Texas Heat!

[Bird]

Today the electricity went off at 5:05 p.m. (clear, cool, and windy weather), so instead of waiting a few minutes as I usually do, I promptly called Oncor's automated outage reporting number, got the same spiel about crews working to restore it as quickly as possible, estimated to be restored by 8 p.m., confirmation number 91. Did they deliberately turn it off? Otherwise, how would they know so soon? I think actually it's just a canned response before they check anything. Anyway, I went out in the front yard to visit with neighbors and the power came back on at 5:35 p.m.; only off 30 minutes this time. Neighbors are getting disgusted with Oncor, too. I don't bother to reset the clocks in the VCR/DVD players or my stereo because Oncor will just turn the electricity off again if I do.

 

[two_bit_score]

Matters not, Bird already posted the penal code for protecting your stuff from burglary at night. In Texas, it is legal to use deadly force. I don't necesarily agree with his modus operandi. The fact he had cut the strings on the bales to prevent theft is just smart common sense that any jury should see. There was intent to steal.

If the jury convicts this guy I'd be surprised. But I have been before.

Maybe the guy has a 'history' with the DA.

 

[txdon]

There was intent to steal.

Theft of 50-100 dollars is a class B misdemeanor.
Intent only is one degree lower which would be a class C misdemeanor, same as trespassing.

 

[txdon]

Nice cool day today so I decided to play in the mud. All the way up to my seat!
obviously the fist pic was taken at the end of the day.

 

[txdon]

The mud walls held just long enough for me to back out. Do you see my dog?

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

The mud walls held just long enough for me to back out. Do you see my dog?

Whipper snapper is jealous of how much better you can dig!:laughing:

Are you finding a good bottom?

 

[txdon]

I found a pretty good bottom 3 feet under the silt/black mud. I need to let it dry a few more days. It still flows like slow lava. This is the first time in 15 years that the pond has dried. I was going to get a dozer in but I'm having too much fun.

 

[bindian]

I found a pretty good bottom 3 feet under the silt/black mud. I need to let it dry a few more days. It still flows like slow lava. This is the first time in 15 years that the pond has dried. I was going to get a dozer in but I'm having too much fun.

Don,
Take care with that ooze having fun. Last pond I mucked out, it was real slipply. I found your dog in the photo. What do I get?:laughing:
hugs, Brandi

 

[txdon]

You get all the silt you can haul. It is just like grease.

I did get stuck once and pushed myself backwards up the side of the pond with the bucket, but I kept sliding back down every time I picked up the bucket to get another grip. I finally figured how to quickly do small pushes and inched my self back up.

 

[Bird]

Don, things like that can get your heart rate up almost as much as running.:laughing:

 

[NativeSon]

Yeah it's been a long time since we've seen mud here. Digging a pond is great fun, I've been working on one this summer. I have a low place in the pasture that always stays a little damp and I always thought it would be a good place for a tank. So during this drought I thought I've got a BB and a FEL what the heck let's give it a shot. It's pretty much done just a little finishing up, and after the "little over an inch" rain the other day.....it's holding water!!!! Enough for the dogs to play in. I'll try to get some pics.

Charlie

 

[mikim]

Well Don - that beats what I'm doing this week. Crawling around under the cabin installing skirting and insulating pipes etc to make it winter worthy for Bernice's Dad should he decide last minute that he would like to live there. He's 90 so the wood stove had to come out and will be replaced with gas. May need to remodel the bed/bath to make it more handicap friendly. And I'll be building a ramp later off the porch to the ground so he can ride his power chair from there to the main house.

 

[txdon]

Mike, that is an excellent wood stove, will you be using it in your shop or selling it.

 

[jinman]

You get all the silt you can haul. It is just like grease.

I did get stuck once and pushed myself backwards up the side of the pond with the bucket, but I kept sliding back down every time I picked up the bucket to get another grip. I finally figured how to quickly do small pushes and inched my self back up.

Ahhh. . . The smells, the feel, the slippin' and slidin'. . . those few seconds of panic followed by the feeling of joy when you've conquered the fear and the muck.

To quote Yogi Berra, "It's déja vu all over again.":laughing:

Don, if you have a little gravel/crushed rock, it doesn't take much spread thin on your channel to give you much more traction. You just have to have something that keeps those industrial tires from filling with mud and becoming big ol' slicks.

You've heard of the Blues Brothers, but looking at your picture and mine, you could call us the Ooze Brothers.

 

[txdon]

Jim the mud is really sticking to the bucket, I'm only getting about a half bucket of new mud each trip. Any secrete on that besides getting with it with a shovel, I can't quite reach the bucket with the BH.

 

[jinman]

Jim the mud is really sticking to the bucket, I'm only getting about a half bucket of new mud each trip. Any secrete on that besides getting with it with a shovel, I can't quite reach the bucket with the BH.

Don, I've heard several ways including cleaning the bucket and spraying it with cooking oil (or other oil that is not EPA approved). I've also seen many contraptions that fit in the bottom of buckets and pop up to eject the sticking residue. The best way I found for keeping muck from sticking in my bucket was to hire somebody else to do the job and let him worry about it. Sorry. . . I have no good solution. I bang the bucket on the ground and get all I can out. I also overfilled the bucket so it was heaped up. Unfortunately, that often doesn't work because your front wheels sink due to the extra load. I wish I had a solution, but I don't:confused3: