Toasters, the last 65 years of progress

65 years ago my father brought home a new GE two slice pop up toaster.  It toasted  for my family, my grandmother's family, my brother's family, and was turning out beautiful golden brown toast up until last year.  At which point one heating element opened up and went dark.  I took it apart and spliced the nichrome wire with a bit of brass tubing crimped with vicegrips.  That kept her going for another year, when another heating element died.  I couldn't fix that one.  So ho, off to Wally Mart and a brand new Black and Decker toaster.
   Well, it came in a nice Ferrari Racing Red plastic case and it had bigger toast slots that could accept that big country white bread, and bagels.  Had a special button for bagels, and another for "frozen". Trouble is, the damn thing stopped toasting over Christmas, when I had five house guests up for Christmas.  Service life less than half a year, as opposed to the GE which lasted 65 years. 
   Since it was still shiny and new, I took it apart.  Problem was the toaster tray hold down.  Magnetic it was, an electro magnet on a PC board pulled on a steel lug on the pop up mechanism.  One, just one toast crumb had fallen on, and stuck to, the magnet pole piece and prevented the magnet from sucking hard enough on the steel lug to keep the handle down.  A pass with the shop vac got the crumbs under control, and a wipe with a rag got the stickum off, and it worked on the bench.  It even worked after I replaced the cover.  We shall see how long it lasts.  It is in a benign environment, no small children, just me using it. 
   Wanna bet it doesn't last for 65 years?  GE never should have sold it's small appliance division to Black and Decker.

May be the Iraqi's can fight after all.

Looks like they took Ramadi, driving out a determined ISIS defense force.  That takes some doing, a built up area is just one solid mass of firing points and good cover.  When the defenders stick to their guns, advancing into a built up area is very tough.  So the Iraqi's did it, which says their Army is in better shape than this spring when ISIS drove them out of Ramadi. 
   The Iraqi's are giving some of the credit to effective close air support from USAF.  Certainly a few 750 pound smart bombs in the right places can make a lotta difference. 

Cannon Mountain Ski Weather

Not great.  We got some snow yesterday but after two inches down on my deck, it turned to sleet, freezing rain, and some just plain rain.  Temperature has dropped back below freezing and I can hear the snow guns running right now.  It will help, but the mountain needs a lot more snow to be really good.  Right now Cannon is open, just a few trails, and pretty much all manmade snow.  It's skiable, but we are all hoping for more snow. 

Pataki hangs it up.

About time.  I set up an event for him at the Littleton VFW, and NOBODY came.  He seems like a nice guy and all, but what ever it is that attracts presidential voters, he doesn't have.  Him pulling out does clear the underbrush a tiny bit. 

Union Leader trashes The Donald

It got under The Donald's skin enough for him to go on a lengthy televised rant against Our Paper.  Last time I remember the Union Leader dumping on a candidate was way back with  William Loeb trashing Ed Muskie so hard that Muskie wept in public. Which was the end of Muskie's presidential run.  The Donald had it easy compared to that.
Welcome to New Hampshire Mr. Trump.

If you are going to Hell, you still have to change planes in Atlanta

Atlanta was bragging they had served (delayed and hassled) their 100 millionth passenger  this year.  That's a lotta people going to Hell. 

Helova Fine Christmas

All three of my children came home for this one, along with a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law and a very nice girlfriend.  We had a trim the tree party, we had a massive Christmas dinner (20 people, two tables, three ovens). We had a show-old-home-movies party. We did a lot of sitting up late around the fireplace, drinking, and telling stories.  I put the last children on planes home Sunday. 
  It was a trying time for Stupid Beast.  She is a fraidy cat, used to having the house to herself and just one trusted human (me) around.  Having a house full of medium strangers, who petted her, and even picked her up, was hard for her to bear.  I gotta word for you, cat.  Get used to it.
   Lotta drivers never did learn about dimming headlights.  They come up behind you, hi beams full on shining in the rear window.  PITA.  I would click on my hi beams after they passed me in the rain. Just to let 'em know.
   Today I did a bit of recovery. Ran a wash, washed the last dishes, vacuumed the living room, make up a bed with fresh sheets. made a dump run.  Between the empty bottles, and the Christmas wrappings, and stuff, it filled up the trunk of the Buick. And when I got down there, the town dump was pretty full.  Santa brought a lotta stuff to Franconia.  The glass recycle bin was as full as I have ever seen it, all beer and wine bottles.  Whiskey mostly comes in plastic bottles these days   Merry Christmas. 
    Dunno if I have the energy to deal with New Years on Friday.