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WEEK 30 2020
Last Week- Sun- Mon- Tue- Wed- Thur- Fri- Sat- Next Week
Saturday - Hot.
I tripped and fell the other night, while out looking at the comet with the binoculars. My instincts are good, I tucked the bino's in like a football player being tackled. They were fine, but I gashed my head pretty good, still picking scabs out of my hair up there...
Books So Far, 2020
Friday - Hot.
The west office cooled to about 75F with the changes. I think it could go even cooler with another screen, and some insulation on the metal window framing. In fact full size screens would block the metal frames from the direct sun and be better yet.
I've been researching and there are quiet small window units too. There is a Haier 6.5k BTU that claims to be about 44db, which is really quiet. I can't find numbers on the current unit, but it's a lot: it's only 5k BTU and yet much louder than the new bigger LG 14k BTU unit in the front room, so maybe 60db+. But quiet comes at a cost, 2x what you'd normally expect to pay.
In other projects, I've been accumulating blocks and bricks to extend the front yard wall back about 40' or so on the north side, so that I can lay out some front yard landscaping. I haven't actually done anything but buy and unload the materials, it's been so very hot, but eventually I need to finish it - there is a lot of indoor work that I've been putting off. Master bathroom demo and remodeling for example.
Thursday - Hot.
I keep thinking, "need to check on the dogs". Their food, the water, the mister, whether they've burrowed out of the yard, stepped on something sharp, are barking...
I also put the little window a/c unit back into the west office. It couldn't keep it below 85F or so last year. but I've replaced the old bug screens with Suntex screen material.
The office has essentially 6x 3'x3' windows facing west, with absolutely no shade. The a/c unit takes up one window, and now there are Suntex screens on two others.
With just the lower parts covered the a/c can now keep it at about 81F.
I've made a couple of clips to allow adding screens to the top portion of the window, we'll see how that goes. I actually measured the upper glass as being 120F+ inside the house. using an outdoor thermometer that only goes up to 120F. No wonder the little 5k unit can't keep the place cool.
I should make a full size screens, like the rear windows, but I don't have enough Suntex left, and it seems out of stock.
I have a left over Suntex screen from the front room where I put the window unit in there, and I can steal one from the master bedroom - the cats like the warmth anyway, and it gets warm because there is no a/c vent in there at all (so no big loss), and cover two of the upper windows.
Wednesday - Hot.
S came by and picked up the dogs, mid-morning. They were happy to go with her, as always, and I was happy to see them go, as always. They are nice enough, but it's a pain monitoring them outside in this horrible weather.
I called Aaron and he came by and we put in the new window unit yesterday. It is indeed quiet, not a "roaring monster" as we kids would refer to the through-wall unit at my father's place. It is a bit louder than the whole house swamp cooler though, and pulls about 900w on low...
It outputs very very cold air, which is nice.
In theory you can hook it to the internet and get an app to control it remotely. In practice...not unless I set up a duplicate home network isolated from everything else. The internet is not secure.
Tuesday - Hot.
I finally broke down and bought a window air conditioner for the front room a day or two ago. It's generally 80F by late afternoon, and it's the coolest room in the house. The unit I bought was a 14K BTU model by LG, and it supposedly very quiet, 44db or so I think. It was the last of it's kind in the valley, and I had to drive down to Palmdale to get it.
It's over 100 pounds, so I'll need help putting it in. Previous owner had caulked the windows closed, I'll have to remove that...
I stopped by Mike's place on the way, admired his new Xeriscape plants, gave him a little book on Xeriscape gardening that I bought for him while visiting the nursery in Morro Bay with R&S.
Monday - Hot.
Fooling around in the house. I got tired of tripping over stacks of pictures on the floor, so I started hanging them. Front room actually has pictures, after three years!
I had an old barometer "weather station" that I put up as well. It looks like the one my Dad had, but Bob has that one. It's an Elgin mass produced model, made in West Germany.
Problem is that it all sets off, to my eyes anyway, the fact that the stove and hearth aren't centered on the wall in the living room. Bah.
I need an antique-style clock too, to match the decor. I'll see what Amazon has.
R&S are back, but with stuff ongoing they asked if I could watch dogs until Wednesday. That's fine.
Sunday - Still hot.
R&S should be home tomorrow. Sometimes they pick up Chihuahua's on the way home, sometimes not. I'll ask tomorrow.
Binoculars arrived, very nice. I took them outside and said "wow". Not particularly powerful, just 7x50's, but good glass and well made. I needed some good all-around bino's for a while, years really, so I'm quite happy.
Comet Neowise looks really good in them.
