The Lime Springs Page

Memories and happenings about Lime Springs, Iowa, USA, and her people.

Mystery Tool Identified

Posted on May 13, 2012 by kaw
Photo of valve reseating tool

The "Mystery Tool"

Here’s a picture of a mystery tool out at my favorite motorcycle shop:

I spent about an hour researching it. Even with Google’s help, I came up short.

Then the solution dawned on me: just ask Tim, my cousin. (That would be Tim Hoopman, son of Orrin of Cherry Grove blacksmithing and Pietenpol airplane fame.) Tim, having a few dozen patents himself, knows his way around the government patent website.

I know Tim is busy playing bridge and playing tennis and mowing lawn and and consulting and going to grandkids’ school events—and inventing. His most recent patent application was just approved a few days ago!

So how do I get his attention to even look at this mystery tool? Frame the question as a challenge, of course! Engineers love challenges!

And a challenge it was! Because of the age of the patent (1922), it is not nearly as readily available as recent patents. But he found it!

It is a valve seat refacing tool for faucets, plain old water faucets included! We suspected it was some sort of refacing tool but thought probably for something far more exotic than a water faucet. This one will do many different sizes, so guess that’s where the “exotic” comes in.

I wish I could say that I won a $100 bet because of Tim’s answer but that’s just not the case. Tim solved a mystery and now he, me, and the tool’s owner all feel better!

Thanks, Tim! 

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A Neat Tool

Posted on May 4, 2012 by kaw

After 74 years, it is not very often that I run onto a tool which I have never even heard about, much less used. Perhaps I’ve led a sheltered life, but I had never heard of a thread file—until last night.

I was at the shop of my motorcycle-repair guru, Lenny, and had a bolt with damaged threads. He produced a thread file and it solved the problem quickly.

I’ll give a link to a picture of one in action, rather than try to describe it in detail. Suffice it to say that the really neat thread files can be used on eight different “sizes” of threads.

These tools, like almost every other specialized tool, are practically worth their weight in gold when you really need them. And for about 15 bucks, you could have your very own!

You could even order it from Amazon. Did you know that you could order almost anything from Amazon? They’re not just books these days!

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News about The Lime Springs Page

Posted on May 1, 2012 by kaw

First, there’s a brand new article by Nancy! Just click on “Nancy’s Notes” in the menu directly above the photo at the top of the page.

Second, there are more menu items.

“Articles in the former system” will take you back to the system which had been in use since 2009 but which “broke” early this year. I’ve been unable to fix it but most of the articles are readable and have their original pictures intact.

Those articles have been imported into this new system (WordPress). However, at least for the time being, the pictures which were included with those articles were not imported. Click on menu item “Articles Apr 2009 to Jan 2012″ to read those articles.

The same is true of Nancy’s Notes, by the way. Her previous articles, less pictures, are now in this system but all under Nancy’s Notes.

I hope this helps you find what you’re looking for. I’ll keep working on it and get it running well and looking good one of these days/weeks/months.

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Gary’s Reflections on the Past

Posted on May 1, 2012 by kaw

Gary Goetsch and I have been friends since about 1954, which is approaching a 60-year friendship now. Our initial mutual interest: ham radio and the Tube and Shutter Club at Cresco High School. This was managed, and I use that term very loosely, by Bud Weatherford who taught at LSHS before my time. They were kind enough to allow me to crash their club. It’s a good thing, because that gave me access to others who could help me with my radio problems.

Photo of Gary Goetsch

Gary Goetsch

A few years later, both Gary and I were in the USAF. Gary was a “lifer” and served our country over twenty years as an Air Traffic Controller. I like to believe I am just as patriotic but found four years of service sufficient for me. And I never even got to talk to an airplane, much less touch one!

In 1961, I believe it was, we were both stationed at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, AL. Those days, the city parks in Montgomery were closed to all. The city fathers felt that was a far better option than sharing the parks with all citizens.

All of this is simply to introduce Gary. More recently, I’ve visited Gary and Mary in Minnesota and Texas and we email back and forth. Every once in awhile, he writes something which I feel would be of interest to readers of The Lime Springs Page. This is one of those times.

He sent me an interesting picture. It showed the tops of the fabulous buildings in Dubai sticking out above the fog or low clouds. That prompted these comments from Gary:

“I have never been to Dubai however I saw a similar sight many years ago. I was in the control tower at Sculthorpe RAF Base one morning in 1958 when we had one of the famous English ground fogs. As the sun came up that morning the only thing we could see was the tail sections of the B-29 & B-50′s parked below us on the ramp.

There was always a story about the fog in England was so thick that you could not see your hand in front of your face. I can attest to that. One morning on the way to work I met a person on the sidewalk and could not tell if it was a man or a woman! By the way, we did not have GPS in 1958 but I still found my way to the Control Tower.”

 I’d be willing to bet Gary will have some more interesting comments to share with us. One can’t travel the world for over 20 years and have nothing interesting to contribute!

.

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Pity Party

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Nancy Moldt Sugges

I am the hostess of the Pity Party. I am also the only attendee. It does not bode well to be a smashing success.

This whole thing started when I finally had to come to grips with the fact I was losing my hearing. Not just a little bit of hearing – a whole boat load. I tried to ignore the fact I was missing conversations and asking others to repeat themselves two and three times. I saw an audiologist. He thought he could fix me up to hear for a few thousand dollars.

Coincidentally I had a routine appointment with my PCP about then and he suggested I see a ear, nose throat specialist. I did and he wanted an MRI of my head. I didn’t disagree it might be a good idea to see if there was something blocking nerve endings. I had no clue what a closed MRI meant. All told it was 45 minutes rolled like a mummy into a closed cavern and told not to move. Maybe the one time not hearing was a blessing as things banged and crashed which they told me was taking the images needed. There truly was no way I would have moved as never in my life do I want another MRI!!

That MRI showed my head was in good shape but the specialist thought I should see a surgical ear, nose, throat specialist. I did that and it wasn’t long before the words cochlear implant were coming at me. It gave me the shivers then and does as I write it to think of opening my head and putting some ‘chips’ in. Fortunately this office could not agree that I was really a candidate so I decided for them I was not a candidate and left.

Now all these months I still can’t hear. I went back to the original audiologist who fitted an amplification hearing aid in 2006. I had now had at least 6 hearing tests and she did another. The results never changed. “You have,” they would say, “a profound hearing loss”. At this last test I think I blew and said “Tell me something I don’t know and then what can we do about it”.

Now two audiologists and three hearing aids later I am fitted with the best technology can offer in a hearing aid, a phone adapter, a TV adapter and a microphone to offer others in the event I am somewhere and can’t hear the conversation. All of these things require daily recharging. I also bought a spare of each so recharging has to be programmed into my nightly routine.

So why the Pity Party? I don’t know. It is what it is and I get by. One of my hardest things is word recognition. If you say face I might think you said place, mace or any other rhyming word. It can be funny and it can be embarrassing. Again it is what it is. The days of sweet nothings in my ear are gone.

I’ve had enough of adapting. I do whatever I want.

The Pity Party is over.

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Sneaky Price Increase of 45% at Wal*Mart

Posted on April 30, 2012 by kaw

One of the staples on our pantry shelf has been honey roasted peanuts. I really like ‘em!

Photo of peanut jar

Price Increase of 45.9%!!

Last week I went to the peanut department at Wal*Mart to replenish our supply. There were two sizes of “Party Size” containers on the shelf.

There was one of the size I’ve been buying for the last several years, 35 ounce.

There were many of the new Party Size containers, which held only 24 ounces. The the containers were about an inch smaller in each dimension.

But the price was the same for either size: $5.38!

If you do the math, you’ll find that represents a per-ounce price increase of 45.9%!!!

The price per container had not changed: $5.38. Do you suppose Wal*Mart thought no one would notice? If so, they were wrong. At least one customer did. And he’ll tell all the friends he can!

And he’ll try to lose his taste for peanuts!

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A New Feature

Posted on April 20, 2012 by kaw

Along with the addition of Nancy’s Notes to this version of The Lime Springs Page, I added another feature: You can now register on this site.

Registered users may, if they chose, become contributors to the website. They can write articles (called “posts” in the WordPress system) which are automatically submitted for approval to be published!

Articles published in this manner will be published on the Home page, right along with the ones I and other registered users write.

Registered users may also write Comments to existing posts under their own name.

I invite each of you to register, if you haven’t already, and to consider writing posts (articles) for publication. They do not have to be long!! And accompanying pictures are most welcome!

When registering, please use your real name for Name. Username can be whatever you want it to be, but I and readers would probably find it most useful if it was something we could recognize as being “you.”

If the registration is unrecognizable by me or the WordPress system or is someone who doesn’t know me or vice versa, the chance that it will be considered spam and thrown out is high.

You could register right now! Just click on Register near the upper right corner!

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Nancy’s Back—

Posted on April 20, 2012 by kaw

—well, that’s sort of true. (She wasn’t really gone; she was just hard to find.)

A few months ago, the program I was using (Joomla) for The Lime Springs Page “broke” and I’ve not been able to fix it. I started a “new” version using WordPress. WordPress is very popular these days and is used on lots and lots of websites. In fact, I’m working to convert most of my sites to WordPress. Two of the reasons: It is very flexible and has a lot of capabilities. It’ll handle almost any type of website.

Yesterday I was able to import some of the articles from the “old” site into the “new” site. I chose to import the articles by Nancy, from the Nancy’s Notes section. Unfortunately, the pictures got left behind—at least for now.

They, all 26 interesting articles, are now conveniently available. Just click on “Nancy’s Notes” beneath the blue title bar and they’ll be quickly and conveniently served to you!

During the process, I reread some of them. They were as interesting this time as the first time they were published. You might find that to be true, too!

Nancy’s a good writer. I’m pleased that she contributes to The Lime Springs Page!

 

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Thank You, Mary!

Posted on April 19, 2012 by kaw

Yesterday we were planning to go visit our friends, the Yeomans. They’re the folks who produced the videos of the last two LSHS reunions.

Photo of rhubarb dessert

Rhubarb dessert!

Before we left home, Mary called and asked, “Would Pat like some rhubarb?”

I took the liberty of answering without even consulting Pat. “YES!”

Two stalks produced the 2 1/2 cups of cut-up rhubarb required for this.

Doesn’t it look delicious?!

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Need a Little Drama in Your Life?

Posted on April 16, 2012 by kaw

As you’ve observed over the years, I’m not an active forwarder of “funny” emails nor a frequent poster of supposedly humorous posts or videos on this, FaceBook, or other blogs.

However, every once in awhile, one comes to my attention which I feel worthy of showing my readers. Below, there’s a link to one such video.

After you’ve watched it, ask yourself this question: Would this have any application in Lime Springs? In Lime Springs during Sweet Corn Days?  In Lime Springs tomorrow?

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