Good morning!!!!

[RoyJackson]

2019-04-04, 0619

A pleasant 38 right now...high in the low 50's today.
Last day of training and I'll be heading home late this afternoon. As soon as I post this, I'll be packing my gear.

I'd ordered a lawn roller and aerator last week, both of which were delivered while I was in training this week. Both are tow-behind units, so I'll be using the Deere Z920 or Gator to be using them. Of course, I'll need to do some assembly this weekend!

 

[Looking4new]

12 ｰF and going to a high of 36. Wind NW 11 mph. Mainly sunny.

Yesterdays scraping did a world of good/bad for the ice on the driveway and parking area. Cut everything down about 3", that is the good. The bad is that it is ice and I have one pothole in the ice.

The Jeep looks so forlorn sitting outside in the snow, but at least it is mobile again.

I've got a town run to do this afternoon and some chrome wheel polish to pick up. I am thinking Maguires will do the deed.


Have a good day all

 

[ronjhall]

Finished drinking second cup of coffee. 33ｰ with partly cloudy skies this morning. Heading to 44ｰ with some rain in evening. House is clean. So I can get outdoors and work on pond. Lots of leaves got blown into it yesterday. No other plans.

Starting to look for a new Desktop Computer. Almost as bad as buying a new car. At least I can do my search on in my recliner and do not have to deal with salesman.

Happy Anniversary Mr and Mrs Buckeye.

David, Tractor back to running :thumbsup:

Thomas, slowly cutting back on critter feeding. I have about 50 lbs of corn and about the same in bird seed.

Wngsprd, big job getting your wife's parents to move to a assisted home. My mother had to wait until she became medically unable to make the decision herself.

Randy, local car show starts here this Sunday. Hope they do not get too wet.

Prayers for all.

Good Morning All.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

A before and after picture. Those ash leaders by the propane tank were beyond my level of expertise with a chainsaw.

I don't blame you for leaving them to the pros, not one bit!

Still a lot of brush near that tank, Jay. Not sure how dry it gets back there, but I'll never forget the sound of exploding propane tanks the morning of the Camp Fire here. It's the heat from fuels surrounding the tank that weakens the steel and causes the explosion. Otherwise, the tank would vent harmlessly.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

" My Wife learned a lot about automobile negotiations from her Grandfather, who was a master at it. She's not far behind. Most sales people are visibly taken aback by her straight-forward business tactics. It's entertaining to watch. " ----- Quote --PJ

Yep.... I really pi***d of the sales guy right off the bat....probably didn't help that I told he he didn't know diddly-squat... We got on better terms after he knew where I was coming from. The "sales manager" was soon taking over the deal. He seemed shocked that I knew so much about the 'behind the scenes' type stuff. He must have asked me 3 or 4 times what dealership I worked at.... I don't think he believed me when I told him that I never worked in the auto industry whatsoever...

Glad you got a good deal and fair treatment, Ted. I don't know how it is now, but you used to be able to purchase a document from Consumer Reports magazine that listed actual dealer cost. The smoothest deal I ever got was the one where I let the salesman read one of those, then started talking dollars on top of that price. Saved us both a lot of time, and drama. I don't do drama very well, except for the walking out the door part. And I don't come back, figuring I've seen enough hysterics to want to engage in another round. I learned the hard way that if the sales staff is pulling stunts prior to even buying the car, any promises they make that have to be made good in the parts or service departments will likely be broken. And once what little trust that can be developed with a salesperson is broken, for me there's no sense wasting any more time with them. A bad salesperson leaves a stench in the vehicle you can smell every time you drive it, and it's just not worth doing that to yourself.:2cents:

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Reading the NWS and associated weather discussion groups' current use of neologisms brings me back to those happy years babysitting mandated (semi-medicated) psychotic "therapy groups." Bombo/cyclo-genesis are entrance words to a whole new world of meteo-babble. 'Over/under- performing" are now the new descriptors of now more humanized (modeled) storm systems to engage the masses. I learned more about weather at the "Transfer Station AKA 'Dump.'" I am keeping my powder dry for a decent "convective" event.

I suspect that if a weather forecasting match were held where the winner was declared based on the use of jargon and flowery words, Jay, you would come out very near the top if not the outright victor. Well done, sir!

And I'm glad Brogen's day left you both more or less intact.:laughing:

 

[riptides]

36 outside this AM. Heading to higher 60's. Laptop is dead this AM. Took HD out and is ok. Looks to be time for a new computer. Me too. May do dump run and some grass cutting around the house. Will also have to talk with neighbour about tractor to move maple. One daughter wants them in the field for horse jumps. I am sort of ok with that since the wood shed is overly full.

Hope all have a great day. Be safe.

 

[Looking4new]

Last May when I bought the Journey (Dodge) used, I did my homework first online. I already knew what the prices of other used '13 Journeys were going for across Canada and factored in cost of shipping (portable parking lot). I bought from the local Chrysler dealer. His theory is that he would rather make $100.oo off one customer and have a happy customer that will spread the positive word around, than make a thousand (maybe) and have a disgruntled customer that will spread negative word around.
The Dodge smelled like a new car and only had 71,000 miles on it. It drove like a new car should except for the fuel mileage. I also used Carfax and found out it had 2 previous owners that both lived about 60 miles south of me. This vehicle has been well looked after. I think the trade in factor for both owners was the fact that the stock rear bushings only last about 2 years. I didn't replace them with stock. If they go out again I will be replacing with neoprene.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

No clouds last night, we are back to a white over frost this morning.

Yesterday the sheep were reluctant to move off our hay field. They started to give me the run around and I hadn't taken Max with me, so I let them be, reasonably confident they would walk off in their own time onto the new pasture. As it was going dark I jumped into our old Subaru Forester, drove over and closed the gates. Coming back with the headlights off and the window down I paused by the big pond, unaware that at the same instant swans were coming in to land. They are very elegant creatures once on water, but a house brick can make a more subtle entry, for a split second I was quite startled until I realised the cause. I watched them for a few minutes, their pure white bodies being just visible in the fading light, then looking quite eerie as they they became headless in search of something tasty below the dark surface.

BEF, you probably know England and Scotland better than me. Did you get to see Ireland or Wales on your travels ? Happy anniversary.

Wng, catching up on TBN, I see your wife's parents have at last found their new home. That should make it a lot easier for their obviously caring daughter, you must be really pleased at the thought of not having to be apart so often.

Drew, your first radish ! It just shows that life has lots of wonders still to reveal, whatever your age

Eric, I would love to have a pair of swans on our pond, but I believe it is just too warm here for their liking. Beautiful birds. I hear they are very protective of their young.

Drew, don't apologize. That's the beauty of this forum. I do worry for you sometimes "over doing" it. The drive to get up and go, IMO, does have a wide effect on our health. Plus, we all know you are a sports car buff. Are you waiting for the mid engine corvette???

I have to take my middle daughter to the doctor. She's got horrible sinus, causing her to throw up (mostly phlegm) and she appears to have strep throat. Ugh. Damage control.

BEF, glad you get your wifey back. Hope she was able to enjoy and help her parents. Happy anniversary from Texas.

Topps, enjoy your car show with Ellen.

I need to mow the pastures, but not sure whether to do it or not. Reasoning, if I mow, it leaves the dead grass on the ground and I'm hoping the neighbor will cut and bale my fields when it grows up enough. The dead grass is not real good to be baled after it has been on the ground for a month or more.... I guess I need to talk with the neighbor. It's just that he's busy and I'm busy.

Still price shopping my operation. Found some great deals if I had no insurance and was just paying cash. But I have insurance, and I want any money I spend to go towards my deductible. I find it pretty lame that the surgeon's secretary can't tell me the anesthesiologist's name (who works almost daily) with the surgeon, in order to find out if they are in network. Frustrating.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Good Morning!!!! 53F @ 5:15AM. Cloudy with occasional showers. High 61F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

Been up with Drew since about 3AM, and I don't even have prednisone as an excuse.

Fixing a tractor is kinda like Communism, David. Having once had the tractor, then having it taken away, it feels great to get it back even with the effort and money involved.:confused2:

An overly full wood shed is a quality problem, Wng, and it's good to hear your inlaws are headed in the right direction, too. Hope things keep going that way for you!

Used the neighbor's trailer yesterday, and as usual, it needs attention again. Last time I mounted some new aluminum tread plate fenders on it for him, and when I got it yesterday I found they had cracked all the way around the bolts that held them on. I'd attached it with oversize fender washers, but someone had replaced them with regular washers that didn't spread the load enough. When the steel shipping pallets got loaded on, the tires recessed far enough up into one side that they rubbed the tires, and fortunately I had a bungee cord in the back of the truck that was just strong enough to hold it out of the way. I think I can fix the problem with the fender washers by welding the next set to the bolt heads so they won't sprout legs and wander off.:laughing:

Loading the pallets onto the trailer went surprisingly well. They were designed to nest with each other, so the seven high stack was very stable, and my chains were just long enough to reach up and over to the chain binder on the other side. They didn't move an inch on the way home, but unlike the Kubota dealer's forklift, my little tractor could barely lift four at a time. But best of all, the u-joint I ordered for the side-by-side was in so I was able to save a trip. The dealer was very happy not to have to haul them away, and promised as many more as I'd like. After looking over them more closely, I think it would be very easy to make a wood shed by standing several of them on end and welding the sides together to form walls, and then laying a couple over the top to frame a roof. Cover the outside with aluminum siding and it would be both fire and termite proof. Still have to figure out a door that would keep flying sparks out, but I think the pallet idea is a good and free option.

The BMW dealer had all the parts I needed right away, but still had to order a few for the next job. Usta be they stocked everything, but since the owner passed, the inventory is getting thinner and thinner. Part of that is due to BMW breaking their promise made repeatedly over the years to continue supplying parts for older vehicles, but I also think the grandson, who is now managing things, doesn't like to tie up so much cash in inventory that perhaps doesn't turn as often. I guess some would call that progress, but to me it's just another sign of this country's drift down to third world status.

In spite of my best efforts to the contrary, I managed to make a Costco stop for chickens (took one to my neighbor with the chainsaw leg) and another for groceries, and only scrubbed the sidewalls on the trailer once with no harm. It's not easy these days finding a pull through space long enough for both truck and trailer, with an isle wide enough for a straight approach...

Hang in there, gang, Friday's comin'...