Good morning!!!!

[Thomas]

wngsprd
We have 5 dogs and a cat here along with our sons and their wife/girlfriends. Of all the Christmas presents on the floor, Coco went straight to the wrapped box that had a frisbee in it for her, picked it up, unwrapped it (actually tore it open) and took the frisbee to the door to go outside. What a nose dogs have.
.....................................
Priceless. :thumbsup:

 

[Buppies]

28 high of 51 today not sure what I will do

Earth quakes strange weather seems to be the new norm except when one considers the sun which is going into a period of inactivity ie no solar sun spots. This is called a solar minimum and is documented in history with Earthquakes colder temperatures rain snow. Just food for thought

Prayers for all

 

[RedNeckGeek]

RNG.
...
If you don稚 bury a tank can you increase survival by surrounding with a concrete block wall?

The gravel pad the tank sits on provided enough distance from the flames to keep the tank temperatures low enough that it did not vent/explode. That said, and I have no way of proving it other than looking at what burned and how, if the winds had been high and carrying a lot of sparks or flaming material, perhaps enough could have accumulated around the tank to cause it to vent/explode. No way of telling for sure without running some tests, and doing that would involve too much risk. Besides, if there is that much flaming material in the air, I'm not sure my home, even though it has a concrete tile roof, boxed in eves, stucco walls, and screened vent openings, would survive. The videos I've seen of the firestorm in Paradise reminded me of a snow blizzard at night, with the snow replaced with glowing orange and red embers. People were walking around in it, so the air temperature wasn't enough to catch things on fire, so it was the embers themselves, landing on flammable material, that spread the fire so quickly. My strategy here has been to remove the flammable material where I don't want fire. I assume the embers will go everywhere, but if there's nothing to burn, they'll go out by themselves. I don't think the embers carry a lot of heat, not enough to heat a propane tank to the point of venting/exploding, unless there's a steady supply of them over a fair amount of time, and I think there's enough distance between my tank and the fuels heavy enough to provide such a heat supply. At least I hope so, because I can't mitigate the brush hazard on the other side of the state park boundary.

If you're headed down the propane trail, are you aware that there are aftermarket kits to convert your Honda generator to use propane? I looked into it for my 6500 Honda, and it seemed like once converted, the generator could be run on either fuel without much fuss.

As far as transporting Diesel/gasoline, my bulldozer neighbor has two 100 gallon tanks that fit in the bed of his pickup truck, and uses them to fuel his various tractors and heavy equipment. That avoids needing a large storage tank and meeting the stringent building code requirements and the vagaries of fuel delivery service. I think he's pretty much dedicated an old pickup truck to carry the tanks; I wouldn't want to do that to my F250 as I prefer to keep the cap on the bed and be able to use it to haul other things. Perhaps some arrangement of the tanks on pallets would make removal/replacement easier, and that thought is worth exploring.

When I asked him about Diesel fuel "spoiling", he says he's never had a problem, likely due to him using enough of it to keep his supply moisture free. He also uses a fuel additive that very likely incorporates an algaecide. From what I understand, it's water in the fuel that promotes algae growth, and using tanks small enough that they get resupplied frequently keeps the moisture at bay.

I'm pretty sure a single 100 gallon tank of Diesel wouldn't be enough to last through the three and a half week evacuation period I just endured, and that would be the goal of any system, generator or solar based, I come up with. Both propane and Diesel have the same issue with maintaining a large enough supply of fuel to last that long. Solar, on the other hand, seems to meet the duration criteria by being self refilling, and capacity is just a matter of building a big enough array of panels to meet a typical 24 hour power cycle in the summer (my peak energy use time due to A/C) and installing a large enough battery bank to get through the night and periods of low solar influx. And perhaps maintaining a small generator for times of high demand. You know that game very well, so I'm curious as to why you seem to be maintaining such a large generator capability. Is it just too expensive to maintain sufficient capacity in a solar/battery system to supply your needs?

 

[daugen]

wngsprd
We have 5 dogs and a cat here along with our sons and their wife/girlfriends. Of all the Christmas presents on the floor, Coco went straight to the wrapped box that had a frisbee in it for her, picked it up, unwrapped it (actually tore it open) and took the frisbee to the door to go outside. What a nose dogs have.
.....................................
Priceless. :thumbsup:

I agree. Would have been great fun to watch.
Dogs are smart.

 

[daugen]

lot of family emailing this morning. Time for a late breakfast.
Though I think there is an apple pie down there, and if one has that,
why would one want anything else?

 

[RedNeckGeek]

FWIW, during the 30+ years I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, I got to experience quite a few earthquakes. The worst was Loma Prieta, a 7+ magnitude event that collapsed freeway bridges and caused wide spread fires in SF. I remember it being very hard to remain standing during that quake. I also remember it taking a 4.0 or greater to even be able to feel the shaking, unless it was very close to my location. If that was the case, things might rattle off a shelf if they weren't properly secured, but little to no structural damage occurred. Events of 2.0 and less were almost a daily happening, and went entirely unnoticed. Also keep in mind that the number reflects not only the magnitude of the earthquake wave, but also its duration. A short, sharp shock doesn't get a very big number even though it certainly gets your attention. A slow rolling motion of long duration is easier on the nerves, but that prolonged shaking does a lot of damage, and it gets a big number as a result.:2cents:

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Good Morning!!!! 46F @ 6:00AM. Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 49F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.

Coco sounds like a pretty smart doggie, WNG. You're very lucky to have each other!

Hope that slice of pie was as delicious as you made it sound, Eric!

Thanks for the heads up on the Surge Guard, Ron. I'm aiming for a system that can operate autonomously, and it'll need to cope with brown outs if I'm not around to throw a switch. Just another reason to go with a complete solar panel system with battery backup, as they've been coping with such situations for quite a while now.

Spent most of the day working on the touring bike yesterday, most of it dinking with the ignition system. The aftermarket ignition system on that bike never has worked properly due to an ignition control unit with the wrong advance curve. The other two instances of that same ignition system in similar bikes run fine because they have the correct curve, but when this one was purchased there were manufacturing issues. And it turns out that just changing the ICU, which presumably calculates the amount of advance needed based on RPM, isn't sufficient to fix the problem, as the unit that detects cam shaft position also seems to have an effect. My usual supplier has been unable to resolve the issue, which reared its ugly head again yesterday when I attempted to wake up the touring bike from its long summer slumber. I had two ICUs to try, and the first one provided significantly less advance than was needed. So the bike could be made to start and idle nicely, but not make any power at higher RPMs, or start and run reluctantly at idle, and really pull nicely at full advance. The other ICU I had on hand is much the same, but not quite as bad, so today it looks like I'll be taking the complete ignition system off the "new" dirt bike and putting it on the touring bike. Then I'll see if my supplier will just swap the mismatched system for a current one, which at least in the dirt bike, runs perfect.

It's not clear when I'll get to try out the results of my handiwork, though, as rain is forecast for the next two days and I don't fancy trying to negotiate what passes for a driveway without some knobs on my tires, and the touring bike is prominently lacking in that department. I'd like to start my trip on Christmas Day, so perhaps the best present I'll receive this year will be a smooth idle and a strong pull as the tach needle swings past 4000 RPM. Otherwise it'll mean a quick luggage swap to the old zebra bike, and a chilly start to the ride owing to the much abbreviated fairing providing very little protection from the weather.

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend...

 

[wngsprd]

FWIW, during the 30+ years I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, I got to experience quite a few earthquakes. The worst was Loma Prieta, a 7+ magnitude event that collapsed freeway bridges and caused wide spread fires in SF. I remember it being very hard to remain standing during that quake. I also remember it taking a 4.0 or greater to even be able to feel the shaking, unless it was very close to my location. If that was the case, things might rattle off a shelf if they weren't properly secured, but little to no structural damage occurred. Events of 2.0 and less were almost a daily happening, and went entirely unnoticed. Also keep in mind that the number reflects not only the magnitude of the earthquake wave, but also its duration. A short, sharp shock doesn't get a very big number even though it certainly gets your attention. A slow rolling motion of long duration is easier on the nerves, but that prolonged shaking does a lot of damage, and it gets a big number as a result.:2cents:

Yes, and one of the things I learned from the big Louisa 2011 earthquake that hit about 20 miles away was that the shock waves maintain their energy as they travel depending on the type of rock they are traveling through. Very solid granites like in our intraplate part of the country transmit energy better than the broken up rock in fault zones. That's why they said the Louisa quake was felt by more people than any other in US history, and even the 2.0 quakes can be felt nearby.

Fingers crossed that Cali doesn't have another big one, like the one you experienced, on top of all these fires and droughts.

I'm always amazed looking at the earthquake map at how many occur each day along the plate zone in California and through the Rockies and Cascades, and hoping that folks are not feeling them all.

 

[wngsprd]

Thanks, I'll pass the compliment on to Coconino.

RNG, a bike trip on Christmas day sounds like fun.

Well, my phone says my mug is empty again (never would have know by the fact that I just turned its bottom up to the sky). Better go do a refill.

 

[toppop52]

When I lived in Vallejo we had what we called (window ) blind rattlers everyday, some you could feel, most just sounded like a train in the distance. Down in Stockton we hardly ever felt one.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I'm pretty well aware of the problems getting new medical devices and drugs to market as one of our neighbors is a consultant who specializes in guiding the manufacturers through the govt. rat holes and he tells some real tales about it.I still believe that much of it is very over priced and that is mainly because the big boys can afford to buy politicians and we the people can't. Enough of that,I don't want to get off track and have this banned to the f.p. forum. I will not accept a gout drug that costs nearly $40,000 per month and really think the cost should be disclosed up front, regardless of who is paying for it.

Wow, just wow. Thanks for your realizing the lack of pragmatism involved. I would be probably happier with a $40,000 check each month, a pair of crutches and some bowls of cherries for the gout. Hope you are able to keep the pain in check.

Speaking of which, Kyle, when I was working in aerospace, I saw a similar device used to make a bearing fit into a hole of the exact same diameter. You can indeed make two surfaces occupy the same space by cryogenically freezing the bearing until it shrinks enough to go into the hole, then re-expand as it warms again. Neat stuff.

Some diesel mechanic will use liquid nitrogen to fit new oversized (OD bigger than block ID) sleeves into old blocks, and then honing them to final size in place.

Wng, I agree, those fans are absolutely fascinating. Now if only we had a liquid nitrogen producing machine like Kyle, we could have more hours of simple fun with a train set like this for Christmas QI Experiments | A Spot Of Quantum Levitation - YouTube

Enjoyed that. Reminds me of the Jetsons cartoon.

Got to 66 yesterday, 41 now. Breezy and wintery looking skies.
Wrapped gifts yesterday.

Ellen and I have had a great time, but we both still miss our spouses, especially right now. It’s very comforting to have each other though.

God bless.

God bless you all too, and hope your busy Christmas season can create new, good memories too.


Wngsprd, glad you helped your mom out with the new phone. Sorry for your troubles. Seems the Lord above has blessed you with a wonderful family and many lucky pets. Coco sounds like a really good dog. I love smart dogs.

Drew, I'll bet you've made many of your helpers smile a bit this Christmas.

My 67 year old FIL finally went to the Doc after 13 years. Yep, he has diabetes. He is a bit overwhelmed and depressed about the diet he's expected to "life change" over to. He should be able to treat it with meds, diet, and exercise. It was like getting a camel through the eye of a needle to get him to go to the doc. But he was extremely pleased with the lady doctor's bedside manner.

Glad I got the small tractor's FEL hydraulic cylinder repaired a couple of weeks ago. I had my tandem axle trailer on jack stands and I picked up each corner to get it back on the ground and put it away. The chicken's ran to the underlying pile of leaves immediately to start scratching around for bugs.

Next, I turned over the sand pile to kill the weed growth. Then the compost pile. Finally I started patching my gravel drive with some washed and sized gravel rock I've had. Not the exact type of gravel needed, but it will work for now. Need to add some "fines" to the patches and let it settle in.

Prayers for all, and Ed and family too. Farmer, I pray for your family and for your son's improvement.

Hope you guys coughs get better. If you need meds, go see a doc. I HATE not getting sleep for days due to a stupid cough. Robitussin DM is my "go to" cough syrup.

Jay, if you take Brogen down to Drew's, and Drew makes him sleep in his new little outhouse, you guys could get busted for creating........"greenhouse gasses".....

Time to take the family to Church.

We had post card weather yesterday, 75F. So far, so good today, a bit cooler but nice.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Good morning to all! Low of 30°, going up to 50° today, high clouds. The weather guessers have increased our chance of precipitation up to 60% for Tuesday night and Wednesday. the NW portion of the state out at the 'Four Corners' may get up to a foot of snow in the higher elevations.

I welcome the precipitation, but my daughter and family will have to drive through the heaviest areas of snow in order to get back home. I'm getting anxious already....

WNG, Coco is awesome. It's amazing how our dogs 'know' what is for them.

You guys talking about generators, way out of my league. We usually just go into "camping mode", and just make do with the minimum. When our water supply was a well, we were fortunate to have 5k in storage tanks, so my small genset was able to run the booster pump to supply water to the house. Otherwise it was just to keep the freezer and fridge running. I was always considering a whole house genset. A relative spent 18K setting up one, they haven't had to use it at all since installing it over 7 years ago......prior to getting it, they would have major outages a couple times a year.....go figure. That changed my mind, I'll just use my little one when needed.

It's been hard the last 2 days.... Wifey has been 'precooking' meals for the group coming to visit. I have been reprimanded numerous times for taste testing....

I may have to get a late Christmas present... Went out in the Jeep yesterday to the dump and the radio was only playing from one rear speaker. The subwoofer and entire right channel wasn't working. Adjustments on the radio seem to be working, but not going out to the speakers. Hopefully I will get a chance to troubleshoot it today...maybe not...wifey is still cooking. I'm still designated clean up committee.

Everyone have a great day! Prayers sent for all.

 

[sodamo]

66 °F and ,89 inches rain, still coming down.

2 things I need to do today. Neutralize my acid stain, but in the rain????
Watch some football, no problem.

Prayers for all
Be safe
Have a great day

 

[jbrumberg]

Good Morning Everyone!!!!

A 28F start to the day. Temperature may hover around 32F this PM. Not much planned today other than checking the fuses on the tractor and letting football lull me to sleep.

I should have gotten one of the full moon rise tonight, it was a gorgeous Cold Moon.- Randy It illuminated the broken cloud deck quite nicely as I studied the clouds while flat on my back on the glare ice outside this pre-dawn morning Actually I had two opportunities this morning. A very poor choice of footwear this morning. My body is not happy with me at the moment.

BEF- A nice sunset and a nice place. Some serious erosion there. Thanks for sharing.

Bill- I do not get the stove going unless the morning temperatures are <25F with expected daytime highs >32. I prefer to have the stove burn itself out before bedtime. I get less tarring running the stove hot and it tends to self-clean to a degree as well especially when the secondary burn kicks in. With a hot burn and my stainless still insulated stove pipe I get almost no creosote buildup. I still clean it out 2X/year.

Bruce- Thanks for the product information.

"... Toppop I think you have reason to worry. Glad you and Ellen have each other."- Buppies I agree. Buppies I am glad to read that you had a safe trip.

"... a locally reared, 18lb turkey. Everything seems to be about in place for a great Christmas. Hope you all enjoy the holiday too."- Eric Thanks for the wishes and it reads like you and your family and friends will have a great Christmas. We too are fortunate to have access to locally raised products which we tend to buy.

David- Thanks for sharing your power setup and your operational challenges.

Phil- I did not read about any MA earthquake yet. This earthquake activity is strange in deed.

Billy- It reads like you and your family and pets will have a great time.

Earth quakes strange weather seems to be the new norm except when one considers the sun which is going into a period of inactivity ie no solar sun spots. This is called a solar minimum and is documented in history with Earthquakes colder temperatures rain snow. Just food for thought.- Buppies I agree. The weather-sunspot correlation has been well studied and not really disputed since its discovery.

"... He is a bit overwhelmed and depressed about the diet he's expected to "life change" over to. He should be able to treat it with meds, diet, and exercise."- Kyle- It was a real shocker, but I really had no choice when I was informed of the possible consequences of IV steroids resulting in insulin dependency when I first got sick. Honestly I was heading that way anyways. I really did not change that much lifestyle-wise excepting logistics and scheduling my shots and counting calories including all the "empty" calories. Thanks for the laugh.

My + thoughts, prayers, and wishes.

 

[sodamo]

Good morning to all you night owls/early risers. It's 31F here and snowing. So far about a half inch. Started about half an hour ago.

sodamo - is some type of solar completely out of the question.

Not sure about question. If you mean me, we do have a very good solar system, but we also have cloudy days. If you mean RNK, i just question how he would protect from fire.

 

[sodamo]

Wngsprd, that’s a great Christmas picture.

 

[ronjhall]

Thanks for the heads up on the Surge Guard, Ron. I'm aiming for a system that can operate autonomously, and it'll need to cope with brown outs if I'm not around to throw a switch. Just another reason to go with a complete solar panel system with battery backup, as they've been coping with such situations for quite a while now.

I had a hard wired Surge Guard at one time. Was going to wire it up to a 200 amp relay. Installed it between my 200 amp circuit breaker and transfer switch. That way I would have the voltage monitor for high and low voltage and bad ground. But a fellow RVer needed one. So I sold it to him.

 

[PJSprog]

31°F and cloudy this morning, going up to 42° today. It's 41° now, and the clouds have given way to a mostly sunny sky. Cool outside, but not a bad day at all.

Did some errand running for The Wife this morning to pick up a few odds and ends. Was somewhat surprised that the shopping mecca of Fairview Heights IL wasn't as crazy as I expected it to be.

Nice pictures, BEF. Thanks for sharing.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Wifey decided she has done enough cooking.....sent me on a run into town to get pizza and a meat/cheese tray from Costco for a 'group' snack session this evening when everyone arrives. Holy cow! I have never seen so many people at Costco before. The 35 minute drive into town seemed extremely short compared to fighting the crowd and checking out....won't do that again.

 

[Looking4new]

Merry Christmas jbrumberg