Aye...Cast Off The Bow And Stern Lines...Rudder To Starboard...
We're excited to be heading back home this morning to the Family Farm in lower Alabama again after a couple of months of business related delays beginning in August.
I hate not being able to get down there more often than every four to six months these days, but since moving nearly eight hours away to the Georgia Coast in 2003 and then here to Knoxtown in 2008, we just can't seem to cover the distance more frequently for an infinite variety of reasons.
So any way, we have about ten thousand pounds of stuff stacked up on the carport and beside the kitchen door ready to be loaded later this morning and I hope to be able to lay my head down and catch a few hours sleep in the mean time but my mind has been racing trying to get everything together so if some business call comes I have the stuff to take care of providing answers without delay.
The Turbo Pup's lockers and Sea Chests are all packed up and she's ready to get out of the car on the other end of the journey and be able to swim in the pool and run around the 5 acre lake chasing whatever pops up in the grass in front of her during her mad rambling adventures.
Of course we have to keep a close eye on her because we have Bobcats and Coyotes and even some Black Bears and the Florida Panther to deal with and her little 11 pound frame isn't a match for those adversaries in spite of her spirit.
I have fishing poles and tackle to load in the car and a half dozen guns and some inventoried boxes of ammunition waiting for me on the other end of the journey and of course I'm dragging my camera and my old HP laptop computer so blogging will be whatever it will be for the next seven to ten days.
Feel free to entertain yourselves and stop back by to see what interesting stuff me and the Turbo Pup get into.
Regards Y'all...
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Friday, October 08, 2010
Getting Ready To Go
Travel Preparations...
Normal people, when faced with staying over a week at a location with a lake and swimming pool, typically worry about stuff like packing bathing suits and fishing gear and stuff like that, you know?
Not me.
Since I'm the chef and the mechanic and the chief cook and bottle washer at the place...trying to handle the tasks long distance...I have to sit around this morning worrying about the list of tools I'll stuff in the trunk in anticipation of fixing all of the stuff that has broken since my last visit early in the summer.
That said, guess I'll get back to my list making.
Regards Y'all...
Normal people, when faced with staying over a week at a location with a lake and swimming pool, typically worry about stuff like packing bathing suits and fishing gear and stuff like that, you know?
Not me.
Since I'm the chef and the mechanic and the chief cook and bottle washer at the place...trying to handle the tasks long distance...I have to sit around this morning worrying about the list of tools I'll stuff in the trunk in anticipation of fixing all of the stuff that has broken since my last visit early in the summer.
That said, guess I'll get back to my list making.
Regards Y'all...
Thursday, October 07, 2010
She's Singin' 'Bout Me?
"Virgil Cain Is My Name"...
"Virgil Caine is the name, and I served on the Danville train,
'Til Stoneman's cavalry came and tore up the tracks again.
In the winter of '65, We were hungry, just barely alive.
By May the tenth, Richmond had fell, it's a time I remember, oh so well,
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and the bells were ringing,
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and the people were singin'....
They went La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La,
Back with my wife in Tennessee, When one day she called to me,
"Virgil, quick, come see, there goes Robert E. Lee!"
Now I don't mind choppin' wood, and I don't care if the money's no good.
Ya take what ya need and ya leave the rest,
But they should never have taken the very best.
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and the bells were ringing,
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and the people were singin'....
Like my father before me, I will work the land,
Like my brother above me, who took a rebel stand.
He was just eighteen, proud and brave, But a Yankee laid him in his grave,
I swear by the mud below my feet,
You can't raise a Caine back up when he's in defeat.
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and the bells were ringing,
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and the people were singin'....
Now I have to say this about that song and it's real meaning from the days of the not so "civil" war.
All of the compassionate liberal humanitarian assholes living today would be appalled by the treatment the Union soldiers purveyed upon the people living at the time south of the Mason Dixon line in the name of preserving the so-called "United States of 'Merica."
And if I said any more I would offend 75% of my readers based on the language I would have to use to implicitly explain my position on the actions both then and last week and yesterday by the "progressives"...
...so I believe that I'll just go out and put on a jacket, and take my harps and a cigar to the front porch and sit and contemplate my existence in the cool crisp evening.
And be silent for the time being.
Regards Y'all...
"Virgil Caine is the name, and I served on the Danville train,
'Til Stoneman's cavalry came and tore up the tracks again.
In the winter of '65, We were hungry, just barely alive.
By May the tenth, Richmond had fell, it's a time I remember, oh so well,
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and the bells were ringing,
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and the people were singin'....
They went La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La,
Back with my wife in Tennessee, When one day she called to me,
"Virgil, quick, come see, there goes Robert E. Lee!"
Now I don't mind choppin' wood, and I don't care if the money's no good.
Ya take what ya need and ya leave the rest,
But they should never have taken the very best.
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and the bells were ringing,
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and the people were singin'....
Like my father before me, I will work the land,
Like my brother above me, who took a rebel stand.
He was just eighteen, proud and brave, But a Yankee laid him in his grave,
I swear by the mud below my feet,
You can't raise a Caine back up when he's in defeat.
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and the bells were ringing,
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and the people were singin'....
Now I have to say this about that song and it's real meaning from the days of the not so "civil" war.
All of the compassionate liberal humanitarian assholes living today would be appalled by the treatment the Union soldiers purveyed upon the people living at the time south of the Mason Dixon line in the name of preserving the so-called "United States of 'Merica."
And if I said any more I would offend 75% of my readers based on the language I would have to use to implicitly explain my position on the actions both then and last week and yesterday by the "progressives"...
...so I believe that I'll just go out and put on a jacket, and take my harps and a cigar to the front porch and sit and contemplate my existence in the cool crisp evening.
And be silent for the time being.
Regards Y'all...
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Strange Harmonica Players
Anyone Know Who This Guy Is?
(My buddy Ferdy edited 5 cameras worth of video from the club and tossed this up on the WWW without my knowledge until tonight. It's not exactly my best vocal effort on the song because it was filmed about 2 AM on a Saturday Morning and then posted on the Internet a few months ago without my knowledge after having a LARGE TIME during an evening of Summer Time mirth and merriment...)
(My buddy Ferdy edited 5 cameras worth of video from the club and tossed this up on the WWW without my knowledge until tonight. It's not exactly my best vocal effort on the song because it was filmed about 2 AM on a Saturday Morning and then posted on the Internet a few months ago without my knowledge after having a LARGE TIME during an evening of Summer Time mirth and merriment...)
Taking Names & Kicking Butt
Random Business Ramblings...
Since Incorporating PET last October and going into business I've found that one of the coolest things about our geographic location here at the West Knoxtown Turbopup Compound is the amazingly close proximity of vendors and services critical to the support of my efforts.
For instance, the guy who is the sales rep for half of the electronic components I use including my PLC's has an office and home within about five miles of my location, and three other vendors are only twenty minutes away if I don't want to wait on FedEX to deliver stuff.
And speaking of FedEX, they have a 24 hour copy/shipping center about 3/4's of a mile from my house and as of this afternoon I'll have been there every one of the past four business days...and by Friday, assuming things go as planned, it will be five out of six business days making shipments.
Like I said in an earlier posting here...THAT'S SOME PROGRESS.
In any business it's not the number of packages coming IN the door, it's the number of boxes full of foam peanuts and bubble wrapped stuff going OUT that determines the amount of money that comes in through the mail box each month...
...and things have been rather clogged up around here for the last half of August and most of September because I couldn't seem to get everyone on the same page on specifications and delivery.
You can't imagine how relieved I am to have broken that log jam this week.
Another interesting advantage we enjoy here in Knoxtown, because of our proximity to the FedEX hub in Memphis, is that we have the ability to ship to and from places like Kansas City, Kansas and Atlanta, Georgia paying FedEX ground rates and getting TWO DAY service in the process. Overnight shipment rates are three or four times more expensive than ground.
Heck, stuff gets here from one of my Atlanta vendors overnight half the time if I place the order before noon.
So any way, I've got another long couple of days ahead of me finishing out this week before heading down to Alabama for ten days or so.
Thus blogging will be hit or miss, but then again if something STUPID happens here at home or in the rest of the world I reserve the right to chime in with some commentary.
Until then...Regards Y'all...
Since Incorporating PET last October and going into business I've found that one of the coolest things about our geographic location here at the West Knoxtown Turbopup Compound is the amazingly close proximity of vendors and services critical to the support of my efforts.
For instance, the guy who is the sales rep for half of the electronic components I use including my PLC's has an office and home within about five miles of my location, and three other vendors are only twenty minutes away if I don't want to wait on FedEX to deliver stuff.
And speaking of FedEX, they have a 24 hour copy/shipping center about 3/4's of a mile from my house and as of this afternoon I'll have been there every one of the past four business days...and by Friday, assuming things go as planned, it will be five out of six business days making shipments.
Like I said in an earlier posting here...THAT'S SOME PROGRESS.
In any business it's not the number of packages coming IN the door, it's the number of boxes full of foam peanuts and bubble wrapped stuff going OUT that determines the amount of money that comes in through the mail box each month...
...and things have been rather clogged up around here for the last half of August and most of September because I couldn't seem to get everyone on the same page on specifications and delivery.
You can't imagine how relieved I am to have broken that log jam this week.
Another interesting advantage we enjoy here in Knoxtown, because of our proximity to the FedEX hub in Memphis, is that we have the ability to ship to and from places like Kansas City, Kansas and Atlanta, Georgia paying FedEX ground rates and getting TWO DAY service in the process. Overnight shipment rates are three or four times more expensive than ground.
Heck, stuff gets here from one of my Atlanta vendors overnight half the time if I place the order before noon.
So any way, I've got another long couple of days ahead of me finishing out this week before heading down to Alabama for ten days or so.
Thus blogging will be hit or miss, but then again if something STUPID happens here at home or in the rest of the world I reserve the right to chime in with some commentary.
Until then...Regards Y'all...
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Progress
Attitude Improving Marginally?
I'm pleased to report that there's a slight glimmer of hope that this will be the most productive week around here at the International Headquarters of PET in over a month.
Good thing, because I'm seriously behind in a number of areas through no fault of my own.
I managed to get three pneumatic valves with master rebuilds out the door last Friday and three more out yesterday, and FINALLY I'm getting my programmer's attention again and he's stopping by about 9 this morning.
Hopefully we can get the bugs worked out of the code for the rebuilt Baltimore PLC and get it shipped out Wednesday, and then with any luck I'll get a couple more valves rebuilt by Friday so I can leave town and head down to the Farm in Alabama for a week.
Time to get back in the shop I guess and get ready for the day.
Wish us luck, and regards Y'all.
I'm pleased to report that there's a slight glimmer of hope that this will be the most productive week around here at the International Headquarters of PET in over a month.
Good thing, because I'm seriously behind in a number of areas through no fault of my own.
I managed to get three pneumatic valves with master rebuilds out the door last Friday and three more out yesterday, and FINALLY I'm getting my programmer's attention again and he's stopping by about 9 this morning.
Hopefully we can get the bugs worked out of the code for the rebuilt Baltimore PLC and get it shipped out Wednesday, and then with any luck I'll get a couple more valves rebuilt by Friday so I can leave town and head down to the Farm in Alabama for a week.
Time to get back in the shop I guess and get ready for the day.
Wish us luck, and regards Y'all.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
I'm Ready To Fire Everybody And Leave Town
The Fruits Of Ineptitude...
I swear to God, Ladies and Gentlemen, but virtually EVERY SINGLE VENDOR I have working for me has either lost their minds else they have gotten together and signed a pact or pledge saying they were going to screw up my product delivery schedule by every possible method.
And I'm not aware that I have done anything close to a level of deserving this kind of treatment mind you.
I pay their (my vendors/creditors) invoices on time, in full.
I generally allow for reasonable delivery schedules and I pay the asking price for the products without too much haggling.
So they must just want to go out of their way to torture me...
...so they can watch me have shivering, angry fits causing my blood pressure to rise, veins to pop out of my neck and forehead, and what's left of the hair on my ever greying, ever balding head to fall down to the ground.
Seriously...
Twenty years ago there would be a half dozen people in cities as remote as Michigan and as close as Nashville that would have been cursed out on the telephone or possibly in person as a result of the stupidity and mistakes I've had to endure in the past couple of months.
But I've gotten mellow in my older age and elect to hold my tongue more often these days.
It's unbelievable to me that in an economic climate where so many people are out of work that the people that still have jobs can perform their functions in such a feckless and obtuse manner.
You know?
I'd like to put into place some sort of system where customers could hit a button and cause the moron on the other end of the telephone to be ejected from their chair and out of the building and some other poor yet competent slob (or slobbette) would magically appear in their position...pajamas and house slippers and all.
That would make a great TV commercial...sort of like the Staples "Easy Button"...
ONLY BETTER AND MORE SATISFYING.
Now where did I put my really BIG hammer...
I swear to God, Ladies and Gentlemen, but virtually EVERY SINGLE VENDOR I have working for me has either lost their minds else they have gotten together and signed a pact or pledge saying they were going to screw up my product delivery schedule by every possible method.
And I'm not aware that I have done anything close to a level of deserving this kind of treatment mind you.
I pay their (my vendors/creditors) invoices on time, in full.
I generally allow for reasonable delivery schedules and I pay the asking price for the products without too much haggling.
So they must just want to go out of their way to torture me...
...so they can watch me have shivering, angry fits causing my blood pressure to rise, veins to pop out of my neck and forehead, and what's left of the hair on my ever greying, ever balding head to fall down to the ground.
Seriously...
Twenty years ago there would be a half dozen people in cities as remote as Michigan and as close as Nashville that would have been cursed out on the telephone or possibly in person as a result of the stupidity and mistakes I've had to endure in the past couple of months.
But I've gotten mellow in my older age and elect to hold my tongue more often these days.
It's unbelievable to me that in an economic climate where so many people are out of work that the people that still have jobs can perform their functions in such a feckless and obtuse manner.
You know?
I'd like to put into place some sort of system where customers could hit a button and cause the moron on the other end of the telephone to be ejected from their chair and out of the building and some other poor yet competent slob (or slobbette) would magically appear in their position...pajamas and house slippers and all.
That would make a great TV commercial...sort of like the Staples "Easy Button"...
ONLY BETTER AND MORE SATISFYING.
Now where did I put my really BIG hammer...
