Good Morning!!!! 38F @ 8:15AM. Cloudy with occasional light rain during the afternoon. High 51F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
No sun at all during the 10-days ahead. No heavy rain, either, so maybe things won't get as sloppy. I was right on the edge of the snow this last time around, Drew. Maybe a mile up the canyon they had a few inches, but nothing here. Still no snow in the 10-day here, but lots of it at the New Years destination.
Glad to read about so much mending going on, but could do without the photos.
Not surprising you got the bum's rush that last day, Rich. Very reminiscent of my past experience. The hospitals need the bed and the insurance companies don't want to pay any more than they have to. I'm amazed at the level of detail of your recall though! Thanks for sharing.
FWIW,
MedCram's got video relating the latest news on Omicron. It is spreading faster and breaking through more than Delta, but seems to be milder in terms of hospitalizations and deaths.
The low noise level of the electric saws may be their best feature, Eric. Just wish the batteries lasted a bit longer.
+1 on the RAM mounts, David. I've used them for years for the GPS on my motorcycles with only one problem. The rubber balls they use take a set, and the clamps need tightened a time or two until the balls stop shrinking under the pressure. But I have had problems with every iPhone I've tried to put on the dash of the truck, though. It always overheats in the sun and shuts itself off. Perhaps a sun shade of some sort would help, but for now I'm staying with a dedicated GPS unit.
Good to hear from you, Ted. Thanks for touching base with Jay. Sorry about the lack of rain. I'll try harder this next round.
Maybe I'm not as smart as you think, Billy. I had to reload the firewood dolly yesterday, but had stacked the boxes of wood I'm taking to New Years in front of the pallet in the garage. I managed to get the dolly in place, but just barely, and fought obstacles both in and out. Especially out, due to the weight of the wood in the dolly.
Then there's the little episode when I tried to get some dirt to fill in a stump hole yesterday. I approached the pile from the uphill side so the weight of the tractor would help fill the bucket. Worked like a charm, except the dirt was a LOT heavier because it was wet. When I went to back up the hill, all four wheels just spun. The tractor was stuck. I was able to work the bucket free by opening the 4in1 and letting some dirt out, and could then row the tractor back up the hill by sticking the bucket in the ground and uncurling. Shoulda seen that one coming, but I'm always learning new ways to screw up.
Not enough traction to get all the way to the top of the stump hole, so I filled what I could and left the rest for next summer. In the process of doing that, I spied another downed tree. Cut the root ball off, dragged that up the hill and out of there, then cut several large limbs off of it before I could skid it up the hill and out. Put the grapple back on and scooped up limbs for it and another large, dead oak nearby. I'm amazed at how much debris can be grabbed when I work the controls just right. And I'm super happy with how much back breaking work it is saves me over doing it the old way.
I had just enough daylight left to get a tarp zip tied onto the burn pile so it would have some dry material to start. Had to do the last few zip ties by feel, it got dark so quickly. Nice that the days will be getting longer now.
Looks like the rain'll start by late afternoon, so one last chance to snag some more branches, and maybe add another tree to the pile.
looking forward your return Thursday.... 
