Windy!

TREES ARE DOWN around here, some that looked ready to fall, some that looked sound enough to withstand anything short of a hurricane. It’s always interesting to see what falls and what doesn’t.

Here’s one leaning on Frank’s house next door.

We still call it Frank’s house…

 

On this side we had a fairly heavy length of maple come down, 20 feet long, 6 inches in diameter at the base.

It missed the fence, so I can check “fence repair” off my to-do list.

 

This isn’t even this windstorm. It was the one a few weeks ago. The top of the tulip poplar came off in the backyard.

 

There’s where it broke off…

I like this tree! Will make an effort to save it. I’ll get up there and top it with a clean cut, paint the cut with wound dressing to keep out water and bugs.

It’s not awfully high to where the top broke off, maybe 30 feet, but I don’t climb trees anymore, especially not lugging a chainsaw.

I’ll set up scaffolding around the tree and have a plank to stand on.

 

The iron piggy is still in pieces in the driveway. Tomorrow I’m going to try to carve out some wrenching time and at least get the front end put back together.

 

Forks had to come off. I’ve got new springs to go in the tubes.

The front end will be ready for a rebuild in 15,000 miles. It would be easy to do the slider bushings and fork seals now but…  the seals are dry, I don’t see an immediate need to take things apart any further.

 

I got away with putting wheel bearings in the freezer, so that’s good. When the bearings are cold they’re easier to press into the wheel hubs.

I was wondering if this would cause the bride to buy a new refrigerator. This one’s only a year old but it’s been used to cool-down wheel bearings.

She bought a new range once because she came home early and caught me using the oven to heat cure a high-temp paint job on the exhaust headers for my truck.

What… was… I… thinking!?

 

Oh, wait, I remember, I was thinking I’ve got plenty of time to heat cure these pipes before she gets home.

Tony DePaul, October 30, 2017, Cranston, Rhode Island, USA

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About Tony

The occasional scribblings of Tony DePaul, 68, father, grandfather, husband, freelance writer in many forms, recovering journalist, long-distance motorcycle rider, blue routes wanderer, topo map bushwhacker, blah blah...
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8 Responses to Windy!

  1. Brian C. Jones says:

    Just as long as you don’t put pieces of the saved tree in the refrigerator, you ought to be good to go.

    • Tony says:

      Brian, ask Kerry K. about the human foot in the freezer, next to the ice cream. Not my freezer. Uncle Sam’s. The bride most definitely would not stand for a foot. (So to speak.)

  2. Peter Howard says:

    Someday when you feel the time is right you will have to tell the fans whether the General in the diner near Walkers Table is based on anyone you know or have met.
    I just read the Phantom strip of today 31 October and was amused by the General’s long list of people and groups he does not like.You especially have to watch out for those artistic types. It will be interesting when the comments board opens today and other commenters express their displeasure about being included in the General’s rant.

  3. Ryan says:

    Don’t forget the extra virgin motor oil.

  4. Peter Howard says:

    Ha, you got busted with the truck headers! The bride must love you if you are still together in spite of your inability to distinguish the kitchen from a workshop.
    That freezing the bearings trick works though. Have you ever tried warming the bearing recesses as well with an electric hot air gun? When I combine hot and cold the bearings practically fall in by gravity. An electric 1500W hot air gun is a lot more gentle and diffuse than a butane torch but I’d understand if you were worried about permanently distorting the recesses in the expensive hub.
    You be real careful now, trimming that injured poplar.

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