Keeping Busy

We have florescent light fixtures under our cabinets in the kitchen.  Just before we left on our trip to Colorado, they mysteriously quit working.  We were packing and trying not to forget anything, and I decided that fixing them would have to wait.

But late at night, when the dinner hour is over, and the spot lights over the island are turned off, the little florescents were greatly missed.  Its one of those things that by the time you remember that they are broken, you are too tired to look into them.

But today was the day to look at them.  Loyce was cleaning the floors and keeping house, and for some reason I remembered that they were out.  I went to the basement and grabbed my wiring belt and pouch.  I messed with a couple of the lights, but they seemed to be alright, just dead!

So next I took the wall switch apart.  It has a dimmer on the main light over the table in the same box, so out with a bunch of screws.  I measured the voltage, and had the 110 that I should have had.  That's strange.  But turning the switch on did nothing.  Then I measured the voltage on the light side of the switch with it on, and had no voltage.   ????

I have never seen a wall light switch that just stopped working!  But that is exactly what I had.  It felt fine when you turned it on, but it didn't connect inside.  Rummaging around in the supplies from the basement produced a replacement.

You take simple things like the lights under the counter for granted, until they don't work any more.  But tonight, now that it is dark, I am kind of marvelling that they're on again! 

I did all the normal stuff today, like went to the Cartridge World place with the printer ink cartridge because I couldn't print.  It was clogged, and he fixed it.  I offered to pay but he said next time!

I had lunch at the Wendy's up by the local Wal Mart.  I am a regular customer, and the lady that makes the burgers reminded me that I didn't want onions.  Of course she can hardly speak English, but she knows Onion.  Si, no Cebolla!

My Spanish is much worse than her English, and they don't let her wait the counter because she can't speak English very well.  Spanglish?  We usually get the job done.

And then tonight I was off to a local motorcycle shop that is North of here up on I 35.  I was looking for a handlebar tie down gizzmo that is kind of like a Chinese finger cuff.  It slides over each hand grip and then when you pull on the loops, it compresses on the bars.  This allows the bike to be tied down without crossing the straps over the tank or fairing.

I had to look the shelves over quite carefully, but way in the back, I found exactly what  I wanted.  If I take the bike to Arizona this winter, this strap will help me keep from damaging the paint and plastic.  You still get some road rash from trailering a long way, as stuff rubs on the bike.

So like this post, the day kind of rambled on.  I had hoped to wash the Motor Home, but it threatened rain all day, so I gave up on that idea.  We still have a lot of mud from the rains on Lizard Head Pass.

I teased the fellow over at the car wash that I had a vehicle he couldn't wash, but he gave me a card for the Blue Beacon truck wash, because they are related.  The car wash is called Green Lantern.  But that costs big bucks, so I had better do it myself.

Retired Rod