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Friday, August 17, 2018

Still Here!



Hello everyone. You probably thought I was gone forever.

I've been crazy busy this summer and still behind where I'd hope to be by now. There have been a lot of developments.

Last winter we left some house renovations only partially done. We jumped right back into those and wrapped up a few things. Living in a dome is fun, but sometimes it gets a little tricky to use standard building materials in a non-standard home.

Recently I was able to get the house solar electric system back up and running again. The big problem was that the battery bank needed to be replaced. The smart thing to do is to set aside a little money every year so replacement costs don't hit all at once. That didn't happen so I had to get a chunk of money together. On the bright side, by shopping around $500 was shaved off the replacement costs. It did require a trip downstate, but the price difference made it worthwhile.

The expensive charge controller didn't appear to be working and the inverter wasn't kicking on. I'd hoped that it was something simple like that old battery bank being too weak for the charge controller to function properly. New batteries actually solved the problem. Once connected the controller booted up and started working perfectly.

The inverter is the original one and well over 20 years old. After being shut down for the winter, it did not want to start up again. That had happened once before but eventually it came on. With that in mind, I just kept hitting the start button until it turned on. It's been working perfectly ever since.

The veggie van is still for sale. It needs more work that I cared to put into it. My concern is that I could sink money into repairs and still not be able to trust it 2000 miles from home. There has been some interest, but no one has yet to show up with money. Until that happens, it can sit in the yard. The registration is good until March so it can be driven away until then.

I was making progress on the old motorcycle. However, on a whim, I took a photo and listed it on Craigslist. It sold in a couple hours, for $100 more than what I listed it for. I got to thinking that I'd have to spend some more money on the bike, plus registration, inspection and insurance. When I was done it'd still be an old bike that can go way too fast. Just as well that I decided to let it go. Probably saved my life.

There have been, and still are, family and business issues I'm working through. That's not a bad thing, just time consuming.

Next post I'll get into what our plans for the fall are shaping like. I have another adventure in the works.

-Sixbears

14 comments:

  1. So glad to see you back. Getting on the 'puter can take precious time out of your day and it sounds like you have and had a lot to keep you busy. Selling the motorcycle gives you a little more in your pocket for the necessary stuff and I'll bet your lovely wife is relieved to see it go. I'm looking forward to "hearing" what your adventure is.

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    1. I can't promise I'll be posting every day, but I have missed blogging. The break did give some much needed extra time for other things.

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  2. I'd been wondering about you; it's good to hear from you again.

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    1. Thanks Gorges. I'm Okay, just have a lot going on. The clock is running and I'm going to have to scramble to get everything done in time.

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  3. Been missing your smiling face, big guy! Welcome back! Just keep us up to date as to your new adventures, if you have time.

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  4. Ditto all the others, Sixbears. Good to hear from you again.
    If you can't post every day, then once a week or so to let us know you're still kicking, please, and keep us abreast of future adventures.

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  5. Welcome back!
    Now isn't it time for you to prep for winter up there? Ha ha :-)

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    1. It's always time to prep for winter. Old Man Winter is a hard case bad actor.

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  6. You are alive!!! Thank goodness. Don't like it when a blogger disappears. Glad you are back.

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    1. Yep. It's true that a lot of bloggers I used to read had the bad grace to die.

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