Dysmey Blog Archives > New Mailbox and Other Stuph
The cat is on the table next to my computer. She sits there during the day when the upper room window is open; but I did not open it today, because I knew it would rain today.
The new mailbox worked as advertised, keeping my mail dry. Typically for me the first piece of mail that escaped being wet was a bill.
I set up the mailbox last Saturday after I mowed the lawn. Basically I dug a hole half a meter deep, put in a square post, secured it with packed soil, and screwed on the mailbox. It sounds simple, and it is; but it was still hard work. The soil were I dug the hole was very stony, and I broke a post-hole digger working the ground. Half a meter was as deep as I could dig. I had to trim six inches off the post to make it fit in the hole. The post part of the mailbox was recessed, so I had to use a ratchet wrench instead of the crescent wrench the instructions recommended. But in the end I got a sturdy mailbox that keeps my mail dry.
I did not get wet myself today because I was busy getting a server set up with Fedora Core Linux. The server will be used as a test for the coming Institutional Repository, basically a Web site where digital documents can be read. The instructions for the repository software, called EPrints, are mostly complete, so I had little trouble installing the components. But there were a lot of components. Well, once the test data are installed tomorrow, we will see if it passes muster.
Anyhoo, the mailbox, along with new Venetian blinds for the back door, were two of the major projects I had finished for this year. The other is the upper room window; I will see if I can get that fixed during my next vacation in early August. That also goes for the two dead trees in my yard. Now that it is certain that the line crossing their branches is not electrical, I will have to find someone to come over and cut the trees down. I think I will have the wood sent to Tina.