Morning and happy Tuesday all. Catching up (as usual) but will persevere.
It’s 50F and sposed to warm to 75 today and sunny, which is what they’re predicting for the next week or so.
[skimming]
Glad to hear Sadie is fitting in better in Cookieville. And that Swampy’s OYKW is feeling better.
As to hauntings? None for me, but I have seen some real weirdness while out in the woods hunting. The most memorable event was seeing the big panther that was rumored to stalk the woods around our lease. I had poo-pooed its existence like the others, but once it strolled past me in the dark, I joined the group of oldsters at the cabin who “didn’t go in the woods no more”. Yes it shouldn’t even be there, and that’s not its normal environment and… bullshit. I saw the thing and realized I wasn’t the apex predator anymore.
As to events in pullin-land: Last week I got busy replacing a generator and attempting to prize the old one out of its spot in the shed. In doing so we discovered the small crane in the pickup was bending its base and couldn’t be used to lift it. We went to plan B, which was using my engine hoist and (you’ll never guess) it had a hydraulic leak and couldn’t lift anything either. So I spent much of last week doing a “This is the house that Jack built” routine trying to fix the thing I needed to fix the next thing I needed to install the other thing – and on and on. That also involved trying to find mechanics and welders, who seem to be going extinct.
Example of conversation at local mechanic shop, with a young technician:
Me: “I need someone to reweld the base of my jib crane.”
Tech: “What’s a jib crane?”
Me: “It’s a small crane mounted in a pickup truck for hoisting stuff into the bed.”
Tech: “We’ve never worked on those – don’t even know how to bill the hours for it.”
Me: “Y’all installed it two years ago.”
Tech: [blank look]
Me (trying something else): “Then can you give me an estimate on installing an auxiliary tank in the bed?”
Tech: “A what?”
Me: “An auxiliary fuel tank, they’re pretty common and I just ordered one from RDS to fit my truck. All I need is someone to mount it in place (no plumbing).”
Tech: “I know we don’t do nuthin’ like that, it’s against our insurance to handle any fuel systems!”
Me: “Y’all installed one in my other truck 3 years ago.”
Tech: [blank look]
I’m starting to realize that if a task isn’t in the pull-down menu in a shop’s invoicing system, they won’t do it. I eventually wandered to the really run down section of town and hunted around for the shop with the oldest mechanics. And hit pay dirt. The welding and repair on the crane are scheduled for Wednesday next week. Also, I found the repair parts for the engine hoist and just fixed it myself.
I started again trying to haul the old generator out of it’s home and realized something. Thanksgiving is nearly here and my daughter will be here with her SO. SO is a competitive (something) in gym/lifting events and bears a strong resemblance to Reacher on the TV series. I asked her and was assured he presses 500# just to warm up, and could easily pluck the generator from its spot and carry it to the truck (or probably carry the truck to it). So I’ll wait until T-day to hassle with this problem – I have plenty more to keep me busy.
Oh yeah… and I voted last week. Based on the TX results I could’ve just stayed home. I was hoping to prevent/remove some of the Theocratic Pustules (my name for them) from office, but I wasted my time I guess.
I want to answer something from last week while I’m jawing here…
Having spent my younger days working EMS, I’m quite familiar with “night nurse” voice – carried a lot of stretchers to them in the wee hours, and still remember the relief when someone with real experience took over for us. So I’m gonna take your advice and find another way. 
So, on to the day. I’ll install the aux tank myself today, and try to fashion a remote brake actuator for diagnosing a trailer brake issue later. It’s just two wires, a battery and some sort of switch right? How hard can it be? (Was that thunder or the sound of gods laughing?)
Hope everyone has a good week!