All posts by djones

undeath, watch

Revival

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Unable to cope with the loss of my precious Seiko, I decided that a post mortem examination was in order. Out came the magnifying glasses and miniature tools and micro soldering iron plus a few test instruments. I set to work without much hope, but my old friend deserved at least one last ditch effort on my part.

Sparing you all the gory details, I traced the leads from the quartz crystal and low and behold – a tiny crack in the wire whisker. Fortunately, I was able to do a quick solder job and Seiko sprang back to life with all the energy of a teenager. Once I got his guts put back in place and his case re-sealed, he merrily ticked along. Here’s hoping for another 37 years (by which point I may not be around to care … {*grin*}).

Go Seiko!

death, watch

So Long Old Friend

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R.I.P.
Seiko Wrist Watch
Came to live with me – September 1973
Departed to the great hourglass in the sky – September 2010

I knew it would happen some day, but I hoped it would not be so soon. My faithful watch now stares at me with the vacant gaze of the dearly departed. I thought it was simply a dead battery at first, but changing the battery had no discernible effect. I am forced to face the dread alternative that it has gone to the great hour glass in the sky.

This watch was only the second “serious” watch of my life. It was a replacement for the first “serious” watch, the one that was broken in the fatal accident I wrote about here. My wonderful Seiko has served me well all these years with nary a bit of trouble. It was on my wrist when L and I got married. It suffered through my PhD. orals with me. It calmly kept track of the universe when the Son was born and my grandfather died. It witnessed the death of both my father and father-in-law. It saw me through three terms as Mayor and innumerable rounds of golf. It lived a long and useful life, long enough to warrant a page in the book of rare digital watches, a fitting accolade for a 37 year old digital watch. And now it is gone.

Farewell old friend. You served me well. I hope you enjoy your rest.

anniversary, garage sale

The Month So Far …

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I seem to be unable to get my bloggy groove running smooth of recent days, so here are a couple of the high points from the last couple of weeks. Hopefully just writing it out will re-start the groove thing. {*grin*}

We held our annual garage sale over Labor Day weekend. L and I have decided that this is the last one for a while. As you might remember from last year (described here), we had a big one. Here’s a picture of a small part of the sale from last year:

This year was a bit more restrained because we have finally gotten rid of a lot of the junk that accumulated over the last 20+ years of living here. Now that we are down to normal levels of trashy treasures, it is time to let the stuff breed and grow for a while. Then we can have another big one. At least the MIL was able to sell her freezer for more than she was asking for it.

This year also featured L and I’s anniversary falling on Labor Day. So on the 6th, L and I spent time together around the house and then went to supper with our mothers. What might be called a very high key celebration of 35 years of wedded bliss. {*grin*}  L and I have never been ones to treat the day as a cause for massive celebrations, but this was a very pleasant time because we got to spend it together with only a simple supper social obligation. For a number of years I played in a 3 day Labor Day golf tournament, so our anniversary almost always fell during the tourney. This year I did not and it made the day really laid back. A progression of L and I over the years:

Engagement
Marriage

20+ Years Married
Recent Times



Avatars
I am still amazed how lucky I am to have L in my life, even after all these years.
Well, that is all I have time for right now. Hopefully I will be back to more regular blogging now that the garden, melons, and lawn have slowed down and the temperatures are starting to feel fallish. 
melons, odd thoughts

The Prodigal Returns

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and leaves you wondering what the heck he was thinking. {*grin*}

I finally got a chance to look at my Google Reader today – only 937 unread posts! For those whom I owe a comment or two, the reading and subsequent commenting is in progress. Be patient.

This is a busy season. The garden has been going wild with cantaloupe and muskmelon and Honey Dews. So every few days I  wade through the melon patch picking the ripe ones before they get too ripe and literally explode. But boy are they tasty!

I’ll leave you with the mental image of me gobbling cantaloupe with every meal and this odd thought. The other night I was listening to a German radio station via the net and it brought forth the memory of constructing my first radio – a tube and transistor hybrid shortwave set from a kit. That let me listen to the world, intermittently and weather permitting. Now all I do is choose my station from amidst thousands to play with great fidelity via my computer. Yet I still miss the thrill of finally tuning in that elusive show after weeks of trying. The really odd thought is how much hidden technology has to function perfectly for me to listen to the station over the net. More and more what once was hard becomes easy – but it depends on a boatload of invisible technology to work. What is going to happen if the technology ever fails in a big way?

idiocy, sadness, weather

One Of Those Days

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Today has been one of those days.

L headed back to the mountains this morning, which is always a bit sad.

The person working on the entry form for the Humane Society 5K Run and Pet Walk is no longer working for the hosting company. Of course I find out by the receptionist telling me over the phone that he is no longer with the company. At least it makes some sense for why it was taking him so long to get the form ready. I just wish they had let me know before it became a critical item on the event timeline.

Severe thunderstorm warnings started coming in by 2pm. By 3pm it was pouring rain. By 4:30pm, the alert sirens were wailing away with flash flood warnings. And of course it was then that the lightning started hitting nearby. Some of the bolts hit only a few hundred feet away and made such a boom that I literally leaped from my chair. (And of course Molly hasn’t gotten even an inch away since the thunder began.)

And now, even as I write, patrol cars with loud hailer at full volume are driving up and down the streets announcing “We are under a tornado warning. Seek shelter now.”

I think I’ll go hide under the bed and sleep until tomorrow. Sounds a lot more appealing than the day has been so far.

(And no, the picture is not mine – it is by Fred Smith and appeared in Meteorology News)