PELLET STOVE LOVE HODGEPODGE

     Good morning everyone. How's your new year going so far. I hope that everything is going well for you and yours. We are finally getting some respite from the bitter cold. However, the bitter cold is sure to return. I thank God for our wood pellet stove and the wood pellets fuel to keep it cranking out those BTU's.
     Thank you Joyce for another interesting Wednesday Hodgepodge. I urge you to join in on the fun. I hope that you enjoy this weeks post.

1. January is National Mentoring Month. Have you ever had a mentor? Been a mentor? How would you rate the experience?
     When a new police officer is hired, they are required to attend a sixteen week Police Academy. After graduation they are assigned a Field Training Officer (FTO) for another few months. This FTO tailors the training received at the police academy to the specific policies and procedures of their police department. 
     This is a classic mentoring relationship. This mentoring continues well after the new police officer completes their field training. I have been mentored and I have been a mentor.

2. What current trend makes no sense to you?
     One trend that I find troubling is the current practice of bringing up events that occurred decades ago and using those events for the sole purpose of destroying a person's life. I find this to be grossly unfair. People change over time and most people are not the same people today that they were thirty or more years ago. 
     In criminal law there is a statute of limitation. This law prevents bringing a prosecution after a specified period of time. There are exceptions, however. For example, there is no time limitation on bringing a murderer to justice. 
     In short, with few exceptions, no one should be held responsible for conduct that was committed decades earlier.

3. I saw a cartoon on facebook highlighting a few 'weird' things that make you happy as an adult. The list included-writing with a nice pen, having plans cancelled, freshly cleaned sheets, eating the corner brownie, cleaning the dryer lint screen, and sipping coffee in that brief time before anyone else wakes up. (Credit for the cartoon goes here) Of the 'weird' things listed which one makes you happiest? What is one more 'weird' thing you'd add to the list?
     I would have to say, of the things listed, I go with the sipping that first cup of coffee in the morning. Having the corner brownie is a close second.

4. What's the last good thing you ate?
     Chines Pie! I made some Chinese Pie, A.K.A. Shepherds Pie, for my beloved SWMBO and me. We also had salad yesterday (Monday).

5. Describe life in your 20's in one sentence.
     SWMBO and I were young adults with very young children.

6. Insert your own random thought here.
     In January 2017 I had to have my furnace replaced at great cost. This January that brand new furnace was not running right. It sounded like a clothes dryer with a couple of balls tumbling within it. Our oil company came and repaired the furnace. The technician diagnosed the problem as a partially clogged fuel filter. He replaced it. I hope that this takes care of the problem. 
     Thank God for our wood pellet stove.
     Enjoy the rest of your week everybody.

A SCARY HALLOWEEN HODGEPODGE!

     The invasion of ghosts, goblins and every sort of costumed ghoul will soon be upon us.  It is once again that time of year. The weather has turned much cooler. SWMBO and I have begun the annual exercise of battening down the hatches, preparing for the inevitable arrival of Old Man Winter. Window screens have been put up and glass window panes have been reinstalled. We have much yet to get done. AAAAAARRRGHH!
     And now the Wednesday Hodgepodge.....

1. Besides your very own house, describe a place where you feel most 'at home'? 
     I asked SWMBO what she thought about this question. Her answer is the same as mine. We both feel most at home when we are  with our church family. They are a wonderful group of kind, accepting and loving people.

2. When did you last 'hit a home run' with something? Explain. 
     I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. I noticed that there was Egg Nog in the dairy coolers. I picked up a quart and surprised my beloved SWMBO. She was well pleased!

3. Tell us about something you love in your house or kitchen that is 'homemade'. 
     Several years ago, before we moved into ur current house I took a kitchen cabinet and made it into a rolling breakfast counter/buffet table.  I fastened a counter top to it as well as four caster wheels.  We bought bar stools to go with it. We brought it with us to our current house but our kitchen is too small to accommodate it. We placed it in our family room. SWMBO uses it as a sewing aid. She cuts patterns and material on it. I use it to wrap presents around Christmas time.  

4. 'A man's home is his castle'...which of the world's ten most captivating castles (according to The Travel Channel) would you most like to visit and why-

Mont Saint-Michel (France), Edinburgh Castle (Scotland), Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany), Glamis Castle (Scotland), Windsor Castle (England), Chateau de Chambord (France), Hampton Court Palace (England), Prague Castle (Prague), St. Michael's Mount (England), Leeds Castle (England), and Swallow's Nest (Ukraine)
     I don't have a desire to visit any of the listed castles. I did visit Norwich Castle in Norwich, Norfolk, England, when I was stationed there in the mid 1970's. I am certain that the mentioned castles have a charm all their own. However, as far as I'm concerned if you've seen one castle you've seen them all.

5. What's a recent or upcoming plan or project that's required you do a little homework before getting started? Did the homework cause you to abandon your plan or adjust it in some way?
      I need to clean the pellet stove and flue pipe and I did some research on the best way to do it. I also wanted to read about potential problems and how to avoid them. I haven't cleaned the stove as yet but I'm not put off from trying to do it myself.
    
6. In your opinion, is homework an unnecessary evil or a valuable practice? Should schools be done with homework? Why or why not? 
     I believe it's a valuable practice. It helps a student apply the concepts that are taught in class. However, homework just for homework's sake is an unnecessary evil.

7. Share a favorite memory of your childhood hometown. 
     I grew up about 75 yards from the Merrimack River in Lowell, MA.  There was a huge rock located on the far side of the river that was in the approximate shape of a human skull. We called it "Skull Rock." My friends and I had many hours of imaginative fun at Skull Rock.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 
    The 2016 MLB World Series began last night between the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs. Neither team has won a World Series since way before I was born and I am currently 62 years old. You do the math. 
     I am pulling for the Cubs to win but I wouldn't be heart broken if the Indians were to win. There are connections to my beloved Red Sox on both teams. So, I will follow the series this year and just enjoy the excellent play of both teams. What a great thing for professional baseball! GO CUBS!

GUESS WHAT DAY IT IS HODGEPODGE!

   

     Well, we are one week closer to the advent of Spring. This past weekend was essentially snow free. It felt good to not be snowed in for a change and to be able to attend Sunday worship with the church family. 
    Today being Wednesday Joyce has more intriguing questions for us to ponder and answer. I urge you to join in on the fun. In any event I hope you like this week's edition of the Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. Did you watch The Oscars? How many of the Best Picture nominees have you seen? (American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, Selma, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash)
     I did watch some of the Oscar Awards Show. I kept clicking back to it from what I really wanted to watch. I have seen "American Sniper" and "The Imitation Game." 
Do you think actors should use their acceptance speeches as an opportunity to promote their political and/or social agenda? Does that sort of speech make you more or less inclined to change the channel?
     In my humble opinion the award recipients should focus on thanking those who helped them succeed. I don't think it should be used as a platform to advocate for your particular agenda. It should be use to extol the virtues of movie making in particular and the arts in general.

2. Speaking of the movies... are you comfortable going to a movie alone? How about dinner in a restaurant (not fast food, but an actual restaurant)? The second half of this question was posed by Carrie who blogs over at It's Not Easy Being Queen. Thanks Carrie! 
     I am one of those fortunate people who is very comfortable in his own company. I have gone to movies by myself, I prefer company but I will go alone. Dining is the same. I prefer to have company but am perfectly okay dining alone.

3. What's the last home repair or home improvement project you had to pay someone to complete? In hindsight was this a project you could have done yourself? 
      The last project I had to pay someone to do for SWMBO and me was the replacement of a window in our kitchen. In hindsight, no...I could not have done it myself and get it right.

4. Have you ever had Indian food? Like it or no? If you're a fan, what's your favorite dish? Have you ever prepared this yourself at home? Is there an Indian restaurant in your current hometown? 
      I have never had Indian Food. 

5. A song that reminds you of your parents? 
     Back in 1968 a singer by the name of Bobby Goldsboro had the number one song in the country. It was called "Honey." This song reminds me of my parents. You see, my mother died in 1965 and when this song came out in 1968 it really hit home with my Dad. Whenever I hear it I think of him and his sadness and the reason why he was sad...he missed my mom. 

6. The 26th of February is National Tell A Fairy Tale Day. What's your favorite, or one of your favorite, fairy tales? Do you have any childhood memories associated with a particular fairy tale?
     My favorite Fairy Tale is "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you!"  No, seriously I don't have a favorite. I think the bothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen are the best writers of the Fairy Tale genre.

7. What's a problem you solved yesterday? 
     We had scant food in the house so I did the weekly food shopping. We had the granddaughters over yesterday afternoon, SWMBO and the fur babies were exhausted after they left. I went food shopping alone so she could rest. 
  
8. Insert your own random thought here.
     Major League Baseball spring training is ramping up as I write this. All players should have reported by now. This means another nail has been driven into the coffin of Winter 2014-2015. DIE WINTER, DIE!!!
     I'm sure that it comes as no surprise that I am a proud citizen of Red Sox Nation. My beloved Red Sox are poised to have a great year this season. I'm equally certain that there are baseball fans saying the exact same thing about their home team all over the country and in Toronto, Canada. 
     So this season I will be following the Red Sox in the American League. In the National League I'll follow the exploits of the Chicago Cubs. They're the Red Sox of the National League. Apparently there's some sort of curse involving a goat or something, I'm not sure, but like the Red Sox did, the Cubs have a curse to break. This could be the year! 

SIMPLE DOES NOT MEAN EASY!

No good deed goes unpunished! Just because something is simple, that doesn’t mean it is easy.              

       Last Friday night I emptied the garbage can from under the kitchen sink. When I removed the trash can I noticed that there was a significant amount of water at the bottom of the cabinet. I grabbed a flashlight and found the source of the water. The kitchen sink drain basket had sprung a leak. The gasket had apparently failed.
So, I mopped up the water and left a note for SWMBO telling her that the sink was out of commission until I could effect repairs. Unfortunately I had a church business meeting on Saturday morning so I would not be able to get to the repair(s) until after the meeting, sometime in the afternoon. 
The business meeting ran long and I did not get home until around 1:30 p.m. I ate lunch, talked with my beloved SWMBO and then got to work.
I got my work light, my tools and began. I removed everything from under the sink. I illuminated the underside of the sink to examine the damage and determined that the drain basket, slip nut and nylon gasket at the bottom of the tail piece had to be replaced. The slip nut got cracked somehow. It is real simple to remove the sink basket. You remove the tail piece by unscrewing the slip nut at the top and bottom, then pull it out.

Next thing is removing the drain basket. It is held in place by a brass ring nut. Remove the nut and the gaskets and the basket comes right out...simple, right? As it turns out the ring nut was fused with rust to the drain basket. When I applied torque to loosen the nut, the drain basket turned. Holding the drain basket still with one wrench and trying to turn the ring nut did not work. By the time I had tried everything that I knew to do to loosen the ring nut, I had about six hours and several scraped bleeding knuckles into the job. I quit, cleaned and dressed my knuckles and went to bed.
       The next day being Sunday we had church in the morning and it was Mother's Day so the repairs would have to wait until Monday.

So on Monday, to make a long story short, I used a rotary tool to cut the brass ring nut off. This did the trick. Once I had the old drain basket removed it took about an hour to install the new one and put the sink back into operation. SWMBO was pleased...and that’s what I live for!
So like I said just because something is simple that does not mean it is easy. This  sink repair is a good example of what I mean.