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March, 2023—

Back to regular (or semi-regular) blogging, I ended February planting. Recently I stopped in town and picked up some American sweetgum seeds I had noticed on the ground earlier when walking along Summit Street. I got 30, which should be plenty for a botanical experiment. Today I filled twenty small pots with potting soil, planted one seed in each, and watered all of them. They are on the south side of the shop building, where they will be in direct morning sun, followed by shade in the afternoon. If the experiment results in actual seedlings, I will plant a few in the yard near the house, and the rest down in the woodlot.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

An important project for me has been replacing the lapsed insurance on my 2008 Camry. Today my new policy took effect, and I am again legal to drive. Since I returned home on February 24 I have depended on relatives or neighbors for transportation, and I'm happy that I won't have to pester them for a ride whenever I need to go anywhere.

I continued regaining strength, little by little. I'm still 82 years old and much weaker than I was a few years ago, but I have used the cane less and less. A problem with not needing it all the time is remembering where I left it. One source of exercise since I returned home is firewood. Despite the relatively mild afternoon highs, the evenings have been chilly enough for fires in the kitchen stove and the living room fireplace. The big fly in that ointment is equipment. Zack has brought me cut firewood a couple of times, and I have used some, but much of it is big enough to need splitting. The obstacle there is the splitter. If I can get it started, it will run for a few seconds and die. The other wood problem is the chain saw. I used it a little but then it threw the chain, which ended up with burrs on it that keep it from fitting on the bar. I will have to build some kind of chain holder that will allow me to remove the burrs with a little grinder. Meanwhile, I'm getting by with the electric saw to cut up dead branches from the yard. The saw won't cut them if they're too thick for the blade to reach all the way through, but fortunately there are enough that are two inches or less so I've been able to find enough of them to suit the need.

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Soon after I returned home last month I received a phone call reminding me that the annual meeting of the Model T Ford Club would be in Oklahoma City yesterday and today, and encouraging me to attend. I doubted that I would be up for both days, so I determined that I would go to the dinner this evening. I drove down to OKC this afternoon, and being told that the strict parking signs don't apply on weekends I found a parking place near the hotel. When I went inside I was well received, as a lot of the folks were aware of my wreck and subsequent adventures. It was wonderful to see old friends and meet people I had seen only online.

Receiving the Yumori award.	The award.
Ed Archer is no Stranger to Model T travel. He's driven his yellow speedster all over the country.	They saved me a space at OCF.