire since 2005. My insurance went from mid-$3,000 last year to $8,700 this year with no claims. To reduce it down to $6,500 plus, I am paying a much higher deductible and lowered my personal possessions coverage. The young thing at my agent's office said, "see how much money I saved you..." I told her you didn't save me anything, that in fact I had to give up some coverage for the decrease in the policy. I have not dealt with her since and have been told that she is no longer allowed to tell clients that, as I wasn't the first to hear this and complain. Just wonder where it will all end.
I have had similar comments by agents over the phone. I am still looking for a better deal in both insurances even after changing from USAA to Progressive in June. Neighbors near retirement age tell me the same thing you are telling me and what I have experienced. None of them either know where it will all end.
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