The Liberty Garden report card

Today was judgment day at Command Headquarter's Liberty Garden.

Here is the report card:

Onions - Germination was poor. 4 plants are growing with the intent to set seed

Lettuce - Still harvesting for fresh salads

Okra - Near 100% germination. This years seed is 3rd generation to Command Headquarters.

Sweet pepper - No germination yet. Will check again in a couple of weeks

Squash - Failed. Not sure why. This one should have been a no brainer.

Tomato - Failed. 3 years in a row failing on tomatoes from seed. Transplants are now looking pretty good.

Jalapeño pepper - No germination yet. Will check again in a couple of weeks.

Sweet corn - Near 100% germination.

Parsnip - Failed. Not sure why.

Sunflower - 80%+ germination

Watermelon - 100% germination

The okra and corn had to be thinned today. That is disheartening! Pulling up and throwing away perfectly good sprouts! Oh....the pain!

Blogging huh...I decided that it was time to blog on some of the events going on around Command Headquarters. When I opened up the blog...I noted with great disdain how long it had been since last blogging. It also caught my attention how similar my blog entry was about to be to the last blog entry...not good. So much for creativity!

So, what has been going on around Command Headquarters any way?

Before I go into that, let us take a journey together into socio-political thought, shall we.

The state of the economy still has people down in the dumps. Of late, there are some signs of economic thawing, but who's to say how long, or how far that will take us. I started thinking about this economic thing. It seemed strange that signs are starting to look more positive, yet we haven't been hearing our political critters beat their chest and taking credit. Strange...why? 2 theories come to mind immediately.

1) They are scared to start taking credit for fear that the turn is merely a 'false blip' on the economic radar. This doesn't have a lot of credibility with me because the MO would be to take credit for the good any way, and if things start turning bad again, jump up and down and blame your political opponents for destroying economic progress.

2) Recovery is not what they want. Let's face some facts here....the politi-critters would have us believe that this is the worse economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the only way out of it is with government control and intervention. Sadly, I had bought into the 'economic crisis' theme myself. Dave Ramsey pointed out the other night in his Town Hall for Hope broadcast, that the recessions of the early 70's, and the late 80's/early 90's were much worse than our current situation; in terms of unemployment, interest rates, inflation...you name it. The only statistic that is worse now is foreclosures. Here is an interesting tid bit...50% (yes...HALF) of the foreclosures came out of 35 counties throughout the US. That is stunning in and of itself! So, if they are screaming that things are deathly bad, and that they are the only solution; and the hard data does not backup their claims.....what exactly is their motive? One need only look at their actions thus far. Their 'solution' is increasing government control of the private sector. So, why are they not claiming credit for the economic 'recovery'? Easy...they don't have the degree of control that they want of the private sector yet.

So.....now we come back to Command Headquarters. So I'm sitting around digesting the things going on around us. As I am thinking about the increasing control of government in the private sector (and getting angry at the feeling of helplessness about it), it occurred to me....government was only half of the problem! Sure, they want to control GM, Ford, CitiGroup, ect,ect...but the only way they could, was for the private sector to invite them in! The Feds used a page out of the playbook that they have been using against States for decades! You want our money....simple, do as we please. Do that, and you can have the money. States bit, and gave up the notion of States rights. Now States are merely another level of government waste to wake through, and another trough for the politi-critters to feed at. Like wise...corporate America holds out their hands for some of the government money, and find that they, like the States before them, are now irrelevant.

That is when it hit me...we have the same choice! Daily, government seeks to invade our lives. All they ask is a little control over our lives. You want to drive, follow this speed limit. Want us to educate your children, put them on mind altering drugs, Want us to pay for your medical expenses, use the doctors on our 'approved' list. Want to be a doctor on our 'approved' list, agree to get paid only this. See a pattern?

Obviously, we can' extract government from our lives in totality, even the Amish haven't been able to do that; but we CAN start to recognize the encroachments for what they are, and implement our own 'bailout' plans. It doesn't have to be on a grand scale, or Earth shattering....just make one decision, implement it, and when it is second hand, andingrained as part of your life, make another decision. In WW II, people planted Victory Gardens. At the time, the people and the government were on the same page. What about now? How about a Liberty Garden? Think about the vegetables that you won't be paying sales tax on. Will you be able to live entirely out of the garden...not likely, but it is a step!

To that end, I have been doing 'Liberty Projects" around the house today.

I already home brew wine under the Liberty Gulch label.

Today, I hand loaded ammunition under the Liberty Armory label.

Today I planted the Liberty Garden under...you guessed it, the Liberty Gardens label.

See a pattern? Create your own economic stimulus. Create your own pattern. Show government that, today, you need them just a little bit less than you did yesterday, and tomorrow, you will need them less still. Relegate them to insignificance...Oh what a feeling!

This coming weekend....A LOT to do!

I haven't blogged in a while. I sat down, determined to write a blog, and my mind drifted to the upcoming weekend, and all of the stuff I have to do!

I need to go to Old Goat Winery and buy a filter kit. It is time to bottle the blueberry!

I need to make an appointment to get our taxes done. This probably won't get done this weekend.

I have an ammo test to run.

I have more ammo to load up.

I have a MOUNTAIN of laundry to do.

I'm sure there are things I'm forgetting. Suffice it to say, I'm gonna be busy.

I have decided that I am going to attend the appleseed shoots July 4th weekend, and the mid March weekend. It is worth it!

All for now.

The apple wine

I racked the batch of apple wine tonight. I am pleased at how much it has clarified this time around. I wasted a lot from disturbing the sediment as I was pouring. I really need to set up so that I can rack without disturbing the source carboy.

The flavor still bothers me a bit. It has WONDERFUL boquet, but there is a sharp aftertaste. I am still not sure how this one is going to go over. If you happen to be at the wine tasting, I will want a PERFECTLY honest opinion so I can determine if this is a worthwhile flavor for the future.

Sickness and health

This weekend was wonderful! I had the second 4 day weekend in a row, and let me tell you...I could get used to those!

My weekend started out Thursday morning with a project that I had been dreading all week. I replaced that starter in my truck. That was a chore, especially changing in laying in the driveway, without enough room to get the torque needed to unbolt it.

After completing that project, over the next 2 days, I changed oil in both trucks, hiked a new trail, and did A LOT of target shooting (I sent close to 200 rounds down range, which was the norm when I was gearing up for competition shooting).

Then today (Sunday) rolled around. My day started about 4:30 am with that not so fresh feeling in the tummy. I don't wish to get graphic, but the stomach bug had visited, and it shut me down complely! I went from mach 2 to zero over night. I don't get sick often, and even when I do, I am usually able to function some. Not this time. The distance from my bed to our bathroom is about 25 feet. There were times that the distance felt like 25 miles! Once, I had to crawl half way, my legs simply wouldn't support me. At one point early this morning, I thought that I could at least do some research on the computer...NOT! I found myself staring at the screen, and not really caring. Back to bed I went.

As of 8:00 pm, I am holding down solid food again, and regaining something akin to energy. Michaela was sick today too, and she is about in the same boat.

The mechanic's hat

Last week I experienced a setback with my 1997 Toyota 4Runner.

For several weeks now, I have had a nagging little issue with my truck. Once every now and then, I would get in, turn the key, and be greeted with a 'click' and no starting of the engine. The first time it did it, my first step in the diagnostic process was the battery. Hark! The first thing I checked was the positive battery terminal, and what did I find? A loose cable end. I wiggled the cable (tightening it up a bit), and tried again. VROOM! Started up right off of the bat. Note to self.....I need to replace that terminal end. It won't 'tighten' down more due to metal corroding away. It is 11 years old, I can deal with that. Off I would go, and completely forget to stop somewhere and pick up the needed parts to make the repair. Out of sight, out of mind; until, of course, the next time it did it. I have repeated this cycle about every week or so; no start, wiggle battery connection, start, go, and forget; for SEVERAL weeks now.....until last week.

Last week, the problem reared it's little head. I got out to wiggle the cable, mutturing to myself over forgetting once again to aquire the needed parts for repair. Jumped back in the truck expecting to turn the key and go...when it happened. It didn't start! I tried again, no luck. I fooled with the battery and connection for about 15 minutes, to no avail. That's it, I had to replace it this time. I took off in Katie's truck to do whatever it was I needed to do. That evening, I made my way out to the local Advance Auto parts for repair parts.

Rather than replace the connector, I found a battery post 'shim' that slips over the post; thus closing the gap between post and cable connector. I bought it, installed the part, and had the cable back on the battery inside of 10 minutes. The cable was now tight...no wiggling! I jumped in the truck to fire it up....'click'. CRAP!!!!

So now I start to think through this. I know I have a connectivity issue. That is what I have had all along. Now I have repaired it, but I still have the symptom. After using a bit of logic, I decide that if I had a connectivity issue while I was out running, it stands to reason that the alternator would not have charged the battery. That, in turn, would explain why I could not start after the connectivity repair. Cool! Again, this is an easy fix! I again call on Katie's 4Runner, pull it up with hood open, and jump start my truck. With battery cables in place, I jump in mine to fire it up. 'Click'.

Now, I am confused. Logic dictated that the battery being dead should have been a worse case scenario. I had addressed that, yet the symptom remains. I understand that there are no such things as contradictory facts, so it is obvious that I am missing something.

The next link in the 'electrical' chain is the possitive cable itself. It runs directly from the battery to the starter. While it is possible that a cable can 'fail' it is very unlikely. All the same, it is the next thing to check. I look the cable over, and I see no damage. I couldn't see the connection to the starter. I would have to be under the truck for that. I immediately begin to suspect the starter.

Now, to set the rest of this story up, I need to back up about 3 or 4 years ago. Along about that time, the original factory starter did go out. I am knowledgable enough to change a starter, but it is a pain in the butt, and frankly, I didn't have the time to fool with it. When it failed then, I took it to the mechanic that I used to handle the things that were over my head, or I didn't have time to fool with. That repair cost just over $600. Expensive, yes; but it got me back on the road with the truck at a time when I just didn't have time to fool with it. The adage is true, if you don't have time, you better have money. If you don't have money, you better spend the time. When I took the truck in, I had noted that the owner of the shop was not there. Inquiries yielded that he had sought other pastures and sold the shop to this guy. The mechanics were the same...new management was all I noted. I had used them before, and had implicit trust in them, and saw no reason to withdraw that trust now. A few months after that, I went in to have a check engine light diagnosed, and found that the shop had sold out to a 'national chain' outfit who shall remain nameless. A few months after that, I noted that the shop was closed altogether. Now we can move back to the present with out story.

So, here I am. I suspect the starter that I JUST replaced a few years ago is bad, I don't have a mechanic that I use and trust. I don't really have the funds in place for a $600+ repair even if I did have a trustworthy mechanic, and the truck is dead right there in my driveway.

On top of all of that, I still can't wrap my mind around the starter all of a sudden going out at the exact moment I had fixed my connectivity problem. Logic dictates that other connectivity issues lurk at the starter connection, but I can't get under the truck to get a look at it.

So today was the day. I borrowed some shop ramps from Greg next door (thanks Greg...cold beer coming up!), and Greg and Bob pushed the truck while I held the wheels steady and prepared to brake. We couldn't get it all the way up the ramps, but just far enough for me to squeeze under the truck.

I began by removing the skid plate. With that out of the way, I could see and touch the bottom of the starter. I snapped the protective cover off of the the starter terminal and wiggled the wire. Nope. That one is pretty tight. Rule that out. Just for giggles, I wanted to try to start it after having tried to wiggle the connection. 'Click'. On my way back down under the truck, I disconnected the battery, and headed for my personal version of hell.

The shop manual says replacing s starter is a pretty straightforward process:

1) Disconnect battery
2) Disconect possitive cable from starter, and unplug starter controller
3) Remove two mounting bolts holding starter in place. Mounting bolts are just to the rear of the transmission bell housing.
4) Remove starter
5) Reverse order to re-install

Easy huh?

Steps 1 & 2 are easy. Step 3 is where the problems started. I could see the mounting bolts. I could even get a socket on them. Between the firewall and the exhaust pipe, I had no room to move the ratchet. I employed the services of multiple extensions to get the ratchet handle away from the confined space. Then I was up against the back of the firewall. A new tool was called for.

A quick trip to Advance, and I had a 3/8" drive universal joint adapter to add to my tool arsenal. With this tool, and a lot of torque, the bolts broke free. Now, one would expect the war was over at that point, hmmmm? One would be wrong! It took another 10 minutes to snake the starter down past the tranny fluid dip stick tube, brake lines, and the lower control arm.

At long last, the culprit was in my hand! As I looked over my prey, I noted that is sure looked like an OEM part. That shouldn't have been, if my starter had been replaced previously as I had paid for it to be done. Something was amiss.

Back to Advance Auto with starter in hand. There I hooked up with Tim V. (shout out). He too had a Toyota truck and had recently had to replace a starter laying down in his driveway. He hooked it up to the test stand. The starter should pull a max of 150 amps. When he applied load, it pulled 250 amps! The lights in the store dimmed when he bumped it! Confirmed: starter bad!

I was talking to Tim, and I relayed the connectivity issues I had been having, and while it was clear that the starter was bad, I still couldn't fathom the sheer coincidence of the timing of the two failures. Tim said it made perfect sense. The starter had, most likely, been in various stages of failure for several weeks now. What I percieved as a connectivity failure, was actually a connectivity 'weakness'. With a good starter, I probably would never have found the connectivity issue. With the lack of proper connectivity, the starter couldn't get the 200-250 amps the starter was requiring to turn the motor. It was like trying to start the car with a dead battery, except the battery was fine. The starter was requiring too much energy. Finally, the starter required more than the battery could supply, even with proper connectivity.

The replacement starter cost $110. I paid the man, and walked out with a renewed spring in my step! The reassembly process was not easy by any means, but I was comforted by the certainty that the problem was now corrected, and the truck is back in commission!

Now, here is where I would normally go on the tirade about being cheated on the first starter replacement. They pulled the original starter out, and likely sanded down the armature, and put it back together. That would have been fine, except I paid for a starter replacement. I suppose it suffices that the shop was out of business shortly after its change in management.