FJSThoughts.com

SPARK PLUG NIGHTMARE: Problem Solved

2024-11-03T10:22:00.000-06:00

I'm not a mechanic; I'm not even a handyman. I changed 4 spark plugs and 4 spark plug wires on our 1999 Toyota Rav4 recently. I watched some videos on YouTube and those guys made it look easy, so I gave it a try. I thought it would take me about 30 minutes, going slow, taking my time, being very careful. I was wrong! About 4 hours later I was finished!

The big problem was the spark plug socket got stuck to the new spark plug after I tightened it down a bit. The little rubber insert had a strong hold on the plug, and the socket kept coming off the ratchet; I tried again and again and again, just could not get it off the plug and up the cylinder.

The big breakthrough came when I unscrewed the plug and pulled it back up. I took a look at what I had and figured it out: the problem was that little piece of rubber insert in the spark plug socket; it held the plug tight and the force to pull it off the plug was greater than the hold the ratchet had on the socket, so the socket kept pulling off of the ratchet.

Fortunately, I had 2 spark plug sockets. I took the little piece of rubber off of 1 and used both sockets, depending on what I was trying to get done.

I used the socket with the rubber insert to take out the old plugs. I had to make sure the spark plug was fully unthreaded before I started to pull the plug up, otherwise I would just pull the socket off the ratchet and have to start over. That went pretty well. Then I used my fingers to gently drop a new plug down the cylinder. Then I changed the socket and used the 1 without the rubber insert to tighten down the plug; once the plug was tightened, the socket would come up freely because it didn't have the rubber insert making a tight hold.

I am not telling you to change your plugs or to use this strategy, but it did finally work for me, after 4 hours of cussing, cursing, worry, panic and prayer. Lots of prayer! Thanks kindly much to my guardian angel and to God and to everybody else up there who helped me out of this spark plug nightmare! Problem solved!

c. FJS 2024

LIARS, LIARS, LIARS!

2024-10-21T18:30:00.000-05:00

Democrats and their sick, idiot media want you to believe:

Trump is GODZILLA!

Trump is THE BLOB!

Trump is KING KONG!

ALL LIES!

MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

VOTE FOR TRUMP!

ALSO, watch NEWSMAX and listen to Clay Travis and Buck Sexton for intelligent, honest news coverage!

c. 2024 FJS

USA VOTERS ARE NOT IDIOTS!

2024-08-18T12:19:00.002-05:00

There are some women out there in the good old USA who would make a fine president.

There are some ethnic-minority women out there who would make a fine president.

But USA voters today are not idiots; they will not be fooled; no slight of hand will trick them. Kamala Harris is NOT one of those women! Kamala Harris is not one of those ethnic-minority women!

Kamala Harris is pathetic! Any vote for her is a vote to destroy America; any vote for her is quite possibly a vote for WWIII and the destruction of good old planet Earth!

You may not like Donald Trump; you may not want to vote for Donald Trump. But do not be a damn fool; do not vote for Kamala Harris; do not vote for the destruction of America; do not vote for the destruction of planet Earth! It is infinitely better to stay home and to sit this one out, to not vote at all, than to vote for Kamala Harris! You will not get a second chance to realize you made a terrible mistake; you will not get a second chance to make things right!

USA voters are not idiots! Don't you be one!

c. 2024 FJS

LONG LIVE ISRAEL!

2024-05-27T13:34:00.001-05:00

Shame on Germany! It's a bad, bad look -- and even worse -- for Germany to be pursuing ANY Jew!

Apparently they didn't learn their lesson the first time around!

LONG LIVE ISRAEL!

FJS

USA POLITICS '24

2023-05-13T11:27:00.002-05:00

You don't have to like Trump to vote for him.

All you need is to LOVE AMERICA! Vote to LOVE AMERICA! Vote TRUMP!

TRUMP TRIUMPHANT '24!

AMERICA '24!
brought to you by TRUMP!

LYIN BYEDEN!!

These are special times in the USA, to witness President Donald J. Trump do his thing. Like being there to witness George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. These 3 are EXTRAORDINARY LEADERS!

THE CHOICE '24:
RIGHT vs left
RIGHT vs wrong
AMERICA vs death to America
VOTE RIGHT!

VOTE RIGHT!

VOTE AMERICA!

c. '23 FJS

SQUEAKY WHEELS TODAY

2023-04-07T17:09:00.003-05:00

Of course you have heard, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." That in itself is not a bad idea. A little grease and the wheel is good to go, all is well and good.

But sometimes, lately often, the squeaky wheel is not fundamentally good and sound, needs a little grease, and there we go. Sometimes the wheel itself is DEFECTIVE and absolutely NEEDS TO BE REMOVED, stored in the garage, and over time receive likely a good bit of professional attention to get it up to speed, if that is even possible.

All this SQUEAKY CRAP lately from FAKE NEWS, ANTIFA, BLACK LIVES MATTER, OPEN BORDERS, TRANSGENDER ACTIVISM, DRAG QUEEN SHOWS, GENDER AFFIRMING, MY PRONOUNS, NO BAIL, DRUG USE ZONES, DEFUND THE POLICE, INSURRECTION, JANUARY 6 PROSECUTIONS, REPARATIONS, MASK and COVID SHOT MANDATES, EQUITY, ESG, WOKE POLITICS and CORPORATIONS, UKRAINE FUNDING, DEEP STATE FBI and DOJ, PRESIDENT BIDEN and his ENTIRE ADMINISTRATION, FAR LEFT RADICALS, quiet and weak REPUBLICANS, RINOS, MOST ALL DEMOCRATS and on and on and on and on is just that: SQUEAKY CRAP!

NO amount of grease will or even could fix that which is inherently defective!! Forget the grease, don't even try, don't waste your time, don't risk serious harm riding on a defective wheel!! Take that damaged wheel off, take it out of the game, relegate it out of use to the garage, and maybe, maybe, maybe some day try to fix that which is obviously defective, damaged, broken and beyond a simple grease job!

CAUTION: Some squeaky wheels are not only defective, they are EVIL! DON'T MESS WITH EVIL!

c. FJS 2023

DEMOCRAT ONLY CHANCE TO SAVE AMERICA

2023-04-07T16:14:00.002-05:00

DEMOCRATS,

VOTE

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR

PRESIDENT!

better yet, vote DONALD J. TRUMP!!

c. FJS 2023

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND

2022-11-26T10:29:00.011-06:00

Newsmax (EXCELLENT!)

Donald Trump (one of the finest presidents the USA has ever had)

Elon Musk

Ron DeSantis

Ted Cruz

Tucker Carlson

Mark Levin

Clay Travis and Buck Sexton

Larry Elder

Jason Whitlock

Candace Owens

Julie Kelly

Miranda Devine

Elon Musk

Sebastian Gorka

Mollie Hemingway

Dinesh D'Souza

Alex Berenson

Glenn Greenwald

Vivek Ramaswamy

Newt Gingrich

Victor Davis Hanson

Lawrence Jones

Rob Schmitt

Carl Higbie

Greg Kelly

Chris Salcedo

Dan Bongino

Sean Hannity

Charlie Kirk

USA ELECTION '22: BEWARE THE IGNORANT VOTE

2022-10-16T10:56:00.003-05:00

I cannot even imagine why ANYONE would vote for ANY DEMOCRAT in 2022, not in local, not in statewide, not in national elections. Democrats these days are PATHETIC, they have nothing constructive, nothing positive, nothing good to offer any of us or the good of our USA society. All I can figure is that anyone who votes democrat these days, given the current state of affairs, is just flat-out ignorant, ignorant at least in regard to politics and of what is GOOD and TRUE in politics. This was not always so, and hopefully will not always be so, but sadly this is true TODAY, anyone who votes democrat these days is just flat-out ignorant.

I probably don't mean the following literally, but perhaps close to it. I am simply trying to make a point, an important point to preserve the survival of our USA in reasonably good fashion. We need a Constitutional Amendment and we need it ASAP: People ignorant of politics and of what is GOOD and TRUE in politics can still vote, but their vote counts only 1/2 or perhaps 1/4. Ignorant voters should not be able to vote into office ignorant democrat politicians and their ignorant policies, even if they have majority vote. We need to provide some measure of insurance for the good of our country and its' healthy and well survival, we must limit the value of ignorant political votes to the bare minimum.

Respectfully,

FJS

BLACK LIES MATTER

2022-05-29T10:05:00.004-05:00

I am not black and I don't know for sure, but it seems to me -- it SEEMS to me -- that a good many democrat politicians, black advocate groups such as Black Lives Matter and Antifa, news channels, media personalities, spokespersons and "authorities" are full of lies, partial truths, half-truths and flat out non-truths. It is vitally important that we be informed with wisdom and truth, anything less is a huge disservice and leads to despair and demise.

I highly recommend these courageous, honest, truthful, knowledgeable and wise leaders:

CANDACE OWENS

JASON WHITLOCK

LAWRENCE JONES

HERSCHEL WALKER

LEO TERRELL

DR. BEN CARSON

THOMAS SOWELL

JUDGE CLARENCE THOMAS

and others like these.

Listen to the truth and you will be accustomed to knowing the truth when you hear it, and knowing lies and partial truths when you hear them. FOLLOW THE TRUTH!

c. 2022 FJS

GOOGLE IS GREAT BUT...

2022-03-26T09:55:00.005-05:00

Google is great for its Search Engine and many of its apps. YouTube is great for its Videos.

Both Google and YouTube are PATHETIC for their politics, for the childish censoring and manipulation of opinion, for their pretense of knowing fact and their sickening participation in cancel culture. Shame, shame, shame on Google and YouTube executives and all levels of employees who engage in such garbage!

(NEWS ON) CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, NPR, FACEBOOK and TWITTER are just flat out GARBAGE! A BUNCH OF LIES AND PARTIAL TRUTHS, WHICH IS NO TRUTH AT ALL! NOTHING GOOD THERE! DON'T EVEN WASTE YOUR TIME!

c. 2022 FJS

PUTIN LAND GRAB WHILE HE CAN

2022-02-25T08:19:00.003-06:00

Putin knows that Biden is the worst President in U.S. history, the worst by far. I believe he is prepared to fight the next 3 years to amass whatever land grab he can while he can.

c. FJS

LORD, I COMMEND

2016-02-29T07:19:00.004-06:00

LORD, I COMMEND ALL MY DAYS,
ALL MY NIGHTS,
ALL MY PAIN.
YOU WHO ARE LORD, REDEEM.

LORD, I COMMEND ALL MY HOPES,
ALL MY DREAMS,
ALL MY FEARS.
YOU WHO ARE LORD, REDEEM.

LORD, I COMMEND ALL MY JOY,
ALL MY PEACE,
ALL MY TEARS.
YOU WHO ARE LORD, REDEEM.

LORD, I COMMEND ALL MY LIFE,
ALL MY BREATH,
ALL MY LOVE.

C. 2011 Fred J. Scheyd

MOTHER IS

2016-02-13T10:28:00.005-06:00

Quietly
she endures all trials,
in simplicity
does she labor,
with unreserved affection
embraces her world --
babes caressed to sleep;
watchtower to the infirmed

Courageously
she dances through life,
elegant,
never-ending in the finer grace
of love

Fountain of the earth,
womb of life,
good, noble,
pure and at peace

mother is
Beauty Personified.

c. 1983 Fred J. Scheyd

THOUGH

2016-02-13T10:21:00.005-06:00

Though you do not see me,
I am with you.

Though you do not hear me,
I speak to you.

Though you do not feel me,
I embrace you.

c. 2011 Fred J. Scheyd

IMPORTANT NOTES TO MYSELF

2015-03-15T09:12:00.005-05:00

I have a few favored notes to myself that I keep in my phone notepad and refer to often. These notes go deep to the core of my being and help me stay on track with my life. I stray off course rather often, but at least I have this tool to help set me straight again. These are MY important notes to myself...You might want to try something similar for yourself...Good luck! and God bless you and your life!

"LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE...FOR BOTH OF US...BECAUSE I CAN'T"...APF plea to me as she was dying of cancer

JUST KEEP MOVING...SMALL BABY STEPS...LITTLE BY LITTLE...

JUST KEEP MOVING TILL IT'S TIME TO SLEEP...I GOT THIS!

LOST IN DEPRESSION, LUST, LAZY AND NO RESPONSIBILITY. CONTAIN THESE AND MOVE ON!

QUIET...PEACEFUL...PRAYERFUL...

TO FEEL BETTER...TO THINK BETTER...TO DO BETTER...TO BE BETTER...

SLOW AND STEADY...KEEP THOUGHTS PLEASANT AND POSITIVE...

WHAT I'M GOOD AT...WHAT I ENJOY...WHAT GIVES ME MEANING AND PURPOSE...

THIS IS A PRECIOUS, BEAUTIFUL MOMENT...HOUR...DAY... NIGHT...WEEK...MONTH...YEAR...LIFE...

SMALL BABY STEPS...SMALL IMPROVEMENTS EACH DAY...STAY POSITIVE...

QUIET. ALONE. PRAY. READ. LEARN. THINK. WRITE. NATURE. AFFECTION. COMPASSION.

FAMILY. FRIENDS. AFFECTION. COMPASSION.

I'M DOING OK...I FEEL PRETTY GOOD...I'VE GOT SOME ENERGY...I'M DOING MY TO DO LIST.

GOD. JESUS. ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI.

PRAY. QUIET. CALM. HUMBLE. PATIENT. ENERGY. RESPONSIBLE. ACTION. AFFECTION. COMPASSION.

FJS

DEAR MOM AND DAD

2015-03-14T19:45:00.004-05:00

I want you to know this...

When I look at my 7 brothers and sisters I am VERY appreciative and VERY impressed. Not a LITTLE appreciative or a LITTLE impressed -- VERY MUCH SO!

Clear as a bell each one is quite different from the other. Line them up in a room and most folks wouldn't guess they are related. Nevertheless, each one -- EVERY ONE -- is a wonderful mixture with a heart and soul of GOLD. That gold isn't necessarily visible on the day-to-day surface, but it is definitely there and shines most brightly in time of need. Pretty neat!

I know the gold did not get there by accident. God put it there and you -- MOM AND DAD -- kept it there and polished it with YOUR NEVER-ENDING LOVE, WORK, DEDICATION, SACRIFICE, EXAMPLE AND PRAYERS -- LOTS OF PRAYERS!

Thank you, MOM AND DAD. Your lifetime of work does not go unnoticed. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

My love and prayers always,
Fred

November 1, 2012

ALWAYS AND EVERYWHERE

2013-11-24T10:11:00.007-06:00

ALWAYS AND EVERYWHERE
GIVE THANKS AND PRAISE TO GOD...
HE IS GLORIOUS; HE IS MIGHTY;
HE IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED...

c. FJS

THE BEST

2013-08-22T07:21:00.005-05:00

Nature is the finest art.

Quiet is the nicest music.

c. 2013 Fred J. Scheyd

TRAFFIC CAMERAS

2012-02-25T10:58:00.009-06:00

The following is a response I wrote to an article in the New Orleans Times Picayune about traffic cameras in the city:

I drive for work throughout the city and southern region almost 40 hours per week. I am no great fan of these traffic cameras. I do know this: If you REALLY want to save lives put those cameras on the interstates and highways every few miles. Catch and penalize -- and perhaps take away the driver's license of -- speeders and tailgaters. I fear for my life every day on the road and I thank my guardian angel for protecting me yet again when I make it home safely. It saddens me when I pass the hundreds of roadside memorials along my route. Many, many, many people flirt with death for themselves and innocent others when they speed and tailgate. I guess they assume nothing could possibly go wrong. They are WRONG! Everything can and does go wrong in a split instant and they leave no room -- no margin -- for error. I say penalize them all. Take them all off the road. Save lives. Not pretend, but REALLY!

FJS

SMART ADVICE

2011-05-09T19:13:00.005-05:00

If you're like me and so much of the rest of our hi-tech society, you probably own a cellphone. And that cellphone probably holds phone numbers of the important people in your life -- family, friends, work, corporations, organizations. And you probably pull up whoever you want to call, push a button and the call goes through. And you likely have NO IDEA of the SPECIFIC TELEPHONE DIGITS that you just dialed.

You likely have very few actual telephone numbers -- as they used to say -- memorized. You likely know very few telephone numbers, if any, -- as they used to say -- by heart. You would be ABSOLUTELY LOST or VERY NEARLY LOST without your smart phone doing all the hard work -- knowing all of the specific telephone digits for you to make contact with the important people in your life.

If your smart phone suddenly went stupid, you likely would be LOST! You likely wouldn't have a clue about how to contact your closest contacts. You have GOT! to be SMARTER! than your smart phone -- because one day your smart phone may go -- WILL GO! -- DUMB!

STOP! That's exactly right! STOP! STOP! whatever you are doing this very minute, take out your cellphone, pull up the important numbers and write -- that's RIGHT! -- WRITE! -- you know, PEN AND PAPER! -- those important numbers down. CARRY the most important numbers on an index card in your wallet or purse. Type ALL of your cellphone numbers into a computer file. PRINT that file and keep a copy in your dresser drawer or at your office desk. Review and UPDATE your phone numbers list frequently.

BE SMARTER THAN THE SMARTEST SMART PHONE! YES YOU CAN!

Respectfully,

FJS

PEACE

2011-04-24T11:36:00.011-05:00

IF PEACE ON EARTH
IS BUT A PASSING DREAM,

WE CONDEMN OURSELVES
TO LIVE AN ETERNAL NIGHTMARE.

c. 2011 Fred J. Scheyd

IF WE DO NOT LIVE IN PEACE,
WE HAVE ALREADY DIED.

c. 2011 Fred J. Scheyd

IF I COULD CHOOSE

2011-04-21T21:31:00.003-05:00

IF I COULD CHOOSE

ONE PLACE TO BE,

ONE PLACE TO SPEND

ETERNITY,

I'D CHOOSE THE CROSS,

THE FOOT OF CHRIST

THE LORD MY GOD,

MY GOD,

THE DAY HE DIED.

Sincerely,

FJS

BLOGGING SECRET WEAPON

2011-04-19T08:08:00.004-05:00

I happened to catch a brief clip of biography when actor Steve Allen died a while back. Mr. Allen wrote many -- MANY -- books during his lifetime. He said the secret to his writing so much was that he carried a small TAPE RECORDER with him everywhere he went, readily available to capture his passing thoughts which then more easily developed into his books.

THANK YOU, Mr. Steve Allen, for this invaluable jewel of information and advice. I am indebted to you and I am certain you don't mind that I share this wisdom with the blogosphere. God Bless to you, Sir.

Sincerely,
FJS

JUST ONE STEP AHEAD

2011-04-16T21:22:00.004-05:00

I opened the early post I'VE COME TO REALIZE with "Life is short. It passes by very quickly." Indeed it does. My ex-wife died of brain cancer at 58. My best friend's husband died of a heart attack at 52. My sister-in-law's brother was murdered in his 30s. I gave a eulogy some years ago for a 6 year old child who died of heart failure. The concept of this current post is that people who die are Just One Step Ahead of the rest of us. None of us are very far behind. We will all get there in short, due time -- some sooner; some a bit later; but all of us will get there ... relatively speaking ... Relatively Soon.

I have a few memories of when I was 6 years old. I remember these as though they occurred not yesterday or even last week, but perhaps a few weeks ago, or a few months ago, or at most a few years ago. In fact, it was a half-century ago that I was 6. I am 56 years old now. I am clearly over-the-hill. I am beyond halfway home. I will not see 112.

My parents are up in age now. My dad is 89; my mom 82. Their bodies and minds are not working so very well for them as in years past. My parents raised 8 children and it is now time for us to circle the wagons and provide the support that our parents require. A benefit of having so many children -- perhaps the only benefit? -- is that the children (hopefully) will be available to the parents in their time of need. Four of my brothers and sisters live out of town from my parents. They are not physically available to our parents at this time, but they do provide much concern, good ideas and strong emotional support to all of us. I am beginning to organize a rather loose version of Circle of Support (refer to the post TOUCH ONE LIFE DEEPLY-2) among my brothers and sisters on behalf of our parents.

I spend about 40 hours per week now driving a delivery route for my current work. I travel from Southwest Louisiana to Northwest Florida. A lot of time on the road -- city streets, back roads, highways, interstate. I pass many -- MANY! -- roadside memorials to those who have died in automobile accidents. I'm sure I have passed several hundred memorials in 3 years of driving the route. Passing these memorials always reminds me that I live by the grace of God. It would take about a split second for something to go wrong on the road and for my life to quickly end. I am always saddened to pass these memorials, and I am always frustrated by the obvious lack of safety that so many drivers flaunt.

I'm not suggesting that I am the finest driver in the world -- but I do TRY to drive safely. I am not suggesting that there would be no automobile accidents if everyone drove like me. But there would be A LOT FEWER accidents! A LOT FEWER needless deaths!

I have an idea that I would like to see happen, but I personally do not have the time to get it going. I hope someone reading this post will take my idea and run with it -- make it happen. I wish I had the time when I pass a roadside memorial to stop my deliveries just long enough to jump out the truck, say my prayers for those deceased, and take a photo of the memorial. Then post all of these memorial photos on a blog or website. I would like it to be a collection both of my local region/state and expand to include photos from across the nation. A national memorial dedicated to prayer for those who have died on our roads and their families and friends. A reminder to all of us that life passes by quickly and that we should cherish each moment ... and that we should DRIVE CAREFULLY!

Many people drive as if they never expect anything to go wrong -- not with themselves, their vehicle, or the people or vehicles around them. They are either very selfish or idiots or both. They leave NO ROOM WHATSOEVER FOR ERROR. They drive 70+ miles per hour, bumper to bumper, car after car. A frequent thought while I am driving is ... SOMETHING VERY EASILY COULD GO WRONG IN A SPLIT SECOND AND WHAT CAN I DO TO PREVENT IT AND HOW AM I GOING TO RESPOND IF IT DOES. I pray to my guardian angel often and I thank God every day for keeping me safe from harm -- so far.

Ernest Becker wrote a brilliant book entitled "The Denial of Death". The bottom line is that all of us are trying to find someone or something or someway to outlive our death. Someone or something to leave behind when we are gone. Someone or something in our wake. It could be a family, a child, a painting, a bridge, ... anything ... so long as it outlives us. This effort is what gives our life meaning and purpose beyond its limited self.

I do thank Google and all the Blogger geniuses and workers that make this FJS Thoughts blog possible. This represents for me in many respects my "denial of death". It is my effort to leave something behind. Something that may be of some value to someone, somewhere. I am constantly reminded as I watch close family members and friends die and as I drive past roadside memorials ... that these people are Just One Step Ahead of the rest of us. We are all not so very far behind.

Sincerely,

FJS