Next up on the cast iron conversion.

The Griswold fry skillet got one more polish, and a wash and oil coat.  It's out on the gas grill as I type this.  Next up on the agenda, a Lodge griddle.

Her loveliness gave me this some years back.  She did this because she loves me, and wants to make me smile.  She also did this because she's a hooker for pancakes.

I never got this one right. It's rough. I never got it seasoned right despite multiple attempts.  Mostly it just hangs on the pantry rack, used occasionally for grilled cheese maybe.

Today, after putting the skillet on the grill, I loaded the 80-grit and started on this thing.

Hory Cow Batman, this little beastie is rougher than my ex-wifes personality.  No wonder I made no progress trying to make it work.  This does not speak well for Lodges quality control.

After a couple 80-grit discs used up, I considered getting out the big gun.  My angle grinder.  For SURE that will remove material, and no doubt.  Still on the fence with that one.  The last thing I want is to install a big power tool gash on the surface.  No coming back from that.

A day in the hood...

 So far today at Castle Bovine Exhaust....

My lushest garden Evar.  A friend asked about it and I told her the two secrets. Lot's of rich aged mushroom soil compost. Like 50% of the garden soil is that black gold.  Add some wood ash and call it perfect.  The second secret, each part of the garden gets 30 minutes of light rain early every morning it's not already raining.  30 minutes on a timer so it's honest.  Not drenching, just a light rain or drizzle.  The ground stays moist on the hot days, but not soaked. The plants love it.

I think it's going to be a hella year for tomatoes.  Every plant is loaded with fruit.

Now, about that Canadian air pollution they are sending at us....  I really think we should fire up the military, spend 20 minutes conquering Canuckistan, and then put their damn fires out.  After that, give them back their socialist shithole and walk away.

The air (Code Purple?  WTF?) is thick and hazy.  It makes the eyes itch and burn a bit, and smells like burning Canuck sweat socks after losing a national hockey match.  Other than that, yuck.  I'm staying inside today.  Got the garden stuff done before 8am and the rest of the day can suit itself outside.

7-17-26

 W: 318.2            BS: 117

Today:  87 degrees and air thick with Canadian air pollution.  What the heck is a 'Code Purple' air alert?  Is Barney coming by?

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6 hours and 44 minutes sleep, and I feel rested.  What voodoo is this?

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I wonder if it's like that?

Long long ago, in a previous lifetime, I had pennies to rub together.  Enough that when half-brother Wankerbrain asked to borrow $10K, I actually thought about it.  I turned for advice to the only person who could have an opinion...Mom.  She said he had always paid his debts and thought him good for it.  I honestly didn't even know him, but I trusted Mom so I made the loan.

Fast forward a few years and I get a phone call.  Wankerbrain's attorney called to tell me the twit was going bankrupt and I was on the list of creditors to get screwed.  Wankerbrain didn't call, his lawyer did.  The only time I heard from him after that was when Mom died and he kept calling and asking for a death certificate. I finally realized he had taken out life insurance on her.  Dick.

Moving on a decade or three, and the half-brother found my address somehow and e-mailed me from where he was hiding down in the Caribbean.  Wanted to know if we could reconnect.  I told him "I'm game. One thing though... first you return the money you stole from my family".

Never heard from him again.  Hope I never do.

I wonder if that is how Trump feels about those people 'Wanting to just move on' after all the evidence coming to light about the 2020 election fraud.   "Sure, we can get along just fine, but first return what you stole".

Weirdly satisfying

I've been meaning to give this a try for years, and suddenly there I wuz...

A $3 drill kit with an assortment of abrasives hit my door this morning.  When I finished my self-appointed chores, I allowed myself the surprising pleasure of.... polishing a cast iron pan.

5 grit changes and 20 very messy minutes later, I arrived at what I think might be a good finish. Not really mirror, but at least 10x smoother than it began.  It reflects so much light it seems to glow now.

I washed it, dried it well, and rubbed oil all over it.  I'm not seasoning today with the heat and humidity what it is.  Running the oven at 450-500 is contraindicated just now.  That means Herself would hit me.  Again.

I'm looking for a slick and non-stick surface once all is well and done.  Eventually I'll do all the cast iron except the Dutch oven.  I might have to put together a lye bath for the really ugly old pans to get the cooked on coating off.

We will see how this turns out!

I'm going to say... true.

 

I'm not sure which tradesmen are being referenced.   My automotive career I had some written assignments.  Repair orders, estimates, reconciling parts tickets, such things.  Honestly it did not change for much of my career.  Moved from paper to computer, still SSDD.

My teaching career... OH HELL YES.  The difference between public tech school with high school seniors, and private for profit tech school, was beyond dramatic.

Public school administrators had us filling out, quite literally, binders full of useless unread garbage every year.  A stack of binders, progress reports, grading reports, report reports... most of it trashed as soon as we handed it in.  You figure out why, because that Bovine Exhaust was irrational to me.

For profit tech school?  LOLOLOL....NO. Our valuable well paid time was not wasted on such crap. We compiled and reconciled grades each 3-week session, which was a dead easy job if the instructor did even the bare minimum.  Occasional discipline reports. All of it and everything on premade digital forms. For most instructors that was about it.  I (being special  and stupid) had more paperwork because I was also working to develop curriculum.   Not enough to get snowed under because the private school admin could read a clock and understood that time is an actual thing.  Public school admin?  Not so much.  Just keep heaping more paperwork on and ordering instructors to 'Just Deal With It', as they themselves left for the bar.

To the point, have I seen teachers quit the job over paperwork demands?  Yes, several, and really good people too.  One guy actually said to me "I'm going back to building bridges.  A lot less bullshit with bridges".

De-sticking sticky non-stick pans

I admit it, I'm weird about non-stick pans.  I expect them to be... you know... NON STICK.

Hell, I knew the guy who quality tested the very first non-stick pans as a scientist. His call sign was 'Handy Landy'. He let me play with them.  They were actually non-stick, for a while.

My whole life my experience with non-stick of any kind is they work great out of the box, but it's only a matter of time.  I have bought, used, and tossed a lot of pans over the years. Usually deeply frustrated at the time.

Almost exactly one year ago I bought three good quality non-stick pans. One 10" and two 8".  I told the kids one of the 8" pans was theirs's, and  touching mine was punishable by Dad Glare.  That worked for a while, but Girl Child is the textbook example of obstinate. It took me five years to get her to stop cooking eggs on medium high.

Eventually *their* pan stuck food so bad I trashed it rather than try to get it clean once again.  Of course Girl Child (And mother) started using my non-stick ASAP.  AARRRGGG!

This morning I tried cooking bacon in the 10" pan.  BACON!  It stuck.  I'm not kidding. Bacon, cooking in it's own grease, stuck in the pan so bad I had to scrape it out.  That was it for me, and I was poised with pan over the trash can.

Then I calmed down and gave it some thought.  Technical thought.  WHY does non-stick become must-stick? Every single pan eventually turned into must-stick.  Why?

I mean, I know why my beloved cast iron doesn't stick. It has a polymerized coating on it from seasoning the pan properly.  If I burn or blow that coating, back to square one and season again.  Yet here I am, looking at what *appears* to be a perfectly fine non-stick pan that happens to stick everything that gets near it.  Why??

Study time.  I read up on what coatings are used, how they work, and most importantly what makes them stop working.  I quickly arrived at a theory, and a fix that (almost) worked.

If spay oil is used, and high heat is used, the lecithin in the spray oil will attach to any microscopic fissure and polymerize into a sticky coating.  Or sumpin like that.  The fix was that age old granny tale of vinegar and baking soda. Fill the pan half full of vinegar, set the heat on, add baking soda, let it boil for a while.  That's supposed to get it clean down to the coating.

I'm pretty sure anyone who knows a little chemistry is smirking right now. Acids and bases neutralize each other and arrive at... bupkis.  Yet, both substances are quite good at cleaning various things and I use both.  It's just that mixing them makes a lovely and useless fizz that appears to be doing something.  It's like politicians.  All show and no go.

So I thought to myself  "Self, can you use vinegar and baking soda but play to their strengths?  Baking soda is a base and a very mild abrasive that will clean off any physical presence on the coating.  Vinegar, especially heated, is an acid that will strip the lecithin that dish soap won't touch. Lets give that a try!"

I gently scrubbed the two pans with baking soda and water as a paste. Maybe a minute of scrubbing to each pan.  Washed them clean, and then on the stove with vinegar to half full. Bring to a boil, put a lid on, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Dump the hot vinegar into a container to clean the dishwasher with, and scrub the pans with soap and water.

That done, the real test.  Fry an egg.

I heated the pan on medium heat. A small pat of butter for flavor.  Break a duck egg into a dish and place in the hot pan.  Wait till it starts to solidify, and shake the pan. 90% of the egg was sliding. A little fry pan shuffle turned that into 100%.

This method works.  I might repeat it again just to see if there is any profit to a second treatment.  Two non-stick pans, NOT tossed in the trash.

1. Scrub pan with soap and water (non scratch washy thing).
2. Use a paste of baking soda and water to polish the pan thoroughly. I used a sponge.
3. Re-wash pan with soap and water.
4. Fill halfway with white vinegar and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Re-wash pan with soap and water.
6. Done.

'Choose to believe'.

 

Meh. 

There are people who think there was election fraud in 2020. There are people who don't know what to think about it. Then there are people who choose to believe there was no fraud, and reject any evidence that contradicts their belief.

Note the words 'Choose to Believe'. The majority of humans on Earth believe in one religion or another, and that includes Communism and 'Progressivism' (whatever that is). For most of them there is no shaking their belief because it's built on an internal architecture that is immune to reality. That's fine, right up till their belief becomes dangerous to other peoples well being. Then they are dangerous people, and their motive is beside the point.

7-16-26

 W: 319.2        BS: 115

Canadian air pollution is making a mess out of Midwest and Eastern USA.  Today is slated for 97 degrees and 'very unhealthy' air.  I'll be staying inside and doing chores today.

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So, Da Ex Pres is putting out a ghost written novel about his 4 years in office.  For this treasure he has been granted a $10,000,000 advance.  An author of a best selling book may expect between $2 and $4 royalty per copy sold, so sayeth Grok.  That means the publisher must sell 2.5 million copies just to recoup the advance.  That's John Grisham and Steven King levels of sales.

Huh.

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Also in Da Prez news, the man just said that US veterans who were trained to drive trucks in the military and then actually drove trucks in the military will now be eligible to get a burro-crats permission do that thing for a living in civvy land.

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Socialism and Communism doesn't want the workers to own the means of production. We already do that. It's called 'buying stock', and 170,000,000 Americans already have a piece of that. What Socialists and Communists want is for THEM to control all means of production while saying they hold it for the people... who own nothing.

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True that

Also true that

Sigh.... sometimes I wonder, and sometimes I just drink.

 

7-15-26

 W: 319.2            BS: 164        BP:  130/70

A special friend on FB posted the idea of Basil butter.  It's a great idea, and I am a nummy for not thinking of it myself.

But.... I being what I am, could not leave that alone. So, here we have Basil/Garlic/Onion/Black Pepper compound butter.

As it cools I'll have to stir every few minutes to keep the herbs in suspension.  Herself suggests putting it in the mixer and whipping it.  Not a terrible idea.

*********************************

I discovered the old stock Libre 14 day CGM sensors are timing out, and are becoming erratic. 1 of 3 is dead out of the box.  My last two that were usable reported low blood sugar no matter what it really was.  I finally got a clue and started finger sticks to check.  FUCKITY FUCK.  Blood sugar is all over and all high.  I went back to the insulin levels I was at before and resumed the Glipizide.

I should have known better.  No instrument can trusted with out backup checks, and backups to the backups.

****

GROK:

Manufacturing of the original FreeStyle Libre 14 Day CGM sensors (the first U.S. version) appears to have been phased out years ago, though exact stop dates aren't widely documented publicly.

Key Timeline:

• 2018: Abbott launched the FreeStyle Libre 14 Day system in the U.S. (14-day wear sensor).
• The readers for the original Libre 14 Day were discontinued earlier (sensors could still pair with the app for a while).
• Abbott transitioned users to newer models like Libre 2 (with alarms) and later Libre 3. The original 14-day version was effectively replaced over time.

Recent Discontinuations (more relevant now):

Abbott is currently discontinuing FreeStyle Libre 2 and Libre 3 sensors (which evolved from the 14-day platform). They will no longer be available after September 30, 2025.

• Patients need new prescriptions for the Libre 2 Plus or Libre 3 Plus sensors (15-day wear).
• Support for older systems continues, but new production of the discontinued models has stopped or will stop by that date.

*****************************

Carolyn is right.

Ian is right.

Nixon tried this time change freeze back in '74 to 'save energy. Locking it to daylight savings time was an unlitigated failue and most people thought it stupid.

Now the same type of genius's in Congress are trying the same dumb now. Locking it to daylight savings...AGAIN. &*%&%#@$ idiots. They had two time sets to choose from, and went with the one already tried and failed.... because idiots.

Me, I'm retired. Clock ain't no boss of me no more. Only reason I wear this watch is to track steps and do EKG's

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Basil!

 

Anyone who grows eatables or cooks with fresh stuff knows what Basil is.  If you know, you know. If you don't know... man you have some GOOD waiting for you.

I can't count how many versions of Basil there are.  I've read there are hundreds. leaning towards thousands. At least one for most every earthly culture able to grow stuff.  Some cultures have many versions, dozens at least. This being 'Murica, I think we have them *all* because we are greedy like that.  I grow three just for us.

This makes sense as Basil is in the mint family.  It grows almost everywhere, propagates easily, and crossbreeds better than a swingers club.

What we see here is lettuce leaf Basil, from Baker Seeds.  It germinates like a champ, grows fast, has large full leaves, and tastes superb.

Not an 'in your face' Basil like Genovese or Thai, but a gentle and subtle Sweet basil.  It's best raw, but cooks up well too.  We prefer it in salads or used as wraps, but it's become the backbone of this years Basil blend (dried).

As for Baker seeds, they are the best I have ever used. I've tried numerous other regular and rare seed sellers, and Baker has sent me the most dependable and viable seeds of them all.  With minimal proper care, the seeds sprout and grow.  I've had other places send me expensive and fancy rare seeds that simply would not germinate no matter what.  Not so with Baker.

If you are a gardener who likes to know what is available, and mull over the choices on long Winter evenings, consider buying their big catalog.  It's a full size softcover book, 3/4" thick, at 525 pages. The one I bought cost $10, preordered, and has a HUGE amount of information.  It's called 'The Whole Seed Catalog'.

7-14-26

 W: 319.2  318.8           BS: NA

Insomnia:  50mg Trazadone and 12mg melatonin last night.  Cutting a 100mg Traz down to 25mg was problematic.  I expect the doc will send in a scrip soon enough.  Meanwhile, 7 hours of good solid sleep last night.  Weeee!

Other stuff:   It hurts. That hurts. This thing over here hurts.  FFS, wrap me in bubble wrap and feed me Tylenol.  

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In head convo:  "I think it would be really nice for you to go do the thing.  I know you do not have any money to do the thing.  I know *I* don't have any money for you to do the thing.  Now you are saying you have just enough gas to get there and back. Maybe.  You are still planning on doing the thing you have no money for and will probably leave you stranded in another state, broke and hungry.  My only question is, do I hit you with a reality bat right now, or do I let you royally fuck up in hopes you learn from it?"

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Daisy + Apple = Happiness.

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This will be interesting

 260 FBI agents are in Georgia investigating fraud in the 2020 election.  I have no idea what that involves, but I'll be interested in the results, and any prosecutions that result.  Can't wait see which rent-a-judge tries to stop it.

Me "Hey, did you hear about the FBI investigating fraud? Over 200 agents sent to Georgia all at once!"

Random Squink "That's terrible!  That was a clean election and anyone who says different is a conspiracy nut".

Me "Wouldn't you like a full investigation to prove that for once and all??

RS  "No way Trump's FBI will do this honestly. They are just a nest of biased liars!"

Me  "Hmm.  You liked the FBI when they were going after J6'ers.  Same FBI, so why the change?"

RS  "It's  totally different now. The FBI will find whatever Trump orders them to find".

Me  "How is it different?".

Random Squink  "It just is, you RACIST!"

Welcome to the fishbowl. Smile for the 113,000 cameras.

Have Flock cameras ever been hacked?

Grok:

Yes, Flock Safety camera systems have faced multiple reported security vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and demonstrations of compromise, though the company has disputed characterizations of full-scale "hacks."

9news.com

Key Incidents and Findings

• Physical access exploits (2025): Researchers (including Jon Gaines/GainSec and Benn Jordan) demonstrated that with physical access to certain Flock cameras (e.g., bought on eBay), they could gain control in under 30 seconds. Methods included pressing a button sequence to enable a diagnostic Wi-Fi hotspot (default password often "security"), using Android debug tools (ADB), and accessing root shells, firmware, video feeds, or uploading malware. This allowed manipulating footage, deleting videos, or turning devices into spy tools.
  9news.com
• Exposed live feeds and admin panels (late 2025–early 2026): Multiple Flock Condor (AI-powered PTZ) cameras were left streaming live video and archived footage (up to 30 days) openly on the internet. No passwords were required for access, viewing, downloading, or changing settings in some cases. Researchers used tools like Shodan to find them; journalists and YouTubers verified by tracking themselves in real time. Flock described it as affecting a small number of cameras.
  404media.co
• Other vulnerabilities: Reports highlighted issues like unlocked bootloaders, hardcoded credentials, outdated Android kernels (e.g., 8.1 with many unpatched CVEs), lack of mandatory multi-factor authentication for some police logins, and information disclosure. Several CVEs were assigned (e.g., CVE-2025-59407 and related ones).
  nvd.nist.gov

These issues led to public backlash, videos with millions of views, privacy concerns, and some cities reviewing or pausing contracts

7-13-26

 W: 320.2             BS: 74

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Roasting meatballs at 8am for dinner tonight.  Going to be warm today and I want the oven cold all day after these are done.  Same deal with chicken stock started in  the pressure cooker.

86-88 today, after that mid 90's for the foreseeable forecast.  Stupid hot.  I dislike stupid hot.  Fat melts.

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Insomnia update.  25mg of Trazadone last night and not one other blessed thing.  No melatonin.  A standalone test.  5 hours of sleep, 10pm to 4am.  But, it was a good solid sleep and I feel like I got enough.  18% deep sleep, and that's not nothing.

The plan tonight is 25mg Trazadone and 10mg melatonin, and I  think that will be the winner.  Doc's opinion and/or scrip has been requested.

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BLECH!

I'll be pushing to chore it in early hours all week.

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