One day at a time

The extended coronavacation has given me a new appreciation for the internet. Isn't it great to stay connected to the world during lockdown?

It sure is. It let's you check the news headlines on dozens of global news sites. You gotta keep checking hour after hour, because you never know when some new news might pop up.

Believe it or not, I even find time to do some non-news research from time to time. Just today I was pondering what the standard motor was in a 1970 Freightliner cab-over. That info was surprisingly difficult to pin down, but I think it was the Cummins 250. That was a 5.9L diesel unit that made 400 foot pounds of torque. Torque is what pulls your tractor-trailer through those Rocky Mountain passes on a cross-country run.

Fifty years later, you can get a Cummins diesel in a Dodge pickup truck. It's actually a big favourite of the snowbird crowd who pull their fifth wheel trailers to Florida or Arizona every winter. It's a 6.9 diesel that makes 850 foot pounds of torque, because how else are you gonna make it through those mountain passes on the Interstate on the way to Florida?

In a similar vein, there's been major inflation in the square footage of the typical single family home. Back in the day, a family could manage to raise up four or five or even more kids in a three bedroom bungalow with one bathroom. Nowadays a family of four needs two thousand square feet with four bathrooms.

Pondering inevitably leads to the need for more research, and before you know it, your day is over. That's how I managed to let the grass grow a couple of days longer than I should have. When you do that, you end up having to stop the lawnmower every couple of minutes because it's getting bunged up. On the upside, you get a really good work-out.

So I'm trying to find the right balance here at Falling Downs. I envy the farmers around here. Their daily agendas are determined by the events of the day; if mama cow is having trouble getting that calf out, you don't have the option of leaving it till tomorrow.