Robinson’s Dog House

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants &children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren’t overweight because,
WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo’s, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD’s, no surround-sound or CD’s, no cell phones, no personal computers!, no Internet or chat rooms……..
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them !

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn’t it?!

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:
‘With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?’

With our Layoff in April from Isomedia, Inc we have learned to pinch our pennies when needed, Don’t get me wrong here the Layoff was excepted, we had the Option to continue to work for Isomedia, Inc in the Seattle office but we choose not to commute because of the long drive and fuel prices. Isomedia, Inc was an awesome Company to work for and was sad to leave, but the Price of fuel is the reason for this Post.

$130.00 a barrel reported today and the reason I can find in most news post is we have a serious shortage to look at in the next five years. Let’s look at the problem now, we are up $60.00 a barrel over this time last year and how strong is the American dollar today then this time last year? If you guess weak? then your correct, ABC World News last night reported on gas prices in Saudi Arabia at .45 a gallon.

Here is a guy in Indiana that has a small Oil Well in his back yard Fox News Story He is only producing 3 gallons a day it reports but that is a start, however the gallon of Crud Oil to a gallon of gasoline is a less then 1 to 1, Gasonline is created from Crud Oil using a distillation process so the amount of Gasoline will be dependent on the quality of the Crud Oil, but from what I have read and know it’s on average about .50 per one gallon of Crud Oil

I filled up just last week at the Indian Reservation for $3.63 a gallon, and today it’s over $3.75 a gallon at the same place. We don’t get any special savings at the reservation, they just advertise great prices and it’s Chevron_Corporation Gasoline

My Jeep Grand Cherokee get’s on average in town about 17 MPG… So with $4.00 a gallon just a week or two away, oh and just in time for Memorial Day Weekend, We stay home more now then ever.

Today I received our new Garden Tractor, A 2007 X728 John Deere 4×4 with a 54″ Mower Deck, 3 Point Hitch and 540 RPM PTO Drive. The list of Attachments are awesome and just what we need to work our property and Vegetable Garden.

Here is a pic of the rear 3 Point Hitch and PTO.

More Details on this Tractor taken from the Deere Website:

Power

* 27-hp V-twin, liquid-cooled John Deere iTorque™ Power System (a combination of engine features that provide more lugging ability, even cooling, and durability) provides exceptional performance and durability to handle commercial applications
* Electronic fuel injection for quick sure starts, better fuel economy, and reduced emissions
* Internal hydraulic PTO with multi-disk clutch pack
o Soft, smooth clutch engagement
o Longer disk life with continuous oil bath
o No service required - disks are self-adjusting
* Shaft drive output through continuous live transmission PTO; no belts to slip or wear out
* Limited Category 1 3-point hitch available for rear-mounted equipment
* Mechanical 4WD engagement on-the-go (at moderate speeds); works in forward and reverse; differential assembly allows for smooth turning and provides power to both front wheels

Durability

* Heavy-duty robotically welded frame for the strength to operate a wide variety of equipment
* Front Quik-Tatch weight bracket is designed into the frame
o Provides a convenient way to add 168 lb. of weight to the front of the tractor using four suitcase weights
o Extends ahead of the hood to act as a bumper
* Front axle is made of strong, shock resistant nodular cast iron; will not bend or deform, as is possible with steel-fabricated axles

Performance

* Large 6-1/2 U.S. gallon capacity fuel tank holds enough fuel for extended operation between refills
* Twin Touch™ automatic transmission provides comfortable two-pedal foot control for effortless speed and direction changes
* Power steering and cruise control provides effortless, automotive-like control for reduced operator fatigue, increased maneuverability and productivity
* Two-function hydraulic control system allows effortless equipment control
* A foot-operated differential lock supplies positive power to both rear drive wheels for increased traction; conveniently located on the left footrest for easy engagement (toe versus heel)
* Edge™ Xtra Cutting System designed to provide excellent performance; converts easily between side discharge, mulching and material collection
* Available with 48-, 54-, 60-, or 62-inch mower deck; resilient 4-point mounting system; wider gauge wheels; 1/4-inch cut height increments
* Optional Power Flow™ material collection system and mulching attachment
* Large, automotive-type headlights (37-watt halogen), taillights and back-up lights provide unsurpassed nighttime illumination; easily operated with a single dash-mounted switch
* Electronic fuel injection for quick, sure starts; better fuel economy; and reduced emissions

Convenience

* Full instrumentation and automotive-type controls are color coded and conveniently located for easy access
* One-piece hood opens easily to permit checking and servicing the engine; hood can easily be completely removed without tools
* Parking brake control is conveniently located below the key switch on the steering pedestal; depressing master stop brake pedal disengages the PTO and cruise control
* Standard toolbox and cupholder keep tools and beverages within reach
* Handy 12-volt outlet powers cell phone, CD player or sprayer
* Mower deck height-of-cut control locks mower in fully raised position so 3-point hitch equipment can be raised or lowered independently of the mower; provides a mower cut height range from 1 to 5 1/4 inches

Comfort

* 18-inch professional high-back sit-and-adjust seat features 7 inches of travel; seat angle can be adjusted to any of six positions for operator comfort; folds forward for protection from elements
* Six-position tilt steering wheel can be adjusted for optimum operator comfort and makes getting on and off the tractor easy
* Non-slip foot pads help isolate the operator’s feet from vibration
* Fender handles provide a convenient handhold when operating on slopes
* Roomy and uncluttered open platform makes getting on and off the tractor easy

This was from a co-worker that got his information from a friend.

1.Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening….your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

2.When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3)stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some other liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you’re getting less worth for your money.

3.One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank t he less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

4.Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up–most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. Hope this will help you get the most value for your money.

Valerie Beetle, a man from the Ukraine hand carved this PC case and what awesome detail he put into it.

If you think your current computer is boring or has no personality then I would say this computer case mod is for you. It definitely has a look of it’s own, completely different then any computer case I have seen before.

So much detail in this Case Mod, the emblem alone would take me weeks to complete. I have looked for more information on this Case but little can be found. I did locate lots and lots of case mods using wood. I found everything from Wood Mice to Wood Computer Monitors but strangely enough none of the sites I found were in the US. If you get a chance to Google search on Wood keyboards, mice, computers, cases, etc you will see some very nice mods going on with all the wood they can use on these.

The layout is getting a bit better, I’m not really sure what we are going for here other then it appears to be a hell of a lot of blue… I may change that with the seasons once we get this all done. So the colors will shift with each season, and maybe even some Holiday themes like Thanksgiving, Halloween to toss in a few ideas that could be fun. Very easy now with a simple CSS layout and one or two color changes to it.

Spring is just a few weeks away and Garden 2008 is getting underway. I have 3 types of Tomato Plants started from seeds in the flats now that will be transplanted the 1st week in May.

We are going to give Corn another good try and we’re hoping we will be blessed with the warm summers we have had the last two years!

For Gardner’s in the Pacific Northwest that may be trying to grow corn and having little or no luck?, a good tip we have found is to create nice tall furrows for your corn rows, this was the only way to keep the soil warm enough for corn in our area, we live on the west side of Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. and that’s not the warm Corn Growing Nebraska climate that Corn loves so much.

The Picture I have included is just a ruff till of the garden area taken in February.

Here is my Public GnuPG Key if you need to contact me in a more secure way you can.

My public key is:67363FFD and here is a snapshot of my Fingerprint:

pub 1024D/67363FFD 2002-05-12
Key fingerprint = 0948 D16B A525 2E18 1AF2 7220 7036 D5FF 6736 3FFD
uid L Robinson - toppdogg at rdoghouse.com
sub 2048g/6ADAEA55 2002-05-12

You can easily import this key into your key ring using,

gpg --import 67363FFD