Weird Request

The electric reclining couch is not adjacent to any outlets.  An extension cord is an obvious trip hazard to people and out of control dogs.  The ideal solution a 2' extension cord that is very, very flat.  I could tolerate one a color that is not camouflaged to the walnut flooring (which is absolutely beautiful), but the wife will not. Do you have a source for one that is really flat and could be held down by walnut colored tape.  Does anyone make walnut grain tape?

All Moved

We spent the night in the new house.  The dogs were briefly confused but now are exploring the new house.  Lillie has even climbed the steps to the second floor.

Sparklight Internet service failed, I think because I disconnected the second router to get the RJ45 connector through an outlet plate that had a hole in it.

Tech support got everything working again pretty quickly.

There is still a mountain of boxes in the garage and throughout the house that need unpacking.

Leave Now, Before the House Price is Zero

3/29/24 Newsweek:

"The number of homes for sale in the California market, which has seen listed prices being slashed by sellers, has grown in the past few weeks, according to the listings available on Zillow, as the spring homebuying season begins.

"As of Friday morning, 76,577 homes were listed for sale on Zillow by agents in California and 3,843 by owners and others. These included all types of homes—apartments, condos, single- and multi-family homes, townhomes, and lots. Of these, 10,873 were listed by agents, and 308 were listed by owners. Others had a price reduction."

Why anyone stays there mystifies me.  It does seem as though the time for people who do not fit the progressive paradigm to sell and buy somewhere cheaper.

Moving Day

Two Men and a Truck are busily packing our house.  I have already moved the three smallest scopes and mounts to the new house.

The big scopes will require a bit more work.  

The 17.5" reflector is a Dobsonian Serrurier Truss design so I can remove the upper cage from the truss tubes, then move the lower cage assembly with the mirror as a separate, not very heavy or large assembly.  The equatorial platform and the caster assembly are each light and small.  I can probably do this by myself, but my wife is going to help. 

The 8" f/7 reflector is a bit more work.  Removing the OTA from the mount will take some help.  (Old age is bad.). Disassembling the mount is easy and I can move every component.

I expect to be done moving in time for my grandson's birthday dinner tonight afterwards.  We moved our clothes and medicines separately so that we can find what we need for church tomorrow.  He is risen! And unpacked.

More Evidence California Has No Future

3/30/24 New York Post:

"A fed-up California couple has been ordered to stop repairing the local roads themselves that the local government wouldn’t fix which caused several problems with their vehicles.

"Alex and Daisy De La Rosa were issued a cease-and-desist letter from the City of Compton because they took it upon themselves to fill in the potholes that have wreaked havoc on the streets throughout the city."

 I had a similar urge to repair the potholes on Old Highway 55 when I lived on the mountain above Horseshoe Bend.  I counted the number of bags of Cold Patch needed and thought, "I could do ten cheaply enough and encourage my neighbors to do the rest.". At least our county government would likely have seen this as a charitable contribution.  We are not California.

I Took a Nap

Yes, that's Lillie 's muzzle.

It is a Good Thing Illinois and Hawai'i Have Strict Gun Laws

 3/28/24 CBS News:

ROCKFORD, Ill. (CBS) — A man has been charged in connection with an attack in Rockford that left four people dead, including the suspect's childhood friend and a teenager, the county prosecutor said Thursday. 

The Winnebago County Coroner's office identified the victims: 15-year-old Jenna Newcomb; 23-year-old Jacob Schupbach; 49-year-old Jay Larson, and 63-year-old Ramona Schupbach. 

Seven others were injured during that rampage that started around 1:15 p.m. Wednesday. Police said some of the victims were stabbed, and three girls were beaten with a baseball bat while they were watching a movie on spring break.

3/11/24 BBC News:

Authorities in Hawaii are investigating the apparent murder-suicide of a family of five, including three children in a Honolulu home.

The father, who has not been identified, is believed to have stabbed to death his wife and three children - aged 10, 12 and 17 - before taking his own life, police said.

Witnesses reported an argument at the home on early Sunday morning.

The deaths mark Hawaii's worst mass killing in over two decades.

Ir isn't the guns.  Is something erlse wrong? 

AirBNB for Cars

My daughter told me about this.  At some point I want to buy a current generation Corvette.  But is it a car that I really want to buy?  A test drive is usually not adequate.  Enterprise has exotic car rental centers but no Corvettes near Boise.

After we get the current house sold and the new mortgage paid off: Turo is rather like an AirBNB for cars.  I discovered that I can rent a 2020 Corvette for $179/day.  Even a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost (not so cheaply) and an Aston Martin.  You can also make your cars available for rent, just like AirBNB.

San Francisco Did a Good Job Hiding Its Homeless Drug Addicts

I went on a guided bus tour of S.F. Tuesday.  A friend who lives there says the city has been very successful at moving the homeless, not quite house-broken drug addicts out of the tourist areas.  

It truly is a beautiful city.  If only they fixed the problems instead of putting lipstick on a pig.

The view from the Marin Headlands is truly magnificent:

My daughter's Armenian exchange student had never been on an ocean beach before.  We went to Doran Beach just south of the Russian River.  To say she found it stupendous really understates her reaction.

We ate at a restaurant called Fishetarian Fish Market.  Those of you who know me well know that I do not eat anything identifiably fishy because of a traumatic experience with a fish when I was five.  But fish and chips are quite acceptable as are fish sticks.   They were very good.  They have a sense of humor:

We returned to get the keys to the new house and engage in negotiating a price for the old house.  Moving day is Saturday!

White People Promoting Domestic Terrorism

But I suspect they do not qualify as white supremacists. Harvard Law School screens "How to Blow Up a Pipeline."

I am trying to imagine the FBI response if some group of malcontents screened similar films involving faculty lounges or newsrooms.

Another Sign That Someone Is Not Taking Themselves Too Seriously

This was originally an meme intended to make fun of this:

It Has Happened

The down payment has been taken out of savings.  We have our new house.  Now there is the matter of selling the old house.... Not having a dirigible hangar is the major hindrance. Everyone wants a 20' tall garage for their motor home.

If You Must Be Woke, Laugh

In California