There Be Days Like This

My apartment is heated via forced air; it’s cheap but it’s very hard on my allergies. Yesterday they were awakened; last night I was plagued. Today I’m feeling pretty rough with symptoms of a head-cold. But since it’s allergies, I can still do stuff, just not a lot. It means flushing the sinus cavities at least twice daily until the swelling and sensitivity goes down. Right now my sinus cavities hurt a lot.

The cold weather has been rough on our car. It seems the battery ground connection has slowly degraded, so the battery wasn’t getting the best charge. When this cold hit, the battery wimped out on us. It seemed like a good time to get one of those jump-starter boxes you can buy. So Sunday I rode my bike a couple of miles in the cold to Sam’s Club and got their Stanley Fatmax. It was a bit heavy, but I managed it on my rear rack okay. Once it got all charged up, and we scrubbed up the connectors on the battery, it jumps just fine. It may take a day or two of driving to bring the battery back up to it’s former glory. I’m going to replace the ground clamp when it warms up just a little bit more above freezing.

You can bet that riding in 20°F meant bundling up real good. I normally don’t even try it unless I have something important the makes it necessary. It’s a trick to break the wind without wearing too much and getting sweaty. A little sweat is necessary, especially under my face cover. I had a really great face cover I made from leather back when I owned a motorcycle, but it got wet in storage and mildewed. That was years ago when you could still buy sheets of finished shoe leather cheaply. Now it’s just too expensive in these parts.

We’ve had a few folks sign up at the forum, but not much chatter yet. It’s okay to just socialize there, folks. I’m checking it several times a day, and I’m sure others will if it starts getting a little action there. Let’s get to know each other.

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4 Responses to There Be Days Like This

  1. Jay DiNitto says:

    I have my riding limit at around 10 degrees. That’s to the bus stop. Any lower and I walk. It’s much easier to keep warm when you can stick your hands in your pockets.

    Good idea about the forum. I was planning on posting some small things soon.

  2. Iain says:

    We got a heat pump and it dries the air for sure, hard on the sinuses. I believe I’ll slide by WM on my way home from prayer meeting and see how much $ for a humidifier. Sorry about your ordeal but, I hope you learned something about vehicle maintenance dadnabbit!
    As for me, your nasty weather is heading my way so, I’d better check my beater before it gets here.

    • Ed Hurst says:

      It was the first time I’d used that style of battery post clamp; the manufacture billed it as a universal connector. It has a threaded post and wingnut onto which the cables connect using eye-hole ends. It was supposed to be corrosion free. So much for that claim! I’ll replace it with something better.

  3. Iain says:

    Yeah, I know the type and I believe they’re brass? Gold is the only truly corrosion free connector but, you’re better served using an OEM style lead connector and cleaning them good in the spring and fall. I should practice what I preach but I usually wait until I get a slow start before I go “oh yeah, I meant to clean those terminals 3 months ago”

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