Good morning!!!!

[LS Tractor Owner]

Good morning to all! Low of 20, heavy frost on everything. High today 48... I bet it will be warmer. The weekend supposed to be mid 50s. Cannot complain about that! Storms coming across Monday or Tuesday.

Drew, we call them culverts out here too. Nice blue tractor in your pic..... How high is the RV cover? Was it at your place already or did you have it built? I am asking because we have been contemplating putting one up for our RV, it is taking a beating in the sun and wind out here. Trying to decide on going conventional construction or something like the versatube system David is using.

Billy, nice pics, beautiful area. I still remember hiking / camping 100 miles of the AT back when I was a kid (well young adult :thumbsup I sure miss stuff like that!

BEF, any luck finding my place? Another hint... north of I-40....

Went out to the shop yesterday afternoon, made, stained, and installed one of the shelves wifey wanted. Got a second more complicated one cut. Need to make a copy and cut out another, then sand and finish them. I have a bunch of rough sawn ponderosa pine boards left over from the cottage build. My SIL and her husband surprised me with a new 13 inch planer. They could not believe that I did all the woodwork in the house by hand planing and sanding the rough sawn. Ran the boards through the planer on its first use.... wow, that was easy! More fun today!

I (more like the knee) can only tolerate about 2 hours standing in the shop, sit for an hour, then maybe another hour before I cannot stand anymore. I have not heard from the orthopedic surgeon yet.... surgery date should be getting close.... not being able to do things is getting old.

Kyle, I also have a backlog of projects... keeps me going, just knowing there is so much to do! Glad your son is doing better!

Jay, glad Peg ‘ s arm is healing nicely.

Everyone have a great day! Prayers sent.

 

[Big Barn]

Morning all

I think it was looking4new that mentioned ducks? My daughter and I stopped at a park yesterday afternoon. 51 degrees but we’ve had LOTS of rain





Peacock

 

[daugen]

14 foot tall rv shed, big mistake made, never make a square size, some version of rectangle. Makes for stronger roof. I put in 6x6's in concrete on ends
anyway.

I had never heard of tiles til I moved here. They were always culverts to me. But when in Rome...

off to see how the men are doing, they had quite a bit of wood to cut first and will haul it off for me. I keep the oak for firewood, the poplar and for sure the pine goes.
landscaper resells the poplar firewood for cheap. We always are hunting hardwoods here.

 

[Buppies]

Drain tile 4 to 6 in some slotted some solid 10 to 12 in and above culvert or that’s my understanding

Nice pictures Big Barn

wngsprd those pictures are why I call the parkway a national treasure

 

[drivesitfar]

ALL: thanks a lot for the best wishes and nice comments!!

as far as drinking and holding a quart or drinking a gallon a day at least I've got that part figured out. i've been drinking a gallon of homemade ice tea daily for years as well as some filtered water. I make 4 gallons at a time in old gallon pickle jars and since I found Trader Joe's morrocan mint green ice tea years ago I have loved it and i'll make some English breakfast and a few others. my bride likes to drink Trader Joe's green tea and she really likes the loose leave tea so I'll join her with a cup of hot tea every once in a while. you have to clean the jars and pitcher every few days or at least weekly, but making tea with this breville hot water maker is simple. I put 3 tea bags in the gallon jar pour in hot water and let it steep for a few hours and if it's English breakfast or other black teas I try to pull out tea bags after 5 minutes.

I store 10 old glass mugs in the freezer and grab a cold mug fill it with cold tea and it's easy to drink a gallon a day especially when it's hot out, but I drink as much in the winter too.

THE SEATTLE DRIZZLE IS here again this morning, but I see a bit of blue sky so we'll see if the sun shows it's face.

WNG: those two ferries you mentioned are maybe the best views we have to offer for a boat ride and Port Townsend and Friday Harbor are nice little towns to grab a bite and spend some time.

 

[PJSprog]

32°F and foggy this morning, going up to 38° today.

About a 1/4" of ice on everything kept me home yesterday. We had freezing rain and sleet all night and most of yesterday. It finally warmed up enough by about 1:30pm to start melting. We lost a few tree limbs in the front, but nothing major. Walking out to the chicken coop yesterday morning was entertaining. You never realize how uneven a surface is until it's covered with ice. Could have benefited from Jay's crampons. I did manage to stay upright the whole time.

LS, when I was in Helena MT in December of 2009, we saw deer come out of the mountains and into town to graze on the nicely manicured lawns. I have pictures somewhere of a coworker walking up to almost arm's distance from a large doe right outside the entrance to the Cathedral. It wasn't until she reached out to touch it that it snorted and backed up a few steps. They weren't afraid at all.

I can appreciate the desire for privacy. As a semi-public figure regionally, I've had more than my share of people just showing up at my home, thinking they're cool because they know where I live. It's not cool at all. I long ago got used to people approaching me in public places. I'm fine with that. Home, though, is all together different.

As for water intake, that's another one of those things that the "experts" keep changing their minds on every few years. I usually average about a 1/2 gallon a day, and that seems to work for me. That's just plain water, not including any juice or tea.

 

[PJSprog]

... i'll make some English breakfast and a few others.

I've not had any of the Trader Joe's teas. However, Twinings English Breakfast is absolutely one of my favorite teas.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

I've had a hard line and a listed phone number all life. Last few decades that was mostly due to central station alarms plus I wanted a non electronic device that would continue to work if power went off. 600 bucks a year, seems pretty steep for a phone with only local service; no long distance as on cell.

So have I, Drew, except as soon as unlisted numbers were available, I switched mine over, even though I had to pay extortion money to the phone company to do so.

The Camp Fire taught me that just because the signal is borne on wires, it's not a sure thing. All the telephone poles into this area burned in the fire, and it took the better part of a year to restore service. To add insult to injury, when the power poles burned, cell towers lost power, even those with battery backup (no solar panels to keep 'em goin') or generators (utility people weren't allowed into evacuation areas to refill the generator fuel tanks). The only reason I keep the land line is that cellular service is still an iffy thing here; it works sometimes, and maybe half the time, it doesn't.:confused2:

 

[buckeyefarmer]

My wife had her Yogettes here yesterday for yoga, so I took Coconino to Shenandoah. Hiked up to the top of Hawksbill again...so different in the winter...bare hardwoods are so pretty, and don't hide the views all around like when they are clothed in leaves. The National Park was near deserted...saw very few vehicles and only 2 people on the AT. It was so quiet, still some snow on the ground in shady areas from last week's snow, and some nice ice flows. Saw a few deer and birds like nuthatches, a pileated woodpecker and a couple of flocks of robins.

BEF, I found out the secret of how the NPS keeps Big Meadows so open...two big John Deeres pulling batwing bush hogs...they don't have the elk to graze it any more, or the sheep herders taking flocks up there, or the Indians burning it like hundreds of years ago.

Usually, it is 8 or 10 degrees colder up on the Skyline Drive, vs. the piedmont below, but yesterday it was the opposite, with south winds and clouds.

I love skyline drive, miss hiking there. I would like to move closer to it when I retire so I can hike.

 

[jbrumberg]

I was caught mid-posting/pasting when my vision blurred out. My vision has returned and I see that parts of my post have been sacrificed to the internet deities.

Bill- I’ll PM you before arrival The only complaint that I have with all my recent tree work is that now our house can be seen from the road.

I can get frozen duck at our supermarket, and once in a great while goose, but I have not seen frozen rabbit here in years.

“… This getting older can be a real pain some days.”- RonJH Every day is potentially a new experience and I do not like surprises.

“… The joys of living in the boonies…”- Drew We have a oneway 1.5 hour trip to see our financial advisors this PM, but will involve a restaurant on our way back . It’s hard for me to imagining my apple trees budding at this time. Thanks for sharing.

“… so different in the winter...bare hardwoods are so pretty, and don't hide the views all around like when they are clothed in leaves.”- Billy Thanks for sharing the ice flow picture. I really enjoy Winter and the outdoors. I have seen some tracks this year that I can not yet identify. Walking Brogen makes track ID a little challenging.

Kyle- I am glad that your sone + responded to the Prednisone. It reads like he is getting some Prednisone energy as well.

Ted and BEF- Thanks for sharing the sunset and sunrise pictures. I wonder if all the colors are related to this years global wildfires?

BigBarn- Thanks for sharing the Park pictures.

Drives- Trader Joe’s has some amazing foods. We’d like to go more frequently, but with traffic it’s +1 hour oneway.

Paul you should really try Trader Joe’s teas.

I hope that everyone has a decent Friday and + plans for the weekend. Weather dependent we are hoping to go to our friend's son's funeral. He drowned while on vacation snorkeling off Puerto Rico after getting caught in a riptide. Early 40's, in great health, and a pregnant GF.

My + thoughts, wishes, and prayers.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

...The spot across the creek had an active beaver dam when we moved here, so is somewhat of a soft moist filled-in area that gets flooded in big rains. I'll have to carry rounds across the creek or take a splitting maul to make them lighter.

How much log chain have you got, Wng? Over the years, I've accumulated about 50' of it, and more than once I've hooked it all together so I could snatch a tree off of soft ground or from down a steep hillside. I watch for sales at HF...

 

[buckeyefarmer]

BEF, any luck finding my place? Another hint... north of I-40....

Been very busy. I figured you was north of I40 with your pictures showing flat land.

Very frustrating at work. With the merger things aren’t working computer wise. My work laptop is slow, like 5-10 min sometimes to open a program. So they got me a new one, I get to reinstall so much crap it will take days. Once they give me admin on the new one.
Pulling hair out today.

 

[sodamo]

66°F and .02 inches rain.

Carport delivery expected noonish

Prayers for all
Be safe
Have a great day

 

[PJSprog]

Paul you should really try Trader Joe’s teas.

I'm sure I will eventually. Biggest problem is the nearest one is in Brentwood MO, which is about 45 miles from us. Lots of other great teas to be had between here and there.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Good Morning!!!! 51F @ 9:00AM. Mostly cloudy skies. High around 60F. Winds light and variable.

Was all set to spray weeds yesterday morning when I noticed water on the driveway, and on the weeds. Never really dried out enough to spray, and we picked up another 0.05" overnight. The sun is trying to come out now, so maybe it'll dry off, but with no wind, we'll see. I switched to the RM43 when I ran out of Preen, and the Preen areas are still pretty much weed free. Tried to order more from Amazon yesterday, but for some reason they wouldn't apply the Amazon credit card credits to the order. Sounds like maybe Amazon is charging their merchants for the 5% credit instead of paying it themselves?

I've seen real, terra cotta style tile used for drainage runs, etc., and called it that. But anything steel, or even the big concrete sections, I've always heard called culvert. Must be a regional thing.

Nice sunset, Ted. The best ones have colorful clouds like that!

The snow goose celebration was held in Oroville last weekend, and a big flock of 'em just flew over. Their call is more of a whistle than the honk of the Canada goose, and louder, too. Lots of rice fields down in the valley, flooded with shallow water and just full of rice grains for 'em to feed on during their migration.

It seems that Cummins has discontinued the 22 kW generator I was going to purchase, and now the smallest size is 25 kW. Of course it costs more, and there was a price increase with the new year as well. And a new Kalifornia law somehow makes it mandatory that even out-of-state vendors collect state sales tax, so the building department's delaying tactics are going to cost me some rather significant bux. Good thing it's only money, and grows on trees, right?:confused2:

Got another update from the solar supplier, and even though the shipper is now taking financial responsibility for any added costs in completing their delivery, they're having a difficult time finding a company that delivers here. I think the real problem is they don't want to pay UPS or FedEx prices.

There was enough sunshine day before yesterday to try Don's sundial approach to finding true north. I set a rolling 20 minute alarm for a few hours, and ended up with about 10' of pebbles strung out in a line that was more perpendicular to magnetic north than true north. But also did some more poking around, and it turns out that google maps uses something very close to true north for its satellite imagery. I also figured out that when I was trying to use the iPhone compass, it was in Airplane mode, which for some reason prevented it from showing true north. Once that was corrected, I could see that the house is only a couple degrees off true north. So I'll probably use the iPhone to lay out the solar panel array, the only hitch being that it will end up running across slants both front to back and side to side. So I don't think I'll bother with trying to grade the ground smooth. I can just use the laser level to make sure that the array is level side to side, and I'll still cut the poles to the lengths indicated on the engineering drawing. But in order to stay under the above ground heights specified for the poles by the engineer, the array may not end up as far off the ground as I'd hoped.

It also looks like I'll need 47 80 pound bags of concrete to hold those posts into the ground. That's three trips just to get 'em all here, and there's no way I'm gonna get all that done in a day. It's turning out to be one of those jobs best savored in small doses.:laughing:

TGIF gang!:drink:

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Hard to tell where to start.:shocked::laughing:

We're missing some old faces, but more new ones have come along, and with each one new challenges and victories. You're no exception, David, and I'm glad you're still rolling with the punches and still making progress.

Hope you have a great new year!

Thanks RNG!

Ditto to you!

David

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Welcome back, David.
Just read the 1000 posts you missed and you値l be caught up on the news

1000 just since last week, right?

LOL!

Aloha my friend. We did Mazatl疣 with my daughter last Sept. and this year we are headed to Maui!

Be well!
David

 

[RedNeckGeek]

I'm sure I will eventually. Biggest problem is the nearest one is in Brentwood MO, which is about 45 miles from us. Lots of other great teas to be had between here and there.

I used to eat a LOT of Trader Joe's food, until I started reading labels and trying to eat more healthy food. Lots of fat, even more salt, and the prices weren't that good, either. There's a TJ's in town where I shop, but about the only thing I buy there regularly any more is a ground Parmesan/Romano cheese blend I like so sprinkle on my salad. But I'll likely try to find a healthier substitute for even that, and will no longer be shopping at TJs...

 

[MossflowerWoods]

It's only gonna get worse, Paul.

Yesterday on the radio, I heard a news story about a woman that had the title to her home stolen. Someone had filed paperwork saying that the house had been sold to them, had her evicted, and took possession of the place. She not only got kicked out, she lost all the equity she had in the place. And now there's a thing called Title Theft Insurance, which I'm not sure is real or yet another scam.:shocked:

RNG,

Exactly!! How does Title Insurance etc. not cover this!! I'm very concerned about that ad also.

Everything seems to be a scam lately...

Grrr David

 

[drivesitfar]

ALL: can we verify that the lady's title was stolen and she was actually kicked out of her home? sounds fishy to me!!

funny RNG thinks Trader Joe's is unhealthy cause my wife is practically a nutritionist and a gourmet cook and TJ's is the first store we shop at both for healthy and price. we have a ton of choices too since we live about 5 minutes from about 6 HUGE grocery type stores. we buy most of our staples there like salmon, cheese, eggs, yogurt and some veggies and frozen goods. not so much the pre made meals and bagged cleaned veggies. BTW we don't shred extra cheese at home often if we are not planning on using it in the next day cause it goes bad quickly so guessing the shredded cheese they sell in stores has a lot of preservatives in them.

if we move the ONLY thing on my bride's list that has stayed there is we can't move more than 30-45 minutes from a Trader Joe's unless there is as good or better one close.

I see blue skies, but not sure it will last more than a few minutes so heading out for a few.

cheers all and have a great day!!