Month: November 2019

OK. Yeah, I’m sure most of you were expecting a roster of all the things I’m thankful for this time of year. If you want that, go to Facebook.

Here, I am going to rant about all the incongruous, weird and stupid stuff I learned on the news this week. Yes, some of it could be fake.

1. PETA asks for ban on the University of Georgia’s use of bulldog mascot. Apparently, putting the poor little thing in a red sweater is inhumane. Nevermind the poor cheerleaders freezing their asses off in tiny skirts.
2. From 2000 – 2017 U.S. gym memberships nearly doubled from 32 to 60 million. During the same period, obesity rates jumped from 30 – 38%.
3. The current national debt sits at $22 trillion. In $100 bills, that would weigh 242,000 tons, 2/3 the weight of the Empire State Building. At it’s current rate, the deficit will be $28 trillion by 2025, enough to cover the states of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia in $1 bills.
4. A married couple in the U.S. has decided not to have a child, deciding that would be the best possible thing they could do to reduce their carbon footprint and help save the planet. I get not having kids these days because the world has become a scary place, but that explanation for remaining childless is ludicrous. Their unborn progeny could produce the next Einstein, who could help devise a solution to global warming. Instead, this couple have chosen to not contribute to the problem rather than to its remedy. Sounds like a cop out.
5. In a related story, U.S. birthrates are at their lowest level in over three decades. The U.S. birthrate has been below “replacement” levels since 1971. Doesn’t seem to be saving the planet one bit.
6. In 2015, 26% of Japanese men between the ages of 18 – 39 were reported as virgins. Again, the planet suffers.
7. Meanwhile the global sex toy market has grown from $25 billion in 2015 to (projected) nearly $30 billion in 2020. Judging from #’s 5 & 6 (above), I would guess these toys are being enjoyed solo. Battery production and improper disposal contribute to greenhouse gases, global warming and water pollution.

So on a lighter note, my trim is progressing nicely.

Can’t wait to get off grid. Based upon the above news fodder, I’m rethinking my interest in having Internet access there.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Before last month’s fire I received a random note in the mailbox of the property where I keep Sparta. Some guy had spotted my trailers from a nearby ridge while hiking and asked if he could come by and photograph them. Apparently, he was involved in a photo-study of vintage trailers and needed more material. My reward for letting him come by and take a few pics would be prints. Sounded good to me, so after the chaos of the fires had passed we arranged a meet and he spent an hour snapping away.

Heavy on special effects but pretty cool nonetheless. And look, no staples.

To continue my riveting discourse on trim, the bundle of birch cove ceiling trim has arrived and I am pleased to report it will work perfectly. Already I have conditioned, stained and polyed it and the hue is much better than the pine experiment. Sorry pine, you’re just a little too soft and pale for Spartans.

Back to work without the fear and distraction of Sparta going up in flames. I continue to work on trim. With the input of my Spartan-crazed friends on Facebook (yes, there are several groups devoted to the restoration of and affection for Spartan trailer homes), I have determined that I need cove trim for the ceiling perimeter. I could not find 3/4″ cove trim in birch so I tried a piece of pine. As you can see from the picture below, pine ends up too light even after repeated staining.

Fortunately, I found a bundle of 17 count, 95″ unfinished birch strips online. They will arrive in a week.

Another small task recently behind me is cutting out slightly larger holes for Sparta’s tail-lights. They were not fitting flush. My little Dremel with a cutting blade worked great!