As anyone who has read this blog for a while has realized, I am a nerd and a geek. It's a lifestyle. I also have my fears. My fears sometimes result in expanding my horizons. If you remember my story about meeting the Fire Department in Smalltown, you know I fear electricity. Yup. That has something to do with that physics experiment in high school. That one teaching us about electricity: volts, amps, resistance and what-not. I don't really remember it, except connecting something and suddenly being 4 feet away from my chair with curlier hair and a heart that not longer seemed to be in sync. I repeated that experience in college....yup, electricity and I have a very healthy respect for one another.
I am enjoying my property and having a lure machine. Problem with that -- lure machines run on batteries, batteries that have to be connected to the lure machines with each use and have to be recharged on occasion. I have used the battery for 4 practices now. My handy-dandy lure machine has a volt-meter attached...the charge was beginning to drop. It is time to RECHARGE THE BATTERY. gulp.
I have a Diehard Platinum battery, which requires some special handy-dandy charger which I also purchased: a "Microprocessor Controlled, Fully Automatic Operation Battery Charger with Engine Starter." I liked that....fully automatic. My cup of tea.
Today, I retrieved the charger and read the instructions. After all, if nothing else, nerds are good for reading instructions, but........what the hey who?
BATERRIES GENERATE EXPLOSIVE GASES DURING NORMAL BATTERY OPERATION. FOR THIS REASON, IT IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE THAT YOU FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS EACH TIME YOU USE THE CHARGER.
OK. You have my attention.
2. PERSONAL PRECAUTIONS
2.1 Consider having someone close enough by to come to your aid when you work....
2.2 Have plenty of fresh water and soap nearby in case battery acid contact skin, clothing or eyes.
.....
2.7 Removal personal metal items such as rings, bracelets, necklaces.....A lead-acid battery can produce a short circuit current high enough to weld a ring or the like to metal, causing a severe burn.
All right people. At this point, I am fully convinced that I am probably not going to be able to operate this "fully automated" charger. I mean they are allowed to sell these things without requiring a course, without licensing, without having the fire department on standby?
I called my favorite go to guy....he laughed (note to self: find a new go to guy). "Just connect the red to red and black to black and turn it on. It's simple." I thought about calling 911, just in case. They were so nice about coming before the fire last time.
Right now, the battery is in the garage, hooked to the charger.....the house hasn't blown up, yet. My phone is on speed dial for 911, though.....And my rings are in the glass on the kitchen counter. Anyone up for a battery charging party next time? I hate living life on the edge, charging all alone.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
It's been a long time....
I haven't posted in a while. Part of that lack of words has been fatigue. My father's death came at a time when I was overloaded at work, and I just didn't have energy for much beyond working and taking care of the hounds. The other part: most of the writing seemed to center around death and dying. You might expect that of someone in my line of work but seriously.....
So this is a update post. Yes, I am alive. I continue to work on the Whippet Wranch, and the "clubhouse" (OK, I will likely live in it part time because I just LOVE it) is coming along nicely. The pups are growing (9.5 months) but interestingly, are both shrimps (that's what you get when you breed moderate sized bitch to nearly oversized dog?). Whatever!
So to reintroduce the kids:
Josi -- She's the "pink" dog (officially blue fawn but her coat has a real rose color to it). What to say about Josi? (Notice, since she's saying, the spelling of her name has been altered to fit: Gabi, Hudi, Mati and Josi....poor Layla). The posted pictures may look a little scary. Yes, I feed her! But this pup has one button with two settings: on and ON. OK, I exaggerate. As she gets older, she sleeps some.
I should have known: when Josi was in the whelping box, she was the first to bark and would stand in the center of the box testing different sounds. She uses them all! She is totally obsessed with catching balls. If I throw a tennis ball and she misses (and another dog gets it) she will tear across the yard hoping to get the next ball thrown.
Layla (dark beauty): Layla is not a polar opposite of Josi, but she comes close. At about 4 months, she went through a "spook" phase. I disciplined her for biting and she refused to come out of her crate for two days! She would have absolutely nothing to do with strangers. For me, it was fascinating. Two pups with the same parents and similar upbringings but almost polar opposite personalities! She is no longer quite the spook, but she is still very sensitive. With her markings (the dark face) for some reason, I expect her to be assertive.
Josi is frequently disciplined (she has a hard head). When I am trying to get Josi to stop barking ("NO barks!"), Layla sits right beside me, almost worried. Pups can be so interesting. Layla is much more reserved. She wants reassurance, but also prefers to be off on her own (much like her mother, although her mother was NEVER a spook).
We will see if I blog more frequently. I should probably have a professional blog to mumble about some of my other thoughts. Hmmmm.
Question of the day: why does the skunk choose to cross the road 3 feet in front of the woman jogging with whippets?
The end of the ramblings for this morning. Off to work on weeds!
So this is a update post. Yes, I am alive. I continue to work on the Whippet Wranch, and the "clubhouse" (OK, I will likely live in it part time because I just LOVE it) is coming along nicely. The pups are growing (9.5 months) but interestingly, are both shrimps (that's what you get when you breed moderate sized bitch to nearly oversized dog?). Whatever!
So to reintroduce the kids:
Josi -- She's the "pink" dog (officially blue fawn but her coat has a real rose color to it). What to say about Josi? (Notice, since she's saying, the spelling of her name has been altered to fit: Gabi, Hudi, Mati and Josi....poor Layla). The posted pictures may look a little scary. Yes, I feed her! But this pup has one button with two settings: on and ON. OK, I exaggerate. As she gets older, she sleeps some.
I should have known: when Josi was in the whelping box, she was the first to bark and would stand in the center of the box testing different sounds. She uses them all! She is totally obsessed with catching balls. If I throw a tennis ball and she misses (and another dog gets it) she will tear across the yard hoping to get the next ball thrown.
Layla (dark beauty): Layla is not a polar opposite of Josi, but she comes close. At about 4 months, she went through a "spook" phase. I disciplined her for biting and she refused to come out of her crate for two days! She would have absolutely nothing to do with strangers. For me, it was fascinating. Two pups with the same parents and similar upbringings but almost polar opposite personalities! She is no longer quite the spook, but she is still very sensitive. With her markings (the dark face) for some reason, I expect her to be assertive.
Josi is frequently disciplined (she has a hard head). When I am trying to get Josi to stop barking ("NO barks!"), Layla sits right beside me, almost worried. Pups can be so interesting. Layla is much more reserved. She wants reassurance, but also prefers to be off on her own (much like her mother, although her mother was NEVER a spook).We will see if I blog more frequently. I should probably have a professional blog to mumble about some of my other thoughts. Hmmmm.
Question of the day: why does the skunk choose to cross the road 3 feet in front of the woman jogging with whippets?
The end of the ramblings for this morning. Off to work on weeds!
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