It Started Small, but then . . .

I looked up at the windshield and this huge crack suddenly appeared in our Jeep’s windshield Saturday afternoon.

So who do you call?

An hour and a half after arriving in the Merced auto glass shop, we were done!

PG&E Gifted Us

As part of their Energy Savings Assistance Program two PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) reps gave us a Kohler enCUBE 1.8, replaced a dozen or so of our electric bulbs with energy efficient LED bulbs, and replaced four of our ugly ceiling lights with less ugly lights. All for free!

What’s the catch? Nothing.

enCUBE 1.8

This is a lithium-ion battery backup unit. For example, if we lost power to our house (this has happened once), then we could use the enCUBE to power a couple of things like our fridge. However, you can’t power a whole house on one of these things. But, hey, it’s free.

Also, the enCUBE could come in handy for RV boondocking.

NEW LIGHT FIXTURES

California Poppy

Last weekend we took a trip towards Yosemite to the Indian Flat Picnic Site on the Merced River and, surprise, had a picnic.

But the main reason for the trip was to see all the California Poppies blooming. A friend of Jan’s at Idlewheels told her about the seasonal poppy show so we took Flirt and the Jeep up the road.

The weather was outstanding. Mild 70s all the way. Not the kind of Wisconsin Spring we’re used to. Much of our trip up was alongside the Merced River, and we got to see a party of rafters coming down the river.

However, the highlight of the trip were the orange poppies, fields of them on the mountain sides. The photos really don’t do them justice, but here they are . . .

AND, OF COURSE, THE POPPY MOVIE

J Neal DIYer – Episode 1

Bosch Dishwasher Error 25

Total dishwasher failure! Panicked thoughts of returning to hand washing dishes.

THE PROBLEM: POSSIBLE CLOGGED DRAIN PUMP

THE SOLUTION: REMOVE THE KEY, REMOVE THE FOOD DEBRIS

Starlink vs AT&T, Verizon, & Microwave

Our current wireless Internet setup allows me to compare two of the major providers in addition to microwave Internet service with Starlink.

Keep in mind the following tests are our own and limited. However, to me the speeds reported below are representative:

Well, Starlink is a slam dunk to me even at $99/month + a $500 equipment investment. In addition to download speed, Starlink’s latency is low (31 ms) plus Starlink is unlimited – there are currently no data caps.

After a month or so of testing, we’ll say goodbye to unWired, but we’ll keep our Verizon and AT&T set ups because we need them when we go RVing. As of today, Starlink has no mobile RV solution.