Good morning!!!!

[daugen]

Don, watch your back. Knowing a few Master Gardeners, I wonder if those
raised gardens get a little "competitive".

 

[riptides]

...
Riptides, any way of reinforcing those panels this time? Clearly in windy spot, am sure you don't want to do this again.

Bigger screw heads, more screws. LOL.

Since I nearly always have a refund coming, I nearly always get my income tax return filed early. I wondered what the government shutdown might do, since I'd seen news reports about the IRS employees off and other news reports saying they were still working.:confused2:
...

IRS has some union employees. Some people at certain service centers were on the job, others were not. Most contractors are out. Systems that handle tax returns are automated to a point.

Like any organization in the government, depending on the funding and management direction, stuff really does stop working.

The shutdown just exasperated the funding and budget issues. Government has had a problem with that for years. Some would say decades.

 

[Buppies]

28 high of 44 today cloudy this morning but no wind.was out with wife yesterday evening rock hits windshield nice star after five minutes full crack across windshield that’s a first for us

Looking4new the pepto worked thanks

Don doing the raised beds the right way looks great

Prayers for all

 

[daugen]

Four dry days ahead. One more day until I can take tractor out on wet ground. And the last day,
it's great fun day, I rototill the fields. Got the tiller on with help from neighbor, bit of a struggle adjusting
lift arms laterally to get it attached, just learning a different system than Kubota, which frankly worked easier...but that's partly because everything now is twice as big and heavy to move around. And I seem to get less capable by the day but life is all about making the most out of what you have right.

Have called two lawn care contractors locally and both said they weren't taking on any new accounts, had too many problems with staffing,
repeated told "can't find anyone who actually wants to work". This GameBoy and smart phone generation is really getting soft. I think only farm kids do hard work any more. With of course exceptions, but I've gone through four people who worked a full day out there with me and never came back, said work was too hard. Maybe they float around working a day here and there to keep the public dole coming.

And while we can debate the value of being taught a work ethic in life, hard to debate addiction. I think a good bit of that last three or four percent unemployed includes folks addicted to something. So much demand for skilled workers, particularly anyone who can drive a truck and has CDL, that those unemployed right now in the service or manufacturing areas likely can't pass the drug test coming in.
I wonder if these same problems occur in England, Germany, France, etc.
Bet this affects companies like Buppies', I'm sure he could tell some tales.

time to get out of this nice warm office and go water my plants.
so many trays now it takes three fill-ups of my one gallon sprayer to do them all. In tight spaces, the sprayer wand
works much better than anything else I tried, and easier on plants.

I checked on the worms yesterday. All had headed downstairs, looking for food. Little bit of stink when I opened bag, wonder if a few worms simply didn't make it. Well, dust to dust.

 

[Buppies]

Riptides the government system for funding is not right the more you spend the more you get try to save and your department loses. Feds to state to localities use this archaic system

 

[txdon]

Good morning! Scattered showers this morning, had several hit last night. 47 ˚F heading to the mid 50s, might be too wet to be a tractor day, we will see.

Need to head over to the gardens this morning, I left about 50 blocks in the middle. I needed some string which I forgot and one of my neighbors pulled some string out of one of his blocks. He said he needs to straighten his blocks also one day but he hasn't had time. Right after his wife finished chemo she broke her hip. After he left I straightened his garden.

I went to Home depot last night and got 70 feet of 2" PVC to run along the canal in the top layer of my cement blocks. That will stabilize them. #1 fall hazard in the gardens is people stepping on the top row of blocks and they move. (a block slipped out from under my foot on my first day) There are several types of top cement blocks in the gardens but for all those with U blocks, like I have, this should work. I'll take some pics for them and you. Total cost of PVC including anchoring "T"s and "L"s is only $99. Trip to the ER is $500 (deductible) and a long stretch of limited everything.

 

[Buppies]

Drew you are correct I could tell some tales

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Good Morning!!!! 61F (!?!) @ 4:45AM. Clouds and some sun this morning with more clouds for this afternoon. High 61F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph.

I'm thinkin' there's a bug with the weather station this morning. That current temp seems way too high for this time of year.:confused2:

Jay, the current policy is for replacement cost, with automatic boosters for inflation. Always had actual cash value before, so this round with the adjustors will be interesting. My expectation is that I'll price similar items to those lost or damaged, and that's what I'll be paid. We shall see. BTW, that jacket fits you well!:laughing:

Thanks for the insights on the Ponderosas, Paul. I've seen the spiral cracks on downed trunks before, but didn't know they were Ponderosas. I'd guess the ones closest to the house are in the 60'-80' range in height, and I can't reach all the way around the trunks with my arms. There are a pair down the hill that are completely brown, and tree mortality sites I've looked at seem to indicate they won't recover. They also block the view of an intermittent waterfall across the canyon, so they won't be missed if/when I saw them down.

And I'm right there with you on the B3; Green Onions and Magic Carpet Ride are just two of the favorites from that era. I've also jumped on the digital bandwagon, using iPods in the vehicles and the network attached storage array for both music and video in the house.

Good luck with the generator, David. What do you hope to learn looking at wave forms? Are you missing a phase? My search is homing in on the Cummins offerings in propane powered generators. Better reliability than Generac, better parts and service than either Generac or Kohler. Not inexpensive though. And the propane tank will be upgraded to 1k gallon to keep it fed.

FWIW, Drew, the imagery in the Google Earth desktop application were updated recently enough to show the fire damage from last November here. Maybe they did the whole country?

I had enough snow during the last two blizzard years I was in Ohio to last a lifetime, Bill. You can have my share and then some if it makes you happy!:laughing:

Jeeze, Wng & Rip, you guys can't seem to catch a break. Hope they get that heater back on line pronto, and the winds stay calm long enough for you to catch up on the sheetmetal repairs!

Glad to hear you didn't see a big jump in your taxes under the new laws, Bird. Not looking forward to any surprises this year...

Also glad you're feeling Buppies. Hope the same for everyone that's a bit under the weather.

Interesting time with the field adjustors yesterday. It was a husband and wife team, and there was no question that the wife was running the show. Nice folks, very thorough, even up into the attic! Lots of photos and measurements. They also live out in the sticks on the edge of a canyon, and are having the same problem finding an insurance company. They're trying to sell that home, but when buyers find out about the insurance lack of availability and high cost, they decline to make offers. They said they'd have their report done and to the insurance company by Monday; hopefully I'll have some news about the claim not much longer after that.

Stopped in to a windshield shop to see about the leak, and made an appointment for Monday to drop it off to let them see if they could find it. Large shop with lots of cars in the lot waiting to be worked on, and a fairly large number of trucks doing on site repairs. I spoke with the owner himself, and he's a very hands on kind of guy. I like that. Need to get the bumper carrier for the motorcycle out today and make sure that it'll fit the new bumper on the van, and also make sure that the bike'll start after sitting for so long.

Also got a second quote for the property line survey, at almost twice the cost of the first one. I let the first surveyor know he has the job, and should get a formal proposal early in the new week.

Electrician called and said he needs to see the pump house electrical panel again, so he'll be out Monday.

Fruitful day...

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

 

[jbrumberg]

7ºF to start the day. Today's high should reach into the mid20ºF's.

Early in my career I did contract work with the MA Rehabilitation Commission doing vocational evaluations and personal adjustment (work) training. I saw a lot of abuses by those evaluated as well as "evaluations" by "professionals" trying to rip off the system. I reported honestly about both. I did not make a lot of friends. I agree with previous posts/posters. Work and social ethics have deteriorated.

 

[dmottv]

10F here at 7AM, going to 18 mid afternoon, a calm seasonable weekend with possible snow showers tomorrow. The week ahead forecast includes snow midweek followed by the deep freeze currently affecting the northern midwest.

The tractor wouldn稚 start Monday after last weekends warmup, snow, then refreeze. The hood wouldn稚 lift either to check the new battery, though I suspected a frozen/stuck safety switch as all guages and lights worked, starter just wouldn稚 engage. Temps warmed midweek, it started right up and allowed me to finish the final snow cleanup I壇 abandoned Sunday after dark in favor of watching the Pats game.

I called the dealer, he agreed it was probably a stuck safety switch issue and suggested lubing the clutch safety rod. I値l have to figure out how to get at it under the instrument panel. He also suggested the hood issue was a frozen rubber weather strip to the steel engine platform below, and so it was. I cleaned and lubed it with pb blaster I had on hand, will look for a better lube this weekend. I may experience the same issue again with the roller coaster weather winter we are having.

Enjoy the weekend!