Trails.

An equestrian trail bisects our property behind our new home. Today I hiked down to take a look at it up close and personal. I didn’t see any horses or any other animals for that matter, but it was a pleasant little walk.
Jamie and I tested the acoustics of the back yard. He was speaking in a normal voice and I could hear him without an issue. I wonder if the neighbors can hear us just as easily.

The previous owner of the home left us a one page narrative about the history of the house. The builder and designer was a doctor and astronomer. The small room off our bedroom is shown as the “observatory” on the blueprints. On the floor below in the tool room and workshop is a large reinforced square in the middle of the floor; it was intended to be the base for the large telescope that would have been in the observatory. The small room also has an alcove with many electrical and network connection jacks intended to be the control center for the telescope. The doctor also co-founded an observatory in nearby Benson.

The doctor died about a year after the house was built; his wife maintained it for several years later. The owner we bought the house from had been in it since 2010. I believe that family used this as a vacation home.

I look forward to learning more about the property. I’m very happy to call it home.

28 March 2021 by Tucson 0

Caturday.

We’ve been here for only three days yet Truman has adapted very well to his new home. He’s still figuring out the new time zone; his demands for breakfast are at 5:30 AM instead of the usual 7:30 AM, but we’re letting that slide. We’ve actually approached bedtime differently since moving to the desert and he now has the freedom to sleep with us if he so chooses. He does, and he settles himself at our feet in between the two of us in bed. But when there’s a hint of sunrise shining through, he’s up and ready for some food.

We can manage. During the week I get up at 5:30 AM so I can make my now 6:00 AM calls for work.

I get the feeling he’s loving all the extra room the house provides. He’s running up and down the stairs like a trooper, has mapped out every square foot of the place, and while still figuring out the rules around what’s considered a countertop and what’s not, he seems the happiest he’s ever been since joining our family a few years ago.

We’ll start tackling the patio and gazebo over the next few weeks once our furniture arrives and things are a little more settled.

27 March 2021 by He's A Feline. Tucson 0

Simplicity.

I installed a Nest Thermostat E in our bedroom this evening. I don’t know if the E stands for “eco” or “economy version”, but it is a nice looking until but without some of the capabilities of the regular Nest.

I wish I could say the installation was a flawless experience. I don’t know if the software was confused or I was confused, but the Google Home absolutely did not want me to do anything but wait for another Nest device to tell my thermostat how to get connected to the rest of the house. The problem is, I don’t have any other Nest devices. We haven’t had a Nest device of any sort since our relocation to Chicago in 2017, but I think Google Nest may have been confused on this. What should have been less than 30 minutes of installation time stretched into more then 90 minutes and a half dozen Factory Resets.

I finally ended up bringing Chris’ Nest Camera from his setup on the other side of the house to talk to my Nest Thermostat E. It then magically joined our wifi network and all was well.

I like the look of it. I’m surprised the ring doesn’t spin like the regular Nest units do; instead you rub and tap the right side of the unit to make adjustments.

Despite the software obstacles, overall I’m pleased with the unit and I find it aesthetically enjoyable.

26 March 2021 by Geek 0

Tucson, Arizona.

We are officially in Tucson. The drive was not bad today, the house is beautiful, there is much to do, and I’m off to bed. Time changes and all that..

25 March 2021 by Fun and Games Dept 1

Albuquerque, New Mexico.

We are about six hours from our new home, stationed in a Ramada in Albuquerque, N.M. I wasn’t expecting to drive through snow squalls, but we ran into two snow squalls between Tucumcari and Albuquerque. Um, this is the desert.

Overall the drive is going well. Truman has settled into a routine and takes naps. I follow road signs. Earl converses with us both and plays with his phone. It’s quite routine but still enjoyable.

24 March 2021 by Fun and Games Dept 0

Moving Day.

It’s moving day! The movers are packing up the truck as I type. We’ll be cleaning behind them and on the road this afternoon or evening.

I can’t believe it’s happening.

22 March 2021 by Tucson 0

Right?

There are many things I will never understand about Illinois. This No Right Turn is one of them.
21 March 2021 by Why. 0

Technology.

I am all for advancing technology. I’m excited about the technological future and I want to do any and everything I can to help bring our technological musings into fruition. Our new home in Tucson will probably have a lot of gadgets that seem futuristic, so when I see something out in the world that appears to be advancing technology, I get excited.

This touchscreen fuel pump does not excite me.

You know the drill. You put your credit or debit card in the slot (or tap your smart device against the reader that has a 10% chance of actually being there), type in your zip code, and select your octane.

First of all, what are we accomplishing by converting from buttons to a touchscreen? I’m sure many tests were done, but do we think a touchscreen in the middle of a Chicago winter will be super responsive to user inputs? And let’s talk about that. I could barely get the touchscreen to work on a surprisingly mild March day, I can’t imagine how it would be with gloves on a sub-zero January morning.

Aesthetically, the physical device is pleasing. The interface is a little too modern and simplified for my tastes and I could do without the ads, but it’s not awful.

I just don’t get why we needed it.

20 March 2021 by Geek Why. 0

About J.P.

Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.

Weird? Eccentric!

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