So I made it.

I needed to torque a 15/16" nut to 170 ft/lbs which is the same as a 170 pound guy standing on a foot long lever.

However the nut was situated in such a way that I could not get onto it with a socket and a 3/8" drive crows foot, even if I had one, probably wouldn't withstand 170 ft/lbs of torque.

So I cut the end off of a 15/16" open end wrench and welded a 1/2" drive socket to it. Then I ground off the part of the socket I didn't need keeping just the square 1/2" drive part.

The tool adds 4.25" inches to my 16" torque wrench. The side benefit was that I only needed to pull 135 ft/lbs with this extension to get the full 170 ft/lbs.

You can't buy it but now you know where you can borrow one.

The math for Ralph : (16/(16+4.25))*170=134.320977654321 but there is an incorrect number to the right of the decimal just to see if Ralph can find it.

The website that will do the torque wrench extension math for you including an added angle.

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Last year robins built a nest in the ivy above our front porch and laid eggs. By the time we noticed it was too late for us to remove it (kind heart folks that we are.) Consequently we couldn't use our front door until the eggs hatched and flew away.

A short while later as I was starting to take down the nest I discovered that the robins had laid a second batch of eggs!  Grrrrr!!!

When fall came we took down the nest but I knew that this spring the robins would try to reclaim 'their' spot on 'our' porch.

Enter the rubber duck. Bright yellow with orange beak and big eyes! This would scare the robins away.

Um... nope. The robins just moved two feet along the vine.

Another 'nesting' duck was added in the new spot.

Um... nope again.  Seems there is plenty of room for all God's creatures on our front porch.

While looking for more ducks in the toy box Marilyn came up with a pink  'My Little Pony' and I'm going to contribute a couple of rubber lizards.

Excuse me while I take a break.

Peruse through some of my past Show`n`Tell postings. There are 500 of them now. Some have overt spiritual applications while others take some thinking. They are worth looking through again.

Being somewhat of a perfectionist (what others might call OCD) I find the number 500 comforting enough pause and take a breath. It has 12 factors (1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100, 125, 250 and 500) and that is comforting too ~ I like the number 12.

And 500 is half-way to one thousand which is grand! And half-way is a good place for a musical interlude.

Camera cases can cost a lot, especially ones that will hold a DSLR and large lens. Here is a cheap solution that is more than adequate as a tote that will give you ready access to your camera and still keep it protected while not in use.

You can find padded soft side lunch 'boxes' for less than $5 at a thrift store. Many have never been used and some come with additional zippered pockets that can carry extra batteries, a charger, filters, memory cards, ect.

This is NOT a theft deterrent as there are folks who would steal your lunch if you left it handy to snatch. But it is less obvious than a fancy camera case emblazoned with Nikon or Canon.

A smile will not only brighten other people's day but it will start a feed back cycle that will brighten your day too. Try it!

Even a small candle pushes back the darkness and a simple smile can ease a great burden.

note: smiles not photoshopped ~ they really did seem happy to see me.

I wanted to share this picture for a couple of reasons. The lighting set up worked and the B&W conversion did too... at least for my taste.

But beyond the photography I'm very thankful for my son`n`law Shane. His boat is named Straight Arrow but he is the real straight arrow. He is a godly man of great integrity and peaceful demeanor.

I lived here while I was in the single digits age wise. Our apartment was above the garages in the alley off of 25th Street in Everett. 

The Everett listing for A.A. was our phone number and when people needed help they called our home phone. Most often those calls came at night.

I can still remember one lady my parents brought home in the middle of the night. I remember that I knelt beside the couch where she lay and prayed for her. She never forgot it and my parents took note of it too.

She lived near Machias and my parents would take me out there to see her on occasion. I always received a birthday card from her with some little foil wrapped chocolate 'coins'.

We frequently drive past where she used to live and I'm reminded that God had a plan for my life from the very beginning. Even those years of my teenage rebellion couldn't undo God's purpose.

Marilyn and I have been at Machias Community Church for 26 years. It was a call that God put in my heart before I was 5 years old. I didn't know it then but I know it now.

Have you realized that God has a plan for your life? Have you allowed God to work that plan out in your life? Did you know that His purpose for your life is good?

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One of my all time favorite movies is the Princess Bride. So many memorable lines to quote.

The exact quote has Inigo Montoya asking, 'Fezzic, are there rocks ahead?'  To which Fezzic replies with characteristic rhyme, 'If there are we'll all be dead.'

André René Roussimoff aka Andre the Giant played Fessic in the Princess Bride. He died of heart failure in 1993 after attending his father's funeral.

It's a fact of life: there are 'rocks' ahead and we will all die sooner or later. But if you put your trust in the Rock you will be saved and death will not over come you.

For the scripture says, "I chose a valuable stone, which I am placing as the cornerstone in Zion; and whoever believes in Him will never be disappointed."
This stone is of great value for you that believe; but for those who do not believe: "The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all."

1 Peter 2:6-7

Jesus is the Rock.

While most Cicada species have some adults emerging from the ground each year the North American Magicicada are on either a 13 year or 17 year life cycle and the whole brood emerges at the same time!

Cicada nymphs live underground until the time is right and then emerge to molt, mate, lay eggs and die. And then the cycle repeats. What is left behind is a bunch of empty cicada shells clinging to trees. The picture above is an empty shell.

The Cicada's life cycle is spiritually symbolic in some cultures. The shedding of its skin is also an illustration of a tactic used to escape an enemy.  金蝉脱壳

I see a spiritual illustration here as well ~ though the time frame and cyclical nature are completely different.

It's more than a child's game... it is a fact of life: we all follow the leader whether we know it or not. The real issue is 'what leader are you following?'

Sin was causing many problems for the Corinthian Church but the divisions caused by false claims of following was at the head of the list. While some claimed to be following Paul others claimed to be following Apollos or Peter. The more 'spiritual' ones claimed to be following Christ.

Truth be told  they were self-willed false followers who were only following their own lusts and ultimately you know what that means.

Figure out who you are really following (don't deceive yourself on this) and where you will end up if you continue on this course. Some will make it to a safe port having accomplished their task and others will be shipwrecked on the rocks.

Choose wisely.