THE LITTLE THINGS - THE GREAT TEXAS DROUGHT

The drought here in East Texas has reach what the experts call "Exceptional."  I'd agree with that.  In my half-century of life this is the first time I have seen trees turning brown in midsummer all across the state.  Even though I have watered my garden regularly, the heat apart front the dryness is killing the plants.  Even the weeds are dying!  The exceptionally hardy Bahia grass is even struggling.

It is so hot that fires are starting spontaneously.  As we drove last weekend to Austin, there were numerous scorched areas, some still smoldering along the highway.  We even saw the remnants of a truckload of hay burning along the highway!  According to the local firemen responding, the truck had come out of Mississippi with a large load of rolled hay bales.  Somehow it had caught on fire.  They had offloaded the truck and saved it from damage, but the cargo was lost!

Back home the lawn had turned brown and crunchy and the shrubbery and plantings are dying.

The positive side of this is that there are no flies, mosquitoes or roaches.  The mice are almost gone and we haven't seen much of the usual varmints like coyotes, skunks or raccoons.  I haven't had to mow the lawn all summer and


Even so, we are looking forward to rain. I am eager to plant the fall garden and get back to being able to burn in the backyard.

After the Response in Houston earlier this month, I expect we shall see rain in abundance in due time.  God does answer prayer after all!

THE LITTLE THINGS - RESOLING THE BOOTS

I have a pair of black leather combat booths that I wore during my enlistment in the Texas State Guard some years ago.  Unlike most such boots I have owned, these are quite light and comfortable.  The result is that I wore them in preference to my other boots, and they eventually wore through on the soles.  I kept the upper parts well polished and so these are in good condition.  However, when I asked at the shoe repairer if they could be fixed, they said they didn't fix that type of construction.

MY FAVORITE BOOT WITH WORN-THROUGH SOLE

Six years ago the boots cost about $25.  Now, comparable boots are around $35. If they could be resoled, it would cost almost as much.  I have other boots, but am reluctant to throw these away since they wear much better.  So I looked about to see what was available to repair them with.  The results were a truck innertube and some Gorilla brand glue.  Some newspaper, a bottle of isopropyl alcohol (IP) a sharp pair of scissors, a pair of hand weights and a sharpie were all that were needed to carry out the plan.

TRACING THE HALF SOLE

First, a large section of inner tube rubber was cut off and laid flat.  Then the half-soles were traced with a Sharpie marker.  The half soles were then cut out, one for each boot, and these were check for fit on the sole of the boot. 

The next step was to thoroughly clean both the boot sole and the half sole with the IP on a wad of newspaper.  This removed the dirt and especially any oil that could prevent the glue from adhering well.  After cleaning, I let the soles dry for about an hour before proceeeding with the gluing.

HAL SOLES TRACED ON INNER TUBE MATERIAL

The glue was spread liberally on the boot sole and the half soles were pressed on by hand.  Then the boots were set upright on the newspaper.  Two five pound hand weights were set on top of the boots to hold them flat on the floor with a little clamping pressure. The glue was then allowed to dry overnight.

The next day I trimmed off the excess rubber and glue with the scissors.  I found the new soles adhered well and I could once again walk about in the boots without exposing my stocking feet to the harsh environment of the outdoors. Cost: $0, time about 1/2 hour.  Quite a bargain for a pair of serviceable boots.  Perhaps I shall try tire tread rather than inner tube next time for longer wear. Not adding to the landfill is another plus!

CLEANING THE HALF-SOLES WITH IP

THE LITTLE THINGS - SALVAGING THE POULTRY WATERER

We've been enjoying a mosquito free summer here in East Texas. That's largely due to the near absence of rain.  Another aspect of this hot, dry weather has been an ongoing need to keep the poultry well watered.  We have a pair of turkey hens that go through over a gallon a day.  To keep them happy, I bought a galvanized waterer two years ago when they were chicks.

Recently I filled the waterer with fresh water and set it down in their pen so they could drink.  I came back an hour or so later and noticed it was already dry.  Amazed at the turkey's capacity to consume the water, I refilled it.  Then, on closer inspection I saw that it was leaking.  The waterer had already rusted through.  Whether it was due to thin galvanizing or the nature of the soil it sat on, small holes had already appeared in the base.  Though the size of pin-pricks, they allowed the water to leak out rapidly, making the waterer pretty much useless.

I'd bought it previously for about $18, and now they were running $30.  That would buy a lot of feed, and I really didn't want to spend the money just now.  So, looking around the yard, I found the materials I needed to repair the waterer.

There was some plywood, a partial can of roofing cement and some sheet metal screws.  In a short while I had coated the base of the waterer with roofing cement and cut out a round base for it from the 3/8 thick plywood sheet I had lying around. (With the sticky roof cement on the base, it would have been messy to set the waterer back down on the bare dirt of the pen) It took just a few minutes to screw the base onto the waterer with my cordless drill.  I waited overnight for the cement to dry a bit, then put the waterer back in service.  It held water just fine, and was fixed for free.

In less time than it would take to drive to the feed store and back I was back in business and the turkeys are once again well supplied with fresh water to endure the drought. The birds didn't complain about the odd looking repair.