Good morning!!!!

[jbrumberg]

Good Morning Everyone!!!!!

24ºF and snowing earlier, 26ºF presently, today’s high ~30ºF. .5” of fresh snow is on the ground. Lots of bird counting today and this weekend. We participate in Cornell U’s Backyard Bird Count weekly and this weekend is the National Audubon Bird Count. We started the Backyard this year we’ve done the NABC for ~25 years.

Thomas, Mike, Don, Irv- The tree service isliscensed, well established locally and now is partnering with another even larger more established service in central MA to combine their respective resources. The cost includes tree and debris removal. They cut the trunks as lows the snow allows and return in the Spring to cut the stumps to ground level if necessary. They cleared the trees from the other side of the driveway ~25 years ago. Now I am seeing healthy first growth including a giant patch of native American Columbine which hummingbirds crave. They chip the trees. I need to talk to them about the wood chips; we could use them.

They are repairing, pruning, and cabling a multi trunk black cherry, treating the Ash, removing a 4 leader cherry group from around our propane tank, and ~17 other trees mostly ash. All these trees are along our roadside and the ground is wet year round. They will also prune my pet pear tree. I’ve been abusing it for ~30 years; time for a professional. My pet apple trees were not discussed.

Thomas- We got a little less snow (5” compacted), but just as nasty. Brogen was having problems moving through where it drifted.

David- Nice work. Thanks for sharing your project.

Drew- Good luck with the Service Manager and your presentation to the Garden Club tomorrow.

RonJH- I am happy to read that the doctors involved with your Wife’s care are now communicating. I hope the strength and endurance building continues w/o pain. If I remember correctly the last time that they were here it took the crew ~2 days. They had all kinds of equipment on-site- skid steer, cherry picker, a monster chipper/shredder. We’ll see. I’ll take some pictures

Rich- Good luck with the dentist.

Don- Nice looking chipper/shredder. Makes my Wallenstein look like a toy. Actually some of the chipper/shredders you guys have make mine look look like a toy as well. :embarrassed:

Ted- This is frustrating. At least they discontinued the acupuncture. What are your options? Can you get prior approval for another medical evaluation. Good luck with the paperwork.

I hope that Check is OK?

I hope that everyone has a decent day, that troublesome electrical “gremlins” are exorcised, and projects completed.

My + thoughts, wishes, and prayers.

 

[PJSprog]

43°F and partly cloudy this morning, going up to 57° today. Then, it's supposed to plunge down into the low 20s tonight, and stay there tomorrow, ending with 1-4" of snow in the evening. What a difference a day will make.

The tree service we used a couple of times at our place charged us anywhere from about $400-500 for smaller trees, and as much as $1000 for a larger oak. Stump grinding was an additional $150 regardless of size.

We used to be happy when our lights came on, too, RNG. A couple of weeks ago, we started to notice some flickering in the kitchen. I initially brushed it off as power fluctuation. Two days ago, one of the LED bulbs in the kitchen ceiling fan failed. Yesterday, another one failed. Our whole house has been all LED since the remodel, so these bulbs are only about two years old. Not exactly the 10+ years they advertise.

I thought about going with replacement LED bulbs in the existing fixtures over the garage workbench. Instead, I picked up a couple of 4-foot 3200 lumens LED fixtures from Menard's and just replaced the fluorescent fixtures completely. I also added a new 8-foot 8200 lumens fixture in the middle of the barn, also from Menard's.

 

[lostcreekranch]

It was 53°F this morning and 12-15 mph winds. The sun is out and our forecast is for 75°F this afternoon.

I'm hoping the wind drops off so ..... I can get some more tree trimming done today.

We decided to have a nice Valentine's dinner, at home, instead of joining "amateur hour" at our local eateries.

PJS ..... LED drivers, internal to the bulbs, are susceptible to heat and even vibration especially the low cost China bulbs. The first LED bulbs I bought, about 5 years ago, were 60 watt equivalent and had two out of six start flickering about 6 months after install. Both were installed in weather proof fixtures with glass enclosures. I'm thinking heat got them. I replaced both and left the glass enclosure off and both still working.



Hope everyone has an excellent Valentine's Day.

Prayers to all.

 

[Eric Salop]

How am I going to get my bike through that ??

Sorry Jim, it is a public footpath, so I only have liability insurance for walkers - not for people kissing while riding their bike

 

[Eric Salop]

Good afternoon. This morning I went outside and heard water running off the roof, down into the gutter just as if it were raining, yet the paved areas were completely dry. We were enveloped in a thick mist and it was all from condensation running down the roof tiles. Shortly after the sun came out and has shone all afternoon. At 13C/55F it has been an absolute pleasure to spend time outside. Progress on the fence hasn't been as fast as I expected though, partly due to the amount of time I have spent admiring views and watching stunning murmurations of starlings.

JB, my view is that if you can't make a tree sound again by pruning branches or lowering the crown, then it should come down and plant another. The pleasure from watching a young healthy tree grow a little each year is to me far preferable to seeing one that is being forced to live in chains past it's natural life. I would spend a little money on a new sapling instead of pouring on chemicals.

 

[sodamo]

60°F and .57 inches rain. Forecast says rain storm next 2 days. Next step in project is a lot more painting before any more assembly.

Prayers for all
Be safe
Have a great day

 

[riptides]

38 outside this AM, late start, morning check on animals did not go well. Sick horse.

Hope all have a good day. Be safe.

 

[jbrumberg]

Eric- I agree. In addition to the native Columbines where it was previously cleared I am seeing poplars, Osier Dogwoods, wild grape, raspberries winter berries, etc. filling the gap in the canopy. All great food sources for the native wildlife I really want to save the wild cherry. It's a pretty tree and feeds a lot of wildlife. The 4 leader cherries around the propane have to be removed due to their leaning and location to the tank. The ashes in the thicket are young trees and still healthy, but the forester said they really weren't able to be saved. I am ambivalent about the lone "Specimen" Ash. It is a pretty tree. Apparently the emerald ash borer poison is pretty effective.

 

[daugen]

utterly amazed that the new tiller transmission I ordered from DR in Vermont three days ago showed up today from Agrifab,
the actual maker of the unit. Now that's impressive. Now I have to take the old one apart, went downtown to get shear pins at TSC and
they only had long ones so I made my own out of cheap low grade bolts.

Called Lowes, asked if their nut trees had come in. Oh yes sir, we just got a delivery. Great, off I go, need four pecans to replace ones that didn't make it, get there, only fruit trees. Where are the nut trees? Oh, sorry sir...not here yet. A real head shaker.

tractor is off to dealer, planted last of lettuce, and despite it being a nice day, may just chill.

 

[Bird]

Rick, my lights are two tube version of the same light.

Bird, I know there was an issue with a relay or something in theopener, once I talked to Genie, they sent me a new unit and issued a pickup for the old one and promised to tell me what they found, that was a year ago, not a word.

Randy, if I'm not mistaken (and I certainly could be), Genie was the number one garage door opener years ago and that's what I had installed in a new house we bought in 1977 and we never had a problem with it, but we sold that house in 1989. I'm told that LiftMaster is now the top rated one, and I had a belt drive LiftMaster installed in our current home a little over 6 years ago.