• Re: Tolkien Landscaping and Philology Service

    From Paul S Person@psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid to rec.arts.books.tolkien,alt.fan.tolkien on Sat Jun 6 09:09:26 2020
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books.tolkien

    On Fri, 5 Jun 2020 10:12:16 -0700, Stan Brown
    <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote:



    On Fri, 5 Jun 2020 06:45:46 -0700, Stan Brown wrote:

    i had to buy a new lawn mower recently, and not a battery-powered one
    from Home Depot. It's just as powerful as a gasoline-powered one,
    but among its many advantages is that it's a LOT less noisy.

    Sorry for the typo, which created confusion. I should have written
    " ... GOT a battery-powered one ...". This one, in fact:

    https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-20-in-40-Volt-Brushless-Lithium- >Ion-Cordless-Battery-Walk-Behind-Push-Lawn-Mower-6-0-Ah-Battery- >Charger-Included-RY401110-Y/311084745

    Yes, it's necessary to push the mower, but it's so light that that's
    really not a burden. And the handle is adjustable so a backache is
    less likely.

    I haven't noticed any problem with high center of gravity or
    difficulty in turning. I wouldn't have bought a corded mower on a
    bet, but the rechargeable battery is great. And it's interchangeable
    with the battery on my weed whacker, so if I run out of juice in the
    middle of a work session I can just swap batteries and keep going.

    Always glad to hear that things are better than I thought.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Glenn Holliday@holliday@acm.org to rec.arts.books.tolkien,alt.fan.tolkien on Sat Jun 6 15:40:00 2020
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books.tolkien

    On 6/5/2020 10:10 AM, Bill O'Meally wrote:
    On 2020-06-05 13:45:46 +0000, Stan Brown said:

    On Thu, 4 Jun 2020 19:53:49 -0400, Bill O'Meally wrote:

    And you can bet he used a (non-motorized) push mower!-a Can you imagine
    his dismay in his suburban existence at the noise of lawn equipment and
    their 'infernal combustion engines'? :-)

    i had to buy a new lawn mower recently, and not a battery-powered one
    from Home Depot. It's just as powerful as a gasoline-powered one, but
    among its many advantages is that it's a LOT less noisy.

    'Not' a battery powered one?-a You mean a *manual* push mower?-a I got one once and did not find it to work very well, and it took lots of effort
    even when I was 20 years younger!-a Tolkien was just a couple years
    younger than me now when he wrote those letters.-a Could have just been a poor quality model.

    I had a manual push mower once. I worked well for a short while,
    then pieces began to fall off. I was unable to find a good quality replacement. This was before Internet - I could probably find
    many choices today. But at that time I switched to electric -
    corded, as battery mowers were in their infancy then. It has
    run well for more than 20 years, and I learned to manage the
    cord well enough to like using the thing. When it eventually
    breaks down I will likely switch to a battery mower.

    Actually, I have an old scythe, which I mowed grass with a few times
    to find out what it was like. I would need to practice with it
    more than I did to become skilled with it. I wonder if
    Tolkien handled one of those when he was in the country?
    --
    Glenn Holliday holliday@acm.org
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Stan Brown@the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm to rec.arts.books.tolkien,alt.fan.tolkien on Sat Jun 6 17:22:00 2020
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books.tolkien

    On Sat, 6 Jun 2020 15:40:00 -0400, Glenn Holliday wrote:

    I had a manual push mower once. I worked well for a short while,
    then pieces began to fall off.

    I'm so sorry to hear that, but we are all aging. My pieces are
    sagging, bt one has actually fallen off. :-)

    Actually, I have an old scythe, which I mowed grass with a few
    times
    to find out what it was like. I would need to practice with it
    more than I did to become skilled with it. I wonder if
    Tolkien handled one of those when he was in the country?

    Or you could always just get a few goats. :-)
    --
    Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA
    https://BrownMath.com/
    https://OakRoadSystems.com/
    Tolkien FAQs: http://Tolkien.slimy.com (Steuard Jensen)
    Tolkien letters FAQ: https://preview.tinyurl.com/pr6sa7u
    FAQ of the Rings: https://oakroadsystems.com/genl/ringfaq.htm
    Encyclopedia of Arda: http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/default.htm
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Paul S Person@psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid to rec.arts.books.tolkien,alt.fan.tolkien on Sun Jun 7 09:34:40 2020
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books.tolkien

    On Sat, 6 Jun 2020 15:40:00 -0400, Glenn Holliday <holliday@acm.org>
    wrote:

    On 6/5/2020 10:10 AM, Bill O'Meally wrote:
    On 2020-06-05 13:45:46 +0000, Stan Brown said:

    On Thu, 4 Jun 2020 19:53:49 -0400, Bill O'Meally wrote:

    And you can bet he used a (non-motorized) push mower!a Can you imagine >>>> his dismay in his suburban existence at the noise of lawn equipment and >>>> their 'infernal combustion engines'? :-)

    i had to buy a new lawn mower recently, and not a battery-powered one
    from Home Depot. It's just as powerful as a gasoline-powered one, but
    among its many advantages is that it's a LOT less noisy.

    'Not' a battery powered one?a You mean a *manual* push mower?a I got one
    once and did not find it to work very well, and it took lots of effort
    even when I was 20 years younger!a Tolkien was just a couple years
    younger than me now when he wrote those letters.a Could have just been a
    poor quality model.

    I had a manual push mower once. I worked well for a short while,
    then pieces began to fall off. I was unable to find a good quality >replacement.

    Anything mechanical is prone to doing that.

    Particularly when I don't do maintenance.

    This was before Internet - I could probably find
    many choices today. But at that time I switched to electric -
    corded, as battery mowers were in their infancy then. It has
    run well for more than 20 years, and I learned to manage the
    cord well enough to like using the thing. When it eventually
    breaks down I will likely switch to a battery mower.

    My first corded mower required me to adjust the height of each wheel separately. Which was confusing because the front and rear wheels
    adjusted in opposite directions (clockwise and anticlockwise, moing a
    selector along a toothed bit of metal, which meant you had to count
    the number of "teeth" from oppoosite ends in opposite directions, all
    while laying the thing on its side).

    My new one has a single lever that adjusts all four at once!

    Just something to look for if/when you decide to replace it.

    Actually, I have an old scythe, which I mowed grass with a few times
    to find out what it was like. I would need to practice with it
    more than I did to become skilled with it. I wonder if
    Tolkien handled one of those when he was in the country?
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to rec.arts.books.tolkien,alt.fan.tolkien on Sun Jun 14 07:27:51 2020
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books.tolkien

    On Sat, 6 Jun 2020 17:22:00 -0700, Stan Brown
    <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote:

    Or you could always just get a few goats. :-)

    Sheep would probably be better. Goats tend to be browsers.
    --
    Stephen Hayes, Author of The Year of the Dragon
    Sample or purchase The Year of the Dragon: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/907935
    Web site: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
    E-mail: shayes@dunelm.org.uk
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to rec.arts.books.tolkien,alt.fan.tolkien on Sun Jun 14 07:38:46 2020
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books.tolkien

    On Fri, 05 Jun 2020 09:18:32 -0700, Paul S Person
    <psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid> wrote:

    Sadly, he lived before the advent -- or, at least, the wide
    availability -- of electric mowers.

    In my youth there were only manual mowers, with horzontal blade rotors
    driven by the wheels.

    When I grew up and needed one power mowers were available, and we
    bought a petrol one from a big firm. When if died, they said it wasn't
    worth repairing, it had a Briggs & Stratton engine, and they said that
    was rubbish, get a Robin. When that died, they said it wasn't worth
    repairing and the Robin engine was rubbish, get a Briggs & Stratton.

    At that point we left and went to the little guy up the road and
    bought an electric one. Long cord, but fewer moving parts, so lasts
    longer. And the little guy repairs it and services it, and only tells
    us to get a new one when it's really unfixable.

    But with as manual mower, Tolkien's comments are completely
    understandable.
    --
    Stephen Hayes, Author of The Year of the Dragon
    Sample or purchase The Year of the Dragon: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/907935
    Web site: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
    E-mail: shayes@dunelm.org.uk
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Stan Brown@the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm to rec.arts.books.tolkien,alt.fan.tolkien on Sun Jun 14 06:15:08 2020
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books.tolkien

    On Sun, 14 Jun 2020 07:38:46 +0200, Steve Hayes wrote:
    At that point we left and went to the little guy up the road and
    bought an electric one. Long cord, but fewer moving parts, so lasts
    longer. And the little guy repairs it and services it, and only tells
    us to get a new one when it's really unfixable.

    A trustworthy mechanic is worth his or her weight in gold.

    I wouldn't even consider a cutting-type appliance with a cord. Being
    Mr. Clumsy, I would sooner or later -- probably sooner -- cut right
    through the cord. But battery-operated ones are just right for me:
    enough juice from a charge to get the job done, fewer moving parts,
    very little maintenance, and no fluids!

    If it were physically possible, I'd have a battery-operated
    generator. (For those who don't know, in southern California the
    power company shuts off power in times of high wind, because
    otherwise their **uninsulated** transmission lines touch each other,
    spark, and cause wildfires. The shutoffs can last for days, so either
    you accept that you'll lose a fridgeful of food once or twice a year,
    or you buy a generator for backup power.)
    --
    Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA
    https://BrownMath.com/
    https://OakRoadSystems.com/
    Tolkien FAQs: http://Tolkien.slimy.com (Steuard Jensen)
    Tolkien letters FAQ: https://preview.tinyurl.com/pr6sa7u
    FAQ of the Rings: https://oakroadsystems.com/genl/ringfaq.htm
    Encyclopedia of Arda: http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/default.htm
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Paul S Person@psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid to rec.arts.books.tolkien,alt.fan.tolkien on Sun Jun 14 09:21:27 2020
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books.tolkien

    On Sun, 14 Jun 2020 06:15:08 -0700, Stan Brown
    <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote:

    On Sun, 14 Jun 2020 07:38:46 +0200, Steve Hayes wrote:
    At that point we left and went to the little guy up the road and
    bought an electric one. Long cord, but fewer moving parts, so lasts
    longer. And the little guy repairs it and services it, and only tells
    us to get a new one when it's really unfixable.

    A trustworthy mechanic is worth his or her weight in gold.

    Indeed.

    I wouldn't even consider a cutting-type appliance with a cord. Being
    Mr. Clumsy, I would sooner or later -- probably sooner -- cut right
    through the cord. But battery-operated ones are just right for me:
    enough juice from a charge to get the job done, fewer moving parts,
    very little maintenance, and no fluids!

    Indeed.

    If it were physically possible, I'd have a battery-operated
    generator. (For those who don't know, in southern California the
    power company shuts off power in times of high wind, because
    otherwise their **uninsulated** transmission lines touch each other,
    spark, and cause wildfires. The shutoffs can last for days, so either
    you accept that you'll lose a fridgeful of food once or twice a year,
    or you buy a generator for backup power.)

    Back when I had an "account" with /Consumer Reports/ (this was after
    the theory that I was a "member of the Conumers' Union and the
    magazine was a member benefit was replaced with a more ... aggressive
    ... model), they had something to say about emergency generators:

    1) Gasoline is the fuel of choice.

    2) It should be able to fully power your home and everything in it. No
    skimping on output, sooner or later you're going to need it all.

    I don't recall if they explicitly recommended a concrete pad, but
    chances are any contractor installing something that large would
    include one as a matter of course. Or zoning law.
    --
    "I begin to envy Petronius."
    "I have envied him long since."
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Bill O'Meally@omeallymd@geemail.com to rec.arts.books.tolkien,alt.fan.tolkien on Tue Jun 16 09:02:54 2020
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books.tolkien

    On 2020-06-14 13:15:08 +0000, Stan Brown said:


    If it were physically possible, I'd have a battery-operated
    generator. (For those who don't know, in southern California the
    power company shuts off power in times of high wind, because
    otherwise their **uninsulated** transmission lines touch each other,
    spark, and cause wildfires. The shutoffs can last for days, so either
    you accept that you'll lose a fridgeful of food once or twice a year,
    or you buy a generator for backup power.)

    When did you move to SoCal Stan? Far cry from Upstate NY! I recall
    getting Finger Lake winery advice from you for my honeymoon back in
    2003!

    Tehachapi always makes me think of that Little Feat song "Willin'".
    --
    Bill O'Meally

    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Stan Brown@the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm to rec.arts.books.tolkien,alt.fan.tolkien on Wed Jun 17 12:10:31 2020
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books.tolkien

    On Tue, 16 Jun 2020 09:02:54 -0400, Bill O'Meally wrote:

    On 2020-06-14 13:15:08 +0000, Stan Brown said:


    If it were physically possible, I'd have a battery-operated
    generator. (For those who don't know, in southern California the
    power company shuts off power in times of high wind, because
    otherwise their **uninsulated** transmission lines touch each other,
    spark, and cause wildfires. The shutoffs can last for days, so either
    you accept that you'll lose a fridgeful of food once or twice a year,
    or you buy a generator for backup power.)

    When did you move to SoCal Stan?

    In late March of this year. Talk about bad timing! My sister and I
    were driving a Budget Truck across the U.S. with my worldly goods,
    and we felt like fourteenth-century European aristocrats fleeing the
    plague. At almost every stop, we heard some variation on "you're
    lucky you didn't get here a couple of days later, because we're under
    a shutdown order effective tomorrow."

    Far cry from Upstate NY! I recall
    getting Finger Lake winery advice from you for my honeymoon back in
    2003!

    It's certainly different here, seeing wine and liquor sold in Costco,
    in Walmart, in grocery stores including Aldi, even in dollar stores!
    Prices are much lower, and the selection is surprisingly good, though
    it isn't a patch on Northside Wines in Ithaca.
    --
    Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA
    https://BrownMath.com/
    https://OakRoadSystems.com/
    Tolkien FAQs: http://Tolkien.slimy.com (Steuard Jensen)
    Tolkien letters FAQ: https://preview.tinyurl.com/pr6sa7u
    FAQ of the Rings: https://oakroadsystems.com/genl/ringfaq.htm
    Encyclopedia of Arda: http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/default.htm
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2