JULY 2024
Wednesday 2024.7.31
The Tomato Chronicles
As planned, and as hoped, I finally harvested my first tomato by my birthday this summer. Actually, I got three.
There were two small ripe ones on the Big Beef plant and one on the Early Girl plant. The Celebrity plant is doing the best, with many green tomatoes on the vine. That plant is a determinate. It will live for only one season. The other two are indeterminate. They last from season to season.
The vines look pathetic. They are barely a foot tall. Last summer my plants were already six feet tall by the beginning of July and there were at least a dozen green tomatoes.
I'll experiment through the winter. I will uproot the Celebrity at the end of the season and keep the other two plants watered and fed. Maybe by early spring the plants will be ready to grow again and maybe this time I'll get the development I want. If they don't survive the winter, I'll buy new plants and potting mix in February.
Birthday
My birthday on Sunday was relatively uneventful. My twin brother and I exchanged Happy Birthday emails as we typically do. We write at other times too, but always on our birthday.
As planned, lunch was grilled chicken and a big helping of mixed vegetables — healthy and delicious.
Blood Glucose
Crazy low blood glucose level yesterday morning. 5.3 mmol/L. 5.5 is ideal. I don't know what I did right the day before. Maybe it was just an anomaly, a misreading on the part of the meter. I decided I should probably keep a food diary. I haven't because I really don't want to be faced with some of my eating misdeeds.
Monday evening I heated some of my Real Texas Chili. The chili is okay, but I served it over rice, which is high in carbohydrates. But, even with the rice, the morning glucose test was amazingly good. As I've often said, one result isn't a trend.
This morning it was a much more normal (for me) 7.9 mmol/L — elevated, but not dangerously so.
No Games Today
I am going to be serious today. No mini golf. No pool. Tomorrow I go to the DMV to take a written driver's test and eye test. It's the law in California. Everyone 70 years or older (I'm 73) has to go in for testing.
I know my eyes are fine. Last month they were tested by an optometrist. She said I could continue to wear the same eye glasses. There was only a little change. It's the written test that makes me nervous.
I've been studying for my test — not everyday, but often. I have more than 100 flash cards, and there is a flash card web site. Today I'll go through the flash cards again. Any that I fail to get right the first time will be practiced again and again until I have them memorized.
In Sunday's blog post I'll let you know if I kept or lost my driver's license.
Sunday 2024.7.28
Birthday
Today is my birthday. 73 years old. If someone had told me 30 years ago I would live to be this age, I would have been skeptical. But here I am.
My health, given my age, is very good. Yes, I have my issues — high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, etc. — but compared to a few others I know, who are younger, I am doing better than they are. So, I'm grateful.
Birthday Present
I unexpectedly bought myself a birthday present this year. I normally never let a door-to-door salesman sell me anything. Thursday afternoon a Kirby vacuum cleaner salesman knocked on my door. I let him in my house only because he said he'd vacuum my living room rug for free. Sure. Why not? I'm used to getting free stuff.
First, he asked me to use my own vacuum cleaner to vacuum the rug. No problem. Then he used his Kirby. He had a demonstration attachment that used filter discs. I was shocked by the dust and dirt that came out of my living room carpet AFTER I had vacuumed.
I was convinced I needed a better vacuum cleaner. If you are thinking of getting a new vacuum cleaner, look at the Kirby. It really is an excellent machine. Expensive, yes, but you get what you pay for. As the saying goes, "Buy cheap, buy twice." And, by the way, I get nothing for this endorsement.
With trade-ins and discounts (senior, single income, etc.) the bottom line price was $2,500. I don't know that it was the best deal. Similar Kirby models sell for a lot less on Amazon. I like this model because it has an all-metal case. If I had shopped around I might have gotten it at a lower price, but I am satisfied with my purchase. From doing some research online, it seems the price is fair for his high-end model.
I can rationalize the cost two ways. Looking at how much money I've saved by getting items from Amazon Vine (about 80% below retail), I more than paid for this vacuum cleaner with my savings. Or, I can say I spent all the revenue I'll earn from YouTube this year and maybe break even by the end of the year.
And one person stated it rather well. Feeling more healthy because of less dust and pollen in my home is worth the expense.
Vine Voices
I always feel I need to explain how the Amazon Vine Voices program works. The items I request are sent to me free of charge. No shipping charges, no sales tax. My only obligation is to write a review. However, at the end of the year the value of the items is reported to the IRS as taxable income. That's how I figure I'm getting these items at 80%, maybe more, below retail. Rather than paying the full price, I am only paying the income tax, and I pay no sales tax.
The Tomato Chronicles
I haven't blogged about my tomato plants lately. There hasn't been much to say. They are still alive, but compared to last summer, they are small — no branches are long enough yet to secure to the tomato cage. It's a little amusing. I have this cage that will support tomato plants more than six feet tall. My plants are barely a foot tall, and it's almost August.
There is one tomato that is almost ripe for harvest. Others are on their way. The plan was to pick the ripe tomato on my birthday, which is today.
I still don't know what I did wrong this year. Next year I'll start earlier, like in February, and I'll buy only two plants, likely the Early Girl variety again. They did super well last year.
My Kitchen Vlog
Yesterday evening I videoed another Kitchen Vlog. It has been months since my last one, which I think was back in March. I didn't go into politics, but I'll probably do a political vlog soon. This one was about my birthday.
In the vlog I briefly mentioned my father's passing — killed by a drunk driver. It wasn't devastating. My mother passed first. That was sudden and tragic. She was telling my father she thought she might go for a walk along Napatree Point (they lived in Westerly, R.I.). She took one breath, more of a gasp, and was gone. A massive heart attack. After her death Dad talked a lot about wanting to die too. He wanted his ashes placed in the same urn as hers. He had an inoperable brain tumor that would eventually put him permanently in bed. So, in a sense, the drunk driver did him a favor.
I have nothing special planned for today. I'll probably grill some chicken for lunch and eat it with a large portion of steamed vegetables.
Wednesday 2024.7.24
He's Out
You would need to be new to Planet Earth not to know that Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race. I was glued to the TV all Sunday afternoon as the news covered the event.
How do I feel about it? My core feeling is that Biden's decision was good for the nation. Trump's reputation should easily be enough to disqualify him. I often wonder why so many people are willing to overlook his crimes, sexual abuse of women and dishonesty. He's a prosecuted felon. He admitted he wants to rule like a dictator. He said his first act as president would be to seek revenge against his perceived enemies.
The coming weeks and months will be informative about Kamala Harris and the person she picks as her running mate. Initially, I had decided not to vote this November because I didn't like either candidate, and I don't like the idea of wasting a vote on a candidate that cannot win, such as a third-party candidate. Now, I'm feeling I might vote for Harris. A lot will depend on the campaign during the next several weeks.
Yesterday there was much talk on TV about the groundswell of support for Harris among those holding political office and among the population. My belief at the moment is that her sudden popularity comes not so much from Kamala's popularity among the people, but as a great sigh of relief that now there are good prospects for keeping Trump out of the White House next year.
Certainly, there will be negative comments about her. Some are already labeling her as a D.E.I. (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) candidate. I'm offended by that. It seems to be a little more acceptable term than the n-word. Those politicians should be ashamed of themselves for using it. They're calling her an n-word candidate, and that's repulsive.
I've heard some Republicans speak on TV, some of whom used the D.E.I. insult. I can't help but think they sounded angry that Biden withdrew, like they were confident of an easy victory in November, taking the White House and gaining control of both chambers of Congress. With Biden out, they lost their best target and an easy victory. Harris will be a more difficult opponent, and thus many of them are resorting to ethnic and gender slurs. They're angry.
There is another reason for the anger. After a convention the nominee enjoys a bump in popularity, often called a honeymoon. Trump's, and therefore the GOP's, honeymoon was cut short when Kamala's popularity shot upward after Biden withdrew and endorsed her. It ruined their celebration.
Yesterday's news was full of more bad news for the Trump campaign. Some on TV were saying he is already dissatisfied with J.D.Vance. One reporter said Trump is now using the nickname Just Dull Vance. Another reporter said Trump would dump Vance in the next few weeks. His loyalty to his minions never lasts very long.
Yesterday it was announced Elon Musk is withdrawing his promise to give the Trump campaign $45 million monthly, saying something like: He didn't mean what people think he meant when he said what he said. In Kamala Harris's first campaign speech she said Trump promised to lower the taxes for the wealthy and the big corporations. It's not a surprise that Musk would stop sending money to Trump.
That's enough of the politics for one blog post. I feel like I could go on and on. The news is filled with information. It should be an interesting, if not entertaining, campaign season.
Thankful
There was a little something to be thankful for this past week. One of my prescription medications, for blood pressure, was refilled. It was free to me, paid for by my insurance. Retail cost at the Costco pharmacy would have been $52.92.
Vine
I am now requesting very few items from the Amazon Vine Voices program. The goal is to review 80 items and 90% of the items received by the end of October. I've already reviewed 71 and I am currently at 95% as I wait for a few more items to be delivered. Now I look only for disposable items, like paper towels and nitrile examination gloves.
Of course, if I see something really worth having, such as the portable grill I use a lot, it might be worth requesting it.
The issue is taxes. The value of vine items is reported to the IRS as taxable income. That increases the tax I pay. I don't mind if I am getting really useful items. The way I figure it, I am getting items at nearly 80% below retail. Why not get them?
One recent example is a Chinese cleaver. I watched an America's Test Kitchen review on cleavers. A piece of information I really appreciated was that the cleaver is the only knife Chinese chefs use. They use it for everything. I have been trying to use mine more and more. I have several knives, but I am beginning to believe I really only need one.
And in connection with knives, I just received a rolling knife sharpener. It's a unique little object. Basically, there is a magnetic block that holds a knife at either a 15° or 20° angle. A drum with a sharpening disc is rolled along the side of the knife to sharpen the cutting edge. It works well and it takes away the guesswork of holding a knife at the best angle when using a flat diamond hone.
The sharpener is too small to hone the cutting edge of the Chinese cleaver mentioned above. However, by using it on two wood slats I can raise it up to sharpen the cleaver.
Finally
Sunday is my birthday. 73 years old. Who would have thought?
Sunday 2024.7.21
Still Grilling
I am getting a lot of use out of that portable barbecue grill I got from Vine. Simple foods are best. A little grilled chicken. Lots of steamed vegetables. That was my dinner twice this past week.
Today being Sunday, I'll bake another frozen pizza this evening.
Meanwhile, I continue to make charcoal starters from cardboard tubes, shredded paper and paraffin wax. It's something to do. I'm retired. I can play mini golf or billiards on my VR headset, which is fun, but sometimes I need to feel a little productive.
I've been using blocks of paraffin, shredding them with a cheese grater. This week I ordered some paraffin granules from Amazon. Although the task of making charcoal starters is not difficult, the granules will be even easier.
Polls
I used to pay attention to polls. They've come into the lime light again recently because there is confusion about how the public feels about Biden's re-election prospects.
I remember 2016 well. Nearly all the polls were saying Hillary Clinton would defeat Donald Trump in the election. I watched the election night returns on MSNBC. Rachel Maddow was ebullient (I like that word) because she loves elections. "Democracy at work." Then, as the numbers started to clarify, the enthusiasm changed to perplexity and then to despair. Hillary had lost. The polls had been wrong.
After the 2016 election some pollsters looked at their calculations to see what went wrong. Many changed their algorithms. But here's the thing: Polls are created by people. People make mistakes. Look at Friday's CloudStrike software "update" that brought down millions of computers. Microsoft estimated 8½ million devices were affected worldwide.
Biden isn't putting much faith in the current polls. I wouldn't either. However, the election is too close to call right now. If Kamala Harris has a better probability of winning in November, I would think Biden would withdraw. The Presidency is about the nation rather than anyone's legacy or personal ambition.
Electricity
Yesterday the power went off several times during the day and evening. I checked for local fires where the high voltage lines are up in the mountains. None. Maybe the outages were caused by some remnants of the CloudStrike failure on Friday. Perhaps the computers at the power station are still recovering.
Although my Meta Quest 3 VR headset is battery powered, it needs a wi-fi connection to the internet to play some games. I was able to finish a game of pool, but I couldn't start another one until after the electricity came on and the modem booted.
Short Addendum
I just heard Biden withdrew from the race and he is endorsing Kamala Harris. I think that was the right thing for him to do. I'll have more to say in Wednesday's blog post.
Wednesday 2024.7.17
Experiment
I have two friends who know how to cook, and they're good cooks. When we talk about food we inspire each other. I got an idea.
In Sunday's blog post I mentioned Egg Rolls. I usually wrap the raw ingredients in an egg roll wrapper and then cook them, two at a time. For convenience, I've been wrapping the raw egg rolls and freezing them to cook later. I've been doing it that way since my college days.
What if I were to cook the ingredients in advance, roll them up, and then deep fry them just enough to brown the casing on the outside? Let them cool and then wrap them for freezing? Wouldn't they be a lot easier to heat and serve? I wouldn't need to reheat them in oil. I could use the microwave; although, doing that would make them less crispy. However, it's simplicity I seek, not three Michelin stars.
I experimented on Monday because I had some egg roll wrappers left over and I wanted to use them up before they went moldy. The process went well. And there was an additional advantage.
When I deep fry raw egg rolls, the oil gets a lot of stuff in it, mostly from the sauces (soy sauce and fish sauce), I think. The particles might come from the raw meat juices. I don't really know. When I cooked the filling ingredients in advance, the egg roll oil was clean. The bottom line, however, was the convenience. And they were just as delicious. This new method is so much easier, I will probably never cook egg rolls any other way from now on.
There might be a serious down side, however. When I checked my blood sugar yesterday morning it was higher than I've seen it since March. I checked the Nutritional Facts label on the package of egg roll wrappers. Per wrapper, there are only 15g of carbohydrates and 0g total sugars. I usually eat two egg rolls at a time. Considering the filling is mostly vegetables — celery, green onions and bean sprouts, all of which are very low in carbs — egg rolls seem like a good option.
Naturally, I did some research. According to the CDC, they recommend men living with diabetes limit their carbohydrates to 45 to 75g each meal. A chicken egg roll has 23g carbs. Two, at 46g total, would be at the bottom of the recommended limit. Therefore, I'm going to consider this treat as a healthy option for a low-carb diet.
Obviously, one blood glucose reading is not a trend; so, I'll continue to monitor it. Meanwhile, I really like the ease and convenience of having these egg rolls in the freezer. And, they're fun to make and eat.
The Republican National Convention
The Republican Convention is currently in session in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Although I should be paying attention, I only pick up a few bits of information from the news. Speakers tell the audience what they want to hear. Often it's lies. "Americans are being killed by illegal immigrants allowed into this country by Democrats." Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shot at Donald Trump, wasn't an illegal immigrant.
The Democratic Convention will be no different. I can't watch. I'll be paying attention in November when voters cast their ballots. And if Trump doesn't win in November, I'll be watching to see if he and his grandees claim the election was stolen. Will there be dozens of court cases and recounts?
Sunday 2024.7.14
Trump
The big news yesterday, of course, was the shooting of Donald Trump, which, by the end of the day, they were calling an assassination attempt. As shocking as the news was, I can't say it should have been totally unexpected. The USA is awash in guns. There is practically a civil war between the extremists in both parties. Most of the nation, thankfully, is populated by peace-loving people, but there is more than a little hatred out there.
Like many, I was glued to the news. Two ideas kept coming up in my mind. 1) Was he injured enough to cause him to drop out of the race? And, 2) would some Democrats say he was no longer of sound mind, even if he was? During the evening it was revealed his injury was limited to his ear. No doubt he will undergo extensive evaluation to make sure nothing was missed in the initial examination, but he appears to be fine.
During the next few weeks more information will be released to the public. It's too early to know what the long-term effects might be for the nation. Will this expand his base? How might that affect the election in November? It will be interesting to see how things develop.
Knives
I have a few really nice knives I've kept tucked away safely because I had no place to put them where they would be within convenient reach. My wooden knife block is already full. The knives came from Vine and although I already have some good quality ones, I couldn't resist requesting more.
Vine made a magnetic knife holder available and I saw the possibilities. It took a while to properly mount it. (Alien tape wouldn't hold — I tried that.) I knew I needed "pan head" screws. So, on a recent shopping trip I stepped into Home Depot and got what I needed. My new knives are now conveniently arranged on the wall.
One friend who regularly reads my blog thought the blades should all face in the same direction. I agree, but for this photo I wanted all the labels to show.
Egg Rolls
The same friend who reads this blog gave me an idea. But first, a back story:
Those of you who have been in college know how short money can be at times. One inexpensive food I often ate was egg rolls. I would make a lot of them, wrap them individually in foil and freeze them. A meal was as simple as heating some oil and frying them. One friend, Ward, would sometimes call me, saying he was out of money and food, and could he come over for egg rolls. I sometimes wondered if the money situation was true, or if he simply wanted to enjoy my cooking. I fed him anyway.
And here's another story:
Back then I was kind of into the Eastern philosophies thing. I read some books by Ram Dass. I often consulted the I Ching. One day I was making egg rolls and I ran out of wrappers part way through the process. I had plenty of filling. In the drawer where I kept my laundry money there was one quarter and one dime. Back then, a package of wrappers cost $1.33. I searched my clothes for money and found none. I asked the universe to loan me a dollar. A little voice in my head said to take the 35¢ and walk to the store; I'd find the money along the way. Sure enough, on my way to the store I found a dollar bill on the side of the road. A few weeks later when I had some cash I went by that location again and dropped a dollar in the gutter, paying my debt to the universe.
Yesterday I made egg rolls again. I used the recipe on this web site. It's the one I used in college. There is also a video on YouTube.
It was fun making them again. They brought back a lot of enjoyable memories.
More Politics
Should Biden bow out of the presidential race? Yes, but he should have done it last summer. It would have been the noble thing to do and a good addition to his legacy. Now he needs to bow out for two reasons: one noble and one selfish.
He could say he recognizes his remaining in the race risks the danger of Trump winning, which would be too damaging to our democracy. Secondly, he could say in secret only among his most trustworty advisors and friends, he is leaving the race because he doesn't want to be blamed if Trump wins, which would be devastating to his legacy.
If Trump does win in November, I have no doubt future history books will say he won because Biden was too stubborn and prideful to exit the race in favor of a younger candidate.
Inflation
Finally, inflation appears to be coming down a little. I bought a box of 60 eggs at Costco. The price was $11.99. That's about 20¢ per egg. I remember them costing a lot less, but this price was lower than I expected.
And another thing: I was also expecting some shrinkflation. I would have been disappointed, but not surprised, if the box had been reduced to 40 eggs. That will probably be coming soon.
On the positive side: No plastic. The eggs are now packaged in 100% recyclable materials.
Wednesday 2024.7.10
Grilling
With slightly cooler weather on Monday, I was able to test the electric charcoal briquette starter I mentioned in Sunday's blog post. It worked okay. The heated coil is only about 5 inches (13cm) wide; therefore, it really only works for the small briquettes made from coconut fiber. I can only fit about a dozen cubes on the coil, which is how many I need to cook a small dinner for myself. The standard larger briquettes would require two of these electric starters, or a much larger coil. However, as I've said before, I make my own charcoal starters. They work well.
LEGO-ing
So far, I've resisted any temptation to request more LEGO-like knockoff sets on Amazon Vine. They're there, but I don't want to build any more — at least not right now. There are ten models on this desk in front of me. I'm working on a lighthouse. And I have three sets waiting.
The lighthouse won't get a good review. Some of the assembly is a little strange. Also, as I am nearing the end of the process the kit was missing a piece — a window frame. Thankfully, with some glue and a little ingenuity, I was able to work around the omission. I can hide that window in the back. The set should be finished by the weekend.
Maybe later in the year I'll take an interest again. Although, my plans for this coming fall are to turn my attention toward tailoring a few more shirts for myself.
Fire
Last Wednesday I blogged about a Fire Watch issued by the National Weather Service. As expected, another fire developed. Actually, it's one of many burning throughout the state. This one was named the Lake Fire because it originated close to the Zaca Lake Resort. That tells me it was probably started accidentally by someone careless with a barbecue. Or maybe they thought it would be romantic to sit around a camp fire at night.
From what I've been able to discover online, there isn't much effort being directed at containing this fire. It's located in a remote area about 25 miles northwest of here. There are no homes or other structures in danger.
One leg of the fire is steadily advancing to the southeast. However, it appears the fire companies are letting it burn to rid the area of old brush. The fire has currently burned nearly 30,000 acres and it's only 16% contained. It has been burning since July 5th. It is the largest in California, double the size of the Basin Fire up near Fresno. The weather forecast is for cooler days ahead; so it appears the fire won't be a danger to anyone for a while.
Tour de France
The Tour de France is currently in progress. I used to record and watch every stage. However, this year nearly all the race is available to watch exclusively on NBC Peacock, a pay-to-view service. As much as I like to watch the race, it's only 21 days. That's not enough to justify paying for a subscription.
I did get to see an important piece of the race. It was available on YouTube. I've been a fan of Mark Cavendish since I first saw him win a race stage many years ago. He is considered to be the fastest cycling sprinter in the world.
For the past few years he has been tied with Eddy Merckx for the most stage wins. Cav, as he's known by, couldn't seem to get the right breaks in recent years. This year, however, his team gambled on him and set him up for another stage win. He broke the record, finally, with 36 stage wins. It's a record that no one will probably be able to break, at least not anytime soon.
Sunday 2024.7.7
Pool
I bought a new app for my Meta Quest 3 VR headset — a pool table. I'm really impressed with this game. Supposedly it took two years to get the physics of the ball movement right. The video quality is very good. There are some nice features, like being able to move the table easily. My headset has video pass through; so I see my living room with a virtual pool table in the middle of it. There are opponents to play, some of whom are very good.
Thankfully, one of the features is "aim assist." It helps me to line up a shot accurately, which is the only way I have any hope of winning against the best pool sharks.
Like the Walkabout Mini Golf game I play often, there are advancements to achieve as my scores improve. There are fancier (maybe fanciful) cues, one of which is an umbrella. Better looking pool tables become available. I'm currently playing on the mahogany table. Some of the enhancements are not worth playing. The "chrome" balls, for example, make it more difficult to distinguish solids from stripes. The "standard" ones work best for me.
Weather
Friday was hot, but not as warm as predicted. As mentioned in Wednesday's blog post, the forecast was for 93°F (34°C). I was expecting higher; so I put on the office air conditioner early. Although it doesn't cool my room down to a crisp 71°, it keeps it about ten degrees cooler than outside. By noon the expected temperature was lowered to 88°F (31°C) — still warm, but not as hot as originally forecast.
I was hoping to grill, but by late in the afternoon it was still too hot outside. And speaking of grilling…
Charcoal Starter
My electric charcoal starter arrived on Friday. It looks like a small electric stove. It has a coil that heats up hot enough to start charcoal burning. Just place them on top and wait a few minutes. When they start to turn white, turn them over the start the other side, then move them to the grill to use for cooking.
Again yesterday, it was too hot outside to use the barbecue; today might be my opportunity to test it for the Amazon Vine review. I hope it works because the coconut charcoal briquettes are a little more difficult to start burning.
That electric starter reminds me of how I used to cook when I moved into my first apartment. It wasn't so much of an apartment as two rooms in a house. One room was a living room/bedroom. The other was a kitchen with a small bathroom and shower in one corner. On the kitchen counter was a little portable electric stove. I remember it taking a long time to heat a pan of water to boiling.
No More Shoes, Either
I put an end to my acquisition of LEGO knockoff sets. However, on Amazon Vine there was a pair of work boots with a retail value of $125. I wanted them, but I didn't want to become another Imelda Marcos. I already have a pair of rain boots, work boots and hiking boots. I really don't need another pair of boots. How often do I wear boots in SoCal? Almost never.
Shoes are a temptation on Vine. They're expensive in the stores, but if I can get them for nearly free, why not? Thankfully, items on my "Recommended for You" page are only available for one day. The temptation doesn't last long. Other items on Vine are available until someone requests them. They could be on the site for weeks.
Wednesday 2024.7.3
"And then a step to the right"*
If I remember my American history correctly, the Declaration of Independence came about because the founding fathers did not want the Colonies ruled by the king in England (King George?). They established the Office of the President not to be a king. On Monday the Supreme Court decided President Trump is immune from some actions he took while in the waning days of his presidency. Although not fully decided, the ruling seems to move the Office of President closer to King.
I don't think of myself as pessimistic by nature, but I'm not feeling very positive about this country right now. Maybe we're just going through a bad patch and things will be better soon. I hope so.
*A line from the song "The Time Warp" in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Weather Weekend
This coming weekend might be worth watching. So far, two concerns have been forecast. A high heat warning was issued for Friday. The temperature is predicted to be 93°F. As I've often said, it is usually ten degrees warmer where I live.
The other concern is a fire weather watch. I can deal with heat. I have air conditioners. But fire weather usually brings out the arsonists. If a fire breaks out beneath the high voltage transmission lines, we could lose electricity — sometimes for hours, sometimes for more than a day — and that means no air conditioning too.
Another thing I've mentioned in past blogs is the need to prepare my oil lamps. If they go unused for several months, a wax can develop on the wick. That makes it a little difficult to light the lamp. Fortunately, after successfully lighting the wick, only a minute or two are required to burn off the wax. It's also a good time to wash the glass chimney. I did that yesterday evening.
Amazon Vine Voices
I have cut back my activity on Vine even further. I was ordering those LEGO-like knock-off kits to build. I had plans for the models. Then I changed my mind, as I mentioned in last month's blog. I don't want any more. I do have four to build and I have enough glue to get me through those sets. And that's it. No more.
Now I'm in a bit of a hurry to get these sets built so that I can review them. However, there is a way around that task. If an item has already been reviewed multiple times, it's easy to write a review using some of the information they provided. I do that.
Now, mostly I look at the Recommended for You page. That's where I've found my best deals. I recently received some really nice walking shoes. The uppers are genuine leather, no vinyl, and the sole is thick. They're comfortable. And I'm waiting to received a 9½-inch Japanese carving knife I couldn't resist.
Scootering
If that's not a word, it should be. Yesterday I rode my scooter to the store again. It was the second time I used it to go shopping. It's handy when I need to buy only a few items. I bought two "Family Packs" of Foster Farms chicken drumsticks at 99¢ per pound. I'll debone those, but leave the skin on for grilling on my little portable barbecue. I use it quite often. I have plenty of charcoal and I've made enough charcoal starters to get me through the season.