When I was a youngster I recall people crawfishing along what was then US 90 now US 190 along the sides of the road. There was plenty of room in those days as big trucks were a very rare thing and there was not a great deal of traffic. Also the land were not as well drained and thus the ditches along the sides of the road held water for a long time. The ultimate habitat for crawfish.
I also did some crawfishing. Tie a chicken neck on a piece of string and set in to almost any body of water and one could catch crawfish. More sophisticated crawfishers used a square net about twelve or thirteen inches on the side with stiff wire that came to an apex above the net. One tied the chicken neck in the center of that net and put the whole thing the turbid water in a canal or ditch. You waited about ten minutes and then using a long cane pole lifted the net and swung it toward land. You then quickly got to the net and dumped your catch into a wash tub. Soon you have a good quantity of crawfish sufficient to take home in the tub.
Once at home, we flushed the water a couple times until it was clear running. This got rid of most of the trash and of course the dirty water. You dumped the crawfish into a boiling pot of water. In about 10 minutes you had you cooked crawfish and could grab then and eat them.
Later as teenager, my neighbor had a bid sugar kettle and we built a big fire around it. We then poured in four or five thirty pound sacks of crawfish. We had added big round onions and dozens of lemons and a ton of seasoning. Took a while but after a few visiting beers to encourage appetites, we had well season tasty crawfish to eat. We youngsters acted as the labor and the adults drank the beer.
Now things are very sophisticated. We have caterers that have a specially built trailer with a hundred gallon tank that is fired by propane gas. He can boil several hundred pounds of crawfish at once. He tosses corn ears and small potatoes. Some even add sausage others toss in pineapple chunks, mushrooms and artichokes but that is mostly neighborhood boils where one cooks fifteen or so pounds at a time over a single propane burner. The water is heavily salted and a great deal of cayenne pepper is add.
So we do our crawfishing today at the grocery store or a known supplier who imports to our region, Dallas/Fort Worth. Those same caterers will sell you fresh crawfish too. They are all imported to Texas from Louisiana, mostly from the rice fields in and around Ville Platte, LA. Crawfish are the second cash crop off those rice fields today.
You no longer see people crawfishing along the sides the highways. It is all a big commercial operation, an industry. No matter they are just as tasty and if well season are spring treat. We have been to three such boils already this year and probably will have one more, this one back in Louisiana at the camp on False River.
Yummy!
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Friday, April 21, 2017
Just Fix'en . . .
Spring has sprung and tis the season to repair. Today I was deep into it. Little stuff but it has to be done.
First I dug up a pop up sprinkler located in the side flower bed. Parts of the bed is cover by five or six inches of Jasmine Ivy. And the Jasmine vines get quite entangled and one has to cut his way through them and hand dig the sprinkler with a hand garden tool. I hesitate to call it a shovel because it has a very short handle, perhaps a blade two and half inches wide and five or so inches long. Just gotta sit down and do it.
Anyway I get down to the basic irrigation plumbing and screw in a 12 inch extension and them replace the sprinkler on top of that. Now the Jasmine will not block it up. I have done three so far, got several more to do. But I have run out of materials for that job and moved on to other things that need some minor albeit time consuming action.
I have a weed eater with a shaft that accepts other attachments. I can run a small tiller, a weed whacker, an edger and a blower off one 2cycle power head. There are a few more attachments but I do not have them. Well, the edger needed a new blade, got that done. I have not one but two weed whacker heads both need work. One had to be restrung. I have perhaps 100 yards of weed whacker line, so I uncoil some of it, cut it and rewound the head. The second weed whacker head simply needed to have the line fed out of the reel again, plenty of line still wound on the head. That done too.
Then I tackled a big sprinkler in the back yard. I had noted on one side of the unit, a hole had developed. That usually indicates a leak of some kind. This one had a broken case and water was spraying out of the side where the head screws on to the case. I replace the whole thing. It probably got broken by the lawn tractor rolling over it. These sprinklers are the more complex kind that rotate back and forth, a little water turbine is inside and provides the energy to turn the sprinkler head. These often also wear out as the well water has very fine sand it in and that tends to erode the innards of the sprinkler over time. As you can imagine I keep a couple of spares around all the time.
Irrigation systems are indeed constant maintenance. A leak here, broken sprinkler there, pump problems, and so on. But it has saved us thousands upon thousands of dollars in avoiding city water expenses. City water is quite expensive and can cost you upwards of four or five hundred dollars per month if you irrigate. The well is a fixed cost and after that it is a maintenance cost and some electricity and is amortized in a couple of years. Probably costs us about $15 dollars a month in parts and power. Cheap at that price and keeps the yard green. The well has been with us for 12 or more years.
Finally I had to change a Delta shower control valve in the main bathroom. It was a learning experience. I finally broke down and bought a tool to turn the water on and off at the water meter. A long T handled affair but gets the job done. Yes, there is a water shut off but I think we have covered it over and so it is not accessible. Thus you turn off the water at the street meter.
All the sinks and toilets have shut off valves but there is no where to install one on a shower control valve. It is a mixing valve and has a single handle, range from full cold to full hot. Well almost. The old one had developed a drip and had to be replaced. Had I known what I now know, I probably could have replaced the valve poppets but I did not know that. I had to get a new Delta valve and I watched a video on the Internet on how to replace it. Not hard but . . .
The newer valves come with a temperature control and are shipped in the literally cold "on" mode. One has to adjust the control to get the hot water flowing. And then water temperature is modulated by where the valve handle is set and can be varied. But first one has to adjust the control valve to allow the hot water to flow. Simple enough once you see it but unless some shows it to you or tells you how, well you get cold water. Got that job done too.
I am getting good at replacing leaking Delta faucets valve seats, and toilet tank units. Recently, the control valve washer broke up and infected the toilet tank unit. I did know you could remove the top of the unit and clean it out, so I ended up replacing. But I had to fix the control faucet before. That is when I learned about shutting off water at the street. I am pretty good at now.
Well next task is to lube and change oil in the lawn tractor. But not his Saturday for two reasons. First a cold front is on its way and it will be chilly and second we have the annual LSU crawfish boil. I elect for the boil and will wear warm clothes. There is plenty of time to deal with the tractor later.
First I dug up a pop up sprinkler located in the side flower bed. Parts of the bed is cover by five or six inches of Jasmine Ivy. And the Jasmine vines get quite entangled and one has to cut his way through them and hand dig the sprinkler with a hand garden tool. I hesitate to call it a shovel because it has a very short handle, perhaps a blade two and half inches wide and five or so inches long. Just gotta sit down and do it.
Anyway I get down to the basic irrigation plumbing and screw in a 12 inch extension and them replace the sprinkler on top of that. Now the Jasmine will not block it up. I have done three so far, got several more to do. But I have run out of materials for that job and moved on to other things that need some minor albeit time consuming action.
I have a weed eater with a shaft that accepts other attachments. I can run a small tiller, a weed whacker, an edger and a blower off one 2cycle power head. There are a few more attachments but I do not have them. Well, the edger needed a new blade, got that done. I have not one but two weed whacker heads both need work. One had to be restrung. I have perhaps 100 yards of weed whacker line, so I uncoil some of it, cut it and rewound the head. The second weed whacker head simply needed to have the line fed out of the reel again, plenty of line still wound on the head. That done too.
Then I tackled a big sprinkler in the back yard. I had noted on one side of the unit, a hole had developed. That usually indicates a leak of some kind. This one had a broken case and water was spraying out of the side where the head screws on to the case. I replace the whole thing. It probably got broken by the lawn tractor rolling over it. These sprinklers are the more complex kind that rotate back and forth, a little water turbine is inside and provides the energy to turn the sprinkler head. These often also wear out as the well water has very fine sand it in and that tends to erode the innards of the sprinkler over time. As you can imagine I keep a couple of spares around all the time.
Irrigation systems are indeed constant maintenance. A leak here, broken sprinkler there, pump problems, and so on. But it has saved us thousands upon thousands of dollars in avoiding city water expenses. City water is quite expensive and can cost you upwards of four or five hundred dollars per month if you irrigate. The well is a fixed cost and after that it is a maintenance cost and some electricity and is amortized in a couple of years. Probably costs us about $15 dollars a month in parts and power. Cheap at that price and keeps the yard green. The well has been with us for 12 or more years.
Finally I had to change a Delta shower control valve in the main bathroom. It was a learning experience. I finally broke down and bought a tool to turn the water on and off at the water meter. A long T handled affair but gets the job done. Yes, there is a water shut off but I think we have covered it over and so it is not accessible. Thus you turn off the water at the street meter.
All the sinks and toilets have shut off valves but there is no where to install one on a shower control valve. It is a mixing valve and has a single handle, range from full cold to full hot. Well almost. The old one had developed a drip and had to be replaced. Had I known what I now know, I probably could have replaced the valve poppets but I did not know that. I had to get a new Delta valve and I watched a video on the Internet on how to replace it. Not hard but . . .
The newer valves come with a temperature control and are shipped in the literally cold "on" mode. One has to adjust the control to get the hot water flowing. And then water temperature is modulated by where the valve handle is set and can be varied. But first one has to adjust the control valve to allow the hot water to flow. Simple enough once you see it but unless some shows it to you or tells you how, well you get cold water. Got that job done too.
I am getting good at replacing leaking Delta faucets valve seats, and toilet tank units. Recently, the control valve washer broke up and infected the toilet tank unit. I did know you could remove the top of the unit and clean it out, so I ended up replacing. But I had to fix the control faucet before. That is when I learned about shutting off water at the street. I am pretty good at now.
Well next task is to lube and change oil in the lawn tractor. But not his Saturday for two reasons. First a cold front is on its way and it will be chilly and second we have the annual LSU crawfish boil. I elect for the boil and will wear warm clothes. There is plenty of time to deal with the tractor later.
Monday, April 10, 2017
Labor of Love, Well Maybe . . . .
Judie complained yesterday that the shower in our bathroom was "dripping." Like I was to immediately cause the shower not to leak. That is her logic sometimes, not irritating just expecting me to make it stop - now. Of course I can not do that.
I turned to the computer and asked a question, "How do I fix a leak in shower valve?" And I got about four or five answers. Of course it depends on the brand, but I knew what that was as I had replaced the shower head a couple of years ago. It is a Delta shower control valve. I was surprised to learn it had a life time warranty. But of course, we did not have the original purchase receipt so that free replacement stuff went out of the window.
I went to Lowe's and found a replacement. There were a couple of models but I chose the one with the lowest series model number figuring it was the oldest design. I was right.
The job is not hard to do but it is wise to listen to the fellow on the computer give his expert advice. I learned for instance to be sure an use plumbers grease, a product I had never heard of before. Luckily I heard him say it was silicone based grease. And I found a little container of such silicone grease on the shelf in the plumbing department. Expensive grease, I am guessing about an ounce of the stuff cost over three dollars.
The control unit was not cheap either. If I got the Delta brand valve, it was $39 plus change, but the substitute brand, Danco, was ten bucks cheaper. We now have a Danco control valve. It does exactly the same job, looks the same, etc. for ten dollars less.
It seems technology has changed a bit since the original Delta control valve was installed. It mixes the hot and cold water and positioning of the valve handle controls the water temperature. However the new control unit, one can change the mix manually on the control valve to sway the water temperature. I learned that watching the video. And sure enough the new control did indeed have such an capability to make that kind of change.
At first I left it set as it was and found the water all the way on the hot side was rather cool. It was not at all like the mixture of the leaking valve. So I had to disassemble again and make the adjustment toward warmer water bias. Now it runs like the old control valve, all the way counter clockwise is full hot and all the way clockwise is full cold. There is a balance sorta in the middle. Works for me!
Unlike faucets on the sinks, there is no accessible turn off valves down below somewhere. So to do the job I had to turn off the water outside coming into the house. That takes a special tool but our two "Old Handymen" were next door working on our neighbors bathroom. I had seen them use the tool. And they showed up about 9:00 AM to work and I walked over there and asked to borrow the tool. "Sure, they said," and pulled lt out of the back of there old jalopy." I was now in business to get the job done.
It all worked just as the video said except, the old valve did not come out as easy as theirs did. But I got it out. And sure enough, when I turned on the water again, no leaks.
Wonder of wonders, Chip had done his magic once again. I am sure the two old handymen could have done it, or a big time professional plumber but at a tremendous cost. I would have expected a plumber charging a couple of hundred dollars to do the job and the two old handymen probably a hundred bucks plus parts. I did it for plus parts or about $34 which included my 10% discount from Lowes.
I turned to the computer and asked a question, "How do I fix a leak in shower valve?" And I got about four or five answers. Of course it depends on the brand, but I knew what that was as I had replaced the shower head a couple of years ago. It is a Delta shower control valve. I was surprised to learn it had a life time warranty. But of course, we did not have the original purchase receipt so that free replacement stuff went out of the window.
I went to Lowe's and found a replacement. There were a couple of models but I chose the one with the lowest series model number figuring it was the oldest design. I was right.
The job is not hard to do but it is wise to listen to the fellow on the computer give his expert advice. I learned for instance to be sure an use plumbers grease, a product I had never heard of before. Luckily I heard him say it was silicone based grease. And I found a little container of such silicone grease on the shelf in the plumbing department. Expensive grease, I am guessing about an ounce of the stuff cost over three dollars.
The control unit was not cheap either. If I got the Delta brand valve, it was $39 plus change, but the substitute brand, Danco, was ten bucks cheaper. We now have a Danco control valve. It does exactly the same job, looks the same, etc. for ten dollars less.
It seems technology has changed a bit since the original Delta control valve was installed. It mixes the hot and cold water and positioning of the valve handle controls the water temperature. However the new control unit, one can change the mix manually on the control valve to sway the water temperature. I learned that watching the video. And sure enough the new control did indeed have such an capability to make that kind of change.
At first I left it set as it was and found the water all the way on the hot side was rather cool. It was not at all like the mixture of the leaking valve. So I had to disassemble again and make the adjustment toward warmer water bias. Now it runs like the old control valve, all the way counter clockwise is full hot and all the way clockwise is full cold. There is a balance sorta in the middle. Works for me!
Unlike faucets on the sinks, there is no accessible turn off valves down below somewhere. So to do the job I had to turn off the water outside coming into the house. That takes a special tool but our two "Old Handymen" were next door working on our neighbors bathroom. I had seen them use the tool. And they showed up about 9:00 AM to work and I walked over there and asked to borrow the tool. "Sure, they said," and pulled lt out of the back of there old jalopy." I was now in business to get the job done.
It all worked just as the video said except, the old valve did not come out as easy as theirs did. But I got it out. And sure enough, when I turned on the water again, no leaks.
Wonder of wonders, Chip had done his magic once again. I am sure the two old handymen could have done it, or a big time professional plumber but at a tremendous cost. I would have expected a plumber charging a couple of hundred dollars to do the job and the two old handymen probably a hundred bucks plus parts. I did it for plus parts or about $34 which included my 10% discount from Lowes.
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