Daily Archives: March 28, 2018
Switches and Shastas . . .
Well, our truck is finally back home after the latest repair. Hopefully the last one for a good while.
As I had hoped, (and maybe prayed a little) it did turn out that the problem was not a faulty oil pump, but instead, just a clogged oil pickup tube and pickup screen in the oil pan. That’s what 277,000+ miles worth of gunk will do. But it’s all cleared out now, and hopefully good for another 277,000 miles.
I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been gradually automating a number of things around the rig. The first one was our power converter, which needs to be power-cycled twice a day so it will keep the engine batteries charged. Others, like lights, the TV, etc., are just for convenience, or for fun.
I started out using these TP-Link Switches,
but they’re expensive, $22 each, and they’re big. Big enough that they cover up the other outlet on the wall plate. But they allow me to control them from anywhere using an Android app, and locally from our Alexa.
So next I tried out these PECHAM WiFi Switch units.
At $11 each they’re half the price and half the size. The only real downside is that it will only handle 10 Amps vs.15 Amps for the bigger ones. But nothing I’m controlling uses anywhere near that current, so cheaper is better.
Another nice thing about these is how quickly these can be set up. Once you’ve installed the app, just plug in the unit to an AC outlet, hit Search on the app, and in a few seconds you’re done. Then you can give it a name and it’s ready to go.
Our son-in-law Lowell recently alerted to the fact that one of our favorite diners has come to town. Black Bear Diner, a staple out west, has a new location out in the Katy area, with more to come around here.
We’ve also enjoyed the very first ‘Black Bear’ Diner located in Weed, CA., home of Mt. Shasta.
I put the name in quotes because it’s actually called the Hi-Lo Diner. Hi-Lo was the first, then there was a divorce. So one side went down the road a piece to the city of Mount Shasta, and utilizing the same newspaper-like menus and décor, they named it the Black Bear diner, and a chain was born.
We’re looking forward to checking it out soon.
Tomorrow I’ve got a 1:30 appointment with my GP again to rerun some tests. She’s unhappy about my calcium levels. And after I did a little research I think I know what the problem is. I’m not getting enough calcium.
Doh!, right?
I figured that I was getting enough calcium from my vitamins, but looking at the bottle it only gives me 20% of my daily needs. And since I don’t eat a lot of milk, dairy, cheese, etc., that wasn’t enough. So I’ve started taking Viactiv chews to make up the difference.
But we’ll see what the doc says, I guess.
Thought for the Day:
I never make the same mistake twice. I make it like five or six times just to be sure.
gdfgdfg
