A busy time is November

Usually, November is NOT such a busy time, but this year is going to be the exception. I mentioned the rash that I got, thinking that it was a reaction to medicine I was taken, but the doctor who prescribed it didn't think so. He sent me to my dermatologist to determine if it was an allergic reaction, eczema, or related to my lymphoma. I didn't like the talk about being related to my lymphoma, but if it's true, this is a very early sign and according to the internet it "will not have any effect on longevity". The dermatologist didn't want to do a biopsy at this time as he thinks it's just a rash, but he wouldn't tell me what he thought caused it. My treatment is to "slather" my rash with a mixture of steroid cream and moisturizing. Think of covering much of your body with lard and you'll have a good idea of what it's like. Now I know what a greased pig feels like. I'm supposed to see a big change in a short time. Yeah, right!

On a brighter note, my granddaughter, Kristin, and my great granddaughter Kimberly were over Thursday. Helen had made arrangements to take Kristin to our dentist. Seeing Kimmy was just a bonus. Pictures below.

It's amazing how pretty the females in the family are and how homely..........never mind.

My projects for the weekend are to clean out the clothes dryer vent and find the coolant leak in Helen's car. I use a leaf blower to blow out the vent and that works pretty good, normally. Today the blower was having problems and was sparking something fierce. New brushes were in order. Knowing that ACE Hardware stocks motor brushes, I drove down to pick up a pair. Of course they did not have the ones I needed for my Black and Decker leaf blower. The best I could do was a set of Makita brushes that were as close as I could get. A little sanding and soldering and I was ready to go. Nope, now the dryer is in use, so I'll go on to something else.

I jacked up the Lincoln. It's "Helen's" car, a 1996 that looks and drives like new. Mostly garaged so it shows very little wear. There has been a persistent minor coolant leak that's been driving me crazy. Today I pressurized the system to 16 psi and waited to see what I'd find. Oh, boy, I found three small leaks. Two are from the radiator where the PLASTIC end caps clamp onto the ALUMINUM cooling core. Remember when they were copper and brass and could be soldered fairly easily? No such luck. Fortunately there is one waiting for me at Autozone and for what you get I think the price is reasonable. Of course, I still have that third leak and it's coming from the upper rear of the engine under 1000 tubes and wires, so I can't see. From below, I can see the coolant as it runs down the side of the engine and drips on my face.

I shouldn't complain. Working under a car in the snow as I did in Massachusetts is as bad as it gets. Working in a garage with the weather cool and having the power tools is a great change.

Helen is working around the pool and cabana and wanted me to fix the light in the cabana. I took off the globe and I could hear the filament moving in the bulb. Easy fix! I put in a new bulb. Sorry me, that didn't fix the problem. I tried another bulb and a third, all to no avail. In the cabana we have electronic switches that can be operated remotely from a console in the house as well as directly from the switch. I will have to replace the switch,

In a few minutes I'll be on my way to Autozone and Radio Shack to get the items I'll need to complete my jobs for now.

I can rest during the week.