Good morning!!!!

[Happy in NC]

Good morning TBN!!
45 this morning going to the mid 60s.

Spent yesterday under the buggy doing final prep for undercoating. I just need to wipe it down with lacquer thinner then spray. Probably wait a couple of days for the warm weather that is coming. Supposed to be in the mid 70s on Sat.
No real plans for me today. Wife is going out to spread her holiday cheer with a carload of goodies this morning. The dog and I will enjoy the day. No doubt some long walks. He's getting a bit thick around the collar again.
Up to early so I will get moving earlier but...

Time for a second cup
Everyone have a great and safe day!!

 

[Spike56]

Good Morning from Central Texas.
At 5am the weather station says 70.2 degrees and 67.4 Dew Point - forecast is 80 today. Who likes the cold, but 80 degrees is too warm if the sun is out - 60-65 would be nice.
Tractor repair done. I had never used a 5 gallon bucket pump for the hydro fluid. On my cab tractor the fill cap is recessed under the body and a real pain to fill. But the pump made easy work of it.
Someone told me they make a pump that fits the 5 gal bucket without removing the lid, but could not find one ? Not the HF stick pump style, one actually made for that ? Anyone know ?
Nothing pressing today, go for a long walk to fetch tractor back to the house and some leaf pickup.
Hope everyone stays safe and has a great day !

 

[Looking4new]

Good morning, the temperature is 26 and going to 34°F. Wind E 7 mph. Snow, about 2".

With the forecast calling for 34° today as opposed to in the twenties on the weekend, I think I will fill the house tank today. I only need to make it through till the second week of January with both tanks then I will be able to fill them both. If worst comes to worst I can always use jerry cans to fill the tractor with OTR fuel.
That is my job for today, fill the house tank with oil.

Have a safe day all

Good Morning from Central Texas.
At 5am the weather station says 70.2 degrees and 67.4 Dew Point - forecast is 80 today. Who likes the cold, but 80 degrees is too warm if the sun is out - 60-65 would be nice.
Tractor repair done. I had never used a 5 gallon bucket pump for the hydro fluid. On my cab tractor the fill cap is recessed under the body and a real pain to fill. But the pump made easy work of it.
Someone told me they make a pump that fits the 5 gal bucket without removing the lid, but could not find one ? Not the HF stick pump style, one actually made for that ? Anyone know ?
Nothing pressing today, go for a long walk to fetch tractor back to the house and some leaf pickup.
Hope everyone stays safe and has a great day !

Amazon has a ton of them. I only searched the first page of 7 pages. Lots of lever pumps and a few rotary's.

 

[scott_vt]

Good Tractor Morning,
Ct, 30 going to 35 and it just started snowing. I have a dentist appointment at 8:30 for a cleaning, last one of the year, hopefully the roads are not too bad.

My youngest son held a Christmas gathering for our immediate family last night at his house. Very nice time, along with some fantastic food. All the cousins had a great time playing together, our 4 grands along with their older cousin. But it was an early night because some people are actually still working

Hopefully the snow will end later this morning so I can go for a long walk and get some things done outside.

Hope all have a great day

 

[wngsprd]

40 and light rain, heading to 58.

My wife learned to ski on those slopes.

It's where I went on my first ski trip with my sister...a busload of us from the beach for the day. I read they added a couple of new slopes.

Arly, I love your dogs in the snow photo.

Dealt with plumbing yesterday morning. Roasted 3 batches of coffee for Christmas gifts. Took my tiller off the tractor, used as a counterweight for the grapple, and put my carry all and wood box on, but ran out of daylight to cut firewood.

 

[scott_vt]

Good Tractor Morning,

Drew, it’s always 5pm some place.

David, indeed it is

 

[ArlyA]

Good morning TBN!! Its 32 here in Houghton MI this morning and that's our predicted high for the day. It warmed up overnight. Packing and buying supplies for camp today but we'll not head south until the morning. Yesterday I plowed out the collage gals driveways who are all home on holiday break. Tried to install a steering module in our 6x6 but gave up and will hire by buddy to install it. My dexterity has gotten so, so poor.

 

[DarkBlack]

Good morning. It’s overcast and 20f
We have another 3-6” of snow predicted for today/tonight.
We had a 45f day with rain this past week, so the remaining snow is rock hard.

 

[riptides]

40 outside right now. Should be heading to mid 50's. Nice weather, like it when it is not freezing cold.

All the girls got together last night for our favorite sushi run. Since we all are on different schedules, that was our Christmas dinner. Interesting evening, we passed a fully engulfed car-b-que on the way to the restaurant. All occupants escaped with no injuries. Looked to be a newer car. OMG that thing was frightening. Luck would have it that the FD was less than a mile up the road and it was a major intersection. Then at the restaurant we came across some old friends we had not seen in 20 years. All in all a great evening with family and friends.

Today is more pickup sticks and some equipment maintenance. I would like to wash some stuff down and perhaps disconnect and unload the manlift batteries. They need replacement and Duracell's are what we use. They seem to pass the owner neglect tests over the years.

Interesting you all are talking about electric price increases and data centers. My surrounding area is in huge battles about both. Just saw the neighboring county has a proposal for over 2000 acres to be used as data centers. Around 250 land owners got together and put their lots in front of a developer who then went to the county for approval. Some people are trying to get ahead of the tide.

Hope all have a great day today. Be safe. Merry Christmas.

 

[m7040]

good morning, 35 going to 47 light rain

did not quite make the steps but getting closer

Worked on tightening up the lower level shop in the barn covering up with screwed in boards. Stopped after the fingers were tingling from being cold

Ace, daughters dog swallowed an open safety pin and had surgery

Wife scolded her hand and spilled cup of hot water. Used bags of frozen peas and hope for no blisters

More steps and barn work on the agenda

View attachment IMG_1375.jpeg

 

[Spike56]

Good morning, the temperature is 26 and going to 34°F. Wind E 7 mph. Snow, about 2".

With the forecast calling for 34° today as opposed to in the twenties on the weekend, I think I will fill the house tank today. I only need to make it through till the second week of January with both tanks then I will be able to fill them both. If worst comes to worst I can always use jerry cans to fill the tractor with OTR fuel.
That is my job for today, fill the house tank with oil.

Have a safe day all

Amazon has a ton of them. I only searched the first page of 7 pages. Lots of lever pumps and a few rotary's.

Hmm, must be searching with the wrong terms ? I see a lot different pumps, but the oneI am looking for is specifically for 5 gallon buckets that would fit in the built in pop up pour spout. So, you would not have to remove the whole lid (like the one I have). The ones I have seen like this:

Claim to work ? But, some of the reviews for "fit" don't sound too good ?

 

[Popgadget]

Good Morning
32° and snowing this morning. Won’t get a lot warmer, snow ending by noon.

Yesterday was a busy day, starting with a visit from Drew.
Christmas shopping went well,my friend has a collection of muscle cars, he picked me up in a Jeep Track Hawk, which is essentially an 800 hp Cherokee. It was an impressive ride, he said that the AWD makes it noticeably quicker than his Hellcat.
At any rate found lots of stocking stuffers for the kids at Harbor Freight.
When we got back I milled a bit of Sapele for him, that is dense wood! Also repaired an antique whisk for him that was like a jewelry repair-

Cooked a pork tenderloin for dinner and put my feet up in front of a fire until bed time.

Today starts with breakfast with the professor, and then whatever comes my way.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

data centers in our county being built on the site of the former Eastalco aluminum plant. They said this was an ideal site, because it had all the utilities. The key word was HAD. The other end of the extension cord was shut down in 2020.

Eastalco once produced up to 8% of the aluminum in the US. It shut down in 2008 when it's electricity contract expired, and costs were set to triple.
The other end of the extension cord was nearby Dickerson power plant, only 8 miles away. it shut down in 2020 due to increased cost of environmental compliance, after it had spent over $1B in emission upgrades in 2009.

So now the plan is to ship in power from PA, which means building over 100 miles of new power lines, instead of using the existing infrastructure.

The govt. kept moving the goal posts.

MDE and EPA regulations put both of these business's out of business.

But this wasn't just a MD problem. Consolidated aluminum in SE ohio went bankrupt in 2013 for the same reason. The neighboring Ormet aluminum plant went bankrupt in 2014. Both closed by rising costs of electricity due to EPA's moving goal posts. Many of my friends lost their jobs in this one. Over 3000 people lost their jobs, their lively hoods, their health insurance, and many lost their homes. There were no other jobs to go to. That part of Ohio is very depressed, as it lost it's only industry. One of the former power plant feeding it was also shut down in 2010, again due to changing regulations, and immediately torn down.

Many areas have outlawed gasoline engines, so when you have that power outage, you won't be allowed to run your westinghouse generator behind your house, you will have to break out your solar powered jackery to provide your emergency power in the middle of the night.

Picture I took of Ormet and Consolidated Aluminum in 1983

 

[Engineer42]

Hmm, must be searching with the wrong terms ? I see a lot different pumps, but the oneI am looking for is specifically for 5 gallon buckets that would fit in the built in pop up pour spout. So, you would not have to remove the whole lid (like the one I have). The ones I have seen like this:
View attachment 4627190
Claim to work ? But, some of the reviews for "fit" don't sound too good ?

Get this one. Cut an X in the center of the lid of the bucket. Stick the suction tube through the X. Tighten thumb screws on the side. Much more stable to work with than what is shown in your picture.

 

[kenmbz]

Morning all, 33 going to 38 and snowing.
got few things done yesterday, bank run, some shopping. Cleanup of some branches.

Ouch M7040, how does a dog swallow a safety pin? Hope Ace is ok.

Now calling for 5" of Snow Friday, ready for that.
Not sure when we will have Christmas dinner, Maybe Saturday at this rate.

Be well,

Hmm, wonder what that noise is by the bedroom window.

Now thats a fancy mushroom, about a foot or so across.

 

[WinterDeere]

Guten Morgen. Spent a late night scanning in some old photos taken from albums that my great-grandparents had kept, with this particular batch being unfortunately mostly un-labeled, which makes for slow going when trying to date or name them.

My great-grandfather was one of 7 brothers, who being brothers look a lot alike, so that's always fun. My grandmother was one of 7 sisters, so it's no easier on that side of the family, but at least I'm old enough to remember most of those folks myself. In both cases, it seems easier to pick them out if you know their respective spouses or kids.

A few of the photos were tin types, which is always fun... gotta drag out the old flatbed scanner for those. Everything else is going thru a high-speed document scanner, which can rip thru maybe 20 - 30 photos per minute at 600 dpi.

If anyone is interested in the history of Bucks County, I'd guess there are some gems in here, especially pertaining to Rev. War or WW1 history. My family owned most of the properties critical to area operations in the Rev. war, and could've damn near supplied a full platoon with enlistments and draftees in WW1.

 

[Engineer42]

Morning all, 33 going to 38 and snowing.
got few things done yesterday, bank run, some shopping. Cleanup of some branches.

Ouch M7040, how does a dog swallow a safety pin? Hope Ace is ok.

Now calling for 5" of Snow Friday, ready for that.
Not sure when we will have Christmas dinner, Maybe Saturday at this rate.

Be well,

Hmm, wonder what that noise is by the bedroom window.
View attachment 4627459
Now thats a fancy mushroom, about a foot or so across.
View attachment 4627460

These have been growing outside my office window for a month or so. I should have taken the picture last week as the colors were more vibrant then. Bright green and purple.

 

[ponytug]

Guten Morgen. Spent a late night scanning in some old photos taken from albums that my great-grandparents had kept, with this particular batch being unfortunately mostly un-labeled, which makes for slow going when trying to date or name them.

My great-grandfather was one of 7 brothers, who being brothers look a lot alike, so that's always fun. My grandmother was one of 7 sisters, so it's no easier on that side of the family, but at least I'm old enough to remember most of those folks myself. In both cases, it seems easier to pick them out if you know their respective spouses or kids.

A few of the photos were tin types, which is always fun... gotta drag out the old flatbed scanner for those. Everything else is going thru a high-speed document scanner, which can rip thru maybe 20 - 30 photos per minute at 600 dpi.

If anyone is interested in the history of Bucks County, I'd guess there are some gems in here, especially pertaining to Rev. War or WW1 history. My family owned most of the properties critical to area operations in the Rev. war, and could've damn near supplied a full platoon with enlistments and draftees in WW1.

Have you considered reaching out to the local / state historical association, especially as you have digital scans of some things?

Getting a platoon from one family, even an extended family is just amazing to me.

@Wagtail I hope that you had an enjoyable "Tibb's Eve"! I didn't realize it was celebrated in your neck of the woods. I always liked the expression.

The last storm system seems to have been a very narrow band that missed us, so I think I will make one last foray to chip what wood I can before winter really sets in. If I get ambitious, I might rototill some patches that the pigs rooted up this fall, and perhaps auto-level (rototill) some large burrow mounds on the steeper slopes that are getting hazardously large for the tractor (tipping risk).

All the best,

Peter

 

[FriendwithTractor]

Good Morning to All Who Celebrate! Currently 33° heading to a high of 39°, raining at the moment, but had been snowing off and on earlier in the morning.

Spent the weekend doing exactly what I planned, as little as possible. Only two things tractor related happened: Took the snow-push off for the bucket as to make more room in the pole barn to access the fridge there.

I turned 33 on Monday, and the girlfriend threw a party for me there in PH with the following cake:

Since she knows me so well, guess I have to marry her now.

Like I said, a very sedate weekend. Think I spent the vast majority of it sleeping. Picked up the last minute Christmas Gifts and some cash from the bank as well.

Now back at work, getting through the last few things before the Great Holiday Ghosting begins. Last thing to figure out is where I'm going to meet my Aunt to pick up Grandma on Christmas Day.

Buppies, Praying always for you and Holly. I hope you two are together and can enjoy the Christmas Cheer!

Y'all stay safe out there and be well! No more slips and falls guys! Hope you all enjoy the holidays as much as possible and eat plenty of good food! The calories don't count this time of year!
Praying for all Ailing and Recovering!

 

[m7040]

Hmm, must be searching with the wrong terms ? I see a lot different pumps, but the oneI am looking for is specifically for 5 gallon buckets that would fit in the built in pop up pour spout. So, you would not have to remove the whole lid (like the one I have). The ones I have seen like this:
View attachment 4627190
Claim to work ? But, some of the reviews for "fit" don't sound too good ?

Forgot where I got mine but works great