End of the year light show...

Got this clock kit from Banggood a couple of years ago and finally got around to assembling it. This is a time lapse shot over the course of sixty minutes. Took 5 hours to get it up and running. Lots of very tiny SMD's to solder - and I was a bit surprised that it actually worked when I was finished. Telling the time is accomplished by learning what the colors mean. You can order one here.57,68,54,0,C

Long time no see...

Howdy stranger!  

It has been 6 months since the last time Moley was here.

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Been looking for these...

While looking for something else - I finally came across some clock kits I had been looking for.  I ordered these a couple of years ago and had packed them away during one of my clean up sessions.  I was agonizing over where I had stashed these and now I can continue adding to my clock-themed interior design.  62,74,50,0,C

Frozen

Lost the two oldest (4th gen) tomato plants to the freeze.  All the others survived.  Still waiting on the roots for the two cuttings I took.

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On display...

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New arrival...

First time spotting what was in the nest - a single baby bunny (it was only 24° outside at the time of this video). Litters can consist of from one - up to - twelve "kittens". Based on when the nest was built and the size of this baby, I am guessing it is 1 to 2 weeks old. Luckily this little cottontail survived some brutally cold temperatures over the past couple of days - mostly on its own. Rabbit moms bury their young in a nest to keep them warm and protected and only visit to feed their young once or twice a day. Since baby rabbits don't produce any distinct smells, the mother stays far away from the nest for the majority of the time to avoid leading predators there. Cottontails are prolific animals that have multiple litters in a year because few of the resulting offspring survive to adulthood. Those that do grow very quickly and are full grown adults at three months. 50,68,24,0,B

Christmas 2022

My present won't arrive until next Friday...

Been shopping around for some kind of programable LED signage for the title sequences for next year's YouTube videos and I think I found just the thing.  I have some other projects in mind for this gizmo since it has so many more features other than just a plain text display.  37,45,15,0,C

Freezin'...

 

Very cold low temperature this morning and never made it back above freezing today.  Just in case my tomato plants don't make it till it warms up again by Sunday or Monday (even with my makeshift heater), I took a couple of very healthy cuttings and brought them inside to root.  24,31,15,0,B

Ready for the cold snap...

I think I've decided to keep this desk after all.  I rather like having lots of work room for a change and it doubles as a dining room table at dinner time.  Going to be hunkered down inside for a couple of days so I will also use it as a workbench for some electronics projects.  Hung that round wall clock today.  41 years ago, I "appropriated" it from one of my interior design classrooms at UNC-G and incorporated it into my most recent interior design.  Somehow, I kept it in pristine condition all these years and it still runs perfectly.  All prepped for the cold front.  Added some extra hay on top of the bunny nest.  Not sure if there are any little ones in there yet, but I set up a new surveillance camera to keep an eye on it.  I have plenty of propane for heat - and I got my old gas grill ready to go to keep my tomato plants from freezing.  42,75,28,0,C

morning visit...

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Well planned to happen fast...

This old desk is a bit large for the space (60" x 34").  It was my father's home office desk.  Going to live with it a while before I commit to something smaller.  Already have this one in mind.  

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Starting a renovation...

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Quietly waiting...

Lamentations 3:22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. 

Nesting...

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Noon

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a little clock work...

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morning light

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Step one - take it apart.

I hadn't seen these instant thermal print cameras until recently. Print quality is not as good as the product photo would lead you to believe - but it's still an interesting gadget. Decided to buy one to turn into a coin operated photo booth of sorts for the tourists. This was step one - testing it after taking it apart. Next step is to reorient the parts in a new enclosure for the project. Got it from Amazon. 65,69,43,0,B

wind power long gone

Removed most of the parts of the ill-fated wind farm.  I learned in my first year out here that wind power doesn't work nearly as well as solar power.  The novelty wore off pretty quickly.  1.  It takes a minimum of 20 mph winds to produce any usable power.  2. Wind turbines are prone to mechanical failure.  It's rare that we get the right kind of wind for them to run efficiently - it's either too little or way too much (but it's sunny 340 days out of the year).  When I dismantled the set up yesterday, I decided to repaint one of the poles and put it back up as homage to my naive efforts when I was an off-grid newbie.  70,79,50,0,B

seek

Lamentations 3:22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. 

WYZE

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"Sierra Estrella"

Film crew here this morning to do some location shooting for a western they are working on.  Dylan Winters (center/blue shirt) is one of the actors.  His dad and I were buddies and co-workers back in my NYC daze.  66,76,58,0,C

The final fix...

This "power area" in the greenhouse has been an absolute mess since I installed it.  It was somewhat embarrassing when visitors would ask to see my battery bank.  Feels good to have it clean and much more organized for the first time - ever.  72,80,53,0,C

15 years off the grid

To celebrate the anniversary, I retired my Harbor Freight solar panels and reorganized the house power system.  Two 140 watt panels charge two batteries for a dedicated 12 volt system for lights, cameras, fans, and swamp cooler.  Moved one of my inverter systems from the green house to the house with 800 watts charging 4 batteries.  Cleaning up my other system in the greenhouse tomorrow.  71,81,55, .03",C

Old tech...

Removed the last remnants of my old wired land line.

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Much better

Took just over a month to get to this point in the clean-up. After organizing inside the greenhouse, I decided after nearly 15 years of living in what looked like a construction zone it was time for a change - so I cleared all around the outside of the greenhouse as well. Last effort for the year will be cleaning up the power area where my batteries are located and reorganizing my solar panels. On tap for January is the elimination of my junkyard where all the leftover bits and pieces have accumulated over the years. 77,84,47,0,B

Who do you please...

Galatians 1:10  For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.  

Weird Project

Ordered one of these to turn into something interesting...

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Laundry day...

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Something for the drone...

When these drop mechanisms for the Mavic Pro first came out years ago, they were around $100.  I figured if I waited long enough - the price would come down.  Picked this up for $37 on Amazon.  62,71,35,0,C

For rover fans only...

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coming in for a landing...

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too much traffic out here...

All the stranded tourists are finally unstuck on and their way home - and my road is rutted out the worst it has ever been. When I moved here 15 years ago, I used to go up to 2 weeks without seeing a single vehicle. Now it seems I see at least 2 or 3 a day. 70,76,31,0,B

The company we keep...

1 Corinthians 10:21  Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. 

Blocked road...

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It happened again...

For the second time - the owner of the campsites out my way failed to warn his guests about the road conditions during a rainstorm. Four cars stuck and 10 people stranded. Nearly an inch of rain fell today, and it will be at least Monday afternoon before these folks can go home. 38,46,37, .85",C

Thanksgiving 2022

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busy

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payment for services rendered...

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rover plant pic

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meekness and fear

1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 

New FPV option...

Cold and crappy so I stayed inside most of the day.  

Did some more rover research and found this to add to the wish list

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inspired...

First thing I thought about after checking into a spotless hotel room was that it was definitely time to clean house.  That's what I did for about 4 hours today.  52,61,31,0,B

early morning

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mini vacation...

 

no more chickens for me

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puffeth...

Psalms 12:1 Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. 2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. 3 The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: 4 Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? 5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. 6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. 8 The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.  

a first...

First time this area has been cleared out.

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shopping

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the back yard...

This mess has been steadily growing back here for over 10 years.  Funny how easy it is to live with chaos for so long.  Only took 3 hours to clear it all away.  The next plan for the "back yard" is to remove the chicken coop and build a proper rack for all those solar panels on the ground.  78,84,52,0,B

front and back...

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Tidy up...

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Big Art

One of my old NYC friends I keep in touch with.  

Rick Shaefer does epic work...

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flesh...

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 

Generations

The big plants are 3rd generation and the four newly 

potted plants are 4th and 5th generation.

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Tomato Season

First winter tomato...

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an hour a day...

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that time of year...

November = foggy mornings...

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buy low - sell high

Here is the listing for my remote property...

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It's time again...

I just can't take it anymore - so I guess it's time to clean up the greenhouse...again. The mess has really gotten out of hand. Normally I shoot timelapses of the project, but this time it's just going to be a "before and after". The hardest part is getting motivated to begin so I figured if I shot and posted a video, it would force me to get on the ball. Hoping to get it all done by the end of November. 69,74,51,0,B

Blemishes...

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. 11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. 12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 

Solitario

It has been 6 years since the last time I ventured out to my remote property.  Went out this morning with my realtor so she could see it and get some photos for the listing.  It is really a beautiful spot - just a little too far off the beaten path for my taste.  72,77,39,0,B

TYF@TFL

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look before you leap

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flowers

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rover by drone

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FPV Wish List

Hoping for some good Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals next month.

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No yoke...

2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 

Safely across to the home side...

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The Hole

This notorious spot on Mailbox Road has gotten worse since the grader operator recently decided to divert the flow in a different direction.   For years there have been very few issues here even after heavy rain.  The problem is that the operator built a berm across the spot where the water used to flow west and now it goes north - and uphill (green arrows show the way the water used to flow - red arrows show the new bad uphill flow).  Because of this, a great deal of water backs up and just sits in this low spot instead of running off downhill/west like it used to.  It has been 4 days since the last rain, and I almost ruined my nearly 15-year record of having never gotten stuck on this road.  Barely made it through going out and on the way back decided to just park and walk from there (1.5 miles from TFL).  Would really hate to get stuck AND block the road (something the tourists don't seem to be concerned about).  I think by tomorrow afternoon I will be able to power through. 81,85,45,0,B

Cutting...

The most recent rooted cutting from my 3 1/2 year old tomato plant experiment.  No tomatoes all summer but I have 10 plants still living (third, forth, and fifth generations) from the original 2 plants.  74,84,46,0,B