Dealing with tragedy

 

Lately, we’ve dealt with a few terrible tragedies. First, we’ve had this terrible incident with the missing girls out of Evansdale. Then, we have this shooting out of Connecticut. It’s hard for people to understand why this stuff happens on earth. As a historian, I’m no stranger to old books. I found the following passage in an old song book from the late 1800’s. The prose is a little different than that which we use today, so it may be a little more difficult to follow along than a more modern passage, but the message is quite clear. I have found comfort in it several times as I’ve come to grips with some of the terrible things that just happen to happen in everyday life.

Let the reader note, in the following passage, the author mentions “Thalbergs”. This is in reference to a piano virtuoso who was very famous at that time of this writing. To use his name as a noun like this is like calling an automobile a “Ford” for Henry Ford, but in this case, Mr. Thalberg was considered to be the best of the best. The author of this piece is just listed as “Beecher”.

A grand mistake of the old reasoners in their arguing for the goodness of God, was that they tried to prove that in the world there is more evidence of design for happiness than there is of design for pain. Now that position cannot be maintained. There is just as much evidence of a design to produce pain as to produce pleasure. For every adaptation of pleasure that you will show me I will undertake to show you one for pain. This life is clearly rudimentary. Men are here to be hammered into something of worth in the next state of existence. Pleasure is to be desired or expected, but as incidental. Earth is not the place for pleasure. It is the place where men are fashioned for eternity. A piano factory is not the place to go in order to hear music.

Suppose a man were to start for some great piano manufactory with the expectation of being enchanted when there by innumerable Thalbergs. He goes along dreaming of the divine harmonies which will greet him when he approaches the place where these sweet-toned instruments are made. He anticipates as much more of delight than Thalberg had given him, as there are more instruments in the factory than were on the boards of the concert hall.

“I am going to the place where all those pianos are made," he says as he hastens on. "They turn out hundreds of them in a day. Oh! How will all sweet, bewildering sounds entrance my senses when I draw near. Hymns and songs of never-wearying melody will sing out to me from every door and window."

He comes in sight of the building, and instead of hymns and choral melodies, he hears harsh noises. There are heavy poundings, gratings, sawings, and raspings. There are legs, uncouth and clumsy to be worked into proper size and gracefulness. There are strings to be tried, and separate parts to be fitted and knocked together; there are great, heavy packing-boxes to be made, and various other awkward and noisy work to be done. Tools are thumping about; cords and tackling rattling; plenty of confounding noises, but no music. The man stands and sees the workmen ply the hammer, and saw, and file, and punch, and chisel and auger; he sees dust, boards, and shavings flying in all directions. Clatter and clatter surround him. From the windows come broken bits of board, wire and iron; also all the different notes of racket and din; but he hears no sweet melody.

Then the man says in astonishment, “Do they call this a piano manufactory-this confused place, full of all jangling noises? No, no; this is no piano producing establishment. This is only a dusty and noisy workshop."

Yes, it is a workshop, where are being fashioned the instruments which, when touched by skillful fingers, have power to enchant the world. But it is not the platform on which they are to be played. Not there are they to give forth their sweet harmonies. We are in the workshop of humanity. We see evidences of this, turn which way we will. We must feel the mallet and the saw; the punch and the bore. We must be split and ground and worked smooth. The pumice and the sandpaper are for us, also, as well as for the things we fashion; and at last, when we are all set together, polished, and attuned, we shall be played upon by the music-waking influences of Heaven - Beecher

My letter to the Valley Board regarding Whole Grade Sharing–Written 12/11/2012

 

The following letter was written to Board president Mark Howard, and CC’d to the remaining 4 school board members. To date, only Mr. Orr has contacted me and he is in favor of preserving our school as is.

Mr. Howard,

    My name is Eric Durnan and I live in Wadena. I have three children who attend Valley Schools, currently in grades 5, 3, and K. I am very disappointed with the way this whole grade sharing situation has played out. It is very rushed. I have read the responses from the other districts and two of them have said as much as well. In fact, this whole situation of us being in “dire need” seems funny to me. I don’t remember any of this being on the radar screen last year, and then all of a sudden, here we find ourselves needing to do something NOW! Any time that happens, whether in personal life, government life, or in situations like this – it raises my suspicion level. Either someone was asleep at the switch or the situation isn’t really as bad as is being said. Regarding the latter, it’s funny how you all yell “fire” right now with a solution in hand. It’s as if some up there at the school wanted this outcome long before you sounded the alarm. You’re the head of the board so you know the answer to this and ultimately it’s your baby.

    My wife and I have called both Starmont Schools and Central Schools in Elkader. We are taking out open enrollment forms for our children. We are going to tour the two schools here in the coming weeks and fill out papers to one of the schools. We are doing this as a hedge against what you do. I already have two older daughters who go to North Fayette, and I do not want any more children tied up with that school district. North Fayette is the district of busing. I have never seen a district so bus happy. My daughters live in West Union, and the #2 daughter starts her day off with a ride to Fayette, and after a couple of classes, she hops on a bus and travels up to West Union for the rest of the day. For awhile, they bused her out to Hawkeye. They bus kids all over God’s creation! While our kids here would only be bused further for high school, I want no part of it. I bought a house in this community for the express purpose of having my kids in the Valley District, where they could go to school in one place. We bought our home here so our kids could enjoy the smaller class sizes. My daughter Jenna’s class (5th grade) is a very small class of about 20 kids. They are very close and tight knit. It’s what we like. I understand that there are financial ramifications of smaller classes. However, that’s your job as a board member – to figure these things out. I understand that you all have determined that whole grade sharing is the option that you want, but it wasn’t the only option on the table. You didn’t even properly investigate any other solutions. You could have made due with less. Whole grade sharing is the nuclear option, and the one you seem to have your mind set on. I have been told by a few parents that sports seems to have a lot to do with your decision. In fact, sports seems to be a major part of these considerations. I send my kids to that school to be educated – not to play sports. Maybe other parents have different ideas about school. With the internet, there are other options for students wanting to take classes that Valley cannot offer. When I attended the North Linn Schools down at Troy Mills in the late 80’s and very early 90’s, we shared teachers and textbooks with Center Point-Urbana, Alburnett, and Central City schools. Guess what? They no longer do that as they got their acts together and made adjustments. It was a short term solution. Sharing those things bought them the time they needed to figure out a long term solution and it preserved their districts. In fact, North Linn is currently in the process of building a new building for their elementary. They will now be like Valley and have all of their children on one campus. I spoke to a good friend of mine down there and while they too have declining enrollment and revenue coming in, they’re making due. There’s no talk there or in any of the surrounding schools that he is aware of about whole grade sharing at this point.

    My grandfather was Leo Durnan Sr. and my father is Bernard Luke Durnan. My father’s photo is there in the entrance to the Valley School, having graduated there in 1966. I remember very well my grandfather talking about the merging of the Wadena, Elgin, and Clermont schools. He said that one of the arguments then was that there was declining enrollment. Grandpa, having fathered 19 children himself, was not at all sympathetic to that argument and told the school board that he had done all he could do to help the situation. He said others were going to have to step up to the plate to help out. He also said that the invention of the school bus was one of the greatest threats to local education. In that great debate, that was one of the chief concerns – local control of education, versus what we have now – a handful of members representing a much larger area. Now we’re being given the exact same arguments, and the proposed solution is the same. Merging and busing. You may call it whole grade sharing, but it is essentially a merger. What shall we have then? Will there then be 5 school board members representing nearly 1/2 of Fayette County? When will this stop? In 50 years, will we all be told again that enrollment is dropping and that we must go to a county wide system? I suppose the limits of these mergers is dependent upon that school bus. As long as you can throw a kid on a bus, it’s easier for you to ship kids around rather than find solutions at home. My wife and I want to be a part of a school system that first off, doesn’t put us in these positions in the first place, and secondly, can be creative enough to handle these situations when they arise without taking the “nuclear” route. We want local control of our schools where we have a stronger voice. We want our children to be educated as close to home as possible. We want the smallest class sizes possible. We like the school that we have today.

    The fix that you are all proposing to us today mainly benefits those living in West Union, Elgin, and Clermont. It seems that the other towns be damned. I have spoken to two ladies who sit on these ad-hoc committees and have expressed my concerns. I was told that North Fayette and Valley expect that they will lose some students over this, and that Wadena, Hawkeye, and Fayette were the three towns that they expected to lose the most students from. I can see why. Hawkeye and Fayette will have to send their students over 20 miles to school at the Elgin campus for 2-3 years. That adds up.  Fayette is 9 miles from West Central in Maynard and Hawkeye kids, especially those west of town, are much closer to the Sumner-F’Burg school system. In Wadena, we will have to send our kids about 16 miles to school for 4 years. We will for the first time have kids going to two different school buildings. No longer will we have the convenience of “one stop shopping”. That was a plus for us when choosing to buy a home in this school district, and has always been a thorn for us when dealing with North Fayette. Both Starmont and Central offer “one stop shopping” for us. The Starmont school building is only one mile farther away for us than the Elgin facility, and the Central campus is only about 1 mile farther away than what the West Union campus will be. If we could turn back the hands of time and give us back our three respected community school boards again, I’m not sure that the people of Wadena would vote to go into a merger with Valley knowing their kids would be sent to West Union. I would be willing to bet that Starmont would probably be the school of choice for us.

    Who draws up school district boundaries? Is it not the school boards? I don’t know – that is why I am asking. What are the rules for it? What is the possibility of allowing the communities the chance to vote for which school they wish to belong to? Since tax money is involved, I assume you there at the board want to maintain as much real estate as you possibly can, but we are the tax payers, and I want our money to go to the district which serves us best. I do not believe the citizens of Wadena would believe this new school would serve them better than say, Starmont. However, if we were allowed a vote, and if the vote was to stay with Valley, I would honor it and would feel better about this whole situation.

    I have spoken to the superintendent at Starmont and he told me that he has two other families from town here who have taken out open enrollment forms and that amounts to three children. We would be the third family and we have 3 children, one being a special education student. That’s 6 kids from Wadena who are probably leaving Valley just from Wadena if you choose to merge. I spoke to the principal at Central who says that we are the first family to inquire of them to his knowledge, but that normally the superintendent there handles this and the superintendent was not there when I called. Both schools said they would love to have the children from Wadena. Both have said that if enough children would be involved, they would attempt to hammer out an agreement with you to send a bus here for these kids. Why not just let us vote if we want to stay or go? That’s what I would like. In fact, I think it would be a swell idea to let every community involved in this mess the opportunity to vote for what they’d like to do. I have no doubt that West Union, Clermont, and Elgin would vote to merge. That’s fine. It’s what works best for you. It’s not what works best for those of us in the outlying areas.

    In closing, these are the questions that I have:

1. Is this permanent? Will there ever be a chance that Valley will be Valley again or will this be “forever” (i.e. merger)?

2. What will be the school board representation? Will it be two separate school boards or one (again, i.e. merger)?

3. Who determines the school boundaries and what are the rules on how they can be changed?

4. Would it be possible to allow the communities involved the right to vote on their future and switch school districts as may be better suited for each individual community?

5. Would the boards be open to allowing redrawing the lines based upon community vote?

6. Will Valley, or whatever school that is formed, allow outside district buses into these outlying towns to pick up the kids who would be better served by these other schools in the event you won’t consider redrawing school boundaries?

7. How will this affect our property taxes?

    I am sure you are getting a lot of positive and negative attention over this whole matter. I’m plain disgusted that it has even come to this point, and wish that some other solution which preserves our district would receive as much attention as this whole grade sharing. You all seem to have put us on a path that guarantees that my children will not be graduates of Valley C-E-W no matter what. Thank you for addressing my concerns and questions. –Eric E. Durnan   Wadena, Iowa

Repaired my KitchenAid Mixer

     I own a KitchenAid KP26M16 stand mixer which I bought in the early spring of 2009. About a week and a half ago, it gave up its ghost. I bought my mixer mainly for bread dough. I use high gluten flour and I wouldn’t recommend anything over 6 cups maximum, but generally, I make it one loaf at a time, and use between 3 and four cups of flour. I use it several times per week. This mixer has always been pretty noisy. I was mixing dough with it that final day and it just stopped and made a grinding sort of noise while the dough hook sort of flinched. I was livid! I paid really good money for this thing, mainly because it’s American made and here it broke down no different than a Chinese machine which costs far less. I was going to be God damned if I was going to buy another one after that! I thought, $400 for 3-1/2 years just isn’t worth it. Well, I did a little investigating online and found out why KitchenAid is still worth the money and why “Made in America” still means something. These mixers have moving parts and those parts eventually wear out. Unlike the Chinese machines, the parts for these KitchenAids are readily available, and these mixers can be fixed relatively cheap and be back in service. The worst part is waiting for the parts. On my mixer, the worm follower gear chewed up. I found the website www.mendingshed.com and ordered parts from them. I ordered every gear that they had with the exception of the top gear for the accessories (mainly because I don’t use any accessories with mine) and made sure to order an extra worm follower gear (I’ll be ready next time). I got the can of grease which can be used many times. It contains enough grease that I should never have to buy more grease again, even if I replace the gears every 4 years or so. I tore mine apart, cleaned it up really good, and put it back together with the new worm follower gear and fresh grease. I even greased the planetary gears lightly. Once it was put back together, I ran it for a spell to work the grease in better. It runs much quieter and hopefully will give me many more years of service.

      In short, expecting your mixer to never die is a lot like expecting your car to run forever without ever needing repairs. I know there are a ton of stories out there about older mixers never needing repair. My dad owned a tractor built in the 1940’s that hardly, if ever, needed any repair. I’m not sure why that is, but the fact is, most of these modern pieces of machinery need occasional repair. I’m just glad that these mixers can be repaired, cheaply, and fairly easy.

DR RapidFire Log Splitter Review

Model: Pro-XL with manual start, and production table
Price: $2399.98 (sale price) + $288.99 (shipped to the door) + $29 promotional fee applied to DR Credit Card for 36 month interest free financing. Total: $ 2717.97 (Monthly payments are $75 for 3 years)
Country of Manufacture: Uncertain. DR claims everything but certain woodsplitters are built in their factory in Vermont. Is this one of the splitters that are built in the USA or is it manufactured abroad? The engine on the Pro-XL model is a Subaru engine. Subaru is a Japanese company, but again, I’m not sure if this engine is manufactured in the USA, or in Japan? Clarification from DR Power would be nice. I like to know if the money I spend is being paid to American workers or not. I like to buy American if at all possible.
Competitors: Super Split is the main one. It’s my understanding that Super Split is American Made for sure. The price is also a tad higher, but not much. DR Power offers the 3 year interest free financing through GE Capital which gives it the edge in my book as $3000 is a lot of money to lay down at once. Interest free financing is a no brainer. I might have considered Super Split if they had the same financing offer even if they were a bit higher, just because it’s my understanding that they are American Made for sure. I also have read that Super Split has tremendous product support for their products which is also a huge plus for me.
Speeco made the SpeedPro mechanical splitter and sold them through Tractor Supply for about $1800. It’s my understanding that they had a terrible problem with busted teeth on the rack rail so they are no longer being sold and a ton of them have been returned.
Gripo Mechanical Splitter (sounds like it’s only available in Canada)
There are probably a few others that I’m missing.
Date ordered: September 30th, 2012
Date Shipped: October 12th, 2012 Via ABF Freight & Panama Transfer
Arrived: October 18th, 2012
The Lowdown: We have been looking for a log splitter for awhile. This is our second full year of cutting our own wood, and we just got too tired of swinging a maul, especially since a lot of our wood is stringy elm and hickory. We resorted to ripping our hard to split firewood with our 24” bar and a skip chain with the 372XP chainsaw. When we decided to get a splitter, we looked at mechanical vs. hydraulic, and went with mechanical because of the speed that it splits, and the claim that maintenance is much cheaper than with hydraulic. We looked at Super Split and DR Power. Both are the seeming leaders in the mechanical splitter department. It sounded like Speeco was making inroads with their SpeedPro splitter, but because of fragile rack teeth, Tractor Supply no longer wanted to sell them, and they currently no longer make or sell this splitter that I’m aware of (late October 2012). We settled on the DR because of the financing. Interest free financing through GE Capital on the DR Credit Card is really what tipped the balance in favor of the DR. They both look like very similar machines. Both had very good reviews. Actually, the reviews on the Super Split even sounded a bit better to me, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
Delivery: The machine came on a crate. It was packaged very well. We had it unloaded with a fork lift at a local business here in town. They offer four shipping options. First, pick it up at a local DR Store for free. None are near here, so that wasn’t an option for us. Second, pick it up at a participating shipping partner. Our closest one was Cedar Rapids, about 80 miles away. That was a tad over $200 for us. Third option was to have it shipped to the door and be able to unload it ourselves. That was the $288 option, and since we had someone with a forklift which could unload it, we went with that. The final option was to have it delivered with a liftgate truck. That was the most expensive. It was shipped via ABF Freight who to their credit, shipped it over the weekend, even on Sunday. UPS or FedEx generally don’t even do that. The splitter got into Cedar Rapids on the morning of the 15th and instead of ABF delivering it, they transferred it to Panama Transfer. Panama sat on the package for 2 full days. They called me on the 17th and arranged for delivery on the 18th. That part upset me.
Assembly: The splitter came in a crate. It was packaged nicely. The production table was in its own box inside the crate. Putting it together was slightly tricky, but quite doable with simple hand tools. A socket set with extensions are the best bet. First, you have to disassemble the packing crate. Removing the four bottom boards are the best bet. Then, you’ll need something to cut the plastic tie straps. Then, a nice lag bolt holds the front of the machine to the pallet. Putting the machine together all boils down to 8 bolts.  For the model that we have with the production table, all 8 bolts are required for the table. There are four bolts on each side. There are two front and two back bolts. The front bolts are used for the tongue of the machine. You need a sawhorse or something similar to help you line everything up to run the bolts through. I used anti seize on the bolts just because I’m that way. I don’t want to be fighting rusted bolts someday if I choose to take it apart for one reason or another.
The engine is shipped WITHOUT oil, so make sure you add it before trying to start your machine. The book says to start with 16 ounces of oil, but ours took about 20 ounces all together. Make sure you read the instructions on how to check the oil in this machine. It’s a little different than what I’m used to. You don’t thread the dipstick in to check the oil in the Subaru engine. The manual lists the oil weight specifications. This engine allows you to run multi viscosity oil in it. I put in 10W-30 since we’ll be running it in cooler weather.
NOTE: Two other items that you should do before using this machine - that the manual doesn’t specify should be done before you use it - are to grease the rack teeth with multipurpose grease & lube the top of the I beam. The manual mentions these things, but later on in the manual, so if you’re following step by step in the manual like we were, you might also skip these steps. Greasing the rack teeth made a big difference. It felt much smoother when you actuated the splitter. It was also much easier to pop it out of gear in instances when the ram got stuck.
Splitting: There is definitely a learning curve to using a rack and pinion log splitter. The speed is both good and bad. When the splitting is good, having that speed is wonderful. However, there are two instances where having a quick cycle time doesn’t bode well – knots and angled cuts. With a hydraulic splitter, if you hit a hard knot, the engine will bog down and you can actually stall the engine. Generally, you can back the ram up and try again, or manipulate the wood to split it in a different spot. With the rack and pinion splitter, it hits the knot at full force. It won’t stall your engine, but it will bog it down. Your belts will start slipping, so you need to be on the ball and retract the ram RIGHT NOW. I had one instance where even pushing the handle back didn’t work and I had to kill the engine quickly at the switch. It wasn’t quick enough and I actually threw a belt. Greasing your rack before use will help with releasing and returning the ram quickly in this situation. I believe there is a clutch on the end of the crankshaft on the engine. I can only imagine that when you hit the knot and it stops the ram, that it isn’t the greatest thing in the world for that clutch.
The other time that speed can be your enemy is when you are trying to split those pieces where the ends aren’t cut just perfectly square. With a hydraulic splitter, you can ease the ram up to the piece of wood slowly, and pinch it good, and attempt to split it. Sometimes it will pop out, and other times you get lucky and can get it split. If it pops out, it generally does so without much fanfare. With this rack and pinion splitter, the wood has a tendency to “fly” off the table. I’ve got a 16 year old stepson who sometimes gets careless in cutting and will cut at slight angles. While it wouldn’t matter if you were splitting with a maul or with a hydraulic unit, it does matter with this splitter. If you split with this rack and pinion setup, it is imperative to make sure that your ends are cut squarely. These are the two biggest changes that you need to adjust to and think about when using this splitter.
Other thoughts: I’ve already split several loads of wood with this splitter. One thing I can attest to is the speed. I have split far more wood, in less time, than I would have with a hydraulic splitter – or even by hand. I have split some very large wood with it. I have split some very difficult wood with it. Splitting elm, and knotty wood is a bitch with this machine. It can be done, but like I’ve just aforementioned, it’s hard on the machine, and can be hard on the operator, especially when a piece of wood comes flying at your head. I’ve already had some downtime with this machine when the belt came off.   
Fuel consumption is good. It is easy on the gasoline. They say you can run ethanol in it, but I am leery about running ethanol in these smaller engines. I was taught not to for many years, and I guess I haven’t gotten over that. Here’s the $3,000 question – would I recommend this splitter? Probably. I would like to run it for a year and then see how I feel about it. The more I run it, the better it seems to run. Wearing the paint off of the splitting blade (wedge) seems to help. I think the engine needs to break in to see it’s best power. I think the machine really needs a good old fashioned break in period.
Final thoughts: Cosmetic – the big DR logo on the side is overkill. It’s a giant sticker. I’m surprised they don’t throw a “As Seen on TV” sticker on it. For that kind of money, I think a classier emblem badge instead of a giant sticker would look much nicer. These new models also come with a hitch on the front of them. It’s pretty useless for us. We live in town. The tires aren’t road rated. The hitch is only good for an ATV or lawn tractor. The jack stand is difficult to use. Trying to hold the front end up and getting the pin to go through the holes almost requires three hands. A nice flip down, crank jack stand would work better. The older models of this splitter used wheelbarrow handles to help move it around, and bigger tires. I wish we had that option available to us. Since we live in town, and will never be taking this to the woods with us (mainly because it’s not designed to go down the highway), having those handles would be most helpful for us. I assume they went with the hitch option because I’ve read many places where people wish it had the hitch option. The problem is, they were wanting it to be highway capable, and this unit isn’t. Maybe DR should make a “Town” and a “Country” model? Allow the customer the option that works best for them. Making the unit highway capable would probably make everyone happy.
In closing, if you have any questions about this unit, leave your questions in the comments. I’ll try to answer them the best I can. I will check back here from time to time. I don’t work for DR, or have any affiliation with them. I’m not being paid to write this. This is my experience, and mine alone. Happy splitting!

Read my one year review by clicking here!

Read my three year review by clicking here!

Update November 2014

I had my first major failure with this splitter. The eldest son was running it when the ram would come part way out and start “stuttering”. We stopped the machine and cleaned the grease off of the teeth and noticed metal shavings from the rack gear. I got pretty upset.

I called DR Power and priced the rack gear. They quoted me a price of $350 at first, but then told me they would sell it to me for $250, shipped to the door. The guy did mention to me that they had a problem with the bearing assemblies of these splitters and because it was a known issue, they could send me a heavy duty handle kit if that was the problem. He took down all the particulars of our conversation and asked me to call back after we tore the machine apart and found out the culprit.

I had our local machine shop tear it down and he found some broken bolts where the wear plate attached. He found some other bolts internally had been stressed and bent. He said the quality of the bolts aren’t the greatest and said that they should be using grade 8 bolts in high stress areas. He also found out that the handle assembly was in fact bent and cracked and wasn’t doing it’s job properly anymore.

I called DR Power back and got a different lady this time. She was able to look up our account quickly and sure enough, all the particulars were there. I told her what the verdict was and she said she had to speak to her supervisor. I was on hold for a couple of minutes when she came back and said that they would send me a heavy duty handle kit on the house. I thanked her and that’s the end of the story. I have yet to receive it and have it put in, but I know the story will have a happy ending. My machine shop man said that he can make the parts in house for under $100 and it will then be very heavy duty. I’ll use theirs first.

Conclusion; Machines break – even American made ones. The difference is that with DR Power, you get someone sitting in Vermont who speaks perfect English who can help you. The customer service reps at DR have been trained properly and they know these machines. They have someone right there who can give you answers. Customer service is amazing considering this day and age. In my eyes, DR Power has made it right and I still stand behind their product.

Since this is a known issue, I assume newer models have a better handle assembly. The machines are a whole different design now anyhow. I hope DR starts using grade 8 bolts. It wouldn’t cost that much more and it would make the machine more reliable and desirable.

DR Power is pretty S L O W . . . . . . . .

I ordered a DR Power RapidFire log splitter on September 30th. Right now, they have what seems to be a pretty good deal on them. They’re several hundred dollars off, and they’re offering 36 month interest free financing on their credit card. I already take advantage of interest free financing from Husqvarna on my chainsaws, so for me, it’s a no brainer. However, DR Power is testing my patience. It took them until October 12th to get the machine built and on a truck. They sent it via ABF Freight, which, to be honest, actually moved the splitter over the weekend as opposed to FedEx and UPS who let shipments set on Sundays. However, the splitter came into Cedar Rapids this morning (October 16th) and now the status says that they’ve turned it over to their marketing partner, Pana. Who the hell is Pana? I’ve heard of Panama Transfer, is it them? Why do they call them a marketing partner? To me, a marketing partner is someone who advertises on you behalf. So, it’s been in Cedar Rapids all day now, and no splitter here. Maybe I’m being impatient? However, I drove truck for over ten years. I don’t feel any more impatient than any other company who expected their delivery on time. It sure would be nice to finally have the splitter here. I’ll write a full review once we have it here and operational.

Tiring of Treadwright Update

 

I did get my replacement tire from Treadwright. It came on September 14th, 2012. It arrived by Spee – Dee delivery. I got to looking at their rates and realized I could have saved some money myself if I had used Spee – Dee delivery in the first place. If I buy tires from them again, I will definitely know to check my shipping options. I think their checkout automatically figures up shipping rates for FedEx. Spee – Dee delivery doesn’t deliver everywhere and FedEx does, so that’s probably the reason, and I have no hard feelings about that. I’ll just know better next time. Anyhow, the tire I received from them was a Goodyear Wrangler, but not the same style that was sent to me before. I agreed to that in order to get a tire quicker from them. This is Treadwright’s one big flaw – matching tires. I have a big heavy 4X4 pickup truck. I like to have matching casings so that all four tires behave the same. Some sidewalls aren’t as stiff as others, and running different casings can lead to the same effect as running different shocks. What’s done is done, and for the next 30,000 miles or so, I’m going to have to deal with an odd ball casing. 3 of the 4 tires are Pro-Grades, with Kevlar belting in them. The 4th is standard belted. I’m not sure if this will make much difference or not. I’ll post updates.

Tiring of TreadWright

 

I gave TreadWright tires a try. I have to admit, they are nice looking tires. The price is right. I could only find a handful of cases where people had a problem with their tires from them. The ones who did have trouble, all seemed to have gotten replacement tires sent to them from TreadWright without any hassle. Well, that’s not been my experience. Here is my story.

I ordered a set of four 245/75/R16/E Guard Dog tires. I asked for matching Goodyear casings. I asked for raised white letter. I was contacted promptly and politely and told that they did not have raised white letter in this size. I agreed to have black sidewalls and was promptly sent 4 Goodyear Silent Armor tires. They say Wrangler on the sides, but from everything that I can tell, they are what Goodyear called Silent Armor tires. They have the Kevlar cords in them. Once we got them, we mounted them. They did not take a single ounce of weight. We ran the tires at 80#. We haul firewood, pull trailer, and drive some empty miles. The door post calls for 80# in the rears, and 55# up front. (The one that failed was on the rear passenger side) I just run 80# all around. I wrote the mileage down when they were installed. I wanted to see how many miles these tires would last. I got 1141 miles on them when I had a tire failure. A bulge formed in the tread of the tire. We checked the air pressure that morning before the trip. Since these are retreads, I made it a point to make sure the air pressure was checked meticulously. This was on Sunday, August 19th, 2012. I contacted TreadWright  that night and got a call the next day from a lady who said that they would send a new tire out. All they wanted was a photo of the code that they imprint in the tread. I sent that to them with photos of the tire. My wife had taken a white tire marker and painted in the Goodyear and Wrangler. It didn’t look that great up close, but wasn’t too bad from a distance. Anyhow, that has nothing to do with this, but you’ll notice it when you look at photos of the tire. The photos below are after the tire was removed and aired down to about 30 pounds. Otherwise it looked like it was ready to explode.

Some time passed. I heard nothing. I thought I’d be a good customer and be patient. After a week I finally broke down and e-mailed TreadWright and asked them how long I should expect to wait for a replacement tire. I was really decent about it. I’ll post the message below. They responded by giving me the phone number to production & shipping and told me to contact them. Listen, I shouldn’t have to call the production floor to inquire about a tire. That’s what customer service reps are for. Mind you, this was now August 30th, about 10 days since they were aware of the problem.

Just curious – it has been a little over a week since I’ve heard any word about a replacement tire for the one that failed for me. What sort of timeframe should I be looking at for a replacement? I have another trip to Waterloo that I need to make with a trailer, and I don’t want to make it on the spare with no backup in case that or another tire fails. Thanks for any info you can provide. –Eric E. Durnan

Eric,

I am not really sure. Since you requested a Good Year silent armor to match I have no good time frame to tell you. I do not want to tell you something that is not correct. The number for production and shipping is 605-745-5045. It would probably be best to contact one of the ladies there. I am sorry for not being able to give you more information.

Susanne

I got back a hold of the lady. Below is the e-mail exchange between us. This was on the 31st of August (the next day). Again, the same phone number to call. By God, I shouldn’t have to call anybody to hound them about a replacement tire. I mean, come on, my money was good. They didn’t have to hound anybody to get paid. Hey TreadWright, do you want me to do business with you again? It’s starting to look like it was a mistake for me to go this route. I understand that manufacturing defects happen in all tires. What a company does to make it right says a lot about that company. Everyone else has said that TreadWright has made it right for them right away. I wonder why that hasn’t happened here. I’m starting to get upset.

Susanne,

I’m attaching a photo of the tire that I got from you. I assume it’s a Goodyear Silent Armor. My wife painted the Goodyear and Wrangler in on the tire herself. I sent you a photo that is large enough that you guys can blow it up and see for sure if I’m telling you the correct tire. If you have another Goodyear, in the correct size, tread, and ply (10 Load Range E), that is similar, I’ll take that. I think they used Kevlar belting in some of their other tires as well. Thank you for your help. –Eric E. Durnan

Dear Eric,

I changed it to a Good year wrangler as the pic shows. Everything else will be the same. It should go out soon. If you have any more questions about the shipment you can call 605-745-5045 and press the shipping key. Sorry I was not of more help.

Susanne

Here it is, the 8th of September. It’s been over a week since the above exchange. Granted, it’s a Saturday, but I haven’t heard a peep. When I ordered the tires, they sent me tracking info, so to be honest, I’m waiting to see some tracking info in my e-mail box. Nope. Just crickets. Goodyear casings are not that uncommon. The size I am asking for is not that uncommon. The tread design is one of their most popular. I’m half tempted to call and order another tire and I have a sneaking suspicion that they’ll have a GoodYear tire for me with cash in hand. But, since this is a replacement tire, I guess it’s not a priority to them. My father always told me that you can tell the character of a man by how he treats those he has nothing to gain from. Well, TreadWright isn’t making this right for me. I shouldn’t have to call their production floor or shipping department to make this right. I paid my money. They didn’t have to hunt it down. Their product should represent the good money sent to them, and they should see to it that I have my good product the same as I made sure they had my money. This really pisses me off.

So, when you go to buy your tires from TreadWright, keep this in mind. Most customers don’t have a problem with their tires. Most have seemingly had good luck getting replacements when they do have problems. However, you might get unlucky like me. I’m happy with their tires – at least the ones that hold together. But I’m not happy with how this has been handled. I’ve got a pickup truck that I need to use and I am running the spare. I can’t go very far because if I have another tire failure, I don’t have another spare. I NEED this tire. I’ve got stuff to haul before winter. I’m not being an impatient customer, nor am I being unreasonable. In another week, it’ll be a month. I’m not sure if I’ll buy tires from TreadWright again after this. It might be worth the extra money to buy new and avoid this hassle.  Bad form TreadWright. For a company trying to convince people that buying recaps are as sure of a bet as buying new - very bad form.

 

Husqvarna 346XP E-Tech

     Up until today, we had been running two chainsaws. We use a Poulan Pro 4218 and a Husqvarna 372XP X-Torq. We started cutting our own firewood early last year and started with a cheap saw, the Poulan Pro, which we bought from Walmart for about $130. It was $150, but because I opened an account with them, they knocked $20 off of the price. My friend, John Bollman, lent me his Jonsered 625ii to help with the bigger cutting jobs. His 625ii was an old saw, one that he found in a barn without a muffler. He didn’t know the history on it. All he did was put a muffler, bar, and chain on it. He filled it with gas and oil and pulled the cord. It fired up. He used it quite a bit and it worked well for us for a time. My wife was running the saw and sat it down to refill it. After refilling, it never started again. We tore it apart and it needed a ring. It was black below the ring and had been blowing by for some time. The ring stuck and that was that. We spoke to John who said not to worry about it. I need to get it back together for him sometime, but anyhow….. We needed a saw right then and there. I didn’t want to borrow a saw anymore because I felt terrible that John’s saw died on our watch. I wanted a good saw which would compare to the Jonsered, so we bought the 372XP. It has been a wonderful saw. I should write about that saw sometime. It’s worth every penny of its price. But this is supposed to be about the 346XP……

     We got all of our wood cut that we needed last year. We prepped the saws and put them away for the winter. We stored them in our basement, which is a concrete floor, and because of the wood furnace down there, it’s warm and dry. Spring sprung early this year, and we got the saws out and were preparing them for spring cutting when we noticed that the Poulan is puking bar and chain oil out something fierce. When you go to cut with it, the bar and chain oil just flies off of the bar. It doesn’t matter if you idle between cuts or not. It’s bad enough that you almost have to fill it two extra times between fills of gas, when we also fill the bar and chain oil. Something isn’t right with it. Do I fix this cheap Poulan or do I replace it? To be quite honest, it was the excuse I needed to replace it. The 372XP is such a wonderful saw that I’m sold on these Huskies. I looked for a comparable saw and settled on the 346. I should point out, it’s only comparable in overall size and weight. The comparison ends there. The Husky 346XP E-Tech is a 50cc saw while the Poulan is a 42cc. The Poulan has a plastic crankcase while the Husky is metal. The Husky has an adjustable oil pump, the Poulan does not. The Husky has springs for its anti-vibration and the Poulan has nothing. You run the Poulan and your hands go numb from the vibration. Not with the Husky.

     The Husky has easy access to the air filter. The Poulan requires taking a couple of Torx screws out. The Husky has a cartridge style air filter, the Poulan has a cotton looking pad. The only thing that I can say the Poulan has over the 346XP is an inboard clutch. I prefer an inboard clutch. The 346XP has an outboard clutch.

     This is being written in early April, 2012. I use the Husqvarna website to help me choose my saws as I live 40 minutes away from the dealer. As of right now, the website doesn’t mention that ALL 346XPs sold in the United States are now E-Techs. The only E-Tech that they show on the website is the Trio-Brake model. I asked my dealer and they say that every 346XP now has the green gas cap and catalytic converter in the muffler. You can’t get it any other way. Bailey’s still sells a non EPA muffler for the 346XP. It’s not cheap!

     I had a hard time finding good information about this saw. I thought I’d take the opportunity to say a little about it for the folks who are considering purchasing this saw. I bought mine at Edgewood Saw & Supply in Edgewood, Iowa. I bought my 372XP from them and that’s why I returned to them to purchase this saw. They’ve treated me right, so I plan on purchasing my next saw from them as well. 

     Here’s some information that I found hard to ascertain on the web. Again, this is being written in early April 2012. First, all of these saws sold in the U.S. are supposedly E-Techs now. I was told that you can’t buy the non-EPA saws here anymore – at least new. The badge on the side of my 346XP says E-Tech below it, in the same spot my 372XP has the word X-Torq. Speaking of which, this saw is NOT an X-Torq engine. Why it’s not is beyond me. Secondly, this saw comes with a SPUR SPROCKET. I prefer rim sprockets. My dealer wasn’t sure if they made a rim sprocket setup for this saw, so I went to the Oregon website and found the part number. The Oregon part number is 108215X. That leads me to the next factoid. This saw comes factory with a .325 chain as opposed to the 3/8” chain. My Poulan even used a 3/8” chain, although it had the small cutters. I did some looking into this and some say the .325 is better for this saw because it runs faster, due to the shortened length of the links. I’ve never ran a .325 chain before, so I thought I’d give it a fair try. I just bought the saw, so I’ll have to write about our experience with it in the next article about this saw. I ordered this saw with a 20” bar because we don’t like stooping over when we cut. The dealer was kind enough to order and switch the spur sprocket out for the rim sprocket when they set the saw up for us. The 372XP came with a rim sprocket on it from the factory.

     This 346XP is an OUTBOARD CLUTCH. I don’t like outboard clutches just because they are a bear to tear apart and put back together. I lube the needle bearing cage frequently, and it’s a cinch on the 372XP. With the outboard clutch, I’ll have to take the spark plug out, block the piston, and fart around and fart around. Why don’t they just switch it to an inboard like the 372XP?

     A few final tidbits. The air filter isn’t as nice as the 372XP. The 372 has an automotive style filter. This 346 uses a cartridge that is held on “bail style” with a piece of wire. The top cover comes off easy enough with 3 snaps, and unlike the 372, the entire top comes off. I see this saw has a port for opening up in the winter to allow warm air to enter the carburetor chamber. I didn’t see that on the 372. Last but not least, this saw has a decompression valve, and the combined start and choke controls like the Poulan. It also has the primer bulb. 

     Only time will tell if this saw will exceed my expectations like the 372XP. I’m concerned about the cat muffler. I don’t want to spend the money right now to switch it. I’ll give it a fair shake. Once we get into the wood cutting season this spring, I’ll know more about this saw and I’ll post an update to how we’re doing with this 346XP E-Tech.

So far, so good!

     I’ve had this homemade computer up and running since the 15th of March – almost two weeks. By God, it’s a pretty good computer. The kids have noticed a real difference. Karen plays ABC Mouse, and it was almost unbearable on the old computer. It would take a month of Sundays and the Seventh Coming of Christ to print out the tickets that are awarded after each exercise. When you went to the fish tank, it took a lifetime just to scrub the tank of algae. Karen, my youngest, said to me, “Dad, the thing really spits the tickets out fast now!” Sean noticed how much faster the fish tank cleaning was. So, for the kids, it’s a good deal. I can now run multiple applications at once. I can listen to my music, adjust large photographs, and run my genealogy program all at once, while the virus scanner is running. It’s just great!
     I had so much fun putting this computer together, that I’d love to do it as a job. The thing is, building a homemade computer from scratch is more expensive up front than buying a Dell, especially the cheaper models that they sell in Walmart. However, in the long run, it equalizes out because upgrading homemade computers is much cheaper. On a Dell, you can upgrade to a larger hard drive, or switch from a DVD burner to a Blu-ray burner. It’s easy to upgrade your RAM. But it ends there. What do you do when your processor no longer fits the bill? Just like the computer I have built, you have to change the motherboard. Dell, and other computer manufacturers, build your system just to the point that it works. They don’t leave much for expansion. The case usually isn’t big enough to run a large heat sink. The power supply is just large enough to power the computer that they shipped to you. If you want to add things like multiple video cards, etc., then you’ll have to purchase a new power supply. You just don’t hear people with Dells tearing their computers apart and rebuilding like you can do with a home built computer. If you had a home built computer, and wanted to upgrade the motherboard, odds are, all you have to do is change out the motherboard and processor. You will also likely have to reinstall the operating system as the OEM operating system is tied to the motherboard. The Dell that you purchase also comes with an OEM version. With the homemade computer, you can reuse your case and power supply. You probably can’t do that with a Dell. Here’s why. Again, the power supply is just enough that it powers the computer that they sent you. Odds are, it won’t be enough to supply power to a faster processor. As far as the case goes, there are two problems. First, the case probably isn’t big enough for a large processor cooling fan. The stock one that comes with the processor will probably work fine, but I like to keep my computer running cool. With my old Dell, when it got a little dusty, it would start to mess up most likely due to overheating. My homemade system has a large radiator looking contraption sitting on the processor with a fan. It runs cool as a cucumber. The cooling system only cost $40, so why not spend that to keep it running better? I know my Dell case would not have accommodated this cooling fan. The second problem is at the back of the case. On my Dell case, you cannot remove the I/O Panel. Click on the link to see what I’m talking about. Each motherboard has a unique configuration, so to accommodate this, they make a universally sized panel that comes with all motherboards. It's the layout of connections within that panel that is different between motherboards. On my homemade computer, the plate pops out and is easily changed. All motherboards come with an I/O panel designed for the unique configuration of that motherboard. For some reason, again probably because of cost, Dell made mine part of the case, so if you want to change the motherboard in my Dell case, you have to own a Dremel and be somewhat of a tinsmith. The computer case that Dell sends you has very few expansion and hard drive slots compared to the case that I bought for my homemade computer. I have a lot more ability to expand this computer because of that. This computer case is a lot more friendly than the Dell case in that it has more cooling fans, and actual filters that help keep the dust out of the computer. You can easily remove these filters (actually fine screens) and go wash or blow them out. It’s night and day difference.
      It all comes down to what works for you. I’m a very heavy computer user. It makes sense for me to have a better computer. For someone who just does some surfing of the internet, writes a few letters, and what not, a Dell or other similar brand would be fine.
      Here’s another way to look at it. My wife and I can our own food. You can go out and buy a $100 canner that is made in China, or you can spend about $250 and up for a canner made here in the U.S.A. The cheap Chinese made canner will work just fine. However, with those, you have to buy a gasket every year or two. They don’t feel as sturdy, and aren’t as convenient as the American made canner. I now own a good American made canner. I don’t regret the purchase one iota. I absolutely love the thing. We got a canner (one of those that takes a gasket) from my mother in law, and upon inspecting it, I’m sure glad that we have the good American made one. We use our canner a lot. I don’t think a week has gone by since late last summer that we haven’t used it. So, it’s worth it to us to have the better canner. That’s how it is with the computer situation that I have just described. Do you want a Cadillac, or are you happy with the Chevy? In this instance though, the Cadillac will be cheaper in the long run (so is the more expensive canner since you don’t have to buy gaskets ever year or two). I don’t know about you, but I feel computers are here to stay. It was worth it to me to spend a little extra money now. I have no regrets and would recommend it to anyone who takes their computer serious. In fact, I would build one for anyone who wanted to go this route.

First Time Building

     So, I’ve only owned two real computers in my life. I’ve owned a couple of others, but they were severely deficient in one way or another. But, since 2000, when I bought my first computer, there have only been 2 computers which I have counted on for all of my day to day stuff. Not bad for 12 years! My first computer was a Compaq Presario, 633Mhz Celeron with a 15 Gig hard drive. I used that computer from 2000 to 2006. Being my first computer buying experience, I wasn’t sure what to look for and I figured that if anyone knew what I needed, it was Radio Shack. I was wrong. All they cared about was making a large profit for themselves by selling me a subpar computer for high dollar. I was miserable with that Compaq for 6 years. It cost me nearly $1400. That was with a monitor and printer – the whole works. It came with Windows 98SE, which wasn’t a bad operating system. I never did upgrade it to XP, so I ran 98SE for 6 years. But for the money I spent on that system, I could have gone to Best Buy and bought a Pentium III, which was the “Big Kahuna” of its day. I regretted that purchase and vowed that my next computer would have a big processor, and that I’d add memory and disk space as time went on. Lesson learned. 

     My next computer was an eBay purchase. In 2006, that Compaq started coughing and choking on simple things like browsing the web. I turned to eBay and found it by typing in Pentium 4, which was the best consumer processor (Intel) that was out at the time. I’m not an over clocker or gamer, but I run heavy memory applications that deal with photo files mainly. Doing family research, I’m finding myself running multiple applications at once, so I needed the extra horsepower. I found a Dell Dimension 5150 with a Pentium 4HT processor running at 3 Ghz. I bought it for $600, but it didn’t come with speakers or a monitor. I bought monitor separately and the speakers I had for my Compaq, were JBLs, so they were good. It came loaded with Windows XP, but this was right before Vista came out. It’s probably a good thing because everyone was complaining about Vista. I stuck with XP until a few years back when I finally upgraded to Vista. It ran fine on this computer. Then just last year, I upgraded again to Windows 7 Professional. I’ve also added a second hard drive for storage, and I’ve upgraded the RAM to 4 Gig. That’s the computer that I’m running today. It’s done me very well these past 6 years. The problem is, this computer is starting to choke like the Compaq. Web pages are starting to bog this girl down, no matter which browser I use. I really notice it with Flash and Java. Anything using those services really puts a drag on this old girl. Plus, if I try and run multiple applications at once, I’m finding this thing is hanging a lot and I have to sit here and wait for it to make up its mind. I’m also finding that I need to reboot it a lot as I’m getting more and more errors. I don’t have an install disk for the OS. Every upgrade that I’ve done to the OS has been from a download from the Microsoft website. This too must change. A buddy of mine recently purchased Windows 7 Ultimate for his machine, and that was pretty slick having the disk. 

     So, I’ve been sitting here contemplating on what to do about my situation. Do I live with it? I can still use the computer even though it’s getting to be a big pain in the ass. I use my computer a lot. I am not in good health. I don’t get around much. This is how I do my shopping. This is how I entertain myself. I use the computer for family history. I use it to write. The kids use it. Having a computer here is almost equivalent to having a good cook stove in the pioneer days. You could have survived without one, but it would have been a major pain in the ass. My computer to me is like many are towards their IPads and smart phones.

     I looked at purchasing another Dell. I’ve helped a couple of friends purchase Dells and they’ve seemed to have good luck with them. Dell makes a good computer. The thing is, there aren’t a lot of options within Dell anymore. It’s my understanding that they closed down many of their assembly plants, which might explain the lack of choice in a computer build. The other problem with a Dell is that if you want to upgrade your motherboard, it’s not all that easy to do. The cases aren’t the greatest. The power supplies are cheap. I want a computer that is easy to upgrade. So, I’ve finally decided to take the plunge and build my own. First, it isn’t cheap to do. It’s about 16% more expensive than the Dell, but is that truly comparing apples to apples? I’m getting an i7 2700K processor as opposed to the older i7 2600K. My power supply is better. I’ll have an SSD hard drive. I’ll actually have the disk for the operating system. My case will be far superior to anything Dell offers. I’ll have 16 gigs of memory as opposed to 12. I’ll have a better cooling fan. Plus, it’ll all be built by me, and I’ll be able to upgrade and change in the future with greater ease than I can now. It’ll be cheaper to upgrade in the future. All I may need then is just a motherboard and processor, and maybe some memory. The case will remain the same. The power supply will stay the same. I won’t have to switch hard drives, operating systems, etc. After this initial investment, I think I’ll be money ahead in the long run.

     Now, as far as choosing my new computer. That’s where I started to get nervous. It's not built yet so I'm still nervous! The processor is one of the most expensive aspects of the computer build, with exception of a high end video card, which I don’t need because I don’t play games. I want a processor that is overkill today, just right down the road, and won’t be underpowered for some time to come. If I can get 6 years out of it, I’ll be happy. I’ve only known Intel processors, so I went with the best consumer processor I could find. I chose the i7 2700K. It’s a quad core processor that uses hyper threading. From there, I chose my motherboard. I don’t know shit about motherboards, so I did some research and found out that the one I chose is supposed to be a pretty slick one, and it is even designed for the next generation of Intel processors, meaning I can upgrade the processor without having to upgrade the board. Yay! This will be my first 64 bit system. This will be my first SSD hard drive. I plan on using the Solid State hard drive for the operating system and keeping my storage drives from my Dell. There’s still some confusion as to whether I picked the right components to play together. I know the processor, mother board, and cooling fan all work together. I’m hoping the memory that I chose will work. I’m also a little confused about the video card. The motherboard said that it doesn’t have integrated video, yet there are jacks for it. The processor claims it has integrated video. This confuses me. So, I purchased a cheaper video card that is separate. I’m not sure if I needed that or not. I tried to pick the best power supply that I could find. I did some research and found out that I would prefer a modular power supply, meaning that the power cords get put on as needed, and you don’t have this big wad of wires in your box that you don’t need. It’s 750 watt. I’m not sure if this is overkill or not. I’ve heard that if your power supply is too large, that can cause trouble too. I’m not afraid of being undersupplied – I’m worried about having too much. It’s also supposed to be an energy efficient power supply. I went with the Corsair case because it just seems like a very well thought out case with a lot of room for expansion. I like the dock on top of the case where you can slide a hard drive in for a quick read. It has air filters that are removable and can be cleaned easily. You can open both sides and access things much easier than those that only open one way. Since I was at it, I added an illuminated keyboard so I can see what I’m typing at night, and a new mouse because this one has seen its better day. All this stuff will arrive this week and probably into next. Then the fun of putting it all together starts. I’m worried about it. I hope the memory works. I don’t know much about the different speeds and latencies. I guess if I’m going to take care of this computer, I better learn. I’d appreciate any thoughts on this build. It’s my first time! 

1 x Corsair Obsidian Series 650D (CC650DW-1) Black Steel structure with black brushed aluminum faceplate ATX Mid Tower Computer Case  

1 x ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard  

1 x Intel Core i7-2700K Sandy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623i72700K  

1 x COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 

1 x SeaSonic X750 Gold 750W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply 

1 x Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F120GBGT-BK 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)  

1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit - OEM  

2 x G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL10S-8GBXL  

1 x MSI N550GTX-Ti Cyclone OC GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card  

1 x SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA Model SH-222BB/BEBE - OEM  

1 x Kensington K72356US Black 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical Mouse  

1 x Saitek Eclipse II Illuminated Keyboard

March 6th, 2012

      What a beautiful day! I actually had the energy to go with KinDee to Oelwein today to get a few groceries. I sure enjoyed having the windows cracked and smelling the fresh air. This is my favorite time of year. My father’s favorite time of year is Fall. I like the fall, but it depresses me. Everything is dying and winter comes after. In the spring, it’s all about renewal and rebirth. I love the smell of the earth on a spring day. It takes me back to my youth. It makes me think of Dad out planting corn. He had this old two row planter and would only plant a small patch, but I would go out and walk behind that planter. I’d feel the cool earth with my feet. I would smell that “earthy” smell and that has always stayed with me.  

      When I went outside this afternoon, after my nap, the kids were playing on the trampoline that KinDee just put up again. I sat on the deck and listened to the geese heading north again. I smelled those lovely spring smells and heard the sounds of people enjoying a spring day. I listened as families were out walking, visiting with each other. I heard more vehicles go by today than I have seen in a long while. With gas prices high, people seemed to have really cut back on how much they drive, but on a beautiful day like today, I think it was a case of “gas prices be damned.” It made me think of being on Dad’s farm in the early 1990’s. Sitting there a mile west of Walker, on a day like today, you could hear the hustle and bustle of Walker. Many times I would walk into town to see Toby. It would take me by the Bowling Alley and the taverns. On nights like tonight, they’d be busier than hell. This sort of weather makes people almost giddy. I know it does that to me.  

      I’ve been feeling like shit lately. We found out last year that my thyroid is all messed up. It has been a very large contributing factor to my failing health. They’ve been monkeying around with medication ever since. I thought we had it down pretty good by November, then I went downhill like a lead balloon. I had several infections, and then by late December, I got a bad case of cellulitis in my leg. I really thought it was going to be my swan song. Heavy antibiotics and some more rest cleared that up, but I still haven’t been the same since. I get tired every day between Noon and 2 P.M. I can hardly function. I need to lay down and generally I take a nap, or just lay there for a few hours, then I’m fine until bedtime. Even though this past winter has been mild, it’s been one of the worst for me. I’ve felt worse than I ever have. What was it, last week or so when we had a mild day sort of like this one? Whenever it was, I remember I got outside then and I felt a lot better. Today has done the same thing for me. I’m hoping that spring comes early and stays. Hopefully it will improve my health. Back in the old days, they would call it your “constitution.” Well, this nice weather is certainly improving my constitution. This afternoon, I have felt better than I have in a long time.

Energy Efficiency

I wrote this essay (blog) back in 2009. It still rings true today.

Have you ever wondered why the light company seems so interested in getting you to cut your power consumption? Wouldn’t it make sense that the light company would want you to use more energy so that they make more money? There’s a reason that the light company wants you to use less. It’s so they can make more money. That’s right, the less energy you use, the more money they make. Here’s how it works. Every year, your light bill goes up. It’s not because you are using more energy, per se, it’s because the light company keeps jacking their rates up. Just around here, Alliant has asked for several rate increases and in fact, they got a rate increase last year which still isn’t fully implemented, and they’re back already this year asking for a 20% increase on top of that! If your energy usage remained the same, you would see your light bill skyrocket. You would feel the hurt and would try and stop your company from jacking their rates up. If you used more energy, not only would you feel the hurt, the light company would have to invest in more infrastructure and that hurts their bottom line. Also, if they had to generate more electricity, their cost per unit of energy would decrease because as we all know, when you produce in bulk, the cost per unit goes down. The light company is doing what is in their best interest; getting you to use less of their product and pay more for it. This reduces their cost because they are producing less without having to invest in infrastructure and you are paying more per unit for that electricity. Your bill isn’t going down because they are charging more per unit, year after year. Here’s the kicker; you’re a captive audience. It’s not like you can say that Company X’s rates are too high so you’ll just have your house wired to Company Z’s lines. No, you’re going to pay whatever the light company says or it’s lights out for you!

Next time you see your light company offering rebates for energy efficiency items, think about it and then realize that it’s not for your benefit really. You’ll eventually be paying the same amount each month for electricity. You’ll just be fattening the wallet of your light company all the more. It’s not like you’re going to have a choice either. You better take the incentive and at least reduce your consumption or you’ll be one of those really feeling the pain. It’s the same idea behind the gas companies wanting better fuel efficiency. It allows them to drill less and charge more per unit, which again fattens their wallet. That’s why these companies seem so interested in getting you to use less of their product.