ksmith

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When I read complaints in the comments section of a recipe that it's too salty, I should pay attention.

Itzhak Perlman is a genius.

That is all.

It's August already. Next month is a -ber month.

Where in hell has the year gone?

Early Sunday dinner. Meatloaf. I followed Ina's recipe pretty much, except that along with the 1 2/3 lbs of Flying-S ground beef I added 12 oz hot Italian sausage.

It's a keeper. Unbelievably moist, even though I bakes it on the sheet pan atop a piece of parchment paper. And I can't imagine how hot that sausage really is because I still tasted a bit of a kick.

Served it with some of the 7-grain pilaf and green salad. Winner winner. Stuffed now, and trying not to pick at the leftovers.

A short stretch of rain w/ thunder and a strobe light show of lightning passed through last night, but it seems to have taken some of the humidity with it. It's lovely now, 80s with lower %RH. As soon as I got home from work, I fed the pups, then made dinner for myself and hit the deck. Pasta pesto with some of the garden greens. Glass of wine. Head hurts--brain drain headache. Wine helps. Just sitting helps.

Good news on friends' blogs. That helps, too.

Hope everyone is having a nice evening.

Sitting outside despite the humidity and the lightest of sprinkles coming down. The rain kept the temp from ratcheting up, and I'm enjoying the coolness.

I can haz new treadmill. The installers were supposed to arrive between 4 and 8 in the pip emma, but they called me at work around 3 to tell me that they had arrived. So I jetted home and let the dogs out in the backyard while the guys came in the front. Took them about a half-hour to put the thing together. It's about the equivalent of the one that broke down--0-10mph, 0-10% incline. This one doesn't have a dashboard fan, but I don't expect I will miss it. It does have a jack for the iPod so I can listen without earbuds, which is nice. The sound isn't the best, but it's good enough.

I think the belt on the old machine must have been slipping for a while, and that maybe the calibration was off. I didn't hit the same speeds this evening, but I felt it more. Of course, the two-week break didn't help.

Between the new treadmill and all the junk haulage, a lot has been accomplished in the last week or so even though it doesn't really feel like it.

Garden-wise, the mini-roses are sporting a second round of buds. The full-size tomatoes are sporting handball-size greenies, and the Tommy Toe cherry is showing a lots of little'uns. The lilies have opened, lovely fuchsia and white blooms, and the hydrangeas are going strong. The Japanese beetles were munching on my hanging basket petunias while waiting for the hibiscus and Rose of Sharon buds to become interesting. I showed them--went all chemical on them and broke out the rose spray.

Waiting for the bats to come out. I love my little bats.

Supposed to heat up again this weekend. No major rain predicted, although that doesn't mean we won't get any. I intend to take a break from the house. I will cook--Ina Garten made wheatberry salad with veggies, and I want to try it. I may also make more hummus because it turned out really well. And cookies. I may make cookies. And write. And maybe vacuum before the dog hair takes over the house.

Since all knowledge is contained within LJ....

I have an ancient Craftsman garage door opener. Model 139.655000. 1/3 hp. Chain drive. It still works, but the remotes went south back when Dad was still alive. I've needed to operate it from the touchpad inside the garage for years, and while yeah, it still works, it would be nice to have an opener that I can open and close with a remote, especially in bad weather.

This opener was discontinued years ago. I can't find even a hint that parts are available anywhere, and universal remotes may not even work with it. I could try one of those converter kits, but I've read a number of complaints about lack of range--more than 30-40 feet away, and the garage door won't open. Hell, my driveway is 85 feet long.

So, if I replace the opener with a new 1/2 hp chain drive model...

...can I use the same chain, or is that not desirable/possible?

Can I install it myself using the same brackets/supports? IOW, pop off the old box and pop on the new box?

Even if I need to drill/install brackets/whatnot, can I do it myself? Or does the job require male hand strength?