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Nice Gem Push Button Shave with a carbon steel blade, and vintage Colgate cup soap 

I have not seen many people doing head shaves with lather catchers so I thought I would make a video . I have been getting really good head shaves with this gem Junior leather catcher. It is my favorite razor for head shaves . I also tried vintage Colgate cup soap for the first time and it performed great.

It's eclipse day! I was going to drive the 40ish miles to the center of the path of totality, but rethought that idea. Too many people will be there and I really dislike crowds. I saw a total eclipse as a child and I'd like to see another without spending gobs of $ chasing one down. But totality is not going to happen for me. I had out of the way spots all figured out (farrrrr out of the way in the wiliwacks!) , but the spring snow storms that we had, ruined those unplowed sites in the way back of beyond that few know about.

Where I am will lack totality, we'll be at maybe 95%+ covered so I won't get to see the magic of the corona, but could get the diamond ring effect. So due to my dislike of crowds and just the logistics of getting to totality (there's more involved that I'm not mentioning), I'll see it from home. 

I'm an amateur astronomer so I'll see it through my filtered wide field 'scope and it'll still be enjoyable to see the hunk of rock we call the moon moving in it's orbit*. I was thinking that maybe we'd be clouded out, as usual, but no. The rest of the US will be mostly clouded out but we're expected to be clear (Maine). The best states are expected to be Maine, VT, and NH.

*The last eclipse I saw I had random nightmares years afterward of immense "rocks" rolling on me and crushing me. I was a child, that's my excuse.

   

I've been on the lookout for a Red Enders Deluxe for a very long time. The other day Freddie Payne posted a SOTD with his. When I mentioned how beautiful it was and that I was hoping to find one he messaged me and let me know where he had seen one for sale in a lot purchase. I jumped on it immediately and it arrives today. Thanks so much Freddie for helping me finally add this beauty to my collection. This is the razor after a quick cleanup. I've got some MAAS polish on order and will do a bit more cleaning and polishing when it arrives.

OK, disclaimer. I'm not connected to any of the companies and their products that I'm about to discuss in any way other than as a customer paying their full retail prices. Moving on...

I would get their email advertisements and think, "Yeah, right!", then delete it. But one time in a moment of weakness I dropped the hammer on one. What am I writing about? The small plug in Watt Savers. 

So the first one arrived and I plugged it in and waited. The first bill arrived and our bill was roughly half of our normal bill. I waited another month and again, half of our once normal bill. That means from a $200+ bill to a $130ish bill 2 months running. That NEVER happens. But we have 2 power panels so I ordered a 2nd unit and plugged it in downstream of the panel. The next bill was $60ish dollars. That hasn't happened for 40 years, when we were just paying for the hookup and living out of a tent. But we have another power panel out in the shop and I ordered another one for out there. 

The installation is incredibly hi-tech and difficult. Plug it in downstream and as close to the box as possible but don't agonize over it. That was the installation. 

Be careful of scam units that look like the real deal but near as I can figure, just have light in them to make them look like a WattSaver. We have a friend who bought 5 of those and saw no change in her bill. She paid something like $8 per unit and got terrible night lights.

In the link below I bought one of each the first 2 listed units and ordered the 3rd from the first listed.
https://bestconsumerinsight.com/top-powe...d_source=5

If anyone tries it I'd like to know how it works for you, good or bad. Why? I still have a hard time believing the results we're getting.

Menthol Monday's  Cold Water Shave

Cold Water Rinse
Fine Snake Bite Shave Soap
Jayaruh 424 Synthetic
Unmentionable Razor
Unmentionable Blade
CWR
Osage Rub

The Fine Snake Bite Shave Soap lathered well with the Jayaruh 424 Synthetic Brush. Two passes and touch ups with the Unmentionable Razor and an Unmentionable Blade gave me a close, comfortable shave. After a cold water rinse I finished off with Osage Rub. I am clean, smooth, and refreshed...

I had to say goodbye to my cat Peanut the other day.  He was 16 years old.  Had him since he was a baby.  He stopped eating.  Tried a lot of different things at the vet, but he still wouldn't eat.

Once again, PI Day rolls around. Here is my Pi Day Shave and The Pi Song.


The PI Song to 12 decimal places.

Yesterday I went to check on the owner of my favorite local antique shop, he's been having some health issues. When we got done talking he said he had a couple of razors in for me and to my shock one of them was a lather catcher! It's in a lot better shape than my other one, it also has the strop attachment in the handle which is neat. I noticed the bar is a little bent, but with modern gem blade everything looks good. Also I've been calling these a model 1901 which I realize is wrong. Are these later gem Junior bars? And is there any way to date these.