Farewell BBT

 

The cord is finally cut to my old landline.  After 4 months of back and forth with BBT, every cell phone provider, the Public Utilities Commission of Texas, and the FCC - not a single person could explain to me why my landline number from Big Bend Telephone cannot be ported out while the FCC rules on the matter are quite clear.  My old phone number is officially history now.  BBT served me well over the years, but they just cannot compete with my new service providers.  I am quite happy with Starlink broadband internet and my smart phone with Mint Mobile.  Funny thing is...the blue conduit sticking out of the ground with a plug in it was installed with my phone line 14 years ago for a "future fiber optic upgrade".  BBT has finally gotten around to installing fiber in some areas (not mine), but the new service is still dismally slower and more expensive than Starlink.  88,93,60,0,B   

a little rain...

Got a little rain this morning in a heavy (but very brief) storm.  For a while it was looking promising as the rate was over 1/2"/hr.  The only problem is the storm only lasted about 10 minutes.  Forecast by early afternoon today called for another storm around 5PM with up to an inch more rain so I put stuff away and prepped my creek tank gear for some pumping.  Nothing as of 6:30 PM and the forecast is now down to less than a tenth of an inch - if any.  Still a slight chance of something later tonight...fingers crossed.  78,86,66, .14",B

word of the day...mammon

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.  

watch this...

 

Just got this pocket watch sent to me for repair (probable broken mainspring). I was contacted by an old high school buddy whose son inherited the watch. It was given to him this past Easter by his Great Uncle, who said it belonged to his Great Grandfather, a man named Henry Goode Claiborne. The Illinois Watch Company "Bunn Special" is a highly collectable railroad pocket watch. This one is a stem wind / lever set movement - which is set by opening the front crystal and bezel and pulling out the setting-lever. Once the lever is pulled out, the crown can be turned to set the time. The lever is then pushed back in and the crystal and bezel are closed over the dial again. This method of time setting on pocket watches was preferred by American and Canadian railroads, as lever setting watches make accidental time changes impossible. After 1908, lever setting was generally required for new watches entering service on American railroads. The serial number indicates that this watch was manufactured in 1902. 93,100,58,0,B

All carriers delivery day...

 

Bi-fold closet door via Fed Ex / shelves, solar panel, battery, charge controller via UPS / pocket watch via USPS.  The door and shelves came from Home Depot for a small closet job I am doing locally and cost $120 including free shipping to my door.  I priced them at McCoys and not including my travel time and gas for the 130 mile round trip, they would have cost me $175.  The pocket watch is a repair job I am going to attempt (broken mainspring) for the son of an old high school buddy of mine.  90,96,63,0,B

Smaller is better?

Another Wyze Cam V3 remote power test coming up - parts arriving tomorrow.  Going to install this system for the neighbor up the hill that I did work for.  Fairly confident now that I can get away with half the amp hour battery capacity and a slightly smaller solar panel to keep his Wyze Cam chugging along 24-7 without having to be plugged into a long extension cord.  98,104,58,0,B
 

Dust Storm

95,102,68,0,B