Some Early Humor, Ranting and Rambling

I'll warn you, with cold temps, severe right jaw pain worse than any toothache, 2 cups of strong coffee and little sleep after doing the latest macOS beta update starting after 2am when I get 'free' data of an extra 50Gb per month added to the 20Gb I pay for ... I am feeling a little ornery this morning ... so be ready.

As you can see once the inside of the house temperature dropped below 70°, in fact getting down to 64° since I left the windows open last night ... Heidi requested she be covered up with her favorite Mexican blanket before Sadie, Stella and I took off for our morning at with fog and 46° outside.

To be 'politically correct' this morning and plans of making a 'safe room' somewhere in my downsized very small house, I have not mentioned the words 'scat', 'drool', 'glue' and have tried my best to take photos of the hounds from the front of them or their side ... no butts. I also request that as you read this post from the first word and those last few sentences all the way through this post ... know it is all written with a smile on my face and a strong flavor of humor ... I pray to god almighty I don't step on anyone's toes this morning. LOL

After forcing myself to stay up past 2am so I could take advantage of my free 50Gb data period to upload the latest Apple 'beta' version of their macOS I was wired wide awake as I tried to go to sleep at 4am. So I knew things might be a little foggy in my brain this morning the first time I opened my eyes but I didn't expect fog outside. I knew something was different though ... for the first time since last winter there was condensation on the inside of the bedroom windows ... on the only one I had shut.

With all the shade outside in the field I knew it was going to be wetter than normal. The picture above doesn't show it nearly as much as my eyes saw, with leaves saturated with morning dew. Stella charged into the first part of woods or brush ... but came back out when I called her name.

Sadie was on her own mission and was waiting for neither of us. She was practically around the first turn before I could get the camera focused. I thought long and hard about posting this photo because it was taken from behind Sadie, not the front or side ... requirements I told myself this morning had to be followed.  LOL

Stella showed her burst of energy early. When you see her ears laying flat on top of her head you know she is at high speed. Both photos were out of focus but I am thinking that it was from photographer error more than the speed of the hound. I've noticed lately that auto focus for 'single point' is not nearly as sharp as before, if it is even focused at all. I'll dig into the lens owner's manual right after my unexpected 'board meeting' early this afternoon.

The hounds have requested a meeting this afternoon to decide which direction this blog is going. It's been only a week since they came back online with new intentions of being more open in our discussions, not hiding thoughts, locations of where we are/were, along with no approvals from the 'higher ups' before publishing the blog post. After all it's their blog ... I'm only a low paid employee with no benefits and no savings plan.

As Sadie and I marched through wet grass and weeds, getting the mid calf of my leg wet (never a good thing) I glanced back to check on Stella and could see that she had her own plans. That was fine with me, Sadie and I could catch up with her on the way back.

As Sadie and I made the turn along the back edge of the field, it certainly felt like a fall day. It might have been the cargo shorts I forgot I had on in 46° that made it feel that way, but most likely it was the Golite insulated down jacket I was wearing. I'm being honest here and not funny ... I am not looking forward to winter and colder temps. I'll get through it without complaining as usual but I'll not be jumping up and down with excitement that we are doing our walks in single digit temps.

As much as it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day today ... the fall colors just are not happening so far this year. It needs to be drier and I'm not sure the heavy dew every morning is a good thing for developing bright vibrant colors in all those trees in front of us.

What I wouldn't do for some of those 800mg of Motrin I use to get years ago from our squadron doctor at no charge. Then it was for a bad back and an old baseball pitching shoulder that had too much scar tissue grinding away ... today it's my jaw. The 4 measly Ibuprofen tablets 200mg each are not working.

The closer we got to the 3/4 point of the walk I could already see Stella had wandered over to the right behind the woods next to my neighbors house. I have not seen that huge blonde cat over there in almost a year. Nor have I seen that regular size black cat but the one time in the yard,  yet with my zero mouse traffic inside my house (is it okay to say that? Ha) ... I assume the field cats the hounds and I never see, are doing their job of finding field mice at night and keeping the mice traffic under control.

With Stella not moving I asked Sadie as I always do in this situation "where's Stella"?

You would think with a nose 200x better than a human nose, testing out when she was a puppy to be a strong 'tracker', hearing 4x better than a human ... that it would be no problem for her to find Stella standing still just to the right of her. Yet she was confused ... she didn't find Stella anywhere as she sniffed the air and scanned the field.

I started my slow walk through taller grass, getting my legs wet again (never a good thing) and saying "come on" ... the favorite words of Stella. She finally moved and headed my direction ... but ....

Only about 20' where she had to stop again.

Notice how well I am following my 'new rules' this morning with this string of photos from the front or side of the hounds ... plus not mentioning certain irritating words that make some sick? LOL

For some reason as I was walking the path I looked down. Were these eggs of some sort? Not by the way they looked as I bent over for a closer look. I had to take a photo fast because Sadie noticed them and of course anything strange looking in 'her' field she has to sniff it to be identified. I touched them after this photo and they felt like mushrooms. I left them there instead of taking them home for further testing.

Well another week ahead. With the gutters clean, branches on the roof tossed into the yard and moved to the burn pile, the lawn mowed twice in two different directions, leaves mulched, house cleaned, laundry done as well as the dishes ... the hounds and I have NOTHING on the agenda today. There will be a MLB playoff game tonight along with the Colts on Monday night football but through out the day ... an open schedule with a lot of possibilities.

If I don't die and sleep a little in the late afternoon after 3 hours of sleep last night ... the hounds might fit in a 3rd walk later. It's really amazing how accurate the Garmin VivoSmart 3 is at tracking my sleep ... right down to the minute, showing me the time I fall asleep and the time I wake up. When I look at the time when waking up it's right on the money for accuracy. It even tells me how much of my sleep is 'deep' and if I get up in the middle of the night.

With the hounds leading the way to end the walk and slowly entering the wet grass of the backyard with new leaves to rake or mow ... I lifted my camera up for a picture but remembered the new self-imposed rules of no pictures with the hounds ahead of me showing their butts. After all this blog is turning more to 'political correctness' so we can get on schedule with the rest of this messed up world.

As I tip-toed back into the yard to keep a few of the blog readers happy and not stepping on any one's sensitive toes ...  iswhen I saw the local utility company trucks. I hoped I had electrical power inside the house. I wanted to get a fast start to this this blog post and as soon as I ripped off my wet hiking boots, heated another cup of strong coffee I could have my fingers tearing my keyboard with words flying out of my mouth to this blog.

Since they have told me that my house electric is now on the 'new line', I was a little concerned when I saw someone working on those lines while the hounds and I were almost to the corner of the house. It was all good though with the power. As I stepped inside I looked at the microwave stove and saw the clock ... so I had plenty of power awaiting me after I sprinted to my computer to get this irritating, possibly abrasive to some, non-humorous- bs blog post written.

Just remember with me at the controls of the 'dashboard' I can weaken or strengthen what this blog does or doesn't do. I will never lock out comments because I like reading them no matter what they say. I don't care who looks at the blog, nor do I care what country they live in nor what color they are ... everyone is welcome.

I only have a setting that comments will be (about this time I was typing the next word I heard a truck coming up my driveway. It was the electric company telling me for the last time I would be losing power soon while they completed their disconnect of power lines from the older setup. 3 hours later the kitchen light came back on letting me know that power had been restored. So here I am) monitored after a post is two weeks old. That gives me a chance to look at any comments on older posts before I publish them. What that does is cut down on all the spam hacking comments that usually attack older posts or closed blogs that are still online.

I've lost my train of thought after the 3 hour gap. I am to the point of applying ice to my right jaw. The hounds have been fed lunch with the bloodhounds wanting their walk, Heidi wanting her siesta.

Later the hounds and I, at their request, will hold a board meeting (isn't that what Monday's are for?) and decide if the blog will turn toward a flavor of "political correctness" with the author "tip toeing" on eggshells not to hurt the feelings of some ... or do we open it more than ever and 'let it rip' with ranting, complaining, voicing opinion about life in general, the world in general, hounds in general, crap in general?

I would just like to keep it where it is with commentary and photos of the hounds and life here in 'the tropics' while staying away from world news or events, sports opinions, ranting or complaining about things. If I wanted that I'd find a job and go back to work. I'll let the other bloggers do that on their blogs. This is what I will recommending to the blog owners, Sadie, Stella and Heidi.

They will give me the 'yes or no' on using words like dr***, or sc**, or talk about a wild imagination of a picture sprinkling d*** sc** on top of Ben&Jerry's ice cream but sliding the bowl over to the hounds for them to enjoy. Besides I like my Ben&Jerry's ice cream plain with nothing sprinkled on top.  LOL

All is good here in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Here's hoping the comment sections below will be filled with numerous responses with honest opinions, thoughts, complaints or approvals ... all of us, hounds and readers alike love reading the few comments posted after some of our blog posts.

It's now time for our 2nd walk of the day with the camera in tow.

It Wasn't What They Said it Was....Lots of Humor Here!!

What makes people that are selling something, not tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth???? I'm confused. (~smiling)

On the phone this morning the seller said it was a 1984, the date wasn't listed on the ad. I ran a NADA to get some idea of the value plus looked at other rigs for sale from 1985-1990 Holiday Ramblers. Once again it was way under priced based on NADA for a 1984 Holiday Rambler Imperial. As the ad said he took it down to TN just last weekend. I looked up that trip on google maps and found it to be a 750 mile round trip. So I felt pretty good about the rig I was going to go look at.

Back in the years 2002-2008, I was buying VW Buses from the years 1961-1967, with the 67's being the last year of the split front window. I learned early from buying them online, always out of state, that most likely they will not look as good as the pictures on the sales ad. That's fine, I have no problem with that. This rig didn't either.

So last night a follower let me know there was another Holiday Rambler for sale in Indianapolis which is only a 1-1/2 hour drive from my house. The photos looked fantastic. The ad had a lot of detail except one ... what year was it? I was so excited about the possibilities, I called him at 8am, hoping it was still available. It was. Arrangements were made to meet today at 1pm to take a look at it. The seller was recovering from knee replacement, so he stayed inside the house while I went over the rig, inspecting it. I was there a total of 2 hours looking at everything and starting it. The rig was plugged into house power.

I started with the outside, yes it wasn't bright and shiny like the pictures, that middle striping was pealing but that didn't bother me. Over all outside was good, small dent in rear passenger side corner. Tow bar and 7-pin plug was good but looked like it wasn't used recently. That was kind of confusing because he kept telling me that he tows a trailer with his motorcycles when he travels. I climb up on top, caulking was old but that wasn't a big deal, I could re-caulk myself. Roof looked in great shape.

I went though all of the bay doors, everything was in good shape, no water damage, no rotting inside, original bay material was still in good shape. The two windows on the drivers side had both window awnings that were in great shape. On the drivers side, the 15 ft awning even included the correct piece in the middle that was attached to the rig as designed. The steps came out when the door opened just like the ad said ... even the doorbell worked. The tires are an off brand name but all are new like the ad said. As I step inside to inspect I am feeling really good so far about this rig. For a 1984 it's in great shape.

The inside was even better. No water stains anywhere, inside cabinets, lower cabinets, under sinks. No mouse traps were set but at the same time they were using this rig is what I am told and had just bought a huge 5th wheel. Everything from the driver's cab to the back bedroom was fantastic. All the closets were still in the original design, no modifications. The electrical outlets worked for the tv, all the lights worked ... every one. The oven and microwave were in new condition and as advertised the refrigerator and freezer were a new stainless steel unit....both were working.

I turned on the water pump and hot water heater, then went to look at other things while the water heater warmed up. I kept listening for the water pump to kick on but it never did after 30 minutes. I had pulled off the center console of the engine bay between the two front seats. Still after a while I never heard the water pump kick on.  Of course what might explain that, while looking under the rear bed at the water tank valves and for water damage, I actually moved the tank with my hand a little and looked closer .. the fresh water tank looked empty. Hmmmm, thought they used it last weekend on a trip??

Still the inside was FANTASTIC!!  At this point of the inspection I am thinking this rig is soon to be mine. In one of the cabinets I find the large notebook with the original owners manual just like the CL ad showed in the photo ...with one problem. He told me this was a 1984 and all the manuals say 1982. Then I find and take a picture of a manufacturer type title with the VIN and year from the factory ... 1982.  So it's not a 1984 like he said on the phone and there is no year listed on his CL ad.

What do you think about that?  Make me wonder if this is common or not.

While inspecting the inside the rig, two other people drove up and hung out for a bit by the rv. I asked if they were here to see the rv and both gave different answers..."No, I'm here to see the Honda Accord that's for sale, are you ....?" and "No, I'm here to see the truck that is for sale"  I'm looking around, there a huge 5th wheel, a truck, an Accord his daughter drove up in, two cars parked behind mine. I'm wondering at this time what this guy does. I had the wrong impression based on the phone call. Based on the phone conversation I'm picturing a family using the RV I'm wanting to buy, to travel in every summer, they have had it forever and they just moved up to a 5er and a new truck...a new truck is nowhere to be found. Now I'm wondering about this phone conversation and what is going on here.

All that doesn't matter ... the rig looks great, the generator looks great ... I'm feeling pretty good at this time. As we agreed, with the seller recouping from knee replacement, his 2nd in 7 months, I was to come to the house to get him when I had questions. Well I needed the keys to start it up and test drive it. The plate was current. While inside when I pushed the buttons for the pump and water heater, it was the same screen showing they were on as the levels of the different tanks, gas etc. Well nothing showed up for the tank levels nor the gas level. The propane tank showed full on the gage outside.

Before I go back out to start the rig we begin talking about all the trips he has been on but he mentions this "other 30' Class A toyhauler I had" and "the 5er".  No mention of the one rig I'm looking at as being the rig of choice for summer camping trips. A small flag goes up in my head....lol. I also mentioned to him that I wasn't sure if there was any water in the fresh water tank to test the faucets, water heater and water pump. "Oh no, there's no water ... the rv is still winterized, in fact I have no idea when the oil was even changed last" I replied that I had checked the oil on the dipstick and it look like it had just been changed.

The man checking out the Honda stops us to ask if there is a license plate he can use to test drive the car. The seller says "I have dealer plates you can use, I'M AN RV DEALER" .... I hold back from laughing but I'm thinking to myself "what is going on here???"  LOL....Unbelievable, you cannot make this stuff up!!!  LOL On the inside my laughter is out of control....I am even laughing again as I type this.

I get the keys...I go back out and pull off the center console again so I can see and hear what this engine does. In my first inspection there was heavy oil residue around the valve covers....I'm thinking at the time that's ok, it's easy to get to and I can replace those cover gaskets myself. Well I turn they and it's cranking but not starting. The seller who had walked out to where I was because a truck had arrived to deliver another car with auction markings on it....so I figured it was another car to sell, since he did say he was an RV DEALER....I mean, come on, what did you expect??  lol

He tells me it might take a few times because its a carburetor. I'm old enough to know about those so I keep pumping the gas and finally get it to kick over. Now remember before I tell you what happened...the seller told me in person and on the ad they had taken this rv on 750 mile round trip just LAST WEEKEND!  Well when the engine turns over, there is the highest shrill sound combined with a loud LOUD sound as if the muffler was not attached to the exhaust manifold. I had to cover my ears, it was that loud and high pitched....sounded like a belt or something that turns a belt....???

It finally stops...and the engine is idling with that loud no muffler sound. I checked under the rig when I was outside and would say the mufflers were more to being new than rusted and old...they were shiny silver.  I also hear a loud tapping sound of the valves....a sound I remember with untuned vw engines....the loud tapping sound was only on the right side, not the left. I turned on my iPhone and made a video so I could record the sound. But the whole sound of the engine on the passenger side did not sound normal at all ... not what a healthy engine would sound like.

I saw no blackened area around the headers like was suggested a few days ago. All I saw in question visually with the engine was the leaking valve covers...and those were nothing more than gasket replacement I think. So I rev the engine....the loud exhaust sound gets louder, small race car backfire....NO...I'm not making this stuff up. My Coachmen Class C was quiet, very quit at idle. Even the HR I passed on was sounding better than this one. My impression of the engine....I would be afraid to drive this out of his driveway....no test drive, I had heard enough. But they did take this on a 750 mile trip just last weekend!!

So I go back inside to let him know that I had made a recording of the engine sound I couldn't identify and was going to let my mechanic listen to it and I would get back with him. I told him I liked everything else but I want to check the engine out first. He replied "that is a great engine, like I said we took it down to TN just last weekend".

So I left, did not give him any money for a deposit and returned on my 1-1/2 hour drive which gave me time to think.

I will not be buying that rig.