.: Welcome to a page in my personal life :.
.: My Most Recent Photos :.
.: Doing my part :.
-
Thunder Storm
Posted By MercenaryD on July 21, 2010
This is from a thunder storm this past weekend. Taken over top of the Unadilla Drive In Theater.
Chittenango Falls… Vacation finally
Posted By MercenaryD on July 5, 2010
Finally I got a vacation… It was only a one day outing but it was nice. I got to take some really nice photos, some on the way and others when we got there.
It started off as a trip to Sylvan Beach, NY. I was to go with my Dad and our friend Barb, to spend a day lounging on the beach and a picnic lunch. But after a few hours it became apparent that the day before the 4th was a bad one. We couldn’t find any where to cook. So it was decided to go somewhere else.
We took off in search of a park where we could cook out. While we were looking for a place on the map, we came across Chittenango Falls. I’ve been past it on the road, but never stopped. Barb was going on about the beauty of the place so we decided to go. It couldn’t be any more crowded than Sylvan Beach was.
Breathtaking was more the thought.
As far as falls go they are a bit small, but not to much so. And it has a guardian too. A large turtle hidden in the rocks….
Work… in garden
Posted By MercenaryD on June 5, 2010
Well I’ve got a truck coming to finish up the last of the jobs I had this spring. Haul out the fire wood and deliver it to where it needs to go, and to pick up the equipment on the way back threw and deliver it to my place. Then I’ll finally be able to plow up the garden…. Dang, I’m running late. But I’m still in the window for planting veggies here in the north east. So hopefully by the end of next week the garden will be planted.
Compared to what I was going to try and plant this garden is going to be small. A plot size of 25 X 40. And a small 10 X 20 cold frame greenhouse. Still I can get a lot of food out of that space. 960 square feet is nothing to sneeze at.
Now for the list of goodies I’m planting. I don’t care if you want to hear it or not. I need it so to remember what I need to plant!
- lettuce
- spinach
- radishes
- sweet corn
- potatoes
- peas
- bush green beans
- Sunflowers
- carrots
- onions
- tomatoes
- various squash
Seeing that I’m already 2 weeks late, and by the time I’m done ittle be 3 weeks late, I hope it all comes good. If it does, perhaps after I take out my share, I’ll try to take some to the local farmers markets and get my toe hold on the farming bit that I want to do.
I havn’t given up!
Wow, where to begin?
Posted By MercenaryD on May 31, 2010
Where oh where do I start? Its only been a little over a month since I wrote here but a lot has happened.
The job that I had, cleaning up the woods, have come to an end for the season. I cut a good 10+ face cord of wood the 4 days that I worked over a 4 week period. That’s right I only put in 20 hours in the woods. I did have a second job cutting wood as well. Cleaning up the back lawn of a friends place. But as of yesterday that one is at an end too. Well, I need to have the wood trucked to the purchaser and do a bit of cleanup on the yard, but for the most part I’m done on that job.I’ve got a good 30 hours on that one, and was even able to have my little tractor help pay for itself dragging the trees.
I did a back deck for another friend. That was fun. Because he didn’t want to remove the old cross members, we had to double up the new ones around it. And put a new railing on the deck. I think it cost him more in the end for material. But was a short 4 day job.
And to top it all off I’ve been working on my own place. A single wide trailer that had had its water pipes froze this past winter, After fighting with the old pipes for awhile I came to the conclusion that I’ve been running the wrong way… So I decided to look into the condition of the pipes and ask around about the age of the trailer and its known usage. I found that the trailer is almost 20 years older than it was first thought to be, we thought it was a 1969 when in fact it was an early 1950 something. The second owner (I think) bought it and had it set up where it now is in 1969. The water was only hooked up for a few months out of the years it sat there then only the toilet and bathroom sink were used after that. So I have been spending all the money I’ve made on these past jobs on plumbing. Because I need to redo everything from the water main to the sinks, including I still need to buy a hot water tank and and bathtub/shower faucet.
I’m also having to rerun the propane gas line for the kitchen stove. The neighbors caught the old line with their lawn mower and broke it off. So to keep that from happening again I’m moving the tank to a harder to reach area that is much more secure. But it has cost me another bit of money to do.
And me and my infinite wisdom, decided to take this opportunity to remodel the kitchen cabinets, and the bathroom to an extent. I’m moving the hot water tank from the bathroom to the kitchen. Hopefully it wont bother to much being in a cabinet next to the stove. If anything it will keep it warmer. I’m also increasing the size of the tank from an old 16 gal. to a 40gal. And in the bathroom I’m taking the space I gain from the removal of the tank and removal of the tub and putting in a standing shower unit. (When I get the money up for it, that is.) I hope I haven’t gotten in over my head.
I’m going to need to hire an electrician to come in and do some work, hook up the hot water tank on a new circuit breaker, update the incoming 40amp line to a modern 100amp. and run a 220 line for the dryer.
I still need to get my garden tilled and planted… I’m running so late that half of the veggies may not grow in time. ARGGG…. But the tractor is still at the last job-site. DOUBLE ARGGG….
With all that and still needing to pay the monthly bills, I need to find more work. I’m going to need to make a good $30,000 for the year to cover all this. And I think that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Anyone have paying work for me?
The water sprite
Posted By MercenaryD on April 28, 2010
Some things just can’t be explained… or perhaps they could but its not something that we would want to look into to much, because it then looses the magic.
I’ve spent most of my life recanting various tales of my childhood and the weird and strange things that I’ve seen. Things that science and religion tell us can’t be or happen, and most of the folks that hear them just think its the tales of a sick mind, or a child’s perception of the world. But I really do believe that there exists a magic so to speak, a phenomenon that a child knows exists, and can not be explained. Such as the fay or the sprites, spirits, ghosts and those things that go bump in the night, or can only be seen for an instant out of the corner of the eye. I believe that there are many mysteries of the world that will never be explained be cause as one gets older they loose sight of the mystery or try to apply modern doctrines to. Some times one needs to just take whats presented and believe.
I’ve seen the monster of Lake Champlain, a full bodied apparition, UFO’s in the sky, what could only be described as a demon, a spirit or ghost so evil that it could physically hurt a person.
My problem has always been that I couldn’t record anything. Never a camera near when you need one, or I was too young to be aloud to use it if we did have one. Now I do have one and its never far from reach.
Back in 2008 Kim and I were at the river having some fun. She was throwing and skipping rocks across the river. And I was taking pictures. Playing with the various settings and different subject matter that you find at a rivers edge. I was taking photos of the rocks skipping across the surface, practicing taking action shots. When Kim decided to throw a particularlly large rock into the river. Of course I started snapping as soon as she threw the rock. As the rock hit the surface, it made a noise, not the pluup that you would expect of of displaced wated and air, but more like an angry moan. And out of the splash appeared, what could only be thought of as a water sprite, in the middle of the splash. The water seemed to linger for a second or two longer than it should have, and the water sprite then turened as the next photo snapped, and dove back into the water, looking like it was riding the splash back into the river. It seemed anoid with us rather than mad. It was the only time I was able to see it. And if it wasn’t for the photo I doubt anyone would believe me ether.
But there are some things that whether a trick of the mind, or really there under our normal perception, just can’t be explained by any normal means.
More on work
Posted By MercenaryD on April 22, 2010
Hard work that is. 5 hours with no breaks, except when you refill the chain saw. Well not quite that bad, there are 30 second breaks all the time. And it is only 2 days a week. And the person I’m working for, the land owner, is nice and good to work for. Too bad the job is only a total of 10 days. But the land owner needs to work and earn money so that I can be paid.
But the physical labor feels good! And it leaves me time between work days to do other jobs and work on my book web-site.
I’m still not making as much as a person with a “normal” job, but I have more potential and a LOT more freedom.
Like today, I’m not working at anything too physical because yesterday in the woods I had a Red Oak come down on my leg, early in the day. I just couldn’t dodge fast enough. I walked it off and kept working, but then after I got home, I was in enough pain that I fell asleep. Was even late for dinner. And this morning, Oh, Boy was I sore…
Doing log lot and woods clean up is so much more work than just logging or fire wood. Having to deal with brush and poll wood, tree tops which consist of both.. When I’m done working here the area will look like a national park rather than some wood stand. It’s worth more than what I’m being paid but then I don’t know many around me that have the kind of money that it is worth. So for now I’ll be happy with just having the work to do.
Working again or at least for a time
Posted By MercenaryD on April 15, 2010
I keep taking these long breaks between posts. But thats because I have been trying to be busy. I got a job that is putting some of the equipment I bought to work. Clearing out dead trees from a back yard. Its not the farming that I wanted to be doing but at least I’m naking the tractor pay for itself.
Using the tractor to pull logs around wasn’t what I was expecting to do with it but it does work. It just has to be done a lot more carefully than the using a larger tractor or using it for plowing. I need more weight on the front end.
It does seem good to be doing physical labor again, I just wish the jobs that I’ve been able to find paid more.Or lasted longer.
Spring is here and do it yourself work has started
Posted By MercenaryD on March 22, 2010
I’m glad that I didn’t go and buy that pump for the lawn mower. I got the motor to turn over enough to see it the darn thing was pumping, it turned out that the pump is good and that the carb needs to be rebuilt. Although I’m not sure if its the electronic part or some of the parts. I saved myself some money there on the pump, but now I need to do the carb and I have no idea what that’s going to cost. I’m having trouble finding parts and rebuild kits for this particular motor.
So being stuck for the moment as I look for parts, I went to work on a rototiller. This one I need to start from the beginning on. It turns over but I can’t tell if it is good. So I need to tare it down and clean it, as well as do a total servicing. I just hope that I don’t have to do an engine job.
I borrowed a compression tester from a friend, I’ll start with that.
After making a little head way on the equipment, I went to work on the rental property I have. A single wide trailer 12×60. I got the real story about its history the other day. I had been told that the man I had bought it from had gotten it new and set it up in 1969, and that he and his second wife had lived in it for a few years.
The real story was that the trailer is from the early to mid 50s. He had bought it used, and had never used it for living. The toilet and bathroom sink were the only things that were ever hooked up for water. The hot water tank was hooked up but never used. And the same goes for the tub/shower and the kitchen sink. All the water lines and I suspect the hot water tank have calcium, lime and rust build up so bad that there is no water pressure.
This past winter the lines froze, which is what led me to start questioning the age and previous condition of the trailer. When I started to do work on the lines, the few places that were copper, the lines literally fell apart in my hands. The steal pipes, well I’m afraid to touch them till I ave some pipe work to replace them with.
I found that I need a hot water tank, new water lines through out the entire trailer, new gas line and regulator for the stove, a 210 electric line for the dryer, and a new deck to replace the rotting one at the front door. Not to mention that the front door needs to be replaced and the whole trailer needs to be raised 3 inches and leveled.
But I do have a toilet! A working furnace (see previous diy posts from last previous winters), and electric.
Its nothing a few grand wouldn’t cure….
Old “New” Equipment again
Posted By MercenaryD on March 19, 2010
I got the quote for the pump on the rider’s engine. $55.75 plus tax. For a tiny pump that can be lost in the palm of your hand…. dang…. So I looked it up online. $25.00 plus shipping, or about $33.00. Now theres a major difference! Why is it that if I go to the shop and buy one here in New York its so darn expensive, but if I order one from Arizona I can get it for a half price? Both are OEM and both are from Briggs and Stratton. So again why is the suggested retail price here in New York so much more?
On the Iseki I found that the last person to work on it, hooked up the glow plugs backwards on the switch. So I now need to rewire it.
And because of these problems I missed out on a $500.00 job, building a 500 yard driveway.
Man I hope I don’t do this too offten this summer….
Old “New” Equipment update and upgrades
Posted By MercenaryD on March 17, 2010
Last October I purchased a number of small farm (large garden) equipment. I had started working on the equipment right after I had gotten it. With winter setting in, and no where to work except in the snow and cold, I had to put things off till the spring. Not that I didn’t try some.
The tractor quit running on me over the winter. It turns out that it is a cold-blooded machine. So I had worked on it, changing various hoses, wires, switches and filters. Nothing helped. Then, once the average temp. got to be above 45 degrees, I was able to get the tractor to start again. It turned out that the fuel line needed to be primed and a warm block was needed. nether alone fixed the problem, it had to be both at the same time. Now its just a matter of starting the tractor once a day and letting it run for 15-20 min. to keep the battery charged and the fuel primed.
So with that done, I went to work on the riding lawn mower I picked up at around the same time last year. I had gotten the engine for it, a large 25hp V-Twin Briggs & Stratton. The other day I finally got what I thought was the last parts needed. A set of mufflers and a battery for it. I still need someone to weld the mufflers on for me. But even with out them on, I can get it to run. It’s just loud. But, the problem is that it won’t stay running. It starts and runs as long as there is fuel in the carburetor, but as soon as it is dry, it dies. Till I started a test with squirting fuel down the carburetor, I thought it was a ground wire problem. The fuel squirt test kept the engine running for almost a minuet. So after a little research and asking at a auto supply store for their opinion, it turns out that the problem is most likely the fuel pump has died or is dieing. So that is next to fix.
In other items, I need a plow for my little tractor. I’m willing to traid my double sided 14″ deep plow for a Case Eagle Hitch, for a standard 10″ or 12″ single or double point plow for the 3pt. hitch