The Home Machinist!

I am still here. The winds in Marion County are about half of what they said they would be. I should be closing in on 36 mph, and I'm getting 18. I still have electricity, which means I still have water. Come to think of it, I should take a shower while I still can. Even if it's not Saturday.

I don't know how long the Lord will keep the power on. I made three batches of biscuits in case it goes off. That's two cups of milk that won't get the chance to go bad.

Sound off if you're in Florida and you're still kicking!

Always wondered why when a disaster is coming, that there is a run on bread, eggs and milk at the grocery store? Everyone sets around and makes French toast?

mcostello wrote:Always wondered why when a disaster is coming, that there is a run on bread, eggs and milk at the grocery store? Everyone sets around and makes French toast?

That has always baffled me, even though I am in the south where the mere mention of the S-word in a winter weather forecast results in the aforementioned items selling out immediately.

I'm from N AL, and it's that way there too. Silliest thing I have ever seen is the way people act at the mere mention of "slight chance of snow flurries".

Steve, looks like your move out of Miami was perfectly timed.
Good luck.

SteveHGraham wrote:Come to think of it, I should take a shower while I still can. Even if it's not Saturday.

I'm not sure that's a good idea. Not good for one's skin. Once a month should be adequate.

So, how did things shake out for you?

I'm concerned about Glenn and the readers in the extreme southeast. Any reports?

H

We have no power, and since we have a well, that means no water. Other than that, things are good. We lost a few big trees.

Today I had an incredible experience. We had a big tree across the driveway, and I left it there because I had no choice. I was going to buy a chainsaw tomorrow. This afternoon, the tree moved. I was off doing something, and when I looked at the driveway, the tree was not in the way. My neighbors, who don't know me, came in and cut it up and moved it.

I really hate Miami. I'm so glad I moved. Down there, people are looting so they can get the latest pair of $300 basketball shows, but up here, my neighbors sneaked in so they could do my yard work.

I got the tractor working. I moved a huge amount of stuff to the burn pile in the big pasture. Tractors are even cooler than I thought.

The pile is maybe 15 feet across. It looks small in the photo.

Welcome to the real world Steve! Or.....rural America!
A few years ago, we had a bunch of wind & rain, and a couple of big cottonwood trees fell, and just clipped the guys eves on his house. He lives down the road about a 1/2 mile away. Landed across his carport and garage too. I was just getting home from Montana.....long drive....
I stopped and talked to him a bit, and then headed home, grabbed my chainsaw and some chains & slings, and headed back.
I got there, about the same time three other neighbors showed up....all with chainsaws in hand. Didn't take long...about 3 or 4 more guys showed up as we were working....and we got him cleared out pretty quickly.

If & when the need arises, or any opportunity .....pay it forward!

Glad you are in one piece! Hope Glenn & others are too!

Add to Steve's toy list: (1) generator, big enough to start the well pump.


Bill

Yeah, I miss living in a rural area. Very different than city life...

Good luck to all dealing with the storm!

Did You ever notice when You pay it forward,sometimes, when it's Your time that the interest has accumulated and compounded tremendously.

SteveHGraham wrote:We have no power, and since we have a well, that means no water. Other than that, things are good. We lost a few big trees.

Pretty acceptable report, Steve. Glad to hear you survived the ordeal and are in good spirits. Could have been so much worse.

Tractors are even cooler than I thought.

Couldn't live without mine, and it's just a toy in the scheme of things. It's a little 16 horse Kubota, but it has served beyond anything I might have expected. And, if you're creative, they can be adapted to do things you might not have imagined. I built a boom for ours, so I could place the blocks used in building the shop and house. The house is a two story affair, so the lift was quite tall. The blocks weighed about 100 pounds each, so doing them by hand was not a reasonable plan. With a boat winch to do the fine tuning and placement, I used the tractor hydraulic cylinders that powered the bucket, which was replaced by the boom. It worked like a charm, allowing us to build without outside help, which was our goal.

Rural living is nice, but don't assume all people are the same. We were burglarized by a local about ten years ago. He got away clean, because they didn't catch him in the act, or with the goods, in spite of his admission to having been on our property. He was identified by his unusual tires, which left tracks in the soft dirt in our construction zone. He was being a good Samaritan, looking for the dynamite I had buried, so he could report it to the cops.

Oh, hell yeah! I have dynamite buried everywhere. Doesn't everybody?

Our losses were substantial, and a real eye opener. Insurance cooperated well, but without riders on the things that were taken, we were limited in recovery. Lost about $13,000 overall.

H

A working tool in any skilled hands attached to a brain is a great effort multiplier. Then comes the realization that what was accomplished dould only be done better with better tools and efficient thinking. It has always impressed me, when a tight situation occurs how many people will volunteer needed help, to keep basics running. Called being neighborly, a generator and pump appeared during a storm induced power failure, and 8 inches of water disappeared while I was forced to work.

I am thankful for those that extend their effort in time of need. And I ache for those in that wrong place they got stuck in.

Irma was serious, but by all accounts a bit lighter than the possible nemesis she presented. Friends and relatives stayed too long and got stranded in various areas of Florida, for various spurious reasons, and had to ride it out. Rather than get caught on the open road traffic jams, most hunkered down, and waited it out. Some light damage , trees down and the like were the worst of it for them, and had the added benefit of securing the various areas against looters and lookers. There will always be those elements around, but stories emerge about few confrontations, and mostly help, that warms my soul.