Helpful Tip-Headlight Restoration

I mentioned in my last post that I wanted to share something with you that I found that works great for me.  It's part of what kept me busy last week.  

Now that car manufacturers have been making headlights with plastic lenses/covers, if you keep your car long enough they will eventually become cloudy or yellowed.  The results are a significantly dimmed headlight.  It is very noticeable out here where we have next to zero streetlights.  We really need good lights with all the deer and the folks that walk at night with dark clothes.  I am being kind by calling them 'folks.'  

About 3 years ago we noticed 'K's CRV lights were really dimmed.  Headed over to Utube and tried a couple of those remedies with NO luck.  Then I headed to Amazon to see what they had in kits for this issue.  I tried this one: Meguiars-Two-Step Headlight Restoration .  No, I'm not being paid to post this.  I just know this works and wanted to share.  Yes, it takes a little elbow grease and I did it about 3-4 times each headlight.  3-4 times for one step of it, the polishing part.  Tip-it will still look cloudy after you do all your rubbing.  But when you apply the spray, it's like magic.  It gets very clear.  Be sure you follow the directions closely.  It won't be prefect but it is so much better than it was, there are spots I wasn't able to affect but they are insignificant..  Not sure how that works but the spray is the key.  It's like another coat filling in all the bad spots or something like that.  So don't get discouraged after polishing a bunch and it's still cloudy.  I was getting that way and then the spray fixed that.  Drawback?  Yes, you will have to do it again in about a year.  I just did 'K's again for the third time.  But that's a lot better than buying a new one.  Those things are crazy expensive.  There are other kits on Amazon that probably work just as well or better, I know this one worked for me.  

BTW, it occurs to me that none of my other FORD vehicles ever had this issue and I kept those longer than this one of 'K's.  Luck?  Maybe, but I don't think so.  I have had almost nothing but FORD's.  My Ranger I had 14 years.  Hopefully you won't have to do it at all or have someone do it.  But I'm mostly a DIY guy.  

Happy Trails

Honey Do List

I seem to be hitting the Honey Do list pretty hard lately.  Nothing serious, just minor things all week.  Sunday is usually pretty quiet and subdued and I rarely do much after we get home from church.  But yesterday was different.  The coming rain they predicted (and we are still waiting Monday afternoon) was going to be significant.  With all the wind we have been having the tassels from the oak trees have proceeded to cover all my previous work.  This included the roof valleys on the house and the gutter leaf guards.  They were both completely covered.  So I had to do one of the things I detest doing, climbing up on the roof.  It's not being on the roof, it's the actual climbing up there that's the problem.  I have an 8' ladder that is just short of being tall enough.  It's not good for my wobbly self to do that much anymore.  'K' saying she would get up there was enough incentive.  She is much less nimble than I am so I don't know if it was a mind game or she thinks I'm more feeble than I do.  She doesn't do mind games so....  A lot of mine is just being lazy.  But I got the roof swept off and the gutters cleared for the coming storms.  'K' proceeded to pick up a lot of the stuff I swept off.  Three bags full along with some extra from the flower bed.  

This morning after Snickers walk I felt the need to cut some unruly spots in the yard before they got the promised rain.  Got that done.  Our breakfast room table is a round table on a pedestal.  It has an annoying wobble.  That turned out bigger than I had thought.  Got that done.  Then a toilet that has a slow leak that causes it to refill ever so often.  I had a repair kit on hand and that went pretty smooth.  I just hope it works better than the last one.  

There was one more thing I did last week but I will get to that later in the week.  It may help with something y'all have dealt with.

Now I'm going to go sit in front of the TV and read and wait for the rain.  

Happy Trails

Leaves, Pollen, Tassels

Hope everyone had a great Easter.  Ours was.  The kids and grandkids all came out to the house to eat and hunt Easter eggs.  No, I didn't cook this time.  Everyone stopped on the way over after church and got something for themselves and we ate it when they got here.  Easy way to do for the host cook.  But then we all had to deal with closed places due to it being Easter, but it worked out.

The grandkids seemed to really enjoy themselves.  Hunting eggs, water gun fights that included adults at times, cascarones.  There is confetti all over the patio and back yard.  My oldest Daughter-in-law and I solved the many world problems.  Now if we could get the rest of the world to see it our way.  Haven't figured that out just yet.

I spent quite a bit of time trying to get things cleaned up from all the oak tree leaves, pollen and tassels.  It looked better and the plan was to help keep some of it from getting tracked inside.  The last part failed.  By the time they arrived it looked almost like it did before I cleaned.  

I have a love hate relationship with Live Oaks.  They are beautiful trees and enhance the way our house looks.  Yet they cause me so much work.  I've mentioned the trimming that I have to do.  But the leaves, and the pollen, and the tassels.  Live Oak trees lose their leaves in the Spring.  Getting ready for new growth.  Then comes the neon green pollen that is everywhere.  Then the seemingly never ending tassels.  

This is just a very small sampling of leaves and a very few tassels.  The yard is probably 100 times worse.

                           Then the pollen(the photo doesn't do it justice.)

Then there is the dog.  He has green spots on his muzzle and head from doing what he does in the yard.  Snuffling in the grass.  And the tassels stick like glue to him so he drags that into the house.  Everything is neon green.  Except the grass under the trees.  That is carpeted by the brown tassels.  If you walk around under the trees for a while you get grit in your hair.  Tassels.  

Happy Trails

Weather, Eye Status, Garden, Mom and Recession or Depression

Had trouble coming up with a catchy title.  Just too much running through my head as you will see.

Gray and humid here Monday.  That is an exact opposite of last week, sunny, dry and cool.  Haven't done much this past week other than watering all the new plants and the garden.  Monday I got back out walking again.  I am at the point where I can get back to normal activity after my eye surgery.  'K' has been on me about doing too much.  I not even supposed to bend over.  I forget that one easily with putting on shoes.  She hasn't let me drive at all which has been a struggle for me.  Today that ends.  I return for a check up on the eye surgery Thursday.  Not sure what happens after that as far as getting OK'ed for removing the restrictions on my driver license and getting a prescription for readers.  It may be a few weeks later so that both eyes have completely healed and all swelling is gone.  Don't want a new pair of glasses based on a swollen eye.

I hope to finish up the painting of the house I started a couple years ago.  The hardest and biggest part is done.  The worst part left is the high peaks of the roof with the trim that most certainly needs paint.  It's high.  I have to do it on a high ladder.  Did I mention it is high?  Ugh.  

The garden is coming along pretty well.  It seemed to take off overnight.  We had a very small shower and some lightning/thunder.  That always seems to make it grow faster.  Lightning releases nitrogen and that makes for good fertilizer for fast growth.  I assume the rain has that also.  

Carrots finally sprouting

Potatoes

Tomatoes and onions on the right if you look close

It's time to prune the tomato plants and get rid of the suckers.  You can see I had to add a fence.  Snickers thinks that nice new dirt is meant for him to dig in.  

'K' off to Mom's to help her with some yard work and try to alleviate her worry about her dog.  The vet told her she ahs about 2 months to live.  He thinks she has kidney failure.  This is a huge blow to her.  I worry about how she will handle it.  So far it is not so good, it's about all she talks about.  This dog is her constant companion. 

If you haven't already started prepping, you might want to think again.  The sources I read say a recession is coming undoubtedly, others say it is here.  Some even say a full blown depression is coming.  I don't know, but it doesn't hurt to start saving now either way.

Happy trails

Happy Trails

Weather, Final Surgery and OOPs

Woke up to very cool weather, 53 this morning and in the 40's elsewhere.  Not that unusual other then having temps at 95 earlier in the week.  And the wind, oh the wind.  I don't recall so much wind in past Springs.  Not just calm winds but 35-40 mph winds all day long for days.  

I did manage to get the yard cut Monday.  I needed to get it done before Tuesday or it would have to wait longer than I would have liked.  Tuesday was the final surgery for my cataracts.  That makes it impossible to do yard work or much of anything.  I can't even bend over to put on shoes.  It puts too much pressure on the new work/lens and you sure don't want to get any dirt in it from mowing.  I guess you could pop that thing right across the room if you strained too hard.  I fell down the stairs coming out of the doctor's office but it didn't seem to dislodge anything.  Just 3-4 steps due to not paying attention.  Changing from one pair of glasses to my sunglasses and oops.  Just a few strained muscles and sore spots and a bruised ego.  This eye is taking a little longer to recover from the trauma of surgery, but I can see it happening slowly.  But glad it's finally over.  One more follow up check next Thursday.

'K' has headed over to  pick up the youngest granddaughter.  It's been a couple weeks since she has been here and we are missing that.  It will make my 'taking it easy' much easier to tolerate.  

Happy Trails

My Weekend

More planting of various shrubs in pots and in locations in the yard.  These are to replace things that didn't make it through the last winter that were still suffering from the previous major winter storm.  We had more hard freezes this year than we have had in forever.  All of that took it's toll of the landscape.  The garden is starting to take off after almost two weeks.  Onions are making an appearance and so are carrots.  Nothing from the potatoes yet.  I have never grown potatoes before or carrots.  Admittedly I don't know what I'm doing other than what I get off You Tube.  Still waiting for the tomatoes to show they have rooted.  Planted some marigolds in the garden to ward of pests.  I grow totally organic, marigolds seem to help.  

Saturday evening was the yearly fund raising banquet for Sacred Selection Texas Hill Country that 'K' and I have been involved on the past few years.  'K' is much more involved than I am.  I pale in comparison.  It is an organization that helps young Christian families with funds to adopt children.  The goal is to raise more children as Christians.  In this world we certainly need as many as we can get.  There is a live auction and silent auction for items donated.  100% of the funds go to families.  No one receives a salary and there is no office space to pay for.  Everyone is a true volunteer.  We had three families our chapter was raising funds for.  There are chapters around the country and each one has it's own fundraisers.  Last year we raised over 250K and funded all three families.  Our goal this year is 250K again. Preliminary totals were 313K and change.  Our best yet.  There were some very generous folks that understand the need and the good results.  Sacred Selections has adopted out 402 children.  When we started 3-4 years ago they were at the mid 30's in numbers of adopted children.  This has happened in 29 states so far.  Anyway, it is a very fun event, especially the auction.  We had a very funny professional auctioneer that knows how to get deep pockets.  I am in awe of that talent.  

Happy Trails