REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

In the garden, and RAIN!!! (2)

POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Sunday, October 12, 2025 01:45
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Saturday, October 11, 2025 12:04 AM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
That's lots of progress, SIX!

I know you go in streaks, sometimes you're white hot for quite a few months and sometimes you throttle way back. Just OOC is there a seasonal pattern?

The weather has gotten reliably better over the past couple weeks and, birthdays aside, the calendar cleared up. I offloaded the vehicle smog check, safety recall, and med pickup on hubby ... Yay! So I've been able to get to yardwork, finally! a couple of days a week. OMG there's so much to do and my energy... and my knees ... ain't what they used to be. But for some strange reason dear daughter finds yardwork satisfying so I can count on her help.

Speaking of which ... BRENDA, I know you don't do this anymore but - cooking ahead for a week? That's a lot of work! It seems you do special occasion cooking and baking and light gardening and housekeeping. And going up and down the stairs. That would tire me out completely!

Well, on to making some chili con carne.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal."- Henry Kissinger



I just do it because it is a little cheaper for me, especially things like meat. And it is only for 2 or 3 days. Like this weekend. Turkey day if I don't go over to my boss' for supper, I got some ground bison that I will cook up.
Most baking I do is for my boss really. I don't do any housework for my boss anymore but I still have to pick things out of her garden. And yeah the basement stairs in that house are nasty now.

Oh, by the time I walk home. My feet are just howling at me and I am so glad to get my shoes and socks off.

Hope your chili comes out good.

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Saturday, October 11, 2025 12:39 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Do you try different shoes to see if it would help, Brenda?

I swear by the memory foam Sketchers myself. My aunt is willing to spend quite a bit more and says that New Balance shoes are the best.

Made a world of difference for me when I was on my feet all day. Day and night. I used to just buy whatever was cheap and wear them until the treads were gone.

--------------------------------------------------

For all that I've blessed, and all that I've wronged. In dreams until my death, I will wander on.

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Saturday, October 11, 2025 3:40 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


My feet are really wide at the toe, narrow at the heel. Duck feet. We joked that I had my own flippers but finding shoes was always really hard. I had to go to stores that specialized in X-wide feet for work, and I bought men's New Balance X-wide for tennis and everyday Then somewhere along the way I developed a bunion, and then some kind of pain syndrome, and now after chemo I have permanent neuropathy. I wound up getting slippers, but after a couple of months of using them as shoes it was like walking on cardboard. After going thru a few pairs I finally bit the bullet and went hunting for shoes that would fit and maybe give my knees some relief. Ultimately I went to orthofeet.com, been wearing them for almost a week and I think its helping my feet, knees, and balance.

So I'd start with New Balance if your shoes aren't working for you, but if you have a more specific problem maybe check out Orthofeet.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal."- Henry Kissinger

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Saturday, October 11, 2025 12:24 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Damn... my buddy's uncle just got out of the hospital after getting in a car wreck and he isn't doing so hot. He'd just built a ramp for his mom to get into her house with a wheelchair after her back surgery, and his aunt asked if he'd build one for him so he's already way out of town this morning working on building that. He says he thinks he can get it done in one day and we'll hang out tomorrow, but that's a really tall order for one guy so I'm thinking that's pretty unlikely. Had I known earlier I might have gotten my ass up early this morning to meet him at his place before he took off so I could help out.

Maybe it's a small ramp though. The one he had to build for his mom was quite large and extensive, and I was extremely impressed with it. I might have to get him involved in making my stairway banisters when I finally get around to doing those.


Well I don't really feel like taking a full day off if I'm not doing something...

I've got a bunch of small things left to do with the landscaping still. Just little stuff like adding back dirt outside of the paver blocks/fencing for some additional grading outside of the landscaping and a couple of tweaks I want to make on my new slab and such.

I really need to clean out my tall back gutter too, so I guess I need to pull my car out of my garage so I can get my tall boy ladder down and do that. I was going to wait until the leaves fell, but it's already clogged up good and we've got some more rain coming well before the leaves are going to fall en masse.

As cool as the hangers I made for keeping that ladder up and out of the way are, high enough so that nobody bangs their head on it, I'd really like to install that ladder on racks on the back of my garage one day for easy access. Because the process of taking it down and putting it back up is almost more work than clearing out that gutter is. My only concern there is that it would be wide open for anybody to just come and take. It's not super-super heavy and it would probably be pretty easy to walk off with that without me knowing about it. It was a $250 ladder 5 or so years ago... Probably well over $300-$350 today.

I really, REALLY need to clean up and reorganize my garage too. I've got a few years worth of project remnants clogging up everything, and a really nice leather recliner that a neighbor gave me that needs to come inside too.

--------------------------------------------------

For all that I've blessed, and all that I've wronged. In dreams until my death, I will wander on.

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Saturday, October 11, 2025 1:43 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Do you try different shoes to see if it would help, Brenda?

I swear by the memory foam Sketchers myself. My aunt is willing to spend quite a bit more and says that New Balance shoes are the best.

Made a world of difference for me when I was on my feet all day. Day and night. I used to just buy whatever was cheap and wear them until the treads were gone.

--------------------------------------------------

For all that I've blessed, and all that I've wronged. In dreams until my death, I will wander on.



No, I haven't and someone told me that a certain running shoe might be better for my feet. Now, I have to remember the brand.

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Saturday, October 11, 2025 1:44 PM

BRENDA


Sorry about your buddy's Uncle SIX, I hope can get better. Sounds like he is needed.

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Saturday, October 11, 2025 1:46 PM

BRENDA


Out on a soggy day. Couple of small things and someone has decided at 10am to start cooking onions. The smell is just terrible to me. Need fresh air. Later peeps.

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Saturday, October 11, 2025 5:12 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Do you try different shoes to see if it would help, Brenda?

I swear by the memory foam Sketchers myself. My aunt is willing to spend quite a bit more and says that New Balance shoes are the best.

Made a world of difference for me when I was on my feet all day. Day and night. I used to just buy whatever was cheap and wear them until the treads were gone.

--------------------------------------------------

For all that I've blessed, and all that I've wronged. In dreams until my death, I will wander on.



No, I haven't and someone told me that a certain running shoe might be better for my feet. Now, I have to remember the brand.



It sounds like almost anything else would be better for your feet. But do an assessment of your feet before buying. Do you feet hurt worst right after walking? Where? Do they only hurt sometimes, or with one pair of shoes?
OR do they hurt the most when you've been off your feet for a while and then really hurt when you FIRST put weight back on them, with the pain going away as you stand and walk?

Also, look at the outer soles of your shoes, which can be revealing. Are the outer soles worn thru? If the outer soles are holed, like mine were, there's no help but new shoes. Do they show the most wear on the heel, a little to the outside (normal heel strike)? Or are they worn out on the inside (over pronation) or differently on different feet?

Look at your feet. Do they show indentations from the tongue, or a seam? Or are they rubbed in a certain area? Possibly your shoes are too small, or your feet swell up some days.

If the outer soles are still good, and they have a normal wear pattern, and youve5ruled out shoes that are too small, maybe you just needing more cushioning. There are all kinds of shoe inserts that provide extra cushioning so maybe try those before springing for new shoes.

But if the outer soles are worn out on the INSIDE, that might show need for strong arch support. Again, all kinds of inserts.

The second case, pain when FIRST standing, is plantar fasciitis https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plantar-fasciitis/sympt
oms-causes/syc-20354846
which I also had. I tried everything the doctor suggested: ibuprofen. Heat. Cold. Stretching. The heel cup they gave me, but ultimately what worked was Dr Scholl's heel and arch insert, which really is a half insert (unlike most others). I have those in my slippers.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal."- Henry Kissinger

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Saturday, October 11, 2025 6:20 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Quote:

Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Do you try different shoes to see if it would help, Brenda?

I swear by the memory foam Sketchers myself. My aunt is willing to spend quite a bit more and says that New Balance shoes are the best.

Made a world of difference for me when I was on my feet all day. Day and night. I used to just buy whatever was cheap and wear them until the treads were gone.

--------------------------------------------------

For all that I've blessed, and all that I've wronged. In dreams until my death, I will wander on.



No, I haven't and someone told me that a certain running shoe might be better for my feet. Now, I have to remember the brand.



It sounds like almost anything else would be better for your feet. But do an assessment of your feet before buying. Do you feet hurt worst right after walking? Where? Do they only hurt sometimes, or with one pair of shoes?
OR do they hurt the most when you've been off your feet for a while and then really hurt when you FIRST put weight back on them, with the pain going away as you stand and walk?

Also, look at the outer soles of your shoes, which can be revealing. Are the outer soles worn thru? If the outer soles are holed, like mine were, there's no help but new shoes. Do they show the most wear on the heel, a little to the outside (normal heel strike)? Or are they worn out on the inside (over pronation) or differently on different feet?

Look at your feet. Do they show indentations from the tongue, or a seam? Or are they rubbed in a certain area? Possibly your shoes are too small, or your feet swell up some days.

If the outer soles are still good, and they have a normal wear pattern, and youve5ruled out shoes that are too small, maybe you just needing more cushioning. There are all kinds of shoe inserts that provide extra cushioning so maybe try those before springing for new shoes.

But if the outer soles are worn out on the INSIDE, that might show need for strong arch support. Again, all kinds of inserts.

The second case, pain when FIRST standing, is plantar fasciitis https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plantar-fasciitis/sympt
oms-causes/syc-20354846
which I also had. I tried everything the doctor suggested: ibuprofen. Heat. Cold. Stretching. The heel cup they gave me, but ultimately what worked was Dr Scholl's heel and arch insert, which really is a half insert (unlike most others). I have those in my slippers.

-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal."- Henry Kissinger



They hurt worse when I do a lot of walking or standing like at my job. Also stair climbing can be tough too. Usually it is the sole of my feet.

When I am off them for a while they are good and even standing again is fine and walking.

No holes anywhere that I can see or woren spots. These runners are a little over a year old or so.

My feet do swell which is why I wear compression stockings now.

When I buy shoes I usually buy them just a little bigger. But I do have flat feet and have known this for years. I also had inserts but they wore out and getting pair to fit my feet is hard.

But I did wander into a local shoe store and saw some sketchers memory foam shoes at a reasonable price.

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Saturday, October 11, 2025 6:21 PM

BRENDA


All done for today and it was soggy going out. Now the sun is coming out. Ugh!

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Saturday, October 11, 2025 9:16 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Crappy end to a real productive day...

Got my high gutter cleared out. There wasn't even much up there, but stupid branches from my neighbor's evil Elm tree was clogging everything up there. Good start.

Swapped out the hard gutter in the Stupid Corner for a long length of corrugated drain pipe that goes further away from the foundation than the hard gutter did and also allows me to pull it up on the rocks and out of the way easily for mowing. Another project complete.

Then I had a pretty bright idea for my cleanout problem on my newly resurfaced slab that I haven't mentioned before because it was an embarrassing mistake. I didn't mean to go as high up in the front as I did, and even though I used an empty Folgers can to keep the concrete away from the cleanout successfully, now I was left with a cleanout recessed 2" in a pit, now surrounded by concrete, which just barely peeked its head over the original slab. I was worrying for the last week about how I would protect it from filling up with water and icing up, which would ultimately bust out my new concrete. I settled on one of those carpet pet pads with a rubber bottom and that seemed to do the trick. But it's not a real solution.

My old man asked me if I could even open that cleanout anymore. I told him, "I don't know... I never opened it before. It was on there super tight and I'd never needed it before. Part of me was afraid to even open it up because I thought maybe that slab was built the right way originally and it sunk the wrong way over time, which would mean that my cleanout valve was all busted underneath. I've had enough bad experiences where I find out about a bigger problem when trying to solve a small problem already, and I just didn't want to open that thing up unless it was absolutely necessary. Ignorance is bliss...


I bit the bullet and opened it up... Even though the concrete around it was a little more than 2" higher than it was before, it was no problem getting my channel locks in there to open it. What do you know? No problems. So the slab didn't move. They're just idiots and they really did grade that slab 4" down into the foundation. Good to know....



But then I had the idea, why couldn't I add a male to female adapter/coupler so I could add a few more inches to the pipe and cap it off with the same cap that was in there?

They may make a Male to Female 4" connector, but my store didn't have one. But they did have a male screw-in adapter with a larger, smooth opposite opening and a female screw-in adapter with a smaller, smooth opposite opening, and those opposite openings fit so snugly inside each other you can't even pull them apart by hand after you jam it in there good. And since this is not a pressure situation like the supply line, and this is just a 4" wide PVC pipe going about 5-6 feet down into the drain pipe, there's nothing wrong with this.

So that worked. Now my cleanout valve is a few inches higher than my slab again. Got that in there and filled in the rest of the hole around it with the same stop-leak quick patch concrete I used to fix the edges of the slab. It's a 5 minute set, so you could basically walk on it in 20 minutes if you wanted to. Once that cures it will blend right in and nobody will know I did a stupid.



Now my day was looking great.


But while I was at the DIY store, somebody told me my tire was flat. Boy, he wasn't lying. I can't believe I didn't feel that on the way there. That's the lowest I'd ever had a tire that wasn't popped before.

So my buddy calls me up to tell me that he was able to finish that ramp for his uncle earlier than he thought he would and if I wanted to stop by tonight I could. Told him I needed to wrap up all my tools and inflate my tires and I'd be out there.

But I go to take the cap off the tire valve and it's on there GOOD. Not only that, but I'm hearing air slowly leaking out any time I tried to mess with it. I ended up getting some needle nose pliers to hold the rubber end in place while I twisted off the cap. Weird.

Then I start filling the tire and it's taking longer than it should. That's when I notice that the valve is leaking at about 1/3rd the pace I was filling the tire. Crap. So I screw on a bottle of Fix A Flat and give it some juice. I go to take the thing off and the entire valve comes out with it, and my tire goes from 20lbs to Zero in about 8 seconds, with Fix A Flat spraying all over me.

Look online to see if I can glue that thing back in or something and find a YouTube video explaining a process how to get the valve back in solid using Fix A Flat. BOY am I glad that didn't work out and didn't take long to figure out it wasn't going to work, or that was a disaster waiting to happen.

Once I did the "fix" I filled the tire up again. I didn't want to push it too far, so I put it at 32PSI. No problem taking the pump off and everything seems great. I literally kicked the tire quite a few times and nothing.

I put the valve cover back on and was ready to go. Had to do some more minor cleanup and a few checks to make sure everything was inside and locked up before I cleaned myself up to go to my friends and while I was looking right at it from across the garage, the valve shot out of the tire like a f*%#in' bullet and the tire immediately went flat again. I could have been on the expressway going 75mph while that happened.

Jesus Christ...

Doughnut is on there now, but it's too late to get a tire change today. Not even sure if my tire guy is even open tomorrow. I'm not going to drive across state on a doughnut just to hang out and watch a movie. I miss the full-sized spare I had in the last POS I owned.

My buddy doesn't like coming out here to hang out because he still likes his beers and doesn't want to drive, so no plans tonight. Oh well... I'm the one that moved out of town. Most of our mutual friends still live out by him. Bummer.

At least we both got our projects done today.





Oh... and I did get a chance to use that hydraulic floor jack he gave me years ago when we were cleaning out the hoard. It didn't have a handle, but I have stuff like that around here and I couldn't believe my eyes when that thing was already lifting my car after just four quick and easy pumps. I'd never used one before, and this thing looked like it was 30 or 40 years old by now, so I didn't know what to expect.

That thing is coming with me EVERYWHERE from now on. Those stupid scissor jacks are for stupid and/or poor people. Just like I said about rakes after I got my first good leaf blower after 20 years of raking leaves.



--------------------------------------------------

For all that I've blessed, and all that I've wronged. In dreams until my death, I will wander on.

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Sunday, October 12, 2025 1:45 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


You got minorly unlucky but MAJORLY lucky on fwy!

Glad you made it home, SIX!



-----------
"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal."- Henry Kissinger

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