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No fires tonight. With the outdoor temperature reaching the high sixties, the kitchen and living room were at 62º so I just wore my shop coat and didn't bother with bringing in firewood. The rest of the week will be cooler, so I'll be back to lighting evening fires. This was the end of a busy day. With the Dixon mower able to start again, I aired up a low tire, filled the tank, added oil, and mowed. The area I mowed was a part of the lawn I hadn't cut last fall when the mower died. What I did today was cut the tall grass still standing and chew up some of the fallen grass for mulch when the lawn starts growing later this month. My other project of the day was a job I should have done twenty or more years ago. My trailer sits so low that when it's empty I can't see it when I have to back up. So today I made a pair of brackets that will bolt on near the rear on each side. Each bracket will hold a five foot piece of white PVC that sticks up high enough to show me where the traier is. I painted the brackets this evening and will install them tomorrow.

Tuesday, March 2, 2020

This morning I installed those two brackets on the trailer and used the PVC uprights to guide me as I backed up a couple hundred feet and unhitched. Being able to see where the trailer was made backing up a lot easier. Having this setup earlier might have saved me that smashed tail light. In the afternoon I drove to Winfield and bought square tubing for posts when I build a porch on the south end of my shop. That will keep the door from getting soaked and swelling shut whenever it rains. When that door gets wet it's well nigh impossible to open.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

A bit of laundry (needing clean sox), a bit of weed removal, then the main activity of the day: working on the runabout. That mostly meant removing the valves and cleaning old sealant and crud from various locations. I looked for a machine shop to make sure the head is flat so it won't leak, and found one in Ponca City. It seems everybody who used to do that kind of work around here is retired or dead. So I'll be off to Okieland in the morning.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Taking that Model T head to the machine shop in Ponca City used up a pretty good chunk of the morning, and splitting a pile of firewood occupied much of the afternoon. I squeezed in a little work on the runabout and on parts for a new porch on the shop, but didn't have time to do much on either.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

My handy dandy valve lapper needs a new coatof paint.

I took a little time to drill the plates that will go at the tops and bottoms of the poles for my new shop porch, but the centerpiece of today's action was working on the valves in the 1915 runabout. That included at least an hour of reading articles on the subject, then posting questions on the Model T forum to get some expert advice. I've done a little of this work before, but very little, so I want a bit of guidance to be sure I'm doing it reasonably correctly. I got only the front two valves done today, but should go more quickly tomorrow and finish the other six.

I quit cigarettes in 1969, so my cellophane feeler gauge came from a fig bar wrapper.

Friday, March 6, 2020

The important thing today was a drive to Ponca City to pick up the finished head. I phoned the shop to find out if it was done. They had tried to call me, but I never heard the phone ring, and the piece of crap doesn't tell me if I've missed a call, like my old phone did.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

How do you lap those valves at the back without pulling the engine out of the car? You have to go at them from an angle, but the suction cup needs to be straight. So you add a little bit of 3/8" shaft to the cup and put it into a spring with the lapper shaft in the other end, then wrap Gorilla tape around both ends of the spring to keep it all together. The old cup no longer sucks, so you put some Gorilla tape in it so it will stick to the valve. Believe it or not, this works.

Tonights movie, after a feast at the Chinese buffet, was The Way Back. Ben Affleck plays a former high school basketball star who gave up the game and is asked to take over as head coach at his old school. The writing directing, and acting are all well done, and I thought the games were very realistic. I stayed awake all the way.

Sunday, March 8, 2020

With rain in the forecast, today I put kindling in the garage to stay dry and brought in the rest of the wood I split last week, then got tarps in place to keep the splitter and the mower dry. I even took time for a little house cleaning, but there's a lot more of that still to do.

Monday, March 9, 2020

One thing leads to another. This morning I set out to finish my valve work on the runabout. But I didn't have a proper tool to install the springs, so I set about making one. The first attempt was a failure because the material I used was too flimsy. So I started over, using 18 gauge sheet metal. That was better, and may work when I finish the thing. I spent most of the day on it and went back to it this evening, and quit after ten. I'll finish it up in the morning and hope it works.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

I did it. I finished my spring squeezer and installed most of the valves. A couple of times the springs popped out and went flying across the shop, but mostly the tool worked OK. I do have to change a couple of things to make it better, but it will do as is for now. I didn't install all the valves because one of the little pins that hold the spring seats in place has vanished off the planet. I'll have to go to the hardware store and get some drill rod to make one.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

What was I thinking? Go to the hardware store and get some drill rod? Gone are the days when we had a real hardware store that carried stuff like that. Now you have to buy it online and pay $15 for shipping a $3 item. So I went to the farm supply and bought a couple of 7/64" drill bits and cut a half inch piece off one of those. Maybe I'll buy some drill rod sometime when I have to go to Wichita. I got all the valves reinstalled and started checking the adjustment on those.

Thursday, March 12, 2020

No fires tonight. It was 65º in the kitchen, so I didn't bother. In fact, I didn't even turn on my electric blanket last night. That doesn't mean the cold nights are over, but we're probably done with freezing weather until next fall. In the shop I continued work on the runabout. The valve covers are pretty badly pitted, so I applied body solder, ground it flat, and sprayed on primer. After sanding that I gave them another dose of primer. Tomorrow I'll paint them and put them in the oven to bake, and should be ready to install them Saturday morning. While the primer was drying on the valve covers, I finished checking and adjusting valves. That included a trip to town to buy a cheap 3/8" wrench, which I ground thin enough to reach the little nuts on the adjustable valve lifters.

Friday, March 13, 2020

This morning I finished painting the valve covers, put them in the oven to bake, and reinstalled the head on the engine. Tomorrow I should have the car all back together and will find out if it runs, and perhaps have time for another firewood session before the next rain arrives.

Saturday, March 14, 2020

I did get the engine reassembled, and started up the car a few times. It was still hard starting, so I am not pleased. I didn't take it for a test drive because of the weather. I didn't get around to working on firewood, so that will wait until we get another break in the bad weather.

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Spring doesn't start until Thursday, but the house was such a mess that I started spring cleaning today. In the afternoon my cousin Ernest Parker, his son Eric, and two great grandsons Cardell and King came down from Kansas City. Two years ago Cardell was in a bad wreck, and the question wasn't how well he would recover, but whether he would live. It's wonderful to see how well he's doing now. He loves coming to the farm. King isn't three yet, and this was his first time here.

Monday, March 16, 2020

Eric and the boys hung out here while Ernie and I went to see the cemetery sexton and locate the spot where Ernie's wife Ann will be buried. I took a picture of the cemetery map so I can go up there in good weather and figure out the location.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

First up this morning was a compression test on the non-starting 1915 runabout. The results were terrible, and I checked to be sure the tester was working properly. It was, and the results really were terrible. I was too disgusted to fool with it anymore, so I went to a job that's been waiting since last August. One of my running board cans suffered a parking lot crunch, and today I fixed it. I drilled a hole through a rubber stopper and stuck it in the spout, shoved an air nozzle into the hole, and shot in enough compressed air to blow the dents out of the can. It's not perfect, but it's good enough. I didn't want to risk putting in too much pressure and splitting the can.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

No fires tonight. We didn't reach the predicted high of over 75º, but the high sixties felt warm enough. I took a walk in the wood lot again, and the place is still sopping wet. The little stream has more water than I've ever seen there when it wasn't raining, and there's standing water all over the place. Overnight rain left only .45" in the gauge, but the driveway puddles were full. The ground is so wet that the water takes a long time to soak in. The remarkable thing is that I hear little frogs singing in the neighborhood but I didn't see or hear a single one here. The forsythias are starting to bloom, the lilacs are budding out, and some of the grass is growing. It will soon be time to mow. Two things I did today: I bought and installed an air regulator in the shop, and I started installing a motion light outside so I'll be able to see where I'm going when I come to the shop or go to the house. On a really dark night it's easy to get a little lost.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

My depleted supply of clean sox made this laundry day. While the clothes were washing and rinsing I worked on the motion light that's going on the outside of my shop. That calls for installing an electric outlet. The annoying part of that was standing on a ladder and cutting a hole overhead with a shower of sawdust falling on my face. I still have to do the part where I crawl around in the attic to install several feet of Romex.

Friday, March 20, 2020

Well, today I wasted several hours trying to discover or change the password for this laptop so I could install printer software. My cousin the computer whiz found a link giving instructions on what to do, but of course they didn't work. I sent an email to the outfit that sold me the computer six years ago asking if there was a password that they installed, because none of my usual passwords worked. This evening I checked my email and found their reply. The reason I couldn't remember a password is that there wasn't any. When prompted to enter a password all I have to do is leave the space blank and hit enter. Maybe I should write that down so I'll remember it.

Saturday, March 21, 2020

My unsual routine is to eat in town Saturday night and take in a movie. But in the current situation all the theaters are closed, so that's out. The pizza buffet is still open, but I decided to be a good citizen and stay home anyway. The tamales I had were pretty well dried out from being in the freezer for so long, and steaming didn't completely soften them up, but buried in chili beans and topped with jalapeño cheese, chopped onion, and jalapeño slices, they were still good. That's a meal I may have for my treat night next Saturday too.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

This morning for some reason I remembered a man telling about his experience in 1918, when he was seven. The undertaker was so busy that coffins were stacked in front of his building waiting to go to the cemetery. The man said he and his little friend played on the coffins, climbing up on them and jumping off. He lived to tell the tale, but his friend caught the flu and died. I don't know if we're going to reach the point where coffins are stacked on the sidewalks, but I have a hunch this thing is just getting started. It's crazier than I thought. Normally I do my shopping in the afternoon. I buy most of my groceries at the grocery store except for some things the Kroger store doesn't carry, and I have to get them at Walmart. One of those things is black pepper in a 6 ounce can I use for parts and hardware when the pepper is gone. So this afternoon I was in Walmart about 3:30 and found that all the 6 ounce cans of pepper were gone. Lots of other shelves were empty too. Curious, I stopped at the service desk and asked if the restocking from last week's frenzy was going slowly. No, the woman said, they get trucks every day and the shelves are emptied soon after they're stocked. When I got to the grocery store all the cucumbers, bananas, and salted dry roasted peanuts were gone. Lots of other shelves were empty too. It seems I'll need to do my shopping early in the morning until things calm down.

Monday, March 23

Today's adventure was hitching up the trailer and driving over to Dieter Mitchell's place to fetch home the Allis Model B. This week I'll put the mower on it and be ready for some serious mowing. The grass hasn't taken off yet, but it's getting started. As wet as the ground is, it will grow fast as soon as the weather warms up.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

About all I got done at home this morning was unloading the Model B Allis off the trailer and pulling some weeds behind the shop. About 11:00 AM I drove the Camry down to the Gasino and filled up for $1.869 a gallon. That's 13¢ a gallon less than in town. Will I drive five miles to save a couple of bucks? You bet. This was my day for long distance shopping, going for stuff I can't get here. The first stop was at the Walmart in Winfield to see if they had any of those six ounce cans of black pepper. Nope, sold out. But I was able to buy five small boxes of Crunch & Munch, which our local Walmart no longer sells. I use a box every couple of weeks, so those will last awhile. From there I went on to Wichita, stopping at a Dillons in Derby to stock up on diet Squirt, also not sold here. My first stop in Wichita was at Grace Market, where I buy gallon jars of sliced kimchi. Sold out. So I went to Lucky Market and settled for four quart jars. A gallon jar at Grace costs about $20. Four quarts at Lucky cost $30. I hope Grace will have the gallon jars next time. Next stop was at the Grainger Industrial Supply on the west side of town, to pick up the 7/64" drill rod I ordered online. There they had signs outside: "No customers beyond this point." The sales guys would come out and ask what you came for, then go in and bring it out to you. On the way home I stopped at the Walmart in Derby to check for pepper there. Nope. Sold out there too. My final stop was at our local Walmart back in Arkansas City to see if pepper had been restocked. Of course not. It's a good thing I have enough to last a couple of weeks.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

This was the first day of serious yard work not involving firewood. I spent over an hour removing dead weeds behind the shop and slaughtering inconvenient little trees with the clippers and a bottle of Tordon to kill the stumps. I spent the afternoon on the mowing tractor, first washing dirty grease (or greasy dirt) off the mounting hardware and installing it, then dragging the mower under the tractor and starting to attach it. Twenty years ago, or even ten years ago, I would have dragged the mower into position by hand. But I'll soon be 79, and now that I'm Mister Elderly Feebleperson I enlist mechanical help in the form of a come-along and a couple of chains. I got the mower about half installed before quitting time, so I'll need to finish that in the morning. Then I'll do a bit of mowing.

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Sore legs! How come? All I can think of that might be a reason is wrestling that heavy mower around yesterday. Anyway, I'm not so afflicted that I couldn't do more yard work today. First was another session of clearing dead weeds and little trees behind the shop. I was going to mow, but couldn't get the tractor started. I'm not sure whether the problem is a battery that won't hold a charge, or some other electrical glitch. I put a charger on another battery and will try again later. I spent the rest if the afternoon picking up trash along the road. Some anonymous drunk throws his Heineken bottles along the south side of the road, then the township mower runs over them so I have broken bottles to pick up. I'm going to ask the township guys to give me a warning so I can get the bottles out of their way before they mow.

Friday, March 27, 2020

This morning I finished picking up trash along the road, then took an inspection walk in the woods and took some pictures of the unprecedented sogginess. Photos are here on FB. I also had another session of clearing dead weeds and little trees behind the shop. I hope to do about an hour of that most days until the whole yard is done.

Saturday, March 28, 2020

First up was another hour of yard clearing. Next I started getting the Allis ready for some mowing. But they say life is all the stuff that happens to you while you're making other plans. I was interrupted by a gust of wind grabbing the south door of my shop, slamming it open, and breaking it. I don't mean cracked. It was broken, with part it still hanging on the hinges and most of it leaning down on the concrete. So I have a new project. But before I install a new door I need to do a job I was already planning—building a porch roof that will keep rain off the door. That's what weakened this door and made it easily broken. For now the broken door is bolted back into the frame and I'll be using the back door until I install a replacement.

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Following my new practice of shopping early in the day before the current buying frenzy clears the shelves, I went for groceries first thing and was pleased to find everything on my list. Then I got to work on my new project, the porch roof I've been planning for the south side of my shop.

This old photo of the shop shows where the roof will go.
It will cover the big garage door and the smaller door beside it.

I already bought the steel for the poles and the top and bottom plates last week.
Today I welded the top plates on the poles. The roof will attach to them with lag screws.

Monday, March 30, 2020

First thing this morning I was off to the lumber yard to buy a sack of ready-mix to start pouring footings for the porch posts. The forecast showed a quickly increasing chance of rain in the afternoon, so I wanted to get the first footing poured before noon. I made that deadline and covered and tarped everything I want to keep dry overnight.

1   First was making forms for the footings where the three posts will sit, and pouring the first footing. I guessed exactly right on how much 4/3/1 to mix. I mix concrete in the wheelbarrow my grandfather used when he was building the house ninety years ago. I believe my uncle Lester, who taught welding, made it for him.

2   I was pleased to have just enough concrete to fill the form with very little left over. The mix I didn't use should be just enough for the second footing, and I'll need to buy another sack for the third.

3   I bought these anchors at an auction last year because I knew I'd have a use for them sometime. I'm using the bottom plates that will be welded to the posts as guides to get the anchors properly placed.

4   I want to get the plates level to facilitate the posts standing up straight.

5   The first footing is poured. After it sets I'll use it as the reference to get the second one level with it. You see the form for the second footing a few feet away. The third will be just to the left of that tile block at the far end of the ramp into the shop.

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Rain overnight left .3" in the gauge. That will help the plants, but I don't think it's enough to worsen the flooding. Today I poured the other two footings for porch posts and figured up the lumber I'll need. Dieter came by to see if he could figure out why the tractor he recently fixed won't start now. When I brought it home it started right up and I drove it off the trailer. I started it one more time after that, but now it's dead and we can't figure out why. We went to town and bought a set of new plugs for it, and stopped at the lumber yard for me to order porch lumber. When we got back we tried the new plugs and they made no difference. You could crank all day and never get even a cough. To be continued.

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