Jerk of the Day: Parking Hog

Ran to my busy local Walgreens for some Mucinex-D. I'm done trying to ride out this chest cold. I was a little surprised when I had to show my drivers license to make the purchase. Apparently, my chest decongestant can be used to make meth.

But even more shocking was when Super Jerk pulled up beside me and covered FOUR PARKING SPOTS with his little truck! Not even what I would consider a real expensive truck and the parking lot was about 75% occupied. We're not talking about parking crooked out in the far corner, this was right in front of the entrance.

Wall Air Conditioner Install and Trim

Wall Air Conditioner Install and Trim

New unit, smaller but more efficient, filled in with foam filler.

Dad Fix Tip #8: Wall A/C Installation

Several years ago we had our extended back patio framed in and drywalled into a 400 sq ft usable indoor space.

  Three-quarters of the space is an elongated game room and the other quarter was supposed to be a bedroom for one of our girls. 

Since construction, it served as a bedroom (which never got used because we can't get the kids out of OUR room), a workout room complete with treadmill (didn't last long, the walls are all painted PINK and I can't stand working out in a pink room), and finally Wifey's craft room.


Well, sometime last year our little wall unit air conditioner quit working and we let it slide all winter. The air conditioner was installed at the far end of the game room and positioned so that it blows across the room, aimed directly at the craft room. 

Since Wifey has recently acquired FOUR sewing machines, she has been sewing her brains out. Summer out here in the Arizona desert gets VERY hot VERY fast and while the thought of the craft room becoming a little sewing sweat shop made me smirk, I'm sure it would lead to one irritable mommy...so I set out to replace the air conditioner. 

Something, like most home repairs, I'm about to learn how to do on my own...for the first time.

First thing I discovered was that the screws holding the A/C unit to the frame box were buried BEHIND the drywall. I had to cut out holes on both sides of the unit (as you can see in the picture) to get to the screws.  

Once I got these screws out, it was a long tug and pull match to slide it out. Up and down, side to side. You'd think I was trying to pull a Mac truck out of a gopher hole. Turns out, when the builders installed the original unit, they stucco'd the outside of the room addition after the A/C install. 

Which means they stucco'd up underneath the darn thing to fill in gaps. I had to go outside and knock some stucco off from underneath the unit to allow it to finally slip out of the sleeve.

There, in all its glory, was now a HUGE gaping hole in my wall and nothing to cover it with. 

Images of birds, wasps, and bees entering at will filled my head. What have I done? 

Crap, Crap, Crap. 

And of course, I started this project about four hours before I had to go to work at my night shift job. 

I mentioned to Wifey that I'd pick up a new unit on the way home in the morning...to which she quickly replied "I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with leaving a big, gaping hole in the house all night.".

I had not even thought that far in advance. Doh! I quickly cover the massive hole with cardboard and tape. 

Once secure, I bolted off to Lowes for a wall unit.  $299 on sale, 10,000 btu's. I was happy to bring it home and take it out of the box. Its always worth more manly points if you can carry the big appliance in by yourself. 

I make sure to grunt here and there in front of the kids.

I made a few minor adjustments to change it from a window unit to a wall mount unit by removing some slide rails meant to butt up against a window ledge. 

I slid the unit back into the frame and added a little plank of wood in the back to make sure all the back end was supported. 

Once appropriated placed, I used a can of foam filler.  It sealed the gaps nicely and quickly. Give yourself a little leeway. 

It does continue to expand a little after you're done spraying. But it breaks off super easy if you need to chisel a little away like I did.

To cover up the exposed area now, I built a little frame from pinewood. You might be able to see where the drywall was patched up. 

I had the drywaller who was here doing the arched bathroom door project slap a little mud in those holes real quick. Took him all of three minutes. Wouldn't have taken me an hour.

Anyway, not too sure I'm happy with the frame yet. I'm gonna try a different pattern a little wider. It needs a coat or two of paint as well. 

Altogether though, the bottom line is: Wifey has ice cold A/C while she's sewing and crafting and that makes her happy...which makes me happy. That's what it ALLLLLL about.

CommentLuv Added to Orange Jeep Dad...blog.

One feature that has been bugging me on these Blogger blogs is the INability to receive notifications if you leave a comment on a blog. By that I mean, receive a notification if someone REPLIES to your comment or comments AFTER you comment. I haven't seen a way to subscribe to comments like you can on WordPress and other sites.

I visit several blogs each day and comment fairly often. Many times I've left questions but then can't remember which blogs I've left questions on (yes, I'm getting old.) In order to fix this solution, on my own blog at least, I've installed a new commenting feature: Intense Debate's CommentLuv.

Settling In and (Another) New Sewing Machine

Kohl is plum tuckered out. Eyes open but he
won't even raise his head.

Kohl seems to be settling in nicely. He's VERY mellow which is a nice attribute in a family dog. Well, it is for us anyway. We've got enough energy screaming through the house with six girls running amok. I previously blogged how we adopted him at the age of eight (a few weeks ago). His previous family didn't think he was getting enough attention after a family member passed away. Well, he gets SO much now, occasionally I find him hiding under my bed. My three little girls LOVE to hug him around his neck. Doesn't matter what I say about giving the dog a break. They chase him everywhere.

The older three daughters are becoming more and more interested in sewing. They see mommy making all the skirts, bags, and shirts and want to join in. Naturally, Wifey explained to me that this is the perfect and logical reason why she NEEDS more sewing machines. Of course CraigsList has them listed ALL THE TIME. Grrr.

Seed For Security Update: Jacob's Cattle Beans and French Horticulture Beans

Purple carrots comparing size to a dime coin.

If you read my previous post about how excited I got planting purple carrots, you'll also know that they failed miserably. I can't remember where, for sure, I got them but it was NOT inside the United States. Needless to say, out of two 3'x3' raised garden boxes, I've grown maybe six carrots. The tops were deceptively large, or so I thought (as a novice gardener) so I picked a few. They were miserably small and scrawny. Smaller in diameter than a pencil and less than half the length. That was over a month ago.

I picked two more just the other day. You can see by the picture that they are still pathetic. I only have two left growing and they're staying in the soil until they say FEED ME SEYMOUR! Maybe I'm just being too impatient. I want this stuff to be ready to eat in under four months. Is that SO unreasonable?

Seed For Security: Corn and Squash Update

Indian Corn from SeedForSecurity.com

I'm happy to report that our seeds purchased from SeedForSecurity.com are growing very well. This is our second time to plant the Indian Corn and it has done superb. Last season we planted it a little late and didn't get the joy of seeing it reach full size before the winter frost set in. We also discovered little grubs had eaten into the cobs once the ears were peeled back. The grubs didn't matter much since our corn hadn't been planted early enough to mature before the frost (there just wasn't much corn ON the cob yet.)

Needless to say, Wifey and I have pulled a few ears here and there and they look terrific. The SFS website says to harvest when the ears turn brown and/or start to flip upside down. I pulled one yesterday and tasted it raw. It was sweet and yummy. I can't wait until they are fully grown. I'm guessing about one more month. We've planted several rows, around seven or so. Each row has around 10 stalks. Each stalk looks to be growing anywhere from 2-5 ears of corn. We should have a terrific feast ahead of us!

Book Bomb Reminder: The Simplicity Primer June 7 Release

Book Bomb Reminder: The Simplicity Primer June 7 Release

A book bomb is a coordinated push to get as many people as possible to buy a book on the same day, which drives it up the Amazon sales rankings and puts it in front of a much larger audience than it would normally reach on its own. For independent and small-press authors writing about self-reliance, homesteading, and simple living, a strong release day can make the difference between a book that disappears into obscurity and one that keeps selling steadily for years because it finally got noticed.

Books focused on simplifying daily life resonate strongly with readers who are trying to cut down on debt, clutter, and unnecessary complexity in favor of a more self-sufficient, intentional way of living. Whether the focus is frugal living, basic homesteading skills, or rethinking consumer habits, these guides tend to offer practical, actionable steps rather than abstract philosophy, which is exactly why they build such a loyal readership within the preparedness and homesteading community.

Supporting authors in this niche by purchasing on release day, leaving an honest review afterward, and sharing the book with others who might benefit costs very little but has an outsized impact on a smaller author's visibility. Independent authors rarely have big marketing budgets behind them, so word of mouth and community support around a launch date often matter more than any advertising campaign could. If simple living and self-reliance are topics that interest you, keeping an eye out for book bomb announcements from authors in this space is a great way to discover new material worth adding to your own library.

Just a Reminder!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 7th is Book Bomb Day for the new book The Simplicity Primer, by Patrice Lewis. You'll probably recognize Patrice's name from either her excellent Rural Revolution blog, or from her WorldNet Daily columns. Please wait until June 7th to order the book, to create the maximum media buzz.

The above was copied from SurvivalBlog.com