8.28.2026

Our appointment to give blood yesterday was 5:30.  Probably around 6:00, a big storm blew through and there was torrential rain.  Once we were finished, it was just very light rain.  We went to The Local and all was fine.  On our way home, the road to get to our house was closed at two different spots, so we had to detour around.  Besides some rutting of the driveway, thankfully all was fine at our house.  We didn't even lose power, although our internet just now came on after being off for over 24 hours.  I had an early morning appointment for my mammogram/ultrasound and saw lots of damage on my way into Saratoga.  Just this afternoon, it was confirmed that two tornados, an F1 and F0, hit the town next to us.  Tornados here are extremely rare and they don't even have tornado sirens like we are used to in Ohio.

Jim continues to do parts clean up.  He took the bearing and seal housing off the front of the transmission...

After his clean up...

He cleaned up these pulleys and battery hold down in the blasting cabinet, then painted them...

High 77.3/Low 61.9

8.27.2026

 It's been a few busy days, but nothing that needed a picture.  On Tuesday, Jim was able to get the grass mowed, but as soon as he got changed to do trimming, some rain moved in.

Yesterday, Jim went to the engine shop in the afternoon to check on progress.  He spent a while there - the guy said things were in really good shape, and he thought the cylinders might not even need boring.  But he called Jim later in the afternoon and said that they are just a bit out of round at the top, so they will have to bore.

Now Jim is knee deep in trying to order parts.  He could order a rebuild kit, but he would like better quality on some of the parts so he's trying to work all those issues out.  He decided to go back to the engine shop this afternoon to just confirm some specifications.  While he was there, the guy was done with some of his parts - check out the newly-cleaned and painted valve covers and intake manifold....

We have an appointment early this evening to donate blood - this is the first time that Jim will be eligible to donate after his cancer diagnosis.  We're going to go to The Local afterwards.

8.25 - High 72.5/Low 59.9
8.26 - High 75.4/Low 55
8.27 - High 72.4/Low 57.8

8.24.2026

Jim wheeled the transmission outside today and gave it a good cleaning to get the grease off...

Once it was cleaned and dried in the sun for a bit, Jim used his special tool to take off the seal.  Just another part he has to replace...

Jim was an angel and pulled the weeds in the rocks at the side of the pole barn lean to - what a huge difference!  Spraying a little weed killer around the edges...

High 72/Low 53.3

 

8.23.2026

Yesterday went by in a blur.  Jim did get some fertilizer put down on the triangle and around the rock wall.  He also got our lawn chairs down because our church had an outdoor Mass last night, which was really nice.

Jim spent today doing more cleaning - here he's working on the oil pan.  Even though he cleaned it outside, now he's doing the final cleaning, including taking off the old gasket residue...

Looks pretty!

New parts are coming in...

8.22 - High 78.4/Low 53.7
8.23 - High 77.5/Low 63.9 - on/off rain

8.21.2026

Jim continued to work on cleaning parts today, including scrubbing and soaking bolts...

He took the bell housing off the transmission...

Took it outside to degrease it...

What a difference!  Jim said this won't make a difference in how the car performs, but it's nice to work with clean parts when putting it back together.

He had to do more grass cutting at the end of the day.

High 76.5/Low 55.4

8.20.2026

Jim had an afternoon doctor appointment in preparation for his colonoscopy in November.  All was fine and we just want to make sure we keep it that way!  He also wanted to stop at the insurance agent, but they were getting their parking lot coated, so he just came home.

He spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning some more parts in the washer...

Jim did a photo dump from the trail cam today.  Can you guess what this is?

Coyotes!

In fact, a whole pack of coyotes!

We have two buck that we see frequently - this was a nice picture of one of them...

Even caught a skunk on camera - thankfully no smells.

High 76.3/Low 59.6

 

8.19.2026

 We had reserved a Home Depot van for this afternoon, but then this morning, Jim got a call that the reservation was canceled.  I called and talked to someone and eventually was able to make a new order.  She couldn't explain what happened but it all worked out so we didn't press.  Of course, nothing is as easy as it sounds - even after filling out paperwork on line, there was a lot to do once we got there.  Plus, it was a new system for them so required multiple people.  But eventually, we got the keys...

Back home with the clock ticking...

Jim had everything ready, of course, so first he raised up the block...

Then he brought the hoist over to the back of the van...

Lowering it down...

Strapping it down for the ride to the machine shop.  We were probably back on the road in less than 10 minutes.

Unloading at the machine shop...

They had told Jim that they had a tow motor to get it out, but then he brought over a cart and they just loaded it up.  Made my heart hurt to watch because this block probably weighs over 450 pounds.

We had to fill the van up with a whopping 1.8 gallons of gas and then take it back to Home Depot.  It all worked out great - we only had it for about an hour and a half.

High 77.1/Low 57.2