Good morning!!!!

[wngsprd]

68 going to 86. Too hot for me...and winds will be gusting over 30 mph, too.

Mostly, glad you got your ride in...great exercise.

Eric, I think there is a lot of noise in the numbers still.

Good to hear the positive stories of how businesses are helping folks get through the times. God bless the health care workers, too, and the folks on the federal task force. Seeing their frequent (at least once or twice a day) updates, and their answers to reporters' questions, I get a much clearer picture of where we are, what is being done, and where me might be heading.

Yesterday's trip to the vet went as Ted described...tech came to truck with mask and gloves, took dog in...vet called with report, and they took payment info over the phone. Then I took Coco to the battlefield forest to hike to the river as a reward. We never made it, since as we got close, a big white dog with a body harness was sitting in the middle of the trail, alone. No yelling, whistling or waiting would move it, or raise its owners, so we backtracked and hiked some different trails. By the time we got back to the parking lot, they were gone, since it was the only other vehicle there. I guess they let it off the leash, and it got far ahead of them. Nice looking dog.

When I got home, fired up the grill to have a first day of spring cookout with my wife.

 

[hawkeye08]

Today is my last day at a company that was once great.. it is lost now in a sea of tech companies trying to stay ahead of the latest fad.. Too many L2 managers that have not been managed.. I am certainly concerned about all the financial aspects with all that is going on now, but overall glad to be retiring.

The company extended some benefits due the corona virus..

Medical/dental/vision coverage extended to end of month instead of ending today (cost to company is zero because they pulled the premiums for the whole month already and paid the insurance companies).

Allowing us to delay our career transition assistance a month (still only 4 months).

No worries, the executive management has not been the same for many years.. I will miss some of the people for sure, coworkers that have survived the years. Most of them are leaving now also it seems.

I appreciate the support and encouragement from TBN folks, thanks!

Stay safe, prayers for all.

 

[txdon]

Good morning! 58˚F raining.
Got the census in the mail yesterday and was surprised to see no mail back envelope and no questions on it, only a web site and a special identification number. When the ID number is put in the website my address comes up and then a few questions.
I think my mom got a different version she said her's had questions.
So, which version did you get?

Eric The net few days a lot of test will be conducted and I expect the numbers will rise.
United Kingdom is about 3 times smaller than Texas. Texas is approximately 678,052 sq km, while United Kingdom is approximately 243,610 sq km. Meanwhile, the population of Texas is 28.3 million people and United Kingdom's population is 66.3 million people.

UK imposed over Texas:
https://cmgstatesmanaustin.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/untitled.png

Hawkeye congratulations on your retirement! Enjoy your last day.

You will know when the world is back to normal when Toilet Paper stays on the shelf more than 24 hours.

 

[riptides]

Today is my last day at a company that was once great...

Congrats on the move. You will do great things with your new found time!

 

[ronjhall]

Poured second cup of coffee. 60° with cloudy skies this morning. Heading to 62° with temperatures falling all day into the 30's with high winds. Got .51" rain yesterday. Finished another Audible book yesterday. Plan to start another today.
Getting my shopping list together for senior shopping next Tuesday morning. Do I wear a mask and gloves?
Sandhill Cranes are fluffing up and doing the mating dance. No luck with getting a picture of their dance yet.


Michigan Corvid-19 tested 2455. Confirmed/deaths 334/3, Oakland county 82/1. The number tested is a floating number. They have not properly defined a central collection point. State, city, county, township, hospital? Kind of a mess.

Don, I got my census notice yesterday also. Surprised it is only internet at this time.

Mostly, I was getting phone help until end of last month. Doing OK most of the time. Just some tough times every so often. Still have their phone number if I need it.

Hawkeye, going to be a whole new rich life. How is the todo list coming?

Eric, my state is more the size of UK. But population is just under 10 million. Problem with collecting data. Is many of the test are being done by private companies. Yesterday they originally posted 110 cases at 2pm. By 5pm more data came in jumping count to 334. I expect similar counts to happen today.

Everyone be safe and healthy.

Good Morning All.

 

[Thomas]

36F cloudy low 50's for high rain on/off today.
Outside chores done E muffin time. :licking:

Plans for today...trip to town for critter food and my first pair suspenders,other than that take day as it comes.

Enjoy the day all.

 

[Bird]

Got the census in the mail yesterday and was surprised to see no mail back envelope and no questions on it, only a web site and a special identification number. When the ID number is put in the website my address comes up and then a few questions.
I think my mom got a different version she said her's had questions.

I had not heard of there being more than one version. It sounds as if you got the same one I got and the letter said I might get another notice, and if so, to discard it. Sure enough, the first one was dated 03/12/2020 and after I answered it, I later got another one dated 03/16/2020. The second notice did have the same ID numbers to log on, so I can only guess that since I answered the first one, it wouldn't take it again.

 

[wngsprd]

We got our census letter like yours, Don. Then the next day we got a reminder letter that also stated if they don't get an online response, they will send a paper questionnaire in a few weeks. Sounds like a good way to save expenses if they only have to send paper on an exception basis.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Today is my last day at a company that was once great.. it is lost now in a sea of tech companies trying to stay ahead of the latest fad.. Too many L2 managers that have not been managed.. I am certainly concerned about all the financial aspects with all that is going on now, but overall glad to be retiring.

The company extended some benefits due the corona virus..

Medical/dental/vision coverage extended to end of month instead of ending today (cost to company is zero because they pulled the premiums for the whole month already and paid the insurance companies).

Allowing us to delay our career transition assistance a month (still only 4 months).

No worries, the executive management has not been the same for many years.. I will miss some of the people for sure, coworkers that have survived the years. Most of them are leaving now also it seems.

I appreciate the support and encouragement from TBN folks, thanks!

Stay safe, prayers for all.

Congratulations on the retirement. Tough leaving something you’ve put so much time into.

If I had healthcare, I might retire right now, or until this covid19 ends.

 

[wngsprd]

Eric The net few days a lot of test will be conducted and I expect the numbers will rise.
United Kingdom is about 3 times smaller than Texas. Texas is approximately 678,052 sq km, while United Kingdom is approximately 243,610 sq km. Meanwhile, the population of Texas is 28.3 million people and United Kingdom's population is 66.3 million people.

UK imposed over Texas:
https://cmgstatesmanaustin.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/untitled.png

So, Eric, it looks like you live not too far from San Antonio.

 

[txdon]

So, Eric, it looks like you live not too far from San Antonio.

And I live in Scunthorpe.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

54° going to 70s with chance of thunderstorms.
Didn’t open first census mailing, got 2nd one a few days later. Did it online. Relieved I didn’t get the special long version like last time.

Staying home. Got stuff I can do for now.

Local hospital opened drive thru testing, must be Dr approved, then answer questions by phone. Testing only the more serious. Can only do 50 a day, have to send to their lab with 4 day response.
My BIL in Ohio has some of the symptoms, they the ones that look after my dad the most. Not good if he gets it.

Take care all!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

UK imposed over Texas:
https://cmgstatesmanaustin.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/untitled.png
s.

So the Mexicans built Stonehenge.

 

[txdon]

So the Mexicans built Stonehenge.

Mystery solved!

 

[kenmbz]

50 and wet here. still clearing our last years leaves and vines and doing spring maintenance.

 

[Rich B1]

And I live in Scunthorpe.

I have been to Scunthorpe, Scunthorpe, UK that is!

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Good Morning!!!! 42F @ 6:00AM. Partly cloudy skies. High 64F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.

The .222, or triple duce as it's sometimes called over here, was once a benchrester's favorite. I have a Ruger No. 1 in that chambering still waiting on me to return to Ohio to collect it...

Congrats on the retirement, Hawkeye! I also retired in uncertain financial times, and somehow have survived the past ten years without drama. Somehow we'll all make it through this current challenge, at least I hope so!

The nightly newscast was interrupted last night with an announcement from our governor that the entire state of Kalifornia is to shelter in place until further notice. His proclamation carries no force of law, though, but if you read this article, it makes a lot of sense. Basically, it's a numerical argument based on the idea that the number of infections doubles every three days, so that in thirty days, 1024 people will be infected for every 1 person that is infected today. That's pretty much what's happened in Italy, and what was happening in China until they implemented drastic stay-at-home controls. And since there's no vaccine for this virus, and there aren't enough critical care beds and equipment to handle the numbers predicted, the US could be in some pretty deep doodoo if social distancing isn't widely adopted, and soon.

I started my day yesterday with a shovel, and was able to locate the propane pipe with only 18" of digging. I started at the upper joint of the pipe I'd welded 22 1/2ｰ nipples on, based on what the pressure gauge did during the last test. It started with a slow leak, and progressed rapidly after a few seconds, which seemed consistent of the tape wrapping around the welds giving way. The upper joint of that pipe was just fine, leaving me to follow it down, down, down, about six feet, to unearth the lower one. By that time I had an air line connected to the pressure gauge, and as soon as the shovel got near the joint I could hear the air escaping. :dance1: Only problem was the trench was so narrow and deep I could barely touch the pipe. So after lunch, I used the bucket on the FEL to dig down about 18", making a huge mess in the soft ground, but gaining better access. Once the tape was unwrapped from the joint, I found my weld in perfect shape, but the pipe on the other side of that coupler had pulled out, stripping its threads in the process. I still don't have enough access to the pipe, as the repair will involve cutting the bad end off and replacing the coupler with a union after that pipe end is rethreaded, in situ. So I started mounting the backhoe on the tractor, as the ground there is very hard and I'd be forever digging it out with a shovel. But the hydraulics relaxed on the 'hoe while it sat, and it tumbled off its stand, so getting it precisely positioned for the mount was more of a challenge than I was up to at the end of the day. But without a union, I'm powerless to fix it anyway, at least not without a trip to Home Depot for parts. And since I have to go there anyway, I'll take along three empty propane bottles to refill, and pick up the last lot of concrete I'll need for the generator pad, along with a bunch of rebar and other goodies. Ordered those this morning already, and when I get the email that they're ready, I'll head over there. Thank goodness hardware and grocery stores are exempt from the governor's rule.

The last Amazon order resulted in packages from the USPS, FedEx, and UPS all arriving yesterday, and among them was a neat little bracket that positions the iPad Mini above the drone controller. As the sun headed toward the horizon, the winds dropped and since it had been a while since the last drone practice, I decided to burn a battery or two. More "O"s and "8"s, per Jay's good advise. But this time I remembered to turn on the video camera. Enjoy!

Also delivered were 12 rolls of TP, ordered just over a week ago when the panic was just starting. They're supposed to be double roles, but they're only about half the size of the Costco/Charmin roles I have on the shelf. But after doing some math, they should be enough to take care of business for the next three months, and hopefully somewhere in there I can order more.:crossfingers:

TGIF gang!:drink:

 

[PJSprog]

64°F and cloudy this morning, dropping through the day to 30° tonight. Only going to be in the low to mid 40s this weekend. All of the heavier storms passed well south of us last night, so we just got some spotty rain.

Looked out the kitchen window after dinner last night and noticed that the barn looked to be turning purple and orange. So, I opened the front door and walked out on the porch to watch a nicely colorful sunset.



We got our census envelope Wednesday. We, too, were surprised by the lack of a questionnaire. We also got a second envelope the same day, same address, but for "Apartment B". No idea where they got that, but it went in the trash.

Wife said she got an email notice from Tractor Supply that they will be taking call-in orders for curbside pickup.

I got gas at the Casey's Genera Store in Trenton this morning, and went in to grab some breakfast. The store is open inside, but anything that was self-serve, like the big donut case, was empty. The donut case had a note on it, in both English and Spanish, explaining that all varieties are still available, but you have to ask an associate to get them for you. I guess that nearly completes their transition into an inconvenience store now.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

So, I opened the front door and walked out on the porch to watch a nicely colorful sunset.

View attachment 646275

Very nice

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Good morning to all ! Low went to 30, high going for 56, sunny.

It seemed yesterday was really short... I don’t remember everything I did, but it seemed from the time I started to the end of the day was really short! I went with the neighbor to the hardware store, then to TSC. I do remember welding up some 1 inch tubes to 8x8 steel plate to make some ramp mounts for him.... that must have taken longer than I thought it would....

I am going to his place today to help him hang some pegboard and build a wall in his garage. Not much else on the agenda.

Max is doing much better. Back to his normal diet and routine. A very good thing!

Did not get a census form yet. We are rural enough that it would be too hard to have anyone travel the neighborhood.... not that anyone would answer the door with what is going on with the virus...

Went to Walmart yesterday (reopened after roof fire), they still didn’t get everything restocked. Talked to one of the employees and they said they halted all stocking and regular operations while they assessed the building. She said there was no damage inside the building whatsoever. There were a bunch of people hurrying to try and restock.

Everyone have a great day!