Buying forest land, implementing solar

[swbluto]

Okay, the RV has been moved to the new location as promised. They're supposed to get a delivery today... but who knows. Maybe they just didn't want me there in front of my property. Seems the clay should dry out by the end of tomorrow, and I might be making an attempt tomorrow afternoon. It's kind of tight and it looks like it'll require a "near perfect turn", so I'm little hesitant about it, but I think with enough attempts and carefulness, I can probably pull it off. I just hope I don't get something stuck in an irretrievable position so no more attempts are possible, lol. (i.e., Wheel going off the side of the driveway into the ditch)

I don't really think it's super important I actually get the RV all the way on the property, I think I would be satisfied with my driveway at this point, but that's what I will be aiming for.

Anyway, this location is facing north-south, so it's heavily covered from the sun and it's pretty cool. That's a welcome change, a cool shady location, lol.

Anyway, haven't been feeling hungry this morning. And, this was the second morning I woke with that "discombobulated" feeling, like my sight/experience of the world is not quite steady, kind of wigging in/out/back/forth. It felt like it resolved within a minute or so.

And, haven't felt hungry this morning. That's a little strange. Maybe I had too many bananas yesterday.

Anyway, tomorrow morning should be license, grocery shopping and termicide pickup. So, I should be looking for a feasible license place, like one that in the middle of a commercial district, not one out in the middle of nowhere. I don't want to pull up, get my license but not my plates, then have the cops pull me over as I drive off the lot, lol.

I'm getting my license to help establish residence should I need to prove it in the future. (Although, I wonder if I could be sued in Texas courts if I was not a resident of Texas?)

I don't want to get my plates right now because Texas is pretty persnickety about insurance and I don't have anything against insurance, but seeing how the financiers of America have gamed it to screw everyone who hasn't been a loyal tributary of theirs and it seems Texas happily obliges in this regard, I'm fundamentally against it. If the Big Banks hadn't corrupted it or I lived in one of the 3 states that have outlawed this abusive redlining practice, I wouldn't have a problem with it. (Jeez, it's a ridiculous notion I'm 3 times more costly to the insurance companies because of a change in bank relationship status. If anything, I'm a bit more careful.)

Anyway, feeling a bit of numbness in my right pinky/ring finger this morning. I can't really tell, but it seemed drinking the cocoa helped that.

I noticed whenever I put in a day of hardwork, it seems like the cardiac phenomenon picks up a little, even after assuring I had enough salt, carbs, etc.;

Anyway, I haven't seen my elderly male neighbor for about 7 days now. He's usually out there in the evening time doing something (Sitting down on the deck, working on whatever project, etc.), but I haven't seen him at all. I thought it was a little strange he wasn't coming out when I came with the beer and I made myself really obvious on the driveway camera they had setup, so it'd be hard to believe he would've missed me. So, I'm thinking either he's away on a trip (Perhaps someone's funeral?) or he might've died or he's on the hospital or something. Or he might have another life I'm not entirely aware about, which isn't necessarily hard to believe. Claims to have been fluent in 6 languages, so who knows, maybe he's a CIA operative.

 

[swbluto]

Went to the DMV. Was told I needed a social security card and a passport (Or birth certificate). In addition, I'd need to license and insure my vehice in Texas beforehand.

Okay, cool, how does Texas know I own a vehicle? I guess hypothetically they could run my SSN through some kind of database that I'm just absolutely positive exists (The fact the police were able to confirm my ownership of this van with the VIN number, tells me my name/driverslicense#/SSN/VIN is on vehicle database somewhere that I'm assuming the DMV can and probably does check.).

Well, okay, I guess I can't get a Texas license. This is an interesting scenario, guess I might have to fly upto to the Washington DMV to renew my Washington Driver's license. Or I might be able to get it sent down here (Would likely require the cooperation of my parents to forward my mail.).

Lord forbid if I were ever caught driving a vehicle with an expired drivers license. That'd essentially be like driving without a license, which I'm sure is universally punishable. That is, Texas can reprimand out-of-state drivers with expired licenses... I'm assuming.... maybe not. I know they weren't able to do anything about me with driving with the wrong plates, though I'm not sure if my story had anything to do with that.

To establish residence, it seems like I might need to declare a homestead. Otherwise, I'm just an out of state resident staying here permanently, lol. And I'm not even sure if I can declare homestead, because it seems like they have requirements for what qualifies for the homestead exemption. (A home or mobile home.)

That'd be pretty interesting, not being a legal resident of this area, despite reality being to the contrary. It appears according to some website, there's really no "specific requiments" for declaring a residential homestead, other than owning it and living there. (Do the courts need to see proof of this? No electric, water or trash bill... not sure if I can "prove" I live there.)

The price for Taurus SC termicide was $8 higher than their online price, about $9 higher than the price I could get from other retailers online (No sales tax online). I don't like to waste money, that buys a lot of bananas. Or things I really want, like a toolbox.

Anyway, I think I'm going to test the driveway first (Drive on it with my van), if it looks solid enough, then I'll load up and try to get it into place. I'll start testing it around 5:30 and hopefully start maneuvering by 6 p.m. I don't really want to attempt it /right/ before dark just in case something goes wrong. (RIght now, it's the only practical place for me to sleep.)

It'd be nice to have the bedroom built before attempting to get the RV on the driveway. That way, if I dump the RV into the ditch, I can at least sleep in the bedroom.

I guess all I really have to do before starting the bedroom construction is take down all the tall trees. The smaller trees shouldn't be of much concern.

I believe I could get started on that very soon. It seems like all the large trees have enough accessibility at the moment.

And, wooboy, I can definitely tell now how that grain consumption is bad for health. I eat bananas, and it'll keep the appetite at bay for some time. I eat the brown rice, as I did earlier today, and man, about 2 hours later, I was eating that watermelon and fruits like I was STARVING! So, it's obvious to me these 'grains' cause blood sugar to peak and crash in ways that yellow bananas don't. It seems like I was having more hypoglycemic episodes when I was regularly eating rice... doesn't really seem like it happens at all with the bananas and peanut butter.

And, big difference between the bananas and rice; Rice doesn't taste good at all. Bananas? They pretty much scream "Eat me", lol.

I wake up in the morning, and I know when I haven't had enough bananas when I'm still grouchy, lol. Apparently it took 4 bananas this morning to stop the grouchiness, lol.

And I was reading about the link between diabates and colon bacteria. Apparently when bacteria can penetrate the mucosal layer in the colon, that sets the stage for diabetes. Well, that's interesting, because bananas definitely have that "mushy/slimy" texture that I can imagine would help maintain the mucosal layer in the colon and, coincidentally, bananas reduce the risk of colon cancer down to 32% that of an ordinary american! Nearly a 70% reduction in risk! Yeah, so I'm thinking bananas are a colon's best friend (Have plenty of colon friendly fiber too).

So, in my experience, yellow bananas > grains. Grains seem to cause me hypoglycemic/hunger episodes, bananas seem to keep me pretty stable. And the research highly suggests that, too. Bananas are highly negatively correlated with heart risks, unlike grains, which are highly positively correlated. And, I think bananas probably have a much more profound preventative affect on colon cancer than grains. I have a strong hunch.

Anyway, thought it was funny when they mentioned that the prehistoric person ate some 100+ different foods back in the day. I'm like, yeah, you don't just come across a well-maintained vineyard everyday in the wild, lol. In my experience, you find a few berries here, a few berries there, if you want more, you got to keep searching. And no doubt that would expose one to 100s of different ingredients in a day. Apparently people used to eat pine bark; doesn't seem all that surprising given how good a freshly cut pine tree smells. Smells like a fresh version of pinesol, lol.

And, I think I do have some buildup in my right carotid, the evidence is pretty convincing.

Yesterday, when working hard, I was intermittently getting vascular tinnitus - hearing my heartbeat in my right ear. It was unusual how it would hit and last for a couple seconds, go away for 5-10 seconds, and then come back for another 3-10 seconds... and so on... lasted for about 5 minutes while I worked hard moving these heavy trees I chainsawed down. That's kind of notable because the last time I hear vascular tinnitus in that ear was like a year ago, wasn't it? Kind of strange it would hit like that.

And during a recent peaking, I definitely noticed a transient semi-perceptible numbing feeling on the entire left side of my body, from the top of my head down. This is the side that went completely muscle flaccid one night for a few seconds and I seem to get a transient electric feeling in the left hand often enough during the peaks. So, yes, evidence is strong of a right carotid something or another.

This phenomenon doesn't seem entirely uncommon either. According to doctors, "It's rare but not unheard of.".

I don't think it's due to PFO, either, given how persistent and transient it is. The sensation predictably peaks during The Peak.

Anyway, just noticing where it's coming from. And, I think this upper right gum irritation that appears to travel up the jaw sometimes, might be responsible. I had work done on that tooth at one time, and food started getting stuck deep into the gumlining some time afterwards (According to my dentist, due to molar tooth migration), and bacteria started to fester there. I've been treating it recently by chewing garlic, which seems to be working most of the time. (I don't expect it to fully reverse the existing issue, but it might help to slow down its progression.)

http://joanmathewslarson.com/HRC_2006/PageMill_Product_Files/Tryptophan.html

Tryptophan is the only substance in existence that makes serotonin, a powerful calming brain neurotransmitter. The many copycat anti-depressant drugs now on the market confirm the popularity of flooding our brains with "mellowing" serotonin. Tryptophan's benefits have been well documented in treating anxiety, panic, and compulsive obsessive disorders. For many years tryptophan was only available by prescription in the United States.

Interesting.

 

[swbluto]

Yeah, now that's the kind of walls I need. The decor doesn't look bad, either, though I prefer the more spanish elements at https://www.pinterest.com/pin/569705421587682637 .

 

[swbluto]

The backyard is starting to come into shape. I've been continuing to clear out the back from the underbrush with the trees being the next step, and it's starting to look like a yard. The idea that I'm creating a yard in the middle of the forest is kind of neat, feeling a bit proud of my myself, lol. Sleep last night was hard to come by, felt like a spike a pain going down up my upper left spine and my chest was feeling annoyingly 'full' while laying down, so I didn't really sleep like I wanted to. Got 4 hours in after the chest fullness sensation subsided after 40 minutes or so. Anyway, was clearing out back earlier today and was getting palpitations so easily on effort (Got a total of 4-5), so I decided to take it easy today. I'm going to do two rounds later tonight, a time of the day when my body feels like it has the most going for it and should be somewhat more rested by then (naps). Getting those sore palpitations more frequently now, I'm not really sure what that's about exactly. I'm half thinking it's acid reflux or somesuch. It appears eating 12-14 bananas a day is fattening me up a little, at least I think that's fat and not water retention, lol. (Swelling of the abdomen is a bad sign, I would think.).

Let's see 14*30 = 420 grams of carbs a day. I think that should be enough to fatten one up, lol.

Udpate: Actually, kind of looks like bloating, now that I recall my bloating memories from drinking too many coconut juices at once, lol.

Banana girl reports a bit of bloating in her all fruit diet. My diet isn't really "All fruit", but the carbs are mainly fruit.

I'm not really sure if this is a good sign... bloating... I wouldn't ordinarily think so. I would think bloating indicates bacterial population explosions, which I usually assume are bad. But, I don't feel the tellltell signs of "bad bacteria" harming me... stomach cramps, pain and the such... which I would definitely feel if I ingested a lot of, say, sugary skittles. So, I don't really know. I should be taking my postmeal blood pressure curves but right now my setup isn't really all that convenient. It should be more convenient once I get the bedroom built and I have a table/desk to work with.

And, I saw the neighbor recently. Heard the lawn mower going, so I walked to check it out and he was sitting on it. But, he looked a bit different than from his usual self - it looked like he was clenching that steering wheel like he was hanging on for dear life and definitely didn't look like his normal relaxed self. It appears he might be sick or something, didn't ask. The idea of elderly neighbors getting sick within a 6 month timespan of my arrival doesn't seem exceedingly unlikely... so it's very plausible something is up.

Okay, all the underbrush that could be cleared with the loppers has been cut. Now I just need to clean it up, go after the remaining thinner underbrush with the machete, than I pretty much just have the tall trees left. Then it's time to chainsaw those puppies down.
Once those are down and 'managed'(I think I will have to cut them up into manageable slices and put them in a log pile somewhere. I would just be like "Hey, let's cut them into 8 foot sections so I can lumber it later!", but can I just move 8 foot sections of a thick tree? Oh, heck no. WAY TOO HEAVY! lol)

After tonight, it's just the machete and chainsaw steps that are left.

And, oh yes, the frogs seem to come out around twilight. Saw a huge one jumping across my driveway yesterday night. You can usually hear their ribbits during all the hours of the day.

Okay, did the last scheduled cycle for the day. Apparently couldn't get it all picked up in the time alloted (Keep working until I sweat heavily, usually about 15-20 minutes.), so I have a few more to go. And, I have another lopper pass I need to make, there's a few more that need to be lopped. Then machete the thinner stuff and I'm off.

Before going out to work this evening, I was getting this sharp burning pain in my left shoulder. I noticed I was getting prickly sensation along my left midneck, too, so I assumed it was nerve impingement and not something like cardiac reasons, but I noticed I was getting tired too, so I couldn't assume too much... so I ate some bananas which tasted delicious, the tiredness went away and I did all the work without palpitations nor was I getting a tight chest and lightheaded. Suspect maybe I was running low on bloodsugar earlier... I might have undereaten earlier as the bananas were a little smaller than normal...

Anyhoo, I'm getting very close to getting finished. I can actually stand in my backyard and mostly see the two property corner flags, so just a little more brush to clear before moving onto the chainsaw. I see a reasonably good chance of starting the chainsaw by Sunday.

And, I just walked down there and I could hear him talk. He sounded like he was speaking barely intelligible jibberish, unlike in the past. I'm suspecting he had a stroke.

Anyway, tonight, I noticed my taste was preferring something starchy over something like bananas. Hmmm... I'm suspecting that maybe it's possible to overdo the bananas. Maybe a mix of starchy plantains and bananas would be better. Bananas, however, seem to be more convenient... I've not really met a starch I didn't have to cook.

 

[Dauntless]

So today I was listening to this scientist talk about how subatomic the Big Band was, we at our present size might have missed it completely if it occurred nearby.

So dang, all those aches and pains you keep complaining about? For all you know what you felt might have been some new universe forming, in a few billion years it might be ready to grow up and replace our own. And YOU will turn out to be the one who started it all. Oh, maybe you'd come up with a way to squash it, I don't know.

Oh, I had the spinach and kale salad for dinner. But you probably don't even know how to get one.

 

[swbluto]

They sell the mixes at a store some 25 miles away, but the organic spinach is definitely a money sucker. And the nonorganic stuff has Peremethrin, which I don't really feel comfortable eating. So I'm waiting until I get my garden plots going, and then I'm going to start growing spinach. Which could be soon enough... I have to rip out the saplings from the ground, which I was wanting to wait until getting the farm jack, but I could do it by hand for a smallish area just to get the spinach going. I'm not really sure if the season is more "malabar spinach" or "english spinach" appropriate... or if the shady areas are "english spinach" appropriate...

There's concerns about bugs, and there definitely seems to be plenty of leaf eaters here. Caterpillars and rabbits being big ones. It appears I could protect the spinach plots with enclosing nets, as it seems like caterpillars don't dig under ground, and rabbits would seem unlikely to dig under the enclosure for spinach.

This looks good. http://www.homedepot.com/p/BOEN-4-ft-x-150-ft-Black-Fire-Resistant-SafetyShield-Safety-Netting-SN-20006/203068446

It's out of stock, though. I'm guessing it might be discontinued?

I don't think ants eat leaves, but I'm sure some might be walking all over them. I don't think that should be a big deal?

 

[DAND214]

There you go Dauntlees, He told you :lol: :lol: He can cover any subject, no matter what it might be and one day, will build that mansion he dreams about???

Dan

 

[swbluto]

Yeah, the underbrush is nearly all cleared out. Will be all done on the next pass in 30 minutes or so, then I just have to get the chainsaw out and start taking down some hefty trees later tonight, yeah baby!

I predict I will need to trespass on others people's property to remove the trees. But, I don't really need to get that done right away, as I just simply need the trees down before I start construction.

I see that the new neighbors have dumped 5 loads of sand/clay onto their property and it appears they're going to get a frontloader to spread it all out. It appears they're intending on constructing a house so they've told me.

Interesting, they asked me about how I was getting water, making me think they weren't thinking about getting water pipes put in. That's kind of interesting, intending to construct a 'proper house' but no intention of hooking up water/sewer? It's financially sensible, don't get me wrong, with Tap Fees likely being /out of this world/, but they seem old/wealthy enough for something like that with the scale they appear to be going for. 5x 12 yard loads of house pad dirt, that would make for quite a house pad, I would think.

Update: OK, the brush has been pretty much cleared. The only thing that hasn't really been fully cleared is the vines hanging from the trees but those will come down with the trees so I figured why bother pulling them down? lol. Those vines get awfully leafy up there towards their ends and I've seen a few with these pretty pink flowers on them. These vines are also annoying because most of them are thorny. Thorny vines suck and they almost seem like they're shooting straight up from the ground directly into the branches (But, I know in reality they just grew along with the trees since they were young.)

Anyway, it's interesting to mention these vines because... I've never seen them on the west coast, lol. I'm feeling pretty positive about that but I haven't been through every west coast forest out there.

Anyway, tomorrow morning starts the chainsawing. I'm leaving the last 5-10 feet intact because it's inconsequential. And, I'm leaving a few trees towards the front because of the obvious shade they provide during the summer (And they're minimally blocking during the winter being leaf trees.).

And, I saw quite the rabbit earlier today. Looked like the size of a bulldog. This other rabbit I see around my property is obviously a tiny baby in comparison, lol.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smilax

Oh cool, I pulled one of these vines down earlier. Had berries on them just like the wiki picture. (The American Sasparilla)

It seems like I also have a bunch of catbriar.

 

[swbluto]

Okay, started to chainsaw. Got one large tree down, now I have like 6 more to go. I think with the smaller trees, I'm just going to hatchet those down because it's simple and fast enough and a hatchet doesn't cause the chain to jump off the bar, lol. That gets annoying fast, lol.

This large tree is now resting against the canopy of my neighor's trees. I'm not really sure how to get this thing down from here? lol. It might become a permanent fixture as unsightly as it seems, lol.

There's one particularly large tree that looks like it'd be particularly large for my chainsaw. Kind of thinking I could use a larger chainsaw, lol. Oh well, I think this could become a project tree, one that I would hack with my small hatchet for days until it comes down, lol. I just need to make sure it's not going to fall in the direction of my construction, first.

I could use a Paul Bunyan axe for it, but I don't really have that many large trees to chop down to justify the expense.

I think tongiht, when it gets dark, I'm going to continue working and I'll bring my floodlight and hang it from a branch to keep the area lit. The night time is a perfect time to work other than it being too dark.

And, today's been a little iffy. That nap/sleepiness seemed a little too eventful for a normal nap and I'm been getting that left handed pain recently. I'm hoping I'm just paranoid, but after yesterday at 7:30 p.m. when the neighbor came in the forest and emptied a clip nearby with what sounded like a silencer on, that kind of pissed me off a little bit and I took down the forest. Now, I am inferring a lot of things based on the way it sounded, but if my inferences are correct... my neighbors getting a silencer for their gun isn't a reassuring advancement. A silencer would be particularly advantageous for this area because even though it isn't "very silent", it's silent enough to not alert the neigbbors a quarter mile away.

7:30 p.m. seems to be a special time for their drug work. It doesn't seem to be a consistent enough activity of theirs, but 7:30 p.m. seems consistent enough.

 

[Dauntless]

http://thebull.cbslocal.com/2013/07/10/topless-women/

The story is almost 4 years old. You're near Houston, what ultimately came of this?

 

[swbluto]

http://thebull.cbslocal.com/2013/07/10/topless-women/

The story is almost 4 years old. You're near Houston, what ultimately came of this?

It happened in NYC, so I'm not sure. Having said that, it would be a little bit surprising if something like that happened here. The town definitely seems to be a 'normal white family culture' kind of place, with definitely no sign of extended working/operational hours like on the west coast. Strictly 9-5 M-F and 12 p.m. Saturday for the post office, anyway. Claims about Houston being "Diverse" and "eclectic" really just means Mexicans. There's a handful of vietnamese from the vietnam war era, I found one such shop owner nearby. She had the typical "I'm so happy you're buying something from me" behavior that tells me she likely doesn't get a lot of customers. It was kind of refreshing finding a local asian shop owner.

 

[Dauntless]

Oh, sorry, I was thinking he was saying there'd been a casein response in Houston.

 

[swbluto]

Jeez, I took down half the trees yesterday and I was dreaming like no man's business. Wow, does hand/arm impact exercise have that affect?

The last dream was apparently me chasing for this 25 year old girl I once knew, and *I met her somewhere, and she explained she went to college and got married to this guy at 22. Further clarification found it was after college sometime. Then sometime, I apparently was reminded of this song.

[youtube]2uneYz201p0[/youtube]

This is kind of freaky because I don't normally remember dreams to that extent, and the content is normally not like that, and I don't normally recall music that I've never seen on youtube nor have really thought about. It's kind of weird how it "just hit", apparently fitting to the scene. It's not a song I would normally recall while I'm awake, that's for sure, lol.

So axing trees brings the sandman. I wonder what other hand/arm impact exercises are out there?

Oh yes, hammering in nails with a hammer. I think maybe I'll construct my bedroom with hand nails and only use the nailgun for the difficult ones.

And, it's also freaky because I don't know of anyone I'm pining for "Way back in the day" that was "The one that got away because I let it slip though my fingers", lol.

See, I was never really a sideliner, so I don't have the kind of remorse that the dream portrays.

And I don't think those lyrics apply, lol.

Yeah, now I can imagine being part of an army of loggers for the British during the Age of Kings and spending my day just axing down trees. Except, the scope is a bit more limited here, lol. These people were probably exceptionally important during the expansion of cities and establishing of farms during that time period, so this was probably a really widespread activity back during the medieval age. At least I don't get the impression that "large open fields" naturally exist, at least not in this area, lol. I automatically assume all large open fields here were deforested at one point.

http://www.sctimes.com/story/life/2015/02/14/pioneers-farming-started-stump-clearing/23418141/

My great-grandparents emigrated from Hungary to Grand Lake in Cold Spring in the 1860s. They were farmers. My father, Henry Salzl, often told me. "It was all woods at that time."

To begin farming, they had to clear land. "It was done mostly by hand with a double-bit ax and/or a grub ax," he said in an interview in 1982.

"They worked all summer grubbing stumps and hauling away brush, branches, and twigs — or piling them up to be burned. Trees in that area were big hardwoods, elm, oak or ash. You could work all day on one oak stump. Oak was the hardest. It had a "herz" root." (German for heart.) That was hard work for my parents, but they always had a lot of people help them at first. They worked together in those days."

By the time my Dad was a young man, a stump puller was used, he told me. A long cable was purchased. "Then there was a roller on there. You would pull that cable out and put it all the way around the stump with a horse pulling it. You had that horse going around all the way all the time until the cable was rolled tight and the stump let go from the ground. Someone was standing there to chop off the short roots."

Oh fudge yeah, that so called "herz root" was a root that went straight down into the ground, and I've seen the smaller oaks go about 4 feet into the ground, the larger oaks probably go 6-12 feet straight down into the ground.

Now if only I had a horse, lol.

I really like my bee suit. I didn't use it at first, but after having tried out the alternatives, the beesuit really is the best solution for woodwork in this area. It protects from mosquitos, while not readily snagging on tree branches and vines (Unlike the mosquito screen suit that one puts over clothing), and if worn without a shirt or pants underneath, it actually runs a bit cooler than the alternatives so you can last longer without oversweating. So, it's what I wear when I'm working now. Anyway, getting very close to the point where I'm going to have to use the chainsaw (The large trees with diameter > 6 inches). Once I get them all chainsawed down (predicting sometime tomorrow or the day after), I'll have the sunlight I need to start growing fruits and what not. Then I have to remove roots before tilling the soil and putting in garden plots.

I like all these natural "divots" in the forest floor; I can tell the water oaks particularly liked growing on the brim of these divots, telling me these parts would probably be ideal for growing watermelons, lol. So the work is already done for me, essentially, lol.

And, I really should get the rain water collection going.

Okay, precisely 3 more small trees before starting the chainsaw phase.

Update: Chainsaw phase starting soon. I need to split and move the existing trees into the brush piles (Need to split them so I can carry them). I was going to delimb them, but I don't really see the need to delimb them right now. For splitting the trees, I'm voting to use the chainsaw. So yep, stage 1 of the chainsaw phase, clear out the existing fallen trees. Stage 2, take down the large guys.

 

[swbluto]

Almost done with stage 1, I'm guessing I'll finish later on today and start phase 2 tomorrow.

Anyway, it's been a bit cloudy and hazy here. A little sun here and there piering through the haze. Just heard thunder.

It's interesting, this "hazy" summer day. warm, humid, hazy summer days didn't exist in Spokane that's for sure. It was cloudy a few times, but I would never call it hazy. I'm not exactly sure what gives it this quality, if it's the emissions getting trapped here, or just atmospheric/weather conditions.

It's definitely interesting, kind of looks dreary. I've heard complaints about Seattle have a depressing weather quality about it, but while it was cloudy a lot during the nonsummer months, I can't really recall it when it was hazy. Hmmm...

And, it looks like my neighbor moved the doghouse from the corner that was near my street. I think I must've woke someone up when I was walking by one morning and the dog started barking (It was 9 a.m.), as about 30 minutes later, I heard someone fire a pistol and it sounded like it was from his house. Then 2 days later, the dog house is /moved/.

He was such a cute doggy. I really just liked playing with him, a substitute for my current lack of dog ownership, lol. (I still walk the entire length anyway because it makes for 250 steps in one direction. Do the entire length twice = 1000 easy peasy steps and 1/3 a mile.)

And, the mulberry tree has been decimated. The lower branches were wiped out by the tall dumptruck that delivered my neighbors sandclay housepad dirt, and the top branches have been consumed by caterpillar larva enclosed in a huge protective web enclosing the entire branch of leaves (The leaves wilted in response).

So, it's clear I need to protect fruit trees from caterpillars.

Though... I believe caterpillar larva come from their adult forms, moths and butterflies, so I'd need to protect the fruit trees from moths/butterflies... Yeah, that's not so simple, lol. Might need a net enclosing the tree...

 

[DAND214]

Come on Bluto, you are so close to the Gulf that you need NETS to catch the flying fish?

Dan

 

[swbluto]

The nearest gulf beach is like 80-90 miles away and I have to get through Houston to get there.

Anyway, had another kind of memorable dream yesterday night. Wow, dreams 3 nights in a row, and the only commonality is that I was working in the backyard getting trees cut down and moving them. Yesterday was chainsawing the fallen trees into manageable pieces and moving the heavy trees into the brush pile and I still have 3-4 trees left. I'm guessing I will get to taking down the large trees 2-3 days from now, as I want to move the current brush pile in the middle to the sides before taking them down and it's getting a bit warm with the storm systems moving out.

I remember a tow truck driver who was towing me home say they had the best time in their life working as a logger until the environmentalists shut them down. Yeah, there must be something to this, working with trees, the happiness and dreams that follow.

Once I get the large trees down, then it's time to move onto construction.

I'm a little bit excited about getting this room constructed because it'll give me room to move around, lol, plus it'll get me on my property. And, I can work more fully on business expansion since I really have no room to try out new ideas currently. I'm contemplating turning the RV around on the side of the road, and having a path through the trees lead to the RV's door. That way, I have a private entrance to my RV that's shielded from public view. Right now, the RV's door faces onto the road, which has been used against me one night with the opening in the forest on the opposite side of the road with a guy brandishing a gun and jumping back and forth one time at midnight. Since then, I've been putting brush in that opening to deter future 'use' by others. I've been contemplating making it even higher to at least eye level, but maybe it'd be in my best interest to maintain view of what's behind it.

I've been contemplating planting a range finder and wireless camera down the road to track movement across. But, at night, it'd be a little useless with no lighting and that'd be the most important time to track movement. I guess maybe I could theoretically plant a FLIR or night-vision camera... but... a little out of my security budget, lol.

Someone complaining on yahoo of not being able to find a drywaller or electrician. Hmm, well, after I construct this house and gain the skills, I can start advertising and see what kind of jobs I can get, lol. I heard construction is good business here, even though I'm aware the mexicans have a strong presence here. One thing that I have, however, is competitive advertising experience so I have an edge. There's been a lot of growth out in this direction, too, so I'm in a pretty good location for construction. It's an idea anyway... I'm not sure what jobs would require a team.

Was reading that agricultural burning in Mexico drifts up here into Houston, so maybe that's where the haze is coming from. I wouldn't think that'd be the case, though, since it seems to be mostly an early day phenomenon (Gone by midafternoon, usually).

So, looking through the comments, looks like I could use...

Drywalling
Painting

Experience. The "Getting fit in NEXT summer"(Painting) sounds like a very good industry to get in and painting must be some tedious work. I know I was one of the few who actually took the initiative in painting back in Nuke school, and people say my work was /PERFECT/, so probably not a bad side job. (I come from a line of professional painters, oddly enough. Car painting, mostly.)

 

[Dauntless]

Come on Bluto, you are so close to the Gulf that you need NETS to catch the flying fish?

Dan

I'm just enjoying this image of the attack of the flying fish. Ever see 'The Birds?'

 

[swbluto]

Well, looks like HEB is having their monthly health screenings in 3 days. I can get a A1C test for $30 and that's pretty neat. I'm mainly curious if I'm keeping my blood sugar under control with this banana diet and exercise. I'm curious about this because, one morning, after 2 days of storms and not talking my walks outside, I slept a lot and ate a banana, and I started feeling hot and my vision started getting a little blurry, so I walked outside and it went away. I looked online and they said "First sign of diabetes". So I researched banana consumption and diabetes, and apparently diabetics will avoid bananas like the plague because of excessive blood sugar regardless of simultaneous peanut butter consumption. So, I'm wondering if my blood sugars are under control so I think an A1C test might be a good indicator. I was actually excessively eating bananas because I was trying to gain weight to stave off those shortness-of-breath episodes (So far seems to be working), but I also don't want to go diabetic in the process, lol. I know, I should be maintaining activity throughout the day and weight lifting and all that... but... just so hard in this tiny space and I don't want to do that outside because the skeeters will get me. One reason I can't wait to get the bedroom built - space to move around, lol.

Man, now I just want someone to give me 5 acres of forest and I'll spend my days chopping down trees, lol. Once the current trees are down, my tree chopping days are over.

Anyway, there appears to be a baby pine in my backyard. He's a little bit fuzzy for a pine, so I don't really know if he's a pine, but I'm thinking he's just like a puppy: they're fuzzy when they're little, lol. Anyway, it just looks a little cute.

And, I just went to HEB and picked some dark-colored "Desert honey" sourced from the flowers of Mexico's Sonoran desert. I reasoned that this had the least likely chance of glyphosate contamination among the honeys they had there (Not much in the way of pesticide laden crops grows out in the desert out there, I would assume?), and being dark colored, it's telling me it likely is dense in "Goodness" (Just like dark red watermelon slices is the bees knees among watermelon slices), and I just had some... wow, that honey is impressively good tasting, lol. Compared to the bargain bin honey and the other cheap honeys I've tasted. Not much hints in the way of metallic flavors and what I assumed were "clover flower" flavors, but maybe it was a "pesticide" flavor? Anyway, I'm using the honey to sweeten my cocoa now instead of supplementing my carb intake like I was recently. (I think I have that under control with the bananas now, lol.)

1 cup hot water
2 TBSP cocoa powder
1 TBSP honey

If using ghiradelli cocoa with its high fat content, no additional oils are needed, but if using other cococa powders which have been completely stripped of their natural cocoa butter, adding coconut oil (Probably a TSP or so.) will likely improve taste. (Make it taste more like a chocolate bar kind of chocolate, lol.)

 

[Dauntless]

Well, looks like HEB is having their monthly health screenings in 3 days.

Yeah, you're gonna get to liking HEB. Wish we had stores like that in California.

Man, now I just want someone to give me 5 acres of forest and I'll spend my days chopping down trees, lol. Once the current trees are down, my tree chopping days are over.

Oh, that's right. Do your part to having the human race clear cut the world. Just think when that baby pine you'll be able to cut it down like you did its' parents.

 

[swbluto]

Well, looks like HEB is having their monthly health screenings in 3 days.

Yeah, you're gonna get to liking HEB. Wish we had stores like that in California.

They probably would if it weren't for Cali's regulations. I know walgreens offers tests... don't quite know if they do A1C. I know charleston, SC had a "Any test now" clinic, but the tests were often $100 or more. They definitely didn't, as far as I know, have an HEB as far as health testing options go but I /really/ do not know. South Carolina isn't known for regulations, either, so I'm guessing someone's pharmacy might offer it.

Man, now I just want someone to give me 5 acres of forest and I'll spend my days chopping down trees, lol. Once the current trees are down, my tree chopping days are over.

Oh, that's right. Do your part to having the human race clear cut the world. Just think when that baby pine you'll be able to cut it down like you did its' parents.[/quote]

Looks like someone forgot the carbs.

I kid. I don't think clear cutting is intrinsically evil when man is working in unison with nature and possibly having the assistance of God's creatures, but I do really think the scale that fossil fuels enable really does screw it up a little bit. But, assuming sufficient solar and battery development, there's no reason to think why global clearcutting couldn't continue until forests have been annihilated, so I guess the issue is not necessarily /fossil fuels/ but... unnatural sources of energy. Food is the only natural source of energy. And maybe wood being set on fire.

Anyway, that left rear jaw pain that I could feel inside my mouth really seemed to go away when I reestablished banana consumption today [I ran out of bananas by 4 a.m.]. I'm thinking that bananas simply can't be evil. If they cause A1C to go up, then A1C might be meaningless by itself. It might be more useful in combination with other tests. (Such as, for example, post-meal blood pressure testing and glucose response / insulin sensitivity testing.)

(I was hoping the pain was cervogenic in origin, but seeing the banana's affect on it, it was clearly vascular/cardio in origin, I think. I don't really know honestly.... it does seem like I definitely have some definite left sided cervical happenings. It's hard to mistake waking up sometimes; seems like moving around causes it to wane.)

 

[swbluto]

Anyway, I'm reading that a house like structure needs siding on the walls to protect the plywood sheathing from the weather. Apparently plywood sheathing isn't "good enough" for multiyear longevity, even if you paint it. And, it appears you need sheathing for something to nail the siding too.

Really?

I didn't include that in my cost estimate, siding.

Wait... appears T1-11 will function well enough wihout need for siding. But, it's a little expensive compared to other 4x8s ($34). It's nearly 2x the cost, doubling the plywood cost, which is where the most expense was.

Looks like they have smartside for $25 at lowes and homedepot. They have a cheaper version at homedepot($20), but the cheaper version is not possible to cut without warping. It looks like the $20 would be possible to use for most sheets, but the more expensive version would be needed for the cut ones.

Looks like the primer+paint(combined) exterior paints can be used on the smartsiding.

 

[swbluto]

Wow, 4 straight days of dreams. The last time I regularly dreamt was back in High School, so I'm thinking the amount of work involved in clearing out the back possibly improved my brain's vasculature or some such. Anyway, the latest dream was me following this slutty girl, who liked seeking out this perverted guy, and she usually ignored the attention of another perverted guy that sought her. I personally thought they all sucked, bunch of perverts. Nothing particularly memorable about that dream, lol.

Anyway, I was looking at an AIC CVD paper based in japan, and they found A1Cs below 5.0 were associated with CVD(50% higher risk) and so was higher A1Cs(6.5 and above,80% higher risk). Apparently everyone in the range from 5.5-6.5 range was doing peachy.

So, yes, I don't think this "4.2 A1C-4.8 A1C is ideal" that I glean from charts on google images is not really that accurate. I think that's really the manifestation of assuming "the other end must be good if one end is known to be bad", which oddly seems pervasive. It seems health is more about achieving a balance and often times not falling into either extremes.

Anyway, this agrees with my experience. Not eating enough for ones level of physical activity is bad. And I don't think it's just about carbs or "energy" in whatever suitable forms (Maybe cheese and/or eggs work?); but also, enough potassium, magnesium and salt and other essential vitamins and minerals.

And, it is interesting, that excess levels often have natural 'checkvalves'. You take into too much salt, body gets thirsty. You eat too much carbs, you suddenly have a lot of energy and want to do something physical to use it (Granted, you might have an unnatural lifestyle and/or environment that suppresses this particular checkvalve). And betacarotene form of the different vitamins (Like vitamin A) limit absorption rates based on levels in the blood. So, yes, many natural ways the body limits excess.

Anyway, I was thinking about what fruit really is. I think the carbs/minerals/vitamins in fruit was specifically designed to provide nutrients that the seed needed to get started. It needs energy to kickstart germination, and then once it gets it's greenness above the dirt, it can then start to generate its own carbs/energy from sunlight and water producing sugar that it further uses for energy to grow. And, I think about chicken eggs, and I think the albumin fulfills the same role; it kickstarts the energy/nutrients the embryo needs to develop into a chick and break that egg open. So, I think fruits and eggs are essentially identical in that way, and that's why both in their most natural forms seem to be excellent for health.

--------------
Went to sleep at around 12p.m., woke a 6:18 a.m.

oh man, what was that? Feeling sick, slightly sweaty, heart rate is high (90-110bpm), feeling sleepy... decide maybe I need a nap... take a nap, about 2 minues later, its like my heart jolts and then not long after, legs twitch and I'm no longer feeling sleepy (Though my eyes still have "that feeling" of needing sleep). Can't tell if that episode is over but I'm feeling a little better now.

I was feeling weird earlier this morning, and over a 3 hour span had 5 bananas,2 cloves of galic, cocoa with honey, a little peanut butter (Had a tiny bit wih the palm oil in it; need to throw that out.), about 2 cups coconut flakes, water, a little bit of salt (2 finger dips).Didn't really feel hungry when I woke, but I started to feel hungry after using the garlic and applying to the top right molar which was feeling irritated (Been out of garlic for 2 days now); garlic seemed to quell he irritation within 5-10 minutes and that's when I became hungry and ate 3 more bananas and had about 500-800 mg of salt after that. Then the episode didn't start long after that.

I found out this "organic canada peanut butter" apparently started adding palm oil (Maybe I picked up the wrong version? Idk.), and I could tell something was up when I didn't see the oil ontop. Tasted it, didn't taste like peanut butter, need to throw it out. (I don't really like spending $14 on something I find out they changed and I then need to throw out.)

 

[swbluto]

And at 11:20 A.M today, a silver Land Rover came rolling by with a mexican 20-something dude inside. Looking at the "debonnaire air" he had in his pose, I'm guessing he might be involved in the drug scene in this area, which might have something to do with why he's rolling by checking this corner out. Granted, there's been lots of people that did exactly what he did historically, but this guy comes on the heels of getting silencer shots just 2 days ago, and he's of the right ethnicity and 'attitude' to make me think he might be associated with it somehow, and I'm wondering what he's hoping to obtain exactly. Perhaps he's checking for bugs, perhaps he's checking on their property to see where it's at (Not entirely uncommon), perhaps he's evaluating my property to assess my vulnerabilities and likely successful means of attack. I don't know...

I'm thinking I'd like to turn the RV around and get a route through my woods. Should I need or want to exit the RV, not making my exit nor me visible from the street could be a plus in some situations. Plus, I'd like to "Walk onto my property" when I leave the RV, not necessarily onto the street. But, there seems to be a tree making that difficult... likely would need to saw it low. Anyway, thinking about it.

If there were an attack by vehicle, I could see it coming. FIrst I'd hear the dogs, then I'd notice the unusually late hour, then maybe I'd see the headlights or hear them coming down. However, an attack by foot would be harder to thwart, because they could block my only escape/entrance, and they seem to like attacks by foot - they can hide in the forests and escape identification. But, it doesn't seem like they really like getting close to my property, so maybe that wouldn't happen.

Anyway, I don't really expect an attack, but that's the thing... I'm most vulnerable when I'm not expecting it, lol. And they seem to like the element of surprise, so it's like a perfect match, so thwarting non-expected scenarios might be wise.

Anyway, it's unfortunate seeing it play out like this. It was first a hypothetical "These woods are creepy because there could be a dangerous animal hiding in them and you couldn't see them"... and it turns out... the neighbors like fulfilling that role.

Anyway, I think this has been terrifying me because I just had a palpitation there. So, maybe I just need to ignore it and think everything is cool.

And, to think, that girl back in Spokane warned me. "Serial killers hide in the woods". I guess they like hiding in thick woods, not the thinner ones you can see for hundreds of feet.

I'm thinking I need to clear out all the underbrush around me. But, I'm not sure that'd be kosher? Clearing out the underbrush in all the neighboring properties.

Think maybe they could sue for damages, but not convinced underbrush has much value, lol. Perhaps they could arrest me for trespass after they found out I cleared the underbrush? I don't know.

https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/a-neighbor-likes-to-clear-brush-on-our-property-li-1714036.html

It appears they can stop it if they don't like it. But, it doesn't look like there's punitive consequences (no money nor jailtime) for past actions. So it appears I can do it until they tell me to stop.

Think maybe I got a corneal abrasion when a tree branch hit my right eye. The "bruised feeling" seemed to 95% go away the next day, but I can still sort of feel it when I press on my eye, and that eye has been a bit itchy. I'm wondering if there's bacteria there that shouldn't be? I've been assuming allergies since I've been sneezing a lot this past month. Anyway, don't see much redness in the eye, so I'm assuming it's allergies making it itchy, but it's always my right eye. Maybe if I get glasses on, it'll stop this fan from blowing allergens into my right eye and it'll stop itching.

The goggles seems to have stopped the itching... and... my eye is bloodshot red. Hmmm... I might be getting pink eye or maybe bacteria in the abrasion. Time will tell, I think?

 

[Dauntless]

Better call Saul.

 

[Harold in CR]

Ever hear of monofilament fishing line ? Makes pretty good trip wire, to signal intrusion. Place it high enough so small animals won't trip it.