Attribute to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

Saturday night

I wanted so badly to get the first edition of my other semi regular column out—The Norseman’s Diaries that covers the icky spring that almost wasn’t—AKA the Coronavirus Winter. And I’ve been working on it for some time. Along with material for a part 2 that picks up after the 4th of July and runs through late summer and Part 3 that should start after Labor Day. It’s almost Labor Day and I’m not even sure if I’ll ever get it done!

It’s obvious that I’ll never finish the first install in time for publication this weekend so I might as well default to the other thread I’ve also been struggling to launch and is also the main reason I’m not writing as many articles as I would like. It’s the Florida Room renovation well into its second year that is consuming so much of my time and energy. To a fevered pitch in a race to get it done while I still have the time and freedom to do and enjoy it.

Lost in the Florida Room again—I said to Ray today or maybe it was last night—with the suggestion that someone ought to do a parody of it sang to the tune of “Lost in the Ozone”— a familiar favorite Quinn in the Morning Al Gore heads up theme song! That’s where I’ve been a lot lately building and tweaking things. While the world continues to go to hell or at least going terminally insane.

So I won’t give much treatment to that or Coronavirus; the gift that keeps on giving in the way of new and scary discoveries at every turn ; how it can kill or mess you up really bad. BTW I had a worrisome situation a few weeks ago when I got a little sick and had to go to the Virus Clinic to get tested. Luckily I was negative and I got better the next day and was cleared to return to work.

And the show goes on.

September First was the day I officially stated up the Florida Room again after finishing the wall panels and getting them up in the corner around the Turtle Table.

Got the insulation board covered with Rock on a Roll mounted , the hydroponic trays and rock facing back in place , most of the holes filled with plants and the turtle occupants were brought back down from the greenhouse—petty much for good. Mainly because I wanted to do some modifications of the tub enclosure in the greenhouse. But this is a good date for that being that the season is changing and the nights are getting cooler.

That was more or less the beginning of a busy week.

Made a trip to Elmer’s that day also and bought an LED aquarium light to replace the old shop light from Lowe’s. Verdict is out whether it’s better or not but the change has opened the way for a plan I just put into action yesterday.

Another incremental improvement—I used spray foam to adhere the little stone turtle I picked up recently to the lid of the vivarium to make a nice ornamental handle to replace the one that fell off. Less likely with this one. Like Coronavirus or Joe Biden’s gaffs—spray foam is the gift that keeps on giving. Just try not to get it on your hands or clothes or anything else you don’t want it on!

As for the latest accomplishment—that happened yesterday. After a day of flumdiddling and not getting much of anything done I had a grand epiphany that resulted in putting asunder a significant impass for my plan to put a couple of the tall tanks in the space above the big vivarium.

A simple solution to a problem that had me wargaming all kind of crazy schemes involving 2x4s and drilling through the floor of the bedroom upstairs to pass bolts to hold a suspended shelf. And then it dawned on me that it would be more practical to build up using some wood I already had on hand to form a platform supported by the vivarium itself. It’s more than sturdy enough to support the weight of the two tanks I’m going to convert to front opening vivariums for my next Holy Grail reptile—the Arboreal Alligator Lizard!

And there you have it as of this past Saturday afternoon. Did some modifications to set the tanks back against the wall and create a shelf to accommodate my other turtle collection. A series of ceramic , plastic ones given to me as gifts over the years including a wooden one carved by my mother. Nice hobby related accents in keeping with the theme of the Room. Just wait until I finish that platform with some redwood stain and swap out the 40 B duo for the 29 / 20 Long duo that I will bring in as soon as the stand for those is finished. And then move in the stand with the two 20 High kitchen tanks which the smaller set will allow room for.

There is also the free Monster 150 and stand that has a level concrete pad cured and ready. I could go on with the joys which the work of ones own hands can bring but running out of time. Like the sliding window build for the room.

I love it so much I just keep coming up with excuses to work it!

This is the pursuit of happiness in a nutshell. Do something. Write something. Let your passions and creativity flow. It’s the cure for much of what can go wrong with our own lives and the key to healing our world.

This was going to be an update on the hatching of the 5 Japanese Pond Turtle eggs recovered back in July which should be due now.

https://ncc-1776.org/tle2020/tle1078-20200726-06.html

I’m a little concerned they may have gone bad or might be infertile because they are not expanding in the course of development like the two Gulf Coast clutches more recently recovered. But I’ll be patient and give them a chance.

Sometimes they can go into diapause for a while so it pays not to be too hasty to throw them away.