Good morning!!!!

[ronjhall]

Drinking first cup of coffee. 26ｰ with cloudy skies this morning. Heading to 32ｰ with mostly sunny skies in afternoon. Spent most of yesterday doing a inventory of coins and money we had collected for many years. Well over $200. Most of them older than 1970. Did not inventory dimes, nickles and pennies. Taking them to a coin dealer today for appraisal. Need to restock bird feed storage containers. That will be stop at Menards. Nice to do grocery, pet and hardware supplies at one store. It been a few weeks since I have gotten any seat time. Need to get chipper on tractor soon to get some seat time.
I have been watching this squirrel trying to figure out how to get at the bird feeders. It's over 10' down and out to them. Guess it is not hungry enough yet.


Randy, sure am glad you like a good cow jokes.

Jay, like the pictures and trip notes. Hope your wife wrist heals quickly. Safe travels home today.

Looking, is something special about batteries bought in Canada?

Buckeye, garbage disposal went out when we moved here 47 years ago. No dishwasher either. 2 items never on my repair list. Hope your is a easy fix. Lincoln highway wasn't more than a dirt road. Like the video. You can come to my place and check out what it was like this coming spring.

Prayers and best wishes to all.

Good Morning All.

 

[ronjhall]

Gel cell technology. They are expensive, but if they last over 5 years I will be pleasantly surprised.
We in Canada, as far as I know, have no battery manufacturing facility. They are all made in USA. Our dollar against the American dollar is worth 68 cents. It wasn't always this way, there were some years where the US $ was worth 90 cents Canadian, but those days are long gone.
Speaking of 'long gone', General Motors in Oshawa, Ontario will be building the last car sometime this week. They are closing the doors. GM in Oshawa has gone the way of the Dodo bird.

Gm had a battery plant as part of the Oshawa complex. I guess they are closing it too. Maybe the new trade agreement will help with prices on USA imported products. I was always surprised by the price of things in Canada compared to USA. Mostly markup by the middle man I believe.

 

[Buppies]

Great picture of squirrel Ron

 

[Buppies]

Fog has really rolled in this morning very light drizzle

 

[daugen]

Our dollar against the American dollar is worth 68 cents.

wow, wasn't aware it was that far apart, thought around ten percent.
From what I've seen most of the stuff (hot tubs, rv's) built in Canada are very high quality.
But if you don't make it there, add expensive transportation in plus this almost one third cost disadvantage, makes
for expensive cost of living. Hopefully offset by lower taxes, lower utility costs.
Am guessing the less expensive Chinese goods coming in from the West Coast would be very appealing at least on price.

sun is coming out, time to get moving, in the sixties. Have to take trailer to friend's home at river and bring my CCLT2 riding mower back for winter.
Takes me quite a while to get all the sand out of the deck bearings, plus blade is shot in one year. As in worn half off.
Then rain comes in this afternoon.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Good morning. It's 36° here this morning which is 36° cooler than this time yesterday ... when it was 72°. Were still getting 15 mph+ winds. High should be near 53° this afternoon.

I'm thinking today will be a cab tractor day. I got my last burn pile lit off last Friday so, I need to use the FEL bucket to cleanup the sites of last three burn piles. After that some shop projects and shop heater testing.

Drew ... hope your foot is improving.

Randy ... keep getting better ... and keep your sense of humor.
Remember to party till the calves come home! They stay our way later than the cows.

Jay ... hope you have a drama free return trip today.

BEF ... thanks for the Lincoln Highway Video. My grandparents ranch, in Sarpy County Nebraska, was just a few miles from the original LH. I was born, in Blair, Nebraska just a mile from the realignment that became US 30.

Hope everyone has a great day.

Prayers to all.

 

[Thomas]

ronjhall;
I have been watching this squirrel trying to figure out how to get at the bird feeders. It's over 10' down and out to them. Guess it is not hungry enough yet.
View attachment 632858
..................................
He'll figure something out that you can be sure of.

 

[jbrumberg]

Good Morning Everyone!!!!!

Thanks for the early morning laughs.

It used to be ~$500 colonies to the dollar (USD) now it's 550

6:45AM here (Central time)... We are killing time here at the Hotel Grano de Oro waiting for the end of rush hour. We need to find a gas station and drop the rental car off and then there will be a lot of hanging around in airports today (San Jose and Atlanta). We will not get to Bradley/Hartford, CT until ~midnight tonight and we will spend the night at the Sheridan Hotel at the airport where we have left Wifey's car.

RonJH- That pesky tree rat will figure a way to get to that feeder; they always do.

Rick et. al.- Thanks for the +'s. Wifey is doing pretty well thanks to the meds she's taking (does get a little loopy ). Quite a few research studies indicate that the higher the degree level the less effective the treated felt about the practitioner. I tend to agree. From what I've seen working in long term care the housekeeping and maintenance staff were much more effective than the "professionals" at putting residents in a "better place" emotionally. The doctoral level courses were pie in the sky cow plop (sorry Randy); the profs had no idea about real care and treatment in different settings, the effects of institutionalization, etc. I ended up teaching the teachers on more than one occasion. . In some ways I think that I was most effective therapeutically as an attendant at the State Hospital with my BS [literally and figuratively(sorry Randy)]. I did manage to get an MA before I bailed.

Eric- I have another tidbit= iguanas are one of the few reptiles known to "self stimulate" Those naughty lizards, but their vision remains excellent

An interesting program: Casa Luz.

 

[Thomas]

20F cloudy mid 20's for high snow storm just about here 3-5 inches ending late tonight.

E muffin outside early get chores done tidy up things before the snow arrives.
Plans for today...camcorder learning :confused2: clean up make new files on computer wildlife pics,putter.

Enjoy the day all.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

"If you fill the barrel with water to keep the Christmas tree green, how will the steel be kept from rusting?"

A quick coat of some stuff called "Zinga", almost pure zinc suspended in a fancy solvent. Next best thing to hot-dip galvanising and can be easily applied by brush, even when too cold to use normal paint. It looks like you have this in the USA too Zinga Z1 Zinc Film Cold Galvanizing Coating - 12.5 Ounces | GME Supply Not sure if that's the best price, it is twice as much as I pay.

Well, you learn something every day. I'd never heard of cold galvanizing, but unlike cold fusion, apparently it works. I suspect the high cost of Zinga has a lot to do with shipping; zinc at at least 92% of the coating, is heavy. And apparently it takes at least 92% to be effective. In the US, there are lots cold galvanizing products that hit 93%, and though they're more costly than paint products by about 3X, the plain old paint doesn't offer the anodic protection. Thanks, Eric!

 

[txdon]

Good morning! 31˚F partly cloudy, windy.

I think I'll try one of those energy conservation days today.

Won 4 out of 5 games in cards last night which should move me up from 5th place. Only 10 games left of the 65 game 3 month tournament. I paid my membership dues - $12 - so I'm entered in all the tournaments for 2020, 260 games 25cents a night for entertainment and I could stretch out that 25 cents a week because the other 6 nights they play different card games which are included in the membership price, just not enough time to do/learn it all.

I canceled Netflix and am trying AppleTV+. at $4.95 a month. Does anyone else subscribe to AppleTV+?

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Good Morning!!!! 46F @ 5:45AM. Cloudy skies. High 54F. Winds light and variable.

Sounds like you're well prepared, at least attitude wise, for the long trip, Jay. Hope you get smooth flights and don't have to walk too far between connections.

Hope you and your new cow parts continue to recuperate, Randy. Back when, was it Dr. Sheppard, did the first heart transplant, the idea of rebuilding a heart in place through tiny incisions wasn't even dreamt about. And now, here you are, a walking, talking miracle! And we're all so happy that you are!!!:thumbsup:

Thanks for the red squirrel photo, Ron. They are clever little devils, but are rumored to taste pretty good if they somehow come down with lead poisoning.:laughing: No reds out here, but we have a scrawnier version called pine squirrels. Apparently their flavor comes from their diet, but not many care for pine sap in their stew.

A friend gave me a little bit of venison hamberger, and yesterday it found its way into the Instant Pot, along with some onion, garlic, tomato puree, and ancho and chipotle chilis. Had a bit for dinner, and let the rest go overnight, and now the house smells wonderful. So does the garage; yesterday I jerked the two top round roasts I'd chipped and had soaking for a few days. One marinated in Yoshida's teriyaka sauce, the other in Cholula chipotle sauce. I'd forgotten it was the chipotle variety, and added a few teaspoons of additional ground chipotle, so this batch is nice and spicy.

Got in touch with Michelin yesterday, and they say their tires are safe to use even after spending up to three years sitting on a shelf. I can't get another in time for Friday's departure, so on it went. It was stiffer than usual, and took a couple of tries before I could get the bead to seat uniformly, but now it's on there and balanced. After it warms up a bit this afternoon, I'll take one last ride and make sure everything's all set.

That left just enough time to see if the van is firing the plugs during starting, but I had to make a little mount adaptor for the GoPro camera first so I could see it from the driver's seat. Once in place, I had a great view on the iPhone of a spare sparkplug bungie corded to the cylinder head, sparking away as I turned the key. Yet another possible cause of the hard cold start eliminated, maybe I'll tackle another today.

 

[txdon]

Tis the season for gift wrapping. Wrapping Hacks.
Blossom (@BlossomHacks) on Twitter

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Buckeye, garbage disposal went out when we moved here 47 years ago. No dishwasher either. 2 items never on my repair list. Hope your is a easy fix. Lincoln highway wasn't more than a dirt road. Like the video. You can come to my place and check out what it was like this coming spring.
.

Got it unclogged by running a little at a time, then letting it set awhile. It would shoot water out of the sink when I turned it on. She had stuffed it full of carrot peels then tried to run it.

I live just south of the Lincoln highway as it goes thru Gettysburg PA. People are spoiled by today’s roads. I grew up in an area of mostly gravel road, including the one I lived on. I liked where they drove model T over stream banks to cross, or across RR bridges.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Got it unclogged by running a little at a time, then letting it set awhile. It would shoot water out of the sink when I turned it on. She had stuffed it full of carrot peels then tried to run it.

I live just south of the Lincoln highway as it goes thru Gettysburg PA. People are spoiled by today’s roads. I grew up in an area of mostly gravel road, including the one I lived on. I liked where they drove model T over stream banks to cross, or across RR bridges.

Garbage disposals don’t do well with peelings from carrots, potatoes, etc.

Throw them in your compost bin.

Much of the Lincoln Highway eventually became US 30 then, replaced by I-80 in the 60’s.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Good morning to all! Low of 13, Brrrrr.... only reaching for a high of 34. Wind settling down a bit, only 15 - 20 mph.

Spent yesterday in the garage organizing stuff that was haphazardly left on the benches. Moved a few of the saws and the drill press to different areas, will make the shop “ flow “ better. I did not get it finished, so back in there today.

Jay, hope your travels go smoothly today. Depending on the timing, you may get into some weather related delays.....

Drew, take care of that foot, don’t overdo it because it is feeling better!

Randy, do you now have to get branded? ...... sorry, couldn’t resist

Didn’t get the hairs cut as planned yesterday.... this morning is for sure!

RNG, hope you get to the bottom of the hard starting issues. Be safe on your road trip!

Time to get moving, everyone have a great day! Prayers sent

 

[RedNeckGeek]

The Lincoln Highway used to pass through Livermore, California, where I worked for many years. Just east of town it still goes over the Altamont Pass, home to the infamous Altamont Raceway and that notorious Rolling Stones concert in the '60s. Off to the north side, you can still see a short section of abandoned concrete from the original old road, and just a bit farther east is an old garage from that time that is still in business. Just to the south and parallel to the Lincoln Highway's route, is I-580, a major artery into the San Francisco Bay Area. That has left that section of the Lincoln Highway relatively undisturbed all these years, the only main difference in the scenery being the hundreds of power generating windmills that have been installed on the windy hills. Several years ago I read an article in a motorcycle magazine of a fella that had researched the original routes, and had pieced together a map he used to ride as much of it as could be found. His article said the Lincoln Highway was concocted as a way to get motorists to frequent businesses along the way, and the path was mostly influenced by not only the presence of a road, but by the willingness of businesses to help fund the promotional efforts of the people installing the monuments that marked the route. Many of those markers still remain, cared for and memorialized by the communities along the way. There's one in Auburn, California, that I go by several times a year. The Lincoln Highway Association publishes a map that shows all the old alignments; you could spend a lifetime driving them all as they changed many times over the years.

 

[daugen]

Don, thanks, very creative, I liked the red tab for opening. Rest I'd have to watch a few times to remember, but the one about going corner to corner instead of square
was simple and smart.

picked up the CC lawn riding mower, brought it home, washed it off, dried it, put under shed with a fitted cover and that's all she wrote until a nice warm spell.
I go for years without changing the air filters on my farm mowers, this one goes for 20 hours before it's clogged, nothing like mowing a sandy beach with a little grass on it...
So it needs filters, an oil change and new blades. Otherwise runs like new. I don't like driving it, no power steering but Kawasaki engine will last a long time plus it has
fabricated deck with some weight to it. Good thing with all that sand flying around underneath.
I have to take the deck wheels totally off and make sure all the sand is out. Filled gas tank to brim, added some Sea Foam, and expect it to start immediately in Spring.
Think it has 70 hours on it now after four years. Am pretty sure she checks nothing on it other than doing quite nicely keeping it clean, so I have to go over mid summer, grease the mower wheels, sealed spindles thankfully due to sand and check the oil.

Christmas cards coming in, but Christmas weather will be warm I believe, in the 60's. I'll be happy to look at all your snow pics.

 

[daugen]

The Lincoln Highway video was very good, great history of cars in US

 

[jbrumberg]

RNG- With enough trips down the Costa Rica we are finally getting our SOP down. Your venison hamburger and roast read to be great eats.

Thanks for the +'s. We are about to check out now that rush hour traffic is subsiding somewhat.

My + thoughts, wishes, and prayers.

Pura Vida!!!!!!!!