I’ve been watching James Condon‘s YouTube channel way too much lately. I mean, it’s not like I repair a lot of small engines, or that I expect to. All of my generators and other power equipment run fine (knock wood).
Still, I figure I can learn something. These are useful skills. Condon presents the subject very well.
I may be a humble shade-tree mechanic, but I’m also a certifiable tools geek. I’ve taken note of what Condon uses, and one tool in particular stood out to me — a simple 3/8-inch-drive ratchet.
It appeared to be a long-ago-discontinued Craftsman “Tri-Wing” model (943796). I had one myself for 20 years — until, that is, my elder stepson borrowed and destroyed it while working on one of the hopeless vehicles that passed through his crude grasp.
The icing on the cake was him not confessing his screwup, choosing instead to replace the grenaded tool with a cheap and dissimilar Chinese ratchet and putting it in my rollaway.
His mother was in on it with him. (I’m sure she paid for it.) They didn’t think I’d notice.
I notice everything.
Anyway, seeing the familiar ratchet turning fasteners on this YouTuber’s projects got me wondering if one could be had secondhand. That sent me to eBay, where I found a handful of Tri-Wing ratchets for sale.
My purchase arrived in today’s mail.
As I turned it over in my hands, it felt like an old friend. Damn, I’d missed that three-lobe reversing lever, and especially the handy thumbwheel.
This is by no means a high-end tool. It doesn’t boast a “fine-tooth” mechanism. But it’s still my all-time favorite ratchet, and it’s back in my hands.
Better yet, the eBay lot also included 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch ratchets, a pair of short extension bars and a spinner handle, six pieces in all. And buying the set didn’t break the bank.
I have to be extremely careful with money right now, for reasons that should be obvious. No, I didn’t need these tools — but I deserve ’em.
Now they’re where they belong.
The NWS Storm Prediction Center, for the second time in the last few weeks, has issued a Day Five prediction for extreme weather. That’s a rare expression of significant confidence that the forecast won’t change much between now and Friday.
Ozarkansas is in the crosshairs.
The Mountain is inside the western edge of the orangish blob on the map I’ve included above, which represents a 30% probability of severe thunderstorms (at least). The implication is that supercells bringing hail and tornadoes are likely in that area.
I’ll spend some time over the next few days making sure my preps are in order.
Deb left five weeks ago today. There’s been no word, directly or indirectly.
I know that someone reading this blog post knows whether or not she’s okay.
So far, no one’s talked to me about that.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable