Operational Aquaponics

There is a lot of criticism on the web regarding the operation of Bell Siphons.  Maybe I'm missing something, but the ones that I built and installed using standard instructions from on-line sources are working like a charm.

The Grow Beds fill up with water, the siphon kicks in, and the entire bed is emptied of fluid with a satisfying burp at the end of the cycle.... then the bed starts to fill again.  

The pressure sending the water to the fish tank is really amazing as the water spills out of the 3/4" PVC pipe and splashes into the fish tank causing a nice aeration effect.   Then, like magic, the flow stops altogether as the grow beds are filled to the brim of the siphon.... when the process starts again.

We planted some tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers, zucchini and lettuce yesterday, and I swear they grew significantly in just one day.

The only problem thus far is that the water in the fish tank remains a little cloudy due to the dust on the clay grow rocks.  This  seems to be clearing up though.

Next weekend, we add the fish to the system, and finish the vegetable and herb plantings.

Joanne and I have been saving the Keuring K Cups for coffee every morning and the amount of coffee grounds accumulates substantially after a week of so.   I've been sprinkling the grounds around the perimeter of the beds in the hope that this will deter the Ground Hog who wiped out our traditional garden that was located in this same place in just one Ground Hog gluttonous evening.

I still want to trim out the beds in cedar or pine, but all of the major components of this project are now in place as the development phase now morphs into operations.  Looking forward, I have to figure out the best way to deal with keeping this in place during the cold weather months.

Aquaponics Pre-Launch

The Bell Siphon's worked surprisingly well.  There is some tweaking to do, but they seem to work as designed.

A bit of a setback this morning was the need to dig out the grow media in one of the beds and add some support beams because the bed cage was obviously stressed.    The support beams did the trick.

I planted some stock that Joanne bought from the Marblehead Garden Center when the grow beds and bell siphons seem to be in synch..  The wilted lettuce immediately came to life in the grow media.  We added tomatos, peppers, sweet potatoes and zucchini.   The plants look pretty good and there is plenty of room left in the grow beds for more stock.

I'm a bit concerned over the cloudiness of the water in the fish tank due to the dust on the clay grow media rocks.  If it  doesn't clear up by tomorrow, I'm going to purge the water from the system and add all new water.

I doubt if this would kill the fish, but it is a major impediment to the aesthetics of the system.  Clear water and a view of the fish is deal breaker in my view.

Tomorrow, I have to clean up the mess in the fish tank area, with tools, cords, hoses etc, all over the place.  The stone retaining wall has also taken a beating during the plumbing and leveling process, and this has to be rebuilt.

I've already started t to brag to Tommy O on how awesome this system is, so housekeeping is in order before he comes by to inspect.

Transition from Planning to Implementation

Tomorrow morning is "Bell Siphon" Morning.

Having Installed the feed lines, bulkheads and return feeds in the aquaponic project, tomorrow I will finalize the bell siphons and fill the beds with the clay stone grow media.

This is not a drill Peeps.... This is the real Enchilada.

If the Bell Siphons work, the plants will be installed and the cycle will begin.  Maybe next week, I will try to get Rich Mah to take me to his secret Bluegill and Pumpkinseed fishing spot and we will move from planning to full scale implementation.

WeekEnd Outlook

Could it possibly be Thursday night?  This is another week that flew by.  Not enough days and not enough hours in the day to get the work done.

There is a three day Memorial Day weekend in store and the weather promises to be a great summer kickoff.

The bathroom can be put together, and the final plumbing to the the Aquaponics project will be completed, after which I will add the grow media and move this into the implementation mode.   In the middle of this, I hope to get out on the Lagavulin for a little harbor cruising.

The Evil H seems to be on the run with the Inspector General's report about the scumbag use of her State Department email, and Trump and Sanders may be staging a debate.

Except for some really crappy personal issues, all seems to be right with the world.

A Nice Respite

Peeps.... Ryan had the PT 4x6 timber retaining wall removed from the old Nanepashemet homestead, so I grabbed them and cut to size in order to level the aquaponics grow beds.  It was a perfect reuse of this stock and I used most of the old wall for the aquaponics foundation.  The Dewalt 10' portable table saw came through like a champ ripping this stock to the proper dimensions.

Then I rigged up the swirl filter in a 28 gallon blue plastic drum, ran temporary pvc plumbing from the filter to the fish tank, ran the hose to the fish tank and tested out the 1100 gph pump.  Worked like a charm and is still out there circulating water from the tank to the fish tank.  It was drawing 64 watts on the solar power system when I checked last.  The pump seems to have plenty of muscle to aggressively move the water up to the swirl filter tank level.

So now literally all of the heavy lifting is done.  I have to run the plumbing from the swirl filter to the grow beds and install the bell siphon return plumbing to the fish tank and then this system will be ready to add the grow media and introduce plants and fish.

I'm sure that we will hit a snag while tweaking the system implementation by so far so good.

I also managed to attend the Bent Water Brewery opening in Lynn, have an overnight with the grandkids and  visit  the nursing home to see Bam with Joanne and Mike, plus  checked in with my Brother and Mother who is in a Florida Hospital...... a busy weekend that I'm happy to conclude.

It's been a nice respite from constantly bitching about Liberals and Hillary Clinton though.

Rigor Mortis Prediction.

Peeps.....
It's freaking happening.

In a fit of productivity, I cut the IBC Totes into a fish tank and three grow beds today at the Peabody Warehouse.

It's clear to me, due to the harsh metal cuts on the cages, that I have to trim out all of the sides and tops of the tank and beds with #2 pine.

So tomorrow I'll grab some stock that I have at the Peabody Warehouse, transport the tank to Marblehead, go to Ryan's house to pick up some PT 4x4's that he has left from his driveway renovation, and put the bones of this system together.

By the end of the day, I expect to be on the deck, nursing rigor mortis with some Sam Adams.

African Safari

Yesterday I booked tickets to Johannesburg, South Africa via London, England.

It will be a long flight.

Dealing with Do Do

Yesterday, I prophetically posted that there was a possibility that I would be waylaid by contingencies today in the effort to move the aquaponics project forward.

And so it was that issues at Nanepashemet Telecom as well as some unforeseen personal stuff dominated the day and prevented any attention being applied to the time sensitive project.

Planning for contingencies is an integral part of project management.

In other words,.... "Shit Happens".

Dealing with the Do Do is as important as meeting project milestones.

Consumed by Contingencies

After a morning of aggressively searching out stuff to invoice for at Nanepashemet Telecom, I headed over to the Peabody Warehouse when the AR received a nice little boost.

I stopped at the Danvers Liberty Tree Home Depot first to get some radiator covers for the bathroom renovation then drove to the Warehouse to dismantle the IBC Tote Cages and begin to dissect them into the Aquaponics Grow Beds and Fish Tank.

One of the immediate problems is that the Totes are from different manufacturers and although they are both 275 gallon containers, they are substantially different in the way that they are framed out in their cages.   The dilemma was to establish a way to cut the cages that would make the system look symmetrical and after standing around in a stupor, I finally took my Bosch JigSaw with a metal cutting blade, marked some measurements and cut away.

Three quarters into the first Grow Bed, the metal cuttling jigsaw blade snapped in two.  Naturally, I only had one spare in the jigsaw tool case so I finished cutting with that one, and hightailed it over to Peabody Builders Supply to pick up the baseboard and moulding for the bathroom.

I ordered some more blades through Amazon this evening, but will have to get to Home Depot tomorrow and pick up additional metal cutting blades before I get back to Peabody.

Tomorrow, unless a crisis erupts at Nanepashemet Telecom, I should be able to get to the Warehouse and make all of the final cage cuts. After cutting the plastic tanks to size,  it will be back to Home Depot to pick up 4x4 PT landscape timbers which will be used to level the Grow Beds.

By Thursday, I hope to be heavily into constructing the PVC plumbing that connects the system together, but it will probably be pushed to Friday because I have a feeling that tomorrow will be consumed by contingencies.

The Bell Siphon system has me concerned as I have researched it further.  Apparently these systems have to be tweaked extensively.   I have a feeling that this is going to be a pain in the ass to get itworking properly.

Sometime next week, I hope to be filling the tanks.

Aquaponics Explanation

So many of you Peeps have been asking me how the Aquaponics system will work.  This is a good graphic explanation of the process.

Something has to power the pump which circulates the water in this system... that is what my solar energy installation is for.

The only outside management in a well functioning system would be the proper application of fish food.

I'll be installing the tanks later in the week during lulls in Nanepashemet Telecom action.

Aquaponics Project Development

So today, the battery power system was installed, the trench was dug to connect the solar panels to the power system, and the panels are ready to be connected.  Plus I mowed the lawn and put the second coat of poly on the Bathroom hardwood maple floor.  Over the week, I prepared the shed to accomodate the fish tank.

They don't call me a Mountain of a Man for nothing.

But May is half over and I really want to get this Aquaponics system in high gear by Memorial Day.

Tomorrow, the power system gets tweaked and finalized, and I'd love to get to the Peabody warehouse to start cutting the IBC Totes for the Fish Tank and Grow Beds.  But I also have to get to Kate's Wenham home for a family cookout.

By next weekend, the bathroom could be done, and the Fish tank and Swirl Filter may be in place.

Or maybe not.

Aquaponics WBS

Everything is in place.

It is like Christmas Eve when you have to assemble all of the freaking toys.

All of the equipment minus water, plants and fish present and ready to be assembled.

• Solar Panels
• Battery Bank
• Charge Controller
• AC Power inverter
• All PVC fixtures to assemble three Bell Siphons
• 55 Gallon Blue Barrell for the Swirl Filter
• Two 275 Gallon IBC totes to fabricate into one fish tank and three grow beds.
• PVC fixtures and tubing to assemble all of the drainage and Plumbing
• Aqua Rox Clay stone growing media (a whole shitload of it).
• 1100 GPH water pump.

Now there is nothing to it but to do it.

I've taken the time to item this into a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) which we Professional Project Managers are trained to do..... yet never really do in real life.

• Assemble Pressure Treated Lumber frames for the Solar Panels.
• Dig a trench from the Solar Panel location to the battery pack and inverter station under the Deck.
• Run the solar cable and grounding wire through PVC Pipe in the trench and power up the system.
• Dig a trench and run PVC conduit for the Pump to AC Inverter Power Cord.
• Cut 1/4 of the Fish Tank IBC Tote and set aside as a grow bed.
• Use the 3/4 remaining IBC Tote for the Fish Tank and drill a hole to connect the pump.
• Assemble the 55 gallon swirl filter and install hole fixtures,
• Run the pump infeed tube from the fish tank to the swirl filter.
• Cut the other IBC Tote into two grow beds utilizing the top and bottom quarters of the tote.
• Set up the grow beds on a pressure treated elevated frame allowing access to the bottom of the beds.
• Cut holes in the beds and install the Bell Siphons.
• Connect the Bell Siphon outlets to draninage to PVC plumbing running back to the Fish tank and spilling into it to oxygenate the fish water.
• Run PVC plumbing from the Swirl Filter to the Grow Beds.
• Wash the Aqua Rox Clay stone against a sifter screen to minimize dust.
• Add the Stone grow media into the grow beds.
• Add a layer of stone to the bottom of the fish IBC tote for appearance.
• Add water to the fish tank
• Turn on the pump to move water to the swirl filter.
• Adjust the infeed and outfeed water flow from the swirl filter to the grow beds.
• Keep filling the system from the fish tank, to the swirl filter to the grow beds until the Bell Siphons start to discharge.
• Monitor water filling until the fish tank, the swirl filter and the grow beds are in balance.
• Add ammonia to the fish tank to begin the nutrient cycle.
• Add plants to the grow media.
• Cycle the system for a few days.
• Go fishing for Golden Shiners.
• Introduce the fish to the fish tank and establish feeding cycles.
• Trim out the tanks and grow beds in wood.
• Tend to the grow beds and care for the fish.
• Monitor pH and tweak to find out why plants aren't growing and fish are dying.
• Become discouraged and disenchanted... beginning a spiral of self loathing.
• Watch pitifully as the entire thing turns into a quagmire in my backyard.
• Endure catcalls, taunts and various levels of vituperation from former friends and loved ones.
• Abandon and dump the evidence.
• Deny that you ever even contemplated such a project.

The  End.

Moving Rox

The FedEx guy breaking down this pallet said there were 40 bags, each with 50 lbs of Aqua Rox Clay Stone Grow Media.

So it actually doesn't look that bad on the front lawn.

But by the fourth or fifth bag that he handed to me, he asked, "Does your Wife know about this?"

I didn't catch his name, but I don't think he is an FB Friend.

He earned a good tip for helping me transfer those bags.... now I have to make a final move to get them under the deck before the day gets too late.

A Little Aliteration

So Peeps...
I bought 40 cubic feet of this fine grow media product and am set to take FedEx delivery sometime tomorrow.

The need is really for only 27 cubic feet, but there was a significant discount to buy a 40 cubic foot pallet, so that's the direction we took.

Course, that's about 2000 lbs of this specialized clay rock.... which is 1 ton for those of you with a conversion function on your Hewlett Packard.

I can just envision Joanne with her tender inquiry tomorrow.."What the HELL is all that SHIT in the Driveway??????"

When she finds out that it is for the Aquaponics Project which she now knows virtually nothing about, I'm sure she will see the virtue in a short period of minimum yard clutter.

Or maybe not....

I can always have Katelyn console her....

Or maybe not....

Whatever.   Tomorrow the rubber meets the road and the Aquaponics way of life will be cresting upon us.   A new liftetime of vegetables and plants grown in a harmonic cycle of nutrient exchange with Fluttering Finned Fish.

Or maybe I'm Phucked.

Saturday Multi-Tasking

I'm starting to believe that multi-tasking is big time Bullshit.

You can only do one thing at a time.... and for the most part, you can only get one thing done in a day.

So here I go again, planning a highly productive weekend, when in reality only one or two things will really get done.

What our minds can conceive, our bodies can achieve.... but with a considerable time lag.

Whatever....

Tomorrow, I have a hard stop at 3:30 PM when I will take the S550 out to Lexington, MA and attend my grandson, Ethan's, baseball game.

Before then my hope is to complete the hardwood floor installation in my half bath and also transport the solar power system from Peabody to Marblehead.   That means that the floor gets done by 10:00AM and the Solar system is delivered by 2:00PM....

Not wholly optimistic, but doable.

Perplexing Points for Pondering Propagation

So I called the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to ask about a permit which would allow the propagation of native fish.   The Code of Massachusetts Regulations indicates that Bluegill could be raised with a permit but absolutely bans Tilapia from being kept in MA.

The well meaning staffer at the state office recommended that I use Tilapia for the system, and said that Bluegill is actually not domestic to Massachusetts.

The verbal direction is diametrically different than how I read the code.

Then, one guy at the state agency suggested that I just go to a bait store and buy live golden shiners.... and he emphasized that I would not need a permit at all.

Peeps... I'm trying to do the right thing here... maintain the public trust by not violating any of the Commonwealth's laws.   I just want to get fish to pooh in the tank so that I can grow vegetables.  And it would be a shame if I couldn't use fish that live in the pond naturally just a mile away.

If all else fails, I can always go to PetSmart and buy some Goldfish.... but that just doesn't seem to be a cool way to go.  It's not the money.    I could buy a fishing license for $27 bucks, travel to a secret spot that Rich Mah knows about, and legally catch and transport 20 shiners or so.  After paying for lunch and beers with Rich, that would be a lot more money than buying Goldfish.

Meanwhile, I'm taking delivery on the Aqua Rocs grow media which is being delivered to FedEx in North Reading where I will pick it up on Monday.   That is the last piece of the puzzle left and I will be putting the system in the ground next weekend.

Mah-velous Plan

So I'm waiting for orders to come in from McMaster-Carr, Allied Aqua, and Amazon... after which the only thing lacking to assemble the aquaponics system will be fish, plants and water.

Rich Mah, an old classmate and current FB Friend, has volunteered to help me fish for local Bluegill stock to populate the fish tank,  If you can believe his Facebook posts, Rich is a killer freshwater fisherman, and I have offered to get him onto the Lagavulin and fish for some Stripers in the salt after the Bluegills have been stocked.

I think about twenty Bluegill would be enough.  Rich thinks it's a no brainer.

That is one hell of a win-win deal from my standpoint.

I order a lot of stuff on-line, and have never had an issue to date.  Amazon is a great company, and McMaster-Carr has every piece part that you can imagine.  You stay up late at night, theorizing what nut, bolt or hardware fixture that you may need, get on-line to McMaster-Carr, hit the button and the thing shows up in forty eight hours..... sometimes faster.   And the unbelievable thing as that McMaster doesn't ask for a credit card.  They ship the stock, then send you a bill.

Allied Aqua is a dedicated aquaponics supply house out of the Kansas City, Mo. area.  Their prices and selection seem superior after many nights of Googling for aquaponics resources.  I bought the pump, clay rock growing media and numerous gaskets and PVC fixtures from them and am anxious to see if the quality and service is what I anticipate.

Meanwhile the solar energy system to power the pump is complete and cooking away at the Nanepashemet Peabody warehouse along with the two 275 gallon IBC totes that I bought from Tropical Juice in Salem.  Sitting there also is all of the PVC pipes and fixtures from Home Depot that will be fabricated into the water distribution system and the bell siphon units,

I told Rich that he will get the call in late May to transfer Bluegill from Redd's Pond to a life of leisure and fish happiness in the Nanepashemet Aquaponics Tank.

UPDATE:
Nix on this.  It is illegal to keep live fish from a pond in Massachusetts per 321 CMR 4:00.
Thank God that we live in the land of the free.

Fish for Bluegill

NATIVE BLUEGILL  (Lepomis macrochirus)

The preferred alternative for the fish species in my aquaponics system is locally caught Bluegill.

Now that the grow media and pump has been ordered and in delivery, all of the components except the plants and the fish. 

 Everything should be assembled by the end of May and then the system water will be cycled with plants prior to adding the fish.  I will wait under that time for the final determination..... fish for Bluegill or order Trout.

UPDATE:
Nix on this.  It is illegal to keep live fish from a pond in Massachusetts per 321 CMR 4:00.

Thank God that we live in the land of the free.

Turning to Trout

I've decided to order twenty 6" Rainbow Trout to stock the Aquaponics fish Tank.

Need to check if the New Hampshire trout hatchery will deliver sometime in May.
http://www.hyonahilltrout.com/trout.htm

The choice centered around Bluegill, Trout, Goldfish, Koi, or Tilapia.

Bluegill - no local sources.  I could fish for these myself at Redd's Pond, but that would have been time consuming and you can't be sure what some of my Marblehead Liberal Neighbors would squawk about if they saw me hauling away 5 gallon pails of live fish.

Tilapia - a favorite for aquaponics, but it is a warm water fish and I intend to keep the fish outside in the cold weather.

Goldfish - widely available at local and on-line sources, but boring and the trout are actually less expensive.

Koi - cool fish but wicked expensive.  They are probably a good choice despite this because of their longevity - 20 yrs or more.

Rainbow Trout - hardy cold water fish.  Very pretty to look at.  would make a tasty meal if we elected to harvest them.  And if my research is correct, I can have them delivered rather inexpensively from HY-ON-A HILL TROUT FARM in Plainfield, NH.

 So Rainbow Trout gets the nod.  I feel they are more resilient than Brook Trout and better to look at than Brown Trout.

Positive Outlook

Late April Weekend.

April is an important month.  Because if you live in New England, the best months of the year are June, July, August, and half of September.  So you don't want to be burdened with job and household jobs during these months.  You want to be fishing, riding your Bike and doing anything but house chores.  The time to get this stuff done is April and May.  And April is half gone.

This weekend looms important per the above standard.  I don't want to be painting, or building stuff or anything else once June kicks in, so it's imperative that I get a shitload of stuff done in April, and this is one of the last weekends left.

So, the choices for this weekend are as follows.....

• Rake the yard and get all of the debris to the dump.
• Uninstall the bathroom and get the wall ready to paint.
• Finish the Solar Pump installation and move from Peabody to under the Deck.
• Cut the IBC Totes for the growing beds and the fish tank.

The old Me would think that all of this can get done this weekend.  I would be ecstatic to get three out of four.

PC Pussification

Would somebody please tell Curt Schilling that freedom of speech is dead in this country????

How dare he say the type of hate speech that offends Trannies by criticizing their right to pee as they see fit!!!!

If there is a God in Heaven, Schilling will be immediately removed from his sensitive position  as a Baseball Analyst on ESPN.

We may be Pussified, but at least we can stay PC!!

Remove Schilling before even one more Trannie has to endure his insensitive, hateful opinions.

Baseball analysis deserves no less.

BTW.... here's what really offends me these days.  I so sick and tired of the Phoney Liberal Bullshit doled out by assholes who make major issues out of stuff like allowing trannies to go to the Girl's Room.

It is aggravating that we are allowing our society to become oppressed  by Pussies intent on pushing their egotistical PC crap.

If you don't like what Schilling says, don't listen to the Phucking ESPN Baseball show.
Stupid Pussies.

Foward with Aquaponics

So this week, in the midst of championing the business success of Nanepashemet Telecom, your MOAM got some milestones checked off in the real important category.... the Aquaponics Project.

The solar power experiment came off without a hitch at the Peabody warehouse, where two 100 Watt Photo Voltaic Solar Panels are supplying current to two 12 volt 100 Amp Hour batteries.  The connected AC Power inverter drives shop tools with ease.

I will use this off grid power system to fuel the 92 watt 1100 gallon per hour water pump which will be the heart of the aquaponics project.  Have not bought this submersible  pump yet but there is a huge selection available for less than a hundred bucks.

Then on a whim, I was on Highland Ave. in Salem last Wednesday and dropped into the  Tropical Juice Plant which had advertised the availability of 250 gallon IBC food grade totes about six months ago on Craig's List.  Drove away with two of these babies in great condition for $100 each, which I felt was a great price for items of this quality.

So now, I have to pick up the PVC items tomorrow morning at Home Depot in order to make three Bell Siphon systems, which I can build from plans that I found on the Web.  The IBC Totes have to be disected into four containers.... one for the fish, and three to contain grow medium for the plants.

I've laid out the whole system where the conventional garden was that the groundhog ate in one night last July.... have not disclosed this to other members of the family however. I've found that these types of disclosures are best made after the system is already in place.

BTW, I'm going to trim this all out in pine and the final result will look the balls.




The below Bell Siphon system should be done sometime next week.

Model # C4703
Internet # 100116710
Store SKU # 232483
3/4 in. CPVC CTS Slip x FPT Female Adapter	4	$       1.18	$       4.72
Model # C4704HD34
Internet # 100347148
Store SKU # 187747
3/4 in. CPVC CTS Slip x MPT Male Adapter	4	$       0.44	$       1.76
Model # 96735
Internet # 100299374
Store SKU # 584130
#18 O-Rings (10-Pack)	4	$       2.27	$       9.08
Model # 57471
Internet # 202280935
Store SKU # 193712
3/4 in. x 10 ft. PVC Schedule 40 Plain-End Pipe	10	$        2.93	$      29.30
Model # 531095
Internet # 100161921
Store SKU # 193860
3 in. x 10 ft. PVC Schedule 40 DWV Plain-End Pipe	1	$      17.74	$      17.74
Model # 531137
Internet # 100161954
Store SKU # 193852
2 in. x 10 ft. PVC Sch. 40 Plain-End Pipe	1	$        8.87	$        8.87
Model # PVC021161600HD
Internet # 203811678
Store SKU # 232777
2 in. PVC Sch. 40 Socket Cap	3	$        1.32	$        3.96
Model # C406-007
Internet # 100347455
Store SKU # 187976
3/4 in. Schedule 40 PVC 90-Degree Elbow	24	$        0.40	$        9.60
Model # PVC021081600HD
Internet # 203811562
Store SKU # 536636
1-1/2 in. x 3/4 in. PVC Sch. 40 Reducer Bushing	3	$        1.54	$        4.62

Downgrading the Truth.

My Liberal friends tend to downgrade this.

Documenting the Lapse

It's been a little while since the last post.

So what have I been doing while not Posting in this pathetic Blog, you may or may not ask?

Although the overwhelming response is that you really don't give a rat's ass what I do... I'm going to tell you anyway.   I mean.... what the hell are you continuing to read this for anyway????

So lately, I've been....

• Playing the Banjo when Joanne goes to bed.
• Watching the OJ series.
• Working on my solar energy portable power system.
• Making Pizza.
• Worrying about the health of older relatives.
• Laboring over Nanepashemet Telecom spreadsheets.
• Waiting for snow to melt.
• Not exercising.
• Going to sleep at night while looking at weird Youtube videos about aliens, fake moon landings, and other stuff.
• Planning a South Africa trip.
• Taking Henry to the vet.
• Obsessively posting about the evil H. on Facebook.
• Watching Fox talk about the POTUS race 24/7.
• Thinking about remodeling the bathrooms.
• Getting aggravated by Liberals on Network Media.

..... and other stuff that I don't feel like mentioning to you.

So you can see that a Blog lapse was entirely justified.

Damnable PP

Peeps....
Lately I've been involved in some emotional exchanges on Facebook regarding abortion.

I realize that this is a no-win topic.  But it is a discussion that drags at the core of  the human race.

When you have federally funded organizations like  Planned Parenthood advocating for the sale of human fetus parts, to stay silent in my mind is akin to knowing that the Nazis gassed millions, but remaining mum.

And make no mistake about it.... I believe that those who operate the Planning Parenthood debacle are as glib about human life as Dr. Josef Mengele.

That said, I am Pro-Choice regarding abortion.

I believe that a women has the right to put the fetus in her body to death.

It is a legal right.... but before you read on.... being legal is not the same as being moral.  The Nazi's legally gassed Jews and Gypsies..... a moral abomination.

The State has the right to exact capital punishment on humans... under legal processes....and a women has the right to kill her fetus in our society.

Both should be done only after intensive examination, and never casually.

When you look at a sonogram of a one month fetus, and see the heart beating.... you have to be a savage not to acknowledge that this a human life.   To exterminate this life, because it is inconvenient... is barbaric.

Yet barbarism is not foreign to humans.  Less than 200 years ago, it was legal in the United States to treat people as property and own slaves.  There were some in the United States that were passionate about the right to own slaves, and were willing to go to war to maintain that right.

Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, started the organization as a means to cull the African American population, which she viewed as "human weeds".  I believe that the people who advocate casual abortion are the incarnation of the proponents of slavery in this country.  Whether it is a coincidence that they both are Democrats is notwithstanding.

I recently came across a Facebook post, wishing that Donald Trump's mother had aborted him.

It is this level of glibness on the topic that is wrong and nauseating.

Pro-Choice women passionately cry out that no one has a right to tell them what they can do with their own body.  I agree.  That is their solemn responsibility to judge whether they have a moral standing and reason to kill the fetus growing within them.

But to treat the extinguishing of human life as a matter of convenience or birth control, particularly in the context of abortion factories like Planned Parenthood, is damnable.

Trauma by Trump

Peeps...
This MOAM doesn't give a rat's ass if you vote for Donald Trump or not.

Although I think that you have a type of mental deficiency if you vote for the corrupt liar H, it's reasonable if something doesn't click with you about embracing Trump.

So that said, I won't be calling you a Pussy or anything if you are offended by Trump's language, or refusal to tread lightly in the Garden of Political Correctness.

He talks like a locker room jock, and if that scares you, I won't think freaking less of you.  Being a Pussy is not a crime or anything after all.  Those of us who have spent time in a locker room know enough not to take everything that jocks say seriously.  What kind of a Moron does that?

But the thing that pisses me off about the way the Libbies in the Media treat Donald is when they pounce on his responses to attacks.   Trump is the definitive Anti-Wimp.  If you screw with him, he is going to lay it back on you twice as hard..... the way things used to happen in the High School locker room.

Give me one example where Trump has thrown the first punch.... I'm talking on a personal basis.  Rubio makes fun of his penis size, and  the Cruz PAC publishes a derogatory photo of Donald's wife.  Trump responds in kind, but the initial attack is never highlighted.  It is only Trump's response.

Peeps.... I have to believe that the ISIS Terrorists will do some more soul searching before sending brainwashed suicide bombers forth to cowardly kill innocent civilians if Trump was in charge.   His response wouldn't be a serenade from James Taylor.... I can reasonably assure you of that.

Trump would aggressively respond to the attack, such that the BO crowd could never conceive.

If you are Traumatized by Trump now, wait until he is POTUS.  The Pussies will whine, but we would be a lot safer, and far less innocents would die.

Looking Back

The guy on the left is John Nestor, my father.  Third from the left is Bill Calnan, who had my back when we worked together at the Lynn Housing Authority.

Both of them supported me unconditionally and I am grateful to have had them in my life.




They were in their prime here, bowling in the AOH Division 10 Bowling League around 1960.  Both had suffered trials before this and there was a lot more to come.

I miss them.

Cuban Crisis

Peeps...

Your MOAM is so happy that our POTUS is tackling the crucial problem of opening our relationship with the People's Republic of Cuba.

It is so important to extend our hand to a brutal, repressive dictatorship.  Maybe now, people will stop trying to escape Florida and navigate to Cuba in small overcrowded vessels, leaving their families forever to embrace a life with freedom.

Oh sorry.... I got that a little reversed.  But whatever....  Maybe we can finally get to play Cuban baseball players, or smoke authentic Cuban cigars.

President Castro met BO with open arms at the airport.... no... that would have been the Socialist Pope.  But at least he agreed to release political prisoners and hold free elections.... no,,,, just kidding.

 We didn't get much, but BO, Jawn Kerry, and our own Congressman Seth Moulton at least should be getting some pressed Cuban sandwiches and a Caribbean tan.

Meanwhile, in other news, 23 people have been blown to bits in Brussels, Belgium.  Guess there must have been another pesky video causing people to die.

Oh well.... at least we have our priorities straight.

I'm not a big Cigar guy though.

I'm old enough to remember when the Cubans let Russians point nuclear missiles down our throats.  We actually had air raid drills at my elementary school then,... where every one was filed into the school corridors, put on our knees with our foreheads on the floor, and waited to be swept away by an atomic bomb.  As a little kid, I truly believed that Missiles from Cuba would kill us all

Guess what President Castro??   You suck!!!!   And everybody who kisses your Repressive, Dictator Ass sucks too.




Pray for Belgium.  And pray that we someday will have a POTUS who doesn't have his head up his own ass.

Steaming POS

We are waiting for the advent of spring after a mild winter.

Weatherwise it was mild.  In other ways, it was a challenging winter.

But isn't that the way things are supposed to be on this earthly plane?  Somehow, the spirit made flesh always seems to find a steaming piece of shit to step into.... every day.

 Rather than getting pissed off or depressed when things inevitably get messy, maybe the better way is to revel in the clean up....and prepare for a new steaming piece tomorrow.

Easter is a time when Christians celebrate the rebirth of Christ. Looking forward to next Sunday.  But every day seems like a rebirth sometimes.

Backing Off of the Diatribe

Peeps...
It's clear to this MOAM as a political pundit, that Trump and Clinton will be nominated to run for President from the Republican and Democratic Parties.

Both are flawed. Our choice is to pick the less flawed.

I'm backing off of this diatribe for awhile.

This Blog is too important to be bogged down in one subject for a long time, and I am guilty as your MOAM of being a bit too absorbed in the POTUS Political Intrigue.  Plus I have to rev things up at Nanepashemet Telecom as well as pay attention to the solar power initiatives that will come to the forefront as we approach spring and summer.

So today, my focus is to get another coat of poly on the bathroom cabinet, and goad the City of Boston into issuing some more permits to Nanepashemet Telecom.  All of the components for my solar powered kayak catamaran are now in hand as I received a 100 watt flexible panel from Amazon yesterday.  This project takes center stage as soon as the Bathroom Cabinet is delivered from the Peabody shop.

There are lots of things on tap... now taking the place exhorting you not to vote for a criminal as your POTUS.  If you haven't come to that conclusion by now, then I will leave your to "BAA" with your fellow Sheep.

Time to get back on the High Road and leave the propaganda to ABC and Fox News.

Compromise

So Hillary says that during her watch as Sec. of State, we didn't lose a single person in Libya.

Say What?

If I were one of the parents of the Benghazi victims to whom H lied straight in their face about "that video"..... I can't imagine the level of disgust and loathing that I would feeling about now.

It is known as "The Big Lie".... perfected in the Germany of the 1930's.....  and Hillary Clinton is a prime devotee of its use and effect.

Peeps.... I know that Trump is hard to swallow, but he is truly the lesser of two evils...  and in this case, way freaking lesser.

You know where you stand with Trump.  You may not like it.... but you know where you stand.   With Clinton... you stand in a murky swamp where she will do or say whatever she feels she can get over on you.

I pray that she does not get over with the American People.   And frankly, I'm astounded that she influences even one of us to induce us to vote to give over the Executive reins of the country to her massive lack of dignity and morality.

Politics is the art of compromise.  But can you compromise enough to allow a Liar to be your President?   Your call.

Paranoia Runs Deep... Into Your Life It Might Creep...

Peeps...
As the saying goes, "You're not paranoid if they're really out to get you."

Raise your hand if in your heart of hearts you feel that criticizing Obama could get some jaded NSA Geek listening in to your phone conversations and monitoring your emails.

Raise you hand if you also have a nagging suspicion that your tax returns may well be audited in the short term.

Or Raise your hand if in your heart of hearts you feel that spouting your feelings about Hillary could leave you as one of those suicide victims with two bullets in the back of the head.

Course this is paranoia running deep.  This stuff could never happen.... Right?

This attack by the left on Donald Trump..... calling him a Nazi, calling him Racist, stifling his First Amendment rights and sabotaging his campaign rallies......This attack is the kind of big Government tactics that Fascist regimes have engendered historically.

The Left has had a good ride with Obama, but couldn't cut the deal.  They are showing their true colors in their reaction to Trump.

Fire and Rain

So Iran just fired off some missles... reputedly with a "Death to Israel" slogan painted on them.

Do you think this is a practice run for a nuclear attack?????

Thank you John Kerry!   Maybe it's time for you and Sweet Baby James Taylor to lumber over to Tehran for another verse of  "You've Got a Friend".   How about a new release for the occasion ...... something like "Fire and (Radioactive) Rain"?????

History has a nice spot reserved for Jawn and BO.... right next to the Neville Chamberlain section.

So sick of these Phoney, Incompetent Libs in power.   Please God... get H indicted and jailed before her sheep herd can make it to the polls this November.

Donald and Mitt

Donald Trump is running for President.

He is a blunt talking successful businessman whose statements sound like the loudest, most opinionated person sitting at the bar.

When you are hanging at the bar, that person sounds cool even if you are not taking him seriously, but what if he actually could be elected President?

He inspires a lot of people.... and scares the hell out of a lot of others.

Mitt Romney today is set to give a national speech denouncing him as a phoney and a fraud.

STFU Mitt.  Your train has left the station.  You had a chance to shine and gave us BO instead.  You may not agree with Trump, but to call him a phoney is lacking.

Trump says he is going to build a wall, and that Mexico is going to pay for it,  Then he expressly says that the wall will cost $6Billion and that Mexico can foot the bill to protect their trade deficit.  That is specificity.  If you disagree, fine, but you can't say that Trump only makes empty assertions.

For Romney to call him names, calls out Mitt as envious that Trump has found a rally point for Republicans that his establishment could not locate.

I wish that there was a better candidate than Trump.  But I will vote for him in a heartbeat over Clinton.

Super Tuesday

Hillary Clinton squeaked by Bernie Sanders in Massachusetts getting 50% of the Liberal Democratic vote here, compared to Bernie's 49%

That is a powerful story which the press has thus far ignored.  The most Liberal state in the union.... "The People's Republic of Taxachusetts"..... the only state to vote for George McGovern.... comes within 1% of the vote from saying no to the ultra establishment Democrat... the disgusting, immoral Liar H.

There is a part of me that is proud of my home state.

I had feared that the Clinton sheep herd here.... the same nice folks that made a Fake Indian, Liz Warren, their United States Senator.... would sweep H to a huge plurality of victory.

But not so.  A 74 year old Socialist came within a hair of handing a loss to the anointed Clinton in this bastion state of Liberal Moonbattery.

My other Super Tuesday MOAM Observation occurred when I was standing to vote in a long precinct line in Marblehead. Everyone took a red Democratic ballot. One guy asked the poll checker if she wanted his ID. When she said "No", he said, "How do you know that I am who I say I am?" She said, "I don't."

The opportunity for voter fraud is enormous, and I was impressed that the Dem in front of me posed the question.

Trump trounced the Republican field here. I don't know anyone who outwardly says he or she supports Trump here in Massachusetts. Secret ballots are essential to a true democratic process.

Senator Marco Rubbio, who has yet to win a state election, has been running ads that Trump is a "Con Man", and that no Con Man will ever win the Presidency.

Spoiler Alert to Marco.  Check out the current POTUS.  You are wrong.  Barry Soetoro, an Indonesian Exchange Student, happens to be sitting in the Oval Office in a direct contradiction to your assertions about Trump.... who may be unsavory to you, but the successful Billionaire is far from being a Con.

Marco should bail.

Gun Crisis at UMASS

Peeps....
These reports of a man with  gun at UMASS seem overstated.
Did someone flash a handgun?  Was He/She licensed to carry?  The press is acting like having a gun is a crime.

Reminds me of my own crisis when I was a Freshman at UMASS Amherst, which never hit the public airwaves fortunately.  I posted this back in 2010.

Grenade Pin

Clammers found cases with 126 grenades in New Bedford.  Some were live.   They were safely detonated and no one was hurt.
~
That reminds me of an old college incident, in James House at UMASS.  The Vietnam War was in play, and a crazy vet was visiting his friend in the dorm room next door.
~
In those days, a lot of guys would come back from the war, fresh from firefights and other horrific shit that only happened a week or so ago.  One day, you are on patrol, firing off your M1 in DaNang at VietCong hell bent on killing you, and the next week you are hanging out on campus at Amherst, MA.  I always felt bad for these guys who didn't have a college deferment, and was enrolled in Army ROTC preparing to go myself.
~
This guy was really jacked in a lot of ways, and we all were leary of him.  It was my freshman year and he used to drill Aaron Boykin and myself when we had our uniforms on to go to ROTC class.    But that's another story.
~
One day, he came into my room with a grenade in his hand, stuffed it into the hand of my roommate, Jeff Middleton, pulled the pin, and told him to hold the lever, or we would all die.  Then he left the room.  Jeff and I stood there with a WTF look on our faces.
~
After about thirty seconds of standing there stunned, I said to Jeff that we should carefully take the grenade outside, walk it across the athletic fields, and heave it into the woods.  Jeff stood there ackwardly holding the thing with his hand clasped on the detonation lever.  We were too dazed to be afraid.
~
Before we got the plan into action,  the crazy vet came back, put the pin back into the grenade, quietly took it with him. and left without a word.    We never mentioned it again.... like it never happened.
~
I often wonder whether that grenade was live, and what would have happened if it blew up on the edge of the intramural field.  My guess is that if it was a dud, the vet wouldn't have come back so soon to take it back.  He would have let us sweat a lot longer.
~
It's one of the many things in my life that could have gone drastically wrong...... but didn't.... so I'm sitting here blogging today.  There is enough stuff that could have gone wrong and did.... but I'm here anyway.

MattyL said...

this blog is the ultra balls.

-- Matthew Lyons

Nope to the Pope

So Pope Francis says that Donald Trump is not a Christian if he wants to build a Wall on the Mexican Border.

A stupid move Pope.   And I'm not defending Trump.

Are Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton Christians while they support the abortions of Planned Parenthood????

Pope, you have poured oil on a slippery slope. If you are going to call out one, you have to call out the other.

Now it seems that you are injecting Christian doctrine into American politics while a Socialist is running for President.   And you are known to have Socialist leanings.

So the people that you like are Christians and the people that you don't are not?

There are a lot of flaws in my Catholic faith, and you've just added another.

Survival

Peeps....
Lately getting old has been occupying center stage in my thoughts.

My mother turns 90 next month, my father-in-law is 92, and my mother-in-law is 88 and in the hospital after having surgery for a brain aneurysm.

When I was growing up, I thought that people in their sixties were old.  All four of my grandparents died young... I only briefly knew my Maternal Grandfather.

But since then, things really have seemed to change.


Now with my parents in their nineties, and some of my best friends in their seventies, I'm starting to think that our kids and grandkids will see centenarians as a matter of course.  Not sure of the reasons for the uptick in longevity.  Probably a mixture of the availability of food and shelter as well as medical technology.

Most likely, my Mother-in-law would had died without her recent brain surgery, and a number of other family members and friends have recently had medical procedures without which their lifespan could have been threatened.

So getting old is not the challenge.  Surviving is no longer the issue.  The emerging concern is quality of life.  What will you do with that survival?

Time's Up for H

The Democrat Spin-Doctors are now saying that a win for H in New Hampshire would be to lose to Bernie Sanders within ten percentage points.

That is quite a stretch of logic.... since she led Bernie Sanders by over 40 points in the early going.

Looks like the original strategy... to keep Hillary out of the public eye and away from the press as long as possible.... was probably well founded.  Too bad she had to eventually have some light shed upon her.   But who would have thought that a Vermont Hippy in his seventies would be the first to take her down???

How do you think all of the Dems who, were scared off by her initial "coronation" feel now?  They didn't have the balls to take on the Clinton Syndicate, and let a Crazy Commie fill a widening chasm.

You have to believe that Jawn Kerry is in a loathesome quandary.  He could have had it all if he had the fortitude to break ranks and fulfill his destiny.   These Lefty Loonies have treated the Clinton's like Moonbat Royalty with only one problem.... young voters don't recognize the narrated legacy, and don't trust the despicable H.  All they needed was a guy who knew the words to "KumBaya" and promised free tuition, and H was history.

Your MOAM is feeling a bit elated.  It's time for the Clinton's to retire to their New York estate and stage fundraisers to keep H out of a Federal Penitentiary.

I'm thinking that she loses by at least twenty points tonight in New Hampshire.... which proves the old adage... "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time... but not all of the people all of the time."

Time's up for H.

Off Grid Solar Equipment Breakdown

Item	Specification	Cost	Amt	Total
Inverter	KRIËGER® 2000 Watt 12V Power Inverter Dual 110V AC outlets and Dual USB 2.1A car dc 12v to 110v ac adapter laptop charger notebook adapter dc charger	$    189.99	1	$         189.99
Inverter to Battery Cables	# 2 Gauge- Came with Krieger		2	$                  -
Inverter Positive Cable Fuse	Case and 200 amp fuse - Came With Krieger		1	$                  -
Inverter Ground Wire	10 gauge AWG Green Ground Wire 50 ft Solid Copper UL Listed CABLE SATELLITE by Allied Wire	$      21.95	1	$           21.95
Ground Rod	Skywalker Signature Series Ground Rod, 4ft by Skywalker	$      19.50	1	$           19.50
Ground Rod Wire Connector	Morris Products 90629 Ground Pipe Clamp, For Direct Burial, 1/2 - 1" Water Pipe Range, 2 -10 Wire Range, 1/4 - 2/0 Screw Thread by Morris Products	$         8.46	1	$              8.46
12V 100 Ah Batteries	12V 100Ah Battery for Minn Kota, Minnkota, Cobra, Sevylor other trolling motor	$    171.68	2	$         343.36
Battery Parallel Connection Cables	Camco 47480 Red 3/8" Stud 18" Long 2-Gauge Marine Battery Cable and Tinned Lug Assembly by Camco	$      10.68	2	$           21.36
Controller to Battery Cables	RENOGY® 8' long 10 AWG Wire Copper Tray Cable-Connect Charge Controller and Battery by Renogy	$      16.99	2	$           33.98
In-Line Controller Positive Cable Fuse			1	$                  -
Solar Charge Controller	P30L LCD 30A PWM Solar Panel Regulator Charge Controller with Digital Display and User Adjustable Settings	$      49.99	1	$           49.99
12v Lamp connected to Controller	TINYPONY® LED Flood Wash Light Outdoor Lamp Ip65 Waterproof 10W 12V 6000~6500K White 900 Lumen by hossen	$      11.98	1	$           11.98
Solar Cable to Controller	50' solar cable Bulk Black copper #10 AWG 1000 volt PV Wire with Tough XLPE insulation by CIE Solar	$      32.68	1	$           32.68
Solar  Cable Positive Fuse	Odyssey 30A MC4 Solar PV In-Line Fuse Holder Waterproof w/ Fuse 30 Amp by Solar Odyssey	$      15.00	1	$           15.00
Solar Cable Crimper	Signstek MC3 MC4 Solar Crimping Tools for 2.5-6.0mm2 Solar Panel PV Cable by Signstek	$      19.99	1	$           19.99
MC4 Cable Connectors	RENOGY® 5 Pair MC4 Male/ Female Solar Panel Cable Connectors Double Seal Rings for Better Waterproof Effect by Renogy	$         9.99	1	$              9.99
MC4 Solar Lines Connector	Signstek Y Branch MC4 Parallel Connector Adapter 1M2F+2M1F (1) by Signstek	$         7.99	1	$              7.99
MC4 Solar Cable	50' solar cable Bulk Black copper #10 AWG 1000 volt PV Wire with Tough XLPE insulation by CIE Solar Products	$      32.68	1	$           32.68
Electrical PVC Conduit	Home Depot	$      20.00	1	$           20.00
100 Watt Solar panels	Renogy 2 Piece 100W Monocrystalline Photovoltaic PV Solar Panel Module, 12V Battery Charging by Renogy	$    282.92	1	$         282.92
Panel Pole Mount	Missouri Wind and Solar Top of Pole Double 100 Watt Solar Panel Mounting Rack	$    197.99	1	$         197.99

Need to get Grounded

Jill's Blog

New Blog from Pretty Jill Phillips... a special peep of the Nestor Family.

http://wickedglossblog.com/

Please give it a look.

An Iowan Evening

It's only 6:30 in the morning.

Could you neurotic Peeps please refrain from this constant barrage of cell calls, voice mails, emails and message texts just to find out what the MOAM take is on the Iowa Freaking Caucus Results??!!!!!

For Chrissakes.... it's only Iowa.  Since when does a bunch of white, flatland farmers arguing in gymnasiums get everyone so riled up?????

I sure am glad that they don't have the caucus system in Massachusetts where I am registered as an Independent.  The last people I would asked who I should vote for as POTUS are my crazy neighbors.

But that's me... the good US Citizens of Iowa have spoken.... or some of them have anyway.

For the Republicans, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Marco Rubio have topped the ticket... none with an overwhelming plurality.   They have established themselves as the frontrunners, and if this is duplicated next week in NH, the others should step out.  I actually wish that Jeb Bush would leave now.   He is a praiseworthy candidate, but has not caught the imagination of the electorate and I kind of feel embarrassed for him due to his level of funding and family legacy.  Throw your support to your upstart Marco, and move out with class, Jeb.

The Democratic race is really intriguing.  Despite the early coronation of Hillary Clinton by the DNC, with a rigged debate schedule and money flowing in from all the usual sources like Soros, etc, the lowly Socialist Mayor of Burlington, Vt, Bernie Sanders.... a 72 year old Commie with a Brooklyn accent and no SuperPAC support has virtually tied the disgusting H in a too close to call contest.

The Democratic Party Sheep Herders are really wringing their hands over this one.  Their corrupt candidate, who was assurred of continuing the largess that keeps Dem Hacks in business over the underclasses, is on the proverbial ropes by a candidate who was supposed to be a complimentary diversion.

Yet, this most unlikely candidate, Bernie Sanders, is giving Queen H a huge scare.  And next week, the fine voters of NH are scheduled to give her a double digit ass kicking.  The Democratic Propagandists at ABC Good Morning America, George Steffy and Co., are loving the Trump loss and are saying that Clinton won.  They are transparent Sheepherders.

Damn that "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy"!!!!!  Once again they have taunted the Clinton Syndicate.

Bring on the FBI Indictment..... That should complete the job.

Overall, the evening shaped up pretty well in Iowa.