Catching up

It's been a whole week since I posted here and I am very embarrassed.

My only excuse is that we had guests over the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend. Austin and Megan arrived late Thursday night and were with us until Monday morning. I took them on a tour of our commercial building on Friday, not realizing the obvious connection between our tenant the Pregnancy Resource Center and the fact that Megan is pregnant with Hayden Marie Dunbar. The ladies at the PRC graciously offered an ultrasound so Maria and I could meet our new granddaughter. Here she is:

They brought their beagle/boxer mix Louie with them because he is prone to separation anxiety. Louie got along fine with our Aussies, Jack and Dora and with Morgan's Australian cattle dog Tucker. But her bulldog Samantha decided Louie needed to die and the ensuing dog fight left the back porch floor spattered with blood - almost all of it Sam's. Sam clamped down on Louie's lower jaw, which meant Louie's upper jaw was able to savage her muzzle and left her bleeding from several deep wounds. Austin and Maria had to choke her out to get her to release Louie and she went after him again when she regained awareness. Because of this and because we recently discovered a bite injury on Dora's left side that almost certainly came from Sam, we will no longer leave Sam unsupervised and alone with our dogs.

After everyone calmed down and Morgan took Sam and Tucker home, we went to Memphis where we toured the Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid and had a late lunch at Boscos.

Sunday was low-key and the highlight was a maternity photo shoot at Craighead Forest Park.

I finally got in touch with the people who repaired the plumbing at our Thorntown house this afternoon and arranged for them to repair the wall damage associated with the ruptured iron pipe.

And I checked all of the obituaries for 2016 so far in my hometown newspaper and discovered that a girl who seduced and ran off with the police chief back in the 1960s died in Lafayette nursing home in February. She was 73.

Rain

Jonesboro got more than 6 inches of rain in three hours yesterday, turning streets into rivers and washing a 13-year-old boy several blocks through a storm drain before he was rescued by police who heard his calls for help through a curbside grate.

The drainage ditch south of Morgan's house turned into a raging torrent, partially flooding the house next door and threatening her house as well. She and Maria had challenging drives home at the height of the storm that more than doubled the previous May 24 record rainfall of 2.77 inches in Jonesboro.

It rained hard here, starting about 4 p.m., but when we checked the rain gauge this morning, we found only one inch of water. That eight miles between us and Jonesboro made a big difference.

How I spent my weekend

I spent the extended weekend (Thursday-Sunday morning) with about 30 of my Indianapolis BMW Club friends at the 18th annual European Riders Rally in Burkesville, Ky.

My Garmin Zumo 550 really really really wanted me to go via Memphis, but I really really really hate riding through that city and so I turned off the route mapping until I was across the Mississippi on U.S. 412 and well on my way to Jackson, Tenn. and I-40. I took I-40 to Nashville and let Garmin direct me north on I-65 until I ground to a halt at a miles-long traffic jam. I sweated and inched my way along for about 20 minutes before I realized the next exit was only 1.7 miles ahead. I took to the paved shoulder and cruised up to the Tenn. 52 exit and was soon headed east in very light traffic.

What should have been a pleasant ride turned hellish when I entered a yard sale zone about 40 miles long filled with drivers who weren't all that interested in moving briskly. I was cranky and frazzled by the time I got to the Burkesville City Park and the rally site, but I still had enough energy left to set up my big Eureka! tent (the exclamation point is part of the name) and trudge up to the courthouse square for a Subway dinner.

The next couple of days were characterized by rain, ranging from downpours to drizzles to mists, robbing me of any interest in riding anywhere, so I hung out with friends and caught up with their lives.

The Indianapolis BMW Club won the award for most members in attendance. I think we've won it for seven or eight consecutive years. The woman who coordinates the rally for the BMW Motorcycle Club of Nashville said last year that they wouldn't even have a rally if it weren't for the Indianapolis folks. As it was, we represented more than 10 percent of the total attendance.

I was one of the last to leave Sunday morning, taking my time to strike the tent and pack. I gassed at the Marathon station and, determined to avoid the Tenn. 52 yard sale hell, struck out south for a more direct route to I-40. Happily, Garmin agreed. At least for most of the route, still insisting on going through freaking Memphis instead of picking up U.S. 412 at Jackson. I was grateful not to be involved in the horrendous construction backup in the eastbound lanes just east of Nashville.

I stopped for a 99-cent Wendy's junior cheeseburger and gassed at a BP station west of Nashville. Somewhere around the 140 mile marker, I noticed my luggage rack load of tent, cheapo Walmart chair and sleeping bag had shifted badly. I determined the chair was the destabilizing element so I abandoned it next to the guardrail at an entrance ramp around mile marker 136.

I exited at Jackson and gassed again about 20 miles northwest of town where I slammed down a little bottle of 5-Hour Energy. Thus energized, I rode the remaining 118.3 miles home thoroughly enjoying XM-Sirius music on my enhanced (extra drivers) in-ear monitors.

I rode into my garage at 4:09 p.m.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Total riding time: 13:10
Average speed: 59.2 mph
Maximum speed: 95.1 mph
Total miles: 779.1

Rally pin of the day

Validation of what we've always believed

Stupidity

This gender identity foolishness reminds me of a joke I heard years ago.

A first-grade teacher brought her dog to school and asked the class how to tell if it was a male or a female.

A girl raised her hand and offered, "Let's vote."

At least it used to be a joke.

Doesn't work and can cause cancer! How's that for a product from China?

I bought a package of this stuff in January and finally got around to opening and using it to repair sunglasses this afternoon.
Here's the review I wrote on Amazon.com:

When you see more than half of the reviewers hate a product, you should consider yourself warned.
Unfortunately, I paid attention to the hype and not the reviews.

This product not only failed to perform as advertised - in this case to repair a pair of sunglasses - but came with instructions that are downright scary.
To quote from the Instruction Guide:

"WARNING! This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm."
And:
"Wear safety glasses and rubber gloves
"Never look directly into the UV light. It can cause eye damage.
"Dispose of liquid material safely. DO NOT discharge into sewer or waterways.
"DO NOT allow clothing wet with material to stay in contact with skin.
"DO NOT allow wash water from cleaning or process equipment to enter drains"

I wish I'd never opened the package.

Cheaper to replace than repair?

I got out my Poulan chainsaw yesterday to finish off the cedar tree stump when I discovered the sprocket that drives the chain had seized.

I dropped it off at a small engine repair shop down the road that charges $75 an hour. If the bill is significantly more, I will buy a new one for $111 and free shipping from Amazon and tell them to keep the old chainsaw.

Happy 15th anniversary to us!

Fifteen years ago this afternoon Maria and I stood under the Boone County Centennial Quilt in the rotunda of the Boone County Courthouse surrounded by friends and family and exchanged vows.

Boone County Clerk Lisa Garroffolo did the honors.

It was a spur of the moment decision and we bought my ring the evening before just before the jewelry store in Indianapolis closed.

Our reception was at a Lebanon ice cream stand that also had a playground, which prompted a young nephew to pronounce it the best wedding he'd ever attended.

Bad bad starter relay

This is the original starter relay for my 2003 BMW K1200GT that developed an intermittent fault about eight years ago.

That's when I noticed I had to press the starter button multiple times before the starter would engage and fire the engine. In an effort to solve the problem I spent about $450 for a new right combo switch but the problem persisted.

Finally, when the bike refused to start after more than 150 button presses, Charlie Parsons and I hauled it up to Cape Girardeau and let the guys at Grass Roots BMW Motorcycles dig into it.

As I've blogged previously, they couldn't get a fully functional replacement part out of Germany, but were able to make do with a partially functional replacement and a clever workaround involving a jumper connection.

Freezer Isn't Making Ice? – Whirlpool Refrigerator Ice Maker Assembly Re...

Appliance repair people will charge you an insane amount to replace this. You can do it for $45 for parts and $0 for labor. I love the way YouTube can show you how to do almost anything.

Remembering Walt Kelly on Friday, the 13th

Click the image to see it larger.

Water Dispenser Not Working? – Whirlpool Refrigerator Water Inlet Valve ...

This will come in handy in a few days.

$373? No. $307? No. How about $137!

The ice maker on our 16-year-old Whirlpool refrigerator stopped working a couple of weeks ago.

I called Strong Arm Appliance Repair, a local company that has worked on our appliances before, and their technician said we need a new valve for the ice maker. He said it had to be ordered and they would call me with an estimate. They never called. Finally, a week later, I called and was told they contacted me and I okayed the repair for an estimated $307. WTF? I told them I never got the call and I decline the repair.

So I called a nationwide company and they sent out a guy yesterday afternoon. He told me I should have taken the Strong Arm deal because his company would charge me $373.

However...

I could fix it myself and he showed me where to find the valve (with installation instructions) online for way less than the $109 he would have to charge me. I thanked him profusely and gladly paid the $120 diagnostic charge. Then I went to Amazon.com and got the valve kit for $17 with free shipping.

In the meantime, I'm happy to keep filling the ice bin with $1.53 bags of ice from the Dollar General store down the road.

Yard work

We had a productive day yesterday, taking care of neglected yard work.

We cut down a bunch of shrubs in front of the house a few weekends ago and left the cuttings to dry. We raked them up yesterday and piled them on an unwanted stump near the driveway and torched them.

Then the real fun began.

Maria has hated a scraggly cedar tree in our back yard ever since we moved here in 2007 and we took it down yesterday. I also chainsawed several limbs of other trees that I've had to duck for when mowing the lawn. And we accomplished all of this without encountering any snakes, which made me very happy. We did, however, inadvertently destroy a mourning dove nest in the cedar tree that had a couple of eggs in it.

I was shocked at how little stamina I had after all of this. My blood pressure registered 93/63 which could be an alltime personal low. My BP has been trending down over the past couple of years and the doc told me to back off of the Lisinopril if I felt light-headed. I did and I reduced the dosage this morning.

The GT is fixed and back at home!

Here's Grass Roots BMW Motorcycles service writer Brian Thompson filling in the blanks for a 6k service in my K1200GT maintenance manual yesterday.

I have nothing but praise for the guys at Grass Roots who figured out a work-around for the lack of a fully functional starter relay for my bike.

Maria and I drove up to Cape Girardeau yesterday morning and retrieved my GT, serviced and ready for a new riding season.

We stopped for lunch at Lamberts Cafe in Sikeston, Mo. We arrived minutes before noon on a Saturday. I can only suppose there is an even bigger noon-day crowd there today on Mother's Day, but we waited an hour to be seated. It was worth the wait for the throwed rolls, monster ice teas, pass-arounds and menu items.

Day 58 without my K1200GT

I just got a call from Dave, the senior technician at Grass Roots BMW Motorcycles, saying the starter relay promised by BMW in Germany has not arrived and their computer system indicates it's not in the pipeline, even though someone at BMW Motorrad in New Jersey said it was shipped from Germany earlier this week.

That said, Dave is confident that the one they received a couple of weeks ago can be made to work by adding a jumper that completes the circuit for the lights - the one shortcoming of the latest relay. He said they tested the idea by connecting a couple of wires and everything worked fine.

I told him to go ahead and add the jumper and bang on it a bit to make sure everything works properly and I'll plan to come up tomorrow and pick up the bike. And if a fully functional relay ever does show up, call me and I'll come up and have it installed.

Kudos to Dave and his crew, curses to BMW in Germany.

56 days and counting

As I sit here waiting for the appliance repairman to come and fix our ice maker, it occurs to me that this is the 56th day my K1200GT has sat at Grass Roots BMW Motorcycles in Cape Girardeau, Mo., waiting for a fully functional starter relay from Germany.

It also occurs to me that I have been very patient. So far.

I just pre-registered for the European Riders Rally in Burkesville, Ky. later this month with the realization that I may or may not have my bike back by then. If the bike isn't ready, I am prepared to go by car.

If further occurs to me that some of my less-sanguine friends would be crazy with rage by this time, vowing to anyone who would listen that they will never, ever buy another BMW motorcycle again.

I am not to that point. Yet.

Committing herbicide

When I mowed the dogs' part of the yard Sunday afternoon, I noticed there are places I can't reach with my John Deere LA125.

So this morning, I fed the dogs, secured them in their kennels and mixed up a gallon of Roundup. I hit the offending plant life hard, then stalked around the yard spraying around the bases of trees where poison ivy and other unwanted foliage likes to grow. The idea was to use the entire contents of the spray tank, so I could flush it properly, as per the manufacturer's instructions.

Then, I rewarded myself with a cup of mocha cappuccino.

And now, on with the day.

Happy Birthday, Dora!

Yesterday was Dora's third birthday. Here she is with her mother Mercy and her littermates.

She arrived just in time to ease the pain of Maria's exit from journalism and has enriched our lives more than we could ever have imagined. And Jack adores her.

It's May 1st!

Germany awakened!

Embarrassing

This is the cover of this month's issue of the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America's official magazine.

It features a project bike that converted an old R100RT into a cafe racer with about $10,000 worth of Wunderlicht parts and accessories which will be raffled off at the BMW MOA rally in July.

It has generated a minor storm of controversy on social media because of the clueless-looking girl astride the bike. Critics point out she is in no way dressed to ride - silly shoes, capri pants, flimsy jacket and no gloves. She gets points for eye protection and a helmet, but that's about all. No mention is made in the magazine of who she is or why she was chosen to be photographed by Bill Wiegand, the BMW ON managing editor. My guess is she's the girlfriend of one of the builders.

There's another silly looking photo inside.

Updated display

In my memorabilia lamp.

Happy feet

My feet are unusually happy right now, thanks to the Amazon Vine Program, which sent me a 2-pack of Burton Weekender Socks.

I would never spend $29.95 for a couple of pairs of socks, so these are a real treat. They come in garish colors and have elastic arch and ankle support and a reinforced toe and heel with a chafe-free link toe seam and stay high comfort band. They're warm without being uncomfortable and should come in very handy on long motorcycle trips where temperatures fluctuate wildly.

Yikes!

I encountered this guy when I walked to the end of our driveway a few minutes ago to retrieve the trash can. He was rattling his tail furiously, trying to convince me he was a rattlesnake, but I'm pretty sure he was just a rat snake.

He was gone by the time I hauled in the trash can and returned.

Ahh, Arkansas! I've seen more snakes on our property here in eight years than I did in 62 years in Indiana.

Godspeed, Leonard Case

Leonard Leach Case Jr., 84, of Beulah, Michigan passed away on Saturday, April 16, 2016. He was born to Leonard Leach Case and Florence Ellis Case on July 13, 1931. He called Benzie County home for his entire life. Leonard graduated Benzonia High School in 1949 before attending Michigan State College where he attained a degree in Business. He worked nights at General Motors in Lansing to pay for his schooling. Leonard entered the U.S. Army in 1954 and served two years active duty in Korea in the quartermaster corps. He was honorably discharged in 1962 with the rank of specialist 4th class.

Most of Leonard’s professional career was spent overseeing the iconic Cherry Hut Restaurant in Beulah where he worked 69 years, 56 of them as the proprietor. In 1946 Leonard, then a high school sophomore, was hired to work at the Cherry Hut Jam Kitchen and since 1948, with the exception of two years in the army, has personally prepared the delicious jams and jellies of the Cherry Hut. In 1959, after two years as manager, Leonard purchased the Cherry Hut from the founding family, The Krakers. During his time as owner, Leonard transformed the Cherry Hut from an outdoor food stop with a limited menu only open for 12 weeks in the summer months to a modern three dining room restaurant with a full menu of entrees, sandwiches, and salads which is open Mother’s Day until the end of October. Leonard worked hard his entire life and that continued through The Cherry Hut’s 93rd season in 2015.

Leonard wintered in Orlando, Florida during the Cherry Hut’s off-season. While there, he became fond of the handmade sweets of Carolyn Candies. Looking to stay busy in Florida, he purchased the candy business, which made and distributed pecan rolls and pralines, in 1967 and owned it until 1972. Leonard hired a manager to oversee the slower summer months while he was away in Beulah running the Cherry Hut. He would then resume operations upon return to Orlando in the winter. Leonard also developed a passion for flying and took pilot training at a small airport south of Orlando in Kissimmee. After attaining his private pilot’s license in 1969, he purchased a small single engine plane, a Cessna 150, and flew it between Kissimmee and Benzie County.

In 1972, Leonard married his wife of 44 years, Brenda Joy Deering. They were married at the Benzonia Congregational Church UCC, where five generations of the Case Family have been members since its founding in 1860. In 1976, a son, Andrew James Case was born and in 1980, a daughter, Amanda Joy Case.

Leonard was an avid world traveler. His adventures brought him to the Terracotta Army of China, the Pyramids of Giza, the beauty of the Danube River, the treasures of the Kremlin, and the battlefields of Normandy among other numerous historical sites. However, out of all his many travels he settled on two favorites, The Grand Canyon and sunsets on Crystal Lake. Leonard was a prolific reader of historical nonfiction. He spent countless hours reading books on American History and the places he had traveled to or wished to travel to. He was most passionate about WWII, The Civil War, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the discovery of the American Western Frontier. Leonard enjoyed swimming in Crystal Lake, boating, golfing, and always looked forward to a good game of cribbage. When he wasn’t traveling or reading you would find Leonard at the Cherry Hut or spending quality time with his family, which was the greatest importance to him.

Leonard is survived by his wife, Brenda Case, son, Andrew (Christy) Case, daughter, Amanda (Ashley) Williford. Grandchildren, Carson Leonard Case, Caleb James Case, and Zachariah Wray Williford. He is also survived by his mother-in-law, June Deering, brothers-in-law, Norman (Barb) Deering, Edwin Deering, and several cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Leonard Case, Sr. and Florence Case, Brother, William (Lorayne) Case, and sister, Marietta (Sherman) Nelson.

The visitation to celebrate the life of Leonard will be from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 13 at the Jowett Family Funeral Home in Benzonia. The memorial will be held on Saturday, May 14 at 3:00 p.m. at the Benzonia Congregational Church, UCC. Dr. Chuck Guerreno will be officiating. Memorial contributions may be directed to The First Congregation Church of Benzonia, 901 Barber St. Benzonia, MI 49616

Going in for repairs

I've mentioned it before, but this bears repeating: I love my Swiss Army knife.

The one I carry these days is the altimeter multitool (see illustration) that was a gift from my son Sean eight years ago.

It has a barometric altimeter and a thermometer that can read out in metric or English scales. Since I live in relatively flat terrain, I use the altimeter more as a weather predictor. And the thermometer pretty much always registers 84 degrees in my pocket.

But I carry the knife all of the time and I use its blades and tools several times a day to open packages, tighten the screws in my glasses, open beer bottles, open envelopes, cut string, trim my moustache, remove splinters, write notes, and on and on.

Victorinox makes a dizzying array of Swiss Army knives and I can't imagine walking out of my house without one in my pocket.

Sadly, the electronic functions stopped working a few months ago and I finally got around to getting a repair order from Victorinox preliminary to shipping the knife to their service center in Connecticut for repairs. It will go into the mail tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I rummaged through my trove of dresser drawer stuff and found another - lower-tech - Victorinox Swiss Army knife to carry.

Will I ever use it?

When I renewed the plate on my K1200GT last month, I figured I would have it back from Grass Roots BMW Motorcycles long before now.

But the inability of Grass Roots technicians to get BMW Motorrad in Germany to send them a fully functional starter relay makes me wonder if I'll ever need to apply the sticker to the license plate.

With the European Riders Rally in Burkesville, Ky. only about four weeks away, I'm starting to think the only way I can attend is by car, and that's very depressing.

History in a lamp

Maria, ever the thoughtful wife, bought me a keepsake lamp for the living room to showcase some of the odds and ends of my personal and family history.

I set it up this afternoon, topped with a $24 3-way LED bulb.

Some of the items include my 1956 Captain Midnight Secret Squadron decoder badge and Ovaltine cup, my dad's Bulova Accutron wrist watch and big green Shaffer fountain pen. There's also one of my Air Force dog tags, my Alpha Tau Omega membership card and a couple of ATO badges, my Boy Scout Tenderfoot pin, Indiana State Police press card, Cub Scout pocket knife, a BMWMOA pin from the 1998 national rally in Madison, Ind.,tiki god pendant, and a Linotype slug with my byline on it.

A bath and chicks for Jack

We took Dora to the Oerscheln farm store for a bath four weeks ago. It was Jack's turn this morning.

Jack behaved himself splendidly and was interested in everything, especially the baby chicks. He was remarkably poised and cooperative when tethered in the dog washing tub and seemed to enjoy the attention. He is one of the most endearingly affectionate dogs I have ever known and we are truly blessed to have him and Dora in our lives.

Unease

When things are broken or unstable, I get uneasy.

And my level of unease is pretty freaking high right now.

Here are the loose ends that bother me:

My K1200GT has been in the shop since March 10 and I still have no idea if or when BMW will come up with a fully functional starter relay. The first rally on my calendar is about a month away.
The people who are supposedly handing a plumbing problem at our Thowntown house say there is $800 worth of work not covered by the home warranty policy we have and they will not begin the work until I pay them. I learned this after their offices closed today, so I can't do anything about it until tomorrow morning.
My son Sean's landlord wants to sell his property, which would dispossess Sean and his Rock & Roll Bed & Breakfast on Sauvie Island, Oregon. I'm frustrated because I can't do anything to help him and I'm going to feel off balance until he gets this sorted out.

Sean at a crossroads

My son Sean, who lives on Sauvie Island northwest of Portland on a rented property and operates a recording studio/ bed & breakfast for musicians, is coming to a crossroads.

I worried that this day would come - his landlord wants to sell the house and nine acres.

Sean is casting about for investors/partners to buy the property. You can see details at this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Love.The.R2B2/?pnref=story

This is one of those times when I wish I'd won the lottery so I could invest in Sean's future.

Any takers?

Progress

I have always hated yard work, especially raking leaves and anything involving a shovel.

But we got some significant work accomplished over the weekend that makes me feel better about the place.

Maria and I raked the accumulated leaves away from both sides of the chain link fence that keeps our dogs safe and secure. Then I drove down to ACE Hardware and bought a new chemical sprayer, since our old one no longer worked. I loaded it with Roundup and treated the perimeter of the fence and also the outsides of the house. The point of treating the fencerow was to prevent weeds and grass from growing up and shorting out the electrically charged wire that keeps Dora from burrowing out.

I also bought a kit to straighten a Kwanzan flowering cherry tree that the neighbor's dog bent and nearly killed when he got loose and his chain got tangled around the tree trunk. It's probably going to take a season or two for the tree to adjust itself, but it's a start.

We also laid waste to several out-of-control shrubs in front of the house and now we can see the azaleas that were planted there about 10 years ago. I rather expected to flush out a snake or two when we went after the shrubbery, but none appeared.

I managed to mow the dogs' yard despite the holes Dora has dug chasing moles or gophers over the past couple of years. I have to raise the mower deck on the John Deere LA125 and creep over the tortured landscape and I worry that one of these days, it's going to wreck the mower, but so far, so good.

Here are some of the azaleas.

New Anonymous Book

Membership in the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America has lots of benefits, not the least of which is the Anonymous Book.

It's a state-by-state, province-by-province, and country-by-country listing of members who can offer varying levels of help if you have a problem while on the road. Each entry has a coded listing for what the person has to offer - everything from coffee and conversation to a trailer and tools. It doesn't include names, which makes it anonymous. The book is published every year and is just the right size to fit into a tank bag or saddlebag.

And the 2016 edition arrived in our mailbox yesterday.

I keep the current year's edition on my 2003 K1200GT (when it's not being held hostage by BMW) and shift the previous year's edition to a saddlebag on my 1994 K75S.

I'm in starter relay hell

Grass Roots BMW Motorcycles finally received the starter relay from Germany, and the bike starts fine. It just doesn't have any lights.

So it looks like I won't get to bring it home tomorrow.

They have a call into BMW in Germany to get another, fully functional, relay or to get permission to put in a jumper that will make everything work.

It's been in the shop since March 10 and I feel like my riding season is slipping away.

Free Wifi: you get what you pay for

I have a data Speedtest app on my iPhone and I used it the other day when it occurred to me that the free Wifi at Panera and Barnes & Noble seemed slow.

That's because it was.

Keeping in mind that my home Wifi performance is 14.24 Megabits download and 1.90 Megabits upload, I got these results when I checked the free Wifi:

Panera - .99 Megabits download, .97 Megabits upload

Barnes & Noble - 2.56 Megabits download, .32 Megabits upload

I haven't checked anyplace else, but I suspect other businesses - like Starbucks - aren't significantly better.

TCB

What started out as a leaky upstairs toilet has turned out to be kind of a major deal at our Thorntown house.

The plumbers determined that a 4" cast iron pipe that runs from the upstairs bathroom to the basement has split. They determined this by opening the wall in the dining room. (see photo) They also determined it was beyond their abilities to repair and the home warranty insurance company we use has subbed it out to another company whose people are scheduled to show up at the house next Monday.

This had me freaked out when I got the initial call about noon yesterday, but after a couple of hours on the phone to Indiana, I think I can relax about it for awhile. At least until Monday.

I dropped by our commercial building and recruited one of the secretaries to hold a file folder as a laser rangefinder target so I could figure out the dimensions of the building - 34.4 yards by 24.4 yards. That works out to 7,554.24 square feet - actually less inside because this excludes the thickness of the walls. I called the county assessor's office and was told their assessment is based on a higher square footage estimate, so they're sending a guy out to redo the assessment.

Likewise, they're looking into the erroneously high (by a factor of 10) number of feet of chain link fence at our home.

Those are things that have been on my plate too long and I'm relieved to have things moving on that front.

Grass Roots BMW Motorcycles was closed on Monday - as are most motorcycle dealerships much of the year - so today was the first day of the week that they could receive the starter relay that BMW has presumably shipped from Germany to make my K1200GT whole. I won't embarrass myself by pestering them about it, so I'll try to be patient and wait for their call. Unless I don't hear anything by Friday. Then I'll call.

GT report

I called Grass Roots BMW Motorcycles yesterday afternoon to see if my bike would be ready to pick up today.

Nope.

The starter relay (like the one pictured here) that BMW Motorrad in Germany said was shipped a week ago has yet to arrive in Cape Girardeau, so it looks like the earliest I could possibly retrieve my 2003 K1200GT is next Saturday.

Actually, I'm a little relieved because today's high temperature is only going to be in the mid-50s, which is a bit on the cool side albeit doable with the proper gear.

The other upside is that I'm home to collect today's mail, which includes a Bushnell Trophy Xtreme Laser Rangefinder from the Amazon Vine Program for my evaluation and review. It has special features for bow hunting that I'll never use, but I can think of plenty of uses for it, including being able to get an accurate measure of our commercial building's dimensions. Why? Because I think our property tax assessment is too high, based on an erroneously high square footage figure. I haven't done anything about it until now because I don't have a tape measure of sufficient length to easily measure the building.

The laser rangefinder is accurate to +/- 1 yard out to 800 yards, so it should be precise enough for my purposes.

Here's an image I shot with my iPhone showing the distance to a neighbor's yard as 78.1 yards.

The vertical angle is o°, so a bow hunter would calculate it as 78.1 yards also.

I've wanted one of these for a long time, so this is a very pleasant review assignment.

Mouse problem solved

The scrolling wheel on my Logitech MX Revolution wireless mouse quit working a couple of days ago and ever since I've been constantly reminded of how much I used that wheel.

I don't suppose I have much right to complain, considering that I've been using the mouse since June 20, 2008 - coming up on eight years.

I looked for a software solution and checked a few forums (in Latin, that should probably be forii) for insight. I updated the Logitech Set Point software to no avail.

Then I tried the simplest solution - blow eight years worth of accumulated dust and crud out with compressed air.

Voila! Full function was restored. I love it when I can actually solve a problem and not make it worse.

DNA results

I got the results of my National Geographic Genographic DNA analysis this morning and there were a couple of mild surprises.

I'd supposed my Flora DNA was mostly from Germany or Switzerland. Turns out, it's 56% Great Britain and Ireland and 19% Scandinavian, 12% Southern Europe, 11% Eastern Europe (that would include Germany), and a puzzling 3% Arabia.

The DNA kits were a Christmas gift from Steve and Nicky. We finally got around to sending in our samples on Jan. 29, so it takes awhile to get results.

I have only 1.2% Neanderthal DNA, compared with 2.1% for the average homo sapiens. I'll take that as a good thing.

Still waiting for notification on Maria's test, but it should show up very soon.

First mesh jacket ride of the season

It's a sunny 78° and we were out of milk.

The solution: put on a mesh jacket, fire up the K75S and ride down to the Dollar General. Lovely spring day.

A starter relay on its way from Germany

My friends at Grass Roots BMW Motorcycles in Cape Girardeau got an email from BMW Motorrad in Germany today saying a new starter replay was being shipped for my bike.

Presumably, it has been tested to assure it is free of defect. BMW has put a hold on all of the starter relays for my bike in the U.S. because of frequent failures.

This means that, depending upon the speed of shipping, I may or may not be able to retrieve my bike next weekend.

Not amused

Just for the record, I absolutely hate newspapers and broadcasters who think playing April Fools jokes on their readers or viewers is a good idea.

The former Noblesville (Ind.) Ledger used to run an April Fools joke story on page 1 every year. When I was working on the suburban desk of The Indianapolis News, I routinely had to explain to my editor that the stories were bogus when he assigned me to follow up on them.

Deliberately presenting phony "news" in the name of humor constitutes a breach of trust. Any news agency that would do it, begs the question of what other falsehoods would they put before their readers or viewers if they thought it was funny or in the public interest.

Speaking as someone with more than 40 years of experience with newspapers, I have a hard time respecting any editor who indulges in this childish practice.

From the log

Happy Anniversary, Steve and Nicky

My son Steve and his beautiful bride Nicky were married 15 years ago today.

They have turned out to be wonderful parents to our granddaughter Lisa and high achievers in their professions of music and medicine.

We are enormously proud of them.

Good news!

An unfamiliar Jeep pulled into our driveway a few minutes ago and I went outside to investigate.

It was an appraiser contracted by the county assessor's office and he was looking for obvious discrepancies and improvements as part of his reappraisal work.

It turns out that we have been paying property tax based on an erroneous estimate of chain link fence in our back yard. The county thinks we have about 2,300 feet of fence when we actually have only one-tenth that much. He didn't know how much of a difference this will make in our property tax bill.

And he suggested I call the assessor's office to inquire about an adjustment based on eight years of erroneous assessment. I put it on my calendar for next week.

Dreamscope

My son Steve introduced me to Dreamscope, a free iPhone app that does cool things to otherwise ordinary photos. I kinda like what it did to this selfie from my visit this morning to Panera.

Hey, they gave me three DVRs

When our cable/internet provider stopped displaying a channel directory on channel 2 recently, we naturally figured it was just another screw-up and would return eventually.

But it didn't. At Maria's urging, I called the office of Fusion Media and learned that the channel guide was now digitally scrambled and we needed set-top boxes (an archaic misnomer, since there is no top on flat screen TVs to hold a box) to see it and other digital content. They are going to change over to all-digital and everyone needs the boxes, even if they already have digital-ready TVs. The boxes, I was told, can be picked up at their office. The first two boxes are free and each subsequent box is $5 and change monthly.

I picked up three boxes last week and installed them to run TVs in the master bedroom, living room and Maria's sewing room. A few days later, I got around to synching the included programmable remote controls to work with each TV.

Playing with the remote this afternoon, I discovered the boxes have a DVR function. Delving deeper, I find that the Motorola DCT6412 III is a rather sophisticated DVR. (It says "Dual Tuner DVR" on the front of the box. Duh!)

It apparently didn't occur to the women at the cable office to mention this. It also didn't occur to anyone there to include an operator's manual with the DVRs. But a little internet searching yielded a 50-page manual for the DCT6412 III that I just printed out, using two-sided printing on my Brother all-in-one printer, copier, fax, etc.

Now the fun begins.

Have we had enough?

If history repeats itself, the Islamofascists only have themselves to blame.

Josies 2.0

Josies, our favorite restaurant in Batesville, was destroyed by fire the night of Dec. 6-7, 2014. We've made a habit of lunching there whenever we drive over to replenish Maria's stash of fabric from Marshall's Dry Goods, which is possibly the best fabric outlet in the known universe.

We made the trip again today and while Maria shopped, I located the Batesville post office and mailed a box of custom made house dresses to Maria's mother. Then I drove over to see if Josies had been rebuilt. To my delight, it's back, bigger and better than ever.

Armed with the good news, I went back to Marshall's and picked up Maria and her purchases.

Then we headed for Josies for lunch, only to discover that they aren't open for lunch on Mondays. So our visit to Josies 2.0 will have to wait until the next time we're in Batesville.

Happily, we had an excellent lunch at a nearby Coltons, then cruised on home.

Josies in flames.

Latest addition to my drinkware collection

A lovely Pilsener beer glass commemorating the 2003 BMW Motorrad Boxer Cup race in Daytona. It's a thoughtful gift from longtime BMW motorcycle friend and former dealer Bill Revard and occupies an honored place among my stein collection.

24k on a bad starter relay

The intermittent starter problem that has dogged my 2003 BMW K1200GT for about eight years may finally be solved.

You may recall that Charlie Parsons and I hauled the GT and one of his bikes up to Grass Roots BMW Motorcycles in Cape Girardeau a couple of weeks ago. I finally got around to calling Brian at Grass Roots this morning and got encouraging news.

It appears the starter relay was the problem with my bike. Brian said they tested the circuitry on the relay multiple times and it failed intermittently. Unfortunately, the original part number has apparently been superseded and they're working with BMW Motorrad to determine the proper replacement part. Due to the Good Friday holiday, they didn't hear back from BMW yesterday and expect it will be Tuesday before they can get an answer and order the appropriate part. The OEM starter relay was priced about $125, so this ought to be less expensive than replacing the combo switch.

That means I have ridden about 24,000 miles with a wonky starter relay that, through the Grace of God, has never left me stranded.

The first dollar

Here's the dollar bill I gave to Bill Revard at the Indianapolis BMW Club's awards banquet the evening of Feb. 19, 2000.

I was stunned to learn that he's carried it in his wallet ever since Revard BMW Motorcycles closed more than a decade ago.