Had a relaxing morning planned. Do a load of laundry, put up some No Trespassing signs.
I kind of resent the necessity of these dumb signs. I used to enjoy thinking I’m far enough back in the boondocks that wandering tourists would not be a problem. And they haven’t been much of a problem, as such, but they do occasionally wander in off the road they don’t have any business being on in the first place. Since I’m nearly the only one who uses that road at all, the tire marks just naturally turn right at the driveway and keep going through a narrow, winding and often steep quarter mile or so. At some point most people figure out that they’re on private property and really ought to turn around. But what I’m waiting for is for some innocent tourist or well-meaning Mormon missionary to actually arrive at the lair in a 2X car. It could be done. Getting back out again would not happen until I rigged them for towing. So. Signs.
But while I was mounting the signs on the poles I planted yesterday, I couldn’t help noticing that it was blowing a moderate gale on the ridgetop. Which in turn got me to thinking about Landlady’s solar panel tower…
Oh, man, it was a’buckin’ and a’wavin’ in the wind like it was trying to take wings and fly. And given the extra flex that missing bolt gave it, it might just get its wish.
So I drove back to the Lair, dropped off the dogs and loaded up Landlady’s big ladder and some tools, and an iron bar I’d actually thought about yesterday. See, I figured out yesterday what I could do to brace things up until we could really repair the rack. But then I figured, Neighbor S will be here Saturday. It’s lasted this long, surely it’ll be fine until Saturday.
Because I’m stupid. No, seriously, the first time local conditions turn something expensive into scrap because you didn’t take precautions, you can maybe be forgiven. The desert surprises everybody. But if you’ve been here ten years and you’re still saying things like, “It’ll be fine!” … you have a problem with your brain being missing.
So. Okay. Back home, gather tools and this iron bar. Set up the ladder. Climb up the ladder in the destructive wind, with a skillion pounds of iron and rare earth semiconductors wagging like a flag just over your head. Remove the bolt that is no longer attached to anything. Go back to the workbench in the barn, blessedly out of the wind. Beat that iron bar out flat and drill a hole in the middle of its length that’ll accept the bolt.
Climb back up the ladder with the bolt, bar, wrenches and a big C-clamp.
The c-section crossmember had a piece missing the size of a pack of playing cards, but other than that it was still intact – just wrenched out of position. So I torqued it back into place with the clamp, then used the iron bar to bridge the hole and clamp the crossmember back down to the brace with the original bolt.
The rack is still wagging in the wind, but it’s always done that. That’s how it fatigued that hole in the crossmember in the first place. But now it really should be fine until we can properly fix it, and even if it isn’t at least I did everything I could instead of the minimum allowable.
Surely the boys will be proud of that BOD sign.
🙂 Yeah, can you see Ghost reading it in the shotgun seat?
Spent part of my day removing a carport roof from power lines. Wind decided the repairs I needed to make should of been done last month. Yes, I know better.
I live in the middle of a forest, deep in the mountains. I still used to have people from the city show up in their brand new four wheel drives, just “testing them out.” When they got to my place, I had to get in and turn the vehicles around because they couldn’t do it in the limited flat space up there. I finally put up a gate at the foot of the mountain and now I only have to deal with the occasional lost hiker off the Appalachian trail.
I put a chain across the driveway where it splits from the access road. It’s not enough to actually stop anything but perhaps a bicycle – but it requires the mannerly to at least get out and see the “Private Drive”, the “No Trespassing”, and the “Do Not DIsturb Occupant” signs while they’re dropping the chain. There’s a few more NT signs along the rest of the drive – along with signs along the road frontage and at the property corners – probably about 15 in all. They work well – so far it’s only people that thought their “official” status somehow exempted them that have come through – go figure…
I saw those “Come back with a Warrant” doormats and liked the general sentiments but finally decided a FOAD doormat covered matters better. Haven’t actually tracked one down yet – but I’ve got a “By Appointment Only” sign by the door.
Years ago I noticed a property in a nearby small town had weathered, hand stenciled signs on it’s fenceline about every 20′. They alternated between a Evil Black Rifle silhouette and a skull and bones. Always got a kick out of that
PNO, a chain across gateposts, even without an actual fence, is pretty traditional around here and these posts will accommodate one but I’m hoping to avoid that for the obvious reason that getting in and out of the Jeep to chain/unchain the driveway would be an amazingly annoying hassle. But I’ll do that if I need to.
Helped my absentee neighbor erect a couple of posts and a chain padlocked to them on each end.
The local a$$holes cut the padlocks and stole the chain.
Can’t now recall how many No Trespassing signs I have replaced for him.
Local cops say “call us when they’re in there”. Yeah, like I’m gonna stake out the place until it happens. Wonderful. He’s considering hidden “game cameras” now.
That is the downside to the chain barrier – there’s been a few times folks have had to get wet/cold or wait – and then there’s the stopping twice every flippin’ time someone goes through. I was getting tired of people getting about 1/2 way in and then discovering they were on a dead end road and then turning around wherever they pleased. The chain fixed that so I’m happy. Some neighbors use solar electric gates with a keypad and a remote. I figure that once I go that far it calls for fencing in the while place and a mile of t-posts and wire does not appeal to me in the least.
I’ve just started looking at some game cameras – seems like a handy gadget for getting an eye on varmits of all shapes and sizes.
My next project along these lines is going to be electromagnetic sensors buried at the beginning of the driveway that alert a dialer which calls each resident on their cell. Set that number for a distinct ringtone and you’ve got a 24/7 vehicle alert that won’t get triggered by game and wind gusts.
How much would an earth-berm wall, built with dirt plowed up right next to it, cost? Plant thorn bushes on the top to discourage the curious. You could get creative and turn the resulting ditch into a Lazy River just inside the wall:-)
“turn the resulting ditch into a Lazy River just inside the wall” Whilst we are dreaming, why not put the ditch outside the wall to form a moat, and then add a nice tasteful drawbridge?